MOGADISHU, May 15 – As Somalia navigates its most critical political period in decades, mounting tensions between the government and opposition figures threaten to unravel recent progress toward stability and national unity. Former leaders have accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of using his office to consolidate power, undermining the country’s fragile federal system.
In a pointed critique released Wednesday, former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo warned that President Mohamud’s actions were dangerously destabilizing Somalia’s already precarious political environment. Farmaajo specifically condemned the president’s recent formation of the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP), alleging that the move was a direct violation of the principles laid out in the country’s transitional constitution.
“The president’s actions reflect a dangerous shift towards centralization, where federal institutions are sidelined in favor of strengthening a partisan political agenda,” Farmaajo said in the statement, expressing concern that Somalia’s unity was being sacrificed for political gain.
Farmaajo, who led Somalia from 2017 to 2022, pointed to a number of constitutional breaches, including the undermining of the independence of key institutions such as the National Consultative Forum and Parliament. These institutions, which are meant to serve as neutral bodies facilitating collaboration across Somalia’s regions, have increasingly become entangled in partisan disputes, critics argue.
In the wake of the JSP’s formation, which President Mohamud chairs, critics have accused the government of misusing state resources—ranging from the national army to media outlets—to build a political machine in service of the ruling party. These allegations have fueled fears that the government is prioritizing party interests over the national good, further eroding trust in public institutions.
Meanwhile, regional leaders have grown increasingly vocal in their criticism. A joint statement by several former Somali presidents and prime ministers echoed Farmaajo’s concerns, stating that the establishment of the JSP posed a direct threat to the federal system that has been painstakingly built since the country’s collapse in the early 1990s. They argued that the president’s push for a more centralized political system risks reigniting the very divisions that have hindered Somalia’s recovery for years.
As Somalia approaches a critical phase in its electoral process, there are growing fears that political divisions will intensify, particularly in regions like Jubbaland and Puntland, where local leaders have accused the federal government of overreach. The former leaders have called for a return to inclusive governance, where all regional states have an equal say in the country’s future direction.
Farmaajo’s statement also urged President Mohamud to re-establish dialogue with regional leaders, especially those who have been sidelined from key decision-making platforms. According to Farmaajo, this exclusion is driving the country toward an avoidable crisis and hindering efforts to build a peaceful, democratic Somalia.
As political infighting continues to escalate, Somalia’s path toward universal suffrage and constitutional finalization remains uncertain. With opposition figures increasingly accusing the president of attempting to monopolize power, the coming months will be crucial in determining whether the country can navigate these turbulent waters and move toward meaningful reform or whether political divisions will derail its progress.
