Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s political divisions have reached the United Nations Security Council, with opposition leaders and the presidents of two federal member states warning that disputes over elections, constitutional authority and relations between Mogadishu and the regions could erode recent security gains.
The Somali Future Council set out the appeal in a Sept. 11 letter to Jérôme Bonnafont, France’s ambassador to the United Nations and the Security Council’s president for September.
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The coalition, made up of opposition politicians and the presidents of Puntland State and Jubaland, urged an immediate political settlement and international participation in talks on Somalia’s electoral process.
It also asked the Security Council to consider retaining an international political presence throughout the elections and to commission an independent inquiry into a Sept. 3 drone strike in Dollow that the coalition said hit the residence of a former senior military officer.
The federal government had not issued an immediate public response to the letter.
The opposition said Somalia was confronting simultaneous constitutional, security and humanitarian crises as the Security Council prepares to review the future of international missions in the country.
It emphasized that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s constitutional mandate expired on May 15 and that parliament’s term ended April 14, arguing that federal institutions therefore lack a valid mandate.
The federal government rejects that interpretation.
Constitutional amendments passed by Somalia’s parliament in 2024 set five-year terms for the president and parliament and introduced direct universal suffrage and a multiparty electoral system. The government regards the amendments as legally binding and says Mohamud’s mandate consequently runs through 2027. Puntland State, Jubaland and several opposition groups have opposed parts of the changes, saying they were adopted without adequate political consensus.
The constitutional dispute and disagreement over the election timetable have become central fault lines in Somali politics. The federal government is advancing plans for direct elections, while its opponents want a negotiated electoral agreement involving federal member states and opposition groups.
The Somali Future Council told the Security Council that international security decisions could not be considered separately from the political standoff.
“International partners, including troop-contributing countries, are being asked to sustain a security mission in a country where political division is now a principal driver of instability,” the coalition wrote.
The Council asked the Security Council to hold a formal session on Somalia’s constitutional and political circumstances, with briefings from the United Nations, African Union and Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
It also proposed an “inclusive and attainable” electoral framework for both federal and regional institutions, as well as an international mediation and guarantee arrangement involving Security Council members and countries providing troops to Somalia’s African Union mission.
The coalition said multiple efforts to open political talks this year had failed.
It said opposition leaders held a conference in Kismayo before the federal government’s mandate expired and later joined negotiations involving international partners. The coalition accused the government of refusing to compromise over electoral arrangements.
The federal government has said its constitutional and electoral reforms are designed to replace Somalia’s long-running indirect political system with direct voting and stronger constitutional institutions.
The Somali Future Council separately sought an independent investigation into the Sept. 3 drone strike in Dollow.
The letter alleged that the attack destroyed the home of a senior military officer who had previously been dismissed because of his political alignment. It offered no independent evidence establishing who conducted the strike.
The Council said the episode raised concerns over the deployment of advanced military capabilities in domestic political disputes and warned that it could create a dangerous precedent.
The coalition also alleged that the federal government had used force to manage political disputes in several areas, including Mogadishu, Galkayo and Jubaland.
It further accused Mogadishu of intervening in political affairs in South West, Galmudug and Hirshabelle, while saying relations between the federal government and Puntland State and Jubaland had effectively collapsed.
The appeal was made weeks before the planned conclusion of the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia UNTMIS.
The Security Council created UNTMIS in November 2024 to succeed the previous U.N. political mission and begin a two-year, phased transfer of its responsibilities to the Somali government and the U.N. country team. That transition is due to finish by Oct. 31, 2026.
The Somali Future Council said closing the political mission would deprive Somalia of an independent international body to monitor constitutional and electoral developments during a particularly sensitive period.
It asked the Security Council either to prolong an existing international mandate or create another mechanism to support Somalia’s electoral process and provide independent reporting on political developments.
The Council also alleged that the federal government had curtailed the ability of U.N. and African Union missions to issue independent political and security assessments. The letter did not offer detailed evidence for the claim.
The Security Council is also expected to review the future of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
AUSSOM replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia at the start of 2025. It supports Somali forces fighting al-Shabab and other militant groups and helps with stabilization and the protection of key infrastructure.
The Security Council has authorized AUSSOM to operate through Dec. 31, 2026.
As Somali forces take on a larger share of national security responsibilities, funding for the mission has remained a major concern for both Somalia and the African Union.
The opposition coalition warned that continued political confrontation could weaken counterterrorism gains and make the security transition more difficult.
It also called on the Security Council to ensure that displacement linked to political violence and alleged land seizures in Mogadishu is included in U.N. humanitarian assessments.
The letter accused authorities of overseeing mass evictions and appropriating land in the capital without sufficient compensation or legal safeguards. The opposition coalition made those allegations, which were not independently verified in the letter.
The group urged the Security Council to act before decisions are taken on the future structure of Somalia’s international political and security support.
“For three decades the Security Council has invested in Somalia’s stability,” the coalition wrote. “We ask for the Council’s early engagement to change the trajectory of the present crisis.”
