What happened: Mogadishu (AX) — Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalooshe, Somalia’s former intelligence chief, has delivered a pointed rebuke of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing his administration of failing to make headway on the country’s worsening security and political problems.
Saturday April 25, 2026
- Advertisement -
Mogadishu (AX) — Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalooshe, Somalia’s former intelligence chief, has delivered a pointed rebuke of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing his administration of failing to make headway on the country’s worsening security and political problems.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, Sanbalooshe said hopes that the president would remedy earlier governance failures had not materialized.
“Nothing has been corrected. There is no progress in the country as a whole,” he said, while also alleging that some regional leaders continue to serve without what he called legitimate mandates.
Sanbalooshe, who has said he plans to contest the presidency of Hirshabelle state, also took aim at the federal government for what he described as a failure to act decisively in resolving political disputes.
He stressed that Somalia’s security situation is interconnected, noting that unrest in one area can rapidly spill into another.
“If Hiiraan is not peaceful, Mogadishu cannot be peaceful,” he said, arguing that every community should be treated equally regardless of clan ties or geography.
He further warned that sidelining any group could widen rifts and feed instability.
Sanbalooshe, once a close ally of President Hassan Sheikh and a member of the ruling Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP), made his remarks as signs of friction have emerged within the party, with several prominent figures recently moving away from the bloc.
His criticism lands at a sensitive moment, as Somalia grapples with persistent security threats alongside disputes over governance and the country’s electoral future.
