Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Leads High-Level Talks With Opposition at Villa Somalia

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting at the Presidential Palace that formally opened a consultative conference with leaders of the Somali Future Council, launching talks aimed at resolving disputes over elections and constitutional reform.

The government-opposition dialogue — expected to run several days — begins amid rising political tension and with fewer than three months left in the government’s term, a compressed timeline that has sharpened concerns over the electoral framework and the pace of constitutional amendments under debate in parliament.

In a brief statement, Villa Somalia said opening discussions focused on the country’s general situation, elections, efforts to strengthen Somali unity and solidarity, drought relief and the fight against the Khawarij — the government’s term for al-Shabab militants. Officials said the immediate objective of the first sessions is to set a structured agenda and timetable for negotiations on unresolved issues.

The conference follows an agreement reached late Tuesday between the federal government and the Somali Future Council to convene formal talks at the presidential palace. The opposition alliance accepted President Hassan Sheikh’s request to host the meeting at Villa Somalia, and both sides have signaled a willingness to compromise in order to create conditions for dialogue.

Justice Minister Hassan Moalim, who chairs the conference’s organizing committee, said ahead of the opening session that holding one-person, one-vote elections remains the government’s top priority. He also underscored the need for an agreed path to move the reform process forward without deepening political rifts, according to officials familiar with the planning.

The opposition, which includes leaders from Puntland State and Jubbaland, has raised concerns about both the pace and substance of constitutional changes now before parliament. It has called for a negotiated electoral arrangement to avoid a constitutional vacuum should lawmakers fail to complete amendments and electoral legislation before the end of the term.

Participants said the talks are designed to produce a sequenced plan that pairs political commitments with implementation milestones. Negotiators are expected to discuss interim safeguards to keep the electoral calendar on track while lawmakers continue deliberations on the constitution.

During the opening session, government and opposition representatives also reviewed broader stabilization priorities that they said must proceed alongside the political track, including humanitarian response to drought-affected communities and ongoing security operations against al-Shabab.

• Electoral framework: mapping a path toward one-person, one-vote and clarifying timelines
• Constitutional reform: agreeing on scope, sequencing and safeguards to prevent a legal vacuum
• Security and governance: sustaining joint efforts against al-Shabab and reinforcing national cohesion
• Humanitarian relief: coordinating drought assistance while political negotiations proceed

Officials said the conference secretariat will outline the negotiation calendar and technical working groups in the coming sessions. While no firm deadlines were announced Thursday, both sides indicated they aim to translate the initial agenda into a binding roadmap and to communicate regular progress updates to the public.

The launch of the consultative conference marks a tentative de-escalation after weeks of sharper rhetoric. Whether it yields a durable political compact will hinge on how quickly negotiators can reconcile positions on election rules and constitutional changes — and whether they can do so without interrupting security operations and humanitarian programs that rely on steady national coordination.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.