MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Saturday that Somalia’s federal government is open to dialogue and compromise with opposition leaders, as the opposition-led Somali Future Council conference in Kismayo entered its third day.
Speaking in Mogadishu, Mohamud urged participants at the Kismayo gathering to produce constructive, negotiable proposals that the public and the government can engage with, signaling a willingness to defuse political tensions through talks.
- Advertisement -
“I say to the brothers in Kismayo: if you come together and reach an agreement, bring forward something the Somali people can understand,” Mohamud said. “We are not saying you cannot go to Kismayo, and we are not closing airports. Come up with proposals that the Somali people can accept. We are ready to compromise.”
The president said political discussions between the government and opposition figures have been underway for the past two months, focusing on what he described as fateful national issues. He emphasized that mutual acceptance matters more than rigid positions, warning against allowing disagreements to harden into a broader deadlock.
Mohamud noted that some political figures accepted the government’s views while others rejected them, adding that points of consensus had already been forwarded to the Federal Parliament “for legal consideration and implementation.” He questioned what he cast as a tendency to dismiss agreements reached in the capital while rallying around positions formed elsewhere.
“I do not understand the logic that something cannot be agreed upon at the Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu, but can suddenly be agreed upon in Kismayo, forming parties and arriving at positions,” he said.
Mohamud also warned against any slide toward armed confrontation, stressing that Somalia must avoid allowing political disputes to escalate into violence. “If a day comes when weapons are threatened, it will be prevented in a brotherly manner to preserve the unity of the country,” he said.
At the same time, the president underscored that the country would not accept dictatorship or a return to rule by fiat. He said political stability must be grounded in consultation, dialogue and mutual respect—an implicit appeal for both government allies and critics to continue engaging through formal channels.
The Somali Future Council conference in Kismayo has drawn politicians critical of the federal government to discuss the country’s political direction and the electoral process. While details of the conference’s draft proposals have not been made public, the gathering has spotlighted unresolved disputes around Somalia’s governance and the shape of future voting frameworks—issues that have repeatedly tested relations between Mogadishu and regional political actors.
Mohamud’s remarks appeared aimed at keeping the way open for negotiation while discouraging parallel political tracks from hardening into rival power centers. His call for the Kismayo meeting to produce “proposals the Somali people can accept” echoed a broader appeal for legitimacy through consensus-building and parliamentary procedure—an approach the president said includes submitting agreed areas to the Federal Parliament for action.
The exchange underscores the stakes of Somalia’s current political season, with opposition figures seeking to influence the next phase of the electoral roadmap and the government signaling flexibility alongside a firm line against any move toward violence. Whether the Kismayo conference coalesces around a platform that can be reconciled with the government’s agenda may shape the next steps in Somalia’s political negotiations.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
