UN mission: Somalia talks end without resolving key political disputes
UNTMIS said it took note of the parties’ stated commitment to keep talking and to search for a constructive way ahead.
Saturday May 16, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — The United Nations mission in Somalia has welcomed the return of talks among Somali political leaders, while warning that the latest round of negotiations failed to settle the core disputes surrounding the country’s political transition.
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The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia UNTMIS said Saturday that discussions held from May 13 to 15 marked an important step forward and commended the international partners who backed the effort.
“It is regrettable, however, that once again the dialogue concluded without resolving key disputes,” the mission said.
UNTMIS said it took note of the parties’ stated commitment to keep talking and to search for a constructive way ahead.
The statement followed three days of meetings in Mogadishu between the federal government and opposition figures, which ended without agreement on elections, constitutional amendments or the broader political transition.
The negotiations unfolded during a particularly delicate moment for Somalia’s politics. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s four-year term expired on May 15, but parliament had already approved constitutional amendments that extend federal institutions by one year and lengthen the presidential term from four years to five. Opposition leaders have rejected the changes, saying no valid political accord exists to prolong the president’s mandate.
UNTMIS called on the Federal Government of Somalia to deepen engagement with all stakeholders and work toward consensus on an electoral model that is both workable and unifying.
The mission also urged Somali leaders and communities to join forces in confronting the country’s worsening humanitarian emergency and the persistent threat posed by terrorism.
Somalia is grappling with rising food insecurity, drought, displacement and shrinking humanitarian funding, while government forces continue military campaigns against al-Shabab in central and southern regions.
UNTMIS called on all parties to show restraint and said it remained prepared to work with international partners in efforts to narrow the divisions among Somalia’s political leaders.
