future

Thursday March 19, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Political friction between Baidoa and Mogadishu sharpened Thursday after the opposition-aligned Somali Future Council backed Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen’s decision to freeze relations with the federal government and press ahead with regional elections. In a statement, the council said it welcomed Southwest’s stance but voiced alarm over a deepening national impasse. It argued that disputes over regional leadership, the electoral framework and recent…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Wednesday condemned what it described as the use of force against Bajaj drivers protesting soaring fuel prices in the capital, as well as the arrest of some drivers and journalists covering the demonstration. In a statement, the council said the drivers had been peacefully expressing grievances over sharp increases in fuel costs and should not have faced intimidation or detention. “It is unacceptable that young people who are creating jobs and contributing to…

Irish mother urges EU-wide ‘Coco’s Law’ to combat cyberbullying and AI-altered intimate images STRASBOURG — An Irish woman whose daughter died by suicide after years of abuse urged the European Parliament to adopt stronger, harmonized laws against online harassment and the sharing of intimate images, warning that AI-altered content is making harm “worse and worse.” Addressing members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Strasbourg to mark International Women’s Day, Jackie Fox called for EU-wide safeguards modeled on…

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Monday warned against any postponement of the country’s 2026 national elections, citing constitutional deadlines and the risk of renewed instability if timelines slip. In a statement, the council said the term of the Federal Parliament under the 2012 provisional constitution ends on April 14, 2026, while the president’s mandate expires on May 15, 2026. It urged authorities to keep the electoral calendar intact to safeguard the…

Somalia: Somali Future Council warns of ‘instability’ over 2026 election delays MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Somali Future Council on Monday warned that any delay to the country’s 2026 federal elections risks triggering renewed instability, urging authorities to adhere to constitutional timelines and avoid a repeat of the 2021 political crisis. In a formal statement, the Council voiced “deep concern” about a potential leadership vacuum or term extensions as mandates for federal institutions approach their expiry. It said holding…

‘No school, no food’: Drought pushes Bay region children out of class and into Baidoa’s camps BAIDOA, Somalia — At night in a camp on the edge of this bustling regional capital, Hassan Isaq Sabri counts his children as they file into borrowed huts to sleep. The adults bed down outside. By morning, he will borrow 20 liters of water from neighbors and begin the daylong search for a meal — and for a way to keep his four school-age children from slipping further behind. “My children had a good education before,” said Hassan, 55,…

Somali Future Council calls ‘salvation’ summit as election standoff deepens, parliament terms near expiry MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Somali Future Council said Saturday it will convene a “national salvation” summit on April 10, accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of blocking a political agreement on national elections as key constitutional deadlines approach. The council — a coalition that includes leaders from Puntland State and Jubaland, former presidents and prime ministers, federal lawmakers, prominent politicians and…

Analysis: Somalia’s 2026/2027 elections put eight political traditions to the test Somalia is approaching a defining electoral cycle in 2026/2027, when votes for several federal member states and the federal government will converge to shape the country’s political trajectory. Beyond the usual personalities and shifting alliances, the contests will surface a deeper struggle among eight identifiable political traditions. Understanding those traditions—and how they align or collide across two core axes of Somali politics—is…

Where do talks between the Future Council and the Federal Government stand? MOGADISHU — Somalia’s election negotiations have entered a decisive phase as members of the Future Council agreed to attend a unified session at Villa Somalia on Sunday, moving the standoff with the Federal Government into direct, high-level talks over the country’s electoral path. The shift comes after weeks of committee-level engagements and separate consultative meetings failed to unlock compromises on how to conduct the next polls. With the…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council convened in the capital on Saturday for internal consultations ahead of anticipated talks with federal leaders on elections and constitutional reform, as a high-stakes political standoff shows little sign of easing. The meeting brought together powerful federal member state leaders, including Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madoobe. Participants focused on the dispute over the format, timing and procedures…