By: Abdirahman Jeylani Mohamed Saturday May 16, 2026 Somalia has reached a fraught political milestone. On 15 May 2026, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s constitutional mandate formally expired, landing the country in one of its most precarious moments in recent memory. The date carries heavy symbolism. It coincides with Somali Youth Day, a commemoration of the generation behind the Somali Youth League (SYL), which once imagined a united, democratic and sovereign Somali republic built on civic nationalism rather than…

Somalia: Hassan Sheikh’s 2019 Support for Jubaland Recalled Amidst Current Rejection of Southwest Vote MOGADISHU, Somalia — A political letter from 2019 has reentered Somalia’s public debate, drawing attention to the strikingly different positions President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has taken before and after returning to power. The document, a formal message of congratulations, records Mohamud—then a prominent opposition leader—welcoming the re-election of Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe. At the time, the federal government…

KISMAYO, Somalia - The escalating discord between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Jubaland's strongman Ahmed Madobe signals a significant political fracture, coming merely a couple of years after they banded together to unseat Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, widely known as Farmajo, in a watershed Somali election. Their symbiosis during the 2022 elections was undeniable, with a joint aversion to extending terms and advocating for direct polls. Yet, irony alters courses, as these very allies now journey on adversarial paths…