MOGADISHU: The Somali Future Council, the country’s main opposition coalition, has announced plans to stage a major protest in Mogadishu on May 16, one day after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s four-year term is scheduled to expire. The coalition accused the federal government of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and political repression. The announcement escalates an already tense political standoff as the president has insisted on transitioning Somalia to a one-person, one-vote electoral system, while the opposition demands an indirect voting model.
In a statement released from the capital, the opposition criticized what it described as government attempts to prevent a peaceful gathering that coalition members had previously organized. The Somali Salvation Forum, which is part of the Future Council, said it “strongly denounces the measures implemented by the current president to impede the peaceful demonstration convened by forum members in Mogadishu.” The coalition emphasized that the newly announced protest would be peaceful and serve as a platform for expressing their political stance. It called on Mogadishu residents and supporters across Somalia to take part in the demonstration. The Somali Future Council has previously warned that after May 15 it will take measures to prevent a power vacuum or unconstitutional rule.
The planned May 16 protest seeks to capitalize on the political uncertainty surrounding the president’s term. Opposition leaders have declared that President Mohamud will lose his legal authority after May 15, 2026, unless national elections are conducted or a constitutional alternative is agreed upon. The Somali Future Council argues that the four-year term stipulated in the provisional constitution ends on that date. Senior government officials have previously suggested that the administration could remain in power for up to two additional years under a newly ratified constitutional framework, a position the opposition has rejected. The standoff has paralysed political dialogue, with both sides entrenched over the future direction of Somalia’s electoral system.
The protest announcement comes after a volatile weekend in Mogadishu, during which a planned opposition demonstration on May 10 failed to materialise following a heavy security lockdown. The federal government said it had designated Engineer Yarisow Koonis Stadium as an approved venue but that opposition organisers planned to hold protests across 22 locations, which authorities said would have endangered public order. The government has consistently stated that it respects the right to peaceful assembly but will not allow unauthorised demonstrations that could threaten stability. Witnesses reported the presence of tanks, armoured vehicles, and hundreds of troops across the capital, effectively preventing the opposition from gathering.
The political crisis in Mogadishu has been fuelled by forced evictions and land disputes. Forced land evictions have escalated into a major political confrontation, transforming a local dispute into a national flashpoint. Opposition figures, including former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, have denounced the evictions as unlawful and part of a government-backed pattern of land grabbing. Heavy fighting broke out recently between rival security factions in the Warlaliska area of the Daynile district, with residents claiming multiple fatalities.
International partners have called for restraint and dialogue. The United States issued one of its most explicit public statements against the use of force on political protesters, with the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires saying violence against peaceful demonstrators was “never acceptable”. The United Nations and the European Union have also urged Somali leaders to reach a compromise. However, the opposition has insisted on an independent mediator as a precondition for talks, while the government has continued to advocate for a “one person, one vote” system. No dialogue has taken place since the May 10 consultations collapsed.
With just days remaining before the president’s term expires and no electoral framework in place, the capital remains on high alert. The Somali Future Council has vowed to proceed with the May 16 protest, warning that it will not allow a power vacuum or unconstitutional rule. The federal government, however, has not yet issued a formal response to the latest protest announcement, leaving residents and political observers uncertain about whether the demonstration will be permitted or met with the same security measures that blocked the earlier rally.
Recommended Reading on ftlsomalia.com:
- Opposition: President’s Mandate Expires May 15 Without Elections
- Somalia Minister Proposes Two-Year Government Extension
- Federal Government Says Measures Safeguarded Order as Opposition Protest Fails
- Evictions in Mogadishu Ignite Fierce Political Showdown
- Mogadishu Violence Erupts as Security Forces Clash Over Evictions
- US Warns Somalia Over Use of Force Against Opposition Protesters
