A highly anticipated communiqué expected from Somalia’s opposition conference, which has been ongoing for several days at Hotel Jazeera in Mogadishu, has been delayed. The meeting brought together prominent opposition figures, including former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, several former Prime Ministers, influential politicians eyeing the presidency, and members of the national parliament.
Dahir Mohamud Gelle, a key participant who recently briefed the media on the progress of the meeting, announced that the official communiqué will instead be released tomorrow night. He noted that the opposition summit, initially scheduled to conclude today, has been extended.
“We need an extra day to finalize our discussions,” said Gelle during a press briefing at the hotel. “The closing ceremony will now take place tomorrow night, and that’s when we’ll release the communiqué.”
During the conference, the opposition formally launched a new platform named Madasha Samatabixinta (The Salvation Forum). According to the opposition, this forum is intended to provide a way out of the political uncertainty and institutional breakdown they accuse the current administration, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, of causing.
“Hassan Sheikh has betrayed the constitutional consensus. He’s undermining the foundational agreements that united Somalis,” said Gelle. “This forum was established to lead the country out of that darkness.”
While the summit focused on analyzing Somalia’s current political climate and assessing future strategies, early reports suggest that internal disagreements may have emerged over key clauses in the final communiqué, a likely reason for the delay.
However, opposition figures have publicly denied any internal rift or contention over the communiqué’s content.
