President Mohamud Announces National Forum Amid Opposition Pressure

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has announced the launch of a National Consultative Forum bringing together political stakeholders and community leaders to address key issues shaping the country’s state-building process.

Set to begin on June 15 in the capital Mogadishu, the forum follows weeks of private consultations between the president and former Somali presidents, federal member state leaders, political parties, and civil society representatives.

The announcement comes a day after the opposition political caucus, which comprises a former president, prime ministers, and long serving politicians, concluded a meeting in Mogadishu. The opposition has accused President Mohamud of seeking to compromise the upcoming presidential elections among other grievances.

According to a statement from Villa Somalia, the forum aims to foster inclusive dialogue on Somalia’s most pressing national priorities: security and counterterrorism, democratization and elections, constitutional completion, national unity, and reconciliation.

“The goal is to create a broad-based platform for political consensus in the national interest,” the president’s office said.

Political leaders and influential community figures have been urged to prepare and participate in the forum, described as a crucial step toward stabilizing governance and securing Somalia’s democratic future.

The event will be coordinated by a special government-appointed committee led by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Hassan Macalin Mahmoud, who has also overseen earlier phases of the president’s national consultations.

The move comes at a time of heightened political expectations in Somalia, as the government seeks to consolidate security gains and finalize key institutional reforms ahead of the next electoral cycle.