Somalia’s planned national consultation talks have encountered an early challenge after the Somali Future Council questioned the process through which President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud invited opposition groups and other stakeholders to a meeting scheduled for November 14 to 18 in Mogadishu.
Mohamed Adan Jimcaale, popularly known as Koofi, the secretary of the Somali Future Council, said the group had not received an official invitation and had only learnt about the planned meeting through media reports and social media announcements.
The objection comes as the federal government and opposition figures were already engaged in discussions aimed at resolving outstanding political differences, with international partners helping to mediate the process.
Speaking in an interview, Koofi said the Council was concerned that the new consultation process could interfere with negotiations that had already made progress.
“Wax hadda rasmi ah oo martiqaad ah oo soo gaaray Golaha Mustaqbalka ma jiro oo aan ka ahayn waxyaalaha Media-yaha la dhigay,” he said.
“There is currently no official invitation that has reached the Somali Future Council, other than what has been published in the media,” Koofi added.
He explained that the Council and the federal government had been involved in an ongoing dialogue in which the two sides had narrowed their differences on several issues. The discussions were expected to continue in November, with international partners facilitating the negotiations.
“The other thing is that there were talks already taking place between the Somali Future Council and the government. Some positions had been brought closer, and a lot of ground had been covered. We were waiting for the discussions to be completed in November. That is the dialogue we know, which our international partners had been mediating,” he said.
Why the opposition is questioning the new talks
Koofi also questioned the approach being taken to organise the proposed national consultations, arguing that an established dialogue process was already in place and had involved significant time and effort.
He said the Council was concerned that the format of the new meeting did not appear to reflect the process through which the earlier negotiations had been conducted.
“Wada-hadallo waa dhici jireen gogolna waa la fidin jiray nidaamka ay ku dhici jireen ama la’isku gaarsiin jiray ma muuqdo,” he said.
“Talks had been taking place and a platform had been established, but the process through which those discussions were conducted and positions brought closer is not apparent,” Koofi added.
He maintained that the earlier negotiations had produced important progress and should be taken into account as the government prepares for the November meeting.
“Secondly, the platform is already there. A lot of time has been invested, views have been collected and, indeed, important issues have been addressed,” he said.
The Somali Future Council’s concerns raise questions about how the planned consultations will relate to the existing negotiations between the federal government and opposition groups.
Koofi said the new invitation could disrupt the earlier dialogue, particularly given that the negotiations had been expected to resume in November under the mediation of international partners.
The Council is expected to deliberate internally on the matter before determining its next steps.