Tag: 2026 elections

In a sharp escalation of federal-regional tensions, Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali-Hoosh has issued a decree appointing a new governor for Bakool and a new mayor for Xudur, bypassing Southwest State President Abdiaziz Laftagareen and citing security concerns and the push for one-person, one-vote elections.

The former Secretary General of Somalia’s ruling Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) resigned on March 25, publicly criticising President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for consolidating power and outlining five main grievances, including the mishandling of constitutional amendments and restrictions on lawmakers’ travel, which he described as violations of parliamentary immunity. Villa Somalia has not yet responded. The opposition has cited the resignation as evidence of divisions within the government’s leadership.