ASSESSMENTS

Somalia Descends Into Another Constitutional Crisis

Apr 21, 2026 | 18:05 GMT

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sits in his office as he speaks to journalists at Villa Somalia, the palace and principal workplace of the president, on April 22, 2025, in central Mogadishu, Somalia.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sits in his office as he speaks to journalists at Villa Somalia, the palace and principal workplace of the president, on April 22, 2025, in central Mogadishu, Somalia.

(Ed Ram/Getty Images)

Somalia will likely face a constitutional crisis due to disagreements surrounding the length of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term, which will increase the likelihood of Mogadishu launching a military intervention in Jubaland and likely create a new flashpoint for power competition in the broader Red Sea region. On April 14, Somalia's federal government informed foreign diplomats that the term of the country's parliament and President Mohamud had been extended by one year in line with recent constitutional reform. This came as former Somali presidents Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo -- both of whom are politically active -- said on the same day that the term of Somalia's parliament had ended on April 14 and that Mohamud's term would end on May 15. Echoing this position was the opposition Somali Future Council coalition, or SFC, which regroups the state governments of Puntland and Jubaland. Despite this, Mohamud and his...

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