The Aayo-Katashiga conference in Kismayo issued a statement expressing deep concern over the political, security, economic and humanitarian situation in the country.
The conference, which was attended by the Future Council, parliamentarians, former politicians and civil society organizations, accused the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of political, security and economic failure, saying that the country’s constitution had been changed and the institutions of the balance of power had been weakened.
The statement said that the conference rejected any extension, stating that the term of Parliament ends on 14 April 2026, and that of the President on 15 May 2026.
The conference also called on the President to convene political stakeholders within a month (until 20 January 2026) to agree on transparent, timely and better elections than those held in 2022.
They warned of a constitutional vacuum, security chaos and the threat of Al-Shabaab and ISIS, and said that if the call for dialogue is ignored, the Future Council will take measures to prevent a constitutional vacuum, namely to hold a by-election.
The statement also criticized the ongoing elections in the Banadir region, describing them as unconstitutional and outside the country’s constitution and laws.
Finally, the parties at the Kismayo conference sent a message to the international community, asking them to continue supporting the holding of timely and mutually agreed elections.
