Friday , May 15, 2026 (Baidoa Online) -Three consecutive days of closed-door talks have ended in failure, according to sources familiar with the discussions, after participants failed to bridge key disagreements over Somalia’s transitional governance arrangements.
Reports indicate that tensions escalated when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who had previously signaled openness to a flexible approach to managing the transitional phase, re-entered the meeting session around 2:00 PM and reiterated his earlier position. This reportedly reversed the momentum that had been building toward compromise over the past days.
The President of Puntland, who also represents the “Future Council” bloc, together with Somalia’s 7th President, strongly opposed continuing extended negotiations without concrete progress. They reportedly told international mediators that they were not willing to continue engaging in a three-day deadlock over a single unresolved issue, emphasizing that they would not participate further in transitional arrangements without a mutually agreed roadmap toward elections.
International partners involved in facilitating the talks are said to have made significant efforts to salvage the dialogue. However, sources suggest they may now issue formal statements addressing Somalia’s leadership following the collapse of the negotiations.
Meanwhile, members of the “Future Council” bloc are currently holding separate consultations and are expected to release a joint statement later this evening. Several members are also expected to brief the media on their position, according to preliminary reports.
The outgoing administration is expected to face increased diplomatic pressure in the coming hours, as international mediators reassess their engagement following the breakdown of what was described as a critical round of talks on Somalia’s political transition framework.