DJIBOUTI CITY – A key East African regional bloc on Wednesday hailed a landmark political agreement in Somalia as a crucial breakthrough, applauding the country’s leaders for advancing a deal aimed at ending a long-running impasse and laying the groundwork for universal elections.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) welcomed the accord reached Monday in Mogadishu between the federal government and a major opposition faction. The deal outlines a roadmap toward Somalia’s first “one person, one vote” elections in more than 50 years.
In a statement, IGAD’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, praised the parties for their “leadership and political will,” calling the agreement “an important step towards advancing unity, stability, and reconciliation in the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
He congratulated President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for his “statesmanship and commitment to guiding the country towards peace and inclusivity.” The regional body also urged all Somali stakeholders to embrace compromise, reaffirming its continued support for the peace process.
The agreement—signed after intensive negotiations—marks a significant shift in Somalia’s turbulent political landscape. It recommits the nation to a parliamentary system, where lawmakers elect the president, but, crucially, sets a course to move beyond the clan-based power-sharing model that has shaped politics for decades.
Somalia has not held a direct, popular election since 1969, the year a military coup brought Siad Barre to power. Since his regime collapsed in 1991, followed by years of civil war, the country has relied on an indirect system where clan elders and delegates select parliamentarians—a process widely criticized as opaque, exclusive, and prone to corruption.
“We cannot cling to a system unfamiliar to the world,” President Mohamud said after the deal was announced. “Somalia must take steps that bring its statehood in line with global norms.”
The pact also introduces a new rule designed to strengthen Somalia’s political party system, granting national recognition to any political association that secures at least 10% of parliamentary seats.
The breakthrough comes after a protracted standoff between President Mohamud and the National Salvation Forum, a powerful opposition coalition of influential figures, including former presidents and prime ministers. The forum had been established to resist Mohamud’s push for constitutional and electoral reforms, which critics argued lacked broad consensus.
The deal was signed by a faction of the forum that chose to break away and engage with the government—a move signaling a potential split in the opposition ranks.
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, a former prime minister and key negotiator for the opposition faction, confirmed progress on several constitutional chapters, noting that the agreement would help “avoid fragmentation” within the political system.
Still, the remaining members of the National Salvation Forum have not yet publicly endorsed the agreement, leaving uncertainty over whether they will eventually join the process.
While the accord represents a significant step forward, Somalia’s challenges remain immense. Both sides pledged to bolster security and accelerate joint operations against the Al-Shabaab extremist group.
The Somali government refers to the al-Qaeda-linked militants as “Khawarij” (an Arabic term meaning “dissenters”) in an effort to undermine the group’s religious legitimacy, as it continues to wage a deadly insurgency across large parts of the country.
The signatories also committed to finalizing Somalia’s provisional constitution—a critical, long-delayed milestone in the nation’s state-building efforts. Ultimately, the success of the electoral roadmap will hinge on improving security and reaching the political consensus needed to complete these foundational goals.