President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has invited regional leaders to a national consultative forum in Mogadishu.
Scheduled for May 1–2, the forum will center on unifying the nation and completing efforts to retake areas controlled by Al Shabaab.
President Mohamud will also consult with elders and other societal groups, with a focus on cooperation, unity, and defeating Al Shabaab.
Reliable sources say President Ahmed Madobe of Jubaland was left out of the invitation due to ongoing political tensions with President Mohamud.
Tensions escalated in November 2024, after Madobe secured a third term through an indirect election, defying Mohamud’s push for a unified electoral process.
In response, federal troops were deployed to Raskamboni, a town under Madobe’s control in Lower Jubba region.
Somalia’s Supreme Court later issued a warrant for Madobe’s arrest on charges of electoral violations and treason, following the deployment.
Madobe viewed the deployment as a threat and mobilized his own forces, eventually retaking Raskamboni within 15 days.
He also transported captured soldiers back to Mogadishu by air, while over 100 others reportedly fled to Kenya.
Since then, relations have soured as the federal government imposed a travel blockade on towns under Madobe’s control.
For months, several airports in the Gedo region have remained closed due to tensions between Madobe and Mohamud.
President Mohamud finds himself in his predecessor’s shoes, battling Madobe and Said Deni of Puntland. It remains unclear whether he will compromise or push for unified elections.
