By Dawan Africa - -
MOGADISHU, September 19, 2026 The Somali Future Council (SFC), an opposition coalition that includes the sitting presidents of Jubaland and Puntland, has asked UN Secretary-General António Guterres to convene inclusive political talks and support an international guarantor for any resulting agreement.
The letter, dated September 11 and signed by SFC Secretary-General Abdullahi Abubakar Haji, was sent ahead of the UN Security Council’s scheduled review of Somalia in October. Haji confirmed its authenticity to Dawan Media.
The council’s central request is for the United Nations to convene an inclusive Somali dialogue on transitional arrangements and an electoral framework, with the Federal Government of Somalia and the SFC participating “on equal terms.”It also asks the United Nations and the Security Council to support an international mediator and guarantor, backed by defined monitoring and consequences for non-implementation. The letter argues that three internationally facilitated dialogue efforts over the past nine months have failed.
If accepted, the proposals would place the SFC and the federal government on equal footing in the negotiating process and establish an international role in monitoring the implementation of any agreement. The letter does not specify what the proposed consequences would be, who would impose them or the precise authority the guarantor would hold.
The letter’s four other requests call on the United Nations to direct an independent investigation into a September 3 incident in Doolow, Gedo region; ensure that the Security Council receives independent reporting on developments; provide an impartial international presence to accompany Somalia’s electoral process; and insulate humanitarian operations from the political conflict.
Regarding the Doolow incident, the letter alleges that a drone strike destroyed the residence of Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Aden, a senior officer it says was removed from command because of his political position.
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Dawan Media reported at the time that the federal government denied responsibility, saying preliminary information suggested explosive devices were being prepared inside the house. The government said it would establish a fact-finding committee, while General Mahad’s family said he survived. No independent evidence has yet established the cause of the explosion or who was responsible.
To support its appeal, the SFC cites several other incidents, including what it describes as the removal of South West State’s president by federal forces in March, the subsequent outbreak of an internal armed conflict in the state, clashes between federal and Puntland-aligned forces in Galkayo in August, and the use of heavy weapons and drones during operations in Mogadishu in June.
These allegations have not been independently verified and represent the coalition’s account of the events.
The letter also recounts three dialogue efforts it says failed: an initiative launched following a national conference in Kismayo before the president’s mandate expired in May; technical committee talks facilitated by members of the Security Council; and a third process supported by the Quad and Türkiye after the mandate expired. The council blames the federal government for the failure of all three efforts.
That account of stalled negotiations was echoed on September 18 by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, leader of the opposition Himilo Qaran party. He said talks between the government and opposition over the 2026 elections had made no progress and blamed those in power, although he stopped short of declaring that the process had formally collapsed.
Neither the Federal Government of Somalia nor the United Nations had publicly responded to the SFC’s letter as of publication.