By Asha Elmi - Editor-in-Chief
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MOGADISHU, 14 November 2026 Somalia’s presidency said on Saturday that the National Consultative Forum called by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would open “soon,” and that contacts with the parties invited were under way.
“The Presidency of the Federal Republic of Somalia informs that contacts are under way with the parties invited to the National Consultative Forum, as part of preparations for the conference,” the presidency said in a statement.
The president extended the invitation to the forum on Oct 26. The presidency had earlier said the forum would be held in Mogadishu from Nov 14 to 18. Saturday’s statement did not say what time it would open or give the specific venue.
The opposition Somalia Future Council has decided to boycott talks held at Villa Somalia, demanding instead that negotiations be facilitated by an international mediation quartet of the United States, Britain, the European Union and Türkiye, sources told Dawan Media.
Two other opposition groups, led by former Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, have agreed in principle to attend, but said they had not been told where the talks would be held.
The talks come amid a deepening dispute between the government and the opposition over constitutional amendments, the terms of office of state institutions and the format of elections.