By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
MOGADISHU, 16 October 2026 Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has denied that the country is heading toward political conflict or war.
He said there is no one being attacked and no one preparing for war.
The president made the remarks at a meeting on Thursday evening with members of the Federal Parliament who belong to the ruling Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP). The meeting discussed strengthening cooperation, the role of lawmakers in state-building, and preparations for one-person-one-vote elections.
The president noted that in recent days, statements had been heard in the city from "old, senior men who are friends," warning of conflict, insecurity and war, and claiming that their own lives were in danger.
"No one is being attacked and no one is going to war. There is no politics of war, and none that will be carried out at the barrel of a gun," President Hassan Sheikh said.
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He added that his political record has never involved bloodshed or people being killed, either before or after he entered politics.
"No person is being attacked, no house is being attacked," he said. As proof, he said that not a single politician is in prison today.
The president's comments come amid rising political tension over the federal election schedule recently announced by the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said in a statement issued on 15 October that the one-sided schedule could lead to parallel elections and civil conflict. Sharif has also filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking to annul the constitutional amendments.
The opposition, which includes former senior government officials, along with the federal member states of Jubaland and Puntland, rejects the constitution approved in 2026 and the election schedule. The federal government, for its part, argues that the constitution provides the legal basis for one-person one-vote elections.