By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Mogadishu, 23 September 2026 No political agreement has been reached in talks between the federal government and the opposition over elections, a former Puntland presidency minister involved in the discussions said on Tuesday, rejecting reports that a deal is close to being signed.
Mohamed Abdirahman Dhabancad, who is now a member of the Somali Future Council’s technical committee, made the remarks at the Fourth Peace Conference organized by the Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC). His remarks were not an official statement by the Puntland government.
According to Dhabancad, the government and the Future Council held talks at both leadership and technical levels to resolve their dispute over the elections, but the meetings ended without agreement on key issues.
He said the Future Council had agreed to discuss direct elections, although it had previously supported indirect elections. However, agreement to discuss the principle did not settle who would administer the vote, how it would be conducted or how any eventual agreement would be implemented and guaranteed.
Dhabancad also described a proposal made ahead of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly. He said the sides were asked to issue a statement indicating that talks were progressing, then establish a committee to work through the details of the electoral process.
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According to Dhabancad, the Future Council refused to issue a general statement while substantive disputes remained unresolved. He said the council was concerned that such a statement could be presented as evidence of progress or an agreement when central disagreements persisted.
“We had no letter for the president to take to the United Nations and say, ‘Work is underway,’” Dhabancad said. He said the council wanted the disputed issues included in the text and sought agreement on the electoral process and security guarantees.
Dhabancad rejected reports that an agreement was imminent or about to be signed. “There is no truth to it,” he said.
His account indicates that the sides have held talks and discussed broad proposals, but have not announced a comprehensive agreement setting out how the elections will be conducted.