By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Somalia, June 21, 2026 – Somali opposition politician Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame denied blocking former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo from joining opposition platforms but said former leaders must acknowledge past mistakes and apologise for harms caused while in office. #Somalia
Abdishakur, leader of the opposition Wadajir Party, made the remarks in an interview with Dawan Media's Mizan Podcast after he was asked why Farmaajo, now regarded as an opposition figure, was not part of the Madasha Samatabixinta and the Somali Future Council, two platforms bringing together opposition politicians.
“We want what was already under way to resume from where it stopped, and for new efforts to be built on that,” Abdishakur said.
Abdishakur denied blocking Farmajo from opposition groupings, but conceeded that there had been disputes between them.
“There is no doubt that issues occurred between us,” Abdishakur said.
His comments referred to tensions dating back to Farmaajo’s presidency, including a December 2017 raid on Abdishakur’s home in Mogadishu, after which he was arrested. Officials at the time accused him of treason. He was later released without charges.
Related articles
Abdishakur said former leaders, including Farmaajo, should acknowledge what went wrong during their time in office and apologise for actions that harmed the public.
He cited former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire,saying they also had political disputes but later reached an understanding after acknowledgement and political dialogue.
Abdishakur said former leaders could not urge the country to “move on” without first recognising mistakes made in the past.
He said leadership required those who had held office to tell the public what went wrong, what failed and what lessons had been learned.
Abdishakur added that his remarks were not aimed at one person, but applied to all former leaders, saying political cooperation would require acknowledgement, accountability and a new basis for trust.