By HAN News Desk
MOGADISHU – A growing division has emerged among members of the Somali Rescue Forum (Madasha Samatabixinta Soomaaliyeed) over how to respond to reports that Villa Somalia is seeking a possible extension of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term, which is set to expire in about seven months.
According to sources close to the forum, disagreements have surfaced over how to approach the alleged plan for a term extension. Some members believe a public statement should be issued immediately to denounce the idea, while others argue it is premature to comment since the president still has time left in his constitutional mandate.
Former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Abdi Farah Shirdon (Saacid), and opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame are reportedly pushing for the forum to take an official stand and release a communiqué rejecting any attempt to extend the president’s term. They argue that such a move would deter Villa Somalia from pursuing the plan.
However, other members – including two former prime ministers, Hassan Ali Khaire and Mohamed Hussein Roble – believe the rumours are baseless. They warn that speaking out now could give legitimacy to what they describe as “unfounded claims” and unnecessarily embolden President Hassan Sheikh. These members insist the forum should wait until Villa Somalia takes concrete steps or shows clear signs of pursuing an extension.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud still has roughly seven months remaining in his term, a period observers say is sufficient to prepare for the next elections.
Nevertheless, some opposition figures remain sceptical. They argue that the government’s insistence on holding a one-person, one-vote election may be a strategy to delay the process, allowing the president to stay in office beyond his term and later shift to an indirect voting system.
President Hassan Sheikh has repeatedly stated that he does not intend to seek a term extension, reaffirming his commitment to delivering on his pre-election promise of organizing direct elections in Somalia for the first time in decades.
