By Horn Africa News
MOGADISHU – The Somali opposition alliance known as the National Salvation Forum (NSF) has split into two rival camps after several high-profile politicians announced their withdrawal from the coalition.
Former Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, former Speakers of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden and Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman, along with former Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle, declared late on Saturday that they were quitting the Forum.
The politicians made their announcement during an internal meeting of the NSF, saying they were preparing to launch an officially registered political party. According to political insiders, the four leaders have been maintaining close ties with Villa Somalia in recent months and even took part in informal dialogue sessions between the federal government and opposition figures.
Their exit coincides with the decision of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) to reopen voter and political party registration for a two-week period — a move seen as laying the groundwork for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s push toward universal suffrage.
Sources confirmed that the departing leaders intend to jointly establish a major political party that could play a central role in Somalia’s future elections under the “one-person, one-vote” model the government has promised.
The resignations are widely viewed as a political blow to the remaining opposition bloc, highlighting deepening divisions and mistrust among figures opposed to the federal government.
Meanwhile, key opposition heavyweights — including former presidents Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Ali Khaire, as well as ex-prime ministers Mohamed Hussein Roble and Saacid Ali Shirdon, alongside veteran opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame — continue to fiercely challenge President Hassan Sheikh.
In recent speeches, the President has delivered pointed warnings to opposition leaders, saying that any group seeking to destabilize the country will be “crushed underfoot,” in what analysts interpret as a direct message to the NSF and its allies.
The latest split marks a turning point in Somalia’s fragile opposition landscape, with some leaders drifting toward cooperation with the government while others prepare for an intensifying political showdown ahead of the next electoral cycle.
