Mogadishu (WDN) – A pivotal political moment is unfolding in Mogadishu as opposition leaders prepare to publicly declare their position on the controversial dialogue initiative proposed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The opposition bloc, operating under the Future Council, is expected to announce their position.  For days, political observers have been waiting for a clear response: will the opposition engage with the president’s proposed talks scheduled for May 10, or reject them outright? That answer now appears imminent.

Behind the scenes, the debate has been intense. The president’s invitation, framed as an opportunity for dialogue and compromise, has instead exposed deep mistrust between the two sides. While the government presents the initiative as a pathway out of political deadlock, opposition figures view it with caution, questioning both its timing and sincerity.

Sources within the opposition suggest that the decision is unlikely to be a simple yes or no. Instead, it is expected to come with conditions, clear demands that must be met before any meaningful participation can take place.

Among the most critical of these is a call to halt what opposition leaders describe as “illegitimate elections,” a process they argue lacks both legal grounding and political consensus. For them, engaging in dialogue while such elections proceed would risk legitimizing a framework they fundamentally reject.

“You cannot negotiate on one table while a parallel process undermines everything on another,” one opposition figure said privately to WardheerNews. “If there is to be dialogue, it must be genuine—not overshadowed by unilateral actions.”

The stakes are high. With less than a week remaining before the proposed May 10 talks, today’s announcement is expected to set the tone for what comes next—either opening a narrow path toward engagement or pushing Somalia deeper into political confrontation. All eyes are now on the opposition’s next move.

WardheerNews