By Isha Qarsoon 

Somalia’s streets are restless again. Opposition leaders are calling on young people to fill them, to raise their voices against the president, and to press for change. The temptation for youth to answer that call is strong. They are the majority of the population, often unemployed, often disillusioned, and always yearning for dignity. Their presence in any protest lends it force and legitimacy. Yet the question is not whether young Somalis should participate in politics. That much is beyond dispute. The question is on what terms they participate, and for whose benefit.

Youth participation in governance is indispensable. No country can build a durable future while ignoring the generation that will inherit it. For Somalia, where the median age is under twenty, the involvement of young people is not optional; it is existential. They should be at the heart of decisions about schools, jobs, public services, justice, and security. They should be shaping the priorities of government, not merely echoing the rhetoric of politicians. In a functioning democracy, youth are citizens, not foot soldiers.

The danger today is that opposition leaders are treating them otherwise. Calls for demonstrations are framed as a noble struggle, but beneath the slogans lies a narrow goal: to gain power. The opposition has not articulated a vision for governance beyond ousting the incumbent. It has not presented a blueprint for tackling corruption, reforming federalism, building institutions, addressing injustices, or stabilizing the economy. Instead, it is courting youth as a ready-made force to shake the streets, to pressure the government, and to weaken the presidency. This is not empowerment; it is exploitation.

History teaches what happens when young people are mobilized only as instruments. Their passion is spent on someone else’s ambition. Their credibility is consumed by alliances they do not control. And when power shifts hands, their voices are quickly silenced, their demands forgotten, and their sacrifices dismissed. Each time this cycle repeats, it leaves youth more cynical and politics more bankrupt.

There is another path. Somali youth can refuse to be pawns and insist on being nation-builders. That means organizing around principles rather than personalities: education reform, fair access to land, jobs, transparency in government, justice, and an end to elite impunity. It means joining civil society networks and educational institutions to shape decisions before they are made. It means telling opposition leaders: we will not march simply to carry your banner; we will march for a program that secures our future.

Youth as pawns serve the politics of the moment, easily discarded once the moment passes. Youth as nation-builders serve the politics of the future, laying foundations that endure beyond any single leader. Somalia needs the latter. Its survival depends on it.

The choice, ultimately, rests with the young themselves. They have the numbers, the energy, and the moral authority. What they must decide now is whether to spend that power on the fleeting ambitions of fickle politicians — or on the long, demanding work of building a country worthy of their generation.

Isha Qarsoon
Email:  Ishaqarsoon1@gmail.com