Former Puntland President Abdirahman Farole on Thursday leveled accusations against Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, claiming the capital has been detached from the nation, while cautioning that Somalia faces imminent disintegration as Al-Shabaab militants near the city.
Addressing attendees at a significant political conference in Kismayo, the southern coastal city, Farole described Mogadishu’s governance as isolated, comparing its situation to that of Somaliland, which has functioned independently from Somalia for over thirty years.
“President Hassan Sheikh appears to believe Mogadishu is his personal domain, that he can administer it independently of the broader nation,” Farole stated. “Through this approach, he has severed the capital from the Somali republic.”
Senator Farole, asserted that the president has amassed authority in the capital while disregarding input from opposition figures and regional administrations. He cautioned that this centralization has compromised national unity during a pivotal period.
Despite Mogadishu’s concentration of power, Farole noted, Al-Shabaab combatants have reached “the city’s doorstep,” progressing with concerning speed and revealing the vulnerability of governmental security accomplishments.
Farole played a crucial role in formulating and endorsing Somalia’s provisional constitution during the 2012 Garowe conferences, a significant achievement in the nation’s quest to establish a federal framework following years of civil conflict.
He indicated that Somalia stands at a precarious threshold and demanded immediate unified measures to avert disintegration.
“Preserving Somalia’s unity is not the burden of a president who refuses to engage with others,” Farole emphasized. “It falls upon the leaders assembled at this gathering.”
The Kismayo conference has attracted political representatives from diverse factions throughout Somalia amid escalating disagreements between the central government and regional authorities concerning resource distribution, security arrangements, and the direction of the nation’s federal structure.
