
Somalia’s Election Standoff and New Inflection Point
From The Horn by International Crisis Group
April 30, 2026 · 36 min · Season 7 · Episode 14
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of Somalia's election crisis and the tensions surrounding it.
In this episode of The Horn , Alan is joined by Omar Mahmood, Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for Somalia and the Horn of Africa, to discuss the deeper implications of Somalia’s new election crisis. They discuss the looming electoral standoff as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term is set to expire on 15 May, and why this latest dispute could prove more fateful than previous election crises. They unpack tensions between Mogadishu and federal member states over constitutional changes, elections and the future of Somalia’s federal system. They look at the looming end of the African Union stabilisation mission and what that will mean for coordinating collective support for the federal government’s war with Al-Shabaab. They discuss the rivalries among external powers and how these risk exacerbating Somalia’s own internal fissures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Alan
Guest: Omar Mahmood
Topics covered
- Somalia election crisis
- political tensions
- federal system
- African Union mission
- internal rivalries
- external powers
Keywords
- Somalia
- election crisis
- Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
- Mogadishu
- Al-Shabaab
- African Union
- federal system
- political tensions
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Crisis Group, Al-Shabaab
Places: Somalia, Mogadishu, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, African Union
More episodes of The Horn
- Mediating the Horn’s Wars: An Exit Interview · June 12, 2026 · 33 min
- Tiny Djibouti, and Its Prime Real Estate · June 4, 2026 · 27 min
- Sudan, and a Region and World in Upheaval · May 15, 2026 · 36 min
- Bonus Episode: After Three Years of War in Sudan, What Hope for a Ceasefire? · April 9, 2026 · 42 min
- How the Iran War is Reshaping the Region · April 2, 2026 · 37 min
- What’s Really Going on in the Horn? · March 19, 2026 · 36 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Horn podcast page.