Africa Aware
Africa Aware is a new podcast series from the Africa Programme at Chatham House. Each month our team brings together the best international experts to provide original analysis on issues pertinent to African states’ national, regional and international politics. Our guests tackle the big questions and propose solutions centred around African agency.
Jun 10, 2026
As 15 May 2026 drew closer, there was growing uncertainty surrounding Somalia’s next political transition. This date marked the official end of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term; yet no election date was set.
Instead, the President officially signed a final set of constitutional amendments passed by majority vote in the Federal Parliament into law – he contends that this grants an extra year to his term which now expires on 15 May 2027. Opposition to the implementation of the constitutional amendments persists and Somalia now faces a political impasse that threatens to deepen political fragmentation.
In this episode, Professor Afyare Abdi Elmi and Aweis Ahmed discuss scenarios to navigate Somalia’s current political stalemate and pathways for a peaceful political transition.