Showdown in Mogadishu: Opposition Announces May 10 Mass Protest on Same Day as Talks — Future Council Still Undecided, 8 Days to Constitutional Deadline

Somalia's political crisis reached its most perilous point yet as the Somali Future Council (comprising Puntland, Jubbaland, the Salvation Forum, and allied opposition politicians) remained officially undecided on whether to attend President Mohamud's May 10 dialogue, while simultaneously the broader opposition bloc announced a mass protest march in Mogadishu for the exact same date — creating a direct collision between dialogue and demonstration in the capital. WardheerNews described the standoff as a 'Showdown in Mogadishu.' The Future Council, which set conditions on May 5 for joining the talks (demanding a halt to unilateral election preparations and appointment of independent neutral mediation), had not received a formal FGS response to those conditions; Hiiraan Online reported the council declared it remained 'yet to decide' on participation. Compounding tensions, the FGS published a unilateral electoral timeline ahead of any agreement: Southwest State local council elections set for May 10, parliament speaker election May 18, and a regional president election May 23 — all dates the opposition rejected as further evidence of the government's continuation of the disputed March 2026 constitutional process. The May 15 presidential term expiry — now 8 days away — is the hard constitutional deadline. The opposition has declared it will recognize President Mohamud only as 'an ordinary citizen' after May 15. International partners (UN, UK, EU, Turkey) continued to urge all parties to engage constructively with the May 10 framework. International Crisis Group analysts warned the structural gap between parties remains vast: the FGS has shown no indication it will suspend the March 2026 constitutional amendments that the opposition contends were passed without the required quorum.