From Dialogue to Action: AFI 2025 Reinforces the Imperative of National Cohesion Amid Crisis
Dhusamareb / Mogadishu – January 2026
The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS) announces the successful conclusion of the 9th Annual Forum for Ideas (AFI 2025), held in Dhusamareb, Galmudug, from 27 December 2025 to 2 January 2026. The Forum convened at a moment of exceptional national and regional sensitivity, underscoring the urgency and relevance of sustained national dialogue.
AFI 2025 was held under the theme: Towards a Resilient and Inclusive Future: Framing Somalia’s Strategic Outlook, 2026–2030.
The Forum was conceived as a platform to advance national consensus, collaboration, and forward-looking policy dialogue. As preparations were underway, a major national emergency arose following Israel’s announcement purporting to recognize part of Somalia as a separate state. This development prompted urgent national consultations and required the immediate engagement of senior federal leaders who had been scheduled to participate in the Forum.
In light of these developments, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in consultation with the host, the President of Galmudug, and the Executive Director of HIPS, requested a two-day postponement of the Forum and called for national leaders to convene in Mogadishu for urgent consultations. These consultations reflected the gravity of the moment and the need for unified national leadership.
On 27 December 2025, the President of Galmudug and the Executive Director of HIPS met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Prime Minister for extended discussions. The meeting focused on the multidimensional risks arising from the attempted recognition claim, its wider regional implications, and the need for renewed national thinking grounded in cohesion and collective responsibility. It was agreed that leadership from the Presidency and the Council of Ministers would be central to advancing a renewed national compact.
Following these consultations, AFI 2025 proceeded as scheduled, concluding with a comprehensive Communiqué that reflected the seriousness, depth, and unity of purpose expressed by more than 560 participants drawn from Somalia’s political leadership, religious scholars, civil society, business community, and academia.
Key Outcomes
Among its principal findings, the Forum:
- •Identified Somalia’s current vulnerability as stemming from internal divisions, unresolved political disputes, and political polarization, and called for dialogue, consensus, and compromise, particularly on elections and the federal system.
- •Emphasized national cohesion and cooperation over prescriptive or piecemeal recommendations, in line with remarks by the Prime Minister that the prevailing context required unity of purpose and coordinated leadership.
At the conclusion of the Forum, the Prime Minister welcomed the Forum’s deliberations and its outcomes, noting that the government viewed it as a constructive, cohesion-focused statement that it fully supports and endorses the resolutions adopted by the Forum and underscored the government’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities in their implementation.
One day after the conclusion of AFI 2025 and just a few hours after former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s return to Mogadishu, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud paid a visit to the opposition leader’s residence. A statement issued by the Himilo Qaran Party noted that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud expressed his desire to convene a national consultative forum, previously called for by opposition stakeholders, and requested former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to play a role in its convening and successful conclusion.
The Heritage Institute, having consistently emphasized during the Forum and in its engagements with federal and federal member state leaders that Somalia stands at a critical crossroads where outcomes will be shaped by leadership choices and cohesion-building efforts, welcomes and commends these high-level engagements between the government and the opposition.
The Institute also notes positively subsequent informal and social interactions between senior government leaders, including the Prime Minister, and opposition figures, particularly former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, during their time in Dhusamareb.
HIPS is encouraged that AFI 2025 served as a timely national platform where government leaders, opposition figures, and key stakeholders spent three consecutive days together engaging candidly on Somalia’s most pressing challenges. The Institute further welcomes that the spirit of the Forum was swiftly translated into direct political engagement and outreach at the highest levels.
The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies reiterates its long-held position that sustainable resistance to external pressure and interference is only possible through internal unity, principled leadership, and a shared national vision. As Somalia confronts a defining moment, HIPS remains committed to facilitating inclusive dialogue, evidence-based policy thinking, and national consensus-building in service of the Somali people.