Somali leadership crisis is a phrase you hear more and more these days in the markets and on the streets of Mogadishu because people are really starting to feel that the path President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is taking is leading the country into a very dark alley. One of the biggest problems causing this Somali leadership crisis is how the President is making almost all the big internal decisions by himself without talking to the other political leaders or the regional states. This “one-man show” is making the political situation very shaky because nobody knows what the rules are anymore and it feels like the constitutional progress we made is being thrown away. When a leader stops listening to the different voices in the country it creates a Somali leadership crisis where trust disappears and everyone starts looking out for their own interests instead of the national flag. This way of running things has made the opposition very angry and has caused a lot of tension that the country just cannot afford right now when we have so many other enemies to fight.
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Another huge part of this Somali leadership crisis is the way the government is dragging its feet when it comes to setting a real calendar for the regional and presidential elections. It feels like the President is playing for time and trying to delay the vote so he can stay in power longer which is a classic move that always leads to a Somali leadership crisis in our history. Without a clear plan for when people can actually vote the uncertainty grows and it makes the investors and the international friends of Somalia very nervous about the future. While the politicians in the capital are busy talking and making excuses the people in the regions are left waiting and wondering if they will ever get a chance to choose their own leaders. This lack of a clear election path is a major reason why the Somali leadership crisis is getting worse every single day as the deadline for the current mandate gets closer and closer.
Land issues and the worsening Somali leadership crisis in the capital
People are also very upset about reports of the government taking away land from regular Somali citizens in Mogadishu to give it to friends or for “government projects” that nobody asked for. This kind of behavior adds fuel to the Somali leadership crisis because land is the most important thing a family can own and seeing it taken by force makes everyone feel unsafe in their own homes. On top of that there is a lot of talk about how foreign countries are pulling the strings behind the scenes and telling the federal government what to do. This feeling that we are not the masters of our own house is a big part of the Somali leadership crisis because it makes the government look weak and like it cares more about foreign interests than about the Somali people. When the citizens see that big decisions about their lives are being made in other capitals it breaks the bond between the leader and the nation.
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Security failures and the economic impact of the Somali leadership crisis
The security situation is also going downhill very fast with terrible clashes happening in places like the South West State and other regions that used to be a bit more stable. This failure to keep the peace is a sign of a deep Somali leadership crisis because the primary job of any president is to keep the people safe from harm. Instead of defeating the terrorists the government seems to be distracted by internal fights and this has allowed the security to slip away in many areas. Because the security is bad the economy is also suffering a lot and the cost of living has become a nightmare for the average person who can barely afford a meal for their family. This Somali leadership crisis is not just about politics it is about the empty stomachs and the suffering of millions of Somalis who are tired of waiting for a life that never gets better.
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It is hard to be hopeful when you see the same mistakes being made over and over again by the people at the top. The Somali leadership crisis is a heavy burden that is slowing down the whole country and making it hard for us to stand on our own two feet. If something doesn’t change soon and if the President doesn’t start making real compromises the situation might explode into something that nobody can control. We need a leader who puts the people first and who respects the law instead of trying to bend it to stay in office. The people of Somalia deserve a government that brings them peace and bread not more confusion and fighting among the elites.
