Explainer: What Former President Farmaajo Has ‘Observed’ Since His Return To Somalia

On Saturday night, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo held a late-night meeting at his residence with an unspecified number of lawmakers. It was his first public engagement since his quiet return to Somalia on 13 November. In a speech lasting nearly seven minutes, he outlined several issues he said he had observed during the 10-day period.

1. Severe national crisis

Farmaajo told lawmakers that the country is in extremely difficult situation, adding that many MPs were unaware of the depth of the crisis and had not even heard about what he discovered during his 10 days in the capital.

He said the cost of living has sharply increased while salaries remain stagnant, claiming that Somalia is experiencing a level of hunger worse than during the peak of the civil war.

“Somalis have reached a point where they eat only once a day, and sometimes skip entire days without food. In some cases, the situation is even worse than during the most intense period of the civil war,” Farmaajo said.

2. Proposals linked to the 2026 budget

To mitigate the current crisis, he urged parliamentarians, as they review the 2026 budget, to:

• Increase salaries of civil servants and the Armed Forces
• Reduce taxes on essential food items

3. Displacement crisis

Farmaajo said people displaced from their land by the government are living in very harsh conditions and asked MPs to pressure the authorities to ensure those affected are not subjected to further suffering.

4. Citizens’ rights

He highlighted the role of the state in safeguarding citizen's rights, including the right to welfare support.

5. Governance and corruption

He linked effective service delivery to the fight against corruption, stressing the importance of safeguarding public trust and state accountability.