WDM EDITORIAL
Somalia’s federal experiment was never meant to be glamorous, but it was at least supposed to function. Today, even that modest expectation has collapsed into a farce so grotesque it would make a kleptocrat blush. The so-called Federal Government of Somalia has ceased to exist in every capacity except one: as a passport for one man, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to hop around the world in an endless parade of irrelevant conferences where deputy ministers should be the ones shaking hands.
This is not diplomacy.
This is not leadership.
This is state-funded tourism.
While Mogadishu’s institutions crumble like stale biscuits, the president has transformed the country into a one-man travel agency. His itinerary is full; his country is empty. Federal ministries operate on autopilot. Parliament is a cemetery of legislation. National courts and commissions are sleeping under layers of dust. And security? Let’s not embarrass ourselves.
But the latest scandal—charging an extortion fee to enter Villa Somalia—is the final insult. The people’s house, the symbolic heart of the republic, has been reduced to a toll gate. Citizens must now pay to see the man who claims to govern them. It is the purest metaphor for a regime that only understands the country as a revenue source, not a republic.
Every week brings a new scandal:
Illegal appointments
Phantom contracts
Misused international funds
Secret deals with foreign powers
Political persecutions
Clan-based manipulation
Abuse of state security units
Yet none of it slows Hassan Sheikh. The man walks through accusations the way a seasoned thief walks through a dark alley: with confidence, familiarity, and no fear of accountability.
Why? Because no institution in Mogadishu has the spine—or independence—to hold him in check.
Somalia is not witnessing simple misrule; it is witnessing the criminalization of governance itself. The thin line between public office and organized extortion has been erased. The presidency has become a private enterprise. The so-called federal government is merely a storefront with broken windows.
And all the while, the man smiles, travels, waves, and lectures the world about “peacebuilding,” “governance reform,” and “democracy transition.” A Hollywood actor couldn’t keep a straight face under such a script.
Somalis are now living in a republic of shenanigans, where corruption is policy, dysfunction is routine, and extortion is a legitimate revenue stream. No state can survive this. No people can tolerate it indefinitely.
RECOMMENDATIONS: HOW TO COUNTER THE MADNESS AND RESTORE SANITY
1. Build a Unified Opposition Front With Real Leadership
Not the chaotic, ego-driven gatherings we see today. Somalia needs a disciplined, coordinated political bloc capable of ending Hassan Sheikh’s circus. Puntland, Jubaland, Banadir opposition, and civic forces must adopt:
A joint election roadmap
A shared anti-corruption charter
A single spokesperson structure
Without unity, Hassan Sheikh will divide, bribe, and outmaneuver them all.
2. Document Every Abuse—Create an Evidence Archive
Every scandal, every extortion scheme, every illegal appointment must be documented.
Produce a national corruption ledger for public release and international submission.
Do not let these crimes disappear into memory.
3. Mobilize Public Opinion—Digital and Traditional
Somalis are no longer voiceless.
Coordinate:
Social media campaigns
Community forums
Diaspora petitions
Expose Villa Somalia’s behavior relentlessly.
Silence is complicity.
4. Encourage Federal Member States to Assert Constitutional Autonomy
Puntland and Jubaland must not wait for Mogadishu’s permission to function.
The constitution grants them rights—use them:
Reject illegal directives
Strengthen local institutions
Build alliances with civil society
A functioning periphery can counter a rotten center.
5. Press the International Community for Conditional Engagement
The donors love pretty speeches from Mogadishu.
Force them to confront the truth:
No reforms should be funded without measurable benchmarks and oversight.
Insist on:
Independent audits
Transparency requirements
Sanctions against corrupt officials
Make it expensive for the world to ignore Somalia’s decay.
6. Prepare for a Post–Hassan Sheikh Transition
The writing is on the wall.
When this regime collapses under its own greed and incompetence, there must be:
A credible interim framework
A caretaker structure agreed upon by FMS
A clear roadmap to stabilize governance
Chaos benefits only extremists and power brokers.
7. Establish Civic Protection Networks Against Extortion
Communities in Mogadishu must organize safe reporting channels, legal assistance pools, and watchdog groups to fight extortion at checkpoints, ministries, and Villa Somalia gates.
CONCLUSION: A COUNTRY SHOULD NOT BE A COLLECTION BOX
Somalia is not a marketplace for presidential greed.
It is not a donation basket.
It is not a private travel budget.
It is a nation struggling to breathe, strangled by a presidency that no longer even pretends to govern.
Somalis must push back—peacefully but forcefully—before the republic collapses completely into a theatre of extortion and chaos.
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