A video circulating on Facebook claims that Adan Mohamed Madobe, the Speaker of Somalia’s Federal Parliament, has resigned. However, this video has been found to be altered and misleading.
The video, which is accompanied by Somali text stating, “BREAKING: Somali parliament speaker resigns,” shows Madobe sitting on a couch and giving what appears to be a press briefing. In the video, he says, “I want to make it clear to my Somali people and in accordance with Article 5, 3 that says… With that, I want to make it clear that I have resigned from the position…”
While the clip may seem convincing, further analysis reveals that the video is not recent and was taken out of context. PesaCheck, a fact-checking organization, investigated the video by running it through Google Lens. The search results confirmed that the video was originally recorded on April 19, 2022, long before Madobe was elected as the speaker of Somalia’s bicameral Federal Parliament.
The original footage shows Madobe resigning from his previous position within the Himilo political party, not from his role as Speaker of Parliament. The Somali caption in the original video states, “The candidate for the Speaker of the 11th Parliament, Sheikh Aden Madoobe, has resigned from the position held for Himilo party.” This is a crucial detail that was omitted in the altered version of the video.
Political Turmoil in Somalia’s Parliament
The video’s misleading claim comes amid ongoing political turmoil in Somalia’s Parliament. In April 2025, reports revealed tensions within the government, including efforts to remove Madobe from his position. Some parliamentary sessions had ended in chaos due to disputes over his leadership, leading to heightened speculation about his resignation.
Despite these claims, there is no official confirmation that Madobe has resigned. Instead, he has continued to perform his duties as Speaker. Just one day after the altered video began circulating online, Madobe attended an official meeting with his counterpart from the Somali Senate, further confirming that he has not stepped down from his role.
The Original Context of the Resignation
According to Article 5, Clause 9 of the Somali Federal Parliament’s rules of procedure, anyone elected as Speaker must resign from any official position held within a political party before assuming office. The original video shows Madobe explaining his resignation from the Himilo political party to comply with this rule. This is an important context that the altered video ignores.
The video misleadingly suggests that Madobe has resigned from his current position as Speaker, when in reality, he was resigning from a different role in 2022. The altered video appears to take a segment of a previous resignation speech and uses it to mislead viewers into believing that it pertains to his current position.
Ongoing Fact-Checking Efforts
PesaCheck, a fact-checking organization, has debunked this claim by analyzing the video and providing the original context. The organization has partnered with Facebook and other social media platforms to combat the spread of misinformation by providing reliable and accurate fact-checking. This partnership helps to ensure that the public can make informed decisions based on trustworthy information.
A search for reliable sources or official government statements regarding Madobe’s resignation yields no credible reports. As of now, there is no verified news report or announcement from Somalia’s Federal Parliament confirming that Madobe has resigned.
