The latest round of talks aimed at resolving Somalia’s election deadlock ended without any progress in Mogadishu on Wednesday, a government official confirmed, reported Africa News.
At a press conference, Somalia’s Information Minister Osman Dubbe said leaders of the regional states of Puntland and Jubbaland are to be blamed for the failure of the talks as they are not ready to hold elections based on agreements of Sept. 17 and Feb. 16.
“The Federal government of Somalia is making clear to Somali people that the leaders of Somalia’s regional States Puntland and Jubbaland are not willing to hold elections in this country based on the Sept. 17th agreement and the Feb. 16th agreement,” Dubbe said.
The negotiation talks were held amid pressure from the international community that urged Somali President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmaajo and leaders of federal states to reach a deal to transition the country towards peaceful, inclusive, timely, and transparent elections. It is the third time in the last six months the Somalian leaders failed to reach a deal.
The issues that need attention include the formation of the electoral commission, the selection of commission members for Somaliland, and the crisis in the Somalia-Kenya border region of Gedo.
Somalia’s opposition and the critics accuse Farmaajo, who is seeking a second term, of delaying the election to extend his current mandate. The Somalian president’s mandate officially expired on February 8 this year, while the four-year term of parliament ended in December last year.
Jubbaland leader Ahmed Madobe has proposed to appoint his electoral committee. But, Farmajo has rejected the proposal.
The electoral deadlock has plunged Somalia into a political crisis. It is feared that the terrorist group Al Shabab might take advantage of the impasse and exploit it to further undermine the security of the Horn of Africa.
Somalia’s former Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, said the government is creating frustration so that it can rush with an extension of the mandate. He said the leaders must act to reach a deal before the situation escalates further.
