Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Monday ordered immediate cease-fire after violent clashes between Somali forces and opposition groups and in the capital Mogadishu reported Anadolu Agency.
Prime Minister Roble made the appeal following a meeting with civil society groups, traditional elders, and scholars in Mogadishu. He said he was saddened by the violence in Mogadishu between government security agencies and forces from the opposition.
He said dialogue and understanding are the only ways to resolve the political deadlock. He also urged security forces not to mix with politics.
“I call for an urgent meeting to resolve the crisis in Mogadishu. I thank the civil society members for their role in resolving this issue and call on the people to be calm. Stop the fighting,” the prime minister said in a statement.
Roble ordered the security forces to ensure the citizens’ safety and security in the Horn of Africa country.
Clashes were reported as former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Somalia’s security forces of attacking his home in Mogadishu on Sunday.
Security Minister Hassan Hundubey denied the accusation and blamed the opposition. The crisis is related to delayed elections.
Somalia’s parliamentary and presidential elections, set in early February, have been postponed because of disputes between the federal government and the states of Puntland and Jubbaland along with the opposition. Furthermore, President Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed’s constitutional mandate also expired on Feb 8.
The president currently faces growing opposition in the country and abroad after the lower house of parliament approved a two-year extension of the current federal government’s mandate for the next two years after election talks collapsed.
The international community including the United Nations and the African Union has strongly criticized the move. It continues to urge for dialogue to end the ongoing election impasse in Somalia.
