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Updated September 19th, 2021 at 07:23 IST

UNSC urges Somalia’s feuding government leaders to 'resolve differences through dialogue'

UNSC urged Somalia’s feuding government leaders to settle disputes through dialogue and give top priority to holding long-delayed national elections this year.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
UNSC
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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Amid worsening political crisis, the UN Security Council on September 18, Saturday, urged Somalia’s feuding government leaders to settle disputes through dialogue and give top priority to holding long-delayed national elections this year. According to a press release, the 15-member body expressed “deep concern” about the ongoing disagreement within the Somali government. They urged all stakeholders to “exercise restraint, and underlined the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in Somalia”. 

The UNSC expressed concern about the “negative impact” on the electoral timetable and process. They also went on to call on the federal government and regional states to ensure that any political differences do not divert from “united action” against al-Shabab and other militant groups. UNSC reaffirmed their respect for the sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and unity of Somalia.

UNSC members “urged all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue for the good of Somalia and to prioritise the peaceful conduct of transparent, credible and inclusive elections within the agreed timelines and in accordance with the 17 September and 27 May agreements”. 

The statement from the 15-member body comes after the council held emergency consultations on Somalia’s worsening political situation, which could threaten long-delayed national elections and further destabilize the East Africa region. The UNSC members expressed serious concerns about the rising tensions between the Prime Minister and the President. The emergency session came a day after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said that he had suspended PM Mohamed Hussein Roble’s power to hire and fire officials. 

Somalia’s political crisis 

Meanwhile, pressure has grown on Abdullahi Mohamed since scheduled elections on February 8 failed to take place because of the lack of agreements on how the vote should be carried out. Since then, talks between the federal government and regional leaders brown down. At the President’s request, parliament's lower house then even adopted a special law that extended the terms of current office holders for two years and abandoned a previous agreement on indirect electrons. 

These decisions then sparked widespread opposition and led to the mobilization of militias, exposing divisions within Somali security forces, and resulting in violent clashes in April. Following the clashes, the Somali President asked the lower house of parliament to again reverse its actions that included his mandate for two years. Amid the political rift, experts said that the worsening situation could lead to a constitutional crisis on top of the country’s other challenges from Al-Shabab extremists to famine, locusts and hunger. 

(Image: AP)
 

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Published September 19th, 2021 at 07:23 IST

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