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The UN envoy to the country urges Somali leaders to “withdraw from the confrontation” and reach a compromise on the elections.
The UN envoy to Somalia called on Somali leaders to reach an agreement on holding elections “as soon as possible”, in remarks made days after gunfire erupted during a opposition demonstration in the capital, Mogadishu.
During a quarterly UN Security Council video conference, James Swan on Monday urged “all Somali political leaders to step aside from the confrontation and avoid risky win-win tactics.”
“Instead, now is the time to continue dialogue and compromise to reach an inclusive and credible political agreement for the holding of elections as soon as possible on the model of September 17,” he added. .
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed – better known by his nickname Farmaajo – and regional leaders reached an agreement on September 17 that abandoned the promised one-person and one-vote ballot, but offered a common path for the elections.
But they have since been unable to resolve differences over how the polls should be conducted.
The country missed a deadline to hold elections on February 8, when Farmaajo was due to step down. Amid the constitutional crisis, a coalition of opposition candidates said they no longer recognize Farmaajo as president and promised mass protests until he resigned.
“I remain convinced that the September 17 consensus model offers the best option available to quickly proceed with an electoral process for the selection of parliamentarians, senators and the president,” Swan said.
“The message from the partners was clear that there should be no by-elections, parallel processes, or unilateral actions by Somali leaders. Such approaches would only lead to greater division and the risk of confrontation, ”the UN envoy warned.
A small group of protesters attempted to march on the main road at Mogadishu airport on Friday when gunshots rang out, sending them into hiding. We don’t know who opened fire first.
The violence has since abated, but the months-old political tensions have not abated, said Francisco Madeira, African Union head of mission in Somalia.
He also called for credible elections to be held as soon as possible.
In Somalia, where the al-Shabab armed group linked to al-Qaeda remains active, the fragile federal government controls only part of the territory, despite the support of the African Union force, largely funded by the European Union .
The mandate of this force expires on February 28 and is expected to be renewed this weekend by the UN Security Council.
Acting US Ambassador Richard Mills, who also called for an election, said on Monday that the United States joined Somalia in calling for some al-Shabab leaders to be put on a list of UN sanctions.
“Today, we joined with the Somali Federal Government in co-nominating three senior al-Shabab leaders, Abukar Ali Adan, Maalim Ayman and Mahad Karate, to the list of 751 sanctions against Somalia,” he said. he declared.
These sanctions include the possibility of asset freezes and travel bans.
“These designations demonstrate that the international community will hold accountable those who undermine peace, security and stability in Somalia,” said Mills.
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