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The United Nations Security Council has urged the leaders of the conflicting Somali government to resolve their disagreements through dialogue and to give top priority to holding long-delayed national elections this year.
The 15-member body, in a statement released on Saturday, also called on the federal government and regional states “to ensure that any political differences do not distract from united action against al-Shabab and other militant groups. “.
The text approved by all Council members follows emergency consultations on Friday on the worsening political crisis in Somalia, which has raised regional and international concerns that the elections could be threatened and the region as a whole. could face further destabilization.
The meeting came a day after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said he suspended Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble’s power to hire and fire civil servants, the latest move in their increasingly divisive relationship.
In the statement, council members expressed “their deep concern over the continuing disagreement within the Somali government and the negative impact on the electoral calendar and process.”
They urged all parties “to show restraint and stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in Somalia”.
Analysts say the stalemate has diverted attention from Somalia’s larger issues, including the fight against al-Shabab. The al-Qaeda-linked group was ousted from Mogadishu a decade ago, but retains control of entire swathes of the countryside and continues to carry out deadly attacks as it fights to overthrow Somalia’s internationally recognized government.
Pressure on Mohamed, widely known as Farmaajo, to hold elections has intensified since elections scheduled for February 8 did not take place due to lack of agreement on how whose vote should take place.
Talks between the federal government and regional leaders that began in March broke down in early April.
At the president’s request, the lower house of parliament then passed a special law that extended the tenure of current mandate holders for two years and abandoned a September 17, 2020 deal on indirect elections, reverting instead to a model of a person, a voice. .
These decisions sparked widespread opposition, leading to the mobilization of militias, revealing divisions within the Somali security forces and leading to violent clashes on April 25.
After the clashes, Farmaajo on May 1 called on the lower house of parliament to reverse his actions, including extending his term by two years.
He also called on lawmakers to support the deal the federal government struck with regional states on September 17 on how to vote, and called on Roble to lead election preparations and security measures. associated. This led to an agreement on May 27 to hold indirect elections this year.
The Security Council statement “urged all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue for the sake of Somalia and to prioritize the peaceful conduct of transparent, credible and inclusive elections within the agreed timeframe and in accordance with the agreements. September 17 and May 27 “.
UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward, who on Friday called for a closed-door briefing by UN Special Envoy James Swan, said she was gravely concerned about “the tensions increasing between the Prime Minister and the President “.
She said it was clear from Swan’s briefing that shuttle diplomacy was taking place to try to resolve differences between the president and the prime minister.
“But the point is, and we have also made it clear, that this is a very dangerous distraction from the main task of moving forward with the elections,” she said. declared.
“The risks for the Somali people, the risks of giving more space to al-Shabab are indeed very high. We therefore want to get out of this situation as quickly as possible and resolve it. “
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday that as Somalis mark the first anniversary of the September 17 accord, the UN and its international partners are also “increasingly alarmed by the fact that the escalation of the dispute between the president and the prime minister will undermine the stability of Somalia and derail the electoral process ”.
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