Somalia leaders in blame game after talks collapse

Somalia’s top leaders are trading blame after the collapse of the much-anticipated talks meant to provide certainty on elections.
The
blame game ensued on Wednesday evening, dampening optimism that had been
expressed earlier in the week, going into talks.
Information
Minister Osman Dubbe admitted there had been no progress from the initial
sessions and that leaders had fallen out. He criticised leaders of Jubbaland
and Puntland states for what he called lack of flexibility on the agenda.
According
to Dubbe, the leaders of the two states—Said Abdullahi Deni of Puntland and
Ahmed Madobe of Jubbaland—disrespected the crucial meetings.
The
two leaders reportedly disagreed on the wording of state institutions – the
presidency, the executive and the legislative – saying the executive's term has
expired and this should be specified in the documents.
“Puntland
and Jubbaland also asked for the suspension of the heads of the security
forces, despite Somalia being at a crucial security stage,” Dubbe said in a
pre-recorded video, stating that such demand damages the morale of the forces
that industriously serve the country.
“Unfortunately, the leaders of
Puntland and Jubbaland have become an obstruction against holding elections in
the country.”
The
meeting was meant to discuss an agreement which would lead to elections.
Somalia
should have held elections latest by February 8 this year. It missed the
deadline after leaders failed to agree on the composition of electoral
management teams, security and venues for votes. These issues have stuck out
since September 17 last year when the same leaders agreed on an indirect
election.
On
Wednesday evening, Puntland and Jubbaland responded to the blame laid upon them
by the Federal Government of Somalia. They rejected claims of sabotaging talks,
instead, blaming President Mohamed Farmaajo of pushing his personal agenda.
Puntland
Minister for Information Abdullahi Ali Hersi alias Tima’adde insisted that the
blame by the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) was unsubstantiated and that
the two states were not responsible for any failure.
“We
are not aware of any failure to the talks. On the contrary, we knew that the
president (President Farmaajo) adjourned the meeting so that the sides make
consultations,” said Hersi, expressing surprise at the statement by the FGS
Information minister.
The
meeting was expected to streamline the mechanisms to hold the parliamentary and
presidential elections in accordance with the September 17, 2020 Agreement.
President
Farmaajo summoned his key officials as well as federal state presidents from
Somalia’s five federal states for the crucial meeting. It was the fourth such
time this year the President was summoning leaders. Previous meetings had ended
at agenda setting.
The
invited leaders included Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and Presidents of
Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West and Jubbaland plus the Mayor of
Mogadishu. They gathered at the ‘Big Tent,’ the venue inside the highly
protected Aden Abdulle International Airport, from April 3.
Outside
of the meeting, opposition groups accused the President of using the sittings
as a smoke screen. They said he was planning to lobby the leaders for an
extension of his term.
“It
is becoming increasingly clear to the people of Somalia in general and the
Union of Presidential Candidates in particular that the outgoing President
Farmaajo is constantly degrading and violating the process of seeking peaceful
and credible General Election,” an opposition group of 15 aspirants, known as
the Council of Presidential Candidates, said in a statement.
The
group had earlier demanded inclusion in the discussions, arguing that
Farmaajo’s term had ended on February 8 and he should be treated as a normal
aspirant.
“As expected, Farmaajo refused to
include the following issues on the agenda: 1. Legitimacy of his mandate as
well Parliament. 2. Security responsibility during elections. He's desperate
for term extension because he does not have the confidence to win in a fair and
free election,” charged Abdishakur Abdirahman, leader of Wadajir Party.
“Farmaajo has relied on fake
popularity, repression and propaganda to remain in power. He has weakened State
institutions such as the Judiciary and the Legislator. They can't rein him in,
neither can they resolve the electoral dispute or facilitate his peaceful exit
from office.
Dubbe
was on Wednesday evening facing accusations of pre-recording accusations
against Puntland and Jubbaland, long before the meeting even collapsed.
He had, on Tuesday, told the Somalia National News Agency (SONNA) about his confidence that the talks were likely to end with 100 percent mutual understanding.
“The Federal Government of Somalia
(FGS) is determined to stimulate the ongoing talks with the Federal Member
States (FMS) to result in 100 percent common understanding,” said Minister
Dubbe, a reference to the discussions on the implementation manners of the
indirect electoral model agreed on September 17, last year.
Meanwhile,
Somalia’s international partners (SIPs,) that support the Horn of Africa
country’s state rebuilding expressed optimism that the talks will generate
consensus, keeping in mind that the Holy fasting month of Ramadan is fast
approaching.
In
a statement issued on Tuesday, the SIPs partly wrote, “As Somalis prepare to
welcome the Holy Month of Ramadan, international partners express hope that the
basic tenets of reflection, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation will
usher in a successful summit of the Federal Government and Federal Member State
leaders.”
It
added, “We urge FGS and FMS leaders to use this opportunity to resolve their
differences and make the necessary compromises in order to ensure that
credible, timely, and peaceful elections can be held without further delay to
allow Somalia to move forward.”
The
joint statement was signed by multilateral agencies including the United
Nations (UN), African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(Igad), European Union (EU), African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), League
of the Arab States (LAS), and a host of countries that assist the Somali people
and their government.