AU deeply concerned about Somalia’s political stalemate, calls for consensus

The African Union (AU) has expressed concern about the growing political tension in Somalia, which has led to a deterioration in the security situation.

This comes just a day after Somali government troops and opposition supporters exchanged fire in Mogadishu in street clashes that broke out during a protest march over delayed elections.

AU President Moussa Faki Mahamat in a statement condemned all forms of violence and called on Somali stakeholders to refrain from acts that may endanger peace and security in the country.

The head of the AU said this when urging political actors to seek a consensual solution that breaks the current political stalemate.

“The people of Somalia have suffered for too long, and the current violence poses a serious threat to the Somali Transition Plan (STP), at the precise moment when it is being finalized,” Mahamat said in a statement.

Lawmakers were due to select a new president on February 8, but the process was delayed after the opposition accused President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who is seeking a second term, of filling regional and national electoral boards with supporters.

Mahamat stressed the vital importance of holding free, fair, timely and credible elections, in line with the^th September and, to this end, he called upon all relevant Somali stakeholders to refrain from taking unilateral measures that could further deepen the current political crisis and undermine efforts to effectively confront and degrade Al Shabaab and other terrorist groups.