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Kenya has joined a growing list of international players urging Somalia to negotiate a friendly electoral program and save the region from instability.
Commenting for the first time on Somalia’s electoral crisis since the two countries cut diplomatic ties, Kenya told the African Union Peace and Security Council on Tuesday that Somalia’s elections will be vital to the Horn’s long-term stability. from Africa, and called on donors and other partners to ensure the participation of all stakeholders.
Somalia currently faces an uncertain political future after President Mohamed Farmaajo’s four-year term ended on Monday without the country holding elections. Farmaajo, by law, is expected to be in office at least until the next director is elected.
Differentiated with Farmaajo’s stay
But stakeholders, including federal member states and political groupings, have differed with Farmaajo’s stay.
The Council of Presidential Candidates, a grouping of presidential hopefuls, said Monday that they propose a transition team led by the two bicameral spokesmen for the federal parliament.
The international community appeared to reject that idea and instead called for dialogue. The UN in Somalia said it will reject any parallel process or movement that is not reached by consensus.
Monday’s Peace and Security Council meeting was intended for stakeholders to brief the African Union body dealing with political stability on the way forward.
But Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the African Union, Jean Kamau, used the occasion to defend his country’s own reputation in Somalia, saying that Nairobi had contributed troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), motivated by its own security interest and that of the region.
Kenya called for the Peace and Security Council to focus on vital initiatives that must be undertaken to ensure that the historic consensus established among national, regional and international actors in Somalia, which included the federal government of Somalia and all its related entities, is secured. and guaranteed, “a Kenyan Foreign Ministry dispatch said Tuesday, calling for the renewal of Amisom’s mandate, which expires in two months.
Rejection of the Somalia accusation
Mogadishu had accused Nairobi of meddling in Somalia affairs and cut ties in December. In dispatch, Kenya rejected the accusation, saying that the African Union must be careful with entities that “cause fissures between various stakeholders, friends, partners in Somalia and the region.”
The AU Peace and Security Council, of which Kenya is a member, also heard from Amisom and Somalia. But the meeting came a few hours ago when the UN Security Council, of which Kenya is also a member, was scheduled to meet later on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Somalia.
There are fears that a protracted election campaign could give the Somali militant group al-Shabaab an opportunity to attack more facilities.
On Monday, the chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the situation was a “serious concern” for security, warning that “the considerable progress made by Amisom and the Somali Security Forces (SSF) in the fight against Al-Shabaab, extending state authority to large parts of the country, and improving the security and rule of law of the Somali people, they are now threatened by growing political tension. “
“The president emphasizes that the stability of Somalia is at stake and calls on all Somali stakeholders to put the national interest first and constructively seek a solution to their differences through dialogue and compromise,” said a statement from his office.
Political jam
Donors, including the United States, said a political stalemate had slowed the fight against Al-Shabaab, as well as focusing on rebuilding the country’s institutions.
“Quickly resolving the current electoral deadlock is critical to the future of Somalia,” said US Ambassador to Somalia Donald Yamamoto.
“It is the responsibility and duty of national and regional leaders to put aside the pursuit of political advantage and instead act in the interest of the Somali people, who deserve the best of their leaders. The time has come to resolve the outstanding issues and finish the job of holding elections. “
Farmaajo and his opponents found themselves at a standstill last week after disagreeing on the date of the elections and the membership of the official electoral teams. An earlier list published by his prime minister Hussein Roble was called biased with opposition groups who said it included spies and cronies of the president. Stakeholders have not specifically implemented the Agreement of September 17, 2020, commonly known as the Dhusamareb III Agreement, which is named after the federal state capital of Galmudug, where the meeting took place in September.
All donors have asked the parties to return to negotiations. But Farmaajo himself told the lower house on Saturday that opposition groups had continued to change goals.
“I am committed to creating a political settlement for the sake of our solidarity as a nation in line with the aspirations of our Somali people,” he said in a speech to the House.
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“I made two contributions to the agreement of September 17 and they were rejected. Among them was the proposal to reduce the registration fees for our Somali women candidates seeking elective positions and to maintain the initial Independent National Electoral Commission to hold elections, as already we had invested resources and personnel, “he added.
Commission rejected
The commission was rejected after it proposed an extension of the term of the presidency, admitting that it would be difficult to hold elections in February this year. Opposition groups, however, saw that as the president’s plan to run out of elections. In fact, Somalia’s original plan to maintain universal suffrage fell apart.
The European Union, one of Amisom’s funders, said the absence of a political agreement was “extremely serious.”
Josep Borrell, EU High Representative and Vice President, all participants must continue to “engage in a constructive way to agree on the implementation of a national electoral process.”
“Political leaders must continue their efforts in the implementation of the agreement of September 17. Any parallel or partial process or an extension of the current mandate of the institutions, which is not of a technical nature, would be considered a severe setback.”
