Somalia: Farmajo arrives in Kinshasa as protests intensify in Mogadishu

Kinshasa - Embattled Somalia's outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] where he's expected to hold a meeting with the current African Union chairman and the country's President Felix Tshisekedi.

Farmajo, whose term expired on Feb 8 arrived in DRC on Sunday night and was ushered in by senior security and government officers at the Kinshasa International Airport, before proceeding to one of the hotels within the city.

For the last two months, Farmajo has to try to hold a grip on the country even with growing local and international pressure to allow elections to take place. The Lower House of Somalia extended his term for two more years, leading to the current electoral impasse.

Although the agenda of his meeting remains sketchy, multiple sources have confirmed to the Garowe Online that Farmajo is keen to defend the two-year extension of his regime, a move which he hopes will get blessings from the continental body.

A source privy to the visit also hinted that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will also be in Kinshasa. Farmajo has requested to have a meeting with President Kenyatta to iron out contentious issues including the maritime dispute.

Somalia and Kenya have been having serious diplomatic wrangles in the last year, with the maritime dispute being one of the most contentious issues. Both countries are battling at the International Court of Justice [ICJ] and all got opportunities in March to defend themselves.

Also, Somalia and Kenya have been having security-related wrangles at the border in Mandera and El-Wak, with the role of Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] in the Gedo region being one of the issues at hand. Somalia accuses KDF of working with Jubaland Security Forces at the expense of national security, a claim which Kenya dismisses.

The African Union is now set to hold an emergency meeting in Somalia next week. Farmajo could have been advised to meet President Felix Tshisekedi ahead of the meeting by a friendly representative of the AU in Mogadishu, sources added.

Amid the shuttle diplomatic missions of Farmajo, protests continued to build up in Mogadishu as anti-government factions called for the removal of the outgoing president, who they accuse of instigating instability in the Horn of Africa nation.

Anti-government protesters marched in Shirkole area on Sunday evening, chanting "We don't want Farmajo, we don't want a dictator", showing strong support for sacked Mogadishu police chief Sadak John.

Kenneth Roth, the current Executive Director Human Rights Watch, poked holes at the strategy used by Farmajo, arguing that he's slowly turning Somalia into a dictatorship, citing his recent regional allies as proof.

"Hardly surprising that Somali President Abdullahi Mohamed unilaterally extended his term by two years while he 'appears to be taking his cues from Eritrea’s [forever] autocratic president, Isaias Afwerki, who has become a close ally in recent months," he noted.

GAROWE ONLINE