Somalia: Southwest collapses talks with FGS as Farmajo is booed by MPs

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The much-hyped unity talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and member states have irretrievably collapsed, multiple sources have confirmed, just barely after technical committees from both sides commenced preliminary meetings.

Both FGS and federal states have been under pressure to reach a consensus for among others, the model for elections, delimitation of constituency boundaries, and representation for both Banadir and Somaliland regions to the federal parliament.

This, sources said, forced both sides to start preliminary talks among technocrats from members states and the FGS, which have been ongoing through video conferencing, but have since collapsed.

According to insiders, the Southwest region's team refused to consent to dates that had been suggested for a conference between the two sides, forcing organizers to abort the talks albeit prematurely.

Puntland, which has consistently lobbied for the dialogue, settled for June 20th but the date was rejected by Southwest state's delegation, which insisted that such a conference should be held on 15th July or later.

Without giving concrete reasons, sources added, the delegation insisted that the state wasn't ready for the talks yet. The turnout of events automatically dented hopes for a consultative dialogue, a move that could affect the election calendar.

Efforts by Galmadug under the leadership of Ahmed Kariye alias Qoor Qoor to push for July 1st also were resisted by Southwest despite support from Jubaland and Puntland states, who supported the idea, reports indicate.

Without a clear date for talks, the Horn of Africa nation is now facing a possibility of plunging into chaos given the escalating differences between FGS and FMS, whose synergy and partnership are essential for holding of the much-needed polls.

Southwest is believed to be acting on behalf of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who is accused by a number of states of plotting to extend his stay in office, by taking advantage of the current impasse and inadequate preparations.

Abdiaziz Lafta-Gareen, the regional leader for the state, was endorsed by Villa Somalia during the controversial polls in December 2018, which resulted in deadly protests and even deaths in Baidoa, the regional administrative capital of the state.

Soldiers from Somalia National Army [SNA] and Ethiopian non-AMISOM troops had arrested Lafta-Gareen's popular challenger Mukhtaar Robow, precipitating to the chaos that left 11 dead. The former Al-Shabaab deputy leader was taken to Mogadishu where he's held incommunicado to date.

Lafa-Gareen, observers say, maybe acting on instructions from Villa Somalia to sabotage the talks. But a fortnight ago, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheire assured the cabinet of holding elections in time, arguing that "citizens are waiting for the polls, we must face them".

Later this month, a parliamentary ad-hoc committee on elections and the National Independent Electoral Commission [NIEC] are expected to table a report in parliament which will provide solutions for the current stalemate.

Farmajo is booed by MPs in Mogadishu

But during the opening of the 7th session of Parliament on Saturday, chaos engulfed the house of honor at Villa Hargeisa, with a section of MPs heckling Farmajo, who opened the session. The MPs were heard singing Somalia's national anthem while at the same time condemning FGS over a "non-caring" attitude.

However, Farmajo insisted that the elections will be held on time, arguing that the federal government is doing everything to "deliver a transparent and credible poll" for the people of Somalia. He denied allegations of a plot to extend the term.

While international partners have since endorsed universal suffrage, a number of opposition leaders have staked for the clan-based model, arguing that the remaining period cannot sustain preparations for one-person-one-vote elections. Puntland has, however, rejected the clan-based model, terming it unconstitutional.

Heritage, a Mogadishu-based think tank, also ruled out both models, instead proposing an expansive model, which if adopted, would see the number of electors increased from 14,025 to around 221,000. Universal suffrage, it argued cannot be planned within just six months.

GAROWE ONLINE