Somalia: Farmajo to attend talks as candidate, says opposition

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The union of presidential candidates in Somalia has yet again insisted that embattled president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo should attend the proposed conference on unlocking pre-election stalemate as a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.

Farmajo, whose term expired on Feb 8, has yet again called for another conference which he proposed to take place in Garowe, the regional administrative capital of Puntland. The team had failed to reach an agreement a fortnight ago in Dhusamareeb.

The next conference, which is scheduled for February 15, has attracted rebellion, with Jubaland and Puntland insisting that it should take place in Mogadishu. Also of the idea is fiery Senate Speaker Abdi Hashi, who says Mogadishu will allow many people to participate and air their views.

But the presidential candidates who are about 14, now say Farmajo's term had expired and has no moral authority to continue chairing such summits. To them, he should join the conference as a presidential candidate, and not the president of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Should he fail to adhere to that, they added, he should consider joining the conference as a former president, with no ambitions in the country. Farmajo is fighting to defend his seat but disagreements among stakeholders have led to the current quagmire, which could plunge the country into political chaos.

Among those who signed the statement include former Presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud along with former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire. Also, the current opposition leader and the chairman of the Wadajir party Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsane also appended his signature.

The international community led by Britain, the United States of America, and the United Nations Security Council have also warned against the protracted crisis, calling for urgent dialogue to solve the stalemate. Somalia was set to hold a clan-based model of elections after it failed to ratify the one-person-one-vote model.

GAROWE ONLINE