MOGADISHU (SD) – The African Union Peace and Security Council will today meet in Addis Ababa to discuss the political situation in Somalia barely a day after President Farmaajo called for AU intervention.

The continental bloc said it will be engaging from 10 am East African Time.

 The meeting follows President Mohamed Farmaajo’s call for AU intervention to end an ongoing electoral stalemate that has seen the term of the president unilaterally extended for two more years.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo had paid surprise visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday where he held talks with DRC’s Felix Tshisekedi who is the current chair of the African Union over the current situation of the horn of Africa nation.

Farmaajo said the federal government of Somalia welcomes the AU to facilitate the talks to end the political standoff.

“I welcome @_AfricanUnion to take a leading role in facilitating an election process in which every citizen elects their representatives through free and fair elections. All Somali stakeholders will actively participate in the dialogue on the future of our democracy,” the president said in a twitter post.

Somalia’s political crisis deteriorated after term of the president Farmaajo unilaterally extended for two more years.

Two weeks ago, the country’s Lower House and President Farmaajo passed a term extension resolution and signed into law respectively.

The resolution directs the National Independent Elections Commission (NIEC) to organize elections in two years based on a one-person-one-vote basis.

 But the move drew condemnations from the local politicians, some of regional states as the international community.

On Wednesday, Puntland demanded for a resumption of talks to resolve the ongoing electoral deadlock in Somalia, vowing not to recognise the Lower House resolution.

President Abdullahi Deni administration said in a statement the only option to resolving the electoral stalemate was through the political agreement between the Federal Government and Federal Member States in September 2020.

“The Government of Puntland State of Somalia declares that the agreement of 17 September 2020 is the only agreement reached to hold the Federal Elections, and to address the impediments to the implementation of the agreement in order to achieve a fair election acceptable to all,” the statement read in part.