MOGADISHU (SD) – Jubbaland and Puntland both of which are bitterly opposed to President Mohamed Farmaajo skipped Saturday’s electoral talks dampening hopes of an electoral deal.
Fármaajo met with the presidents of South West, Galmudug and HirShabelle for a sixth round of talks at the airforce hangar within Aden Adde Airport.
Banaadir Regional Administration Governor Omar Filish also attended the talks. The four leaders enjoy cordial political relations with Farmaajo.
The Farmaajo and the Jubbaland-Puntland axis differed over the agenda of the meeting in addition to already fragile relations following the formation of the National Salvation Forum.
Both Ahmed Madobe (Jubbaland) and his Puntland counterpart Abdullahi Deni are key members of NSF.
Whereas Farmaajo wants a final nod on the Baidoa Framework by a joint technical team, Madobe and Deni have put in more demands.
This includes the widening of the talks to include the opposition, removal of security chiefs for their roles in the February 19 incident where soldiers fired live bullets at opposition protestors in Mogadishu.
The NSF duo also want Farmaajo to relinquish power and hand it to a transitional authority.
But the international community seem to agree with Farmaajo on the agenda of the talks.
“We see no viable alternative to implementation of the 17 September electoral model on a rapid timeline to conduct peaceful, inclusive, free, fair, and credible elections,” the UN and other foreign missions in Mogadishu said Friday. “International partners will not support a partial or parallel electoral process or any initiatives leading to extension of prior mandates,” the statement reads in part.”
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