New York (SD) – The US ambassador to the United Nations Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet blames the Somali federal president and speaker of the Somali parliament for exacerbating political tensions in Somalia.

“The challenges Somalia faces require concerted and unified efforts by its leaders. Unfortunately, the President and Lower House of Parliament’s withdrawal of confidence in the former Prime Minister and his government in July has only heightened political tensions. We are concerned such action has undermined the ongoing process of dialogue and negotiation between the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Member States, and other key stakeholders”. said Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet.

The ambassador called on Somali political stakeholders to urgently address the election challenges currently facing the country.

“We strongly encourage Somalia’s federal government and member states to hammer out a way forward for the upcoming elections. Elections need to be credible, timely, secure, practical, implementable, and built on broad-based consensus in a Somali-owned and a Somali-led process. We welcome the discussions underway in Dhusamareb and encourage the parties to reach agreement on a model that meets the criteria that can be implemented by early 2021.” said Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet.

The US ambassador to the UN praised the Somali and AMISOM troop’s success against Al Shabab but expressed concern about the country’s ability to implement and maintain security plans.

“We do remain concerned, however, that implementation of key elements of the Somalia Transition Plan are behind schedule. We urge all parties to take the necessary steps to accelerate the transfer of security responsibilities to Somali military and civilian authorities.” said Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet.

The US Ambassador to the UN encouraged the continued efforts to restore cooperation with the world’s financial institutions.

“The United States further encourages Somali authorities to maintain momentum on the reform efforts that brought about the re-establishment of ties with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in March 2020. Reaching the HIPC decision point is an important milestone for Somalia as it lays the foundation for inclusive economic growth, but such reforms must continue as Somalia seeks to build long-term inclusive economic growth and resiliency.” said Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet.