The AU expresses remorse for Somalia’s rejection of Mahama as a special envoy
ADDIS ABEBA – Days after the federal government in Somalia openly opposed the appointment of former Ghanaian President John Mahama as high-ranking representative of the Somali conflict, the African Union has expressed remorse and called the move an “unsurpassed” disappointment.
The African Union had chosen Mahama for the top job in the midst of the escalating political tension in Somalia, which is triggered by the current electoral support, which has not yet been resolved in the memory of all parties in the country.
Somalia, which was almost on the brink of civil war, rejected Mahama’s appointment, claiming he had links to Nairobi, which is accused of taking part in Somalia’s turbulent policies. Kenya has often denied the allegations.
Mohamed Abdirazak, Somalia’s Foreign and International Cooperation Minister, claimed that Mahama was closely linked to an unnamed person in Kenya’s leadership and as such would not rely on impartiality.
Somalia continued to write to Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the AU Commission, informing him that the country will no longer support Mahama in his new role.
The African Union Peace and Security Council now wants African Union Commissioner Moussa Faki to continue talks with the federal government even after Mahama was rejected as a peacemaker.
“… in this regard, expresses its regret at the decision taken by the Government of Somalia and rejected the appointment of HE John Dramani Mahama as AU High Representative for Somalia, and calls on the President of the AU Commission to continue discussions with FGS to resolve this dead end and report back to the Council on the way forward for political engagement with Somalia, the AU’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) said in a statement.
Mahama was expected to “work with Somali stakeholders to reach a mutually acceptable compromise on a comprehensive resolution to hold Somali elections in the shortest possible time”, according to a statement from the AU.
But in the face of such opposition, Mahama withdrew his approval of the continental body’s appointment, saying such a position required “unalloyed support and cooperation between all political stakeholders.”
Mahama went on to warn that a lack of federal government support could jeopardize the entire peace process and undermine hopes of restoring order and stability in Somalia. He asked AU to look for other alternatives.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, whose mandate has since expired, handed over responsibility to Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble for pre-election talks. PM has since convened a meeting in Mogadishu to resolve the dead end.
Apparently, many opposition figures have since supported the Prime Minister and expressed the possibility that the country will get a lasting solution on the dead end. PM described the progress as “promising” his broadcast to the media house on Sunday.
AXADLETM
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