US, UK prepare final Somalia talks in bid to end election standoff
MOGADISHU – Washington and London are preparing a fresh diplomatic drive aimed at pulling Somalia’s rival political camps back to the table, in what officials familiar with the discussions describe as a last major effort to secure a broad deal on the country’s disputed electoral process.
The planned talks would bring together President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose 4-year mandate expired last May, the leaders of the Puntland State and Jubaland regional administrations, and senior members of the Mogadishu-based Somali Future Forum opposition coalition, the sources said.
The push is intended to break a months-long impasse over elections and constitutional questions, though the officials cautioned that hopes for an immediate breakthrough remain limited.
Diplomatic sources said Western capitals have stepped up engagement to protect Somalia’s state-building project, a process backed by billions of dollars in international assistance over the past two decades.
They warned that the deepening political rift could erode gains made in governance reforms, the development of security institutions and the international backing Somalia continues to rely on.
According to the sources, one Western government has warned that if Somali leaders cannot reach a negotiated settlement, wider adjustments to the country’s state-building framework may have to be examined.
One option being discussed, the sources said, would be to convene Somali political leaders in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, should negotiations inside Somalia fail to deliver an agreement.
The talks have also touched on how international partners deal with Somalia’s federal government and, according to the sources, whether the country could return to a transitional-style political framework.
Supporters of that approach argue that the federal government’s constitutional mandate has lapsed, that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud prolonged his time in office without political consensus, and that constitutional amendments were passed without broad agreement among Somali stakeholders, the sources said.
The Somali government has not issued a public response to the reported proposals or to the allegations concerning its constitutional mandate.
Separately, opposition leaders have written an open letter to African nations contributing troops to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), calling on them to put a comprehensive political agreement ahead of further steps in Somalia’s security transition.
The opposition argued that an inclusive political settlement is needed to clear the way for nationally agreed elections and to address what it called Somalia’s constitutional vacuum and continuing political uncertainty.
AXADLETM
