Mohamed Abdirazak, Somalia’s Foreign and International Cooperation Minister, says the Ghanaian ex-leader is closely associated with the leadership in Kenya, without specifying who in particular. Based on this alone, he says, Mr Mahama cannot be trusted to be impartial and deliver an acceptable solution. In a letter, Mr Abdirazak claims that the AU did not thoroughly scrutinise Mr Mahama’s background before appointing him to the role. “It is indeed surprising that a candidate with extensive links with Kenya’s leadership has been chosen by the AU to facilitate talks on a political impasse partly engineered by those the Kenyan leadership has supported,” the letter dated May 9 but which was circulated among diplomats on Tuesday says.
Somalia rejects AU mediator in row with Kenya
Thursday May 13 2021
By AGGREY MUTAMBO
Summary
Somalia has rejected the appointment of former Ghanaian President John Mahama as African Union’s (AU) special envoy to help mediate its political impasse with Kenya.
Somalia argues that the former Head of State has “extensive links” with Kenya, and has written to AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat notifying him that Somalia will no longer support Mr Mahama in his new role.
Somalia has rejected the appointment of former Ghanaian President John Mahama as African Union’s (AU) special envoy to help mediate its political impasse with Kenya.
The East African
Friday February 26 2021
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Somalia’s opposition politicians on Thursday night cancelled a planned rally in Mogadishu after Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble conceded some of their demands.
The rally, which had been planned despite a ban on public gatherings to control the spread of Covid-19, was instead postponed after Mr Roble formally expressed “regret” following violence that followed a similar march last week on Friday.
The leaders, under the caucus of the Council of Presidential Candidates, agreed to hold their march in 10 days, after the Federal Government said it would investigate the incident in which a hotel the leaders were lodging in was attacked on the eve of their protest last week.
The East African
Monday February 15 2021
Somalia under Farmaajo faced some challenges but it progressed on crucial economic fronts, halving its debts to about $5.3 billion. PHOTO | FILE
Summary
The United States and the European Union, two of Mogadishu’s biggest state-rebuilding donors, warn that an impasse could slow down its recovery.
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Somalia is under pressure to hold elections and put the country on track to economic recovery, a peaceful political transition and save it from uncertainties that would embolden al Shabaab.
Mogadishu was a subject of emergency meetings both at the African Union Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council this past week, where it was agreed that leaders must find consensus and address crucial sticking points, with a warning against “parallel” processes that will not attract universal support.