The East African
Friday March 05 2021
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Talks between the Somali government and opposition presidential candidates have collapsed, but some progress in the negotiations has resulted in relative calm in the past few days, Prime Minister Mohamed Roble said Friday.
The government will continue holding talks on the electoral process to implement the pre-election agreement, which was reached on September 17 last year, with leaders of the federal member states, the PM said in a statement.
The negotiations collapsed Thursday evening after the opposition requested to be included in future election talks, he said, noting that some concessions were made following rounds of talks.
India has termed as "disappointing" the political impasse over the holding of elections in Somalia and said this delay will embolden Al-Shabaab and other armed groups to gain ground and continue their terror acts that will subvert democratic gains made so far.
Somali government troops have clashed with opposition supporters on the streets of Mogadishu amid growing anger over delayed elections. There is growing anxiety over the expiry of the term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as “Farmaajo”, without the prospect of an immediate replacement. Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Shire explains how the country got here, and what needs to be done to end the stalemate.
What’s behind the protests and the army’s presence on the streets?
A week ago an alliance of Somali opposition leaders called for anti-government protests. The coalition includes former Somali presidents and ministers, many with diverging interests and agendas. The government banned the planned protest citing a recent COVID-19 surge as a reason. But it was later allowed, provided that the protests were peaceful and participants adhered to the country’s public health and social measures.