Somalia: Senate seeks to mediate political crisis in the country

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Upper House of Somali Federal Parliament announced it is trying to mediate in the political crisis pitying between the central Government and its member States, Garowe Online reports.

The Senate decided to dispatch delegations to the headquarters of Puntland, Galmudug, HirShabelle, Southwest and Jubbaland to defuse the escalating standoff in Somalia, a country now struggling with instability and poverty.

In a statement sent to newsrooms on Wednesday, the Upper House has urged all regional parliaments to call off the pending motions aimed at voting out the states' leaders and give enough a chance to the mediation efforts.

The Senate's standing committee has warned the ongoing political row would threaten to derail the progress achieved by the Somali government which has been in office barely 2 years, since the election of Farmajo in 2017 as president.

The rift came after the regional leaders issued a joint communiqué on 8th September at the end of a four-day conference in Kismayo, announcing to have suspended relations with the weak central government in Mogadishu.

They accused Villa Somalia of interfering with internal regional issues, failure to implement security architecture and not fulfilling political agreements reached in the past national security meetings in Mogadishu and Baidoa this year.

The regional authorities formed a Council of Inter-State Cooperation (CIC) in Kismayo last year, which is meant to unite their voice demanding more autonomy and a better share of the foreign aid from the government in Mogadishu.

The central government has also been blamed for being unable to handle the country's security and of taking its eye off the fight against al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabaab Islamists, who staged deadly attacks in the country, mainly in the capital.

The Upper House's initiatives to mediate the sides is seen as a significant step towards addressing the current political stalemate that may plunge the Horn of Africa country back into further divisions and uncertainty.

There was no an immediate reaction from the Federal government and states to the decision by the 54-member Senate, which has less influence and constitutional power than the Lower House chamber in Farmajo's administration.

Somalia's Upper House was elected during the 2016-2017 parliamentary election to represent the Federal Member States' interests with the central government.

GAROWE ONLINE