On Saturday, the Security Council urged the Somali parties to engage in dialogue, exercise restraint, and maintain peace and stability in the country.
The council said, in a statement, that it “expresses deep concern about the continuing disagreements within the Somali government, and their negative impact on the timetable and the electoral process in the country.”
He added that he “urges all stakeholders to exercise restraint and maintain peace, security and stability in Somalia.”
And on Thursday, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo announced, in a presidential decree, the reduction of the powers of his Prime Minister, Mohamed Hussein Roble, to appoint and dismiss, until the end of the parliamentary and presidential elections in the country.
In its statement, the Security Council also urged “all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue for the good of Somalia and to prioritize the holding of transparent, credible and inclusive elections within the framework of agreed timelines and in accordance with the agreements of September 17 and May 27.”
Somalia is witnessing parliamentary elections that began on July 25 and are expected to continue until late November, while the date of the presidential elections has not yet been set due to differences between the political parties in the country.
The Security Council called on “the federal government and leaders of the federal states to ensure that no political differences are diverted from unified action against Al-Shabaab and other armed groups.”
The council members reiterated their “respect for Somalia’s sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and unity.”
About a month ago, disputes escalated between Farmajo and Robley, against the background of the disappearance of a Somali intelligence officer, which led to the latter’s dismissal of intelligence chief Fahd Yassin from his post, which the president opposed, considering the move outside the prime minister’s powers.
Farmajo relied on reducing Robley’s powers to “the unconstitutional steps taken by the prime minister, as stipulated in Article 87 with its second and third paragraphs, and Article 90 with its second, third and fourth paragraphs of the country’s interim constitution.”
