Somalia: UN and partners urge leaders to end stand-off over Speaker

A joint delegation of the United Nations, the African Union and a regional organization has urged Somalia’s transitional institutions to quickly resolve a political stand-off triggered by last week’s passing by Parliament of a vote of no-confidence against the Speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.

“We appeal for moderation to the leadership of the Transitional Federal Institutions, parliamentarians and to all stakeholders [to] … avoid any statement or action that could exacerbate the already tense situation and further aggravate the crisis,” said a statement by the delegation.

The joint mission that travelled to Somalia to meet with the country’s leadership on Saturday, comprised Christian Manahl, the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia; Boubacar Diarra, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union; and Kipruto arap Kirwa, the facilitator for Somalia for the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

It conveyed the serious concern of the international community over the political crisis to the leaders, stressing that the stalemate could have an adverse impact on the implementation of the roadmap to restore peace and stability in Somalia, which has lacked a fully-functioning government and been wracked by factional warfare since 1991.

The delegation reiterated the determination of the international community to act against political moves aimed at derailing the peace process.

It urged Somalia’s Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) to act in the spirit of the Kampala Accord, the pact signed in the in the Ugandan capital in June under which the terms of the President and the Speaker were extended for a year, ending an impasse over the transition period.

“We acknowledge the wish of the parliamentarians to discuss the Roadmap in the TFP [Transitional Federal Parliament], following their previous endorsement of the Kampala Accord, and the intention of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to present the Roadmap to the TFP for deliberation and approval; we acknowledge that this should happen as soon as the present crisis is resolved,” the mission said.

Members of the delegation encouraged continued consultations among Somalia’s top leadership to resolve the current crisis in accordance with the Transitional Federal Charter and previous political agreements.

In a related development, the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) today announced that a three-day high-level Conference on the Constitution will take place in the city of Garowe in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland beginning on Wednesday. The decision was made following consultations with the TFIs, according to the UNPOS press release.