Somalia’s Farmajo must break election deadlock, says US
The US on Monday urged Somalia’s president and his political rivals to break a deadlock and hold elections before the country is engulfed by worsening violence from an extremist insurgency.
At UN Security Council talks, US envoy Richard Mills called for a swift resolution to the political crisis surrounding President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, whose term expired this month.
Somalia’s parliament was set to choose a new president on February 8, but voting was delayed because new members of the legislature had yet to be chosen. Opponents of Mr Mohamed, who seeks a second term, say he packed decision-making bodies with loyalists.
“We call on President Farmajo and Somalia’s federal member state leaders to act swiftly to resolve the political impasse that threatens Somalia’s future and to find an agreement to allow the conduct of parliamentary and presidential elections immediately,” Mr Mills said.
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