Friday February 26, 2021
FILE: Puntland President, Abdullahi Deni (L) and Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe (R)
Mogadishu (HOL) - Puntland and Jubbaland today welcomed the agreement reached on Thursday in Mogadishu between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Council of Presidential Candidates.
A statement from the two administrations said they hoped the federal government would change its approach when dealing with opposition, adding that the government needed to develop solutions to the challenges surrounding the electoral delay.
PM Roble met with the Council of Presidential Candidates at Decale Hotel inside Aden Abdulle International Airport. They discussed the use of government security apparatus against protestors and opposition candidates. The talks were brokered by the Presidents of Galmudug, Hirshabelle and the Governor of Banadir.
The government stopped short of a formal apology, saying that it "regretted" the last week's events. It promised to appoint an independent committee to investigate and produce a report on the incident.
The meeting led the Council of Presidential Candidate to postpone their anti-government demonstration.
The deal came as political tensions were alarmingly high in the capital.
The two administrations said they wanted a peaceful and mutually acceptable election in accordance with the September 17 agreement.
Jubaland called on the federal government to recognize that political stakeholders and candidates have the right to participate in ongoing political negotiations.
Puntland welcomed the federal government's recognition of what happened in Mogadishu on 19 February and welcomed an independent investigation.