Tuesday March 23, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - The newly formed opposition alliance National Salvation Forum held its first meeting in Mogadishu today amid escalated tensions with President Mohamed Farmaajo over the elections stalemate.
Wadajir party leader Abdirahman Abshishakur who is a member of NSF said in a tweet Tuesday evening the forum met in Mogadishu to find a solution to the ongoing gridlock.“The meeting of the National Salvation Forum officially kicked off today. The objective of the meeting is to achieve an inclusive and peaceful election,” Abdishakur said.
He added that the NSF is ‘against partial election term extension’.
The NSF brings together 15 opposition presidential candidates, the presidents of Jubbaland and Puntland and the Somaliland pro-Union politicians.
The meeting comes a day after President Mohamed Farmaajo held talks with three Federal Member State leaders and Prime Minister Mohamed Roble.
The meeting which was expected to arrive at a deal on the elections delays was however boycotted by Ahmed Madobe (Jubbaland) and his Puntland ally Abdullahi Deni.
The US and other foreign missions in Somalia have demanded the Somali leaders set aside their differences and agree on the way forward for elections.