NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 14- An election stalemate in Somalia might take a new twist, after the European Union said it was considering taking “further concrete measures”, following the extension of President Mohamed Abdullahi’s term by 2 years by the Somali Parliament on Monday.
Already, two powerful members of the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee have called for a re-evaluation of their government’s assistance and relation to the Federal Government of Somalia “and consider imposing sanctions against those who impede the democratic process.”
They are Gregory W. Meeks and Michael McCaul, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee.
“We call on the Somali government to renew negotiations to resolve this crisis and return to the September 2020 electoral framework. The United States stands with the Somali people and will continue to support credible efforts to advance democracy and peace in Somalia,” the two legislators said in a statement.
They said the term extension erodes the federalism process and undermines the pursuit of democracy and stability in Somalia.
The European Union said this “action undermines the longstanding effort, supported by the EU and the international community, to rebuild Somalia through consensus.”
“The international community, including the EU, have repeatedly and publicly expressed that we could under no circumstances accept an extension of the government mandate, or any partial or parallel process related to the elections, without the agreement of the parties to the 17 September electoral agreement.”
The move, EU said, will only divide Somalia, adding that it “constitute a grave threat to the peace and stability of Somalia and its neighbours. It certainly does not serve the interests of the people of Somalia.”
“We call for an immediate return to talks on the holding of elections without delay based on the September 17 agreement. Failing this, the EU will consider further concrete measures.”
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The elections were slated for February 8, but never happened due to a dispute on the formula.
Previous ‘efforts’ to strike a deal between the two levels of government in Somalia have borne no fruits.
The country faces a continuous security threat posed by the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab terror group, while a section of the population is facing starvation due to drought.
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