Tuesday February 13, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Former Somali Presidents Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo announced on Tuesday that President Mohamud has declined their efforts to mediate between him and Puntland State Leader Said Abdullahi Deni.
In a joint press release, Farmaajo and Sharif stated that they had previously agreed with President Mohamud to suspend current discussions about the constitution amendment for two weeks to give the talks an opportunity.
"It is clear that our voluntary role seems to have failed after we have not received any response from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud," said the press release posted on Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo's Facebook page.
The two former Presidents were mediating to end the longstanding political discord between Mohamud and Deni, which began after President Mohamud's election in May 2022.
Two years ago, Deni publicly supported Mohamud during the final round of the national presidential elections, which resulted in Mohamud defeating the incumbent President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. At the time, political pundits widely anticipated that Mohamud would choose Deni or one of his close associates for the Prime Minister's position, but this expectation never materialized.
Since then, Puntland leader Said Deni has boycotted attending the latest National Consultative Forums and opposed every step Mohamud's government took, including recent debt relief efforts.
Despite this, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accepted an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Puntland State leaders in Garowe last month. Political analysts anticipated Mohamud's participation in the ceremony would facilitate talks between the two sides and resolve the longstanding political conflict.
Interestingly, former Presidents Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, and Said Deni are firmly leading the rejection of the federal Parliament's current debate and efforts regarding amendments to the initial four chapters of the Provisional Constitution this week.
President Mohamud supported Parliament's current debates on amending the country's constitution and emphasized that any changes made to the constitution would only take effect with the election of the next government.