The chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Moussa Faki Mahamat has expressed his concern about the deteriorating security and political situation in Mogadishu, Somalia.
In a statement on Friday, Faki condemned all forms of violence and called on Somali stakeholders to refrain from acts that might jeopardise peace and security in the country.
He also urged them to work together to find a solution that will break the current political stalemate.
On Thursday, former State Minister of Defense Gen Sheikh Yusuf Inda Adde declared that the government of Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo was illegitimate.
Yusuf took control of the monument of the Unknown Soldier in the Somalia capital Mogadishu.
The move comes as one term of Farmajo came to an end on Monday, February 8, 2021.
Faki also encouraged the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), the Federal Member States (FMS), and other stakeholders to continue with their ongoing dialogue.
Said the dialogue should be guided by the spirit of compromise with a view to arriving at a consensual agreement, including on all outstanding election-related matters.
The chairperson urged Somali leadership and the entire Somali political class to act in the interests of Somalia as a whole, rather than narrow partisan political interests.
“The people of Somalia have suffered for too long, and the current violence poses a serious threat to the Somali transition plan (STP), at the precise moment it is being finalized,” Faki said.
Faki insisted on the vital importance of holding free, fair, timely, and credible elections, along the lines of the September 17 agreement.
He further called on all the relevant Somali stakeholders to refrain from undertaking unilateral measures that might further deepen the current political crisis and undermine efforts to effectively confront and degrade al Shabaab and other terrorist groups.
The AUC chairperson reiterated that the AU through AMISOM will continue to uphold its mandate to support the FGS and the Somali people in their quest for peace and stability.
