Somalia welcomes African Union’s help in solving crisis

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Somalia said Monday that it would welcome the African Union taking a principal role in facilitating a process that would lead to dialogue between the government and other stakeholders in the country.

"I welcome @_AfricanUnion to take a leading role in facilitating an election process in which every citizen elects their representatives through free and fair elections. All Somali stakeholders will actively participate in the dialogue on the future of our democracy," President Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed said on Twitter.

Mohamed is currently in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for a meeting with his counterpart Felix Tshisekedi, who is also the chairman of the African Union.

The leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations between their two countries and the key role the African Union plays in the development of Africa, said Somali government spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimu.

It is the first overseas trip by Mohamed since Somalia entered its ongoing political stalemate after his constitutional mandate ended on Feb. 8 this year.

The latest round of talks between the central government and regional leaders ended without an election agreement.

Somalia’s parliament voted on April 12 to extend the mandate of the president and federal government by two years in a bid to end a political stalemate over national elections.