Jubbaland-Puntland axis, opposition eclipse Farmaajo, setting terms for Afisyoni talks

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Federal Members States are now at the centre of the electoral talks eclipsing outgoing president Mohamed Farmaajo as the two sides inch closer towards a deal to converge at Afisyoni in Mogadishu for what is expected to be a final round.

Villa Somalia has, since the beginning of the talks in the last quarter of 2020 been setting the terms and convening the meetings virtually all of which ended in no-deal except the September 17 one in Mogadishu which birthed what has now become the pedestal of the poll process.

FAILED TALKS

Attempts by Farmaajo to bring together the FMS leaders mid this month for a sixth-round of talks in Mogadishu flopped again and has since seen the regional leaders camp within the Halane camp in Mogadishu shuttling from one meeting to another. One of the meetings resulted in the formation of the National Salvation Forum which brings together the allied Jubbaland-Puntland axis and the Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC), an umbrella of 15 opposition candidates.

The Somaliland pro-union camp led by Upper House Speaker Abdi Hashi met with the five Federal Member State leaders Sunday in Mogadishu in the first joint meeting in recent weeks. The Farmaajo allied faction of the FMS-Ahmed Qoorqoor (Galmudug), Ali Gudlaawe (HirShabelle and their South West counterpart Abdiaziz Lafta Gareen have not been on talking terms with Ahmed Madobe (Jubbaland) and Puntland’s Abdullahi Deni.

Following the meeting with Hashi Sunday morning, the two sides-Jubbaland-Puntland axis and the Villa Somalia allied faction subsequently met with the CPC and Farmaajo respectively to convey the result of the talks.

SETTING THE AGENDA

According to sources privy to the respective talks, the FMS are charting the course for the Afisyoni meeting with indications clear that they are narrowing their differences and might this week announce a deal.

While Farmaajo and the international community have insisted on not reopening the September, the Jubbaland-Puntland axis not part of the NSF has pushed for more latitude to allow the inclusion of the CPC and Somaliland faction. Additionally, they want new terms on the security of elections including removal of security chiefs.

The battle over the fate of these elections has been a tough one bedevilled by endless conditions and terms. First, it was about the framework of elections and when that failed, the second round was about reconciling the leaders to agree to a meeting.

The two weeks long back and forth negotiations in Mogadishu have been largely about the terms of the meeting rather than the content of the meeting.