Monday October 14, 2024
United Nations envoy James Swan (L) meets with Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) (R) in Kismayo to discuss key issues surrounding Somalia's political landscape, including state-building efforts, the ongoing fight against Al-Shabaab, and preparations for upcoming National Consultative Council talks.
Mogadishu (HOL) — United Nations envoy James Swan called on Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Ahmed Madobe) to rejoin Somalia's National Consultative Council, during a meeting on Sunday that focused on state-building and security.
The talks centred on Somalia's efforts to strengthen its institutions, ongoing counterterrorism operations against Al-Shabaab, the withdrawal of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces, and preparations for the upcoming National Consultative Council meeting. Swan urged Madobe to return to the negotiating table to help resolve critical national matters.
The meeting, held in the wake of Madobe's withdrawal last week from the NCC talks, focused on the urgent need to bring together Somalia's federal and regional leaders to resolve critical national issues. The United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOM) is expected to play a significant role in organizing the talks, which are anticipated to include Puntland—a region whose absence cast a shadow at the latest NCC summit.
Madobe's decision to pull out of the NCC has become a flashpoint in Somalia's already tense political environment. His exit was driven by his opposition to a federal decision regarding the national elections, which he argued lacked consensus among key stakeholders, particularly the absence of Puntland and Khatumo states. Madobe asserts that excluding these regions makes any national decisions on elections incomplete and potentially illegitimate.
This political impasse reflects broader opposition demands that federal leaders prioritize timely elections and avoid mandate extensions for regional and federal officials. Opposition groups and figures like Madobe have been vocal about the risks of pushing through federal reforms without full regional backing, particularly the push for a one-person, one-vote (1PV) electoral system, which the federal government and international partners view as essential for Somalia's democratic progress.
Madobe and his allies, however, prefer indirect elections, warning that the federal model cannot be implemented on time and undermines regional autonomy.
Compounding the political tensions are unverified allegations from Jubbaland that Villa Somalia—the seat of the Somali presidency—has been funding a smear campaign against Madobe. During the NCC talks, Jubbaland's Communications Director, Mohamed Hassan Hiis, accused the federal government of orchestrating social media propaganda to undermine Madobe's leadership.
Puntland's continued boycott of the NCC talks has added to the already strained political atmosphere. The region's president, Said Abdullahi Deni, remains at odds with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) over recent appointments, particularly the naming of General Asad Osman Abdullahi Diyano as Somalia's police chief. Puntland's leadership has publicly rejected these appointments as federal overreach, and Deni's absence from the talks has deepened the divide between Mogadishu and Somalia's regional states.
The discussions between Swan and Madobe also touched on Somalia's security situation, including the ongoing threat posed by Al-Shabaab, which continues to launch attacks across the country despite military gains by Somali forces. The fight against Al-Shabaab remains a central issue in the NCC as Somalia prepares to transition from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) by 2025.
The security transition is not without complications. Somalia's federal government has forcefully opposed Ethiopian troops' continued involvement in AU missions, citing Ethiopia's growing influence in Somaliland following an agreement granting Ethiopia access to Somaliland's Red Sea coastline.
UN envoy James Swan pressed for unity and collaboration between Somalia's federal and regional leaders. In earlier discussions with senior FGS officials, Swan stressed the need for continued cooperation to overcome the delays plaguing the NCC's work.