In the face of pressure, the Somali president has canceled an offer to extend his term Election news

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi has announced that he will not try to extend his term for two years in the face of domestic and international pressure after clashes in the capital Mogadishu split security forces along clan lines.

Hours earlier, he had denounced the extension of the term proposed by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and called for new presidential elections.

The president’s term ended in February, but the country did not do as planned in the election. Earlier this month, the lower house of parliament voted to extend Mohamed’s four-year term for another two years.

The Senate rejected it, causing a political crisis.

Police and military commanders sided with the opposition and opponents of the security forces fortified the factions in central Mogadishu, creating fears of heavy fighting in the heart of the capital and taking advantage of the security gap in the surrounding areas. al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab fighters.

‘Foreign entities’

In a televised appearance earlier Wednesday, the president said he praised the efforts of the prime minister and other political leaders and welcomed the statements they called without further delay in the election. He also called for urgent discussions with the signatories of the agreement signed last September on voting.

The opposition demanded the resignation and the opposition did not respond immediately. The president did not speak about the opposition in his speech, but denounced unnamed “people and foreign entities whose sole purpose is to destabilize the country.”

The heads of the two regional states, which have been strong allies of the president, also on Tuesday rejected a two-year extension of Mohamed’s tenure. These leaders said in statements made immediately after the president’s speech that they were happy to take his announcement.

Prime Minister Roble backed the joint statement and called on security forces to return to their barracks. He also called on opposition leaders to stop actions that could damage Somalia’s stability.

Mohamed’s attempts to extend his term also angered foreign donors who supported his government.

This week, opposition forces have ruled out positions in rural areas as they clashed in the capital, and al-Shabab has allowed at least one town to take over.

Forces loyal to the opposition have significant parts of Mogadishu and clashed with government forces over the weekend, raising concerns about the country returning to full-blown war.

‘Fragmentation in progress’

Concerned about the extraordinary events, the United Nations, the African Union, the United States and others warned on Tuesday against the “emerging fragmentation” along the lines of the Somali National Army clans.

Some residents fled, fearing Somalia would fall into conflict again after trying to rebuild a devastating civil war.

The president said “all security agencies are urged to maintain the stability of the capital and the safety of innocent civilians by avoiding actions that could lead to insecurity.”

Neighbors are fleeing their homes amid Somali security forces after the latest accidents [AFP]

Somali elections were postponed amid disputes between the federal government and opposition between the states of Puntland and Jubbaland.

The President, a former US citizen who renounced his incumbent position, recently tried to defend his actions in the run-up to the election. conversation The Buffalo News, with its former local newspaper, asserted that Somalia “cannot afford the power vacuum,” and that additional time would allow officials to organize the first direct single-vote vote in decades.

He added, “Who can take it if we leave?”

‘Border movements’

The latest unrest is the second violence that has occurred in Mogadishu over the proposed extension of Mohamed’s tenure.

The ongoing clashes could divide Somalia’s security forces according to ethnicity, the International Crisis Group said.

“Somalia is once again on the threshold of a major breakdown,” he said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Somalia’s new armed forces are among the clan militias that have often fought for power and resources.

Mohamed Darod is one of the leading clans in Somalia. Most Somali military in the capital are Hawiye, another large clan. Most of the opposition leaders are Hawiye.

Asked if he would give up power peacefully if he chose someone else, the president replied in an interview with The Buffalo News: “Absolutely, without a doubt.”