Opposition Again Calls for Massive Protest Against Somalia’s Government
Mogadishu, Somalia – Members of the opposition to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held an emergency meeting in Mogadishu on Saturday and once again called for a major protest against the government led by the Somali president.
The opposition announced a demonstration aimed at opposing the current administration, which they claim is remaining in power unlawfully.
Opposition leaders declared June 4 as the date for the large-scale protest against the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The announcement comes after a previous protest they had planned for May 10 failed to take place as intended.
Meanwhile, last week in Mogadishu, talks mediated by the international community were held between the Somali government and opposition leaders.
The government side was represented by the president and the deputy prime minister, while the opposition was represented by a former Somali president and the leader of the Puntland state.
The meeting, which lasted three days and included several face-to-face sessions between the two sides, ended without a breakthrough after each party stood firmly in its position.
Puntland leader Said Abdullahi Deni later returned to Garowe, the city from which he had departed.
The United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development have urged the rival Somali political factions to return to the negotiating table and demonstrate willingness to compromise.
The opposition strongly disputes the legal basis of the government’s continued rule, arguing that the four-year constitutional term established under Somalia’s 2012 constitution has already expired.
However, the Federal Government maintains that it holds a five-year mandate under the country’s newly adopted constitutional framework.
By: Abdirahman Xidig
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