Afyare Abdi Elmi, a professor at Mogadishu City University, said political disputes over the conduct of elections between Somalia’s government and opposition were continuing. Elmi said Türkiye could play a positive role in resolving the disputes because it has influence over both sides.
Pointing to Türkiye’s previous mediation between Somalia and Ethiopia and the Ankara Declaration as possible models for overcoming Somalia’s political crisis, Elmi said a similar diplomatic process could be organized between Somalia’s political sides.
Relations with Türkiye carry strategic importance
Elmi said Türkiye has significant strategic interests in Somalia in areas including hydrocarbons, fishing, the blue economy, the space base project and security. He stressed that political stability in Somalia is highly important for these relations.
Elmi also referred to the election of Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who studied at a university in Türkiye, as speaker of the Somali parliament. He noted that relations between Türkiye and Somalia are not limited to a single person or government.
According to Elmi, the main disagreements between the government and opposition center on the electoral system, the structure of the election commission and security issues. The sides have about seven disputed issues.
Elmi said that, alongside Türkiye, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations and the European Union were also contributing to contacts between the sides. The government and opposition are expected to meet again next week.
Political crisis also affects security problems
Elmi said Somalia’s political crises had also caused problems in the security sphere, adding that al-Shabaab was trying to take advantage of the government’s focus on internal political disputes.
Elmi said the current political crisis had negatively affected the progress achieved so far and that al-Shabaab would certainly benefit from the situation.
Somaliland issue should be considered separately
Elmi said the issue of Somaliland, which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia, should be addressed separately from the disputes with Puntland and Jubaland. He said Israel’s recognition of Somaliland had made the existing problem more complex.
Elmi said Somaliland’s efforts to gain international recognition were not sufficient for it to join the United Nations independently. He noted that the dispute between Somalia and Somaliland should be resolved through dialogue among Somalis.
