Former presidents, former prime ministers, parliamentarians, and politicians from the Independent Somali opposition are holding a conference in Mogadishu today to discuss the political and security situation in Somalia.
Former Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, accused the leaders of the federal government of Somalia of abusing power and forcing the people into a one-sided election.
“People are being registered by force. Universities are complaining. Elections are not by force. The country’s leadership cannot be decided by a party. The President was sitting here with us in the last election as an opposition figure, so what happened to him?” said former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
Former Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Rooble, who spoke, said that the purpose of this conference is to save the country’s political system. “We hope that this conference will produce provisions to save the country,”.
“When Hassan Sheikh was in the opposition, I and MW Farmaajo listened to his complaints, and today he is forced to listen to us,” said Mohamed Mursal, the former Speaker of the Somali Parliament.
Meanwhile, politician Hassan Abdinur said that Somaliland was already absent and Puntland and Jubbaland are at risk. “Today, Somaliland is not present and it is too scary to say that Puntland and Jubbaland should be also absent, and the parliament should not be subordinate to Hassan Sheikh.”
