AU urges Somalia political class to avoid narrow partisan political interests
The African Union (AU) on Friday called on the entire Somalia political class to act in the interests of Somalia by avoiding narrow partisan political interests.
"The AU urges the Somalia leadership and the
entire Somalia political class to act in the interests of Somalia as a whole,
rather than narrow partisan political interests," said a statement by
Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairperson of the AU Commission.
"The people of Somalia have suffered for too
long, and the current violence poses a serious threat to the Somali Transition
Plan (STP), at the precise moment it is being finalized," said the
statement.
The AU chairperson condemned all
forms of violence and called on Somalia stakeholders to refrain from acts that
might jeopardize peace and security in the country, as well as to work together
to find a consensual solution that will break current political stalemate.
Mahamat also urged all relevant
Somalia stakeholders to avoid taking unilateral actions that might undermine
efforts to effectively confront and degrade al-Shabaab and other terrorist
groups.
AU, through African Union Mission
in Somalia, will continue to uphold its mandate to support the federal government
of Somalia and the Somalia people in their quest for peace and stability, said
the chairperson.
The AU statement came amid
sporadic gunfire and rockets exploded on the streets of Somali capital of
Mogadishu, as security forces clashed with protesters pushing for delayed
national elections.
The clashes came after the government said its forces foiled an attack on one of its military bases in Mogadishu.
