The talk about talks is back in Mogadishu again; this time, a foreign mediator is taking centre stage.
According to well-placed sources, a high-powered delegation from Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation arrived in Somalia’s capital on Monday to lead the talks between the Federal government of Somalia and the opposition groups.
This is reminiscent of what happened in Kenya following the 2007 general elections, albeit with a slight difference. Unlike Kenya, which had just gone through an election, Somalia has evaded the exercise and postponed it till next April, when the country will have settled the thorny issue of adopting universal suffrage or continuing with the current indirect election for MPs.
Just as in Kenya, the international community had to step in to stop the situation from escalating further into chaos as the number of the dead and displaced increased.
The intervention by the Turkish government comes at a time when the regional presidents of Jubaland and Puntland laid into President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing him of undermining the country’s federal system of government.
The Puntland leader even went ahead to suggest that his state would not deal with Mogadishu until a consensus-based government is set up in Somalia.
The Puntland leader further pointed out the tensions between Mogadishu on one side and Jubaland and his state, saying they emanate from interference by President Mohamud in regional political and security issues.
The Turkish delegation to narrow the differences between the government and opposition leaders is led by the deputy head of Turkey’s intelligence agency and is visiting Somalia as part of Ankara’s ongoing engagement with the country’s political and security affairs.
This is not the first time turkey is involving itself in the negotiations between Somalia’s government and the opposition leaders.
Early this month, the Turks took a lead in bringing tensions between the political actors in Somalia after street battles broke out over demonstrations called by the opposition but suppressed by the police and military.
As the streets of Mogadishu became a battlefront, Turkey stepped in, inviting negotiators from both sides to a meeting at the Aden Abdulle airport to deliberate on the way forward for Somalia.
Western nations and the United Nations, which had all expressed their concern about the deteriorating security situation in Somalia, protested the leadership taken by Turkey and demanded a role in the talks.
The new initiative by Turkey aims at supporting dialogue and fostering political understanding between the Federal Government of Somalia and opposition groups amid ongoing political tensions.
The delegation will hold meetings with senior officials of the Federal Government and other key stakeholders, focusing on strengthening bilateral cooperation, enhancing security collaboration, and encouraging political solutions based on dialogue and consensus.
The government and the opposition held two meetings in February but failed to reach any consensus on key issues, especially on the electoral system to adopt for the elections.
Turkey has emerged as one of Somalia’s closest international partners over the past decade, playing a significant role in security sector reform, military training, infrastructure development, humanitarian assistance, and public service delivery.
The visit comes at a time when Somalia is navigating a sensitive political environment, with increased calls from various actors for broader consultations and consensus on key national issues.
Meanwhile, the fallout over Somaliland’s recognition by Israel deepened this week when the breakaway republic’s president was received in Jerusalem and opened his country’s embassy in a historic visit that has leaders in the Horn of Africa and the Muslim world buzzing.
The move by the Somaliland leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro, received condemnation from Somalia, which described the act as the darkest period in its history.
Somalia termed the rapprochement between Somaliland and Israel as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Irro made a landmark visit to Israel, the first by a Somaliland president since Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent state last year.
During the visit, Somaliland officially opened its first embassy in Jerusalem and signed a Strategic Joint Declaration of Cooperation with Israel covering agriculture, water management, security, technology, investment, economic development and infrastructure.
Irro was received in Israel by the country’s President, Isaac Herzog and later by the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Somaliland leader noted that the opening of the breakaway republic’s embassy in Jerusalem reflected Somaliland’s growing international presence and deepening ties with Israel.
He added that the agreement between the two sides marked “a historic milestone” and laid the foundation for a long-term strategic partnership.
While Somaliland was revelling in what they believed was a diplomatic coup, Somalia, which maintains Somaliland is part of its territory, rejected the legitimacy of such engagement, saying any political, diplomatic or other relations with Somaliland that bypass the Federal Government are inconsistent with international law and carry no legal or political standing.
Somalia asked the United Nations, African Union, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), IGAD and other international partners to uphold Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemn actions that undermine the unity of the Somali state.
Mogadishu also said it reserved the right to pursue all lawful diplomatic and legal measures necessary to protect the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity.
Israel stirred the hornet’s nest when it became the first nation in the world to recognise Somaliland since it broke away from Somalia in 1991.
Somalia swiftly rejected the recognition, with the move receiving criticism from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries, which continue to support Somalia’s territorial integrity.
While Somaliland has portrayed the recognition and embassy opening as a major breakthrough in its decades-long quest for international recognition, Somalia maintains that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia and that foreign governments should conduct relations through Mogadishu.
Somaliland has been angling for recognition, including by neighbouring countries, without any success. The breakaway republic maintains an office in Kenya but has never been recognised at the diplomatic level.
The visit was closely monitored across the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, where developments involving Somaliland carry broader geopolitical implications linked to Red Sea security, maritime trade routes and regional alliances.
Early this year, Israel became the first country in 35 years to formally recognise Somaliland’s sovereignty and independence.
