AU Urges Somali Leaders to Resume Poll Talks, Condemns Presidential Term Extension
Voice of America
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA - Opposition leaders in Somalia welcomed a rare move by the African Union to condemn a term extension by Somali lawmakers for themselves and the president.
The AU Peace and Security Committee expressed "deep concern" over the vote by Somalia’s lower house of parliament this month to extend the mandate of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. The organization said the move, which effectively postponed the country's already-delayed elections, also undermines the unity and stability of the Horn of Africa state. Lawmakers extended Farmajo's mandate for another two years after months of failed talks on holding parliamentary and presidential elections. Political leaders were unable to agree on the electoral process, despite heavy pressure from the AU, the United States, and European Union.A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's rocket launch during a news program at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, May 27, 2024. FILE - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks to reporters in Colombo, July 29, 2023. FILE - A TV screen shows a report of North Korea's spy satellite into orbit with its third launch attempt this year with an image of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 22, 2023.
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. Fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, May 26, 2024. Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. A member of the bomb squad of the Israeli police collects debris after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants struck in the Israeli city of Herzliya on May 26, 2024.