Three Somali regional states’ leaders have met the U.S ambassador to Somalia, Donald Yamamoto in a protest against the Somali Federal Government’s misappropriation of funds and lack of clear electoral model for the country’s next year election.
According to sources privy to the Nairobi meeting on Friday, the presidents of Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, Galmudug’s Ahmed Duale and Jubbalaned leader, Ahmed Mohamed Islan (Madobe) expressed their concerns on the absence of working relations between the regional states and the central government in Mogadishu.
“Principally, the three presidents spoke how they are tired of Mogadishu which seems to be unwilling to cooperate with the states toward the federalising the country and the state building,” said the source who spoke to Horn Globe News.
In September last year, five regional states suspended their ties with the Federal Government alleging Mogadishu not willing to hand over more power to the states in a nation where clan loyalties determine political support.
The leaders during their discussion with the U.S ambassador underlined the stalemate between the states and Mogadishu has hampered the country’s efforts to counter threats posed by al-Shabaab militant group.
Another hot point highlighted in the meeting, the three Somali regional states allegedly complained against politicising humanitarian assistance channeled to the Federal Government of Somalia [FGS] on behalf of development and aid to the Somali people.
“What is happening is that FGS is only releasing funds to its favoured states while withholding the funds from the rest just because of the are critical to its wrongdoings,” the source said.
There is strong claim that top officials of the FGS were squandering international financial support meant to alleviate poverty and tackle famine in the country.
“Inappropriate use of funds is still going on. The corruption level is worse,” adds the source.
There were no immediate comments from the U.S Embassy and the Somali government with regard to the Friday meeting. But in a speech last week, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo blasted foreign interference and unscrupulous opposition groups were pulling the country back to anarchy.
The three regional officials were in Nairobi in the past two weeks for similar meetings with foreign ambassadors in charge of Somalia.
On Monday, a group opposition political parties and members of Somali Parliament cautioned the current government in Mogadishu over term extension which, according to them, could risk the country go into security and political crisis.
The Friday meeting with the U.S ambassador came following local reports which claimed that the U.S would be re-introducing its now defunct U.S. ‘dual track’ policy on Somalia which aimed supporting the weak central government in Mogadishu but also approaching local states and communities separately.
