Puntland and Jubaland Distance Themselves from Dhuusamareeb Agreement

Garowe (PP News Desk) — Puntland State and Jubaland have in a joint statement distanced themselves from Dhuusamareeb Agreement on the electoral model for 2021 elections in Somalia.

“We respect the views of the agreement signatories but we state that we are not a party to the agreement” reads the statement. Puntland and Jubaland have expressed willingness to put more effort into forming a consensus with other stakeholders to move Somalia forward and thanked the International Community for its role in state-building endeavours in Somalia.

Puntland and Jubaland boycotted Dhuusamareeb III Summit, with each citing different reasons not to attend the Summit that the International Community viewed as an opportunity to break the political logjam on the type of elections Somalia will conduct next year.

The absence of Jubaland and Puntland from the Summit prompted US Embassy in Mogadishu to label the political leaders of the two Federal Member States “spoliers”.

The joint statement from Kismayo and Garowe may pave the way for further negotiations on coopting President Said Abdullahi Deni of Puntland and Ahmed Mohamed Islam of Jubaland into the consensus on the electoral model formed by three Federal Member States (Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West) and Banadir region.

© Puntland Post, 2020