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FGS-FMS squabbles slowed-down progress-communique

Storyline:National News

Rocky relations between the Federal Government and Federal Member States have hindered the attainment of key milestones in the country’s recovery process, a communique from the just concluded Somalia Partnership Forum in Mogadishu reads.

The meeting which brought together Somali government and partners from about 50 countries called for cooperation between the two levels of governments to realise milestones under the Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF).

“International partners noted that despite advance on a number of key priorities, strengthened political cooperation between the FGS and some Federal Member States (FMS) would have accelerated progress,” the communique read in part.

Somalia’s leaders, the communique added, agreed that such cooperation is critical in order to make further progress on political, security and economic reforms and that this will require the strong personal commitment of all FGS and FMS leaders.

The admission by the international community that the faltering relations between Mogadishu and regional governments could not be overstated given the absence of two FMS leaders- Puntland’s Abdullahi Deni and his Jubbaland counterpart Ahmed Madobe. The Federal Government maintained it would not recognize the election of Madobe.

AMBITIOUS MILESTONES

The meeting also set ambitious targets to be realized by 2020. These include the completion of the review and adoption of a new constitution by June 2020 and the establishment of the Constitutional Court and the Judicial Service Commission.

These three will however be preceded by the passage of the Electoral Law by December 2019. The UN Security Council had set June 2019 in its resolution in March. The adoption of the electoral law, the communique notes, will be crucial in realizing one-person-one vote in the 2020/21 elections.

At the Forum yesterday, the UN special envoy called for concerted efforts to realise the goals set out in the Mutual Accountability Framework by next year noting 2020 should be a year of delivery.

“This Somalia Partnership Forum now offers an opportunity to chart a course forward for the next 12 to 15 months, with clearly defined priority objectives and timelines. While acknowledging – indeed, celebrating – progress to date, we must also be honest and frank about the challenges that remain,” the UN envoy said. “And, together, we must redouble efforts overcome these challenges and ensure that 2020 is the year of delivery on the most important priorities.”

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