Puntland parties that recently participated in the Mogadishu consultative conference held a press conference in Garowe today, calling for the country’s political struggles not to affect the unity and security of Somalia.
The parties called on the Federal Government to unconditionally release development projects that are stalled in Puntland. They also encouraged Puntland and the Federal Government to talk to each other, in order to resolve the current political differences.
They said that during their stay in Mogadishu, they discussed with the government the release of Puntland projects, while also urging the Puntland administration to be part of the ongoing political negotiations in the country.
The parties also defended their participation in the Mogadishu conference, saying that their trip was not against Puntland’s position, but rather reflected their independent political role. They noted that they went to Mogadishu to participate in efforts to resolve the existing differences.
Meanwhile, the parties welcomed the holding of one-person, one-vote elections at the local government level, suggesting that they learn from the experiences of Puntland and Somaliland, which have already successfully implemented such elections.
However, Puntland is not happy with its parties participating in the Mogadishu meetings. Now, the participation in the meeting has created political conflict among some of the political parties in Puntland.
