Sharif calls for ‘united national front to save Somalia’

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Opposition leader and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has warned that threats of force and military mobilization against political opponents risk pushing Somalia toward “chaos or authoritarianism.” He called for a broad national front to “save Somalia.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, Sharif said the dispute over the constitutional mandate of the country’s current institutions “cannot be resolved through the use of force or unilateral measures.” He argued that it must be settled through dialogue, national consensus and adherence to the constitutional and legal rules governing the political transition.

“The opposition is not an enemy of the state”

The sharpest passages of the statement concern the government’s treatment of its critics. Sharif said he “categorically” rejected “threatening rhetoric, the threat of force, or military mobilization against political opposition groups.”

“Political disagreement is not a crime,” he said. “The opposition is not an enemy of the state, and political competition must never be allowed to turn into a security or military confrontation.”

He warned that using state institutions or the security and military forces to pressure political opponents “risks undermining the country’s unity and stability,” and cautioned against “pushing Somalia down this dangerous path.”

Sharif said Somalia needs “a strong state, not a powerful authority at the expense of the state.” He called for “constitutional institutions, not institutions used as instruments in political conflict,” and for “a national army that protects the people and the state, not the use of military force as a tool of political competition.”

He said the opposition and the Somali people would confront any attempt to drag the country toward chaos or authoritarianism “through all legitimate political, legal, constitutional, and peaceful means.”

Demand for a clear election timetable

Sharif said the government’s responsibility is to create the conditions for free, fair and transparent elections and to meet its constitutional obligations within clearly defined and mutually agreed timelines. He said every constitutional or electoral milestone must be “clear, specific, and acceptable” to political forces, Federal Member States and the Somali people.

He called for a credible timetable, made public, setting out each stage of the electoral process. He said Somalis have the right to know:

• when the elections will be held, and the key stages that will precede them;
• what safeguards will ensure their integrity; and
• how political forces and Federal Member States will take part.

“The country cannot remain hostage to political uncertainty,” he said, “nor should constitutional obligations be used as tools in the struggle for political power.”

Livelihoods, security and regional pressures

Sharif said Somalia faces major security, economic and social challenges, while the wider region is experiencing “successive security and political upheavals.” He said the national priority should be to unite efforts to confront these challenges rather than “distract public attention with political side battles.”

He said Somalis expect the government to address livelihood concerns, improve economic conditions, create jobs, combat unemployment and corruption, improve public services and strengthen security. He said continuing economic and social pressures, the rising cost of living and the declining ability of citizens to meet daily needs “should compel the government to reassess its priorities and not escalate its political confrontation with its opponents.”

Call for a broad national front

Sharif said the political stakeholders “are not required to agree on everything.” He said they are required to agree on “the rules of political engagement, respect for the Constitution, rejection of violence, protection of the state, and the peaceful transfer of power.”

He called on all Somali national forces, whether political, social, federal or civil, to build “a broad and united national front to save Somalia.” He said it should “target no one and seek to exclude no one,” and should work to protect the state, safeguard the Constitution, complete the democratic transition, achieve national reconciliation and create the conditions for development and the rebuilding of state institutions.

“Saving Somalia will not come from outside, nor will it be achieved through internal conflict or the use of force against political opponents,” he said. “It must be achieved by Somalis themselves, through consensus, dialogue, participation, and national responsibility.”

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