As Somalis mark the one-year anniversary of the 17 September Agreement, international partners* are increasingly alarmed that the escalating dispute between the President and Prime Minister will undermine Somalia’s stability and derail the electoral process.    

We urge the President and Prime Minister to resolve their differences immediately, avoid further unhelpful exchanges of public statements and personnel announcements, refrain from any action that could destabilize the security situation, and re-focus on concluding the overdue elections without further delay. 

The Somali people need and deserve effective and inclusive governance. The ongoing division and politicisation risks undermining the important progress that has been made.

* African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Ireland, Italy, Kenya, League of Arab States, Norway, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the United Nations.