This past week has been a full one with Eid celebrations going on throughout the country, but it also marked the start of negotiations between the Gov’t and the two opposition parties Ucid and Waddani. The negotiations were led by the Speaker of the House of Elders, Mr. Saleeban Mahmoud Adan along with a voluntary mediation delegation in an effort to end the political turmoil and conflict between the opposition parties and the government.
Prior to the start, the Speaker of the House of Elders, who opened the first meeting stressed the importance of the parties resolving their differences of opinion, and asked the parties to reach a compromise in order to move forward with the upcoming elections.
His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Somaliland, Musa Bihi Abdi welcomed the leaders of the opposition and the mediation envoy and expressed how delighted he is to be entering into these negotiations. The leadership of the opposition factions, WADDANI and UCID, for their part, have expressed their determination to reach a lasting solution to the political conflict and bring the parties closer together.
The first two meetings of the negotiations between the parties ended in success with the next one scheduled for this Thursday. Today’s meeting will consist of three members from each party as they continue their discussions and try to bring a solution to their differences.
