GAROWE (Somaliguardian) – Politicians and intellectuals from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland urged region’s President Saeed Deni to step down ahead of his campaign for Somalia’s President, weeks after he had announced his candidacy for the top office.
Among the politicians who had met in Kenya’s capital Nairobi is Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid. They blamed Deni for setbacks in security and reconciliation in the region whose situation has been precarious over the past months.
It comes weeks after the regional president ordered an offensive against mutinous troops whose commander defied a presidential decree in which he had been dismissed. Dozens of people were killed in the clashes in the port city of Bosaso and hundreds more wounded, with tens of thousands displaced.
The politicians, speaking to media in Nairobi, said Deni is unfit for Somalia’s President and warned of potential crisis in Puntland if attempts to cling to power while participating in the race for Villa Somalia.
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