MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday opened the National Consultative Conference, which he convened weeks ago despite opposition leaders boycotting the event. The opposition criticized the meeting as “unproductive” and its agenda “misleading.”
President Mohamud described the conference as consultative, stating that the government would consider constructive input from attendees, primarily drawn from civil society.
However, opposition leaders rejected the talks, arguing that a consultative meeting was unnecessary at this stage. A spokesman for the opposition told local media that instead of such discussions, the government should engage in a genuine dialogue to reach a broad-based agreement on contentious issues, including recent constitutional amendments and preparations for upcoming elections.
Puntland leader Saeed Abdullahi Deni echoed this stance on Sunday, dismissing the need for a consultative meeting. He urged authorities to halt what he called “misleading the international community” and instead engage stakeholders in meaningful talks to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
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