Turkey holds Somalia government-opposition pre-talks as Puntland, Jubaland boycott ahead of key negotiations

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Turkish intelligence officials held preliminary talks on Tuesday with representatives of Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders ahead of internationally mediated negotiations scheduled for Thursday, but delegates from Puntland and Jubaland boycotted the gathering, insisting Ankara is not a neutral actor in Somalia’s political crisis.

During the meeting, the Turkish officials told participants that Ankara had hoped to mediate the political talks on its own but regretted that Somalia’s opposition, along with the regional administrations of Puntland and Jubaland, had not given Turkey the confidence it believed was necessary to undertake that role independently.

The officials said Turkey nevertheless remained committed to helping mediate an end to the political tensions between Villa Somalia and the opposition and maintained that Ankara could still play the most effective role in facilitating a resolution.

In an apparent effort to address opposition concerns over Turkey’s continued backing of Villa Somalia, the officials stressed that Ankara had done much to support Somalia and wanted only what was best for the country.

Representatives from Puntland and Jubaland did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, with both regional administrations maintaining that Turkey is not a neutral mediator and declining to participate in a gathering hosted by Ankara.

The preliminary discussions come ahead of high-stakes negotiations on Thursday, when international partners – including the United States, the European Union, Turkey and the United Nations – are set to jointly convene talks between Somalia’s federal government and the opposition in a last-ditch effort to resolve the country’s deepening political crisis.

Among the most contentious issues expected to dominate the negotiations are constitutional changes introduced by the federal government and the future electoral model.

Villa Somalia insists it will proceed with a universal suffrage election that it alone designs and administers, while the opposition says it has its own electoral proposal, which it plans to present during the talks.

It remains unclear whether Thursday’s negotiations will narrow the long-running political divide or end without agreement, similar to previous rounds of talks brokered by the United Kingdom and the United States in Mogadishu between the federal government and the opposition.

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