UN chief voices concern over armed clashes in Somali capital

UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced deep concern over the recent armed clashes in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, said his spokesman.

"The secretary-general ... reiterates his call for all Somali stakeholders to refrain from further violence and resolve their differences through dialogue and compromise," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.

Guterres urged all Somali stakeholders to resume negotiations immediately and forge an agreement based on the Sept. 17, 2020, electoral model and Baidoa technical committee proposals, said the statement.

The latest political crisis came on April 12 when the Somali lower house of parliament voted to extend the terms of the executive and the legislative arms of government, despite stiff opposition from the upper house leadership and opposition leaders.

Efforts to reach an agreement on how to carry out presidential and parliamentary elections, which were originally scheduled for February, have been stalled for months.

The opposition has refused to recognize Mohamed Farmajo as president since his four-year term expired on Feb. 8 without planned elections taking place.