Egypt urges Somalia parties to work together to avert crisis

Friday's clashes in Mogadishu came amid political uncertainty in the Horn of African country following the lapse of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo term last Monday. /VCG

Egypt has called on parties involved in the latest political dispute in Somalia to work together to avert the current crisis in the country.

In a press release on Saturday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the North African country is "closely following with great interest the political developments" in Mogadishu, in light of the eruption of violence on Friday.

"The Arab Republic of Egypt affirms its appeal for all parties in Somalia's political scene to jointly work in order to address the causes of the current crisis and reach a consensual solution to it. In this regard, Egypt calls on all parties to exercise restraint and adhere to peaceful means and dialogue, and to work towards holding free, fair and transparent elections at the earliest convenience to be agreed by the Somalis themselves," said Egypt's Foreign Ministry.

Mogadishu was rocked by clashes betweenopposition and security forces over delayed elections.

Friday's clashes came amid political uncertainty in the Horn of African country following the lapse of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo term last Monday.

Talks aimed at deliberating a solution to the situation were scheduled to take place on 15 February but did not happen. Opposition groups now say they do not recognize Farmajo's leadership.

In its press release, Egypt's Foreign Ministry affirmed the country's "support for all political efforts aimed at resolving the current political situation in a manner that would achieve the Somali people's aspirations for security, stability, development and eliminating the threat of terrorism."