President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti has warned of increased Al-Shabaab interference in the upcoming elections in Somalia.
Guelleh made these sentiments during a recent interview with The Africa Report.
In the interview, President Guelleh spoke of his “deep concern” about the possible outcome of the parliamentary elections in Somalia.
The East African nation has scheduled parliamentary elections in December 2020.
President Guelleh raised concerns that Al-Shabaab plans to have as many candidates as possible in the parliamentary polls.
Further, he said that Al-Shabaab is likely to receive power to govern the country independently if its candidates for parliamentary seats sail through.
“Currently, Al-Shabaab is able to attract the support of lawmakers by offering them huge financial incentives,” President Guelleh said in his interview.
Consequently, he urged more support for the Federal Government of Somalia (FSG) to reduce the influence of the militants group in the country’s political landscape.