Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has agreed to hold the fresh round of Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Federal Member States (FMS) talks in Mogadishu.
Initially, Farmaajo had requested to hold the talks, which seek to find solutions to the ongoing electoral impasse, in Garowe.
However, several regional state leaders requested him to move the talks to Mogadishu.
President Said Abdullahi Deni of Puntland and President Ahmed Islam Madobe of Jubbaland were among the leaders pressing for relocation of the talks to the nation’s capital.
Opposition presidential candidates also urged Farmaajo, whose term as the President of Somalia expired on February 8, to move the talks to Mogadishu.
Civil society groups added their voices to the calls to hold the talks in Mogadishu where more stakeholders would be able to attend and express their views.
A communiqué from Farmaajo’s office confirmed that the talks would kick off on February 15 at Halane compound.
His change of mind followed the intervention of international partners on the issue.