Misunderstandings over the location for the elections talks between Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Federal Member States (FMS) prevented them from kicking off on Monday.
The talks were to resume on February 15, as per a recent announcement by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.
He called for resumption of the talks after the National Consultative Conference in Dhusamareb failed to sign a new deal.
Nevertheless, Farmaajo’s choice of Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland, as the venue for the talks has come under intense criticism.
Several top Somali politicians would rather the talks were held in Mogadishu.
In their view, Mogadishu would be a perfect venue since it allows more stakeholders to attend the talks.
Puntland and Jubbaland regional state leaders are among the leaders advocating for the relocation of the talks to Mogadishu.
The government remains adamant that it would not relocate the talks to Mogadishu.