The Somali peace talks in Kenya have been suspended until after the Kenyan elections, reports said on Tuesday. The peace talks, in progress since Oct. 15 under the sponsorship of the East African body of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), will recommence on Dec. 30. A spokesman for the Kenyan Foreign Ministry told reporters that the postponement was due to Christmas and the Kenyan elections on Dec. 27. Some participants have already left because the Somalis agreed last week to reduce the number of delegates to 300. On Monday, Elijah Mwangale, chairman of IGAD technical committee, told a press conference that the second round of the talks had gone well. The present phase, in which the participants are discussing a provisional federal charter, disarmament, and land issues, will be concluded by the end of January. In the third phase, the delegates will discuss a power-sharing formula and the formation of a broad-based government.

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On Monday, media reports from Hargeisa said that the electoral commission in the northern region of breakaway Somaliland had issued final results for the local elections. The ruling party, Udub, won the elections with 197,938 votes. The reports, however, added that some opposition parties, Sahan and Asad, accused the electoral commission of mismanaging the counting. There was no voting in the disputed Las Anod district. There was an attack earlier this month in the district on the visiting Somaliland leader, Dahir Riyaleh Kahin. Las Anod is the capital of Sool region which — along with Sanaag region — is claimed by both Somaliland and the neighboring autonomous region of Puntland. The regions fall geographically within the borders of former British Somaliland but most of the clans have their origins in Puntland. Voters have elected 300 local government officials — mayors, committee members and deputies — in the region’s 20 districts. The local elections in which six parties participated were postponed from October. According to the electoral commission, the postponement was due to delays in registering the parties. The elections have been holding before the voting for president which will take place at the end of January.

— 26 December 2002