Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known by his nickname Farmajo, has dismissed accusations that he is clinging onto power by deliberately delaying overdue elections.

The president last month backed down on his controversial plan to hold on to power for an extra two years after disagreements over how to hold elections.

In an article on the Foreign Policy journal, the president said it was still not clear how the deadlock would be resolved.

He accused “a few clan elders and leaders of federal states” of “holding the Somali people hostage every four years”.

The main sticking point is whether the country should adopt direct elections or an indirect elections - where clan elders select MPs, who in turn choose the president.