The prime minister of Somalia, Mohamed Hussein Roble (57) requested regional leaders to a new round of negotiations in the hopes of solving a protracted clash over elections that sparked violence in the capital.

Somali is experiencing its worst political crisis in years, with fighting erupting in Mogadishu last week after the president extended his mandate by two years without going to elections.

Opposition fighters remain in the capital even after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed backed away from the mandate extension at the weekend and agreed to hold a fresh vote.

The president, on Sunday tasked his prime minister with reaching out to rivals and overseeing the negotiations, a key opposition demand.

A government spokesman said Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble had invited the leaders of Somalia’s five semi-autonomous states to roundtable talks later this month.