UN, AU and EU urge Somalia to quickly agree on election date
by Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
Posted Feb 22, 2021 3:47 pm PDT
Last Updated Feb 22, 2021 at 4:03 pm PDT
CAMEROON, Cameroon The United Nations, African Union and European Union urged the Somali government and opposition on Monday to quickly agree on a date for elections, warning that the delay is fueling violence and impacting the impoverished Horn of Africa nation’s development and security.
Acting U.S. ambassador Richard Mills echoed their appeal to swiftly resolve the political impasse, saying last week’s political violence on the streets of the capital Mogadishu over the failure to hold elections “is the latest indication that if not resolved soon, Somalia risks regressing deeper into instability.”
Brief Analysis
China, Russia, and Iran are currently exploiting COVID-19 to conduct information warfare, specifically targeting the Middle East.
In January 2020, Russia’s state-owned Sputnik news agency published
an article alleging that the then-emerging COVID-19 virus was “probably made in NATO labs.” Since then, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM)’s Information Operations Division the U.S. Department of Defense’s flagship organization for countering propaganda and disinformation has noticed an onslaught of pandemic-related propaganda and disinformation from Russian, Iranian, and Chinese sources. Generally, these propaganda efforts have used the COVID-19 pandemic to target the United States and its partners. And while this disinformation campaign has rolled out on a global scale, it has focused heavily on the Middle East.
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European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks during a media conference after a meeting of EU foreign ministers by videoconference at the European Council building in Brussels on June 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)
BRUSSELS The top European Union diplomat supervising the international agreement aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions called Friday for a concerted effort to reinvigorate the pact even as Tehran appears to be reneging on some of its commitments.
“This is an occasion that we cannot miss,” to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters via video-link.
What’s new? As Nicolás Maduro forces dissidents to flee Venezuela, exiles have come to play important roles influencing both the opposition’s political strategy and international policy toward Caracas. Analysis of social media suggests that exile can lead opposition members to use strident rhetoric and advocate aggressive ideas more often than domestic counterparts.
Why does it matter? Internationally facilitated negotiations remain Venezuela’s best path to peace, and the new U.S. administration might very well pursue them. Their success rests on all parties’ willingness to accept compromise. Conciliatory attitudes could be undermined not only by crackdowns in Venezuela but also by prominent exiles’ views.
CAMEROON, Cameroon - The United Nations, African Union and European Union urged the Somali government and opposition on Monday to quickly agree on a dat.