(Bloomberg) Somalia will expedite elections in a bid to quell instability and coax donors into releasing funds needed to pay the nation’s security forces and other state employees, Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdirizak said.
ACLED Regional Overview – Africa (24-30 April 2021)
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Last week in Africa, ongoing insecurity prompted the enactment of a state of siege in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and a parliamentary proposal for similar emergency powers in Nigeria; opposition claims of government illegitimacy prompted violent clashes in Chad and Somalia; and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched deadly assaults on military bases across multiple countries in the Lake Chad basin.
In Mogadishu, the capital city of
Somalia, government forces clashed with soldiers opposing an extension to President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s presidential term. Multiple fatalities were reported, and at least 60,000 people were displaced by the fighting (UN RC/HC Somalia, 28 April 2021). The clashes came less than a fortnight after President Mohamed controversially signed a two-year extension to his expired mandate (VOA, 14 April 2021), following a failure to hold national elections (
Tensions have been rising in Somalia since President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” failed to hold elections in February. After Farmajo moved to extend his term by two years, the ongoing political crisis triggered clashes between security forces loyal to the president and the opposition in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. This turn of events forced President Farmajo to backtrack, says political and security analyst Mohamed Mubarak, but inherent lack of trust among stakeholders means the dispute continues. Mohamed says the crisis proves Somalia doesn’t really have a national army, as clans still hold the most sway. Despite these challenges, there is no political will to make much-needed changes to Somalia’s broader federal structure. He tells Alan that Somalia, pressured by the international community, has focused on anti-piracy and counter-terrorism operations, setting aside fundamental security issues and institution building. They also discuss why Al-Shabaab may be winning
UN chief welcomes return to electoral agreement in Somalia
The United Nations Secretary-General on Saturday welcomed the decision by the Lower House of Somalia’s Federal Parliament to nullify a special law and to return to the 17 September Electoral Agreement that will allow for indirect presidential and parliamentary elections.
NEW YORK, USA, May 04, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call on all Somali stakeholders to “resume dialogue immediately and forge a consensual agreement on the holding of inclusive elections without further delay”.
“[The Secretary-General] stresses the importance of a broad-based consensus for the country’s stability”, the statement added.