Don’t let Somalia plunge into full-blown conflict
Thursday April 15 2021
By BUSINESS DAILY
Summary
The decision by the Federal Government of Somalia to approve legislation extending the terms of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo and Parliament by two years raises concerns about regional peace and stability.
It risks reversing the gains made in restoring order in a country that has for decades proved a major burden to its neighbours and the international community.
The decision by the Federal Government of Somalia to approve legislation extending the terms of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo and Parliament by two years raises concerns about regional peace and stability.
Somalia s president has defiantly signed into law an extension of his mandate and that of his government as the United States and others threatened sanctions and warned of further instability in one of the world s most fragile countries.
The standoff prolongs a months-long election crisis after the February national vote was delayed. Critics say President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed s time in office is over. The international community had objected to a mandate extension and warned that the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group could take advantage of the country s heated political divisions.
The president late Tuesday signed the controversial law after the lower house of parliament this week voted to effectively extend his mandate for two years while calling for direct elections during that time. Leaders of the Senate, however, called the vote illegal and Somalia s opposition protested.
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Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmaajo, has signed a controversial law to extend his term by two years despite threats of international sanctions.
The move is the latest in a deepening political crisis that, analysts warn, risks undermining the peace process and stability in the Horn of Africa country.
Here’s what you need to know:
What happened?
The lower house of Somalia’s parliament voted this week to extend Formaajo’s four-year term, which expired in February, for a further two years. Lower house speaker Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdurahman said the measure would allow the country to prepare for direct elections.
Somalia’s president has defiantly signed into law an extension of his mandate and that of his government as the United States and others threatened sanctions and warned of further instability in one of the world’s most fragile countries. The standoff prolongs a months-long election crisis after the February national vote was delayed. Critics say President…