The impact of violence and insecurity on women`s ability to participate in political and electoral processes is another likely theme of today`s meeting. Mohammed`s visit came shortly after the disappearance of Ikran Tahlil Farah, a cybersecurity expert who worked for Somalia`s National Intelligence and Security Agency. Disagreements over the investigation into Tahlil`s disappearance have exacerbated tensions between Farmajo and Roble. On 17 September, Council members held closed consultations to discuss the possible impact of political tensions on the electoral process in Somalia. In a press release dated 18. In September, the members of the Security Council expressed concern about the continuing disagreements within the Somali Government, called on all parties to exercise restraint and stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in Somalia. At today`s meeting, Mohammed and council members can also refer to the September 25 suicide bombing in Mogadishu, attributed to Al-Shabaab, which claimed the lives of at least eight people, including Hibaq Abukar, who was an adviser on human rights and women`s affairs in the Prime Minister`s Office. The aim of Mohammed`s visit on 12 September was to support increased women`s participation in Somali politics and electoral processes, including the achievement of a quota of at least 30 per cent for women in the Somali parliament, based on a statement by the Somali government in the 17 September electoral agreement. September 2020. During his visit, Mohammed expressed concern about “the general situation of Somali women, including the level of violence and insecurity for women, and how this also affects participation in political life.” She also stressed the importance of “the full inclusion of women in all sectors of society” in building “resilience, peace and stability” in Somalia. During today`s meeting, Mohammed and council members are likely to encourage Somalia`s efforts to reach the 30% quota in the upcoming elections. The country`s bicameral parliament, composed of 329 members, is currently composed of 24% women. The 8.
In February 2021, the Council of Presidential Candidates announced that it no longer recognized Mohamed as President of Somalia because his term had expired without agreement on the way to elections to succeed him. [34] [35] [36] At the request of the President, the lower house of parliament then passed a special law that extended the term of office of the current incumbents by two years and abandoned a September 17, 2020 agreement on indirect elections and instead reverted to a one-person, one-vote model. Pressure on Mohamed, widely known as Farmaajo, to hold elections has intensified since elections scheduled for February 8 could not take place because there was no agreement on how the vote should be conducted. He also called on lawmakers to support the agreement reached by the federal government on September 17. In September, Roble asked Roble to lead election preparations and related security measures. This led to an agreement reached on 27 May on holding indirect elections this year. Farmajo, who hosted the leaders of Galmudug Regional States, South West State, Hirshabelle, Puntland and Jubaland, including the Mayor of Mogadishu, agreed to make a number of changes to the three previous electoral arrangements made in Dhusamareb, the capital of Galmudug. The UN Security Council has called on divided Somali leaders to resolve their differences through dialogue and give top priority to this year`s long-delayed national elections. On the 17th. In September, the heads of state and government of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the five federal member states (FMS) agreed on an indirect electoral model for the country`s upcoming elections.
Building on a series of discussions in Dhusamareb in July and August, the model has now been approved by Parliament and developed into subsequent agreements on 2 October. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday that Somalis were celebrating the first anniversary of the September 17 agreement and that the United Nations and its international partners were also “increasingly alarmed that the escalation of the dispute between the president and the prime minister would undermine Somalia`s stability and derail the electoral process.” They said the agreement reached at the end of the fourth round of negotiations had to be approved by the lower house of parliament. The Security Council statement “urged all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue in the interest of Somalia and to give priority to the peaceful holding of transparent, credible and inclusive elections within the agreed timeframe and in accordance with the agreements of 17 September and 27 May”. In the statement, the members of the Council expressed their “deep concern at the continuing disagreements within the Somali government and the negative impact on the timing and process of the elections”. Although the agreement showed that somali leaders have reached a much-needed consensus on the design of the elections, there are a number of weaknesses and ambiguities that, if left unaddressed, threaten the inclusiveness and integrity of the process. There are also several contentious political issues that, if left unresolved, may also increase the risk of conflict in the coming months. After a six-day conference in Mogadishu, the Council of Presidential Candidates issued a statement in November 2020 calling for the removal of the electoral commissions and accusing Mohamed of being an obstacle to the implementation of the electoral agreement. [22] In it, they called on NISA leader Fahad Yasin to resign, as he is also the head of Mohamed`s re-election campaign. [23] Soldiers — mostly from Hirshabelle — invaded the Somali capital Mogadishu on April 25, 2021, after President Mohamed approved a two-year extension of his term.
The rebels captured the northern part of the city and clashed with pro-government forces in parts of the city. Pro-government soldiers attacked the homes of the former Somali president and opposition leader. At the end of the day, government forces withdrew to Villa Somalia. On May 6, 2021, after a series of opposition-led talks with the prime minister, soldiers agreed to withdraw from Mogadishu. The police should take control of the city. On 8 May 2021, roads were reopened and the rebels retreated in vehicles from Mogadishu to Lower and Middle Shabelle. Abdirashid Hashi, an analyst at the Heritage Institute for Political Studies, said the Somali government needs to show stronger leadership. [24] [25] A fifteen-member body calls on heads of government to give top priority to this year`s long-delayed national elections. Sheikh Hassan accused Mohamed of a coup, saying: [39] [40] [41] She said it had become clear from Swan`s briefing that the diplomatic shuttle was taking place to try to resolve differences between the president and the prime minister. The increase in arrests of journalists in Puntland shows a growing crackdown on media freedom.
These arrests will have a chilling effect on the work of journalists before, during and after the elections. The authorities must put an end to this practice and respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of all and media freedom. Mohamed signed a law in February 2020 that gave all citizens the right to vote in parliamentary elections,[15] which was a campaign promise on his part.[16] On February 2, 2021, Mohamed convened a meeting with heads of state and government in Dusmareb to overcome the electoral blockade. [33] “However, the fact is, and we have also made clear, that this is a very dangerous distraction from the main task of holding elections,” she said. “The risks for the Somali people, the risks of giving more space to al-Shabaab, are indeed very high. We therefore want to get out of this situation as quickly as possible and resolve it. The southern Somali state of Jubaland, led by President Ahmed Madobe, issued a statement condemning the violence: “Jubaland condemns the Somali government`s violence against unarmed civilians and the illegal use of armed forces. The heinous act of Somali troops in Mogadishu is a blow to efforts to resolve the current political crises in the country. [42] Mohammed is likely to give his assessment of the government`s efforts to promote greater inclusiveness in the electoral process. She can describe her meetings with President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo”, Prime Minister Roble and NCC representatives.
She is also likely to report on her discussions with civil society actors such as former Somalis and with women leaders from various fields, including electoral council bodies. .