A new Prime Minister to provide continuity for Somalia’s transition period
The Somali transitional parliament has finally given a vote of confidence to the new Prime Minister of the TFG, Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. 297 MPs voted for him, 92 against. The AU Commission Chairperson, Dr. Jean Ping, welcomed the endorsement of the Prime Minister, and said that he hoped an efficient and representative cabinet would be appointed very soon, allowing the Transitional Federal Institutions to focus on the transitional tasks ahead. The election of the new Prime Minister came after long debate ostensibly over the procedural issue of whether the vote should done openly or through a secret ballot, with the President supporting the former, and the Speaker of the Parliament demanding the latter. The Prime Minister will now have to establish his credibility to govern and resolve the divisions within the TFG and the TFIs, providing it with policies that bring its disparate elements together within the framework of the Djibouti peace process, which IGAD and the international community have endorsed as the fundamental basis for progress in Somalia.
The first major task facing the new Prime Minister is the formation of the new cabinet required by the constitution. It is expected that the composition, as well as the effectiveness of the new cabinet, should reflect popular support as well as be in line with the Transitional Federal Charter. The new government needs to win the confidence of the Transitional Federal Parliament and of the international community in order to solicit support and to garner diplomatic as well as the political support necessary to ensure the stability of Somalia. The Prime Minister faces a daunting task to create a functioning administration which will have to be carefully balanced. The Prime Minister, who comes from Gedo region, has been in the United States for the last thirty years.
At his swearing-in the Prime Minister asked for support and assistance in his heavy duties, promising to protect the laws of the country and pursue the common interest of the people and the nation. President Sheikh Sharif said the Prime Minister was expected to appoint a cabinet based on merit to complete the formidable tasks ahead “in the short period left”. The end of the transitional period comes in August next year. The President called on MPs to support and work with the Prime Minister to help restore security, improve humanitarian access, retake regions currently under extremist control, strengthen and build on the federal system and the constitution, and seek reconciliation. Perhaps an even more major problem that certainly needs to be tackled urgently is corruption which has become widespread. Similarly, resources need to be directed to the right places, one of which is ensuring that security forces get their pay. The provision of adequate funds for the maintenance of the security forces remains a serious problem as does their need for pay, medical and other expenses.
Prime Minister Mohamed is expected to move delicately in his efforts to encourage reconciliation among Somali political forces. Reconciliation is central to the Djibouti peace process, but national reconciliation cannot be seen as a method by which terrorist groups seek political pardon. It is rather a forum in which the agreements concluded with the parties that are prepared for peace, such as Ahlu Sunna wal Jama’a, are encouraged and nurtured. National reconciliation remains necessary to secure the political survival of the Somali state and to forge harmony among the different political forces that have been waging self-perpetuating conflict. It is only this which can bring about some consensus in Somali politics. The Prime Minister’s appointment was welcomed by Ahlu Sunna wal Jama’a which signed an agreement to work with the TFG in March, but recently withdrew co-operation claiming the TFG had failed to implement the agreement fully.
Meanwhile, according to a Ugandan military spokesman, a thousand Somali troops who have been undergoing military training in Uganda under European Union and Ugandan instruction, will finish their training next month. They will be returning to Mogadishu. They will be replaced by another thousand recruits for the Somali forces who will be arriving for training shortly. According to the Ugandan spokesman, by next month a total of at least three thousand Somali troops will have been trained in Uganda and will have returned to Mogadishu. In addition, Djibouti is currently training 600 Somali police officers, and another 200 are going to be given training in Kenya. Others will be trained in Rwanda and South Africa starting in January. Trained police officers will take over the increasing areas in which AMISOM and TFG forces have re-established security in Mogadishu.