Is the TFG making headway in Somalia?
Following the election of Sharif Hassan Sheikh Ahmed to replace the previous Speaker, Sheikh Aden Madobe, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Parliament has now chosen the two deputy Speakers: the first deputy is Abdi Weli Sheikh Mudey, from the Reer Hassan and a representative of minority clans; the second deputy Speaker is Ahmed Dhimbel Roble Asow, from the Gadabursi, a Dir clan. Now that the Parliamentary Presidium is fully in place the next stage is to strengthen the confidence of the Cabinet and then focus full government attention and activities on the frail security situation. The successful completion of the election of the parliamentary leadership should now close the bitter row that has been going on within the leadership of the TFG for the last couple of months. It had been a real source of concern for all those engaged in trying to make peace and national reconciliation a reality in Somalia. The successful election of the deputy Speakers and the Speaker certainly suggest the parliament may now be able to get to grips with the run-up to the transition that is expected to happen next year in accordance with the Djibouti Agreement. Parliament has to draw up and pass a number of laws and legal instruments for the transition.
The elections for the Speaker and his deputies can be considered an important step for the proper functioning of government and will give supporters of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia greater confidence. Nevertheless much remains to be done, not least in keeping the cabinet together, as the resignation this week of the State Minister of Defence, Sheikh Yusuf Indha ‘Adde, has underlined. Prime Minister Omar Ali Sharmarke still has a lot of work to do to ensure real improvements in the security situation in Mogadishu.
On Thursday last week [3rd], TFG security forces, in collaboration with AMISOM troops, carried out a surprise assault on some strategic positions in the Abdiaziz and Karan districts of North Mogadishu. The government’s aim was to clear Al-Shabaab out of positions seized by Al-Shabaab’s foreign fighters in the middle of last year. The fighting began in the early hours of the morning, and after Al-Shabaab had damaged a tank and another armoured vehicle in early clashes, it invited various media to see its success. It proved premature. Newly trained TFG forces were then deployed much to the surprise of Al-Shabaab, forcing the Al-Shabaab fighters out of their positions. Among those involved was a nine hundred-strong battalion of new troops, recently trained in Uganda. Other TFG forces which had been trained in Ethiopia, and which had been based around the old port, were also involved in the operation and these provided the TFG forces and AMISOM with the necessary edge to win a significant victory. A number of important foreign and local insurgents were killed during the fight, including some nine top Al-Shabaab commanders, of which four were foreigners. They included senior figures tasked with teaching Somali recruits the use of explosive devices and the making of homemade bombs. Their deaths will be a serious blow to Al-Shabaab terrorist operations. Among the local members of Al-Shabaab killed in the fighting was Zakaria Abu Abdalla, Al-Shabaab’s operational commander for North Mogadishu operations. Meanwhile, in the central region, the forces of Ahlu Sunna wal Jama’a (ASWJ) completely routed an attempt by Al-Shabaab to attack the environs of Dhusmareb, driving Al-Shabaab forces away towards Eel-bur. It was another impressive victory for ASWJ’s fighters.