President focused on peace
SOMALIA’S international partners yesterday welcomed the election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who takes office after months of political instability and faces crises including a violent insurgency and devastating drought.
Residents in the capital, Mogadishu, raced through the streets banging metal cans and fired guns into the air in celebration as the result of the marathon poll was announced around midnight. Many hope the vote – which concluded peacefully but was dogged by claims of irregularities – will draw a line under a political crisis that has lasted well over a year.
Outgoing president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s term ended in February 2021 without an election and the protracted tussle for power that followed turned violent at times and caused divisions at the highest levels of government.
Somalia’s international partners had repeatedly warned the election delays were a dangerous distraction from the fight against al-Shabaab insurgents, who have been trying to overthrow the government for over a decade.
Yesterday, the UK’s minister for Africa congratulated Mohamud, who ruled Somalia between 2012 and 2017, and is the first president to win a second term in the troubled Horn of Africa nation. The UK “looks forward to continuing its close work to support building stability, tackling al-Shabaab and supporting those affected by the devastating drought”, minister Vicky Ford tweeted.
Mohamud has promised to transform Somalia into “a peaceful country that is at peace with the world”.
Mohamud is the first Somali president to win a second term. But he will inherit several challenges from his predecessor, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, including a devastating drought and a long-running fight with al-Shabaab insurgents – who tried to assassinate Mohamud during his first term from 2012-2017.
He will also need to repair the damage caused by months of political chaos and infighting, both at the executive level and between the central government and state authorities.
The East African regional bloc Igad (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) said Mohamud’s victory was “a clear testimony of the trust and confidence that the people of Somalia have in his leadership qualities”.
Somalia has not held a one-person, one-vote election in 50 years and few of its 15 million people played any part in choosing Mohamud.
Instead, polls follow a complex indirect model, where state legislatures and clan delegates pick MPs for the national parliament, which in turn chooses the president. Still, in the capital there were celebrations that stretched into the early hours, and some expressed relief that the long-running election saga was over.
“This country seriously needed leadership change to avoid bloodshed ... that’s why this election was so important,” said Habiil Ali, a resident from Mogadishu’s Wadajir district.
A former academic and peace activist, Mohamud’s first election in 2012 raised hopes that Somalia was on the path to stability. But his administration was dogged by high-profile corruption scandals and political turmoil, with two of his three prime ministerial appointees forced out, and two central bank governors resigning.
“I know the new president has not got the best record,” said Abdinasir Mohamed, another Mogadishu resident. “But we are hoping he changes this time around.”
In addition to tackling a looming famine caused by drought, Mohamud will also need to repair the damage done by months of political infighting, both at the executive level and between the central government and state authorities.
At his swearing-in, he hailed his predecessor for enabling a peaceful transfer of power. “We must move forward and never backwards. We have to heal any grievances,” he said.
The pair’s bitter rivalry dates back to 2017, when Mohamud lost his bid for re-election to Farmajo. In February 2021, violent protests broke out when Farmajo sought to extend his rule by decree after his term ended without a fresh vote. Mohamud was a key figure in forcing the president to seek consensus on the way forward.
Following his success in marshalling the support of other anti-Farmajo presidential candidates, he will now need to focus on reuniting the country, observers say. A member of the powerful Hawiye clan, Mohamud entered politics in 2011 when he founded the Union for Peace and Development Party.
Few expected the bookish activist to become president and his 2012 election victory raised hopes that the fragile nation was on the path to stability. His government was the first to be given global recognition and billions in foreign aid since the collapse of Siad Barre’s authoritarian regime in 1991.
But the technocrat’s term was marked by corruption scandals and political turmoil. Born in 1955 in Jalalaqsi in the central Hiran region, Mohamud studied at Somalia’s national university before civil war broke out in 1991 and then at Bhopal University in India. He worked with the UN children’s agency Unicef before co-founding the Somali Institute of Management and Administrative Development in 1999. Before joining politics, he spent two decades working in education and in conflict resolution.
The heavily indebted country is also at risk of losing access to a threeyear $400 million (about R6.4 billion) aid package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was set to automatically expire today if a new administration was not in place by then. The government has asked for a three-month extension until August 17, according to the IMF, which has not yet responded to the request. Over 70% of Somalia’s population lives on less than $1.90 a day.
In a reminder of the country’s treacherous security situation, explosions were heard on Sunday near Mogadishu’s heavily-guarded airport complex, where MPs were voting. Police said no casualties were reported.
Earlier this month, an attack on an AU base killed 10 Burundian peacekeepers, according to Burundi’s army. It was the deadliest raid on AU forces in the country since 2015.
Twin suicide bombings in March also killed 48 people in central Somalia, including two local MPs. The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab controlled Mogadishu until 2011 when they were pushed out by an AU force, but still hold territory in the countryside.