Clan elders gather in Belet Weyne, Somalia’s fifth largest city, for a weekly meeting to discuss various issues affecting their region.
Flickr-AU UN IST Photo / Tobin Jones
Somalia’s big test will be how to marry the social power of the clan system with a democratic future.
Newly elected Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud waves after he was sworn-in, in the capital Mogadishu, on May 15, 2022.
Photo by Hasan Ali Elmi / AFP via Getty Images
The obstacles the new government must confront to earn the confidence of the people are challenging.
US Navy sailors for the Combined Joint Task Force in the Horn of Africa off the coast of Djibouti.
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The decision to redeploy in Somalia represents a renewed emphasis on the old rivalry with Russia.
President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during a 2014 media briefing.
Isaac Kasamani/AFP via Getty Images
President Mohamud’s main challenge is to restore security in the capital Mogadishu and elsewhere.
A policeman marches with a Somali flag during a parade in the capital Mogadishu.
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Whoever wins the presidential election will inherit a host of challenges that have persistently tormented previous Somali leaders.
Somali police officers in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 2018.
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A transition is underway in Somalia. There are massive risks if it is not handled with great care.
Somalia is on course to hold the long-awaited presidential election provided that the current pace is maintained.
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The accelerated pace of Somalia’s election has been welcomed at home and abroad – but it comes at a credibility cost.
A Somali military officer supporting anti-government forces on the streets of the capital Mogadishu.
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The international community is opposed to Farmaajo’s term extension because of fears that it’s a power grab consistent with political trends elsewhere in the region.
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, president of Somalia, attends a regional meeting in Ethiopia in 2019.
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Although polarising, parliament’s move to extend Farmaajo’s term has presented a practical road-map to hold direct elections for the first time since 1969.
Supporters of different Somali opposition presidential candidates protest over delayed elections in Mogadishu on February 19, 2021.
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The current tensions have been driven by a delay in elections.The only feasible solution is to ensure that they take place.
Somalia’s incumbent president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
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As Somalia prepares to choose new leaders in 2021, questions remain around the viability of the country’s clan-based electoral system.
A campaign poster of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the streets of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu during the 2012 election period.
Reuters/Feisal Omar
Despite complications and challenges, elections in Somalia promise to be a game changer.