Somalia's Upcoming Elections

 The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 10 November 2020 a report titled "Staving Off Violence around Somalia's Elections."

Somalia is in the throes of hurried preparations for parliamentary and presidential elections, which are slated for December 2020 and February 2021, respectively.  Though the parties agreed to proceed with indirect voting, they are struggling to prepare the polls. ICG warns that pushing forward with elections without adequate preparation could be risky.  

US Bureaucratic Snafu Jeopardizes Debt Relief for Somalia

Foreign Policy posted on 11 December 2019 an article titled "U.S. Bureaucratic Blunder Could Cost Somalia Desperately Needed Debt Relief" by Robbie Gramer and Keith Johnson.

A bureaucratic failure in Washington to write off Somalia's debt to the United States now jeopardizes implementation of a broader debt relief program for Somalia under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative.

A Scorecard for Somalia's President

The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, which is based in Mogadishu, published in March 2019 a report titled "Farmaajo's Presidency: A Scorecard for the First Two Years and the Prospects for the Remaining Two."

The study concludes that the administration of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has made sustained progress on the debt relief process, robustly reengaged with international financial institutions, increased revenues and maintained public confidence and unity of purpose among the government's executive branch. However, many key election promises remain unfulfilled. For example, gone is the promise to defeat al-Shabaab within two years or even reopen Mogadishu's perpetually closed roads. Agreement on the most contentious issues in the constitution has yet to materialize. There is no agreement on Somalia's electoral model for the 2020 elections and the federation process has not improved notably.

Somalia's Fractious Federal Politics

War on the Rocks posted on 30 January 2019 a commentary titled "The Saga of Mukhtar Robow and Somalia's Fractious Politics" by Christopher Anzalone, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, and Stig Jarle Hansen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

The authors argue that former al-Shabaab leader Muktar Robow's arrest by the Somali government should be understood in the context of the power struggle between Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed "Farmajo" and Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre, on the one hand, and the Somali semi-autonomous regional states. Farmajo's and Khayre's opposition to Robow was tied to their own desire to weaken the power of South West State, where Robow was running for president.

Somalia Needs a Grand Internal Political Bargain

The Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute for Policy Studies recently posted a policy brief titled "Somalia Needs Conciliatory Not Confrontational Politics."

It calls for a grand political settlement among all stakeholders as the surest way to political stability and ultimately defeating al-Shabaab. It also urges the Gulf States, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to spare Somalia from Gulf State conflicts.

Another Prescription for Somalia

The Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in October 2017 a policy brief titled "Somalia Needs Conciliatory Not Confrontational Politics."

The brief argues that grand political settlement among all stakeholders is the surest way to political stability and ultimately defeating al-Shabaab. It also urges the Gulf States to spare Somalia from their rivalry.

Somali Prime Minister Speaks at George Washington University

The Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University hosted Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire on 28 September 2017. GW Today published a summary of his remarks.