By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia—The Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, just announced his choice of Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid, a political newcomer to serve as his new prime minister. Saaid who is new to the political realm has been a prominent businessman in the neighboring country of Kenya, and is married to Haji Elmi who is an influential peace activist originally from Somalia.

Mr. Saaid made the following promise to his country, “I promise that I will do my duty in line with the Constitution and the national laws.”

The current President is also a political newcomer. He worked in several different international organizations and came into his leadership role last month. Augustine P. Mahiga, the top United Nations envoy to Somalia said, “The appointment of a new prime minister is another important step forward in the country’s peace building process.”

The next step, after Saaid’s appointment, is approval by parliament. If he receives this approval, the prime minister will begin to put together his Cabinet. This latest series of political appointments and new leadership is the first since the nation’s decades of civil war.

Not only did the nation just recently pick its new president, but Somalia has also adopted a new provisional constitution, has selected members of parliament and has appointed the parliament’s speaker. All of this has fallen into place in the last few months.

Saaid and Mohamud now face a new daunting task. They now have the task of running Somalia’s first effective central government since 1991. Twenty-one years ago, the country fell into chaos after the dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre, was overthrown. After his ousting, militants and local warlords struggled for control who launched a series of civil wars nationwide.

Mr. Mohamud has yet another challenge on his plate in his new presidency. This challenge involves the insurgency by the Shabab, a group linked to Al Qaeda that actually tried to assassinate him only two days after his election. While the government and the African Union forces have driven out the Shabab from Mogadishu, the group has been waging other relentless attacks against the Union and the government in other parts of the country.

The spokesman for the Shabab denounced the new prime minister saying, “The new prime minister is not different from those before him — they were all brought by Westerners. He will not change Somalia. We shall fight and keep on foiling the infidel government.”

 

For further information, please see:

All Africa – Somali President Names Prime Minister – 7 October 2012

CNN News – Somali President Appoints Prime Minister – 7 October 2012

Star Africa – UN Special Representative for Somalia Statement on the Nomination of the New Prime Minister – 7 October 2012

The New York Times – Somalian President Picks a Businessman, a Political Newcomer, as Prime Minister – 6 October 2012