Somalia’s prime minister survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Sunday; just days after a group of lawmakers resigned in disgust and said his weak administration had failed to bring peace to this chaotic nation.
The motion to remove Prime Minister Mohammed Ali Gedi needed 139 votes to pass but only got 126. Eighty-eight lawmakers voted to keep him.
The country’s internationally recognised, but virtually powerless, government has been unravelling in recent weeks. The administration has failed to assert any power outside its base in Baidoa, 250 kilometers (150 miles) from Mogadishu, and has been wracked by infighting.
“A pimple is being made to look like a boil,” said Muhammad Ali Foum, speaking on behalf of the African Union.
“The resignation of 18 ministers and top officials on Thursday should not be seen as a ground-breaking step towards a power-sharing plan between the Islamists and the government. I wouldn’t put too much into the resignations at the moment.”
“We should encourage them to have one common idea: a resolution of the crisis, stabilisation of Somalia and the creation of an environment that can allow the Somalis to ... create a government system that will work for everybody.”
Clearly the man is deluded!
The Islamic militia, meanwhile, continues to exert their control on the capital and much of southern Somalia. The United States accuses the group of harbouring al-Qaida leaders responsible for deadly bombings at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.
It will be interesting to find out whether the assassination of Isaq, the Constitution and Federalism minister, was an opportunistic act, or a targeted killing.
No comments:
Post a Comment