US concerned about Somalia's sluggish polls as Al-Shabaab wage attacks

NEW YORK - The United States is still concerned about Somalia's sluggish elections, noting that the country could still fail to beat the deadline as agreed by several stakeholders, who have been supporting the exercise for the last couple of months.

Several states are yet to complete the Lower House elections which are supposed to be concluded by February 25, after which the country is set to hold presidential elections. Outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has expressed interest in defending his seat.

A top diplomat from the US told the United Nations Security Council [UNSC] that there is a need for key players to stop derailing the exercise. Last week, the State Department warned Somalia politicians who are linked to sabotage, noting that they will be denied visas.

The opposition in the country has also accused the government of stage-managing the exercise, arguing that a number of Farmaajo's allies have been rigged in. Intelligence chiefs Abdullahi Farey and Abdullahi Kulane Jiis have already been elected to parliament.

During the meeting, the UN special representative for Somalia James Swan urged Somalia political leaders to “course correct” on alleged election irregularities. According to him, the UN will not tolerate further delays during this transition period.

Swan, while speaking to the UN Security Council, said 28 women have so far been elected to the parliament [22%] - well short of the 30% quota for women. He said the election team assured that at least two-thirds of the House of People seats will be filled in the coming week.

On his part, African Union Special Envoy Ambassador Fransisco Madeira said Al-Shabaab appears to be “emboldened” in its attempts to disrupt elections. AU is also concerned about what appears to be “resurgent” Islamic State militants with reported IED attacks in Nov 2021 and Jan 2022.

Last night, the militants waged a deadly attack in Mogadishu, killing three people while injuring several others. The attack comes after a series of incidents across the country that left over 20 people dead as Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for all the attacks.

UK representative to the UN urged the Somali government to give clarity on force generation. Earlier, Ambassador Madeira said force generation should be enhanced and consolidated for Somali forces to take over security responsibilities.

GAROWE ONLINE