COI-Report-Somalia

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26 — EASO Country of Origin Information report — South and Central Somalia — Country overview The CIA World Factbook (2014) provides the following overview on the state structure ( 102 ): ‘Executive branch: Chief of state: President HASSAN SHEIKH Mahamud (since 10 September 2012) Head of government: Prime Minister ABDIWELLI Sheikh Ahmed (since 21 December 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Ridwan HIRSI Mohamed (since 17 January 2014) The Cabinet: appointed by the prime minister, approved by the National Parliament; note - new cabinet sworn in 22 January 2014 (consists of 25 members ( 103 ), including two women ( 104 )) Legislative branch: The bicameral National Parliament consists of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament (275 seats, elected by Somali citizens) and the Upper House of the Federal Parliament (54 seats, elected by people of the federal member states). Note: the inaugural House of the People in September 2012 was appointed by clan elders; as of December 2013, the Upper House has not been formed. Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous clan and sub‐clan factions exist both in support and in opposition to the transitional government.’ The government has been developing plans for the establishment of regional administrations in areas recovered from Al‐Shabaab. President Mohamud is taking a ‘bottom‐up’ approach, whereby local administrations would be formed first and involved in the selection of regional actors. The three‐phased governmental plan is to temporarily appoint local parliamentarians into their constituencies that would be gradually replaced by locally selected, and in due course, by locally elected administrations ( 105 ). Upon taking up office, President Mohamud outlined the priorities of the administration in his six‐pillar policy framework, including stabilization, peace building and reconciliation, economic recovery, collaborative international relations, the delivery of services to the people and unity and integrity of the country. The Government and Parliament pledged to support this agenda ( 106 ). For the following period, a governmental strategy, ‘Vision 2016’, envisages establishment of the Upper House of Parliament by December 2015, the adoption of the new Constitution by March 2016 and national referendum and eventually national elections to take place between March and September 2016 ( 107 ). The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office notes that: ‘Somalia received considerable international attention during 2013, with the Somalia Conference in London in May, co‐hosted by the UK and the Federal Government of Somalia, and the Brussels Conference on Somalia in September, co‐hosted by the EU and the Federal Government. These conferences delivered action plans for Somalia’s new armed forces, police forces, justice system and financial management; and in Brussels a New Deal Compact was agreed between Somalia, its regions, its Parliament and the international community. In total, donors pledged over £1.8 billion to support these priorities.’ ( 108 ) ( 102 ) CIA, The World Factbook, Somalia, last updated 16 April 2014, (http://www.refworld.org/type,COUNTRYREP,,SOM,51ffa6ed4,0.html) accessed 7 May 2014. ( 103 ) For names of ministers, consult: Sabahionline, Somali prime minister appoints new cabinet, 17 January 2014 (http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/ articles/newsbriefs/2014/01/17/newsbrief-01) accessed 29 May 2014. ( 104 ) The female ministers were appointed for the women and human rights development and general activities and rebuilding. HRW, Here, rape is normal - A Five‐Point Plan to Curtail Sexual Violence in Somalia, February 2014 (http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/somalia0214_ForUpload.pdf) accessed 29 May 2014, p. 43. ( 105 ) UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary‐General on Somalia, (S/2013/69), 31 January 2013 (http://www.refworld.org/country,,UNSC,,SOM,,511b88532,0. html) accessed 29 May 2014, p. 1. ( 106 ) UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary‐General on Somalia, (S/2013/69), 31 January 2013 (http://www.refworld.org/country,,UNSC,,SOM,,511b88532,0. html) accessed 29 May 2014, p. 1. ( 107 ) The document: VISION 2016: FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION, as of February 2014, classified as confidential is available at (http://www.raxanreeb.com/wp‐content/ uploads/2014/04/Vision_2016_-_Framework_for_Action.docx) accessed 29 May 2014. ( 108 ) UKFCO, Human Rights and Democracy Report 2013 - Section XI: Human Rights in Countries of Concern – Somalia, 10 April 2014 (http://www.ecoi.net/local_ link/273711/389475_en.html) accessed 27 May 2014.
EASO Country of Origin Information report — South and Central Somalia — Country overview — 27 On 27 May 2014, the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) issued a joint appeal for a resolution of the political crisis in Somalia. They noted that: ‘the development of a federal system, the constitutional review process and preparation for 2016 elections are behind schedule’. According to the appeal, the progress on state‐building has not been as fast as needed ( 109 ). Parliamentarians/lawmakers run a serious risk of targeted assassinations by Islamists. On 21 February 2014, Al‐Shabaab attacked the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu ( 110 ). At the same time, Al‐Shabaab warned officials that they will be targeted at government institutions ( 111 ). According to an international organisation, interviewed during a joint fact‐finding mission organised by the Danish Immigration Service and the Norwegian Landinfo (November 2013), ‘… al‐Shabaab would do anything to destabilize the government and do whatever that could make the government look bad … It adds that ‘among categories of people targeted by al Shabaab are political front figures like the president.’ ( 112 ) 1.4.2 Federalism (Somaliland, Puntland, Jubbaland, Galmudug) Federalism is accepted as the form of administration best suitable for Somalia, reducing power on the central level and distributing power among the Federal Member States. ‘The Somali Provisional Constitution calls for the establishment of a Boundaries and Federation Commission ‘to support the territorial changes in Somalia in order that it may become a fully‐fledged federation of states.’ The constitution also makes provision for an Inter‐state Commission to ‘facilitate intergovernmental coordination’ between the Federal Government and Federal Member States, and to ‘resolve any administrative, political or jurisdictional disputes’ between the two. (...) Despite the Constitution’s provision for the establishment of federal states, federalism has been a source of tension between the Federal Government and existing as well as emerging states.’ ( 113 ) There are no official federal member states yet. Somaliland is a ‘self‐declared independent republic’, and Puntland is what the UN calls a ‘self‐declared autonomous state’ within Somalia ( 114 ). ‘It is widely believed that Puntland is the closest to achieving federal state status, and could be a model for other states. Jubaland and Galmudug also have state‐building efforts underway, although there is a lot of in‐fighting at the local level. Jubaland has two rival talks going on while Galmudug has three or four.’ ( 115 ) On 28 August 2013, in Addis Ababa, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) reached a long awaited agreement with Ahmed Madobe, creating the Juba Interim Administration ( 116 ). For more information on the federal system as a threat to security, see section 3.1.2. 1.4.3 The Judiciary The CIA World Factbook (2014) provides the following overview on the judicial branch ( 117 ): ‘Highest court(s): the provisional constitution stipulates the establishment of the Constitutional Court (consists of five judges including the chief judge and deputy chief judge). Note - under the terms of the 2004 Transitional National Charter (TNC), a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and an Appeal Court were established; yet most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or sharia Islamic law. ( 109 ) UN News Centre, UN and international partners call for resolution of Somali political crisis, 27 May 2014 (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story. aspNewsID=47899) accessed 30 May 2014. ( 110 ) BBC, Somalia parliament attacked by al‐Shabab in Mogadishu, 24 May 2014 (http://www.bbc.com/news/world‐africa-27554498) accessed 5 June 2014; BBC, Somali MP Isak Mohamed Rino killed by Mogadishu car bomb, 21 April 2014 (http://www.bbc.com/news/world‐africa-27102639#) accessed 27 May 2014. ( 111 ) Shabelle Media Network, Somalia: Al Shabaab Warns Government Officials, 25 May 2014 (http://allafrica.com/stories/201405250394.html) accessed 27 May 2014. ( 112 ) Landinfo/Udlændingsstyrelsen, Update on security and protection issues in Mogadishu and South‐Central Somalia, March 2014 (http://landinfo.no/ asset/2837/1/2837_1.pdf) accessed 26 May 2014. ( 113 ) Somalia NGO Consortium, Walking the Talk in Somalia Progress since the 2012 London Conference, 6 May 2013 (http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/ resources/Walking%20the%20Talk%20in%20Somalia%20-%20Progress%20Since%20London%202012.pdf) accessed 30 May 2014, p.6. ( 114 ) IRIN, Briefing: Somalia, federalism and Jubaland, 16 April 2013 (http://www.irinnews.org/report/97860/briefing‐somalia‐federalism‐and‐jubaland) accessed 30 May 2014. ( 115 ) IRIN, Briefing: Can federalism work in Somalia, 5 February 2014 (http://www.irinnews.org/report/99600/briefing‐can‐federalism‐work‐in‐somalia) accessed 27 May 2014. ( 116 ) UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary‐General on Somalia, (S/2013/69), 31 January 2013 (http://www.refworld.org/country,,UNSC,,SOM,,511b88532,0. html) accessed 29 May 2014, p. 1. ( 117 ) CIA, The World Factbook, Somalia, last updated 16 April 2014, (http://www.refworld.org/type,COUNTRYREP,,SOM,51ffa6ed4,0.html) accessed 2 June 2014.
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BZ-04-14-466-EN-C doi: 10.2847/3117
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COI-Report-Somalia

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