The Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF) is convening a 3-part series of webinars to explore the various human rights issues that are pertinent to understanding and offering solutions to the current Somali crisis. The series will look to answer the following broad questions which are:
- What is the current situation in Somalia?
- What reforms are necessary to effect the transition to democracy?
- What role if any will the elections play in the democratization of Somalia?
Background
Somalia was generally viewed is being on the precipice of change, following years of turmoil. The end of the transitional period and convening of elections in 2017, had created growing optimism that change, and political reforms were imminent on the Horn of Africa. However, Somalia’s current leadership has failed to break the current deadlock over the country’s elections with no clear path to Election Day following the expiry of the government’s mandate on 8 February 2021. The current government has been widely condemned and seen as not having effectively contributed to the reform agenda. Experts widely believe that the political situation in Somalia is now more fragile than when President Mohamed Abdullahi took office in 2017. Although President Abdullahi is widely acclaimed as having made some progress with the economy, including reducing the national debt, under his reign tension between the central government in Mogadishu and the federal states has increased. The resultant apprehensiveness between the federal states has manifested in the current electoral impasse and resultant constitutional crisis.
The legislative and parliamentary elections were originally meant to have taken place in 2020, however these have been postponed several times due to disputes on electoral reforms. Following the conclusion of the summit in Dhusamareb, an election model based on constituency caucuses was agreed on by some of the federal states with the exclusion of the leadership in Jubaland. The unique electoral system sees representatives from various clans across the country choose members of parliament. Under this indirect election system, 27,775 electoral delegates, who are nominated by traditional clan elders, vote for members of parliament while state legislatures elect the senators. In addition to the electoral system there is dispute or concern over the use of state resources by the incumbent to further his campaign. This includes concern by the leadership in Jubaland on the manipulation of the election management board by President Mohamed Abdullahi to further his own personal agenda. All this is taking place in the context of a broad social economic crisis which has seen the country battling Islamic insurgents; a food crisis that has been exacerbated by climate change and invasions by locusts, and the global coronavirus pandemic. The opposition political forces have also made it clear that they do not recognize the government of Mohamed Abdullahi given that it’s legitimate mandate ended on 8 February 2021. The reality of this situation is that the country is faced with a constitutional crisis that must be resolved if the country is to return to the reform trajectory it was on following the end of the transitional period.
Somalia’s current political impasse, and the means upon which it will be resolved, will have significant effect on its people and the region. The effectiveness and credibility of solutions must be achieved through broad based dialogue to ensure confidence in the measures. Such consensus cannot be achieved if the design of these processes happens in closed-door negotiations among political elites or in government ministries. It is upon this basis that AJJF would like to contribute to the on-going discussions and provide the various actors with a platform to dialogue on effectively ending the current constitutional crisis.
Objective
The objectives of the webinars is to:
- to ascertain the relevant facts relating to and elucidating the human rights in Somalia;
- To contribute to the sharing of knowledge, practices, and experiences that enhance effective, efficient, and credible resolution of the crisis, and
- b)To contribute to the ongoing dialogue on the situation in Somalia with the view of proffering practical solutions.
Structure and Format of the Webinars
AJJF will host 3 webinars that will be structured in the same way. It will have a panel of eminent speakers who will tease through the topic making concise presentations facilitated by an AJJF moderator. The presentations will be followed by a live Question and Answer (Q&A) session. Participants are encouraged to submit their questions when they register however this in no way limits them from asking questions that emerge from the discussions.
- a)Format for the webinar: Presentations followed by Q and A session
- b)Duration of each meeting will be 1.5 Hours (30 minutes for presentations and 60 minutes for the plenary session)
- c)Technology: Zoom Webinar
Discussion Topics
The topics covered by the webinar series will be drawn from the following broad areas:
- What is the current situation in Somalia?
- What reforms are necessary to effect the transition to democracy?
- What role if any will the elections play in the democratization of Somalia?
Each of the discussions will bring together local and international experts to critically look at each question and provide appropriate and nuanced responses. The panelists will be selected in a manner that allows for broad and diverse views to be exchanged and foster robust discussions that are not biased. It is imperative that the voices of the Somali people are amplified more than those of international actors. As such prominence will be given two local experts with international speakers brought in to provide comparative experiences.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.