Somalia s lawmakers try to extend president s mandate
HASSAN BARISE, Associated Press
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FILE - In this Saturday, May 25, 2019, file photo, Somalia s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed arrives for the swearing-in ceremony of Cyril Ramaphosa at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. Somalia s parliament on Monday, April 12, 2021 voted to effectively extend the mandate of the president and federal government by two years in an attempt to end a political crisis after national elections were delayed in early February.Jerome Delay/AP
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) Somalia’s lower house of parliament on Monday voted to effectively extend the mandate of the president and federal government by two years in an attempt to end a political crisis after national elections were delayed in early February. But leaders of the Senate objected and called the action dangerous.
Explosions at 2 Somali army bases kill at least 9
HASSAN BARISE, Associated Press
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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) Simultaneous large explosions were heard in and around two Somali army bases on Saturday, with the military confirming at least nine of its people killed but asserting “heavy losses” among the attackers. The al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility.
Residents said the attacks occurred in Bariirre and Awdhegleh villages of Lower Shabelle region, 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of the capital, Mogadishu.
Speaking to local media, Gen. Odawa Yusuf Ragheh, the commander of the Somali National Army, confirmed the twin attacks but said al-Shabab had been repulsed with “heavy losses” among the extremists.
UN urges Somalia to organize elections without delay
EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press
March 13, 2021
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. Security Council urged Somalia’s government on Friday to organize elections “without delay” in a resolution that stressed the pressing threat to the country’s security from al-Shabab and armed opposition groups.
The resolution, which was adopted unanimously, authorized the African Union to maintain its nearly 20,000-strong force in Somalia until the end of the year with a mandate to reduce the threat from the extremist groups to enable “a stable, federal, sovereign and united Somalia.”
The U.N.’s most powerful body said its objective is to transfer security to Somali authorities, with the aim of Somalia taking the lead in 2021, and achieving full responsibility by the end of 2023.