Tuesday 12, Nov 2024 {HMC} United States President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, multiple media outlets have reported.

Trump on Monday appeared to have settled on Rubio, though he could still change his mind, outlets including The New York Times, CNN, CBS News and Reuters reported, quoting unnamed sources familiar with the decision.

Rubio, who is known for his hawkish foreign policy views, would be the first Hispanic American to serve as Washington’s top diplomat if appointed to the role.

Other names who have been tipped as candidates for the role in media reports include Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, and Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former national security adviser.

Rubio, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, is the latest figure tipped to work under Trump as the makeup of his incoming administration rapidly takes shape.

Since his election to the US Senate in 2010, Rubio has staked out a reputation for holding hardline views on US adversaries such as China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.

He has also staunchly backed Israel’s war in Gaza, telling a peace activist last year that Hamas was “100 percent to blame” for the deaths of Palestinians in the enclave.

“I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on,” Rubio said in a confrontation with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin in December.

“These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes and I hope you guys post that because that’s my position.”

Source Al-Jaziira 

Tuesday 12, Nov 2024 {HMC} According to the Somaliland National Electoral Commission, more than 1 million registered and eligible voters head to the polls Wednesday to elect their president for the next five years.

Three candidates, including incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi, seek to consolidate the region’s fragile democracy, boost economic growth and gain international recognition that the Somali enclave has struggled to secure for 33 years.

Abdi, of the ruling Peace, Unity and Development Party, also known simply as Kulmiye, seeks a second term in Wednesday’s polls.

He is running against Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as “Irro,” of the Waddani party and Faisal Ali Warabe of the Justice and Development Party, or UCID.

Promises

In an interview with VOA Somali, each of the three candidates promised to strengthen democracy, boost economic growth and seek international recognition for the breakaway region.

Abdi, 76, who was elected head of the region in 2017, has pledged there will be progress on a controversial maritime deal that Ethiopia signed with Somaliland earlier this year.

“On our side, we [Somaliland] are free, we are ready to implement the MOU [Memorandum of Understanding], and we are waiting from the Ethiopian side so that we can go ahead with it,” Abdi said. “Ethiopia needs access to sea, and we need recognition, and this MOU is about these needs.”

This is the fourth presidential election since the region on the northwestern tip of Somalia broke away from the rest of the country, following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.

The territory declared independence that year but has never achieved international recognition.

Despite this, Somaliland has a functioning government and institutions, a political system that has allowed democratic transfers of power between rival parties, its own currency, passport and armed forces.

According to Freedom House’s 2024 flagship annual report, which assesses the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the world, Somaliland experienced an erosion of political rights in the past several years.

The report said, “Journalists and public figures face pressure from authorities. Minority clans are subject to political and economic marginalization, and violence against women remains a serious problem.”

Talks between Somaliland, which is seeking full statehood, and Mogadishu, which fiercely opposes the move, have been held on and off between 2012 and 2020 but failed to bear fruit.

Irro, of the Waddani party, who also served as speaker of the House of Representatives of Somaliland’s lower chamber of parliament for more than 11 years, said he would resume talks with Somalia.

“It was not our choice to talk to Somalia because our goal has always been getting recognition, but the international community urged us to talk. If I am elected, I will resume the talks if the Somaliland interest lies there, and [at] the same time we will review the previous failed talks,” said Irro.

Warabe, of the Justice and Development Party, said that if elected, he would seek recognition through the establishment of a national unity government in Somaliland.

“The return of Bihi [Abdi], who has been for seven years in power, and his party, which has been in power since 2010, is not [an] option for Somaliland voters,” Warabe said. “If I am elected, I will lead Somaliland to recognition and [a] more prosperous road.”

Regional tension

Somaliland’s Wednesday vote comes at a time when tensions remain high between Somalia and Ethiopia over the controversial Memorandum of Understanding that Ethiopia signed with Somaliland.

The deal would grant Ethiopia a 50-year lease of access to 20 kilometers of the Red Sea coastline in exchange for the potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence, which Somalia views as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The deal signed on January 1 in Addis Ababa by Abdi and Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sparked anger in Mogadishu, which considers Somaliland as part of its national territory. The opposition to the deal plunged the two neighboring countries into a deadlocked situation.

In April, Somalia expelled Ethiopian Ambassador Muktar Mohamed Ware, alleging “internal interference” by Ethiopia. Somalia also ordered the closure of Ethiopia’s consulates in Somaliland and Puntland, although they remained open.

Last month, Somalia expelled Mogadishu-based Ethiopian diplomat Ali Mohamed Adan, who was a counselor at Ethiopia’s embassy in Mogadishu.

In July and August 2024, two rounds of talks between Ethiopia and Somalia, mediated by Turkey, failed to solve the dispute, with Somalia demanding Ethiopia withdraw from the deal and Ethiopia insisting that it does not infringe on Somalia’s sovereignty.

On Saturday, Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur repeated the Somali government position against Ethiopian troop involvement in a new African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia starting in January.

“I can say that Ethiopia is the only government we know of so far that will not participate in the new AU mission because it has violated our sovereignty and national unity,” Nur said Saturday in a government-run television interview.

Somaliland’s last presidential elections were held in 2017. The current presidential election was originally set to take place in 2022 but was postponed until 2023 and then again pushed back to November 2024, following a controversial extension of Abdi’s mandate by the parliament’s upper house.

The Somaliland National Election Commission, or NEC, said at the time that the delays were due to “time, technical and financial constraints.” Opposition parties vehemently denounced the delays.

The president is directly elected for a maximum of two five-year terms and appoints the Cabinet.

Sahra Eidle Nur and Harun Maruf contributed to this report.

Tuesday 12, Nov 2024 {HMC} Somalia is facing a mounting political crisis as tensions between the federal government and the southern state of Jubbaland escalate over a disputed electoral reform plan. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre called an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday to address a deeply divisive issue, with Jubbaland’s leadership rejecting federal election proposals in favour of regional autonomy.

At the center of this dispute is the federal government’s push for a one-person, one-vote system to transition Somalia from its traditional clan-based, indirect electoral model to direct elections. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud argues this shift is essential to Somalia’s democratic progress, allowing citizens to elect representatives directly. However, Jubbaland’s President Ahmed Madobe has firmly opposed the move, viewing it as an infringement on regional rights and an attempt to centralize power in Mogadishu. Madobe has publicly doubted the feasibility of the federal government’s plan.

In a response on Saturday, Madobe established a seven-member State Independent Committee for Borders and Elections, asserting Jubbaland’s right to manage its electoral affairs without federal intervention. The federal Ministry of Interior quickly condemned the committee as “illegitimate,” warning that the unilateral action risks destabilizing the state and undermining Somalia’s fragile federal structure.

Opposition groups in Jubbaland state have also rejected the appointment of the electoral commission, threatening to hold a separate election in Kismayo if their demands are not met.

Jubbaland announced the suspension of all cooperation with Mogadishu, citing constitutional principles and the need to protect regional governance as reasons for the split, adding that federal interference could jeopardize local security and governance efforts.

In a related statement, the federal government questioned the legitimacy of President Madobe’s leadership, arguing that his term expired in August 2023.

The stakes are high, particularly in Jubbaland’s Lower Juba region, where the federal government reportedly pulled troops from positions in the fight against Al-Shabaab. The withdrawal, Jubbaland officials claim, has left key areas like Kismayo vulnerable to insurgent threats, raising fears that security could deteriorate as the political rift widens.

With pressure mounting on all sides of the dispute, Prime Minister Barre is set to travel to Kismayo, hoping to mediate a solution through direct dialogue.

Tuesday 12, Nov 2024 {HMC} Opposition groups in Somalia’s Jubbaland state have rejected the recent appointment of a regional electoral commission by Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe, threatening to hold a separate election in Kismayo if their demands are not met.

The opposition disputed Madobe’s authority to appoint a seven-member committee to the Jubbaland Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, questioning its impartiality in managing upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in late 2024.

Opposition candidate Abdullahi Ali emphasized that Madobe bypassed necessary transparency and broad consultation.
“The opposition should have the right to nominate over 50 percent of the commission members to ensure balanced representation,” said Ali. Madobe defended the appointments, stating they were made in consultation with Jubbaland’s vice presidents.

The federal Ministry of Internal Affairs condemned the commission’s appointment as “illegal” and urged Madobe to comply with the National Consultative Council (NCC) agreements. The NCC framework, endorsed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other federal and regional leaders, calls for a unified, universal suffrage system, setting June 2025 for local and regional elections, with parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for September.

Source Hiiraan Online

Tuesday 12, Nov 2024 {HMC} Somalia’s cabinet ministers on Saturday dismissed armed forces chief Ibrahim Sheikh Muhyadin Addow, appointing Maj. Gen. Odowaa Yusuf Rageh in his place.

The cabinet made the change during an emergency meeting in Mogadishu amid rising political tensions in the Horn of Africa nation.

Rageh, who previously served as army chief from 2020 to 2023, led operations against al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s “all-out war” on the group.

According to the Prime Minister’s office, Rageh’s reappointment aims to “speed up the defense of the country and eliminate the Khawarij groups,” a term the Somali government uses to refer to al-Shabaab terrorists who had been fighting the government and AU peacekeepers since 2007.

The reshuffle comes as tensions between Somalia’s federal government and several regional states escalate over an election timetable dispute.

This week, Jubaland announced it had severed ties with the federal government, becoming the second state to do so, following Puntland’s decision in August.

Despite opposition from two regional states and former presidents, the Somali presidency recently announced an agreement to hold direct elections in 2025, the first in 56 years, with votes for parliament members and state presidents planned for September of that year.

Source Hiiraan Online