Saturday 2-Nov 2024 {HMC}  Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to holding universal suffrage elections by 2026 despite opposition from two regional state leaders and prominent politicians.

Speaking in Mogadishu on Thursday, President Mohamud highlighted the need for Somalia to transition to direct elections, marking a shift from the longstanding practice of indirect elections.

“No one understands indirect elections better than me. I’ve been elected as both a member of parliament and president twice through indirect elections. We’ve been holding these types of elections for 24 years, but we’re moving forward—we won’t go back,” said President Mohamud.

The National Consultative Council (NCC) agreement endorsed Wednesday by President Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Mogadishu mayor and three regional leaders, established a roadmap for elections, with local, regional, and municipal elections set for June 2025 and parliamentary and presidential elections in September 2025. The NCC also called for creating a National Independent Electoral Commission to oversee the electoral process.

Despite recent electoral reforms, including a bill passed in March to reintroduce universal suffrage, prominent figures remain critical. Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubbaland’s Ahmed Madobe have voiced public opposition to the NCC’s timeline.

Former Presidents Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo have also disapproved of the NCC’s decisions, citing concerns over election timelines and governance.

Source Hiiraan Online

Saturday 2-Nov 2024 {HMC} As the dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia over sea access escalates, Ethiopia’s prime minister on Thursday said his country was seeking access to the Red Sea “through peaceful means.”

Speaking at the parliament where he was questioned by lawmakers, Abiy Ahmed said Ethiopia has a “clear stance” on the issue.

“Let the world hear today, Ethiopia maintains a clear national interest — it needs Red Sea access through peaceful means,” he said.

“If we do not succeed, our children will,” Abiy added.

Somalia and Ethiopia have been involved in a heated diplomatic dispute since Addis Ababa in January signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the self-proclaimed independent republic of Somaliland, a move Somalia sees as infringing on its sovereignty.

Ethiopia and Somaliland defended the MOU which, if implemented, would give Somaliland recognition from landlocked Ethiopia in return for the leasing of about 20 kilometers of seafront, according to Somaliland officials.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said Somalia faced a “serious threat” from Ethiopia for signing a sea access deal with Somaliland.

Barre said Somali ports have always been accessible for Ethiopia’s legitimate commercial activities but alleged that Ethiopia has other motives.

“Ethiopia’s attempts to annex parts of Somalia under the guise of securing sea access are both unlawful and unnecessary,” Barre said.

Barre warned that Ethiopia’s approach and deal with Somaliland could “embolden secessionist movements.”

Abiy on Thursday denied any interest in annexation.

“When we signed the MOU with Somaliland, we requested a 99-year lease, but they didn’t agree, and we signed a 50-year lease agreement,” he said.

“How can a 50-year lease be an annexation?” Abiy asked.

Abiy told MPs that Ethiopia did not have any agenda in Somalia other than access to the sea.

“Ethiopia is a country which has the second-largest Somali population in the world next to Somalia. They are our brothers,” he said.

Ethiopia has several thousand troops in Somalia helping its government in its struggle against Islamist extremists.

Somalia on Tuesday expelled an Ethiopian diplomat, accusing him of engaging in “activities incompatible with his diplomatic role.”

Somalia did not specify the actions allegedly committed by Ali Mohamed Adan, a counselor at Ethiopia’s embassy in Mogadishu, but said in a statement that they “constitute a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

Abiy did not comment on the expulsion of the diplomat during the session at Parliament.

This story originated in VOA’s Horn of Africa service.

Saturday 2-Nov 2024 {HMC}  Israeli police say at least 19 people have been injured by a missile strike in the city of Tira, some 25 kilometers northeast of Tel Aviv, after the military reported three projectiles were fired from Lebanon into central Israel early Saturday.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted videos on social media showing fire and smoke spilling from a building and emergency responders at the site.

“This is the result of a direct hit of a Hezbollah rocket on a building in the Israeli Arab town of Tira, injuring 19 civilians,” the ministry said in the post, adding Israel will not rest until Hezbollah is dismantled.

The Israeli army said on the social media platform Telegram that it had intercepted some of the projectiles.

Israel airstrikes pounded Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley early Friday, killing at least 52 people, wounding 72 others and sending families fleeing from their homes. Video from the scene showed some buildings in rubble as smoke rose above the skyline.

Israeli warplanes also destroyed dozens of buildings Friday in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, but there were no reports of causalities.

Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, reported that seven people were killed in northern Israel by cross-border rocket attacks from Hezbollah.

In statement posted to its X social media account, the IDF said during the night Thursday into Friday, its fighter jets “attacked with precise intelligence” sites for weapons production, as well as what it said were Hezbollah central headquarters and other “military infrastructures” in the Beirut area.

The IDF said its fighter jets also attacked overnight what it described as Hezbollah’s “southern front” headquarters throughout Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon. They said advance warnings were given to the population in the area to mitigate the risk to civilians.

Lebanon’s state National News Agency, or NNA, reported Lebanon’s acting prime minister, Najib Mikati, said Friday the overnight strikes and the “expansion of Israeli aggression” in Lebanon show that Israel “rejects all efforts” to reach a cease-fire. Earlier this week he had expressed hope for the possibility of such an agreement.

In Gaza, doctors and local sources reported more than 30 people killed in Israeli strikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza overnight Thursday into Friday. Officials at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah told The Washington Post that 26 bodies arrived at the hospital, including 21 from Nuseirat refugee camp.

SOURCE VOA NEWS

Saturday 2-Nov 2024 {HMC} Somalia’s non-resident ambassador to Azerbaijan, Fathudin Ali Mohamed, has confirmed that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will attend the upcoming COP29 Climate Conference and meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The UN Climate Conference is scheduled to run from November 11 to 22, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Ambassador Fathudin, who also serves as Somalia’s ambassador to Turkey, announced while presenting his credentials to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday.

“The President of Somalia will participate in COP29,” said Ambassador Fathudin, recently appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

The ambassador highlighted that the anticipated meeting between Presidents Mohamud and Aliyev during COP29 would further enhance the relationship between Somalia and Azerbaijan, fostering deeper bilateral cooperation.

President Aliyev and Ambassador Fathudin emphasized the value of high-level diplomatic engagement and praised the collaboration between Somalia and Azerbaijan in international organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Source Hiiraan Online