Somaliland: Ministry of Information, Culture and National Guidance – Office of the Minister – Press Release (07.03.2020)

Sudan: African Union Peace and Secuirty Council 913th Meeting – Communique (03.03.2020)

Somalia: UN – Statement – Humanitarian Coordinator Urges Protection of Civilians as Clashes Displace an Estimated 56,00 People in Jubalaland State, Somalia (03.03.2020)

Somalia: Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism – Press Release (02.03.2020)

Kenya: Ministry of Foreign Affairs addresses allegations made by Somalia (01.03.2020)

Communique of the Sectoral Ministerial Meeting on the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons in the IGAD Region, 26th February 2020, Khartoum, Republic of Sudan (26.02.2020)

African Union: Communique of the 911th meeting of the PSC, held on 24 February, 2020, on the upcoming elections in Somalia and the future of the AMISOM (24.02.2020)

Somalia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – Press release about Kenya’s Interference in Somali Internal affairs (27.02.2020)

Somalia: Following enactment of federal electoral law, Somalia’s international partners urge all Somali stakeholders to work together to hold elections on time (25.02.2020)

Mogadishu – Somalia’s federal electoral law has now been approved by the House of the People and was signed into law by the President on 20 February.  This law is part of the essential electoral legislative framework required so one-person-one-vote national elections that allow as many citizens as possible to vote can take place on time.

While this is an important step, more work needs to be done to address many outstanding questions necessary to implement the code. Somalia’s international partners* recognize the responsibility accorded to the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) to implement the electoral law and stress the urgency of all Somali stakeholders – including the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Member States, the Federal Parliament, and political parties – to cooperate with and support the NIEC as it embarks on the task of implementing the electoral law.

The partners recall their many discussions with the Speakers of both Houses of the Federal Parliament, as well as the NIEC, the President and the Prime Minister, during which they drew their attention to aspects of the law that need to be clarified.  These include the identification of constituencies and allocation of seats to the constituencies, identifying which seats in Parliament will be reserved for women to ensure a minimum 30 per cent representation, modalities for electing the seats allocated for Somalilanders, and the representation of residents of theBenadir region in the Parliament.  The partners call on the Federal Parliament, in collaboration with the NIEC, and in consultation with the Federal Government of Somalia, the Federal Member States and other stakeholders, to resolve these urgently.

The partners also consider the Political Parties Law as part of the essential legal framework required to enable elections to take place on time.  They therefore emphasize the importance of prioritizing consideration and adoption of the amendments to this law by the Federal Parliament.

The partners emphasize that the holding of credible elections for the Federal Parliament and the Federal President on time, in keeping with the Provisional Federal Constitution, is critical for Somalia’s political stability.

The partners emphasize the urgency of full cooperation between the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States in order to achieve these and other national priorities.

* African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Belgium, Denmark, European Union, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Italy, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United Nations and United States.

Sudan: Fresh protests escalates as the TMC promotes itself, while revolutionary officers get dismissed!

In Khartoum today, the people again went to the streets to demonstrate. Because, the Sovereign Council has decided to retire the army officials who was in support of the revolution last year. The Transitional Military Council (TMC), the armed wing of the transitional government have decided to purge the army and also elevate itself. This causes outrage, as this is yet another soft takeover and not a promising step towards a civilian government, which was the whole idea behind the revolution in the first place.

Today, the authorities have used live bullets, violence and massive amount tear-gas to rid of the new surge of revolutionaries in the streets. Also, injuries are being made to the civilians and again random arrests of the ones protesting. Surely, this is back ot the old days.

The news that sparked this:

In a statement released on Tuesday, the army spokesman Amer Mohamed al-Hassan said the retirees’ list has been done with high professionalism” His statement was published after the circulation in the social media of three separate lists seen by Sudan Tribune with “top secret” including 15 sub lieutenants, 29 lieutenant commanders and 35 colonels. Among the 15 sub-lieutenants appears the name of Mohamed Siddiq Ibrahim Ahmed, who was the first military officer to join the protesters outside the army headquarter during the first week of April before al-Bashir’s ouster” (Sudan Tribune – ‘Sudanese army retires junior-rank officers’ 18.02.2020).

While that has happen. The Transitional Military Council (TMC) of the Sovereign Council has promoted themselves. On the 19th February 2020, this was reported:

Former head of General Intelligence Agency (GIS) Abubaker Damblad has been promoted to Lieutenant General.

Member of the Sovereignty Council, Yassir Al-Atta has been promoted to Lieutenant General.

Member of the Sovereignty Council, Shams El-Deen Al-Kabashi has been promoted to Lieutenant General.

Head of the General Intelligence Agency (GIS) Jamal Abdelmajeed has been promoted to Lieutenant General.

Head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdulfatah Al-Burhan has been promoted to Marshal.

This is surely again a sign of troubling time ahead. As the TMC wing of the Sovereign Council have been working to consolidate power. They wouldn’t have done that this way, if they didn’t believe they could sustain it now. The agreement of the trial period of three years would give the TMC time to change and also get more power by softly making decisions. Which they have now done by getting rid of the ones who supported the revolution. While promoting the ones whose loyal to the new leadership and who will follow Al-Burhan. That is the message of the acts made.

This is why people are going into the streets, as the revolution wasn’t made for the army and their ranks, but for the public and their will for a civilian government. Seems like the TMC forgot that piece of information or neglected it. Because, power is enticing and rewarding. Peace.