Somalia

POU41 2020 | 14 Somalia sets election dates

[…] The presidential election will now take place on February 8, 2021, preceded by parliamentary elections that will be held from December 1 to December 27 this year.

Political newcomer Mohamed Hussein Roble became Somalia's prime minister Wednesday after getting unanimous approval from lawmakers. 

In the past week alone, Somalia has been the scene of over a dozen deadly terror attacks by al-Shabab. The Islamist militant group is seen to be bent on thwarting the forthcoming elections in the Horn of Africa country.

Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre announced on Saturday that he will run for the presidency in the next year's election.

The Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) for another year, till Aug. 31, 2021.

With elections slated for November delayed due to COVID-19, Somalia is at a critical juncture, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council on Thursday, pressing federal and state leaders to agree on voting modalities, and bolster the capacity of forces which are meant to assume full control of national security, next year.

The town of Kuntuwaarey, in the southwest of Somalia, located 208 kilometers from the capital, Mogadishu, has for many years been a strategic stronghold for al-Shabab.

A huge blast rocked a military base in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu near a stadium on Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring 14, emergency workers said, and the militant group al Shabaab claimed responsiblity.

The international community has expressed concern over the removal of former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in a no-confidence vote. Somalia's fragile government controls only a portion of the country.