POLITICS-SOMALIA: Women Hopeful for New Gov’t, Despite Setback

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Joyce Mulama

NAIROBI, Jun 19 2003 (IPS) - Somali women have been longing for a government that will guarantee them security and a sense of belonging.

But their hopes were thwarted this week, when it emerged that Somali peace negotiators in neighbouring Kenya have failed to reach a consensus on a new government.

They also failed to agree on the number of legislators for a new parliament. Some are asking for 250, while others are demanding 450 members.

Some Somalis attending the talks had expected to return home to start a new life, soon after the formation of the new government.

The eight-month negotiations are between leaders of over 20 factions, which have been fighting in a country that has had no peace since President Mohammed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

Somali women are optimistic that a solution will be found soon. "We are sure that these peace talks will bear fruit and we will have a government soon. It can be weeks, but we shall reach there," says Fatuma Abdullahi Mohamud, head of the women delegation to the talks.

She says women have played a leading role in reconciliation in the Horn of African country, even before the current peace talks kicked off in Kenya last year. "Women are ready for reconciliation," she says.

During the talks, women had demanded 25 percent representation in all decision-making positions in Somalia, but their demand has been watered down.

"We have been granted only 12 percent; we are still lobbying," says Mohamud, adding that women’s "main priority now is peace."

Mediator Bethuel Kiplagat of Kenya says, though a government for a new Somalia was not announced on Jun. 18 as expected, an agreement will be reached soon.

"It was unanimously agreed that faction leaders, in consultation with traditional leaders, will do the selection of MPs (members of parliament)," he explains. A new parliament is a prerequisite for a new government in Somalia.

"The current dreadlock does not mean that the conference has ended. It is still on, and consultations will be in place to resolve this issue," says Kiplagat.

The fact that 31 candidates have expressed interest in running for presidency is, say political commentators, a show of faith in the Somali peace process.

In March, thousands of Somali women took to the streets of the capital, Mogadishu, calling on the country’s faction leaders to stick to commitments made under a peace accord signed last year.

Marking International Women’s Day, the women – representing more than 20 organisations – urged Somali leaders to ensure women had a role in any future administration.

The talks at Mbagathi, Kenya, have settled the issue of power sharing, where a president will be elected once a parliament is in place. The president will then appoint a prime minister. Announcement of a cabinet will be made, and passed on to parliament for approval.

"We are expecting an all-inclusive government, which we are hopeful will emerge in the next few weeks," says Aswad Ahmed Ashara, leader of Puntland delegation from the north.

There are 366 delegates and observers to the talks, among them civil society, politicians, military officers, clan and religious leaders. Also present are IGAD partners from the United States, European Union, Egypt, Yemen, the Arab League and U.N. agencies.

The talks opened in Kenya last Oct., during which warring factions reached a truce on a ceasefire and pledged to create a federal constitution.

Somalia, with a population of 9.7 million, is the only country in the world without a central government. It plunged into anarchy after the collapse of the regime of Siad Barre, as powerful clan leaders, pressurised by famine and political turmoil, launched military campaigns to capture more territories.

More than 300,000 people, mostly non-combatants, died from famine-related diseases between 1991 and 1992, according to aid agencies, monitoring the talks.

The talks are being held under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which comprises Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia.

In a report on Jun. 17, U.N. Sec-Gen Kofi Annan stressed that the future of the reconciliation process rest largely in Somali hands.

"The final results will be only as good as the substantive agreement reached by the Somalis themselves on the structures of future governance and their commitment to abide by the obligations they have accepted," he said.