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The second NCF Panel discussion was held at the Holiday Inn on April 5th 2008 with a number of prominent Somalis from the Somali civil society. The topic: The UN-led Peace Initiative: Contributions and the Way Forward was timely and interesting. It came at a time the United Nations (UN) was quietly working on a shuttle diplomacy between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS). The day began with introductions and opening remarks on NCF and its objectives (For more information, see the report of the first Panel discussion, March 22, 2008) with emphasis on the need to brain-storm and see if there can be some useful inputs for Ould Abdalla to bring with him during the negotiations. It was also interesting that the UN methodology was new: nobody or very few people knew about what he was doing and this helped actors to talk to the UN more comfortably. After a brief update on political and other developments in Somalia, the participants held group work discussions looking and analysing three main questions and presented their findings. The day was very interactive with a good environment. Women participation was also almost 50% unlike in the past panel.
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Silver Spring Hotel, Nairobi Kenya, May 30th 2009
With threats against the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi in its alleged biased interest in a coastal waters dispute between Kenya and Somalia to the developments beyond the Somalia border, many developments have happened in Somalia of late. Abdullahi Yusuf left office in late 2008, a new government of national unity was put together, and security has become an issue. There is also a new government in ‘Puntland,’ upcoming elections in ‘Somaliland’ are critical, the issue of piracy off the Somali coast and more importantly on the ‘Puntland’ corridor has been overestimated stealing the show and international attention from the more needed peace reconciliation processes at the national level, and Alshabab has become a thorn in the Somali flesh. Humanitarian assistance, both access and delivery but also security, are of regional impact with cyclical droughts and floods not helping out while the country is also partially affected by the global economic recession. Most of these issues if not all of them have become challenges to peace in Somalia and to stability and development to the Horn of Africa region.
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February 2010, Nairobi Kenya
Since the break out of the Somali civil war in early 1991, various peace agreements that served as ‘Charters’ or ‘Constitutions’ have been drafted outside Somalia. The northern regions, ‘Somaliland’ and ‘Puntland,’ have also drafted and passed their own constitutions - drafted inside the country.
Out of these, the current constitution-making process has been the most recent; drawing its mandate from the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) agreed upon by the Somali participants at Mbagathi in September 2003.
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May 2010, Nairobi Kenya
Somalia is poised to earn the dubious distinction of sustaining the longest civil war in the continent if no solution is found soon to the on-going strife in the country. The Transitional Federal Government – in power since January 2009 following the successful election of Sheikh Sharif at the conclusion of a UN backed Peace Process and elections in Djibouti -seems to be fighting for its life both militarily and politically. An armed onslaught launched by two insurgent groups – Al-Shabaab and Hizbul-Islam – continue to ‘eat away’ at the territorial and moral Authority of the Government.