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President Sheikh Sharif in Mog for coalition talks
 Oooh! New hat and everything! Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed arrived Saturday in Mogadishu--his first trip there since being elected last week--to hold talks aimed at forming a broad coalition government. "My trip to Mogadishu is aimed at having consultations with elders, politicians and Islamic resistance groups," he told reporters upon arriving in the Somali capital. The young cleric and former opposition leader was elected as Somali's new president on Jan. 31 by lawmakers gathered in Djibouti. Sheikh Sharif had travelled to Addis Ababa this week to take part in the African Union summit and then returned to Djibouti. The newly-elected leader had said he would form an inclusive government and extend a hand to armed groups still opposed to the U.N.-sponsored reconciliation effort which saw him leave his exile in Eritrea. Hawiye clan Several politicians are vying to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. According to Somalia's transitional charter, the president, the premier and the parliament speaker have to come from three different major clans.
The new president, in his mid-forties, was one of the main targets when Ethiopian troops invaded in late 2006 to remove what they saw as an extremist Islamic movement on their doorstep. But after two years of deadly guerrilla war, the Ethiopians have pulled out with little progress to speak of, more radical groups have blossomed and Sheikh Sharif is seen by many as occupying the political centre. Sheikh Sharif will face the daunting task of taming Shebab fighters, who control several key towns, and overcoming clan divisions within his future administration. Posted by: Fred 2009-02-08 |
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