 Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed appealed for unity Sunday as the transitional parliament opened its first session on home soil since relocating from exile last year.
| Somehow, when I think of Somalia, "unity" is not the first thing that pops to mind... |
Yusuf lauded the session as “historical” although powerful warlords controlling Mogadishu skipped the session owing to the tension in the capital. “This is a historical opportunity for the Somalia parliament, government and the people,” Yusuf told lawmakers gathered in Baidoa, about 250 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu. “Let us choose between serving our people or being put on the bad list of history as people who promoted confrontation among Somalis and lacked the skills to administer a modern Somalia,” he said. “Somalis are fed up with hostilities, displacement and endless violence. The people want peace, freedom and to live under the rule of law.”
| "Modern" and "Somalia" just don't seem to go together. |
Officials said the warlords chose to remain in Mogadishu, where tension runs high after clashes between allied warlords and a group known as Islamic Courts Militia claimed at least 33 lives and displaced hundreds last week. “The warlords are still overseeing the situation in Mogadishu because the ceasefire with Islamic Courts Militia is not viable enough to let them leave,” a parliamentary official told AFP. |