You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Africa Horn
Somali fighting kills 24, chaos in parliament
2010-05-17
There's new news here, honest ...
MOGADISHU - Heavy shelling pounded Somalia's capital on Sunday, killing at least 24 people and wounding dozens, as parliament's speaker said lawmakers had passed a vote of no confidence in government.

Speaker Sheikh Aden Madobe said he had called on the country's president to form a new government. A member of the parliament secretariat who did not want to be identified confirmed the vote's outcome.

"280 voted against the government, 30 in favour and eight remained silent. Therefore we will request President Sheikh Sharif to form a government urgently," Madobe told Reuters by telephone.

But events remained unclear, as some parliamentarians contradicted the speaker and said the vote never took place, and they would in fact be voting shortly on Madobe's own position.

"We did not give him the opportunity to hold the vote of no confidence. Every MP was shouting at him, telling him 'you are not the speaker'," lawmaker Sheikh Ahmed Yusuf told Reuters.

Some analysts said the no confidence vote, if real, was unlikely to be taken seriously by President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed whose administration is fighting a war against Islamic militants and exerts very little central power.
A powerless parliament demands that the powerless president form a new, powerless government.
Ouch.
Parliamentary business has been paralysed this year, with many legislators living in Kenya, Europe and America because of security fears. The chamber has also been split by a bitter feud over the term of the chamber's speaker and his competence.

Some experts said any vote of no confidence vote could be a ploy by Madobe and his backers to help him cling to his position. The speaker is among the most powerful political figures in a country plagued by violence for nearly two decades.

"I think that figure is cooked," said Rashid Abdi, Somalia Analyst the International Crisis Group. "I think you could expect a statement from Sharif saying he doesn't recognise the validity of that vote and the government continues."

Parliament met for the first time since December as al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab fighters fired mortars at the parliament building, triggering a return of shellfire from African Union peacekeepers. A rights group put the death toll from the fighting at 24 people as heavy exchanges of mortar-fire continued after the legislators meeting ended.
Posted by:Steve White

#2  The more important point is that the islamist govt is losing to the more islamist group al-Shabaab (the youth).

FWIW, the full name of the group that attacked is Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen (Movement of the youth warriors)
Posted by: lord garth   2010-05-17 08:26  

#1  This is appar a NEW ATTACK by AL-SHABAAB agz the new Parliament Building.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2010-05-17 00:18  

00:00