Somalia's former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Returns to Power

MAY 15 2022·Updated JAN 2 2023

Story

Image credit: AFP [via France 24]

The Facts

On Sun., Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected as Somalia's president, defeating incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in a tightly security controlled parliamentary election. He was immediately sworn in following the win.
Reuters
Mohamud, who previously served as president from 2012 to 2017, was elected by the country's 328 legislators in a third round of voting. The election was delayed for more than a year due to political disputes and a deteriorating security situation.
Al Jazeera
Somalia uses an 'indirect election' process in which legislators, who elect the president by secret ballot, are themselves elected by delegates chosen by the country's clans. Mohamud's win marks the sixth indirect election held in Somalia.
DW
The leader of the Union for Peace and Development party is Somalia's first president to win a second term. The presidency of the former civic activist and educator faces a resurgent threat from the militant group al-Shabaab.
The National News
Earlier this month, Burundi claimed that 10 of its AU peacekeepers were killed in an attack by the Islamist militant group. In March, twin suicide bombings in central Somalia reportedly killed 48 people, including two MPs.
Modern Ghana
In mid-April, the WFP warned that Somalia faces risk of severe famine due to a devastating drought across the Horn of Africa and rising food and fuel prices amid the war in Ukraine. About 6M people are reportedly affected by hunger in the country.
guardian

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's return to the presidency is a new glimmer of hope for Somalia. If the US government adopts a more holistic strategy in fighting terror and provides crucial assistance in combating the devastating drought, there is a reason for modest optimism.

Newsweek

Establishment-critical narrative

Regardless of who governs the country, the devastating security situation in Somalia is unlikely to change decisively as long as the West, and above all the US, continue intervening in and destabilizing the Horn of Africa. The military intervention of NATO countries, as well as the acts of Somalia's own military in allegedly fighting Islamic militants, primarily serves geopolitical interests.