Somalia has been urged to hold elections as soon as possible. AP
Somalia has been urged to hold elections as soon as possible. AP
Somalia has been urged to hold elections as soon as possible. AP
Somalia has been urged to hold elections as soon as possible. AP

Somalia’s Farmajo must break election deadlock, says US


James Reinl
  • English
  • Arabic

The US on Monday urged Somalia’s president and his political rivals to break a deadlock and hold elections before the country is engulfed by worsening violence from an extremist insurgency.

At UN Security Council talks, US envoy Richard Mills called for a swift resolution to the political crisis surrounding President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, whose term expired this month.

Somalia’s parliament was set to choose a new president on February 8, but voting was delayed because new members of the legislature had yet to be chosen. Opponents of Mr Mohamed, who seeks a second term, say he packed decision-making bodies with loyalists.

“We call on President Farmajo and Somalia’s federal member state leaders to act swiftly to resolve the political impasse that threatens Somalia’s future and to find an agreement to allow the conduct of parliamentary and presidential elections immediately,” Mr Mills said.

The US envoy’s comments were among the first on Somalia from the month-old administration of President Joe Biden, but did not indicate whether Washington would pursue the previous Trump administration’s bid to withdraw US forces from the nation.

The deadlocked political transition has stoked tension in Somalia, which has been ravaged by decades of civil war and drought and which still battles an insurgency by Al Shabab, an extremist group that frequently stages attacks in the capital Mogadishu and elsewhere.

Officials in two of Somalia’s semi-autonomous regions – Jubbaland and Puntland – expressed concern over the expiration of Mr Mohamed’s term and suggested he should be barred from the process.

Government forces and supporters of opposition figures exchanged gunfire in Mogadishu on Friday at a protest against the stalled vote. Rival presidential candidates have called for more rallies until a new leader is selected.

Mr Mills urged Somalia’s feuding factions to “endorse the recommendations” of a committee that last week proposed technical solutions to the crisis and also ensure that women played a bigger role in Somalian politics.

“Let me be clear: partial parallel or alternative election processes, including prolonged interim governing arrangements, will only further increase prospects for instability and be a major setback for Somalia,” he said.

Somalia had planned to hold elections to pick a president and representatives in what would have been the country’s first direct vote since a civil war erupted in 1991 and toppled the long-standing dictator Siad Barre.

But planning for a general election was marred by delays when the country faced a spike in Al Shabab raids, and the process was switched instead to an indirect vote in which representatives are selected by a group of elders and others.

“Growing political tensions threaten Somalia’s state-building progress and even security unless they are resolved through dialogue and compromise in the interest of the country,” James Swan, the UN peace envoy to Somalia, said.

“Unfortunately, instead we are seeing increased brinkmanship, pressure tactics and tests of strength that can only heighten risks.”

Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

Challenge Cup result:

1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults

'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

Leaderboard

63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)

64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)

66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)

67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)

68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)

69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

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HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?

Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.

They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen 

They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.

The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.

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Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

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On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Brief scores:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

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LA LIGA FIXTURES

Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)

Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

While you're here
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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