Somalia: PM unveils his new cabinet
Djibouti 20 Feb 2009 (The Somaliland Globe) – Today, Somalia’s new Prime Minister, Mr. Omar Abdirashid Ali, named his cabinet, appointing a leader of a major Islamist group as the country’s new home minister.
He nominated Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, the president’s closest alley, as the new finance minster, with the post of the foreign minster going Mr. Mohamed Abdillahi Omaar, a newcomer.
The new home minister, Abdikadir Ali Omar, was the deputy chairman of the Islamic Courts Union that ousted warlords from Mogadishu and ran the capital before it was ousted from power by the invading Ethiopian troops in late 2006. He is based in the capital and is the leader of one of the strongest moderate Islamist militias in the country.
Of the 36 member-cabinet that the prime minster named today, many are new faces, not seen in the political arena for long. Others have been known as members of the Islamic groups.
The prime minster and the president are both young politicians compared to the predecessors– a sign many political commentators see as a positive development in the Somali politics. However, they face the difficult job of bringing peace and stability to the failed Horn of African state after 18 years of violence.
Key to their success will be if they succeed to persuade the many Islamist groups that fought Ethiopian troops to back the government, and isolate hardliners who have declared war on the new administration and are on Washington’s list of terrorist groups.
The government will also need to focus on local peace building and avoid confrontation with the neighbouring countries including Somaliland.
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