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Somalia PM bares fangs, orders AU Envoy out of country

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The Prime Minister of Somalia, Mohamed Hussein Roble, has given the African Union Chair’s Special Envoy for the country, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, 48 hours to leave the country after declaring him a persona non grata.

Roble who took the hard stance in a statement on Thursday, accused Madeira of “engaging in acts that are incompatible with his status,” and also requested that the AU Commission recall Madeira and “comply with this request.”

The move to expel Madeira came just days after the U.N. Security Council authorized a new AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to operate in the country until the end of 2024. ATMIS replaces the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

But the move by Roble could lead to another round of dispute between him and President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who rejected the expulsion of Madeira.

African Union Chair’s Special Envoy for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira

African Union Chair’s Special Envoy for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira

In a counter statement, the President said that he had not authorized any action against Madeira, adding that he had not received any reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madeira committing acts against the sovereignty of the country.

The President’s statement insinuated that the decision to expel Madeira was issued by an office that didn’t have sole responsibility for making such a crucial decision.

The Mozambique-born Madeira, who was appointed to the office in October 2015, is not the first foreign diplomat to be expelled from Somalia as his deputy, Simon Mulongo, was expelled in November 2021.

In January 2019, the Somalian government had declared former United Nations Envoy to the country, Nicholas Haysom, a persona non grata for “violating protocols” and interfering in Somalia’s affairs and subsequently expelled.

Haysom’s expulsion came after he had asked the government whether UN-supported forces were involved in the shooting of demonstrators in Baidoa in December 2018.

Politics

Opposition party wins majority seats in Guinea Bissau’s parliament

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After a thirteen months break in Guinea-Bissau’s parliament, the opposition coalition has won majority seats after the legislative elections held on Sunday.

Over 20 political parties and coalitions, including the former ruling PAIGC party and its rival MADEM G15, presented candidates for various constituencies across the country.

According to official results, the PAI Terra Ranka coalition, led by the former ruling PAIGC party, won 54 of 102 seats in Sunday’s poll, while the ruling Madem G15, won 28 seats.

The development alters the planned constitutional reforms of President Embalo which would have allowed him to consolidate power by ridding the country of its semi-presidential system.

Under the current political system, the majority party or coalition appoints the government but the president has the authority to dismiss it in certain circumstances, a situation that has led to political gridlock and infighting in the past.

The political stability of the country has been consistently threatened by military incursions with successful and failed coup attempts. The latest was in February 2022 when gunmen stormed a government compound where President Embalo was holding a cabinet meeting, in an attempt to stage a coup.

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Algeria, Sierra Leone get non-permanent seat at UN Security Council

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Algeria and Sierra Leone, have been elected as non-permanent members of the the United Nations’ Security Council for 2024-2025.

The two countries are part of the ten countries elected for two years in the Council outside the five power bloc countries— the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom.

The countries replace Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates and will join Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland who were elected last year.

For Sierra Leone, it’s a return to the council after 53 years. Its Foreign Minister, David Francis said it was “a great day for this small, progressive and confident country…which has successfully transitioned from war to peace.”

Guyana and South Korea were also elected unchallenged while Slovenia handily beat Belarus for the only contested seat.

An official of rights agency, Human Rights Watch, Louis Charbonneau remarked that “the vote in the General Assembly shows why a competition for UN elections is essential” after Slovenia edged Belarus for the seat going to Eastern Europe and obtained 153 votes, against 38 in Belarus.

“UN member states have undoubtedly decided that Belarus’ grave human rights violations at home and attempts to cover up Russian atrocities in Ukraine disqualify it from serving on the Security Council, a crucial body for ensuring human rights. humans,” he added.

Algeria got 184 votes, South Korea 180 votes, Sierra Leone 188 votes and Guyana 191 in a single candidate votes for four seat reserved for Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean.

There has been a long debate about the place of Africa in international relations. At the inception of the United Nations, only four independent African countries represented the continent when 50 representatives of different countries met in San Francisco, California, in 1945 to complete the Charter of the United Nations.

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