Somalia Elects New President, Piracy Attacks Continue
Somalia’s transitional parliament elected moderate Islamist leader Shaikh Sharif Ahmad as the war-torn country’s new president on 31 January, as part of a UN-brokered plan to try and form a unity government. Shaikh Sharif succeeds the deeply unpopular 'Abd Allahi Yusuf, who resigned last month. A former school teacher who was elected chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) and stood up to Somalia’s powerful warlords, Mr Ahmad’s election offers a rare cause for hope in a country that has been without effective government since 1991. But he faces formidable challenges, including opposition from hardline Islamic factions in Somalia such as the influential insurgency group Al-Shabab, a severe humanitarian situation and the chronic piracy problem that has plagued ships passing through the Gulf of Aden.
Following his election, Mr Ahmad promised to treat neighboring countries with respect and appealed for international help in restoring peace to Somalia. He also traveled to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to attend the African Union summit being held there, in a trip that contained some symbolism. The UIC temporarily brought stability to Somalia when it came to power in 2006, but was overthrown that same year by the Ethiopian army, with the support of Washington. Among those he met in Addis Ababa was Sudan’s President 'Umar al-Bashir, who pledged his support for the new Somali government.
The ongoing instability in Somalia has had serious consequences for the entire Horn of Africa region, with the piracy problem in particular catching the eye of the international community. Two days before the election of Somalia’s new president, the German LPG tanker MT Longchamp was seized in the Gulf of Aden and is being held off the coast of Somalia, along with more than 10 other hijacked vessels. The 4,316 dwt German ship, which is operated by Hamburg-based Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, was thought to be traveling from Europe to the Far East. The fully-laden Saudi VLCC that was captured by Somali pirates on 15 November 2008 was released on 9 January after an alleged $3mn ransom was paid.
Copyright MEES 2009.
