Former Somalia President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has declared that he will once again offer himself for the country’s top seat. Sheikh Sharif served as the Head of State in 2009-11. He said the inability of the currentleadership to restore peace and security in the Horn of Africa country has compelled him to make a come-back to politics.
Speaking during an interview with The Standard, the ex-President said during his tenure he successfully waged a war against Al Shabaab militants, noting that after he left office, the members of the extremist group made a resurgence: “When I was the President, we managed to restore security in Somalia. We brought back peace and the country was united.” Sheikh Sharif spoke a week after the 14 Riverside Drive terror attack, explaining that if he is elected to office, he will lobby the international community to strengthen the capacity of his country’s security forces.
Members of the militia still control large parts of rural Southern and Central Somalia. The group which claimed responsibility for the January 15 attack in Nairobi has in the past carried out high-profile attacks in Somalia’s Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country. Next year, the Horn of Africa nation will conduct historic general elections. This will be the first time the country will hold a one-person-one-vote poll since the country experienced a military coup in 1969.
The country’s geo-strategic importance and instability contribute to the high stakes of the upcoming elections. Sharif revealed that he has already formed a political party on whose ticket he will use to make a second stab for the top seat. The party, Himilo Qaran (National Vision), was unveiled two months ago. “I confirm that I will be the presidential flag bearer of Himilo Qaran in the 2020 elections. I feel the current leadership has given the Somali people a raw deal. I want to unite Somalia and make it stronger,” he said.
