The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
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cess was held in Djibouti, which led <strong>to</strong> the selection <strong>of</strong> Sheikh Sharif<br />
Ahmed, a former UIC leader who had earlier opposed Ethiopian troops<br />
<strong>and</strong> external peacekeepers in Somalia, on January 31, 2009. While some<br />
Somalis considered this rift as necessary <strong>and</strong> an opportunity <strong>to</strong> take<br />
another political direction without Ethiopia’s interference, it also hampered<br />
the opportunity <strong>to</strong> move forward politically <strong>and</strong> bring Somalia with<br />
a new reconciliation process. <strong>The</strong>re is now a new leader, a new transitional<br />
government, a new parliament with more members than ever before,<br />
including former warlords who have that agreed <strong>to</strong> joint the<br />
negotiations <strong>and</strong> enter the transitional government. <strong>The</strong> number <strong>of</strong><br />
women in the current Parliament is not more than forty, including Ms.<br />
Asha Haji Elmi, so that Somali women continue <strong>to</strong> be under-represented<br />
in the current TFG <strong>and</strong> its institutions <strong>and</strong> in the state-building processes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TFG is however doing its best <strong>to</strong> establish the rule <strong>of</strong> law <strong>and</strong> build<br />
state institution, despite the lack <strong>of</strong> resources <strong>and</strong> security <strong>to</strong> operate<br />
<strong>and</strong> deliver services <strong>to</strong> its citizens. <strong>The</strong> presence <strong>of</strong> African peacekeepers<br />
from Ug<strong>and</strong>a <strong>and</strong> Burundi remains a thorny issue. Opposition<br />
groups do not support their presence in Somalia <strong>and</strong> have continued <strong>to</strong><br />
fight against the government <strong>and</strong> international peacekeeping forces. <strong>The</strong><br />
TFG continues <strong>to</strong> call for the deployment <strong>of</strong> more peacekeeping troops<br />
in Somalia in order <strong>to</strong> eradicate foreign fighters <strong>and</strong> local religious<br />
extrem ists. <strong>The</strong> clashes between these groups continue <strong>to</strong> cause death<br />
<strong>of</strong> civilians <strong>and</strong> displacement.<br />
<strong>The</strong> warring groups, particularly the warlords, have used violence against<br />
civilians, forced them out <strong>of</strong> their dwellings <strong>and</strong> making them either internally<br />
displaced people or refugees in neighbouring countries such as<br />
Kenya, Djibouti, Yemen <strong>and</strong> Ethiopia. <strong>The</strong> insecurity <strong>and</strong> the lawlessness<br />
have created a looting culture, in which those who had the deadliest fire -<br />
arms have taken the property <strong>of</strong> those who have been forced <strong>to</strong> flee.<br />
Civilians belonging <strong>to</strong> the clans targeted by the warlords <strong>and</strong> their armed<br />
militias have fled from their homes in the capital <strong>and</strong> in certain <strong>to</strong>wns<br />
<strong>and</strong> villages, <strong>and</strong> gone <strong>to</strong> zones where they could get the protection <strong>of</strong><br />
their clans. Other civilians belonging <strong>to</strong> the same clans as the warlords<br />
<strong>and</strong> armed militias have also been affected by the violence, as they had<br />
no safe zones <strong>to</strong> flee <strong>to</strong>, <strong>and</strong> have therefore remained in the capital <strong>and</strong><br />
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