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AU sends assessment team in Somalia ahead of elections

Xinhua, July 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

The African Union has dispatched a pre-election assessment mission to Somalia ahead of the elections slated for August and September, the AU mission said.

AMISOM said the four-member delegation arrived in Mogadishu late Monday to gauge elections preparedness and identify areas for further support.

"The findings of the pre-election assessment mission will guide decisions of the African Union, on the scope of the election observer mission it plans to deploy in the country during elections," it said in a statement received on Tuesday.

Olabisi Dare, the leader of the delegation said they are on a fact finding mission to assess how the Horn of Africa nation is prepared for the elections.

"We are here to actually listen to all stakeholders, including colleagues in AMISOM as well as partners, particularly the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia.," Dare said when he held talks with AMISOM officials in Mogadishu.

"We want to look at what is needed, then go back and look at how best the rest of the Commission can support the work of AMISOM, particularly with regards to the electoral process that is forthcoming," he added.

The current government was mandated to lead Somalia into general elections following the election of president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a new parliament and adoption of a new constitution in 2012.

However, militant group Al-Shabaab continues to carry out violent attacks. The group has killed several members of parliament, launched attacks on the presidential palace last year and car-bombed popular Mogadishu hotels in recent past.

Dare emphasized that African Union's support to Somalia will extend beyond the elections, to ensure the establishment of effective governance structures both at federal and regional levels.

"It is expected that once we scope the electoral landscape as it stands, we will know exactly what it needed and suffice to say that AMISOM has put in place an elaborate security system that will support the electoral process," Dare said.

"This elaborate security system gives us confidence that indeed we could physically deploy in all the seven states in the Federation of Somalia," he added.

The delegation has also met with the Somali Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Omar Arte who commended the African Union for the continued support to Somalia.

Arte told the team that the Federal Indirect Elections Implementation Team (FIEIT) is working towards finalizing the election schedule and laying down more definitive timelines for the electoral process. Endit