Thousands of slogan-shouting demonstrators have taken to the streets of Somali cities to protest the US-led war on Iraq, media reports from Mogadishu said. Somalia’s Transitional National Government (TNG) President, Abdi Kassim Salad Hassan, has condemned the war, describing it as “naked aggression” on Iraq. He said he was praying for an Iraqi victory.
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Somali women’s groups attending the ongoing peace talks in Kenya have called for women’s rights to be included in all stages of the peace process. Their call came after at the end of a three-day workshop on Friday for women delegates, which was sponsored by international aid agencies.
The women met Kenyan envoy to Somalia Bethwel Kiplagat to urge his support their cause. Somali women delegates have sought at least 25 percent representation in all new institutions, including Parliament. Kiplagat agreed to support their cause and urged them to play a meaningful role in the peace process. “I believe the problem of marginalization of women is discrimination when it comes to education. The African continent, especially Somalia, will not develop if you freeze such a great asset — women,” he said.
Meanwhile, Somali civil society groups have accused the organizers of the peace talks in Kenya of influencing inappropriate selection criteria for participants, a statement published late last week said. Those who signed the statement included the son of Somalia’s first democratically elected president, Abdul Qadir Aden Abdulle, and other prominent peace activists.
“The organization of the talks is poor and should it continue in this manner, very little could be expected to come out of them. It seems the Somali participants lack vision, common objectives, willingness and the drive necessary to achieve peace,” the statement warned, adding that the organizers are legitimizing and empowering the warlords or factional leaders.
The civil society groups have also issued a number of recommendations, including the formation of a consensus-building committee to solve the differences on critical issues and find a common ground for negotiations.
