After over a year of numerous delays, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud won the polls on 15 May.
He will be seeking a more balanced relationship with neighbouring Ethiopia and the reestablishment of Somalia’s reputation as a country back on the road to recovery, both politically and economically.
President Hassan Sheikh’s two major challenges are internal: the fight against Al Shabaab militants and reconciling with the breakaway northern region of Somaliland, says Ambassador Ahmed Isse Awad, a former foreign minister of Somalia. “Unless he provides a permanent solution, the problem [will] remain.”
Solving these problems will require renewing relations with Ethiopia. Addis Ababa invaded Somalia in 2006 and again in 2010 to fight Al-Shabaab militants. It has also been attempting to broker a port deal with Somaliland to diversify its current dependence on Djibouti for access to the sea.
Towards a new
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