NAIROBI: The mood is joyful as a group of Somali women break into song and dance to crown Asha Abdi’s decision to declare her interest in the presidency, the top job in the land.
Asha, who is a delegate at the ongoing Somalia peace talks being held in Nairobi, Kenya, says she is looking forward to uniting her country, which has been embroiled in a bloody civil war since 1991.
"Somalia is like a broken glass. I want to put the pieces together and bring unity to our nation. I have what it takes; I have support of women, youth and men alike," a confident Asha told IPS.
"Somalia needs change. We are sick and tired of male leaders who have done nothing except create wars. They have been fighting over power while people die of poverty and starvation," she said.
Since the fall of President Siad Barre’s regime in 1991, 23 factions belonging to four powerful clans have been fighting one another over territories. Pressurised by famine and political instability, they have been launching military campaigns to acquire more territories to add to their booty.
Saying they have had enough, women now appear more determined than ever to change their country’s political landscape. They are venturing into an area that has been regarded as men’s preserve for centuries.
Three women, including Asha, have registered as presidential candidates, the first time in the modern history of the Horn of African country. All in all, 53 contestants are vying for the top job in Somalia.
At the peace talks, women are demanding at least 25 percent representation in all decision-making posts, instead of the 12 percent, spelt out in the new charter. The charter, adopted on Sep.15, will be a guiding document in the formation of a central government in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
In a statement, addressed to the Special Envoy to the talks Bethuel Kiplagat, the women say, "We are proposing that 25 percent of every position in the government, which is a bare minimum, be reserved for Somali women delegates in the proposed government structure."
"Aware that historical and social factors limit Somali women’s participation in public office, we are willing to negotiate for this percentage, until we reach the level of equal opportunities and representation to facilitate our integration into public office," the statement added.
The women have also criticised the gender imbalance at the talks; of the 366 delegates, only 4.1 percent are women.
"Women form the majority of the population in my country, yet we are poorly represented," regrets Asha. Of Somalia’s 9.7 million people, 65 percent are women, according to various figures.
Women have played a key role in reconciliation processes even before the current peace talks opened in Kenya last October.
"Women have been involved in the struggle for liberation of Somalia. We have worked so hard looking after families, and preaching anti-war messages. We have experienced war-related trauma such as displacement, rape, among other ills. It is time we were recognised," head of the women delegation, Fatuma Abdullahi, told IPS recently.
Fed up of the chaos in their country, some Somali exiles are backing the women. "We have seen how men have misused power, now we will rally behind women for a change. We are sure that our country will climb to another level, if we have a woman president," remarks Hassan Haj, a Somali refugee in Nairobi.
"Women are sensitive about the needs of Somali people since they bear the burden of the war," he adds.
According to sources close to the talks, presidential elections are due in the next few days after the members of parliament have been elected by the 366 delegates.
The talks are being held under the auspices of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which comprises Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.
By Joyce Mulama -- Detail Story