A corruption-plagued election in Somalia gives rise to a moment of political hope, while the development community mourns a man who fought back against the “post-fact era.” This week in development news.
Kenya’s high court ruled Thursday that the government cannot close the Dadaab refugee camp, because doing so would be unconstitutional and discriminatory. In May 2016 Kenya's internal security minister ordered that the Dadaab camp, which houses more than 200,000 refugees from neighboring Somalia, be shut down. Some Kenyan officials complained that Dadaab has become a staging ground for al-Shabab terrorist attacks. International pressure delayed Dadaab’s closure and the forced relocation of its residents, and now the court’s decision has rendered the government order “null and void,” according to the judge’s ruling. Amnesty International called it “a historic day for more than a quarter of a million refugees who were at risk of being forcefully returned to Somalia.” In his ruling, the judge argued that the Kenyan government had not done enough to show that refugees returned to Somalia would not face persecution there.
Meanwhile in Somalia, 329 members of Parliament — chosen to represent the country’s various regions and clans — have elected a new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a dual U.S.-Somali citizen and former prime minister. The election — held in a hangar at Mogadishu airport because of security concerns — was propped up by Western donors, delayed for a year, subject to massive corruption, and ultimately saw the incumbent president unseated by a surprise candidate and popular favorite. Investigators estimated that roughly $20 million changed hands as electors, candidates and supporters bought and sold votes in the lead up to Wednesday’s election, including some reports of votes selling for up to $30,000 each. The new president will likely face an immediate test as Somalia lurches toward a long-feared famine, brought on by drought, humanitarian access challenges and rising food prices.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.