Friday, January 29, 2010
The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia today celebrated its first anniversary as a government of national unity in Mogadishu.
The three hour-long celebrations, attended by the President, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, together with the Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Speaker of the Parliament, Sheikh Adam Mohammed Nur, and senior ministers and members of parliament, included poetry readings, songs and traditional Somali dance and a series of comic sketches performed by the famous Waberi band.
The President highlighted the achievements of the transitional federal institutions, noting the great strides made in re-establishing the Somali security forces, the success in attracting the overwhelming support of the international community and the continued advances in institution-building.
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| The President Of Somalia-Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and the Deputy Prime Minister Abdirahman Ibbi |
“The past year we have been very busy building the foundations of the Somali state,” said the president. “This year, our plans are to be as self-sufficient as we can and to start providing essential services to our people such as education, health and rehabilitating the infrastructure.”
During the ceremony Al Shabab terrorists fired two mortars into the general area of the theatre where the celebrations were taking place, killing one Somali civilian and one Ugandan AMISOM peacekeeper and wounding another.
Despite the attack, the ceremony continued as planned, with both participants and the audience undaunted. The president immediately condemned the attack which he said highlighted the complete moral bankruptcy of Al Shabab.
“Our thoughts are first of all with the families of those who lost their lives today. This is a classic example of what Al Shabab represents and offers to the Somali people: absolutely nothing beyond murder and repression. This is why more and more people are turning away from these thugs and supporting our government in our efforts to restore law and order and national unity to Somalia. On this, the first anniversary of a new government and a new beginning for the country, I call upon all Somalis to join us on the path towards peace.”
The president also conferred the country’s highest honour on four ministers, two MPs and two senior military officers, all of whom were killed in the line of duty in the past 12 months.
The President thanked AMISOM troop-contributing countries for their sacrifice and he called on the international community to make good on their commitments to Somalia.
Communications Department
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