This document provides a weekly overview of developments in the Mediterranean Basin and other regions of interest from 22 - 28 February 2012, with hyper-links to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For more information on the topics below or other issues pertaining to the region, please contact the members of the 21/fed Basin Team, or visit our website at www.cimicwebort.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

In Focus
Horn of Africa
North Africa
Northeast Africa
Syria

In Focus: The London Conference-Hope for a New Era in Somali Politics

By Britta Rinehard

The London Conference on Somalia, which convened on 23 February 2012, brought together the largest and, according to British Prime Minister David Cameron, the “most influential gathering” of stakeholders to discuss the future of Somalia, including 55 delegations from 40 countries across Africa, the Middle East and the West. The Conference communique acknowledged the role of the international community as a facilitator in Somalia’s progress and development with the inclusion of the Somali people in the process. The conference focused on seven topics discussed in depth below:

1. Political Process

While speaking at the conference, Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, called the crisis in Somalia a “political crisis and can only be resolved by political means.” As such, conference participants affirmed that there will be no further extension of the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), whose mandate will expire in August 2012, and invited movement towards a more representative government through agreements such as the Transitional Federal Charter, Djibouti Agreement, Kampala Accord, and Transitional Roadmap. Participants endorsed the convening of a Constituent Assembly representative of the views of Somali people in all regions and constituencies and emphasised the urgency of tackling corruption and improving transparency and accountability in the collection and use of public revenues.