Rayale Urged To Increase Women Representation In Government

Hargeysa, Somaliland, August 26, 2006 (SL Times) – Somaliland women leaders expressed their dismay at the recent dismissal of Edna Adan Ismail from her position as Somaliland’s Foreign minister.

Ms Edna Ismail lost her job in a minor cabinet reshuffle by president Rayale earlier this month. She was replaced by Abdillahi M. Duale formerly the minister of Information.

At a meeting held last week in Hargeysa by women activists, the participants noted that instead of recruiting more women to fill positions in his government, president Rayale has actually removed one of the 2 only women in the cabinet.

Organized and hosted by the women umbrella group NAGAAD, the meeting was attended by women representatives from Somaliland’s six regions.

The participants criticized incumbent government leaders as being unsympathetic to their demands for a significant improvement in the level of participation of women in government.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the national leaders of women showed their concern over what they described as a disappointing lack of progress in the embitterment of women political rights.

“Instead of seeing more women taking part in the decision making process, we have been shocked by the dismissal of Edna Adan, one of the only two women in the cabinet” the women said.

“We are specially surprised that Ms Edna Adan who proved to be a capable and skillful Foreign minister has never-the-less been fired” the statement added.

The women urged president Rayale and other government leaders to urgently take concrete step toward the improvement of women share in the country’s top decision making jobs.

Source: Somaliland Times