By Faysal Gabanow

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 15, 2007 - Somali PM Ali Mohamed Gedi has nominated Col. Abdirisak Isak Bihi as a new defense minister for his embattled government to replace the ousted minister Col. Barre Adam Shire (Hiilaale).

Col. Abdirisak is a former Colonel in Somali National Army and had training in Russia and Italy and comes from the same clan of the former Defense Minister- Marehan, former President Siyad Barre’s clan.

In the decree, the Prime Minister urged the new minister to perform his duties patriotically, based on the Federal Charter. Former Minister, Barre Aden Hiraale was fired recently after the government accused him of lack of performance, and now stays in Gedo region.

In related news, the head of the committee of the national reconciliation conference of Somalia, Ali Mahdi Mohamed has announced that they postponed the national Reconciliation conference to 15 July from its previous deadline of 14 June.

As Somali clans are still engaged in appointing their delegates who are coming from in and outside of the country and as the venue of the conference is under maintenance and renovation, the meeting is delayed, said Mr. Ali Mahdi Mohamed, a former President of Somalia, who was appointed to preside the reconciliation committee because of his neutrality. Mohamed was an active in Somali politics and conferences in 1990’s but he later withdrew from Politics. Western diplomats who met with Somali president, Abdillahi Yusuf have also called for his independence from the government and still struggling to convince all Somali clansmen to attend the deliberations.

However, the reconciliation was again and again postponed due to security concerns for one time and lack of funds for another time. In a recent interview with SSI, Somali PM Ali Mohamed Gedi stated that the government would not put off the meeting from its previous deadline whether they received support or not.

Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre and then turned against one another, defending clan fiefdoms.

The transitional government, formed in 2004, has struggled to assert any real control and was only able to enter Mogadishu with backing from Ethiopian troops who helped dislodge an Islamic movement from the capital six months ago.

Since then, government forces and their Ethiopian allies have had to battle Islamic insurgents and clan militiamen in Mogadishu. Thousands of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the fighting.

Soure: The Sub-Saharan Informer