Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012
The Transitional Federal Parliament, 2004–2012
The Transitional Federal Parliament was Somalia's legislature from 2004 to 2012. Its 275 members were chosen by clan at the peace conference in Kenya: 61 seats each for the Hawiye, Darod, Digil and Mirifle, and Dir, and 31 for the other clans. It was sworn in at Nairobi in August 2004, elected Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden Speaker and then Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed President. It first met inside Somalia at Baidoa in February 2006, doubled to 550 seats in 2009 to take in the opposition, and was replaced by a new 275-member Federal Parliament on 20 August 2012.
In short
"On 22 August, 194 members of the Transitional Federal Parliament were sworn into office" at the United Nations Office at Nairobi. On 29 August 2004 "an additional 66 members of parliament were sworn in in the presence of the Kenyan Vice-President, who declared the Parliament formally inaugurated" (UN Security Council, S/2004/804, para. 7).
Eight years later, "Somalia's eight-year political transition ended successfully, with the establishment of a new, leaner Federal Parliament on 20 August" 2012 (S/2013/69, para. 2). For the governments it served, see the transitional governments, 2000–2012.
How members were chosen, 2004
From the UN Secretary-General's report of October 2004 (S/2004/804, paras. 2–10):
- By clan. "Each Somali clan (Hawiye, Darod, Digil and Mirifle, Dir and the 'Allied' clans) was requested to submit a list of names." Each was asked for "a list of 61 members of parliament by 5 July, with the exception of the 'Allied' clans which was asked to submit a list of 31". That made 275 seats.
- Disputes. "Owing to controversies regarding the method of selection of members of the transitional federal parliament, many Somali leaders absented themselves" from the conference at the end of June 2004. Dividing seats among sub-clans "proved challenging", and the Ministers of the regional body IGAD held "no fewer than six ministerial meetings in Nairobi over a period of five months". Differences within the Harti (Darod) were settled after the Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki, stepped in.
- Women. "Only 23 women members of parliament were sworn in. This falls far short of the agreed 12 per cent, or 33 of the total number of 275 seats", set by the Transitional Federal Charter.
The first sessions, 2004
From the same report (S/2004/804, paras. 7–9):
- 2 September. The Parliament first met in Nairobi. Farah Hirsi Bulhan, aged 83, the eldest member, became interim Speaker.
- 15 September. "Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden [was elected] as speaker of the Parliament, with 161 votes", from a field of 11, ahead of Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur with 105. 266 of 275 members voted. See Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.
- 10 October. The date set for electing a transitional President. Parliament elected Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.
Inside Somalia, 2006
- Choosing a venue. After the split between the President's camp in Jowhar and the Speaker's in Mogadishu during 2005, "the Speaker announced, on 30 January, that Baidoa had been selected as the venue of the first session of the Transitional Federal Parliament inside Somalia" (S/2006/122, para. 9).
- 26 February 2006. The session opened in Baidoa. It "allowed the transitional federal institutions to begin to address some of the key differences that had divided the leadership and paralysed the political process for most of 2005" (S/2006/418, para. 2). Before it, "some two thousand armed men, most of them freelance militia, were persuaded to move to camps several kilometres outside the city limits" (same source, para. 17).
The 2009 expansion
From the UN Secretary-General's report of March 2009 (S/2009/132, paras. 6–15):
- Acting President. When Abdullahi Yusuf resigned on 29 December 2008, "the Speaker of Parliament, Sheikh Adan Madobe, assumed the presidency in an acting capacity, in line with article 45 of the Transitional Federal Charter".
- 26 January 2009. "The Transitional Federal Parliament voted in favour of an expansion by 275 seats, with 200 seats allocated to ARS and the remaining 75" to civil society, business, women, the diaspora and other opposition groups. It also extended its own mandate by two years. See the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia.
- 30 January 2009. Meeting in Djibouti, the enlarged Parliament elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed President.
- Losing Baidoa. Al-Shabaab took Baidoa. "The fall of Baidoa and the seizure of the Parliament building is a setback for the newly expanded Transitional Federal Parliament, which is unlikely to return to Baidoa in the short term."
The Kampala Accord, 2011
From the UN Secretary-General's report of September 2011 (S/2011/549, paras. 3–7):
- The rift. President Sheikh Sharif and the Speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, disagreed. "The Speaker maintained that elections for the Presidency, the Speaker and the Speaker's deputies should be held before the end of the transition on 20 August 2011", while the President cited security concerns.
- 9 June 2011. In the Kampala Accord, "both sides agreed to defer the elections for 12 months from August 2011". The Prime Minister was to resign within 30 days.
- 11 July 2011. "393 members of the Transitional Federal Parliament voted in favour of the Kampala Accord, with 36 against and 7 abstentions."
The handover, 2012
- Selecting a successor. From 5 May 2012, "some 135 traditional and clan elders appointed by the signatories to the road map" met in Mogadishu to choose the members of the National Constituent Assembly and the new Parliament. The process "was marred by reports of intimidation and threats against those preparing the nominations", and some clans were reluctant "to provide the required quota of 30 per cent women representatives" (S/2012/643, paras. 7–9).
- 20 August 2012. The new Federal Parliament took over, with 275 members "selected by 135 traditional elders and vetted by a Technical Selection Committee", and elected Mohamed Osman Jawari Speaker (S/2013/69, para. 2). See the Federal Parliament and the 2012 presidential election.
Who suffered?
- Women, who held 23 of 275 seats in 2004 against an agreed 33 (S/2004/804).
- Civilians in and around Baidoa. Militiamen moved out of the town before the 2006 session left camps that lacked "food, water, shelter and other necessities". "Some returned to Baidoa, where they began to harass civilians. Others established checkpoints outside the city to extort money from passing vehicles" (S/2006/418, para. 18).
Sources differ
- The size. The Parliament had 275 members from 2004, 550 after the vote of January 2009, and was replaced by a 275-member Federal Parliament in 2012 (S/2004/804; S/2009/132; S/2013/69).
- The Speaker's surname. UN reports spell it both "Aden" (2004) and "Adan" (2011).
Read the primary sources yourself
Sources
- UN Security Council, S/2004/804, para. 7 · documents.un.org
- S/2013/69, para. 2 · documents.un.org
- S/2006/122, para. 9 · documents.un.org
- S/2006/418, para. 2 · documents.un.org
- S/2009/132, paras. 6–15 · documents.un.org
- S/2011/549, paras. 3–7 · documents.un.org
- S/2012/643, paras. 7–9 · documents.un.org
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Where it happened
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- The Somali Civil WarThe Somali Civil War from the 1980s to now: the rebel fronts, the fall of Siad Barre, the split of Mogadishu, famine, the UN years, the Islamic Courts and al-Shabaab.
- The Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), 2001–2004The SRRC, the Ethiopian-hosted alliance against Somalia's Arta government: its founding in 2001, its refusal to recognise the TNG, its fighting, and its part in the Kenya talks.
- The Burao conference and Somaliland's declaration, May 1991The Burao conference of 1991 and the declaration of the Republic of Somaliland: who attended, what was decided, the first government, and the first year after.
- UNOSOM I, 1992–1993: the first UN operation in SomaliaUNOSOM I, April 1992 to March 1993: the Mogadishu ceasefire, the observers and the Pakistani battalion, the famine, the looting of aid, and the turn to UNITAF.
- The UN and US intervention, 1992–1995: UNOSOM and UNITAFUNOSOM I and II and the US-led UNITAF, 1992–1995: the famine, the missions, the 5 June and 3 October 1993 battles, the civilian toll, and the withdrawal.
- The battle of Mogadishu, 3–4 October 1993 (Maalintii Rangers)The battle of Mogadishu, 3–4 October 1993: why the raid happened, what happened in the streets, the dead on all sides, and how it led to US withdrawal.