auto-update week 40

africa/so.json

@@ -583,12 +583,12 @@
         "text": "bicameral Federal Parliament to consist of:<br>Senate (54 seats; senators indirectly elected by state assemblies to serve 4-year terms)<br>House of the People (275 seats; members indirectly elected by electoral colleges, each consisting of 51 delegates selected by the 136 Traditional Elders in consultation with sub-clan elders; members serve 4-year terms)"
       },
       "elections": {
-        "text": "Senate - first held on 10 October 2016; last held 27 July - 13 November 2021 (next to be held in 2025)<br>House of the People - first held 23 October - 10 November 2016 (next to be held September - October 2021 but postponed to November 2021 and extended numerous times to April 2022; next to be held in 2026)"
+        "text": "Senate - first held on 10 October 2016; last held 27 July - 13 November 2021 (next to be held in 2024)<br>House of the People - first held 23 October - 10 November 2016 (next scheduled for September - October 2021 but postponed to November 2021 and then extended numerous times until April 2022; next to be held in 2024)"
       },
       "election results": {
         "text": "Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 40, women 14, percent of women 25.9%<br>House of the People - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 225, women 50, percent of women 22.2%; note - total Parliament percent of women 19.5%"
       },
-      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> the inaugural House of the People was appointed in September 2012 by clan elders; in 2016 and 2017, the Federal Parliament became bicameral with elections scheduled for 10 October 2016 for the Upper House - renamed 'Senate' and 23 October to 10 November 2016 for the House of the People; while the elections were delayed, they were eventually held in most regions despite voting irregularities; on 27 December 2016, 41 Upper House senators and 242 House of the People Members of Parliament (MP) were sworn in"
+      "note": "<strong>note 1:</strong> the inaugural House of the People was appointed in September 2012 by clan elders; in 2016 and 2017, the Federal Parliament became bicameral with indirect elections scheduled for 10 October 2016 for the Upper House - renamed 'Senate' and 23 October to 10 November 2016 for the House of the People; while the elections were delayed, they were eventually held in most regions despite voting irregularities; on 27 December 2016, 41 Upper House senators and 242 House of the People Members of Parliament (MP) were sworn in<br><strong><br>note 2: </strong>despite the formation of political parties in 2020, the 2021 parliamentary elections maintained a primarily clan-based system of appointments; seats in the legislature were apportioned to Somali member states and not by party representation <br><br><br><br><br>"
     },
     "Judicial branch": {
       "highest courts": {
@@ -602,10 +602,11 @@
       }
     },
     "Political parties and leaders": {
-      "text": "Cosmopolitan Democratic Party [Yarow Sharef ADEN]<br>Daljir Party or DP [Hassan MOALIM]<br>Democratic Green Party of Somalia or DGPS [Abdullahi Y. MAHAMOUD]<br>Democratic Party of Somalia or DPS [Maslah Mohamed SIAD]<br>Green Leaf for Democracy or GLED<br>Hiil Qaran<br>Justice and Communist Party [Mohamed NUR]<br>Justice and Development of Democracy and Self-Respectfulness Party or CAHDI [Abdirahman Abdigani IBRAHIM Bile]<br>Justice Party [SAKARIYE Haji]<br>Liberal Party of Somalia<br>National Democratic Party [Abdirashid ALI]<br>National Unity Party (Xisbiga MIdnimo-Quaran) [Abdurahman BAADIYOW]<br>Somali Green Party (local chapter of Federation of Green Parties of Africa)<br>Somali National Party or SNP [Mohammed Ameen Saeed AHMED]<br>Somali People's Party [Salad JEELE]<br>Somali Society Unity Party [Yasin MAALIM]<br>Tayo or TPP [Mohamed Abdullahi MOHAMED]<br>Tiir Party [Fadhil Sheik MOHAMUD]<br>Union for Peace and Development Party or PDP [HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud]<br>United and Democratic Party [FAUZIA Haji]<br>United Somali Parliamentarians<br>United Somali Republican Party [Ali TIMA-JLIC]"
+      "text": "<p>select National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) approved parties (as of 2020):</p> <p>Cosmopolitan Democratic Party [Yarow Sharef ADEN]<br>Green Party [Ahmed HAJI]<br>Himilo Qaran Party [Sharif SHEIKH AHMED]<br>Ilays Party [Abdulkadir OSOBLE]<br>Justice and Reconciliation Party<br>National Progressive Party<br>Peace and Unity Party [Asha ABDALLA]<br>Qaransoor Party [Abdijabaar SHEIKH AHMED]<br>Qiimo Qaran Party<br>Security and Justice Party<br>Social Justice Party [Mohamed NUR, chairman]<br>Somali Labour Party[Ali Mohamed APOLLO, chairman]<br>Somali Republic Party [Abdinur Ahmed DARMAN, chairman]<br>Somali Social Unity Party or SSUP [Yaasiin Maaxi MACALIN]<br>Union for Peace and Development Party or PDP [HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud]<br>Wadajir Party [Abdirahman Abdishakur WARSAME]</p> <p><br><br><br></p>",
+      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> in 2017 an independent electoral commission (the NIEC) was inaugurated with a mandate to oversee the process of registration of political parties in the country; as of 2021, the NIEC had registered a total of 110 parties"
     },
     "International organization participation": {
-      "text": "ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU (candidate), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO"
+      "text": "ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU (candidate), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO"
     },
     "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
       "chief of mission": {
@@ -1145,7 +1146,7 @@
       "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscription is authorized but not currently utilized (2021)"
     },
     "Military - note": {
-      "text": "as of 2022, the Somali National Army (SNA) and supporting security and militia forces were actively conducting operations against the al-Shabaab terrorist group (see Appendix T); al-Shabaab controlled large parts of southern and central Somalia <br><br>as of 2022, a significant portion of the SNA was comprised of militia forces that were assessed to lack the discipline, structure, weapons, and overall capabilities for effective military operations; of the SNA’s approximately 13 brigades, the most effective were assessed to be the US-trained Danab (\"Lightning\") Advanced Infantry Brigade and those of the Turkish-trained Gorgor (\"Eagle\") Special Division; as of 2022, the Danab Brigade numbered about 1,500 troops with an eventual projected strength of 3,000, while the Gorgor Division was estimated to have 4,500-5,000 trained troops<br><br>the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) operated in the country with the approval of the UN from 2007-2022; its peacekeeping mission included assisting Somali forces in providing security for a stable political process, enabling the gradual handing over of security responsibilities from AMISOM to the Somali security forces, and reducing the threat posed by al-Shabaab and other armed opposition groups; in April 2022, AMISOM was reconfigured and replaced with the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS); the ATMIS mission is to support the Somalia Federal Government (FGS) in implementing the security objectives of the FGS's security transition plan, a comprehensive strategy developed by the FGS and its international partners in 2018 and updated in 2021 to gradually transfer security responsibilities from ATMIS to Somali security forces; ATMIS is projected to gradually reduce staffing from its 2022 level of about 20,000 personnel (civilians, military, and police) to zero by the end of 2024 <br><br>UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM; established 2013) is mandated by the Security Council to work with the FGS to support national reconciliation, provide advice on peace-building and state-building, monitor the human rights situation, and help coordinate the efforts of the international community; the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS; established 2015) is responsible for providing logistical field support to ATMIS, UNSOM, and the Somali security forces on joint operations with ATMIS<br><br>the European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM-S) has operated in the country since 2010; the EUTM provides advice and training to the Somali military; the US, UK, and Turkey maintain separate military training missions in Somalia (the US has also supported the SNA with air strikes); the UAE maintains a military presence in Somaliland (2022)"
+      "text": "as of 2022, the Somali National Army (SNA) and supporting security and militia forces were actively conducting operations against the al-Shabaab terrorist group (see Appendix T); al-Shabaab controlled large parts of southern and central Somalia <br><br>as of 2022, a significant portion of the SNA was comprised of militia forces that were assessed to lack the discipline, structure, weapons, and overall capabilities for effective military operations; of the SNA’s approximately 13 brigades, the most effective were assessed to be the US-trained Danab (\"Lightning\") Advanced Infantry Brigade and those of the Turkish-trained Gorgor (\"Eagle\") Special Division; as of 2022, the Danab Brigade numbered about 1,500 troops with an eventual projected strength of 3,000, while the Gorgor Division was estimated to up to 5,000 trained troops<br><br>the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) operated in the country with the approval of the UN from 2007-2022; its peacekeeping mission included assisting Somali forces in providing security for a stable political process, enabling the gradual handing over of security responsibilities from AMISOM to the Somali security forces, and reducing the threat posed by al-Shabaab and other armed opposition groups; in April 2022, AMISOM was reconfigured and replaced with the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS); the ATMIS mission is to support the Somalia Federal Government (FGS) in implementing the security objectives of the FGS's security transition plan, a comprehensive strategy developed by the FGS and its international partners in 2018 and updated in 2021 to gradually transfer security responsibilities from ATMIS to Somali security forces; ATMIS is projected to gradually reduce staffing from its 2022 level of about 20,000 personnel (civilians, military, and police) to zero by the end of 2024 <br><br>UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM; established 2013) is mandated by the Security Council to work with the FGS to support national reconciliation, provide advice on peace-building and state-building, monitor the human rights situation, and help coordinate the efforts of the international community; the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS; established 2015) is responsible for providing logistical field support to ATMIS, UNSOM, and the Somali security forces on joint operations with ATMIS<br><br>the European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM-S) has operated in the country since 2010; the EUTM provides advice and training to the Somali military; the US, UK, and Turkey maintain separate military training missions in Somalia (the US has also supported the SNA with air strikes); the UAE maintains a military presence in Somaliland (2022)"
     },
     "Maritime threats": {
       "text": "<p>the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center (PRC) received one incident of piracy and armed robbery in 2021 for the Horn of Africa; while there were no recorded incidents, the IMB PRC warns that Somalia pirates continue to possess the capacity to carry out attacks in the Somali basin and wider Indian Ocean; in particular, the report warns that, \"Masters and crew must remain vigilant and cautious when transiting these waters.\"; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, contributed to the drop in incidents; the EU naval mission, Operation ATALANTA, continues its operations in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean through 2022; naval units from China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, the US, and other countries also operate in conjunction with EU forces; China has established a logistical base in Djibouti to support its deployed naval units in the Horn of Africa</p>"