NAIROBI, October 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Somalia interim parliament, meeting in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, has elected a new president for Somalia, after 14 years of chaos during which the African country had no central government.

It is yet to become clear whether Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, a one-time senior army officer and president of the autonomous northeastern region of Puntland since 1998, would be able to bring the chaotic situation in the country under his control.

A victorious Ahmed vowed Sunday, October 10, relentless efforts to reconstruct the country which has been devastated by years of factional fighting since 1991, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“Having given me the honor by electing me I pledge before you and the international community to work hard to reconcile Somalis to bring back peace and security and restart the country all over again.”

Ahmed, himself one of the main warlords, also promised to “disarm militias,” and step down if he failed in what many see as an uphill mission.

Ironically, the elections were held in a sports stadium on the outskirts of   Nairobi because the Somalia capital, Mogadishu , with its squabbling and heavily armed rival factions, was a too dangerous venue for the vote.

Since the 1991 fall of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre, Somalia has lacked almost all the trappings of a functional state, such as national systems of education, healthcare and justice.

“I will do my best to serve but if I am unable I will go back to parliament and ask them to elect another president,” said Ahmed.

He won the race in the third round run-off ballot after trouncing his rival, former diplomat and minister Abdullahi Ahmed Adow, by 189 votes to 79.

Twenty-four other candidates who entered the race were either eliminated in the first two rounds or withdrew.

International Troops

The president-elect, who might not be officially sworn in till well into next week, has already appealed for international troops to be deployed in Somalia , “to assist us reconstructing.”

The African Union has said it was considering sending such a force, but no detailed plan has yet been unveiled.

The last international intervention in Somalia was a disaster.

A UN mission deployed from 1992 to 1995 provided famine relief but failed to restore peace.

The United States also hurriedly withdrew its forces after 18 of them were killed during a botched mission in Mogadishu in October 1993.

One of Ahmed's first tasks as president will be to name a prime minister who will form a new government.

Promising Prospects

Before the vote, the candidates swore on the Noble Qur'an to acknowledge the election outcome (AFP)

With many questions raised about the new president's ability to bring the situation under his control and the position of his rivals, Adow was gracious in accepting defeat.

“I am ready to support the new government in any capacity... I wish that the next government led by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed will bring peace and prosperity back to Somalia ,” he said.

The election followed numerous similar attempts to reconstitute a national government in Somalia .

Most recently, a major conference in Djibouti led to the appointment in 2000 of Abdulkassim Salat Hassan as president of an administration that failed to extend its authority much beyond a few pockets of Mogadishu .

Hassan bowed out of Sunday's race after scoring miserably in the first round, and pledged to back the eventual winner.

Before voting began all candidates signed a solemn declaration vowing to acknowledge the vote's outcome and to hand over all firearms and ammunition to the government, the fourth of its kind to be set up outside Somalia by peace conferences since 1991.

But the administration in Somaliland , a self-declared independent region in the northwest, has refused to play any part in this electoral process or to recognize its outcome.

Ahmed and his would-be government will have a five-year mandate, after which general elections are meant to be held inside Somalia .

UN Appeals for Funs

Meanwhile, Acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Jesper Morch Monday, October 11, appealed to international donor community to make urgent contributions to the Humanitarian Response Fund for Somalia .

“The humanitarian community working in Somalia is doing all it can to respond to the devastating drought that is affecting an estimated 700,000 people, and will be appealing for wider donor support in the near future,” he said in a statement sent to AFP.

“Support for the Humanitarian Response Fund right now would help us put urgent projects into place, and save lives and livelihoods of thousands of drought-affected people without delay,” it read.

The UN-administrated fund was established during 2004 as a means to provide rapid financing for emergency interventions in Somalia .

Since April, it has disbursed over one million dollars to international NGOs for projects in prioritized drought and conflict affected areas of Somalia .

“The fund is almost completely exhausted, while the needs on the ground are increasing with the failure of the recent rainy season,” the statement added.