22 Jun 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- President and MPs agree on the next prime minister
- Meeting to support Farmajo’s achievements held in Mogadishu
- Politics behind Somalia PM resignation’
- MP warns against the failure of Somali governmental institutions
Titres Principaux:
- Le président et des membres du parlement se mettent d’accord sur le choix du nouveau premier ministre
- Une réunion en faveur des réalisations de Farmajo se tient à Mogadiscio
- La politique à la base de la démission du premier ministre Somalien’
- Un membre du parlement prévient du possible échec des institutions gouvernementales Somaliennes
SOMALI MEDIA
President and MPs agree on the next prime minister
22 Jun – Source: Bariga Afrika – 149 words
The President of Somalia Sheikh Sharif and members of the parliament have named Mr Abdiweli Mohamed Ali as the new prime Minster. Yasin Abdi Hussein, a member of the parliament, said that the president chose Mr. Abdiweli because of his knowledge of the current socio-economic and political affairs of Somalia and vast experience in leadership. The meeting by the president and the members of parliament ended successfully and according to reliable sources they have agreed to designate Mr Abdiweli as the new prime minister.It is not clear what the controversial speaker of parliament will make of the agreement, as he previously had reservations on the naming of the prime minster.
http://www.barigaafrika.com/en/read.php?id=4393#axzz1PjYiQ2Lz
Meeting to support Farmajo’s achievements held in Mogadishu
22 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 137 words
A meeting to support the achievements of the former premier of Somalia and to welcome the caretaker prime minister was held in Sahafi 2 Hotel in Mogadishu. The meeting was attended by elders, politicians, women and parliamentarians; participants expressed their support for the achievements of the former Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. Ugas Abdullahi Aar, an intellectual who was present in the meeting spoke about the role of the former premier in the 6 months, terming him as an a patriot and a brave man who has secured a place in the annals of history. Ugas Abdullahi praised the president for appointing Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali as a caretaker prime minister adding that Dr. Abdiweli is a person who can fulfill his duties. The speakers in the meeting called upon the international community to move out of the transitional period.
MP warns against the failure of Somali governmental institutions
22 Jun – Source: Shabelle – 124 words
A Somali MP on Wednesday warned Somali Government institutions TFI against failure. In an interview with Shabelle Media Network, Abdirizak Osman said the continuation of internal rift between the president and speaker may lead to a total destruction of the fragile government system in the Horn of Africa nation. He said the leader of the country Sheik Sharif Ahmed and the speaker are now appearing to be in disagreement over the naming Somalia’s next Prime minister. Mr. Osman called for the two leaders to take a unified view.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=7872
Al Shabaab charged with destabilizing Puntland
22 Jun – Source: Shabelle – 119 words
The semi-autonomous state of Puntland on Wednesday accused al Shabaab fighters of destabilizing the regions under its control. Puntland’s Interior and Home Security Minister, Gen. Yusuf Ahmed Khayr said in a press conference held in Garowe that al Shabaab do not like the state of stability and tranquility in Puntland regions. The interior minister also pointed out that the hostility within local clans must be brought to an end soon. He said that the Puntland Security Committee has decided to block Sanaag region from business trucks, saying that al Shabaab-linked militiamen started are gathering in the mountainous Galgala area. The leader of the Galgala Islamist militias is Mohamed Said Atom who is believed to have very close ties to al Shabaab.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=7875
Al Shabaab leaders of Bu’ale town divided over the ruling of four young men
21 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 54 words
Al Shabaab leaders of Bu’ale town of Middle Juba are divided over the ruling of four young men accused of abandoning the Islamic religion. The spokesman for al Shabaab in Bu’ale, Mohamed Aynanshe, supports the execution of the four youths whereas Qadar Osman, who is a relative of one of the accused men, opposes the execution ruling.
Heavy shelling in Bohol Bashir and tense situation in the area
22 Jun – Source: Bariga Afrika – 109 words
Al Shabaab militias attacked military bases in the outskirts of Bohol bashiir in Gedo region, sparking subsequent heavy battle and shelling. According to residents in the area, the crocheting of bullets and banging of mortars were heard all over the area. The clashes, which were said to be part of reprisal attacks according to witnesses, caused many people to flee amid worsening drought in the area. Meanwhile, witnesses in the areas told Bariga Afrika that Somali government forces – with the help of moderate Islamist group of Ahlu Sunna Waljama – and al Shabaab are bracing for war and getting reinforcement from nearby areas to launch new clashes in the village of Bohol Bashir.
http://www.barigaafrika.com/en/read.php?id=4392#axzz1PjYiQ2Lz
Kampala Accord was TFG’s failure
22 Jun – Source: Shabelle – 101 words
The al Shabaab movement on Tuesday proclaimed that the Kampala Accord between the president of Somalia and the speaker of the parliament was a failure for the TFG. Al Shabaab’s Head of Politics and Regions’ Relation, Hussein Ali Fidow, said sthe Somali people know what is going on, adding that Farmajo was forced to resign as prime minister. He said that the Kampala Accord is an example of how the Ugandan government is dominating the transitional federal government. Fidow called for Uganda and Burundi to withdraw their forces from Somalia soon.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=7876
Meat price soars in Somalia’s capital
22 June – Source: Shabelle – 89 words
As the country has endured several years of drought, the price of meat has jumped, according to local traders. Some Mogadishu meat traders told Shabelle Radio that the main factor behind the soaring meat price is the drought that hit many regions of southern and central Somalia. Ali Ukun, meat butcher in Hamarweyne, noted the camels’ meat was the most expensive kind of livestock meat. “One kilogram of Camel meat is now 90,000 Somali Shilling about (3$) which is higher than the previous prices”, Ukun told Shabelle Radio.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=7873
REGIONAL MEDIA
‘Politics behind Somalia PM resignation’
21 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 268 words
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed resigned on Sunday as Somalia Prime Minister to avert further chaos in the country and because the United States and United Nations failed to support him, a US lobbyist for Somalia says.
“Given the fact that the UN and US appear indifferent to good governance in Somalia and only seem to want shallow ‘happy face’ agreements between the president and speaker, the prime minister felt he had no choice,” John Zagemy, a lobbyist for New York-based Park Strategies, told the Nation. Pure politics trumped performance.”
Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden insisted that Mr Mohamed, better known as Farmajo, step down as specified under the terms of an agreement recently negotiated in Kampala. Farmajo initially refused, saying Parliament must first either accept or reject the Kampala accord. Thousands of Somalis as well as several members of Parliament crossed clan lines to voice support for Farmajo, who had been widely seen as one of the most effective political leaders during the past 20 years of anarchy in Somalia.
But the Obama administration and the UN remained conspicuously silent on Farmajo’s status. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni also played a key role in forcing Farmajo to quit, the New York Times reported on Monday. Uganda holds considerable sway over Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government because Ugandan soldiers are the decisive element in the African Union force that is keeping the TFG from being overthrown by Islamist insurgents. “The only glimmer of hope in this fiasco is that the interim Prime Minister [Abdiweli Mohamed Ali] is also a good guy who’s honest and competent,” Mr Zagemy says. “Unfortunately, those don’t seem to be saving virtues in Somalia.”
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/1186268/-/12mn1il/-/index.html
Al Shabaab terrorists kill 4 Somalis in bomb attack
22 Jun – Source: Al Shahid – 170 words
At least 4 civilians were killed and 7 others injured after a remote-controlled mine attack against the AMISOM troops by al Shabaab militias happened between Afgoi and Banadir intersection in Mogadishu. The bodies of the four civilians who were traveling in a mini bus were strewn on the road. “We were near where the blast happened. It was aimed at AMISOM vehicles, but it did not reach AMISOM: instead the mine hit a civilian mini bus using the same road,” an eye witness said.
Colonel Pierk, a spokesman of for the Burundian troops, said that the explosion occurred in a place about 400 meters away from the bases of the AMISOM troops, pointing out that none of the peacekeepers were injured. Shortly after the statement of AMISOM troops, al Shabaab officials claimed responsibility for the landmine blast, saying that they had inflicted more casualties to the African Union troops, who were the main target of the explosion.
http://english.alshahid.net/archives/21302
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
India detains 14 Somali pirate suspects
22 Jun – Source: AFP – 264 words
Indian police said Wednesday they were questioning 14 Somali men captured on a fishing boat that drifted into waters off the country’s west coast, possibly after being hijacked. A senior police official said that three Yemeni men were also found on board, who claimed they were the owners of the fishing trawler which they said had been hijacked two weeks ago off Somalia and had then run out of fuel.
Officials from the Indian navy and Gujarat police were questioning the 17 men in the coastal district of Junagarh in Gujarat state, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) southwest from the main regional city of Ahmedabad. “We are not ruling out the possibility of the Somalians being pirates but we can say that for certain only after a thorough interrogation of these people,” Junagarh police chief Depankar Trivedi told AFP by telephone.
Trivedi said a marine police team detained the men on Sunday after local fishermen reported the presence of the Yemen-flagged vessel just a couple of kilometers (miles) off the coast of Gujarat. “No objectionable or incriminating objects have been found from the vessel,” he said, adding that the 17 men were sick when they were seized.
India’s coastguard and navy are on high alert against pirates seeking to evade the clutches of the international force patrolling waters off Somalia by attacking shipping in the eastern Indian Ocean. More than 100 pirates have been caught and are awaiting trials in India following a series of violent skirmishes near the country’s Lakshadweep islands since the start of this year.
Somalia again is at top of failed states list
21 Jun – Source: CNN News – 257 words
For the fourth year in a row, Somalia, plagued by widespread lawlessness, piracy and an ineffective central government, tops an index of failed states.It was followed by three other African nations — Chad, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo — in the rankings of 177 nations compiled by the Fund for Peace. Number five was Haiti, which was the most worsened nation, climbing from number 11 last year after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
“Sadly, the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon for Haiti,” wrote J.J. Messner, a Fund for Peace senior associate. “Though Haiti has every chance of improving its rank and score in 2012, its record of never ranking outside of the Failed States Index ‘Worst 15’ indicates that it is probably going to stay there for some time to come.” Not surprisingly, three Scandinavian states ranked the best. Finland edged out Norway for the lowest spot on the list, followed by Sweden. The United States was No. 158. The non-profit organization uses a set of 12 indicators and its results were published Tuesday in Foreign Policy magazine.
The index translated on a color-coded map looks like this: soothing green colors in Western Europe and Canada and menacing shades of red in Africa and parts of South Asia and the Middle East. Afghanistan and Iraq are both high on the index, ranking 7 and 9 respectively. Messner said that just because a country is high on the list does not necessarily mean it is a failed state, but that it is facing enormous social, economic and political pressures.
Anger in Somalia after prime minister resigns
21 Jun – Source: AFP – 689 words
Angry Somali citizens and agitated members of parliament said Tuesday they fear the recent forced resignation of the country’s Somali-American prime minister will allow government corruption to rise again, bringing back a time when soldiers went unpaid for months.
More than 150 lawmakers called for an urgent session of parliament to discuss a recent U.N.- backed deal between Somalia’s president and speaker of parliament that called for the resignation of Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as prime minister. Mohamed initially resisted leaving office after an outcry of support from Somalis, but he quit last weekend.
Mohamed was seen by many Somalis as the rare honest politician in Mogadishu’s toxic political pool, where leaders often put their interests ahead of citizens’. One of his signature accomplishments was ensuring that Somali soldiers and government workers received their paychecks regularly, a step that greatly boosted his credibility.
During Mohamed’s seven months in office, the government has also wrested large swaths of territory from al-Qaida-linked militants. The government once controlled only a couple square miles (kilometers) of Mogadishu. But officials say pro-Somali troops now control half the city after a major offensive launched against al-Shabab this year.
Mohamed’s ouster, sealed in a June 9 deal, came as a compromise between the countries bickering President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden. The two also agreed this month to extend the government’s term by a year and postpone elections until next year.
But many Somalis see Mohamed’s resignation as a step backward toward corruption. “Now the government’s money will go to individual pockets, to leaders who are not ashamed of anything, to the same men who laid the country to waste 20 years ago,” Bakistan Mohamed Ali said, adding that she is afraid she may lose her $150-a-month job as a cleaner at the office of the prime minister.
The mother of six said her life has changed dramatically over the past six months. Three of her children have attended a free government-run school the former prime minister was responsible for opening. Her son joined the army after being encouraged by the government’s renewed seriousness to care for its soldiers, and brings home about $150 a month. Mohamed “was like a rain after a long, drawn-out drought,” said Ali. “It’s been the best life I have seen for 20 years.”
Sadaat Mohamed Nur, the director of the department of planning and training at the Women’s Ministry, said he received only two months of salary in 2009 and five months in 2010, but since Mohamed took office last fall, he has received regular pay. “I’m worried because the corruption can rear its head again,” the 32-year-old said, adding that he put his plans to get married this year on hold “because I don’t know what will happen next month.” Mohamed Abdi Yusuf, a lawmaker who is opposed to the Uganda deal, said many lawmakers are trying to scrap the deal, because “it subjected the country to trusteeship.” Lawmakers are particularly angry with articles that ask the parliament to endorse the new Cabinet within 14 days. More than 150 legislators signed a letter sent to the speaker calling for a session focused on the political deal.
They also oppose an article that asks the parliament not to subject the government to votes of no confidence, and another demanding that neighboring countries, with the participation of the U.N. and African Union, oversee and monitor the government’s compliance with the deal. Lawmakers asked the speaker to convene an urgent session to discuss the deal. Abdirashid Sheik Said said the agreement signed in Uganda is “utterly against the sovereignty of the Somali nation. It takes away the parliament’s right to make laws.” “We will object it until we throw it away. And the lawmakers are united in their opposition to the deal,” he said.
Mohamed Abdulqadir Mohamud, who works for a local organization called Aragti Relief and Development, said the deal was an affront to Mohamed’s government, which cleaned up government institutions and started to deliver services. “Now the problem is we don’t know who will replace him. Will he be able to continue his achievements? Will he unravel them? We have to wait and see,” he said.