29 Jun 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- 15 killed in southern Somalia fighting
- Somali PM plans to clear al Shabaab from the country
- Mogadishu people welcome new PM’s approval
- Meeting to support Azania administration held in Nairobi
- Aid crisis as Somalis flock refugee camp
- Somali criminals must stay in UK rules European Court
- We apologise that the French translation of the headlines is not available until further notice
PRESS STATEMENT
New Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali speech to Parliament
28 Jun- Source: TFG – 647 words
It is an honour to me today to participate in this important meeting with you in which you are fulfilling your rights and task by approving and endorsing the position of the premiership nominated to me by the president.
The parliament is the mother of the legal government institutions. It is where the people are represented and the focal point where the law of the land is made. I believe you have read my profile.
I am not a new face to you. I have been with you for the last six months. I am well aware of the current status of the country, the impediments at hand and I believe I have clear roadmap of how we can move out of these unrelenting difficulties and dispense my duties effectively. I have been lately busy with matters of national interest in the country. I was also aware of the different periods of the political, security, economical and civil issues of the country.
We are certainly required, for the time remaining, to jointly work together for the country and to double our efforts regarding security issues and at the same time to finish drafting the constitution and to bring an end to the transition period with the spirit of cooperation and harmony. Honourable members of parliament, I humbly ask for your endorsement for me to discharge my duties.
After approving me, I will make numerous consultations with the different categories of the public, first of which will be the members of the parliament to appoint and come up with persons fit for the cabinet to give us helping hands in rendering services to our people. After consultations, I will bring before you the names of the cabinet ministers for you to debate on and give your final decisions.
Honourable members of parliament, although I will present before you the government’s agendas very soon, it still is undoubtedly important that I mention some of them:
· To revive back security, meeting the needs of the soldiers being at the forefront and maintaining law and order,
· To fight the insurgents who are battling and wanting to topple the government and also the pirates,
· To finish major tasks such as the drafting the constitution and end the period of the transition of the government in accordance with the Djibouti Agreement and in line with the Transitional Federal Charter,
· To work towards good governance, complete national reconciliation and reconstruction of the government institutions,
· To streamline the management of the government funds,
· To fight corruption,
· To foster the humanitarian assistance and public service,
· To strengthen the cooperation of the government institutions,
· To strengthen the cooperation with the semi-autonomous regions in the country
· To strengthen the relations with the international community.
Honourable members of parliament It is irrefutable that the country is passing at critical period, demanding our full involvement. The Somali public have been faced with violent conflict, long spells of drought, hunger, terrorism, piracy and blocking of humanitarian aid agencies from accessing areas that need urgent aid assistance. The local government aid agencies came to a halt and could not give basic services to the people. The time remaining for us is small. The former government could not bring together the different administrations in the country because it was busy fighting with the insurgency and maintaining security. Therefore, we will do our best to bring back that relationship and clear any misconceptions and divergence of views.
Honourable members of the parliament, Lastly, I wholeheartedly thank the president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who has entrusted me with this big position. I pledge to fulfil my duties in the context of Islam and the law of the land, and to safeguard the Transitional Federal Charter. I also pledge to strengthen the working relations between the government institutions and the international community. I ask you to work with me, in the limited period that we have, in every aspect of the government for the common good the Somali public.
I will lastly assure you that I will strengthen the relations between the parliament and the executive. Thank you all.
SOMALI MEDIA
15 killed in southern Somalia fighting
29 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 113 words
At least fifteen people are reported to have died and dozens others wounded yesterday in Maykarebay, 15km west of Garbaharey, the regional capital of Gedo in a fight between government forces and allies Ahlu Sunna and Al-shabab. Those killed are reported to be from the fighting sides.
The spokesman of Ahlu Sunna, Sheikh Mohamed Hussein told Bar-kulan about the fight adding that the area where the fighting took place is now under the control of the government and Ahlu Sunna, adding that the government forces and those of Ahlu Sunna are marching towards Burdhubo and Bardhere.
Government officials and Ahlu Sunna in Gedo had earlier said they were planning to flush out Al-shabab from the region.
Somali PM plans to clear al Shabaab from the country
29 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Shabelle, Kulmiye and Risala – 146 words
The newly elected Prime Minister of Somalia Prof. Abdiweli Mohamed said that he would continued with plans to fight against al shabaab and clean the whole of Somalia so that the government can support the population.
“You know that al Shabaab has blocked humanitarian support to the Somali people. It means death from famine and starvation for the people, but we shall protect those people, especially the displaced and weak Somalis as soon as possible,” said Mr. Abdiweli
The Prime Minister said he would form his government in the coming days adding that the government would tackle issues of security and helping the needy of Somalia, vowing they would never tolerate the acts of al shabaab militias.
President Farole nominates Puntland election commission members
28 Jun – Source: Garowe Online – 219 words
The president of Somalia’s Puntland has nominated members to the state’s election commission, Radio Garowe reports.
President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole presented to the 66-member Puntland Parliament his five nominees for the Puntland Election Commission (PEC), including one woman.
The Puntland state constitution empowers the president to appoint five members of the provisional PEC, while the remaining four members will be appointed by parliament.
Mogadishu people welcome new PM’s approval
29 Jun – Source: Radio Shabelle, Kulmiye – 75 words
The Mogadishu people on Wednesday said they widely welcomed Somali parliament’s move to approve the newly appointed Prime Minister, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.
Some of Mogadishu people told Radio Shabelle they are expecting good performance from the new premier. They demanded that Mr. Ali concentrate and focus on putting an end to Somalia’s problems as soon as possible.
The Mogadishu residents also described parliament’s move to approve the new prime minister as a courageous step.
Heavy fighting breaks out in Gedo region
29 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu, BarKulan, Shabelle and Kulmiye – 171 words
Heavy fighting between forces of the transitional government of Somalia and al Shabaab fighters has broken out at Maykarebe village near Garbaharey, the centre of Gedo region in southern Somalia, witnesses said.
The fighting started as fighters of al Shabaab attacked government troops recently trained in Dolow district of Ethiopia and traveling to Luq and Garbahrey town in the same region in southern Somalia.
The fighting resulted in deaths and injuries, according to residents, although it is unclear how many.
Mohamed Abdi Kalil, the governor of Gedo region for the transitional government of Somalia told reporters that they killed 12 fighters in the fighting and wounded many others there. However, calm is reported to have returned to where the fighting took place on Tuesday night, according to residents.
Meeting to support Azania administration held in Nairobi
28 Jun – Source: Radio BBC Somali service – 83 words
A meeting of women groups, intellectuals, and leaders of the recently created Azania region in Somalia has concluded in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The meeting was aimed at expressing support for Azania. The attendants were drawn from Somalia’s Gedo and Juba Regions. Azania is led by former Somali defence minister Professor Mohamed Gandi.
MP accuses int’l community of not doing enough about Somalia’s problems
29 Jun – Source: Shabelle – 128 words
A Somali parliamentarian on Wednesday accused the international community of not doing enough to help Somalia to get out of the current problems, including the severe drought. Muse Ali Elmi, a Somali MP, says that hundreds of people arrive daily in the Somali capital Mogadishu because of the drought that is affecting many parts of southern and central Somalia. He said the international community is not sincere in helping those people dying of hunger and malnutrition.
Mr. Elmi accused the Somali Diaspora of failing to assist the drought-stricken Somali people, saying that they need to act quickly and deliver humanitarian assistance to starving and needy Somalis. He also charged Somali leaders with being busy buying luxury cars instead of helping their people.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=8135
REGIONAL MEDIA
Aid crisis as Somalis flock refugee camp
28 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 301 words
An estimated 1,300 Somali refugees are swarming Dadaab refugee camp daily, a humanitarian agency has said.
Save the Children has warned that Kenya’s biggest refugee camp at Dadaab was overwhelmed by refugees, some of whom had trekked for hundreds of miles to reach aid.
Around 20,000 have arrived at Dadaab camp in the last two weeks, many having walked for more than a month across Somalia, Ethiopia and eastern and northern Kenya.
The organisation reported that every day about 1,300 people, at least 800 of them children, arrive at the Dadaab refugee camp. The monthly number of new arrivals has more than doubled in a year, it says. Aid workers at the camp say the children are exhausted, malnourished and severely dehydrated.
The conflict in Somalia forces many to head for the Kenyan border, but a severe drought and the unaffordable cost of food have made the situation worse. Comprising three settlements, Dadaab is the largest refugee camp in the world. It is home to well over 350,000 people.
24 suspected Somali pirates charged in Mombasa court
28 Jun – Source: Coastweek, Xinhua – 251 words
Kenyan authorities on Monday charged in court 24 suspected Somali pirates who were arrested by the Danish Navy in the waters of the Indian Ocean.
Senior State Counsel Catherine Mwaniki told the court that the Attorney-General requires needs to detain the pirates in the police station for two more days to ensure that proper investigations are instituted before they are charged.
Investigating officer Millicent Ouko said in her affidavit that the police have not been able to complete their investigations within the stipulated 24 hours due to the number of suspects who require translation, while others require specialized treatment, due to the injuries they sustained during the arrest. It is against the law in Kenya to hold a suspect for more than 24 hours without preferring any charges against him.
http://www.coastweek.com/3424_pirates_03.htm
IDB approves $ 700 million
28 Jun- Source: Saudi Press Agency- 61 words
The Council of Executive Directors of Islamic Development Bank Group approved in its meeting today approved an amount of $ 700 million to finance a number of educational, industrial projects and rehabilitation of infrastructures in its Member States. The Bank also is to providing a grant to contribute to the development of four hospitals in the state of Puntland in Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
A new prime minister for Somalia
28 Jun – Source: chathamhouse – 566 words
Dr Abdiweli Mohamed Ali was named on 23 June to lead the latest incarnation of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG). These days, Somalia’s changes of government are like the shuffling of an old deck of cards, a product of opaque political calculations rather than public participation.
Dr Abdiweli Ali is the third American returnee to attempt to lead the transitional government since 2009. Like his two predecessors, he was plucked from the pool of professionals found within Somalia’s Diaspora. He leaves behind him a position as Professor of Economics in Buffalo, New York to grapple with the challenge of government in a country that shows a very strong tendency to remain ungovernable.
His predecessors have been defeated not so much by the magnitude of the task that confronted them as by the machinations of two other Somali politicians who are locked in a battle for supremacy. These are ‘the two Sharifs’, namely the President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and the Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan.
Somalia’s TFG is already on borrowed time. The transition to a new constitutional order and an elected government was supposed to be completed in August 2009. A two year extension was secured under the terms of the Djibouti Agreement that also brought Sheikh Sharif to the Presidency. It was clear by the start of this year that none of the ‘transitional tasks’ with which the TFG had been entrusted were going to be completed before their extended mandate expired on 20 August. Instead of applying themselves more energetically to the tasks – admittedly difficult ones – the leaders of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Institutions set about ensuring their own futures.
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/media/comment/0611healy/-/1317/
Somali criminals must stay in UK, rules European Court
29 Jun – Source: BBC – 335 words
The UK must not deport two Somalis convicted of serious crimes because to do so would endanger their lives, the European Court of Human Rights says.
The Strasbourg judges said the UK’s duty to protect the two from torture or inhumane treatment was “absolute”.
The pair, aged 24 and 42, were served with deportation orders after being convicted of burglary, threats to kill, robbery and dealing in class A drugs.
The ruling sets a legal precedent for 214 similar UK cases involving Somalis. Abdisamad Adow Sufi (24) and Abdiaziz Ibrahim Elmi (42) are being held at immigration detention centres in the UK.
In 2007 they appealed to the Strasbourg court, arguing that they would face death or serious injury if the UK deported them to the war-ravaged capital Mogadishu.
The seven judges accepted that there would be a violation of Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights if the pair were sent back to Mogadishu.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13956008
Navy task unit on anti-piracy drill
29 Jun – Source: Bangkok Post – 337 words
The Royal Thai Navy Counter Piracy Task Unit is staging a three-day drill in the Gulf of Thailand before leaving for Somalia for an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden on July 12. The task unit, comprising two vessels HTMS Similan and HTMS Narathiwat, two Bell 212 helicopters, and 370 crewmen, from a naval base in Sattahip, Chon Buri, is conducting the drill in the Gulf of Thailand from between June 27-29.
The unit will join the combine maritime forces (CMF) from 25 countries led by the United States on July 12 for a 140-day anti-piracy mission.
The first anti-piracy unit of the Thai navy operated in the Gulf of Aden from Sept 13, 2010 to Jan 14 this year.
Capt Tanin Likitwong, commander of the Thai counter piracy task unit, said in the second mission he and 12 other naval officers will be stationed at two separate command posts – one in Bahrain and the other in Oman – to coordinate with the CMF.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/244595/navy-task-unit-on-anti-piracy-drill