President Farmaajo Opens The Second Parliamentary Session of The House Of The People

09 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 221 words

The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has officially opened the second session of  Parliament after two months of recess. President Farmaajo while giving his constitutional address to both houses of parliament emphasized on the need to have the separate organs of the government to work closely together to achieve development goals. In his address, the president shared with the parliamentarians highlights of the government’s progress which include paying salaries and wages consistently for all government employees, efforts in controlling the free flow of illegal arms, operationalizing an integrated special stabilization force for the capital and strengthening the  cooperation between the central government and the federal states.

The government has also been very successful in finalizing and regaining control of the Somali airspace, made huge progress in agreements in negotiating release of Somali prisoners in foreign countries and reclaiming Somalia’s cosignatory status for aid funds earmarked for development in Somalia. President Farmaajo confessed that a lot is expected from the government including ensuring security and stability, to reform the justice sector, recreating sound economic infrastructure, strengthening foreign policies and relations, rebuilding  government institutions and reconciliation. The President then requested parliament to approve 15 bills that the administration plans to table before the house in this parliamentary session to fast track delivery efforts.

Key Headlines

• President Farmaajo Opens The Second Parliamentary Session of The House Of The People (Goobjoog News)
• Prime Minister Criticized For Frequent Visits To Public Places (Garowe Online)
• Somaliland Detains Journalist Upon Returning from Mogadishu (Somali Update)
• Nine Kenyans Beheaded By Somali Al-Shabaab Terrorists (The Guardian)
• Somalia’s Internet Outage Costing Country $10 A day (New York Daily New)
• Bender–Beyla Communities Resentment Against Subdivision Of Their Districts (Hiiraan Online)

  NATIONAL MEDIA

  Prime Minister Criticized For Frequent Visits To Public Places

  09 July – Source: Garowe Online – 216 words

  Many residents in the Somali capital Mogadishu have raised concerns to the recurrent visits made by Somalia’s Prime Minister Hasan Ali Khayre at public areas.  Prime Minister Khayre who is described as political novice, was reported in many occasions visiting public gathering in the past months since his appointment by Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo in last February. The visits were lauded by many residents as a new approach to bring the administrations close to the public, but others criticized the move due to the security burden and strict movement it caused to the public.

  Yesterday, Prime Minister Khayre made unannounced visit to the popular Maka Al-Mukaram hotel, greeted and met members of the civil society and known politicians. However, during his visit an extra security measures were placed in the area as security forces blocked roads making movement difficult for the public.  Reports also said that senior security officials were accompanying the Prime Minister during his visit. Residents told Garowe Online that such visits are needless due to the burden it causes to the people residing in Mogadishu. The Hotel is known to be usually frequented by key opposition politicians and critics to the Somali Federal government. During the recent presidential election it was described as the hub for opposition coalition against former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

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  Somaliland Detains Journalist Upon Returning from Mogadishu

  09 July – Source: Somali Update- 260 Words

  Authorities at Egal International Airport in Hargeisa, the administrative capital of Somaliland have detained journalist Omar Ali Hassan (alias Omar Serbiya) shortly after his flight from Mogadishu landed at the airport on Saturday. The journalist who simultaneously reports from Hargeisa for Goobjoog Radio in Mogadishu and the Nairobi-based humanitarian Radio Ergo was in Mogadishu in the past months and was travelling back to Hargeisa. “Omar has just landed from the flight from Mogadishu when the police at the airport detained him.” Ahmed Mohamud, a colleague told Somali Update Online. In a statement Goobjoog Media Group condemned the arrest of the journalist and demanded for his immediate release. There are no any allegations or reasons of his arrest provided by the police, but according to two journalists in Hargeisa, the arrest of Omar Serbiya follows after several warnings by Somaliland officials who issued warning against traveling to Mogadishu.

  The journalist is detained at police station at Egal International Airport, the journalists sources confirmed. In the past authorities in Somaliland which is a breakaway region in northern Somaliland arrested journalists and musicians who traveled to Somalia by alleging to be pro-Somalia’s union. Journalists in Somaliland continue to face harassment and intimidation from Somaliland authorities. In April  a court in Hargeisa has sentenced journalist and social activist Abdimalik Muse Oldon to two years in prison after he was arrested meeting Somalia’s new president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. The detained journalist was charged with engaging in anti-national activities, spreading “false” news and disturbing public order. The journalist was released following presidential pardon in late May.

  INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

  Nine Kenyans Beheaded By Somali Al-Shabaab Terrorists

  09 July – Source: The Guardian – 369 words

  Al-Shabaab extremists from neighbouring Somalia beheaded nine civilians in an attack on a village in Kenya, officials said, adding to growing concerns that the Islamist militant group has taken up a new strategy. The attack occurred on Saturday in the village of Jima, south-east Kenya, said James Ole Serian, who leads a task force of security agencies combating Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaida. Beheadings by Al-Shabaab have been rare in Kenya even as the group has carried out dozens of deadly attacks over the years. Beheadings are not uncommon in Somalia, where the group carries them out on people who are believed to be their enemies and to terrorise local populations.

  Kenya has seen an increase in attacks claimed by Al-Shabaab in recent weeks, posing a security threat before next month’s presidential election. Al-Shabaab has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending troops in 2011 to Somalia to fight the group, which became the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa last year. Saturday’sattack occurred in the Pandaguo area of Lamu county, where Al-Shabaab fighters engaged security agencies in a day-long battle three days ago. A police report said about 15 Al-Shabaab fighters attacked Jima and seized men, killing them with knives.

  In recent months Al-Shabaab has increased attacks in Kenya with homemade bombs, killing at least 46 people in Lamu and Mandera counties. The increase in attacks presents a huge problem for Kenya’s security agencies before the presidential election on 8 August, said Andrew Franklin, a security analyst. On election day security agencies will be strained while attempting to stop any possible violence and Al-Shabaab could take advantage, said the security analyst. There was no immediate government comment on the latest attack. The acting interior minister, Fred Matiangi, issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew for parts of Garissa, Tana River and Lamu counties. Mandera county was already under a curfew following earlier Al-Shabaab attacks. All are close to the Somali border. The president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has not issued any statement on the recent surge in Al-Shabaab attacks. Kenya is among five countries contributing troops to an African Union force that is bolstering Somalia’s fragile central government against Al-Shabaab’s insurgency. Of those countries, Kenya has borne the brunt of retaliatory attacks.

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  Somalia’s Internet Outage Costing Country $10 A day

  09 July – Source: New York Daily News – 129 words

  Somalia’s government says a widespread internet outage that began roughly two weeks ago is costing the Horn of Africa nation about $10 million each day and is a “major disaster.” The post and telecommunications minister, Abdi Anshur Hassan, told a press conference Saturday that Somalia has lost more than $130 million so far. The loss of internet service has sparked anger across Somalia and affected the central and southern parts of the country including the capital, Mogadishu. The minister didn’t say what caused the outage, but officials and internet providers have attributed the problem to a commercial ship that they said cut an undersea cable. Hassan says the government is working to restore internet service as quickly as possible. Somalia is trying to emerge from a quarter-century of conflict.

  OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

  “Now it is evident that government licensed illegal fishing had negatively impacted the livelihoods of local fishing communities in Bender-Beyla as well as others in Puntland. Fishing communities are now in degrading poverty, as they faced less production and many families had shifted to major towns for search of job opportunities for their survival”

  Bender–Beyla Communities Resentment Against Subdivision Of Their Districts

  09 July – Source: Hiiraan Online –  838 words

  Bender-Beyla communities are extremely opposing and condemning the decision of the governing council of Puntland state in which two villages under Bender- Beyla district have been named as districts on 29th  June 2017. The newly formed municipalities have not come on people’s’ aspiration and needs, nor prior assessment and community consultation to justify nomination of new districts. As they did not comply legal requirement in terms of demography, borders, resource base and potential to function as a local administration. It was only based a wicked desire of politicians, in order to persuade the people they represented and show off to have attracted a development, while functionally failed their role in  public offices. Bender-Beyla district is an ancient district (one of six districts of Bari region) with diversified inhabitants from different communities in terms of clan origin. They do respect each other while employment opportunities are open to every Somali citizen regardless of its clan.

  Moreover, in this year the district hosted a large number of pastoralists with their animals from 13 regions of Somalia which had been affected by  the havoc  drought. This is meant that district mayor, his officials including local council members, traditional leaders and communities have offered a great hand to pastoral population and their animals by providing security services, water trucking, food supply and other provisions as well as advocating to them for humanitarian emergency interventions during drought till now. The local communities of all background are peace-loving people and believe principle of co-existence in peace and harmony, even there is no any hostility and conflicts among the society. The local communities share the common resources such as the rangelands and water sources.

  However, the current Puntland administration had failed to achieve the reconciliation process and create a peaceful environment between the communities in Puntland that would accelerate the promotion of community cooperation. As people expected that government took a lead the dialogue and negotiations among communities; but current administration plotted to split up and create instability among communities to distract current political tensions developed intensively by oppositions within the parliament and some of key elders. Bender-Beyla is remote and hard to reach district located along Indian Ocean and away from main tarmac road; the socio-economy of the communities have mostly relied on fishing production and its people are real taxpayers. Communities attempted several occasions to benefit developments and other assistances from current Puntland administration, but ironically they have met several drawbacks. For example the Puntland administration has given authorization to large number of foreign fishing vessels.

  Now it is evident that government licensed illegal fishing had negatively impacted the livelihoods of local fishing communities in Bender-Beyla as well as others in Puntland. Fishing communities are now in degrading poverty, as they faced less production and many families had shifted to major towns for search of job opportunities for their survival. In other hand, the current administration failed to invest and provide basic services to underserved communities, in spite of small development projects implemented by humanitarian agencies. They have only been involving basic social services in the villages alongside the main tarmac road from Garowe to Bossaso, even those have not obtained much support from the administration. Generally many communities in villages of Bender-Beyla have no access to safe drinking  water for themselves; while current government had neglected law enforcement, deepening the social security and restoring justice system that would pave the  way toward a sustainable stability and development.