September 16, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

President calls on international partners to support the New Deal Compact

16 Sept – Source: Office of the President – 364 words

His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Monday called on Somalia’s international partners to back the country’s recovery through the new Compact and deliver lasting progress for the Somali people in partnership with the federal government.

Speaking in Brussels at the New Deal for Somalia Conference, the president welcomed the transformation in the international community’s engagement with Somalia. “The New Deal will help Somalia lay a strong foundation for building reliable, transparent, accountable and functioning state institutions, respectful of the fundamental rights and freedoms and equality of its citizens,” the president said.

The president updated Somalia’s international partners on progress in many areas, beginning with security, which remains the government’s single highest priority. It is training several thousand troops, integrating clan militias into a national army, rehabilitating defectors from al Shabaab, instilling loyalty and discipline, increasing security patrols and taking tough measures against human rights abuses.

Key Headlines

Somali president expressed good result from Brussels New Deal Conference for Somalia (Radio Mustaqbal/BBC Somali Service/Bar-kulan)
Political progress in Somalia must not falter – president (Neurope)
UN Envoy Optimistic about Somalia (Radio Bar-kulan)
Fighting erupts between government forces al Shabaab fighters in Bay region (Raxanreeb)
Trail of 7 suspected Somali pirates opens on Monday (Daily News)
Somalia set for ‘New Deal’ at Brussels conference (BBC)
Parliament sitting postponed due to lack of quorum (Raxanreeb/SNTV)
Ethiopia says committed to Somalia’s lasting peace (Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency)
Saudi Arabia offers (300.000) USD to the Trust Fund (Saudi Press Agency)
Somalis place high hope on Brussels conference for reconstruction (Shanghai Daily/Xinhua)
Islamists dismiss Somalia meet as ‘Belgian waffle’ (EU Business)

PRESS STATEMENT

President calls on international partners to support the New Deal Compact

16 Sept – Source: Office of the President – 364 words

President Mohamud shared the positive developments on political outreach, reconciliation, judicial reform, constitutional review and a new maritime strategy. The ongoing reforms in public finance management also took centre-stage. The President called on international partners to support the money transfer system which is the lifeline of poor people and requested their support to encourage Barclays Bank to postpone the suspension of Somali remittance accounts.

“It is the poor people who will suffer most from this measure. We also call on all remittance companies to be completely law-abiding and transparent in their operations in order to provide confidence to the banks.” Looking forward, President Mohamud outlined his “Vision 2016”, focusing on the work already completed and the remaining tasks necessary to ensure successful national elections leading to a democratically elected government in 2016.

“I am very confident that with our collective leadership and courage we can continue this journey to a successful conclusion,” the president said. “The New Deal must deliver on the ground. Let us rally round to rebuild Somalia together. Let us make sure the Compact revolutionizes the international community’s approach to a country shattered by war and ready to enjoy the fruits of peace. The best possible legacy of the New Deal is a New Somalia.”

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali president expressed good result from Brussels New Deal Conference for Somalia

16 Sept- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/BBC Somali Service/Bar-kulan – 234 words

The president of federal government of Somali Republic Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has expressed good result to come out from Brussels New Deal Conference for Somalia. The president Hassan speaking to BBC Somali has said that this conference is the first one held for Somalia until the existence of federal government.

The president Hassan declined the reports issued by UN Monitoring Group on the corruption and added that the report was not as the UN Monitoring said but confirmed that corruption exists in Somalia but not so more. He also indicated the federal government fought with corruption in many ways and now it is on the process reducing the corruption in Somalia.

Somalia’s New Deal is the first of its kind in the world and is a more ambitious initiative than a classic “development tool”. It is a roadmap for promoting state building and peace building over the next three years by focusing on the country’s political processes, security, legal system and economic foundation.

Somalia’s New Deal is not perfect, but it is likely the best available recipe for progress and tackling the many serious threats that Somalia has created for itself, the region and the world in recent years. Somalia got federal government which is not interim government and now it is on the way to sense of judgment of governance.

UN Envoy Optimistic about Somalia

16 Sept – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 139 words

The U.N. Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay says he is very optimistic about the Brussels conference on Somalia as the country is on the “brink of achieving great things”. Kay further added that Somalia has a permanent government which is internationally recognized after emerging from the transition.

The Special Representative to the Secretary-General stated that the aid given to the Somali government is not enough for war-ravaged counties like Iraq, Afghanistan and Mali but the internationally-backed government has been able to do with in its year in office.

Kay urges the international community to provide further aid support to the war-torn country; as he also remained confidence that the fund will be used suitably. The Brussels conference on Somalia which is dubbed “the New Deal for Somalia” is set to open on Monday.

Fighting erupts between government forces, al Shabaab fighters in Bay region

16 Sept – Source: Raxanreeb – 153 words

Heavy fighting has erupted in Somalia’s Bay region on Sunday between Somali government forces and al Shabaab fighters, RBC Radio reports.

At least three government soldiers were killed after al Shabaab rebels attacked a government forces base at Dambal village on the Bay region. Mohamed Sheikh Abdullahi, who is Awdinle district commissioner said the government forces repelled back against the attack.

“The militants attacked against our forces but they have encountered heavy rebellion from our side.” Abdullahi said. He added that al Shabab fighters took away more dead bodies but he could not specially tell the number of their casualties.

Somali Volleyball back on the world platform

16 Sept – Source: Somali Sports Press – 411 words

Hopes of the return of the country’s volleyball power are growing with Somali volleyball Federation appeared at the CAVB Zone 5 meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya over the weekend. This was Somalia’s first attendance at such meeting since the collapse of the horn of African nation in January 1991, according to Somali volleyball Federation Secretary General Mohamed Abubakar Hirei who came to power in March this year.

Somalia was represented at the meeting by Volleyball Federation president Engineer Abdulkader Omar Abukar who told the CAVB Zone 5 meeting that his new committee was prioritising to rebuild the country’s volleyball from the bottom.

Secretary General Mohamed Abubakar Hirei said in a press statement here in Mogadishu on Monday morning that the participation of such meeting was a great step forward for his country which he said had lacked international appearances for more than 22 years during which the country was experiencing one of the world’s most notorious civil wars in the century.

Parliament sitting postponed due to lack of quorum

15 Sept – Source: Raxanreeb/SNTV – 131 words

Somali federal parliament on Sunday failed to hold its second sitting of the houses third session due to lack of quorum, Members of the parliament said.

The parliament sitting was due to start around 9:00 am local time on Sunday after the speaker called but the speaker later announced that the sitting could not be held because there were no sufficient Parliamentarians to fill in the quorum.

Somali Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari said the sitting will take place on Tuesday if the quorum becomes enough to allow for holding the sitting.

“We have 133 MPs present today here and we are missing other six MPs to open the quorum but unfortunately we do not have the quorum full so we announce the sitting could not happen.” Speaker Jawari said.

Jubba Administration regrets death of elder in Kismayo

15 Sept – Source: Kismaayo Online – 177 words

Deputy leader of the Interim Jubba Administration, General Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartag has expressed his deep regret over Saturday’s accidental shooting of traditional elder Gama’did Nur Siyad in the center of Kismayo city.

General Fartag said the incident happened when members of the security forces fired several shots to disperse a crowd gathered in of the streets of the city. “Unfortunately the bullets hit the traditional elder who succumbed to his injuries as he was rushed to the Kismayo general hospital.”

“I wish to express my regret over this unfortunate incident. Gama’did was very friendly and a peacemaker,” said General Fartag in an interview with BBC Somali Service.

Somaliland President dispels lies on oil and aviation

15 Sept – Source: Somaliland Press – 124 words

Somaliland president Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud categorically denied reports that the oil prospecting company, Genel Energy, have stopped their works and left the country. The President equally denied alleged reports hence dispelled rumours that the Ethiopian Airlines claimed Egal Airport as a substandard and unworthy one to land its crafts.

President Ahmed who stated the facts in a speech at the opening ceremony of Armed Forces Senior Officers’ College at Dararweine yesterday attributed the misinformation as to having emanated from opposition politicians who used illegal platforms.

“Brethren, Genel Energy only temporarily paused their chores hence have not left the country”, stated the President, and added, “The Ethiopian Airlines have not attributed any demeaning words to (slandering) Egal Airport”.

Men in military uniforms arrested in Afgoye security operations

15 Sept – Source: Radio Shabelle – 80 words

At least 20 young men who were dressed in military dresses were arrested after AMISOM troops and government forces jointly carried out security operations in Afgoye town amid rising insecurity in the region. Mahdi Ahmed Hassan who is a security official in the region said that they successfully hunted down men who terrorized residents in Afgoye town. AMISOM troops and Government troops were spotted in the streets of Afgoye town today.

Somaliland VP Sayli Opens Diplomatic Channels with Niger

15 Sept – Source: Somaliland Sun – 115 words

The governments of Niger and Somaliland have agreed to enhance relations by establishing diplomatic offices in their respective capitals of Niamey and Hargeisa respectively.

This outcome follows a meeting held in Dubai between the Somaliland vice president Abdirahman Abdilahi Sayli and a delegation from Niger led by speaker of parliament Hon Boucary Sani Chaibou and the country’s Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates also in attendance was the CEO of Africa Development Fun Mr. Hussein Al-Ishaqi.

“I hereby extend and official invitation to you, the vice president of the republic of Somaliland to visit our capital Niamey where arrangements for exchanging diplomats shall be finalize” said Hon Chaibou at the meeting he hosted VP Sayli.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Trail of 7 suspected Somali pirates opens on Monday

16 Sep – Source: Daily News – 386 words

The trial of seven suspected Somali pirates opens on Monday at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, being the first such case in the country’s judiciary history.

It will be a litmus test for the prosecution to prove such case since the National Assembly endorsed the Attorney General’s motion for Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) on the Penal Code, Act Number 2 of 2010, to introduce the piracy offence, following a wave of attacks on ships in deep seas.

An upcoming advocate Alloyce Komba is also going to be the first counsel in the country to defend such case by representing the seven Somalis, expected to be tried by High Court Judge Grace Mwakipesile.

In the case, the seven Somalis are Mohamed Nuru Adam, Bashir Yusuph Rooble, Muhsini Shehe Haji, Abdulwaidi Abdalahamani, Faragani Ali Abdul, Ally Nur Ally and Omar Mohamed, alias Mudhee. They are facing only one count of piracy, contrary to Section 66 (1) (a) (b) of the Penal Code, as amended.

Ethiopia says committed to Somalia’s lasting peace

15 Sept – Source: Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency – 121 words

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Tedros Adhanom said on Sunday Ethiopia would reinforce its endeavours for peace in Somalia. The Minister made the remark while holding talks with the delegation of Somalia led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Addis Ababa.

On the occasion, Tedros reaffirmed his country’s commitment to create lasting peace suitable for Somali citizens. He also said Ethiopia wants to strengthen the people to people relation between the two countries. President Mohamud for his part said Ethiopia’s support is enormous in bringing the relative peace in his country now.

Doubt cast on Somalia famine aid distribution

15 Sept – Source: Al Jazeera English – 02:52mins

Nearly 260,000 people are believed to have died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2011 to 2012. Hundreds of millions of dollars were raised for humanitarian aid, but there is doubt whether all the funds have been put to proper use. Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow reports from the capital, Mogadishu.

Saudi Arabia offers (300.000) USD to the Trust Fund

I5 Sept – Source: Saudi Press Agency – 188 words

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has offered (300000) U.S. dollars to support the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (the Trust Fund) and in particular to support the legal process to try pirates and bring them to justice to be punished.

This was announced by Prince Dr. Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Relations during the kingdom’ speech, which he delivered at the Third Conference on the fight against the phenomenon of maritime piracy which was held in Dubai, UAE, under the theme ‘Anti-piracy .. A Continuing Task to Build Regional Capacity.’

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Political progress in Somalia must not falter – president

16 Sept – Source: Neurope – 553 words

Finding a political solution for Somalia will be “first step that hold everything else together” as the troubled county moves forward, according to Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

He was speaking at the conference A New Deal For Somalia, held in Brussels on 16 September. The conference, jointly organised by the Somali government and the European Union, aims to build-up an effective public policy framework to establish accountable and transparent state institutions in the country, through what is known as the Somali compact, a process agreed by the international community at Busan, South Korea, in 2011.

Somalia set for ‘New Deal’ at Brussels conference

16 Sept – Source: BBC News – 247 Words

Diplomats and international officials are discussing a “New Deal” for Somalia, which should see hundreds of millions of dollars pledged for the country after two decades of conflict. The European Union (EU)-backed conference is being held in Brussels. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab dismissed the meeting as “Belgian waffle”.

Al Shabaab is fighting to oust Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government, the first to be recognised by the US in more than 20 years. The group controls most of southern Somalia, but it has been driven out of the main cities and towns, including the capital Mogadishu, by an African Union (AU) force backing the government.

Mr Mohamud told the BBC Somali service he welcomed the proposed New Deal. “It’s a standard deal throughout the world in the post-conflict environment. This is a deal that is based on Somalia-led initiatives,” he said. The UK’s ambassador to Somalia, Neil Wigan, said the conference was “a major milestone”, AFP news agency reports.

Islamists dismiss Somalia meet as ‘Belgian waffle’

16 Sept – Source: EU Business – 165 words

Somalia’s hardline Islamist al Shabaab rebels on Monday dismissed a key donor conference due to open in Brussels as “Belgian waffle” and a waste of time.

Al Shabaab said in a statement on Twitter that “the billions promised will most likely be unpaid, the paltry sum given to the apostates,” its term for the Somali government, “will be lost in corruption”. “It’s a bit like Belgian Waffles: sweet on the outside but really has not much substance to it. They are just hollow promises of Kufr”, or infidels, the group said.

Some 50 high-level delegations from Africa, Europe, the Gulf and elsewhere are expected for the “New Deal in Somalia” event, bringing together President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, other Somali leaders, world aid groups and global finance institutions.

Somali shops in PE burnt and looted

16 Sept – Source: Mail and Guardian – 348 words

Government repeatedly insisted that it does not identify the incidents as strictly xenophobic in nature. Somali nationals shops in Port Elizabeth, were looted and burnt at the weekend, Eastern Cape police said on Monday. Brigadier Marinda Mills said at least ten shops were attacked.

“Two shops at Ntintili Street were looted and burnt and a vehicle which was parked outside the shop was set alight,” said Mills. Several other shops were targeted on Sunday. Police had since moved some foreign nationals out of the area.

Somalis place high hope on Brussels conference for reconstruction

16 Sept – Source: Shanghai Daily/Xinhua – 595words

As a major gathering on Somalia is to kick off in the Belgian capital Brussels on Monday, Somalis are placing high hope on the conference for the war-torn country’s reconstruction.

The Somali government and other members of the international community will gather to endorse a partnership, dubbed the New Deal, which will give Somalia hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation.

The Somali government has expressed hope that the outcome of the meeting of donor countries will herald a new era in the relationship between Somalia and the international community in its recovery efforts.

Somalia’s President optimistic about the country’s recovery as a major conference opens

15 Sept – Source: BBC News – 03:16mins

Hope is not something usually associated with Somalia but that’s exactly what many are talking about as a major donor conference gets under way in Brussels on Monday. It’s called the ‘New Deal for Somalia’ and the major players will be there and it’s expected more than one billion dollars will be pledged. Ahead of the meeting the BBC’s Abdirahman Koronto has been speaking to Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud:

One-on-one with Somalia’s president

15 Sept – Source: Global Post – 954 Words

This was the year Somalia was meant to ditch its reputation as the world’s leading failed state, marking the end of a political transition period aimed at establishing civilian rule. But despite international backing for the government against Al Qaeda-affiliated militants, and the presence of nearly 18,000 African Union peacekeeping troops (AMISOM), serious progress has been elusive.

Suicide bomb attacks have killed scores of people in recent months. Roadside bombs continue to target government officials, including one that nearly hit President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. A recent United Nations report said al Shabaab, Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked insurgents, was “intact” despite efforts to weaken the group’s capabilities.

Somalia’s president, Mohamud, marks one year in office on Sept. 16, and spoke with GlobalPost in a recent interview. “When I started everything was a priority, urgent,” Mohamud, 57, said during the interview in his office at Villa Somalia, the fortified hilltop district where most government business is done.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Success will lie in a partnership between Somalia and the international community — a genuine partnership in which Somalis assume the rights and obligations of a sovereign state, taking both ownership and responsibility for their future.”

New Deal conference will help give Somalis the future they deserve

14 Sept – Source: The East African/Times of Malta – 578 Words

Nobody can deny it. Somalia has come a long way. The tremendous changes the country has been through in recent months demonstrates the power of commitment to move a country away from civil war and destitution; a commitment by Somali leaders to meet their people’s aspirations for a better future and by the European Union and other international partners to support them on their path to reconstruction and stability.

A military campaign, led by AMISOM, the African Union Mission to Somalia, and the Somali national forces has driven Al-Shabab from large parts of the country. Pirate attacks have declined by 93 per cent over the last two years and there has not been a single successful one in 2013. Terrorist attacks are still taking place on land and the threat to life, security and stability remains real.

But Somalis are returning from exile, investing and helping build a new State. The EU and others must support them in this task of reconstruction so that the new federal institutions can establish a viable federal State and hold elections as planned in 2016.

“My own dream is of a united, peaceful Somalia – at peace with itself, its neighbours and the rest of the world. My dream is for every Somali child to be in a safe and secure learning environment with quality education. My dream is to see a Somalia where children are not afraid; where they can play out in the open fields like we used to play in our villages.”

Getting Children Into Somalia’s Classrooms

14 Sept – Source: IPSNews – 638 Words

Somalia is well-known for being a country torn apart by decades of conflict, by hunger and instability. Today, with fragile stability emerging and a new government in place, there is an opportunity to define a new future of peace, prosperity and justice.â€¨â€¨

The capital city, Mogadishu, is changing at an extraordinary pace. On the streets the “thwack-thwack” sound that rings out in the mornings is not the clatter of machine guns, but the sound of hammers. The painters are painting and signs of construction are visible everywhere. There is hope. Yet, that hope can only bear fruit when we have built the right foundations for our children.

Today in Somalia, the United Nations Children’s Fund estimates six out of 10 children aged between six and 12 have never seen the inside of a classroom. Never had the joy of discovering how to read, to write their name and translate numbers into practical knowledge. Never had the pride of a teacher telling them they have done well and encouraging them to do even better. Never belonged to a school community, where in that safe space they can learn to dream and believe in their potential.

“Somalia’s New Deal is the first of its kind in the world and is a more ambitious initiative than a classic development tool, write Villy Søvndal and Christian Friis Bach.”

New Deal for Somalia is an important deal

14 Sept – Source: Euractiv – 775 Words

The international community turned a blind eye to the Horn of Africa for far too long – and not without consequences. Piracy flourished along the Somali coast, the longest in all of Africa. Terrorism gained a foothold. And the population was extremely vulnerable to drought and famine, as we witnessed in 2011. Despite renewed attacks and bombings carried out by the al Shabaab terrorist network, there is an emerging hope in the Horn of Africa.

The land attacks of recent months cannot dim the progress achieved in the wake of two decades of conflict and chaos. One year ago, a new federal government was established in Somalia that can represent the population across geographical regions and family clans. A fragile yet important foundation has been established for creating peace and progress.

In a global world, we cannot forget a country like Somalia. More than 1 million Somali refugees reside in the neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa. This combined with the threat of terrorism causes instability and danger along the borders, hindering trade that is so essential to economic growth and combating poverty in Africa.

“The Betty Trask award winner takes on a complex history of Somalian civil unrest with a focus on women”

The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed – review

14 Sept – Source: The Guardian – 738 Words

In a seminal trilogy on the Somali dictatorship of General Mohamed Siad Barre, which endured throughout the 1970s and 80s, Somalia’s great novelist Nuruddin Farah wrote unforgettably of the regime’s fellow travellers, who “hide in the convenience of a crowd and clap”. Thirty years on Nadifa Mohamed, who this year was named one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, reimagines such cheering acolytes in the opening pages of her second novel, The Orchard of Lost Souls.

Yet her focus is on the reluctant recruits of the Guddi, the dictator’s “neighbourhood watch”, which rallies supporters to a sports stadium to mark 18 years since the military coup that deified a nomadic boy – his mammoth portrait now hanging over the stadium “like a new sun, rays emerging from around his head”.

Mohamed, born in 1981 (and aged four when her family fled Somalia), is at one remove from the history Farah experienced, rather as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun was a new-generation take on the Biafra war, to which Chinua Achebe bore painful witness. While, at times, this distance shows in a dutiful assembly of images and references that fail to rise off the page, other moments reveal a tenacious imagination and maturing talent.

“Whatever transpired, A House in the Sky is surprisingly balanced. Sara Corbett’s expertise is evident, deftly telling the tale as news reports could not, illuminating Lindhout’s thoughts, the beautiful and grotesque in transfixing, heartbreaking, yet measured detail.”

Book Review: A House in the Sky, by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett

13 Sept – Source: The National Post Blog – 881 Words

Sitting in Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last fall, watching families laden with bulging plastic shopping bags check in for a 7 a.m. flight to Mogadishu, I mulled changing my ticket to join them and investigate the drone threat to Somalia. It was an idle impulse rooted in my security reporting days, a fleeting thought. Not so for Amanda Lindhout.

In 2008, when she decided to go to Somalia, Lindhout was an aspiring journalist, inspired by fascination with far-flung lands in old National Geographic issues she escaped into during a humble upbringing dotted by domestic violence.

She had travelled the Americas, Asia and Africa. She had spent seven months in Baghdad working for Iran’s Press TV, sending freelance files to France 24, six months in Afghanistan as her first and unsuccessful correspondent bid, and had a column in her small hometown newspaper, the Red Deer Advocate, all funded by tips saved from her Calgary job as a waitress.

Top tweets

@amisomsomalia What would you want the new deal to achieve? #SomaliaNewDeal http://on.fb.me/11glzLn ,http://bit.ly/1bmg5rt #Somalia.

@BBCAfrica #Somalia‘s President talks about his optimism for the country ahead of today’s conference. http://bbc.in/195R66I pic.twitter.com/HqnOHXDf27.

@eu_eeas High Rep Catherine #Ashton hopes New Deal Conference marks “significant moment” for #Somalia http://ow.ly/oTNnh #SomaliaNewDeal.

@AstridSehl Plight of #IDPs and gender based violence addressed at the #newdeal conference on #Somalia in Brussels #GBV #HR4all pic.twitter.com/22xyhVWLO2.

@WaaberiProject Watch the live conferences on the link below and get the agenda on our website on #The New Deal for#Somalia… http://fb.me/1EId9Yl1c .

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Image of the day

Image of the day Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, right, gestures a he and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton address the media prior to an EU Somalia conference at the Egmont Palace in Brussels Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Photo: AP.