November 22, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
UN envoy holds talks with elders, presidential contenders in Galkayo
21 Nov- Source: Horseed Media/Raxanreeb/Garowe Online-171 Words
United Nations Special Representative to Somalia and the head of UN assistance mission UNSOM Ambassador Nicholas Kay on Thursday visited Somalia’s central town of Galkayo, where he met with traditional elders and contenders in the upcoming Puntland presidential elections.
According to the reports, the UN envoy and the elders discussed about the security arrangements and the selection of Members of Parliament ahead of Presidential election that is slated for 8th of January 2014. The emphasiesd the need to hold a free and fair elections within the stipulated framework.
On othe other hand, the envoy held a close-door meeting with some of the presidential candidates. The candidates who met the UN envoy include Abdi Dahir Mahamed Yusuf, Abdirahman Sh. Mahamed Hassan Gablah, Abdullahi Ali Mire Arays and Mahamed Ali Yusuf Gagab. Sources say the contenders raised their concerns and hopes on the upcoming election.
Before his visit to Galkayo, Kay met with Puntland president Abdirahman Mohamed Farole to discuss on the humanitarian situations after the cyclonic storm, electoral process and Somalia politics.
Key Headlines
- Somali Parliament Speaker calls for further aid to cyclone victims (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Puntland fishermen desperate after storms (Radio Ergo)
- UN envoy holds talks with elders presidential contenders in Galkayo (Horseed Media/Raxanreeb/Garowe Online)
- Mahaday officials resettle hundreds of families back to their villages (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Somali Anti-piracy Information Centre calls for government action against piracy (Hiiraan Online)
- Lack of government oversight weakens quality of education at Somali universities (Sabahi Online)
- Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) grants leave to Somali Filipino staff (Gulf Times)
- Kenya police accused of counter-terror abuses (Review/BBC)
- Fears of disease outbreaks follow the tropical cyclone in Somalia (Reliefweb)
- Football back in Somalia “as sign of returning peace” (Xinhua/China Daily)
SOMALI MEDIA
UN envoy holds talks with elders, presidential contenders in Galkayo
21 Nov- Source: Horseed Media/Raxanreeb/Garowe Online-171 Words
United Nations Special Representative to Somalia and the head of UN assistance mission UNSOM Ambassador Nicholas Kay on Thursday visited Somalia’s central town of Galkayo, where he met with traditional elders and contenders in the upcoming Puntland presidential elections.
According to the reports, the UN envoy and the elders discussed about the security arrangements and the selection of Members of Parliament ahead of Presidential election that is slated for 8th of January 2014. The emphasiesd the need to hold a free and fair elections within the stipulated framework.
On othe other hand, the envoy held a close-door meeting with some of the presidential candidates. The candidates who met the UN envoy include Abdi Dahir Mahamed Yusuf, Abdirahman Sh. Mahamed Hassan Gablah, Abdullahi Ali Mire Arays and Mahamed Ali Yusuf Gagab. Sources say the contenders raised their concerns and hopes on the upcoming election.
Before his visit to Galkayo, Kay met with Puntland president Abdirahman Mohamed Farole to discuss on the humanitarian situations after the cyclonic storm, electoral process and Somalia politics.
Somali Parliament Speaker calls for further aid to cyclone victims
22 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 119 words
Somali Parliament Speaker, Prof. Mohamed Osman Jawari called on international community to assist Somali victims hit by tropical storms and heavy rains in Puntland.
While addressing African and Arab leaders attending Africa-Arab Summit in Kuwait, Jawari said that hundreds of families had lost their livestock while entire villages had been wiped away by the flash floods.
The speaker thanked the governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kuwait for the way they have responded to the crisis and urged other nations to follow suit and contribute to the relief efforts.
More than one hundred people have been killed while thousands of others lost their livelihoods after devastating tropical storms and heavy rains hit coastal regions of Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
Puntland fishermen desperate after storms
22 Nov- Source: Radio Ergo- 260 words
Fishermen have been stripped of their means of livelihood by the tropical cyclone and floods that hit Puntland last week. The authorities are concerned that this could lead to a rise in crime.
Those in worst-affected regions of Gardafu, Karkar, Nugal and Bari say all their fishing equipment has been destroyed or washed away by the floods.
The Chairman of the Fishermen’s Association in Gardafu region, Jama Yusuf, said 280 sets of fishing equipment, including boats, had been lost. He said the cyclone had left a “wide scar” across the coastal areas among communities dependant on fishing.
“The floods have had a huge impact on us. It swept way our boats and fishing nets and other possessions,” Yusuf told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. As a result, the fishermen are now at home idle, he said, because they don’t have spare equipment to use.
A fisherman in Nugal region, Abdikarim Mohamed, said he had never found it hard to earn his living before this time. He used to fish high value tuna, shark and lobsters and export them to United Arab Emirates and Yemen. But now, after losing his equipment valued at $4,000, he said he is worried he will not be able to meet his family’s needs.
However, Puntland’s deputy minister for fisheries and marine resources, Muse Gelle Yusuf, said his ministry was assessing the disaster’s impact on the fishing industry. He said the ministry would try to get equipment for those who had lost theirs, especially in order to avoid joblessness leading them to engage in criminal activities.
Mahaday officials resettle hundreds of families back to their villages
21 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 122 words
Some hundreds of families have been resettled back to their villages from Mahaday district after elders, local authorities and officials from Middle Shabelle disaster management committee in Mahaday agreed on the resettlement program.
The families have been resettled to Bulo Ahmed, Kulmis, Shilo bari and Bur-fule villages in Middle Shabelle region, according to the officials.
Ahmed Barkash Abikar, one of the elders in Mahaday district said that the families had been displaced in recent clashes in the outskirts of Jowhar, the provincial capital of Middle Shabelle region.
The mayor of Mahaday district, Sharif Abukar Ali urged communities in the region to cease the warfare and work together for the betterment of the region in order to establish peaceful coexistence between the communities.
Somali Anti-piracy Information Centre calls for government action against piracy
21 Nov- Source: Hiiraan Online- 274 words
The Somali Anti Piracy Center (SAPIC) would like to commend to the United Security Council for unanimously adopting a resolution calling for continued international action in the fight against piracy and armed robbery in Somalia. The Somali authorities welcomed the adoption of the resolution as it will enable the country alongside its regional and international partners on the substantial progress already made in the last year countering piracy.
“The welcoming of the resolution by the Somali authorities is not enough, they need to show their commitment towards fighting piracy by accelerating their efforts to formulate and adopt legislation that will facilitate prosecution of suspected pirates and bring them to justices,” said Abdullahi Hersi, Chairman, SAPIC. It is the country’s primary responsibility to end piracy and it can start by implementing the Somali Maritime Resource and Security Strategy that was adopted in Brussels in September, he added.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Lack of government oversight weakens quality of education at Somali universities
22 Nov- Source: Sabahi Online- 741 words
The number of universities throughout Somalia is growing, but a lack of governmental oversight in an increasingly competitive higher education sector is cause for concern, researchers and education stakeholders say.
Despite the country’s security challenges, more than 50,000 students attend nearly 50 higher education institutions of various sizes and capacities throughout Somalia including Puntland and Somaliland, according to a recent study produced by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS).
The August 2013 report, titled “The State of Higher Education in Somalia: Privatisation, rapid growth, and the need for regulation”, says that as many as 34 of 44 surveyed universities were established between the years 2004 and 2012. Of those 44 universities, only a handful offer post-graduate programmes.
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) grants leave to Somali, Filipino staff
21 Nov- Source: Gulf Times- 421 words
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has granted emergency leave to its Somali and Filipino staff who need to check on their families back home.
A fund-raising event has also been held at HMC to support the campaign, “Qatar Solidarity Day with the People of Somalia and the Philippines”, as part of the efforts led by Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) and other major charitable organisations in Qatar to provide relief to the victims of natural disasters in both countries.
Kenya police accused of counter-terror abuses
21 Nov- Source: Africa Review/BBC- 476 words
Kenyan counter-terrorism officers have been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings and other abuses in a report by US and Kenyan rights groups. The Open Society Justice Initiative and Kenya’s Muslims for Human Rights said the police often tortured detainees.
Their report said arbitrary arrests and disappearances were also widespread, especially in Mombasa, a city with a large Muslim population. Officials have not responded, but they have denied similar claims in the past.
The US and UK governments support Kenya’s anti-terror police with training and equipment.
The report said such assistance should be suspended to any unit where there was credible evidence that the police had committed human rights violations.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Fears of disease outbreaks follow the tropical cyclone in Somalia
22 Nov- Source: Reliefweb- 543 words
More than one week after a tropical cyclone tore through the Puntland region in Somalia, fears are emerging of an outbreak of waterborne diseases. Kwame Darko, health delegate for the Somalia delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said the cyclone caused serious damage to vital infrastructure. “Many wells in the provinces of Eyl and Dangorayo collapsed during the storm. There are also numerous dead livestock lying around. This has contaminated the water sources for thousands of people,” he said. “We need to ensure clean drinking water is made available for those affected by the cyclone, otherwise there is a very strong chance we will start seeing cases of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases.” More than 100 people are confirmed dead, and hundreds more are missing, after heavy flooding washed away roads, homesteads and fishing boats, leaving entire villages submerged under contaminated water. It is estimated that more than 80 per cent of livestock in the areas were killed. Those that survived are showing signs of ill health.
Football back in Somalia “as sign of returning peace”
21 Nov- Source: Xinhua/China Daily-561 Words
The huge spectators cheered and applauded as the two teams entered the pitch to play football match in the newly-renovated but once war-ravaged Banadir Stadium in the Somali capital Mogadishu. The match between Jenyo and Elman is among the hottest in the tournament and the stadium is packed to capacity.
As the referee whistles the start of the match the crowd comes to live as they encouraging players of the team they support. Muse Jama, a football fan and supporter of Jenyo, said the return of football to Mogadishu shows the love for the game and that the city is changing for the better.
“This is a clear sign that people of Mogadishu and the country in general are encouraged by the relative peace and stability and this match is a sign of it,” Jama told Xinhua. The Banadir football stadium has been base for the warring sides and has been extensively damaged but the stadium has been renovated and refitted with an artificial turf with funds from FIFA.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“To begin a national journey of recovery for the public service, we graciously need to remain optimistic about the future of the Public service, despite enormous challenges.”
Reforming Somalia Civil Service: Revival and Challenges
22 Nov- Source: Raxanreeb- 2499 words
As the title states, the purpose of this article is to bring into focus the state of affairs of the Somalia Civil Service with a view to making it an object of government concern and attention. It further highlights the importance of reforming and reviving the service and the achievements so far in this regard by the government and its partners as well as the way ahead for the public service sector.
The term “Reform” is the new buzzword in the post-transition Somalia. Probably no term can better reflect the course of actions in the most cherished changes in the restoration of functioning Somalia.
According to the Cambridge Advanced Learners’ dictionary, the word REFORM refers to making an improvement, especially by changing a person’s behaviour or the structure of something.
The Federal Government of Somalia theoretically intends to embark on an overhaul of reforms in all sectors of its functions, but unfortunately it does not have the resources to match its ambitions. Incidentally, those of us who are impatient for changes and reform, we should not wait or leave the political elite alone to piece together the disintegrated nation. It is the Civil Service that matters when it comes to running the machinery of a state. Somali Civil Service is really crying out for Reform.
Top tweets
@SharmakeF The constitution should be the benchmark 2 solve the current stalemate. The rule of law shld b respected. Cool heads should prevail#Somalia
@africareview As Somali piracy falls, questions over what to do with captured pirates http://shar.es/8RRe9
@TelegraphNews UN calls for an investigation after Somali police arrest an alleged rape victim and a reporterhttp://fw.to/UAZhQDg
@AfricasaCountry The return, after 22 years, of Somali Airlines, “The First Winner of Africa’s Best Airline Service Awards”http://www.keydmedia.net/en/
@TheVillaSomalia A decent education is the nail in the coffin for extremist groups. I salute teachers on #Somalia Teachers Dayhttp://mad.ly/cb3044
Image of the day
UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay is greeted by officials from local authorities at Galkayo airport ahead of talks with Puntland Elders & presidential election candidates. Photo: @UNSomalia