January 29, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia turns to Diaspora for investment
29 Jan- Source: Daily Monitor- 311 words
The Somali government has said it intends to tap into its Diaspora to invest in the war-ravaged country. Speaking to the Somali Diaspora community in Kampala yesterday, Mr Abulkadir Kamtir, the director in the Office of Diaspora Affairs, said their investments will be protected. He said he had spent more than 20 years in North America but got his property back after returning to the country. “Our office thinks the Diaspora has the building capacity that Somalia needs. This is the first time we have reached out to this community and we are asking for their brains and the money to create jobs,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of Somalis across the globe remit more than $1.5b (nearly Shs4 trillion) annually to their relatives. Last year, the International Fund for Agricultural Development said it would provide $1.5 million (Shs4b)to fund Diaspora projects in Somalia.
Key Headlines
- African Summit to open in Addis Ababa (Radio Kulmiye/Radio Dalsan)
- Somalia’s interior Minister promise to deliver tasks (Radio Shabelle)
- President Hassan Sheikh vows 2014 year to eliminate al Shabaab (Radio Mogadishu)
- Puntland president unveils new cabinet (Radio Garowe)
- Mogadishu governor urges New ministers to reside in civilian populated areas (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia turns to Diaspora for investment (Daily Nation)
- Kenya: Anti-terror crusader killed in cold blood (Daily Nation)
- Al Qaeda threat evolving Obama (AAP)
- Military strike in Somalia targeted al Shabaab leader U.S. officials say (CNN)
SOMALI MEDIA
African Summit to open in Addis Ababa
29 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/RBC/Radio Kulmiye/Radio Dalsan- 88 words
The 22nd African Union Summit is expected to open in the Ethiopian capital city, Addis Ababa. Summit agenda includes issues of food security, peace and stability in the continent and the ongoing crisis in South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
A delegation led by Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has on late Tuesday arrived in the Ethiopian capital to attend the summit. The president said that he will ask his African counterparts to assist his government in its fight against al Shabaab militant group.
Somalia’s interior Minister promise to deliver tasks
29 Jan- Source: Radio Shabelle- 109 words
Somalia’s new interior minister Abdullahi Godah Bare has promised to deliver after he was officially handed over office in a well-organized ceremony.Mr. Godah Bare took office from Abdulkarim Hussein Guled who is now the new security minister.
Gothah Bare promised to deliver several tasks in the country including achieving full federalism in the country. The minister urged the staff of the ministry to perform their duties to achieve tangible changes. Abdullahi Godah Bare is among the 55 cabinet members recently chosen by Somalia’s minister Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed and many Somalis expect a lot from the large cabinet.
President Hassan Sheikh vows 2014 year to eliminate al Shabaab
29 Jan- Source: Radio RBC/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Radio Mustaqbal- 190 words
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to galvanize support from African Union partners to eliminate al Shabaab.
Upon arrival the President stated: “We have already got off to a strong start against our enemies this year, acting with our friends and partners to demonstrate forcibly that they have nowhere safe left to hide in Somalia. We are putting them under unprecedented pressure with a series of strikes. We will continue to defeat them militarily as well as in the battle of ideas. Let’s finish the job in 2014.”
Security features high on the AU Heads of State Summit agenda and Somalia is expecting to gain overwhelming support in its efforts to end the war against al Shabaab. Currently the Somali National Army is preparing for major operations against the terrorists, in partnership with AMISOM.
Leaders will also be discussing Agenda 2063, Africa’s ambitious plans to move forward on a range of issues to transform the continent, including good governance and economic development. The President will also be holding bilateral talks with several African leaders on issues of mutual interest.
Puntland president unveils new cabinet
29 Jan- Source: Radio Garowe/Radio Mogadishu/Horseed media/Somali Current- 270 words
The newly elected President of Somalia’s northeastern state of Puntland Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas has unveiled his new government on Tuesday afternoon. The chief of cabinet at President’s office, Deeq Suleiman Yusuf announced the cabinet line-up during a press conference at Puntland State House in the capital of Garowe, with 46 officials getting portfolios in President Gaas’ new cabinet.
5 women managed to take over ministerial posts as Anisa Abdulkadir Haji Mumin and Sahra Saed Nour were assigned to the ministries of women and constitution respectively while three other women received Deputy Positions. The former Presidents of the self-declared Khaatumo administration, Ahmed Elmi Osman (Ahmed Karash) and Abdinur Elmi Qaaje (Biindho) have also been named as Interior and Fisheries Ministers correspondingly.
Hassan Osman Mohamud Aloore , former Petroleum Minister under President Gen. Mohamud Musse Hirsi (Ade)’s incumbency will replace the outgoing security minister Col. Khalif Isse Mudan. Former chairman of Midnimo Political Association, Dr. Saadiq Enow who also relinquished his candidacy for Puntland president during the state’s latest presidential election became Minister of Health.
Among those who lost the presidential race to the incumbent Abdiweli Gaas but appeared on the cabinet list are Ali Haji Warsame and Shire Haji Farah. Warsame was appointed to the ministry of education while Shire will be sworn-in into the finance ministry. President Gaas yesterday hosted a luncheon for MPs at Puntland Parliament building, discussing the plans ahead for his government and pledging economic reforms.
Mogadishu governor urges new ministers to reside in civilian populated areas
29 Jan- Source: Radio Shabelle/Hiiraan Online- 107 words
Mohamud Ahmed Nur Tarsan who is the Governor of Banadir region and the mayor of Mogadishu has urged the new cabinet members to get their residential homes inside civilian populated areas. Tarsan says that this will develop sense of security in the different districts of Banadir region.
The Governor also urged the importance of achieving federalism in the country but added that achieving full security in Mogadishu was essential. The Governors word comes at a time when the new cabinet members are taking over offices from the previous ministers.
New Togdheer governor takes office
29 Jan- Source: Somaliland Informer- 135 words
The newly appointed Togdheer regional governor Hon. Mohamed Muse Dirie has formally taken office on Tuesday after large and well organized ceremony was held which was attended by the Former Togdheer regional Governor Hon. Ahmed Hamarji who resiged office citing personal reasons. It was also attended by the Assistant minister of Interior Hon. Osman Garad Soofe, the Mayor of Berbera Hon. Abdishakur Idin, the Mayor of Togdheer Hon. Mohamed Yusuf Murad, Togdheer police chief, and local Councillors. The large ceremony was also attended by clan traditional chiefs, government officials at regional level and members of local residents. All those who spoke at the ceremony bode farewell to the previous governor and welcomed the new governor after having the president appointed to the post following the unexpected departure of his predecessor.
Somali businessman killed in Nairobi
28 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/RBC- 77 words
Armed gangs have on Monday night killed a Somali businessman in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. Sheikh Ahmed Weli, who was a member of Bakal Money Transfer company, was killed when armed men stormed his residential home in South C Estate in the southeastern part of the capital. The motives behind the assassination of the businessman are still unclear and he is due to be buried in one of the Muslim cemeteries in Nairobi.
Somaliland starts livestock vaccination
28 Jan- Source: Radio Ergo-143 Words
Somaliland’s Ministry of Livestock has launched a new vaccination campaign to fight contagious bacterial diseases that threaten livestock in Somaliland. The Minister of Livestock Dr Abdi Aw Dahir said more than four million heads of livestock will be vaccinated throughout the 10-day nationwide vaccination campaign.
The campaign will vaccinate livestock against the highly infectious disease known as Contagious Caprine Pleuropneunonia (CCPP). It will also provide veterinary treatment for the livestock that has already been infected by the disease.
The disease has serious economic and trade consequences in Somaliland, whose mainstay is pastoralism, said Aw Dahir. Livestock trade is a multi-million dollar business which is believed to contribute around 70 percent of Somaliland’s GDP.
The campaign is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). More than 100 veterinary health workers have been mobilized in Somaliland’s six regions to carry out the 10-day exercise.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somalia turns to Diaspora for investment
29 Jan- Source: Daily Monitor- 311 words
The Somali government has said it intends to tap into its Diaspora to invest in the war-ravaged country. Speaking to the Somali Diaspora community in Kampala yesterday, Mr Abulkadir Kamtir, the director in the Office of Diaspora Affairs, said their investments will be protected. He said he had spent more than 20 years in North America but got his property back after returning to the country. “Our office thinks the Diaspora has the building capacity that Somalia needs. This is the first time we have reached out to this community and we are asking for their brains and the money to create jobs,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of Somalis across the globe remit more than $1.5b (nearly Shs4 trillion) annually to their relatives. Last year, the International Fund for Agricultural Development said it would provide $1.5 million (Shs4b)to fund Diaspora projects in Somalia.
Jubaland state cleared to rule Southern Somalia
29 Jan- Source: Daily Nation- 611 words
The new Jubaland State administration in Southern Somalia is struggling to find its footing to secure the region and help ensure peace and stability after decades of civil war. The nascent state consists of Gedo, Middle Juba and Lower Juba – all areas adjacent to the Kenya-Somalia border – and does not include Bay and Bakool regions.
The administration, launched last week, led by President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe, enjoys the backing of the international community as a way of bringing lasting peace and stability to the wider Somalia. The semi-autonomous State which is crucial to Kenya and Ethiopia due to its proximity to the two countries has 10 Cabinet ministers. The state is headquartered in Kismayo, where the Kenya Defence Forces are located under the African Union Mission (AMISOM).
Kenya: Anti-terror crusader killed in cold blood
29 Jan- Source: Daily Nation- 314 words
A senior intelligence officer was yesterday shot dead by gunmen who fled on a motorbike. Mr Ahmed Bakswein, a 61-year-old former police reservist, was shot in his car in Malindi shortly after leaving his home in the morning. Mr Bakswein worked closely with the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit. Area police boss Kiprono Langat said Mr Bakswein was shot three times and died on the spot.
“This morning, Mr Bakswein was driving towards the roundabout on Malindi-Garsen Road when two men on a motorcycle shot him in the head with a pistol,” said Mr Langat. The police boss said investigations were on-going and he did not want to speculate why he was shot, but family members said it did not come as a surprise as he had received death threats because of his work.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Al Qaeda threat evolving, Obama
29 Jan- Source: SBS/AAP- 98 words
Barack Obama says al Qaeda is creating networks in countries such as Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Mali and these networks need to be disabled. The threat from US arch foe al Qaeda is evolving and taking root in new places around the world, US President Barack Obama has warned.
“In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Mali, we have to keep working with partners to disrupt and disable these networks,” Obama told US lawmakers in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, adding the United States had put “al Qaeda’s core leadership on the path to defeat.”
Military strike in Somalia targeted al Shabaab leader, U.S. officials say
28 Jan- Source: CNN- 374 words
A U.S. military strike in southern Somalia Sunday was targeting Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of al Shabaab, the Somali-based group with ties to al Qaeda, according to three US officials. A drone operated by the U.S. Defense Department fired a Hellfire missile at a vehicle killing those inside, the officials said. But as of Tuesday, the Pentagon was unable to confirm whether Godane was killed, although he was the intended target. The military was authorized to try to kill Godane because of current intelligence indicating he posed an “imminent threat” against U.S. interests in the region, one official said.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Forget the bad apples; focus on this community’s rising contributions from Minneapolis to Mogadishu.”
Somali-Minnesotans wield clout from Minneapolis to Mogadishu
28 Jan- Source: Star Tribute-822 Words
When Somali-Minnesotans receive media attention, it’s often due to controversy, from homegrown suicide bombers to teetotaling cabdrivers refusing to transport alcohol. Last October, when unfounded rumors circulated that Somali perpetrators of the Kenya mall massacre were from Minnesota, national media descended on the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis like locusts. When the rumors were dispersed by the truth, they swarmed away just as quickly.
When it comes to Somali-Minnesotans, these controversies are a sideshow. The real story is how a poor immigrant community has become a major political force locally and abroad, from Minneapolis to Mogadishu.
As policy director for Mark Dayton’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign, I saw firsthand that Somali voters were being aggressively courted. I am confident that gubernatorial campaigns outside of Minnesota are not asked to take a position on the Ogaden border dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia.Such outreach foreshadowed a rising political force.
“As the scrambles for concessions in the coastal East African countries continue, experts believe there is a high probability of a gas find along the Somali coast and its deep seas which shares the same geological evolution as in the gas-rich blocks in Tanzania, Mozambique and recently Kenya.”
Offshore Somali Coast: – Beneath the Indian Ocean-Floor
28 Jan- Source: Somali Current-1347 Words
One of the newest, most promising areas for deep-water exploration is offshore East Africa, from Somalia to South Africa or the Western Indian Ocean. At least three-quarters of global deep-water spending, historically has focused on the Deep-water Golden Triangle: offshore Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and offshore West Africa. But over the past few years, a number of giant fields have been discovered outside this traditional core, prompting international oil companies to ramp up investment in these emerging plays of the East African Indian Ocean. Though most of the gas discoveries occurred in Mozambique and Tanzania; and one discovery is in Kenya (which is under evaluation now), Somalia missed out due to conflict and anarchy that prevailed for more than two decades.
Somalia’s portion: A major portion of the East African margin of the Indian Ocean is owned by Somalia, which is lagging behind relative to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique Madagascar and Seychelles in terms of the exploitation of marine resources. Somalia is just emerging out of two decades of instability and got its government recognised by USA, UK and others recently. From here Somalia has to embark on the road to build the institutions related to the advancement of petroleum sector.
“Even though al Shabaab recently limited some access to the Internet in its areas, the group and its sympathizers will certainly be providing as many details as possible about AMISOM’s responsibility for Salah’s death–further underscoring the need for AMISOM to find the appropriate response for its fatal accidents.”
Social Media Reactions to AMISOM’s Hit and Run in Mogadishu
28 Jan- Source: Somalia Newsroom-522 Words
On the morning of 28 January 2014, an AMISOM vehicle ran over a civilian on Maka al Mukarama road and left the scene in what African Union forces called a “tragic accident.” The man killed in the hit-and-run was 41-year-old taxi driver Salah Nur Mohamed. The scene of the accident drew a large number of onlookers and protesters.
Amabassdor Annadif, AU Special Representative for Somalia and Head of AMISOM, was quoted in a press release, stating, “We deeply regret the tragic accident. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of the deceased who have suffered such a heartbreaking loss.”
The incident sparked a huge response on Twitter with many using the #JusticeforSalah hashtag. Unsurprisingly, many were upset at what was perceived as a heartless–if not criminal–offense in which AMISOM left Salah in the road after the incident. Using its growing presence on Twitter, the account of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (@TheVillaSomalia) tried to assure those concerned that the government was pursuing more details.
Top tweets
@Refugees LATEST: We’ve issued new guidelines on the special protection needs of people fleeing southern & central#Somalia http://rfg.ee/t1Yge
@UNSomalia #Somalia delegation arrived in #Addis.@TheVillaSomalia hosts dinner 4 international partners@Somalia111 @DrTedros pic.twitter.com/PYEhC4JJHz
@mfaethiopia Discussion focuses on how to best coordinate support for #Somalia through the #IGAD Partners Forum, currently chaired by #Italy. @DrTedros.
@Somalia111 #AU Summit week continues. My side meetings focus on linking up military, political and stabilisation efforts under #Somalia leadership.
@nichaileyFCO Good talks on crucial year ahead in #Somaliawith AU special rep Amb Anadif. Joining up all our efforts is vital.@UKinSomalia @AU_PSD
Image of the day
#Somalia photo exhibition at #AU summit. Photo: @UNSomalia