November 28, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Former Banadir governor announces new political party

27 Nov – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 218 Words

The former governor of Banadir region and mayor of Mogadishu Mohamud Ahmed Noor Tarsan has on Thursday announced new political party in Mogadishu called Justice and Community Party. Speaking in a well executed ceremony attended by politicians, intellectuals, traditional elders and civil society from all walks, the former governor said the main purpose of forming this party is to promote justice, unity and facilitate the development and reconstruction of the country. The chairman of the new party Mr. Tarsan said the party is from the community and its operations will be based on the will of the community unlike the other political parties that failed to do much about the needs of the people. Tarsan urged the leaders of the regional administrations in the country including Interim Juba administration, Puntland and and the newly established administration of South West Somalia to help the expansion of his party adding that he is willing to open new offices in all parts of Somalia. Tarsan underlined that his party will take an active role in solving the political feud between the top leaders of Somalia that has affected the smooth running of federal government’s activities. This comes a time when the federal parliament of Somalia has not yet approved opening and registration of political parties.

Key Headlines

Former Banadir governor announces new political party (Radio Goobjoog)
President Abdiweli Gaas arrives Bossaso comments on the political turmoil in the SFG (Radio RBC)
Price of local rice soars in Jowhar (Ergo Radio)
TEDx Mogadishu lights up Somali capital again (Somali Current)
Somali Foreign Minister leaves Sana’a (Yemen News Agency)
Mogadishu residents bemoan electricity service costs (Sabahi Online)
13 men guilty of enforced prostitution and rape of vulnerable girls in Bristol (The Guardian)
EU to train another 1200 Somali soldiers in 2015 (IHJ Janes 360)

Former Banadir governor announces new political party

27 Nov – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 218 Words

President Abdiweli Gaas arrives Bossaso, comments on the political turmoil in the SFG

27 Nov – Source: Radio RBC – 158 Words

The President of Puntland Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas had today arrived the port town of Bossaso , Bari region, after he traveled from Qardho. President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas along with large delegation have arrived in the commercial town of Bossaso, where government, regional administration officials, local elders and the people of Bossaso have welcomed the president and his delegation at the outskirts of the town. The president speaking to the press at Puntland Presidential Palace in Bossaso had commented on deepened political dispute that has already frozen the steady ongoing efforts to realize a stable Somalia government. Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas has called the federal government of Somalia to halt the “No Confidence” motion against Prime Minister Abdiweli Shiekh Ahmed. “We have stated in our last press release that “No Confidence” motion against the Prime Minister at this time since it will not bring about a solution,” Said Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas.

Price of local rice soars in Jowhar

27 Nov – Source: Ergo Radio – 295 Words

The price of locally produced rice in Jowhar has doubled due to a fall in production of the crop over the past two years. Farah Aley sells local food products in Jowhar market. He told Radio Ergo’s local reporter a 50 kg sack of local rice had risen from 350,000 to 720,000 Somali shillings. He said the product was completely running out of the market. “There are less than 10 sacks of this type of rice in Jowhar food markets,” he said. Radio Ergo’s reporter said farmers had been hit hard in the past two harvest seasons by floods and a shortage of seeds for planting. Hajji Ambe, a farmer, said his four hectares of rice were recently washed away by river floods. “You see that I am now idling around the market, because my farm was destroyed by floods. Unfortunately, I have not been lucky enough to harvest my farm for four consecutive seasons,” he said.

Fatuma Ali Hassan used to sell local rice for a good profit. But she is no longer in the business. “I recently stopped selling the locally produced rice, because nobody was going to buy it at more than 700,000 Somali shillings. Locals are now opting for the imported rice, which is cheaper,” she said. Hajji Ambe cited lack of fertilizers, poor irrigation systems and floods as the main challenges leading to the low production levels. Jowhar is one of few areas in Somalia where such type of rice is planted. The former central government of Somalia with support from the Chinese government launched the ‘Plant Rice’ project in Berey village near Jowhar during the 1980s. Locals in the area continued to plant the product after the collapse of the government in 1990.

TEDx Mogadishu lights up Somali Capital again

27 Nov – Source: Somali Current – 293 Words

For the third year running, Tedx Mogadishu returned to the Somali capital in a lively event dubbed ‘Mogadishu Rising’ held at the picturesque Ocean View restaurant along the city’s famous Lido Beach. The event attracted a variety of speakers from all walks of life who all came to speak about Mogadishu, peace and the growing optimism in Somalia. This year’s TEDx Mogadishu was sponsored through a private-public partnership; speakers included Mogadishu Deputy Mayor Iman Aar, social media maverick and Mogadishu resident Zahra Qorane, who has made it her personal mission to help change the negative perceptions Mogadishu and Somalia through positive pictures and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nick Kay, among others.

Ilwad Iman, a Somali youth activist who co-hosted the event, said Tedx Mogadishu was stirring discussions among the people of Mogadishu. “What TEDx Mogadishu does, it actually brings people together – it allows people to just sit back and listen to what’s actually happening and to have an opportunity to interact with like-minded individuals. We haven’t had a space like that in more than two decades and I think that’s why it’s met with optimism and such excitement every single time TEDx is in town, because they want to hear ‘what’s happening in my city and how can I be a part of this great change?” Ambassador Kay encouraged the Somali youth to continue to build messages of optimism and progress, through which they could overcome many of the challenges the country continues to face. “This is a very uplifting and encouraging event in a room full of very educated and very bright, energetic, mostly young Somalis – so they are very very united and their optimism about Mogadishu rising and Somalia rising,” SRSG Kay said.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali Foreign Minister leaves Sana’a

27 Nov – Source: Yemen News Agency – 122 Words

Somali Foreign Minister Abdirahman Beyle said on Thursday that his visit to Yemen was successful and resulted in forming a joint committee between Yemen and Somalia. Upon his departure, Beyle said that the joint committee aims to enhance the bilateral cooperation relations and experience exchange in all common interests. He valued the Yemeni support for the Somali people during the civil war, especially hosting thousands of Somali refugees, affirming that such attitude will not be forgotten by the Somali people. The Somali Minister began an official visit to Yemen on Monday for several days, during which he held talks with several senior officials at the government, including President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, on the possible means to boost the Yemeni-Somali cooperation relations.

Mogadishu residents bemoan electricity service costs

27 Nov – Source: Sabahi Online – 971 Words

Six months ago, seven private electricity companies in Mogadishu merged to form the Banadir Electricity Company (BECO) after operating separately for the last 20 years. The merger aimed to streamline electricity provision and upgrade the grid in the capital city, but since the merger, Mogadishu residents have been complaining about the high cost of services and say they want the government to intervene. Before the merger, each household paid only for the electricity they consumed, but now BECO has issued a new minimum rate of $10 for each service location. For many residents who rely on remittances from abroad, the new fees are prohibitive. Maryam Abdi Gutale, 34, a mother of five, said her electricity was cut off when she failed to pay her $89 bill on time. Standing at one of the BECO centres in Hamar Weyne Market, she said the company had refused to restore her electricity because of her late payment. “My family survives on remittances from abroad, and sometimes it comes late,” she told Sabahi. “The problem I am facing now is that I have already paid the money, but they have refused to restore my electricity, because the company told me that I have broken the rule that every person has to pay the bill within the first five days of each month or they will be without electricity.” “We are suffering due to the high rate and the lack of an alternative company that provides this service in the city,” she said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

13 men guilty of enforced prostitution and rape of vulnerable girls in Bristol

27 Nov – Source: The Guardian – 806 Words

Thirteen men, all of Somali origin, have been found guilty of the systematic sexual abuse of vulnerable schoolgirls and teenagers in Bristol. The victims, some of whom were in local authority care, were groomed and passed around by their abusers – often for money – and assaulted in homes, parks and a hotel. One of the girls was raped at the age of 13 on the same night by three different men, including a stranger, and thought her life would be in danger if she went to the police. Another girl was sexually exploited after a local authority outside Bristol set her up alone in a flat at the age of 16 in a deprived inner-city neighbourhood although she had been described as having the emotional development of a three-year-old. Within hours of arriving, she was spotted by drug dealers who set up a base in her new home and forced her to work as a prostitute. The abuse continued for months even after she told care workers about what was happening; the girl’s 14-year-old sister was subsequently raped during a visit. A serious case review will look at the case and examine whether more should have been done to protect the girls. Ten girls have so far come forward but a dedicated major crime team continues to look into allegations of child exploitation in the force area and detectives fear there could be many other victims. The case will once again focus attention on the scandal of groups of young men from minority ethnic communities who prey on vulnerable girls in inner-city communities – and the ability of agencies to spot such abuse.

EU to train another 1,200 Somali soldiers in 2015

27 Nov – Source: IHJ Janes 360 – 131 Words

The European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) aims in 2015 to approximately match the number of soldiers it trained in 2014, although mission personnel say the security situation in Mogadishu, where the training is taking place, remains “very dangerous”. The 128-strong EUTM Somalia team in Mogadishu has already completed 11 training courses involving 1,150 trainees, and in the coming weeks another 250 Somali soldiers are expected to complete their training. The mission has set a target of training a further 1,200 soldiers in 2015, an EU military official told reporters on 26 November. However, getting the instructors to and from their living quarters to the training site is still an onerous chore due to the heavy armament and force protection required to guard against attacks by Al-Shabaab.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Overall, we are proud of the work we have done so far and pay tribute to all those who have lost their lives in our quest for a safer continent for ourselves, our children and generations to come.”

Amisom, Africa’s solution to the Somali problem, is working out well

27 Nov – Source: Daily Nation – 681 Words

The symbolism of my visit to Uganda, so early in my tenure, is not lost on me. I recently spent time in the Pearl of Africa on the first of several visits I will be making around the continent, to share and highlight the numerous and very significant strides that the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) has made in Somalia. Uganda was the first country to answer Somalia’s call by deploying forces to help our brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa back in 2007. These brave forces are now working alongside other troop and police-contributing countries of Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The situation in Somalia was an African problem and Amisom is Africa’s working solution. Together, we have facilitated the liberation of millions of Somali people from Al-Shabaab’s tyrannical rule and given them a precious opportunity to experience the kind of freedom and prosperity that they have not had in generations. Early this year, we received fresh impetus on the military side with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2124, which allows us to have a maximum of 22,126 boots on the ground. This increased capacity allowed our peacekeepers to move from the defensive posture they had earlier adopted, and launch fresh operations.

“The strategy has either failed totally or is in the process of failing. Kenya sent its troops into Somalia with the intention of clearing three Somali provinces — Gedo, Lower Juba, and Upper Juba — of Al-Shabaab to create a buffer against the kind of attack we saw last Saturday.”

Somalia strategy has failed to assure Kenya security, so it’s time to rethink it

27 Nov – Source: Daily Nation – 749 Words

President Kenyatta has a crisis on his hands, one which he has inflicted on himself through his poor handling of the country’s security and which could lead to his fall if he does not get smart, rather than angry. There are two ways of looking at the security failures around the attack by Al-Shabaab last week in which 28 people, mainly teachers, were executed. The first one is the accountability view, where we look for the person who failed and nail him to the wall. This is the typical Kenyan approach, this being a country of vindictive politics and emotion-soaked reaction to failure. My own take is that whereas it is good to hold people accountable, merely sacking the person in question does not solve the underlying problem. Samuel Kivuitu, and the entire Electoral Commission of Kenya, was sacked, but serious problems remain. General Hussein Ali was removed as police boss, replaced with Mathew Iteere and finally David Kimaiyo. Today, the police force is in its worst shape in the history of the country.