June 12, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Delegates Accuse Technical Committee And Interior Minister of Hijacking Adaado State Making Process
11 June – Source: Wacaal Media – 271 Words
Somali Minister of Interior and Federal Affairs and the technical committee of the Adaado conference which seeks to form a regional state for Galgaduud and Mudug regions have come under fire for fronting and pushing for vested interests. Speaking at a press conference in Adaado, a section of the delegates said that they have decided to go slow on the process following what they termed as interference and blackmail. They also said that they had no control of what is happening in the conference. The delegates expressed their frustrations at how things were done, adding they were also denied access to the interim constitution of the upcoming state. The revelations come in the wake of growing discontent among the delegates attending the Adaado conference as well as increased misunderstandings between them and the technical committee. They warned against a problem which they said may jeopardize the process and throw the conference into disarray. The delegates appealed to the federal government to disband the committee and appoint a new and non-partisan one in its place to save the process. The conference had 45 days to conclude the process but that timeline has already lapsed since the conference had entered the second phase which was recently opened by Premier Sharmarke. Contentious issues include the constitution of the upcoming state, the capital city, the number of members of parliament among other issues. The delegates claim to have no control over any of the above for now.
Key Headlines
- Delegates Accuse Technical Committee And Interior Minister of Hijacking Adaado State Making Process(Wacaal Media)
- US Congressman Battles To Keep Somali Remittances Open (Hiiraan Online)
- You Must Deliver Somali President Warns Cabinet Members (Somali Current)
- US And Somalia Discuss Possible Cooperation Against Al-Shabaab Militants (Horseed Media)
- Federalization Dominates Puntland Cabinet Meeting (Garowe Online)
- Anti ‘Kay’ Protests In Dhuusamareeb Following Envoy’s Call To Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (Wacaal Media
- Drugs Divorce And Despair: Somalia’s Forgotten Male War Victims (Yahoo News/Reuters)
- Somalia Seeks More Participation In Eala Affairs As It Awaits EAC Approval (Daily Nation)
- Parents Knew Of Somali-American Men’s Plan To Join ISIL Feds Say (Star Tribune)
- Kenya Government Seeks To Voluntarily Repatriate 10000 Somalis (Yahoo News/Associated Press)
- Kenyan Court Orders Muslim Groups Removed From “Terror List” (Reuters)
- We Have A Deal: African Leaders Sign Off On Much-awaited Common Market ‘Super Bloc’
NATIONAL MEDIA
US Congressman Battles To Keep Somali Remittances Open
11 June – Source: Hiiraan Online – 302 Words
The US congressman Keith Ellison known for his advocacy for Somalia’s troubled remittances service vowed he would continue his efforts to help the horn of Africa nation to reopen its vital lifeline service after US banks discontinued handling money for Somali Hawala companies. Congressman Ellison, the Minn. Democrat who was with visiting Somali delegates led by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke assured them that he’d spare no effort to keep Somalia’s lifeline open. “I will continue to work with Members of Congress and government agencies to keep the remittances lifeline to Somalia open and ensure that all Somalis are safe and secure in their country, and advocate for Somali refugees in Dadaab.” said the 49-year –old democratic congressman in a statement from his office on Thursday. It’s not the first time that the first Muslim congressman who has long been advocating for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq urged his government to reopen Somali money transfer companies.
Following a visit by the US Secretary of State John Kerry in Mogadishu, Keith Ellison warned the US not to waste Somalia’s ‘hard-fought’ fragile gains by closing Somali ‘lifeline’ remittance services. US banks that handled Somali money transfer services have terminated contracts with the companies over complicated banking regulations and anti-terror legislation. Somali Hawalas deliver hundreds of millions into the horn of Africa each month, including funds for aid agencies supporting the people. Recently, the Kenyan government also closed the accounts for 86 individuals, organizations, hotels and remittance companies it accused of being involved in terrorism activities. International organizations including the United Nations and humanitarian workers warned that shutting down Hawala companies will have a huge impact on Somalia as it would cut off a vital lifeline for Somalia which has no formal banking system.
You Must Deliver, Somali President Warns Cabinet Members
11 June – Source: Somali Current – 302 Words
President Hassan Sheikh has challenged his cabinet member to spearhead the government effort towards the realization of Vision 2016, saying Somalis look up to them for inspiration. Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Mogadishu, the president said the government would implement the agendas in the vision before its deadline. The cabinet memebers today talked about state of the nation, social issues, security and the economic situation of the country. The president similarly tasked the cabinet to deliver, saying there will be accountability at the end of their period. “You have to deliver on the development programs that currently run under your watch,” he said. Cabinet member in charge of Environment, Burci Mohamed Hamza has decried the large amount of polythene papers in the country and the effect it has on the environment. “We need to partner with the local communities and get rid of this menace (polythene papers), he said. He added that the polythene papers occupy large chunks of land that could be used for productive purpose.
On the other hand, the minister for livestock, Said Hussein Idd, while updating the cabinet on his latest trip to Egypt, said the Egyptian government has okayed a deal to export livestock and animal products from Somalia. “We also discussed on how best the Egyptian government can help the Somali government revive the institutions that taught livestock knowledge before the collapse of the central government in order to get a new generation of Somalis that understand the importance of livestock,” he said. The education minister told the cabinet of plans to roll out a national examination system that would be properly managed. While similarly updating the cabinet, the Internal Security Minister, Abdirizack Umar Mohamed said the security agencies were prepared to contain any form of insecurity in the country, particularly when Al-Shabaab strikes.
U.S. And Somalia Discuss Possible Cooperation Against Al-Shabaab Militants
11 June – Source: Horseed Media – 245 Words
Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke met with the Deputy Defense Secretary of the United States of America Bob Work in the Pentagon, discussing on issues related to counterterrorism and other mutual concerns. Mr Sharmarke along with the Somali Defense Minister Gen. Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali Dini discussed with the officials the US-Somali security assistance and ways to simultaneously fight the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab, according to a statement from the Pentagon. The US officials commended the achievement of the Somali forces in defeating Al-Shabaab militants and capturing strategic towns from the group. However on the fight against Al-Shabaab, U.S. officials identified the integration of regional federal states forces into the national army as one of the important strategies to combat the militants. “Progress on the political front is a necessary foundation for the development of Somali security forces,” the statement said. The meeting comes as the Somalia Federal government plans to launch an offensive in areas still under the control of al-Shabaab. Top government officials have vowed to Last week, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the US Department of State Tina Kaidanow visited Somali capital, Mogadishu and held talks with the leaders of the Somali government. Over recent years, the U.S. government launched a number of drone strikes in Somalia against al-Shabaab. In September 2014, the former leader of the extremists Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a major U.S. airstrike.
Federalization Dominates Puntland Cabinet Meeting
11 June – Source: Garowe Online – 334 Words
Somalia’s federalization process has dominated a weekly cabinet meeting chaired by President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali on Thursday at the state house in the midst of growing signs of damaging political deadlock, Garowe Online reports. Shortly after the weekly cabinet gathering, President Ali said, Somalia’s federalism process has been beset with clan interests instead of the nationally agreed-upon roadmap. His remarks come less than a week after Jubaland administration and the paramilitary group of Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a suspended cooperation with Mogadishu-based Federal Government. Puntland leader acknowledged in a press statement released by his presidential spokesman that the true path to inclusive federalism has been defied, threatening that Puntland would reconsider its position if Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC) was violated. Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting also focused on the recent gains by Puntland forces in the rugged terrain of Galgala where Al-Shabaab militants have honed guerrilla warfare. The security minister, who briefed the meeting, indicated that anti-terrorism operations are underway, with Puntland troops securing victory against militants.
Implementation of federalism in central and southern Somalia seems to be proving vulnerable according to an analyst who asked to remain anonymous. Sufi Islamist militias seized strategic central town of Dhusamareb, forcing government soldiers to flee to the venue of states formation conference in Adado on Sunday. UN envoy to Somalia Ambassador Nicholas Kay on Tuesday called on the paramilitary unit to withdraw and disengage. In an interview with Puntland-based independent station, Radio Garowe, a spokesman for Ahlu Sunna, Abdinur Mohamed Hussein said, they were not considering pullout. On Wednesday, Galguduud Governor Hussein Ali Weheliye Irfo vowed that government forces will take back Dhusamareb from rebels despite calls for compromise and peaceful solution to the standoff. On June 6, Jubaland broke off all relations with UN-backed weak central government over the passing of controversial vote of no confidence. The following day, Puntland hailed the decision to cut off ties with Mogadishu, calling the parliamentary move ‘unconstitutional’ motion which could plunge the country deeper into crisis.
Anti ‘Kay’ Protests In Dhuusamareeb Following Envoy’s Call To Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a
11 June – Source: Wacaal Media – 168 Words
Some Dhuusamareeb residents on Thursday morning took to the streets protesting against the UN special envoy to Somalia Mr. Nicholas Kay. Residents blasted the UN envoy following his call to Ahlu Sunna to withdraw from the town and return the town’s mantle to the federal government. Shouting anti ‘Kay’ slogans, residents say they are happy with the Ahlu sunna administration and are thankful to them for liberating the town from Al-Shabaab militants more than 7 years ago. The calls by the UN envoy came after the paramilitary group took over the town after launching an offensive against government forces. They have since been regrouping into the area launching a widespread expansion agenda seeking to recapture large swathes of Galgaduud region. The moderate Islamic group say the move was necessitated by the federal government’s decision to trash agreements it signed with them. They have also withdrawn from the Adaado conference that seeks to form a regional state for the regions in Central Somalia of Galgaduud and part of Mudug
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Drugs, Divorce And Despair: Somalia’s Forgotten Male War Victims
11 June – Source: Yahoo News/Reuters – 491 Words
Men in war-torn Somalia suffer high rates of drug addiction, divorce and mental illness, researchers said, urging donors to do more to support men and strengthen families. In Somali culture, men are expected to provide all household needs, from food to security. But many women have become breadwinners since the 1991 ouster of dictator Siad Barre, creating an identity crisis for men. Many Somali men are addicted to an amphetamine-like drug called khat, traumatized, depressed and physically disabled, the study found. “Men find themselves dispensable, with no meaningful role and no stake in the future,” said the World Bank-funded study, based on interviews with 400 men and 90 women living in Somalia and neighboring Kenya. “Men of all ages and backgrounds commonly recalled periods when they experienced some form of mental breakdown.” Khat, a leaf that is chewed for several hours, has become a “social epidemic”, said Said Mohamed, one of the researchers. “It’s a way to escape from reality,” he said. “Men feel useless.” After the collapse of Barre’s government, which was the country’s major employer, many Somali men lost their jobs, causing a “personal catastrophe for many men, from which many have not recovered”, the report said.
Those living as refugees in Kenya are legally barred from working or leaving the camps, and depend on aid agency rations given to their wives. “He lost respect in the house,” a mother of seven said about her husband in the report. “Even his children do not listen to him.” Young men are under increasing pressure to provide for their families, often through illegal means such as piracy or through the barrel of a gun, the researchers from the Rift Valley Institute Nairobi Forum said. “The picture that emerges is really a very depressing one,” said Judith Gardner, one of the report’s authors. The men “join al Shabaab or another militia group that would pay (them) a salary … or (they) try to escape to Kenya,” she said. Rates of divorce were reported to be “very high”, with some men in their 20s having been married more than three times. Verbal abuse of men by women has also increased, the study said.
Somalia Seeks More Participation In Eala Affairs As It Awaits EAC Approval
11 June – Source: Daily Nation – 406 Words
Somalia is seeking to participate more in East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) affairs as it awaits the approval of its application to join the East African Community (EAC) trading bloc. The Speaker of Somalia’s federal parliament, Mohammed Osman Jawari, on Wednesday held talks with Eala Speaker Daniel Kidega on the sidelines of a state-of-the-nation address in Kampala, Uganda. According to Mr Jawari, the Somali parliament is considering sending a delegation of legislators to the next Eala plenary so they can benefit from the deliberations in the regional assembly. He noted that the Somali parliament has three main areas of focus in its mandate — constitutional review, federalisation of the country and economic development — which are at the centre of focus in rebuilding Somalia. The Eala Speaker, however, expressed concerns by the East African Community about finding a permanent solution to the issues affecting Somalia. Somalia has been grappling with long periods of instability and insecurity since after its independence in 1960. “When we look at the bigger picture and within the framework of integration, we can certainly find solutions to problems in Somalia just like in all other partner states. The more we are, the better for the region,” Mr Kidega said.
Somalia applied to join the EAC in March 2012, but the community is yet to approve the application. The earliest the country can join the EAC is next year after the verification process is complete and a report presented at the next EAC heads of state summit. Addressing the Somalia parliamentary representatives, Mr Kidega said both Houses (the Eala and the Federal Parliament of Somalia) needed to start the process of co-operation and to maintain interaction as a precursor to addressing insecurity matters, occasioned by the constant threats of Al-Shabaab and banditry among other concerns. Both speakers reiterated the need to ensure information flow and exchange between their respective parliaments. Such a move, Mr Jawari said, would equip legislators in Somalia with best practices and to boost their understanding on regional integration.“Keeping our communication lines open is vital as there are many aspects that we can learn from each other and likewise benefit from,” said Mr Jawari. Analysts see Somalia’s admission at the EAC as an important factor to security in the East African region. This is because they have been a source of small arms that have contributed to insecurity in the region and especially Kenya.
Parents Knew Of Somali-American Men’s Plan To Join ISIL, Feds Say
11 June – Source: Star Tribune – 826 Words
The parents of two of the defendants in a Somali-American conspiracy case allegedly knew that their sons planned to leave the U.S. to fight with terrorists in the Middle East, according to transcripts of secret wire recordings released by federal prosecutors on Wednesday. Mohamed Farah, whose detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning in federal court in Minneapolis, told another alleged conspirator that in mid-April his mother knew of his impending plans to travel to Syria, according to the recordings made by a confidential informant, a friend of Farah’s who was working for the FBI. “She knows where I’m going, bro, that’s the thing … ” Farah is quoted as telling co-defendant Abdirahman Daud. Later that day, Farah stated that he “didn’t believe his parents would report him missing after he was gone,” according to the motion that prosecutors filed arguing why he should not be released pending trial. Farah’s grandmother also may have known of his plans, according to the transcripts.
In a conversation recorded by the informant, two other defendants spoke about Farah’s family and the plans that the young men were making to leave the country. “His grandma told him, ‘We’ll give you $5,000 if you find a way out,’ ” according to a taped conversation that Guled Omar is said to have had with Zacharia Abdurahman back in March. Farah also threatened to kill FBI agents if his plans fell through, those transcripts show. “If there’s no way out … If our backs are against the wall, I’m gonna go kill the one who punks me. You know the one. Everybody has that one fed,” Farah told the informant. Father: ‘That’s a lie’ Farah’s father, Abdihamid Farah Yusuf, denied the allegations and spoke on behalf of his wife, Ayan Farah. “That’s a lie,” he said. “How can I support my son for any terrorist activity?” He said that his sons had been followed by FBI agents for more than a year and that they felt they were being unfairly targeted. In an interview last week, he said he believed his son Mohamed threatened to kill FBI agents in a moment of intense frustration. “They showed him the heat,” he said of the FBI. “Mohamed got hot. If you push a person — he’s a 20-year-old kid — you’re going to explode.”
Kenya Government Seeks To Voluntarily Repatriate 100,00 Somalis
11 June – Source: Yahoo News/Associated Press 116 Words
A Kenyan government official says it has a goal of getting 100,000 Somali refugees to voluntarily go back home by the end of the year. Government officials have blamed refugee camps in Kenya for the rise in extremism in the country. Following an extremist attack on a university in which 148 people, mostly students, died on April 2 in Kenya’s eastern region, Deputy President William Ruto gave the U.N. refugee agency three months to close a camp in Kenya’s east where over 300,000 Somali refugees live. In apparent subsequent softening of the government’s stance, Harun Komen, the acting commissioner for refugee affairs, says the government wants the repatriation to be voluntarily and organized.
Kenyan Court Orders Muslim Groups Removed From “Terror List”
11 June – Source: Reuters – 301 Words
A court in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa ordered on Monday the removal of two Muslim human rights groups from a government list of individuals and organisations suspected of possible links to terrorist activities. Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) and Haki Afrika were included in April on a list of entities associated with the Somali Islamist group Al Shabaab, which has killed more than 400 people on Kenyan soil over the last two years.The government also froze the groups’ bank accounts, paralysing their activities and prompting the lawsuit. The two groups, both based in Mombasa, have been critical of Kenya’s anti-terror policies, accusing the government of making arbitrary arrests and conducting extra-judicial killings. Police have denied the allegations. Judge Anyara Emukule said in her ruling the government had not provided evidence of any links to terrorist activities. The court however declined to issue orders for the unfreezing of the bank accounts, arguing that the Central Bank of Kenya, which regulates banks, was not part of the case.
After the ruling, Fahad Changi, an official from MUHURI, said the group would appeal. “We are incapacitated and cannot run our projects because we cannot access the funds,” he said. The Kenyan government had no immediate comment. Security experts and local activists have criticised Kenya for relying on heavy-handed tactics in the fight against militancy, including mass arrests, which they say have alienated rather than engaged Muslims to help in intelligence gathering. The group Human Rights Watch condemned what it called harassment of rights groups in Kenya by the government. “Haki Africa and MUHURI are working to protect human rights in Kenya under difficult circumstances,” Leslie Lefkow, Human Rights Watch’s deputy Africa director, said in a statement. “Haki Africa and MUHURI should be supported for their human rights work, not harassed and intimidated.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“What we have realised is that having one trade regime is better than the costly multiple trade regimes,” said COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya, who led the negotiations among the three blocs.”
We Have A Deal: African Leaders Sign Off On Much-awaited Common Market ‘Super Bloc’
11 June – Source: Mail & Guardian Africa – 687 Words
African leaders signed Wednesday a 26-nation free trade pact to create a common market that would span half the continent from Cairo to Cape Town. The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) deal, which must still be fine-tuned and ratified, caps five years of talks to set up a framework for preferential tariffs to ease the movement of goods in an area home to 625 million people. Analysts say it could have an enormous impact on African economies, which account for only about two percent of global trade despite strong growth. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan were among those who signed the pact at a summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. But hurdles remain, with the timeline for bringing down trade barriers yet to be worked out and the deal needing ratification in national parliaments within two years. “What we are doing today represents a very important step in the history of the regional integration of Africa,” Sisi said as he opened the summit.
He wrapped up the meeting saying: “We have told the word today… of our desire to adopt practices that are necessary to increase trade among ourselves… We will do whatever is possible to activate this agreement.” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said the TFTA would allow Africa “to make tremendous progress and move the entire continent forward.” “Africa has made it clear that it is open for business.” The deal will integrate three existing trade blocs—the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)—whose countries have a combined Gross Domestic Product of more than $1 trillion (885 billion euros). “The geographical area covers the Cape (of Good Hope) to Cairo… The agreement paves the way for a continental free trade area that will combine the three biggest regional communities,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told the summit. And Mugabe said the deal will create a “borderless economy” that would rank 13th in the world in terms of GDP. Members of the three blocs range from relatively developed economies such as South Africa and Egypt to countries like Angola, Ethiopia and Mozambique, which are seen as having huge growth potential.