July 2, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Somalia Insists Legal Case On The Border Dispute As Kenya Seeks An Out-Of-Court Settlement
1 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 292 Words
Two days after Kenya’s foreign minister said that Somalia had agreed to pursue arbitration outside the United Nation’s highest court to end the long-running border dispute linked to lucrative oil and gas reserves in the Indian Ocean, Somalia insists on legal case to resolve the matter. Speaking at the parliament on Monday, Ms. Amina Mohamed said that Kenya has received a pledge from Somalia that it would withdraw its previous case it filed at the International Criminal Court and would seek outside court dispute resolution. However, Somalia remains steadfast in its commitment to pursue its legal case to end the current disputes with the neighboring Kenya.“Somalia would like to clarify and reiterate its commitment to the legal case and proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague within the framework of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” said a statement from Somalia’s foreign ministry Wednesday.
In the carefully worded short statement, Somalia reiterates that contrary to Kenya’s stand, the horn of Africa nation is still pursuing the legal case at the ICC. “International investment, prosperity and the economic growth of Somalia and its neighbors depend on this issue being resolved and we stand firm by the legal case we put forward.” the statement further stated. Last year, Somalia’s government has taken Kenya to the ICC to end the border dispute, saying the dispute risks deterring multinational oil companies from exploring for oil and gas offshore East Africa. Kenya recently identified eight new offshore exploration blocks available for licensing, and all but one of them are located in the contested area.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Insists Legal Case On The Border Dispute As Kenya Seeks An Out-Of-Court Settlement (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia Reopens Air Force Headquarter (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia Marks 55th Independence Anniversary In Style (Somali Current)
- Somali President Calls On The Media To Practice Responsible Journalism (Dalsan Radio)
- Our Borders Will be As Far As Guri-El And Godinlabe Says Puntland’s Leader (Goobjoog News)
- 5000 In Somalia Benefit From ERC Ramadan Programme (WAM News Agency)
- New Sports Uniforms Level The Playing Field For Muslim Girls (Yahoo News/Associated Press)
- Somalia’s Football Revival Lures Foreign Players (Al Jazeera)
- Somalia Is Not A Metaphor For The Yemen Civil War (Mareeg Media)
PRESS STATEMENT
AU Special Representative Congratulates Burundi On Its 53rd Independence Day
01 July – Source: AMISOM – 120 Words
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Maman Sidikou, has sent a congratulatory message to the government and the people of Burundi on the country’s 53rd Independence Day. Ambassador Sidikou said, ”On my behalf and all the personnel of AMISOM, I send best wishes to the government and people of Burundi on the 53rd anniversary of your Independence. Your contributions to the African led efforts for peace, security and stability in Somalia, especially the sacrifices of your sons and daughters remain invaluable and deeply appreciated.” Burundi, which is one of the Troop Contributing Countries to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), gained Independence from Belgium in 1962.
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Reopens Air Force Headquarter
1 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 67 Words
Somali Defense Minister, Abdikadir Ali Dini, has today reopened the former headquarter of Somalia’s Air Force. The headquarter is located in Afisiyone area of Mogadishu and would facilitate the efforts to reestablish the air forces after 25 years of anarchy. Head of Somalia’s Air Force, Mohamoud Sheikh said that they were operating from residential area for two years now and they are happy to occupy their original headquarters.
Somalia Marks 55th Independence Anniversary In Style
1 July – Source: Somali Current – 128 Words
Somalia today marked 55th independence anniversary in unique style with several high dignitaries from Somalia government gracing the occasion. Residents of Mogadishu turned out in numbers to participate the event with many youths carrying placards and banners depicting patriotic messages. Series of events of commemorating the day was also held in cities around the country and in the world. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, laid wreath at the SYL Monument Memorial, urging the citizens to be united . On the other hand , the President called the media to practice responsible journalism and urged them to take part in the reconciliation and unity process in the country. On this day in 1960, Somalia Republic formed uniting the North and South regions of the country.
Somali President Calls On The Media To Practice Responsible Journalism
1 July – Source: Dalsan Radio – 186 Words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has called upon the media to practice responsible journalism and take part in the reconciliation and unity process of the country. He said the media has the responsibility in taking part of the rebuilding and reconstruction process of the recuperating state and therefore should separate the difference between freedom of the media and press propaganda. “The government appreciates the role independent media is playing in the country but they must be accountable on the violation of media freedom, their content must always be based on truth and transparency,” Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said while speakingon Wednesday morning shortly after laying flower in Mogadishu’s Daljirka Dahson, an independence monument square to mark 55 years since the independence and unity of the southern and northern regions of the country.
Our Borders Will be As Far As Guri-El And Godinlabe, Says Puntland’s Leader
1 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 195 Words
The President of Puntland, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas, addressed the public in Garowe on country’s 55th Independence Day . The leader emphasized his harsh opinion on Adado state formation conference and blamed the Federal Government of Somalia. He said Puntland will not tolerate on what he termed blatant aggressiveness from top leaders of Somali government. “What is going on in Adado town is not the right thing, because of the claims of territory which has got nothing to do with the soon-to-be formed state, Puntland makes it clear that it is not ready for Somalia to be divided but we shall not accept claims about our territories” he said.
He added that when it comes to Puntland’s border, it will not be upto Nugal but Godinlabe and Guri-El. Finally, the regional leader underlined that Puntland will reach its own decision if the Somali government continues what it involves now. The President, also issued a press statement in which it pointed fingers at some international community representatives who allegedly embroiled themselves in national politics at the expense of existing federal states. On Sunday, hundreds of Garowe residents staged anti-federal government demonstration, criticizing Federal Government of Somalia’s federalism policy.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
5,000 In Somalia Benefit From ERC Ramadan Programme
1 July – Source: WAM News Agency – 182 Words
The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has intensified its Ramadan programmes in Somalia and has provided Iftar meals to 5,000 fasting people in a number of areas of Mogadishu.The Emirates Red Crescent identified areas in densely populated areas, displaced populations and poor neighborhoods for the distribution of Iftar meals. Humaid Rashid Al Shamsi, ERC’s Deputy Secretary-General for International Aid, said that the ERC has allocated additional funds to expand the reach of the Iftar meal project in the poorest countries, particularly Somalia, in solidarity with their people which has suffered greatly from the scourge of wars, conflicts and natural disasters. Al Shamsi said that these consequences have exacerbated the problem and led to the displacement of the population who have left towns and villages in search of a better environment for life and a decent living. He explained that the ERC office in Mogadishu is working in coordination with the UAE Embassy there to implement the Ramadan programmes that meet the needs of the Somali people. He said that the two sides are working together to alleviate suffering and improve life.
New Sports Uniforms Level The Playing Field For Muslim Girls
1 July – Source: Yahoo News/Associated Press – 458 Words
Girls in stylish athletic wear walk the runway as the sounds of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry blare from speakers. The crowd claps and cheers as the young models strike poses with basketballs, lacrosse sticks and boxing gloves. Finally, the big reveal: the Lady Warriors community traveling basketball team takes the stage in their cardinal red uniforms. This is no ordinary fashion show. The models are East African, primarily Muslim girls living in Minnesota who designed their own culturally sensitive sportswear that lets them move freely without worrying about tripping on a long, flowing dress or having a head scarf come undone at a crucial point. “The girls for years have been telling us, ‘We would like clothing. We would like clothing,'” said Chelsey Thul, a lecturer in kinesiology at the University of Minnesota who helped lead the two-year project.
The uniforms’ roots stretch back further, to the day in 2008 when then-college student Fatimah Hussein founded a girls-only sports program that now includes the Lady Warriors and began claiming gym time at a community center in the heart of Minneapolis’ Somali neighborhood. The girls quickly learned that traditional dress and basketball don’t mix well, said Thul, who was a volunteer research consultant to the program. The answer, Thul said, was a functional yet modest uniform “so they could do that between-the-legs dribble, make that three-pointer, and not have clothing be a barrier.” She worked with Hussein, girls from her sports league, the University of Minnesota’s College of Design, the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the university, coaches and community members on the project. Sertac Sehlikoglu, a social anthropologist working on leisure, sports and the Muslim communities at the University of Cambridge, noted that Iran has been developing culturally appropriate female sportswear for years. She agreed with the Minnesota project’s organizers that the girls’ designs could catch on in other cities with large Muslim populations.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
Aside from the fact that Mogadishu offers a pleasant tropical climate, the players say they came to Somalia because the Somali league offered them better opportunities than the leagues in their own countries.In addition, because they have more experience, they are the best paid in the league, and in some cases take home three times more pay than the local players.
Somalia’s Football Revival Lures Foreign Players
01 July – Source: Al Jazeera English – 858 Words
Mustapha Izekor left his home in Nigeria’s Kano State to pursue his childhood dream of playing football in a professional league. This dream of playing in a big stadium in front of thousands of cheering fans brought him to the opposite side of the continent to Somalia, at the Horn of Africa. More than a year ago, while seeking the opportunity to play in one of the continent’s top football leagues, Izekor was approached by a football scout representing Benadir Sports Club which is based in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. After an initial trial period Izekor joined Benadir, one of the most popular teams in Somalia, and he has not looked back.”For me football is my life. I have had passion for it since I was a kid. So, wherever football takes me I’m happy with it,” Izekor told Al Jazeera after his last training session with the team before the summer holiday break.
“A genealogy of the term Somalianization leads to one scholar who defined it as “ as a syndrome, a concept referring to the descent of politics into a Hobbesian world anchored in war of all upon all.” Such a definition glosses over the suffering of minorities who belong to unarmed clans and what peace-loving Somalis have achieved despite state collapse caused by the political class— military dictatorship and clan-based armed opposition groups.”
Somalia Is Not A Metaphor For The Yemen Civil War
1 July – Source: Mareeg Media – 558 words
In 1992 when the world’s benevolent response to the Somalia famine grabbed headlines I bought a copy of Yemen Times in Aden. As I flicked through the pages of Yemen’s only English weekly newspaper, the headline “Yemen’s Right Flexes its Muscles” had caught my attention. The leader of Islah party Sheikh Abdullah bin Husayn bin Nasser al-Ahmar, who passed away in 2007, made a speech at a conference for the party faithful and called party members to protect Yemen against any effort to “ somalize” Yemen. Islah party was an ally of People General Congress (PGC), former President’s party. I wondered if there was a change of policy towards Somali refugees in Yemen overnight. Sheikh al-Ahmar was, possibly, the first political leader to use Somalia as metaphor for state collapse, famine and displacement. Twenty two years after the article appeared Abdulrahman al-Rashed, “former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat”, had written an op-ed for Arab News. Unhappy with how the United Nations organised “ the Geneva Peace conference for Yemeni forces fighting for power” al-Rashed warned that “Yemen is heading toward a civil war … similar to the Somali conflict” because “representatives of concerned countries were sidelined.” If leaders of a given country make political choices that lead to weakening or collapse of political order it is unfair and insensitive to use Somalia as a key concept to describe or understand impending political disintegration.
In a meeting with the Nigerian community in South Africa President Muhammadu Buhari said that “I was afraid Nigeria might be like Somalia. The Somalis are the same people they are all Muslims but because the elites are self-centered, selfish, they have succeeded to make Somalia a war country for the last 20 years.” Political scientists are still figuring out why Boko Haram has emerged in a country that had not experienced state collapse. A google search of the term Somalisation yields 58,400 results; Somalization 8,420 results , and Somalianization 488 results.