July 21, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
New UN Deputy Special Representative Of The Secretary-General For Somalia Arrives In Mogadishu
21 July – Source: Mareeg Media – 259 Words
The new Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (DSRSG), Mr. Peter de Clercq of the Netherlands, arrived in Mogadishu today to assume his duties with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). He will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Somalia.
DSRSG De Clercq brings to Somalia a wealth of experience in managing political processes, security sector development, operations and emergency management, protection of civilians and rule of law, as well as mobilisation and management of humanitarian and development assistance. He also has previous experience in Somalia where he served as senior adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and Deputy Special Representative for Somalia for the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (2012 to 2013).
“I am very pleased to have this opportunity to return to Somalia and support the the people and Government of Somalia towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous future. The challenges are tremendous, but we must work together to push forward the progress that the Somali people want to see,” said DSRSG de Clercq. DSRSG de Clercq succeeds Philippe Lazzarini of Switzerland, who completed his assignment with UNSOM and recently left to join the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL). DSRSG de Clercq was appointed by the UN Secretary-General in June 2015. Prior to that he served as the DSRSG for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Haiti.
Key Headlines
- New UN Deputy Special Representative Of The Secretary-General For Somalia Arrives In Mogadishu(Mareeg Media)
- Galmudug President Donates To Galkayo-Hobyo Road Project (Goobjoog News)
- Guleed And IGAD Delegation Expected In Dhusamareb Today As They Seek To Resolve Ahlu Sunna Standoff (Wacaal Media)
- Puntland Government Delays Garowe Bossaso District Councils (Garowe Online)
- Somalia Not Yet Ready To Manage Its Own Airspace (Horseed Media)
- Somali President Reasserts Hiiraan Middle Shabelle Regions Integration Initiative (Hiiraan Online)
- Women Want Obama To Discuss Withdrawing Soldiers From Somalia (The Star)
- US Authorities Allege Oregon Imam Assisted Radicals (ABC News/Associated Press)
- Syracuse Community Association Helps Immigrants Adjust To Life In Central New York (Local.syr.com)
- U.S. Congress Urges President Obama To Nominate New Ambassador ASAP (Mareeg Media)
- UN Special President for Somalia: Mr. President Stop Democracy of Hypocrisy (RBC Radio)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Galmudug President Donates To Galkayo-Hobyo Road Project
21 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 1 197 Words
Abdikarim Hussein Guled, president of Galmudug has contributed $50,000 US dollars in cash to the Galkaio-Hobyo road project and encouraged developmental efforts spearheaded by the locals. He said since his new administration doesn’t yet have income and budget, he made a personal contribution as he thanked the committee tasked to the project. “I am very happy that our communities has started to make things happen and rebuild their country, to encourage that we as an administration, we contribute 50 thousand US Dollars to this road construction project” said Abdikarim. Hobyo is the designated port city for Galmudug administration and is some 260km from Galkaio, the main town of Galmudug.
The road project which is driven by the locals and Diaspora community is to rehabilitate the road linking between Galkio and Hobyo so as to facilitate trade and transport movement between the two towns. Hobyo’s natural port has reopened some months back but has to be fully operational as traders’ still use Mogadishu and Bosaso port. The project does not have enough funds to refurbish and complete its target length but the community managed to repair the road for 2km from Hobyo town.
Guleed And IGAD Delegation Expected In Dhuusamareb Today As They Seek To Resolve Ahlu Sunna Standoff
21 July – Source: Wacaal Media – 152 Words
Wacaal media reports that a high level delegation led by Galmudug head of state Abdikarim Guleed is expected in the town today. Guleed will be accompanied by senior IGAD officials and preparation are already underway in Dhuusamareeb ahead of the visit by the delegation. Security has been beefed up in and around the town with heavy presence of armed forces along major streets. The delegation will hold talks with Ahlusunna which is aimed at convincing them to accept the newly formed state which the group has trashed by refusing to recognize it and forming a parallel administration. The group elected Sheikh Mohamed Shakir to head their own administration. Both the Federal Government and the International community however support the Guleed led administration which was formed in Adaado. The new state has also faced opposition from its neighbor Puntland which expressed dissatisfaction at its borders as contained in the new state’s constitution.
Puntland Government Delays Garowe, Bossaso District Councils
21 July – Source: Garowe Online – 299 Words
Puntland government in northern Somalia has delayed the formation of local councils for the capital, Garowe and Bossaso port city over undisclosed reasons, Garowe Online reports. Puntland President, Abdweli Mohamed Ali dissolved the municipal councils of Bossaso and Garowe on May 27 and June 3 respectively despite displeasure by traditional leaders. Ali called for the establishment of new local councils in 45 days, an endeavor given Ministry of Interior, Local Government and Rural Development. The term of interim administration nominated by Puntland President over 45 days ago expired. Garowe and Bossaso are pivotal for the state’s economy, business transactions and the day-to-day activities of government institutions.
Delay in selection of new councilors became hurdle to big development programmes sponsored by World Bank and United Nations. In the state capital of Garowe, further delay could risk rescinding of multi-million dollars project if new district council is not formed before August. Garowe constituencies have already agreed to the nominees for council seats, sources who spoke to Garowe Online have confirmed. Puntland President rebuffed calls to give up on his decision to disband Bossaso and Garowe municipal councils in May, with clan elders sharing their concerns with President Ali about the hampering of developmental projects.
Swift district council formation process was raised in private meetings held in light of the challenges lying ahead due to the dissolution. Bossaso port city, the most populous city exhibits complexity during selection and election of district council, and Bossaso constituents come to loggerheads on sharing seats allotted for each clan, experts tell Garowe Online. International partners have been assisting Puntland in efficiency and responsiveness of local governance since 2006.
Somalia Not Yet Ready To Manage Its Own Airspace
20 July – Source: Horseed Media – 263 Words
Somalia’s Transportation and Civil Aviation Minister has insisted that the government is not ready to take over the management of airspace because of limited resources and huge investment needed to do so. Last year, Somalia’s Federal government declared that International Civil Aviation Organisation, which has been controlling the airspace of the country since 1996 has agreed to handle over the control to the government and it will be managed from the capital, Mogadishu. Mr Ali Jama Jangeli said the Federal government is not ready to do so due to limited resources and lack of professional workers. “We will take it over when we are ready, but currently we are not ready,’’ he said in an interview. Mr Jangeli added that the revenue generated from the airspace of Somalia has been misused but from now onwards will be closely monitored by the Somali government.
After the collapse of Somalia’s central government in the 1991 civil war, the United Nations Development Program and the International Civil Aviation Organization founded a civil aviation caretaker authority for Somalia in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Between 80 and 100 regular flights enter Somalia’s airspace daily. Each of these flights is liable to paying an estimated navigation fee of $275 per entry. Everything remaining constant between 1993 and 2011, a conservative estimate of total revenue (collected or not) thus exceeds $150 million. The self-supporting project currently generates an average of $9 to $10 Million a year. There has not been a full, transparent accounting of how that money has been and is being managed nor where it may be.
Somali President Reasserts Hiiraan, Middle Shabelle Regions Integration Initiative
20 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 356 Words
Somali government’s plan towards the proposed Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions integration remained mysterious, enshrouded by an apparent political consideration on the controversial issue until Monday as the country’s president affirmed his government was committed in the formation of an inter-regional state for the two regions. Speaking to Somali diaspora communities via teleconference, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his government would seek a fair and balanced power-sharing for the clans who inhabit in the two neighboring regions to form a well-integrated regional administration. President Mohamud’s remarks come as politicians from Hiiraan region have expressed their displeasure about the proposed plan, warning the scenario would further polarize the two regions along clan lines.
Political analysts also predicted complex challenges ahead should the government go ahead with its decision of forming an administration at the present time due to clans mistrust and rivalry. During his teleconference call, Mr. Mohamed covered a wide range of topics about his administration as he receives series of questions, mainly focusing on the security and the irregularly paid security forces’ welfare. Answering a question about the obstacles of the country’s tax collection system after more than two decades of war, he briefly said “Somalia needs qualified tax collectors.” He invited Prof. Hussein Warsame who teaches taxation and financial accounting at the University of Calgary in Canada to come to Somalia and help the country overcome problems of collecting taxes in Somalia.
The president who answered a variety of questions and commented on the long-running border dispute with Kenya, saying, “if someone claims your shirt, you should quietly vindicate yourself, so Kenya has claimed our land and we shall seek our right through legal channels”. Last week, Somalia’s government filed a case against Kenya at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a bid to end the border dispute, saying the dispute risks deterring multinational oil companies from exploring for oil and gas off the coast of East Africa. Kenya has recently identified eight new offshore exploration blocks available for licensing, and all but one of them are located in the contested area, according to the Kenyan media.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Women Want Obama To Discuss Withdrawing Soldiers From Somalia
21 July – Source: The Star – 130 Words
THE Women Empowerment Kenya yesterday urged US President Barack Obama to press for withdrawal of Kenyan troops from Somalia for the sake of peace. Leader Truphena Moraa said: “It beats logic for Kenyans to die at home in terror attacks while the troops are taking care of another country.” It is long overdue for Kenyan troops to leave Somalia and come back to take care of Kenya,” she said in a press briefing in Nairobi. The group said citizens are made to believe terror attacks in Kenya are normal. Moraa said Kenya was peaceful until it invaded Somalia. “If the former regime had a picture of what could happen after invasion, it would not have dared to [invade Somalia]. For how long will Kenyans bleed in terror attacks?” she said.
US Authorities Allege Oregon Imam Assisted Radicals
20 July – Source: ABC News/Associated Press – 495 Words
U.S. authorities are seeking to revoke the citizenship of an Oregon imam who they say tried to conceal past associations with radical Islamic groups. Mohamed Sheikh Abdirahman Kariye raised money, recruited fighters and provided training for insurgent groups battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the U.S. Department of Justice says in a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland. Government lawyers say Kariye for a time “dealt directly” with Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam, the founders of al-Qaida, and he recruited sympathizers in the United States and Pakistan for an al-Qaida precursor known as Maktab Al-Khidamat.
Kariye is also accused of being a founding officer and director of the now-defunct Global Relief Foundation, which authorities say provided assistance to terror groups including al-Qaida and promoted radical jihad. Federal authorities say Kariye failed to reveal those details in his application for citizenship, which was granted in 1998. Attempts to reach Kariye through his Portland mosque and a former attorney were not immediately successful.
Born in Somalia, Kariye came to the United States on a student visa in 1982, according to the complaint. Between 1985 and 1988, he traveled to Afghanistan, where he went to a jihadist training camp and fought with the Afghan mujahedeen against the Soviets. He helped process foreign fighters arriving in Pakistan for travel to training camps, authorities say, working directly with bin Laden and Azzam. At some point, he was arrested for his involvement with the mujahedeen and spent four months in a Pakistani prison.After returning to the United States in 1988, he applied for asylum and swore under oath that he hadn’t left the country or been arrested.
Syracuse Community Association Helps Immigrants Adjust To Life In Central New York
20 July – Source: Local.syr.com – 260 Words
On any given day, you’ll most likely see two to three dozen immigrant families on Burt Street in English classes or on the computer. For those fresh to America, the opportunity to get help with forms or find jobs is critical. “I’ve seen what it means to struggle in a different country when you speak a different language,” says Haji Adan, the executive director at the Somali-Bantu Community Association. The association has grown over the last 10 years, expanding from someone’s home to a standing community center. A $9,500 grant from the Central New York Community Foundation helped program organizers purchase 15 new computers.
Ten are set up and used for adult computer classes during the week, with plans to add the other machines in the fall. “Most refugees don’t have computers at the house,” Adan says. “We felt like we had to do something about it, especially college students who are struggling to do research and essays.” The Community Foundation has trained association volunteers with other leadership skills over the last two years. “We’re really honored to partner with the association because they’re giving so freely and serving our community,” says John Eberle with CNYCF. “Eventually one day, they may have a computer of their own. But for now this fills the gap.” Adan hopes the additional computer stations in the fall will be used for classes for both children and adults. “Whatever refugee clients need, we want to do it in this center,” Adan said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Somalia is at a critical moment and in desperate need of meaningful support and assistance to bolster stability in the country and throughout the region. Naming a new nominee as soon as possible would signal deep commitment and a new phase of collaboration between the U.S. and Somalia.”
U.S. Congress Urges President Obama To Nominate New Ambassador ASAP
21 July – Source: Mareeg Media – 519 Words
Dear Mr. President:
We write to respectfully urge you to name a new nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Somalia. Somalia has gone without a U.S. ambassador since 1991; the decision to restore a diplomatic mission affirms our commitment to working with the Somali government to build a strong, stable, and prosperous Somalia. We respectfully urge you to act swiftly to assign a new nominee for the position. After nearly two decades of violence and famine, Somalia is making steady progress towards stability. The election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in 2012 by a new federal parliament and the approval of a provisional constitution have allowed Somalia to reestablish central governance.
Along with the assistance of the international community, Somalia has been able to make security gains against al-Shabaab. These are significant but fragile gains; recent horrific terrorist attacks in Mogadishu and Garissa, Kenya remind us that Somalia still faces enormous challenges.
Somalia’s success hinges on continued diplomatic engagement, strengthened security and the commitment of international partners to promote stability through capacity building and economic development. A robust U.S.-Somalia diplomatic relationship is critical to sustaining and expanding the progress that that country has achieved thus far. President Obama’s nomination of the first U.S. ambassador to Somalia since 1991 earlier this year marks a new phase in our relationship with Somalia. Moving quickly to nominate another ambassador would further signal our strong commitment to Somalia.
The temporary closure of bank accounts of money service businesses in Kenya and the permanent closure of accounts in the U.S. illustrates the need to work with the Somali government and promote institutional development. The closure of these bank accounts has made it difficult for members of the Somali diaspora in the U.S. to send money back to their loved ones in Somalia and the closures in Kenya threatened NGOs operating in the Horn of Africa. Remittances from the U.S. and abroad account for 25 to 40 percent of Somalia’s economy; cutting off the remittance pipeline increases the vulnerability of Somalis who rely on this money and can create a humanitarian crisis that will surely jeopardize security gains.
Sincerely,
Keith Ellison, Tom Emmer, Adam Smith, Senator Sherrod Brown, Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, Erik Paulsen, Stephen F. Lynch, Jim McDermott
“ Mr. President, given the nature of the involvement of the Somali leader’s potential interest in the upcoming elections of 2016, the appointment of the national electoral commission is in violation of the principles of conducting a free and fair election. The nomination of the current electoral commission in which more than half of them are from the side of the current leader is an ethical deficit of democracy.”
UN Special President for Somalia: Mr. President, Stop Democracy of Hypocrisy
21 July – Source: RBC Radio – 1,057 Words
First and foremost, I have a great respect for the necessity of the existence of a world organization, like the UN. However, Somalia experiences from the UN, unwarranted immoral duties that gamble with their integrity. What happened in Adado, Central Somalia, was a short preview of what is to come in the election of 2016. Unfortunately, The UN immediately supports the undemocratic nominations of the heads of the Juba, Central, and Southwest regional administrations. We have seen Kenyan military air strikes and incursions that killed many innocent civilians, and seize ownership of the land and sea of Somalia. The Ethiopian paramilitary militia known as Liyu Police committed genocide against civilians at the border between Somalia and Ethiopia.
Ethiopia seems to be the major donor of ammunitions and small arms to different religious extremists in Somalia. Recently Burundian peacekeepers suffered a major blow from the Islamic extremist group and that event shed light on a credible suspicion that Ethiopia supplies arms to the extremist fighters. The UN has never taken a bold action of shielding Somalia from neighboring countries that are the source of instability and aggression in Somalia. Many Somalis are extremely concerned about the dreadful things happening in their country, particularly the deceitful political processes that are going on with the current leader and his coterie. They are the cankerworms of corruption and poor leadership, and coercively enact smear personal grudges against political opponents, independent media, and human rights activists.
The central prison in Mogadishu is full of innocent inmates that have never seen a true justice. There is high possibility of truly guilty offenders escaping justice, with big payments through bribes. Instead of addressing these issues, The UN chooses to divert attention from the real culprits of injustice, and corrupt leaders, who are the actual cause of leadership failure in Somalia. It’s sad to say that civil war tycoons and middle eastern interest groups are among others who are behind the leadership fiasco of the current leader. They are acting in such a capacity to invest in lobbyist campaigns and election malpractices that are delegated by the current president.
TOP TWEETS
@MoulidHujale #Somalia: Young people should be given the opportunity 2 take part in the decision making process#YouthDay @UN4Youth
@stability_fund Gud.Gobolka Galgaduud Xuseen Cali Weheliye appreciates the completion of Dhusamareb Solar lights #Somalia
@SomaliPM Engaged indepth talks with the civil society in Galkayo 2day in oder to promote the peace & the progress in#Somalia
@OCHASom Find the latest issue of #Somalia Humanitarian Bulletin here http://bit.ly/1OqGLaW
@horseed: Over 1200 Somali returnees arrive in Northern#Somalia http://horseedmedia.net/2015/
@UNSomalia:SRSG @Somalia111 and new British Ambassador to #Somalia, Harriet Mathews, hold introductory meeting in Mogadishu.
@NaleyeAbdi: MAP Condemns government soldiers for beating up journalists in #Galkacyo airport. #Somalia.http://mediapuntland.org/map-
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud welcomes newly appointed British Ambassador Harriet Mathews to Villa Somalia. Ambassador Mathews formally submitted her credentials to the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Photo: Villa Somalia