August 10, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia’s Parliament Grills Education Minister Over Scholarship Scandal
10 August – Source: Hiiraan Online – 285 Words
Somalia’s parliament grilled the country’s education minister on Sunday amid calls for education reform as concerns about countrywide scholarship allocations are being raised. Minister Khadra Bashir’s questioning in the parliament comes following days of evading to come before the legislators to answer ‘important’ questions related to Somalia’s education improvement. Somalia’s deputy parliament speaker emphasized that grilling the minister is part of their constitutional duty to keep tabs on the country’s education scheme.
Speaking at the parliament, Minister Khadra who read out a written statement said that during her six months tenure, her ministry focused on assembling education law as well as the prohibition of use educational institutions for residential purposes. The legislators who assertively questioned the minister demanded a comprehensive explanation on how the ministry dealt out scholarships distribution for the country’s regions, a contentious subject as some regions criticized the ministry of disproportionately allocating scholarships.
Answering series of questions, the minister reassured that despite the criticism her ministry has assigned the scholarship opportunities to all regions in equal amounts. The legislative body, the most outspoken government institution in Somalia has picked 32 MPs to grill the minister. The minister who answered questions from seven legislators will have to return to the parliament on Monday to complete answering the outstanding questions. Somalia which is recovering from decades of war has implemented one of the most encouraging initiatives in 2013, Go to School, a program that offers free education to poor students. However, the program has virtually ceased its operations since late last year due to concerns that the country’s lack of strong institutions would allow the scholarship program to be be used in a corrupt manner by officials.
Key Headlines
- Somalia’s Parliament Grills Education Minister Over Scholarship Scandal (Hiiraan Online)
- Parliamentarians To Hold Debate On Communication Bill Question Minister (Somali Update)
- Police Officers Repulse Al-Shabaab After Militants Raided Their Station In Baladweyne (Wacaal Media)
- Former Mogadishu Mayor Commends Turkey For Development (Goobjoog News)
- Eastleigh Gangs Stab “Walk Of Hope” Journalist ( Dalsan Radio)
- Somali President Says Country On Road To End Militants’ Insurgency (Hiiraan Online)
- UPDATE: U.K. Fraud Probe of Soma Focuses On Payments to Somali Officials (Bloomberg)
- Stranded Indonesian Sailors Saved In Somalia (Jakarta Post)
- Welcome Congressional Cohesion On Somalia (Star Tribune)
- UAE Envoy Hosts Dinner Banquet In Honour Of Somali Deputy PM (Emirates News Agency)
- These Opaque Oil Deals And ‘Friends’ Cannot Be Good For Somalia’s People (Daily Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Parliamentarians To Hold Debate On Communication Bill
10 August – Source: Somali Update – 129 Words
Members of Somalia’s Federal Parliament on Monday started to hold a contentious debate on the new Communication Bill proposed by the Cabinet, according to MP Mohamed Omar, the parliament’s protocol administrator. “The New Communication Bill is yet on the table as we are waiting to listen more parliamentarians to express their views on the new bill.” he said. Mr Omar added that the new Communication Bill was tabled two weeks ago, but some of the MPs were still waiting to get chance for their comments and that as the debate ends the bill will go up for voting.
Police Officers Repulse Al-Shabaab After Militants Raided Their Station In Baladweyne
10 August – Source: Wacaal Media – 127 Words
Al-Shabaab militants last night raided the central police station in Baladweyne, headquarters of Hiiraan region. Confirming the incident to Wacaal media, a senior local police officer Mohamed Nur Iidey said the militant attacked the station from different directions but the officers managed to repulse them, killing one militant in the process. He said there were no casualties on their side. “We were attacked by the rebels last night, luckily we suffered no casualties but we killed one militant and the station is…under our full control” said Iidey. The militants have yet to comment on the attack. There have been bloody battles between them and the government forces in the outskirts of the town of Baladweyne the past few days.
Former Mogadishu Mayor Commends Turkey For Development
10 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 150 Words
Former Mogadishu Mayor Mohamud Ahmed Nor Tarsan has commended government of Turkey for its developmental projects in the capital. But Tarsan said that there is a lack of commitment from Somali government and blamed the government for dragging its feet to work with Turkey to improve the lives of citizens.“We lack someone [to] work with the Turkey here, during my tenure we worked [with] them sincerely, we heavily invested on their security and protection, and we were ready to collaborate whatever they needed from our side, but now Turkey is unable to implement housing project pledged by Erdogan , this is the fault of Somali government” judged Mr. Tarsan who is an opposition leader. He also said that there is no other country in the world that can compete with Turkey when it comes to helping Somalia. His comments came at a time when Turkey’s projects in Mogadishu have slowed down.
Eastleigh Gangs Stab “Walk Of Hope” Journalist
10 August – Source: Radio Dalsan – 162 Words
Eastleigh’s notorious gangs locally known as the “super power” have stabbed and wounded Walk of Hope Journalist Salah Mohamed. Mohamed who is currently recovering at Nairobi hospital sustained back injurieson Friday night attack in Eastleigh 12th street, along 1st Avenue. He was robbed of phone, cash and other valuables after the gruesome attack in the Somali dominated neighborhood. Salah Mohamed, a journalist by profession who is currently a correspondent for local Kenyan TV was the face of Walk of Hope 1000 kilometers journey from Garissa to the Border town of Mandera.
President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed Salah and his walk of hope team in State House after the awareness journey last month and commended their efforts and courage. According to Eastleigh business community official more than 26 suspected Super Power gang members have been arrested during operation to contain the group’s rising attacks. The gang group have in recent years terrorized the residents of the neighbourhood which also host largest shopping centers in Nairobi.
Somali President Says Country On Road To End Militants’ Insurgency
10 August – Source: Hiiraan Online – 307 Words
Amid ongoing multi-pronged offensive against militants, Somalia’s president says the horn of Africa nation is close to ending the deadly insurgency by the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group which he says were being degraded to their lowest capacity yet, raising hopes of ending the prolonged conflict. The concerted offensive by African Union and Somali troops which aims to cripple Al-Shabab has already made progress as allied forces seized strategic towns and village from militants, leaving fighters on the backfoot in the face of the offensive. Speaking to the reporters on Sunday, Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the offensive had already moved into a phase that could bring militants’ insurgency to an end. “The offensive is progressing in accordance with our military plan that could end Al-Shabaab which now stares at military collapse.” Mr. Mohamud said in a speech that largely focused on honoring the fallen ‘heroes’ and emboldening soldiers on the frontline
He distinctly paid tribute to the Ethiopian forces that are part of the African Union force in Somalia who made the biggest military advances and quickly overran strategic rebel strongholds. “I am urging the troops to operate in line with the military law to avoid potential dangers arising from military operations,” he added, in an apparent call for troops to avoid collateral damage. Nevertheless, President Mohamed in conclusion said he sees a hope in which militants’ insurgency could be ended before long. Even though Al-Shabaab has lost most its strongholds, security experts say the group which would unlikely withstand the combined allied forces may draw out a military tactic that could extend its deadly guerrilla war life. “Even though they suffered irreversible huge losses, the group is militarily still intact which could rule out an early conjecture.” said Hashi Abdullahi, a former military general who served under Siad Barre’s regime.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UPDATE: U.K. Fraud Probe of Soma Focuses on Payments to Somali Officials
10 August – Source: Bloomberg Business – 695 Words
Searching for oil off the coast of one of the world’s most dangerous and corrupt countries was always going to be difficult for Soma Oil and Gas Ltd. Now its work in Somalia is being scrutinized by the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office. On July 31, the SFO raided Soma’s London office as part of its investigation into almost $500,000 worth of payments to Somali officials. Soma, funded by Russian billionaire Alexander Djaparidze and headed by former U.K. Conservative Party leader Michael Howard, says it’s done nothing wrong and is cooperating with the inquiry. Soma has “always conducted its business in a completely lawful and ethical manner” in trying to develop the country’s first oil reserves, it said in a statement Aug. 3. The SFO has confirmed “no suspicion whatsoever attaches to Lord Howard,” Soma said Aug. 1. Djaparidze didn’t respond to Bloomberg requests seeking comment.
Soma began working more than two years ago in Somalia, where al-Qaeda-linked militants have waged an insurgency since 2006. The country hasn’t had a functioning central administration since civil war erupted almost a quarter of a century ago. It also ranks alongside North Korea as the world’s most graft-ridden nation, according to Transparency International, the Berlin-based watchdog. The company’s involvement in Somalia has dovetailed with the British government’s increased focus on the country. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron told a Somalia conference in London in May 2013 the nation was a foreign policy priority, a month after the company was incorporated and the U.K. reopened its embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital.
In August that year, Soma signed a deal with Somalia’s government to explore for oil off the coast. Djaparidze-led investment company Winter Sky, which owns 30 percent of Soma, provided it with $50 million for a seismic survey, Soma Chief Executive Officer Robert Sheppard said in March 2014. Soma has since spent $40 million on surveys of 60,000 square kilometers (23,166 square miles) off Somalia’s coast, according to the company’s website. Eight months after the deal with Somalia’s government was signed, the company made a series of payments to government officials under a capacity-building agreement that may represent a conflict of interest, according to a report prepared by United Nations investigators. The unpublished UN report was given to Bloomberg by a person close to the UN investigation who asked not to be identified because it isn’t public yet. The SFO investigation is based on the UN report, the person said.
Stranded Indonesian Sailors Saved In Somalia
10 August – Source: Jakarta Post – 187 Words
The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that 12 Indonesian crew members had been saved from a South Korean fishing vessel, which was stranded in Somalia earlier this month. “Alhamdulillah [Praise God]. Due to good coordination between the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi [in Kenya] and the Putland Police [in Somalia], 32 sailors, including 12 Indonesians, were rescued,” the ministry’s director for protection, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, said in a press statement.
Lalu said that the Indonesian embassy in Nairobi had also contacted the 12 sailors, who were staying in a Hotel in Putland, Somalia.The embassy and the Foreign Ministry were coordinating with the owner of the ship to ensure that the Indonesian crew members would be flown to Nairobi, Kenya, Lalu added. “Their return can be direct to Indonesia or via the ship’s port of origin, Salalah in Oman. Certainly, we will make sure that [the 12 Indonesians] have their rights upheld,” Lalu said, as quoted by kompas.com.A storm stranded Al Aman, a fishing vessel, on Aug. 4. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has ordered her team to coordinate with local authorities to help the Indonesian crew.
Welcome Congressional Cohesion On Somalia
09 August – Source: Star Tribune – 455 Words
Political gridlock may seem intractable, and even intensifying as the 2016 campaign advances. But bipartisanship exists, as evidenced by two Minnesota representatives, Keith Ellison, the Fifth District Democrat, and Tom Emmer, the Sixth District Republican, who prioritized their constituencies and good policy over politics with their formation of the Congressional Somalia Caucus. Given the significant Somali population throughout the state, other members of the Minnesota delegation should join them in order to convince their congressional colleagues that a more stable Somalia advances U.S. security and foreign policy objectives. That’s the goal, Ellison and Emmer stated in a joint news release. “The purpose of the Somalia Caucus is to advocate for peace and stability in Somalia by ensuring the United States is providing sufficient …assistance so that democracy, good governance, and prosperity prevail over terrorism in Somalia,” the representatives wrote.
Those desirable qualities have been in short supply in the East African nation as a ruthless insurgency from the terrorist group Al-Shabab continues to destabilize not only Somalia but neighboring nations like Kenya, too. And the turmoil creates challenges here at home, as some Minnesotans of Somali descent have been recruited by Al-Shabab to join the jihad against a shaky Mogadishu government. “To Minnesotans, this is not a partisan or some far-off foreign policy issue, this is a matter of domestic policy and national security,” Emmer e-mailed an editorial writer. Emmer wrote that the caucus had “already begun advocating for improved security to combat Al Shabab both here and abroad, work with nations such as Kenya and Ethiopia to improve human rights, increased U.S. diplomatic efforts such as an Ambassador to Somalia, and to work with the new government of Somalia to create reliable governing and banking systems.” Emmer added that a more safe and secure Somalia “would prevent future humanitarian disasters, reduce the potential of refugees being forced to flee for their lives, and afford the more than 11 million Somalis — and the nearly 2 million Somali diaspora — the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity.”
UAE Envoy Hosts Dinner Banquet In Honour Of Somali Deputy PM
09 August – Source: Emirates News Agency – 85 Words
Mohammed Ahmed Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to Somalia, has hosted a dinner banquet in honour of Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Omar Arte, and his accompanying delegation, at the Embassy’s premises in the capital, Mogadishu. The Somali Deputy Prime Minister lauded the UAE’s support for his country, emphasising that cooperation between the UAE and the Government of Somalia would continue to support developmental projects being implemented by the UAE.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“This investigation is not just embarrassing for President Mohamud but also puts into question the integrity of Soma Oil & Gas, which is chaired by the former Conservative Party leader Michael Howard. The company, through its PR agency FTI Consulting, has dismissed the investigation, claiming that its conduct with the Somali government was “lawful and ethical”.
These Opaque Oil Deals And ‘Friends’ Cannot Be Good For Somalia’s People
09 August – Source: Daily Nation – 693 Words
It is estimated that Somalia has as many as 110 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves — about half of what Saudi Arabia has. So, when British Prime Minister David Cameron convened a conference on Somalia in London in 2012, many believed that Britain’s sudden interest in the war-torn country was motivated by its economic interests, particularly in the area of oil extraction.
When United Nations monitors reported that Somalia had entered into a secret deal with the British oil company Soma Oil & Gas in August 2013, many observers were surprised that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would within just the first year of his presidency agree to an oil exploration deal after having earlier expressed fears that the country was too weak to risk entering into such deals.Watchdog organisations warned that deals between foreign oil companies and the fragile Somali Federal Government, especially in the absence of regulatory frameworks and laws, could fuel divisions and entrench a culture of corruption and that the exploration and exploitation of oil could exacerbate an already tense political situation.
It has now emerged that the deal with Soma Oil was hastily and secretly drafted without the approval of the Somali Parliament. Soma Oil, on the other hand, insists that “broad terms” of the deal have been made public.UN monitors have revealed that the deal would give the company the right to apply for up to 12 oil licences, covering 60,000 square kilometres. In May 2015, Bloomberg Business published the contents of the draft production-sharing agreement between Soma Oil & Gas and the Somali government that showed that the government could end up paying up to 90 per cent of its oil revenue to the oil company, a deal that confers abnormally high benefits to the latter.
TOP TWEETS
@UNSomalia The future of #Somalia belongs to#SomaliYouth. It’s time for youth to play an active role in policymaking. #YouthDay
@MatinaStevis Russian oligarch, frm Tory leader oil co Soma under Serious Fraud Office investigation over #Somalia“double-dipping” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/
@SomaliaTribune Somalia Parliament summons education minister over scholarship fraud #Somalia #Education http://www.somaliatribune.
@HarunMaruf #Somalia: New Gedo Governor Ahmed Bulle sworn in; deposed predecessor M A Kalil who rejects it stays out the ceremony http://saadaalnews.net/?p=
@HarrietLMathews SRSG @Somalia111 witnesses #Somaliaagreement on Hiraan and Middle Shabelle. Inclusion will be key to success.
@Oxfam Women critical to building peace through #Somalia‘s long civil war httpo://oxf.am/ZPXs new report #SomaliSolutions
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Deputy SRCC Hon. Lydia Wanyoto today witnessing the signing of the agreement for formation of Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle Regional State. The agreement was signed at Villa Somalia.