December 15, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Majority of Somalis Want Current Government To Go, No Term Extension – Report
14 December – Source: Hiiraan Online – 291 Words
Majority of Somalis oppose term extension for both the Federal Parliament and Government, reflecting widespread disapproval of the government’s performance, said a study by a Mogadishu-based think tank.Somalia’s current government has been bidding for a new term extension, citing fragile government system and unfinished work for the country to prepare for new elections.
A new report by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies said 52 percent of those surveyed blamed corruption as a major cause of the Government’s underperformance, while 22 percent cite incompetency.“Dissatisfaction has also been extended to the international community with over 66 percent of respondents saying they disapprove of the external actors’ influence in Somalia’s affairs,” the report issued Monday said.
According to the study, 40 percent of the respondents believe that the international community has done very little to help Somalia organize an election in 2016. More worryingly for the international community, while 26 percent of respondents maintain that the international community failed Somalia.“Still, a whopping 73 percent insist that the international community has an oversized influence in the direction of the country.” The study reported.
In 2013, Somalia’s government drafted a wide-ranging roadmap called Vision 2016 with the purpose of guiding the government until the end of its mandate. Vision 2016 has three key pillars: preparing the country for free and fair elections in 2016, finalizing the Provisional Constitution, and completing the federation process by establishing the remaining federal member states.The international community is spearheading efforts aimed at restoring peace and order into the horn of Africa nation shattered by decades-old conflict.
Key Headlines
- Majority of Somalis Want Current Government To Go No Term Extension – Report (Hiiraan Online)
- Somaliland Opposition Leader Criticizes Mogadishu Forum (Garowe Online)
- UN Official In Somalia Killed In Mogadishu Shooting United Nations Confirms (International Business Times)
- Heegan To Clash With Horseed In General Da’ud Cup Final Set For Thursday (Soko25East)
- Somali Refugee Shares Experience Journey To U.S. With Students (Mlive.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland Opposition Leader Criticizes Mogadishu Forum
15 December – Source: Garowe Online – 185 Words
Somaliland’s Justice and Welfare party (UCID) leader Faysal Ali Warabe has criticized National Consultative Forum underway in Mogadishu over foreign dominance on Monday, Garowe Online reports. Speaking to reporters in Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, the politician faulted any political agreement on model for electoral transition as ‘quasi federal member states’ and agendas of international partners.“United Somali stand is missing and their political say has been hijacked. The country is no longer a viable sovereign state,” claimed the opposition leader, adding that Somaliland would never be part of ongoing state building efforts.
He warned of reports of forming an interim regional administration for disputed Sool and Sanaag regions.“Regional administrations are on increase, and just spurred a competition. Now there comes a time that some people are saying, let’s set up a new admin in Sool and Sanaag regions,” he added.
Somaliland opposes self-declared Khaatumo administration and fought local clans in deadly clashes in the past.Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia declared its independence from the rest of the country as de facto sovereign state in 1991 but it has not been recognized internationally yet.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Official In Somalia Killed In Mogadishu Shooting, United Nations Confirms
14 December – Source: International Business Times – 171 Words
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said Monday that one of its staff members, Amina Noor Mohamed, was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in Somalia’s capital city. Mohamed, who had been working as a senior community services assistant with the agency in Mogadishu since 2011, was attacked while traveling in a car driven by a staff member from a UNHCR partner organization, who was also killed.
“While the details of this senseless act of violence are still being investigated, it serves as another stark reminder of the dangers many humanitarian workers face in their daily work. On behalf of all UNHCR staff, I wish to convey our heartfelt condolences and solidarity to Amina’s family, friends and to our entire team in Somalia,” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in the statement obtained by International Business Times.
Mohamed is survived by her husband and two young children. A minute of silence will be held in her memory at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva at 11 a.m. local time Tuesday.
Heegan To Clash With Horseed In General Da’ud Cup Final Set For Thursday
15 December – Source: Soko25East – 196 Words
The final match of General Da’ud Cup, the second most populous sporting event in Somalia, is set for Thursday 17th of December.The match will be contested by the Somali police Football Club Heegan FC and their rivals of the Somali military[Horseed FC and is expected to attract a big number of football fans from across the country.The final match was due to be played on Monday, but Somali Football Federation executive committee decided to postpone it until Thursday due to a number of reasons.
“This is a very hot game and we postponed it, because we know that so many people are expected to travel from far regions in the country simply to watch this match, so we decided to postpone it to give those fans the opportunity to come” Somali Football Federation president, Abdiqani Said Arab, said in a statement.
General Da’ud Cup is an annual football event in Somalia and it is held as a memorial service for the founder of Somali Army, General Da’ud Abdulle Hersi. The late General Da’ud passed away in 1965, but the Somali FootballFederation has been organizing the event since 1972.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Since living in the United States, Warsame has graduated from high school and is now attending Grand Rapids Community College. He also works at Bethany Christian Services and helps new refugees acclimate to a different, modernized world,”
Somali Refugee Shares Experience, Journey To U.S. With Students
14 December – Source: Mlive.com – 599 Words
Sadik Warsame was 15 years old when al-Shabab, an Islamist militant group, killed his father in Somalia.”It was scary, sad,” said Warsame, now 22. “I can’t imagine.”Somalia’s civil unrest that has continued for over a decade and his father’s death in 2009 spurred Warsame to embark on an 8-month journey — taking him far away from the bloodshed and his family. A journey that would take him through more than a dozen countries before reaching his unplanned final destination: The United States.”I had no hope, no education,” Warsame said through a thick Somalian accent. “Being here is different from where I’m from. Where I’m from there’s no help. You can die or get life.”
Warsame, who now lives in Wyoming, spoke about his journey to the United States with nearly 70 students at Kent Innovation High School on Monday, Dec. 14. Students in the school’s global studies class are learning about refugees as part of their lesson on the industrial revolution.While there is a nationwide debate about refugees coming to the U.S., students are focusing their discussions on the inhuman and unfathomable struggles they have overcome.”If we’re having these discussions, we have to realize we’re talking about people,” teacher Trevor Muir said. “That’s why we’ve been bringing in refugees – to share their stories, tell us about their families, their experiences, their hardships and this big change that happened to them. Just to have our kids realize, these are people we’re talking about.”
TOP TWEETS
@MinisterMOFA:We celebrate today 55th year anniversary of#China #Somalia bilateral relationship. We seek further fruitful cooperation btw our nations.
@LailaInNairobi:Another humanitarian killed. #Somalia must stop turning on itself and on the people risking their lives for it.http://yhoo.it/1NPVD4s
@engyarisow:#Somalia: PSG Working Groups Workshop is underway to discuss the review of the Compact, National Development Plan and Post 2016 architecture
@Aynte:”Selection of next #Somalia Parliament: Citizens’ View” is an excellent and timely report by @HIPSINSTITUTEhttp://www.heritageinstitute.
@AU_PSD:Djibouti Conference is expected to enhance the visibility of Women’s roles in #CVE & document their contributions to CVE efforts in #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somalia’s Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, speaks at the opening of the National Consultative Forum in Mogadishu, Somalia, on December 13
Photo: UNSOM / Tobin Jone