January 26, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Office Of The President Expresses Hope Over National Consultative Conference
26 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 176 Words
The Somali presidency has expressed hope over the National Consultative Conference ahead of this year’s polls, even as sources indicated the political talks in Mogadishu have not led to any breakthrough . The spokesman of Somali presidential palace, Dauud Aweys Jama’a, said the government was committed to the opinion of the people of Somalia towards the upcoming elections in the country: “The reason why the leaders converge here is to iron out any existing differences.”
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s top official explained that when different sides come together to discuss on an issue, they were bound to have varied opinions. That, he stressed, did not amount to collapse of the talks. Jama’a assured the public of a concrete solution to the current impasse, soon. The talks in Mogadishu come after the recent talks held Kismayo that did not yield any breakthrough after leaders disagreed on a suitable electoral option this year. The talks collapsed after the various sides disagreed on how to select members of the Upper House.
Key Headlines
- Office Of The President Expresses Hope Over National Consultative Conference (Goobjoog News )
- Somali Leaders Set To Decide On Election Model (Hiiraan Online)
- Veteran Somali Journalist Dies Aged 80 (Hiiraan Online)
- Two MPs Sworn In For Somali Parliament (Shabelle News)
- Kenya to Keep Troops In Somalia Backing African Union Force (Bloomberg News)
- Yassin Juma Released From Police Custody To Report Back In Two Weeks (The Star Kenya)
- Somalia Beach Massacre: Al-Shabaab How Could You Do It? (Horseed Media)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Leaders Set To Decide On Election Model
26 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 175 Words
Somali leaders opened their third round of talks by addressing the divisive issue on the model of elections the country should hold this year. The two-day meeting comes after earlier talks in Kismayo town collapsed with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud walking out of the meeting with his delegation.Somali and foreign officials attending the talks have expressed optimism that the country’s stakeholders will end their dispute as the international community continues to pile pressure on leaders to discard their differences and hammer out a deal. Although the government has planned for a presidential election this year, it has dismissed the likelihood of holding popular elections due to security challenges.
Some of the country’s regional leaders have suggested the selection of the country’s Members of Parliament based on the 18 regions, while others want the selections to be carried out in line with existing federal states. According to Somalia’s Provisional Federal Constitution, adopted in 2012, the mandates of the Somali Federal Parliament and of the Government will expire at the end of September this year.
Veteran Somali Journalist Dies, Aged 80
25 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 222 Words
One of Somalia’s most celebrated veteran journalists died suddenly at a hospital in the Somali capital on Tuesday. His family announced that Abdi Haji Gobdon, a pioneering long-time journalist as well as a former government spokesman, had died after a short illness at Daru Shifa hospital. His brother, Abukar Gobdon, broke the sad news. His work largely focused on promoting peace in the country. Many Somalis paid tribute to the fallen hero, whom family members said had no history of illness “apart from breath complications” prior to his death.
Gobdon worked in both the print and broadcast media.He was well-known for his radio programs in 1980s. His former colleagues noted that Gobdon had a passion for broadcasting, a talent which drew a lot of admiration from Somalis across the country. Among his fans is former Somali president Mohamed Siad Barre, who later appointed him as his spokesman.
Two MPs Sworn In For Somali Parliament
24 January – Source: Shabelle News – 75 Words
Two new lawmakers were sworn in as members of the Federal Parliament of Somalia on Monday. During the parliamentary session in Mogadishu, Abdi Shire Jama and Abdulaziz Abdullah Yusuf formally became Members of Parliament upon being sworn in. The two replace two MPs — one who died and the other who resigned. One hundred and forty MPs attended the session, which was chaired by Mahad Abdalla Awad, the second deputy speaker of the Somali Federal Parliament.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya To Keep Troops In Somalia To Back African Union Force
25 January – Source: Bloomberg News – 251 Words
Kenya’s army will continue backing the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia and has no plans to withdraw its forces, spokesman David Obonyo said amid reports that its soldiers are pulling out of some Somali towns.
Obonyo also rejected claims by Somali lawmakers that bombing raids by Kenyan jets targeted civilians. Kenya’s air force has been targeting Al-Shabaab, a militant group aligned to al-Qaeda, since the Islamist militants said they killed 100 Kenyan soldiers in January 15 attack on a Kenyan army camp in southwestern Somalia. The Kenyan government hasn’t given a death toll.“Were the people who attacked our troops civilians?” Obonyo said. “Those claims are not true, we don’t target civilians. We went there to protect civilians.”
Al Jazeera News reported on its Twitter account that Kenyan forces were withdrawing from some southern Somalia towns and were headed toward the border.Al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency in Somalia since 2006 to impose its version of Islamic law. While it has lost territory since being driven out of the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 by government and AU forces, it continues to stage deadly gun and bomb attacks both at home and around the region.The Islamist fighters often use human shields when driving their convoys into towns, forcing African Union soldiers to “halt attacks to protect civilians,” Obonyo said.Kenya deployed its troops in neighboring Somalia in 2011 to support the country’s fledgling government and push back the militant group that has made frequent attacks on its soil.
Yassin Juma Released From Police Custody, To Report Back In Two Weeks
26 January – Source : The Star, Kenya – 302 Words
Journalist Yassin Juma was released from Muthaiga police station on Monday but asked to report to the CID headquarters in two weeks.The former Nation TV journalist was arrested on Saturday night over photos of the terrorist attack in El Adde, Somalia, that were posted on his blog and social media accounts.Juma had earlier been taken to Kiambu law courts cells but was not charged. Sources said he was to be officially charged at the courts.
His phone was confiscated following an accusation of “misuse of communication gadgets”, as stated in Occurrence Book, OB 52/23/01/2016.After his release, Juma wrote on Facebook: “Ooh Ooh Kanu Yajenga Nchi, Ooh Ooh Kanu Yajenga Nchi, Kanu Eeh Kanu Yajenga Nchi, Am Free at last [sic].”He and his friends waved their index fingers in a photograph he shared on the Facebook page.”And for those asking what the index finger stands for, it is a sign used to indicate the oneness of God and that our tribulations in this world can only be solved by that one good Lord,” he wrote.”God is one. And no other entity/ being is as powerful, merciful and magnificent as he is.”
He thanked supporters who protested against his arrest and detention via hash tag #FreeYassinJuma.Juma was grilled on Sunday after the arrest at his house in Donholm estate, Nairobi, by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.The Anti-Terror Police Unit had trailed him for three days before he was apprehended.
The journalist’s arrest came in the wake of a warning by Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery against the sharing of images of the attack in Somalia by al Shabaab.The militants ambushed Kenya Defence Forces soldiers at a remote African Union base on January 15, killing dozens and reportedly capturing others.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Security analysts believe that Al-Shabaab will likely continue its strategy of attacking ‘soft’ government or civilian targets. Its objective is to try to build up a critical mass of public opinion with enough such attacks to force the offensive against them, which would enable them to re-establish themselves in their strongholds in parts of Southern Somalia,”
Somalia Beach Massacre: Al-Shabaab, How Could You Do It?
25 January – Source: Horseed Media – 1228 Words
Somalia is no stranger to militant attacks, but the brutal assault that left at least 25 people, mostly civilians, dead at the popular Mogadishu Lido beach on Thursday sent shock waves through the nation. It will go down to be one of the darkest dates in the history of Somalia. The height of extremism, level of cruelty and the worst of terrorism was witnessed on that day.
Words fail to fully convey the horror that was perpetrated at the beach. How could people calling themselves Muslims shoot and kill dozens of innocent people in cold blood? The killings have shocked Somalis of all strata of society that usually greet such atrocities with a shrug and a yawn. Lido beach, located in the northern part of the city, is usually crowded on weekends – Thursdays & Fridays – with families enjoying the beach scenery, playing football or swimming in the Indian Ocean waves.
A wedding ceremony and a private graduation party were among events due to take place at one of the beach side restaurants.Eight heavily-armed gunmen disguised as security forces– wearing military uniforms – stormed the beach while hundreds of people were having quality time by the beach side after a long week of hard work and studies. According to survivors, the team of attackers besieged one of the beachfront restaurants with heavy weapons, with some of the assailants wearing vests laden with explosives. Security forces surrounded the hotel shortly, but proceeded cautiously to try to prevent a bloodbath, according to officials.
TOP TWEETS
@Oxfam:How women in rural #Somalia became entrepreneurs & changed power relations in their community:https://youtu.be/MZrK7XuHerE #EmpowerWomen
@NaleyeAbdi:Ocean Airline starts commercial flights to Las’Anod. #Somalia.
@SomaliPM:I am saddened by the loss of an icon and a living institution of #Somalia media. AUN Cabdi Xaaji Goobdoon
@Daudoo: #Kenya forces withdraw from several towns in southern #Somalia this morning & heading toward the border – Residents. More 2 follow
@Aynte:RIP Abdi Haji Goobdoon, #Somalia‘s Walter Cronkite. He died today of natural causes after 60 years as a journalist
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Participants attend a three day Workshop on Human Rights and Media Training by UNSOM Human Rights Section and Media Association of Puntland.
Photo: UNSOM