January 29, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somali Leaders Agree On Framework For Elections
28 January – Source: Voice of America – 289 Words
Political leaders in Somalia have agreed on a framework for holding elections this year, a move the international community hopes will stabilize the long-troubled country. The framework, announced Thursday after two days of heated talks in Mogadishu, calls for creation of an upper house of parliament, with 54 seats allocated among Somalia’s states.
The 275 seats in the existing lower house of parliament will be divvied up using the 4.5 formula, a power-sharing system among the country’s four major clans and their smaller counterparts. Thirty percent of all seats will be reserved for women. Lower house members will be elected by clan elders, while upper house representatives will be chosen by “caucuses of the regional assemblies” in the states.
When formed, parliament will choose a president to succeed incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in office since the government was created in 2012. No dates for the elections were announced. The current government’s mandate runs out in September. In a statement, Somalia’s international partners, including the United Nations, the United States, and European Union and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), welcomed the framework and commended Somali leaders for reaching a compromise. Two previous meetings to settle on an election model ended in failure.
Key Headlines
- Somali Leaders Agree On Framework For Elections (Voice of America)
- President Hassan Sheikh Says Al-Shabaab Will Be Defeated (Wacaal Media)
- Puntland President Addresses The State On The Latest Developments In Election Talks After Receiving Statesman Welcome In Bossaso (Villa Puntland)
- Somali Peace Rally At Site Of Lido Beach Attack (BBC)
- Three African Leaders Pledge To Work For Peace In Somalia (Bernama News Agency)
- Mpeketoni Massacre Suspects Fate Due Thursday (Capital FM)
- Amnesty For Radicalised Youths Still On Says Nkaissery (Citizen Digital)
- Massacre At Lido Beach And Public Defiance (Hiiraan Online)
PRESS STATEMENT
Somalia’s International Partners Welcome The Federal Government’s Decision On An Electoral Model For 2016
28 January – Source: UNSOM – 483 Words
Somalia’s international partners welcome the decision taken by the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) on an electoral model for the electoral process to be conducted later this year. The United Nations, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU), Ethiopia, France, Italy, Qatar, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America all express their support for this important step.
International partners welcome the decision on an electoral model announced by the Federal Government of Somalia on 27 January. International partners commend the Federal Government of Somalia for seeking a consensus on an electoral model for 2016. The international partners also commend the leaders of Somalia’s existing and emerging federal member states for the serious efforts they made, over several months, to reach a compromise. The international community recognises that this model required compromises from all parties, and calls on all people in Somalia to put the interests of the country first and avoid conflict in the electoral process.
They noted and pledged to support the immediate next political and practical steps needed to ensure the implementation of the decision and the measures required to make progress towards a qualitatively better electoral process and political dispensation in the future.
Today’s decision on an electoral model marks a major milestone and manifests, again, the determination and commitment of Somali leaders to respecting the constitutionally mandated term limits of the legislature and the executive and to conducting an electoral process in 2016. International partners also welcome the fact that the electoral model determined by the Federal Government complies with the principles set out in the Mogadishu Declaration of 16 December.
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Hassan Sheikh Says Al-Shabaab Will Be Defeated
28 January – Source: Wacaal Media – 183 Words
President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia has expressed optimism that Al-Shabaab militants will be defeated and wiped out of the country in the near future. Speaking at an inter-denominational service held for injured and fallen forces in the recent Elade attack which was held in Eldoret, Kenya on Wednesday, Sheikh sent his condolences to the families, friends and relatives as well as Kenya as a nation. “I am here to join you at this time of grief to celebrate the lives of our fallen and injured heroes who selflessly volunteered to bring Somalia back to stability. We need to unite against these evil forces and I can assure you we will together wipe out Al-Shabaab and all terror groups” said the President.
President Hassan Sheikh reiterated that Al-Shabaab did not subscribe to any Islamic doctrines and all their actions were against the teachings of Islam. His host President Uhuru Kenyatta said the presence of the Somali president was a clear testimony that the two countries were united in the war against Al-Shabaab. The two leaders were also joined by their Nigerian counterpart Mamadou Buhari.
Puntland President Addresses The State On The Latest Developments In Election Talks After Receiving Statesman Welcome In Bossaso
28 January – Source: Villa Puntland – 249 Words
The President of Puntland Government His Excellency Professor Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas along with a large delegation have today 28-Jan-2016 received statesman reception in Bossaso, Bari provincial capital after attending National Consultative Forum on upcoming Somalia elections in Mogadishu. Senior Puntland Government officials including deputy Parliament speaker, ministers, members of Parliament, Bari provincial and Bossaso district authorities, and hundreds of people have welcomed the president and his delegation up on arrival at the newly inaugurated Bossaso International Airport.
Shorly after landing, President received guard of honour from units of Puntland Marine Police Forces before proceeding to the VIP launch of the airport to address the state on latest developments in Somalia election talks. His excellency Professor Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the President of Puntland, addressed the state on his trip to Mogadishu in press conference at the VIP launch of Bossaso International Airport. The President initially thanked the hundreds of people, among them dignitaries, for the warm reception.
The President spoke on a number of conferences he attended in Mogadishu and the stand of Puntland Government on the Federal Government’s decision on the forthcoming elections later this year. H:E. Abdiweli stated that the national consultative conference ended in failure due to the Federal Government’s lack of deliberations before reaching decisions that matter the country’s struggle towards stability. The President similarly noted that they have presented the opinion of the people of Puntland in those conference while adding that the government will discuss with its people on a ways forward.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Peace Rally At Site Of Lido Beach Attack
28 January – Source: BBC News – 171 Words
A group of Somalis have held a peace rally at the site of last week’s militant Islamist attack in the capital, Mogadishu.Fighters from Al-Shabaab killed 20 people when they targeted the popular Lido beach resort.The demonstrators, who turned out to support the victims, shouted slogans including “al-Shabab has no religion”.
Lido beach’s popularity has been seen as a sign of a return to normality in Mogadishu after years of conflict.It attracts thousands of mostly young Somalis who come to relax and enjoy the beach and the surf.Al-Shabaab said it targeted the resort’s restaurants because they are frequented by government officials.
A spokesperson for Mogadishu’s city government, which organised the rally, told BBC Somali that people had gathered to show their “defiance”.”They wanted to show their disapproval of what happened here, which was a massacre of innocent Somali people,” Abdifitah Omar Halane said.Al-Shabaab, which is part of al-Qaeda, was ousted from Mogadishu in August 2011, but still has a presence in large areas of southern Somalia.
Three African Leaders Pledge To Work For Peace In Somalia
28 January – Source: Bernama News Agency – 488 Words
The presidents of three African nations have paid tribute to the courage of Kenyan soldiers who paid the ultimate price during the El Adde camp raid in Somalia two weeks ago.Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Hassan Sheikh Muhamud of Somalia and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria say the only way to honour the fallen heroes is to accomplish the Somalia peace mission. Retreating is not an option as it will give the terrorists a sense of false victory, they add.”The right thing to do, for the security of our country, the safety of the region, and for the memory of those who fell, is to complete the mission,” said President Kenyatta during a special inter-denominational memorial service in honour of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers killed at El Adde, Somalia, during an attack by Al-Shabaab militants.
The president reiterated that this was not the time to waver or to listen to the voices of defeat and despair. He said the brave soldiers died defending the tenets of peace, democracy and security which all Kenyans cherished.”We owe these young patriots who gave everything a debt of honour. We can begin to discharge it by resolving never to forget their sacrifices.”President Kenyatta said it was time for the people and government of Somalia to choose peace and progress over violence, hatred and stagnation. He added that the fight that KDF was involved in was to protect the country from the enemy whose major goal is to kill and destroy.
Mpeketoni Massacre Suspects Fate Due Thursday
28 January – Source: Capital FM – 187 Words
A Mombasa court will on Thursday determine if two suspects charged with the massacre of 60 people in Mpeketoni have a case to answer. The prosecution on Wednesday presented the last three witnesses before Justice Martin Muya at the Mombasa High Court. The accused Diana Salim Suleiman and Mahadi Suleiman Mahadi alias Jesus are alleged to have participated in the killing of 60 people on the night of June 15 and 16 in 2014 at Mpeketoni and Kaisairi Village within Lamu County.
Lead prosecution Counsel and Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Alexander Muteti assisted by a team of prosecutors closed the prosecution’s case on Wednesday after calling thirty two witnesses. On June 15, Kenya woke up to the shocking news merciless slaughter which left a trail of destruction and deaths of mostly men in the quiet village in Mpeketoni. According to police, dozens of bodies were found sprawled on the ground in the town, while others were found soaked in blood in houses. The court will on Thursday rely on evidence submitted by the prosecution to determine if the two suspects are responsible for the 60 deaths.
Amnesty For Radicalised Youths Still On, Says Nkaissery
28 January – Source: Citizen Digital – 341 Words
Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery has said the operation to rehabilitate radicalised youths who returned from terror training in Somalia is well underway. In a statement read on his behalf by ministry representative Joseph Irungu, Nkaissery said terrorism still remains a major challenge but an operation to root out Al Shabaab militants from Boni Forest is ongoing.
Irungu was speaking during a private sector consultative forum on countering violent extremism in Nairobi where SUPKEM Deputy Secretary General Hassan Ole Naado called for concerted efforts to tame terrorism, saying the dynamics of violent extremism keep changing in the country. On his part, National Counter Terrorism Centre Director Martin Kimani admitted that the war on terror in the country and Somalia is far from being won, noting that the government is changing strategy to ensure success.
This comes just a day after three heads of state, Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud (Somalia) and Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria), affirmed their commitment to fight terror. While paying tribute to the courage of the Kenyan soldiers killed two weeks ago following an Al Shabaab attack in El Adde, Somalia, the three added that terrorists should have no place in modern society and must be eliminated.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Indeed, in the same date that terrorists executed their murderous plot, lovers were tying up the knot at the restaurant, probably having met and fallen in love at Lido. This must have been a tragic end to the young couple’s big day. The groom and pride are probably among the dead, certainly caused by another young man with a perverted mind,”
Massacre At Lido Beach And Public Defiance
27 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 888 Words
The massacre of civilians by terrorists at Lido beach is a telling story. As a sign of the return of normalcy and hope to this troubled city, thousands of Mogadishu residents have been resuscitating a century’s old tradition of seeking pleasure from the city’s white sandy beaches. A tradition that was started by old generations who used to come together to play, swim, and enjoy a meal at Lido’s many seafront restaurants.
Dishes on the menu would have included a grilled lobster and spaghetti Bolognese washed down with a glass of watermelon or mango juice.Those traditionally inclined pleasure-seekers would have enjoyed a meal of dhaylo, maraq and muufo, a traditional lamb stew and bread served with caano lo or geel, cow or camel milk. Furthermore, Europeans, led by Italians, whose Italian word “Lido” was the beach’s namesake, would have flocked to Lido as their best holiday resort.
Most Somalis who are over 40s would remember those pleasant memory lanes in Mogadishu’s happy days. Arguably, there is hardly any Somali who lived in Mogadishu and had never visited or swam in Lido’s beautiful beach with its clear blue sky and water. It is for this reason why Mogadishu and Lido beach command a special place in the hearts of many Somalis, which makes them want to return to their Lido. Indeed, hundreds of people from the diaspora have been leading a campaign to get people return to Mogadishu and its Lido, and some of them have bravely invested in the city, particularly in restaurants and cafes such as the Beach View Cafe at Lido where the massacre took place.