February 4, 2016 | Morning Headlines
UN Political Chief Visits Somalia
03 February – Source: Horseed Media – 140 Words
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Somalia on Wednesday as the horn of Africa nations gears up for elections.After arriving, Mr Feltman held separate meetings with the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Speaker of the Parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari. Discussions mainly focused on the current political and security situation in the country.Talks also emphasized on the recent decision by the Federal government on the electoral process of the upcoming elections later this year.
Addressing the press after concluding meetings with the government leaders, the top United Nations political official pledged continued support to the Government and people of Somalia as they continue to remarkably recover from over two decades of civil war.Mr Feltman welcomed the 30% quota of women representation in both the Upper and lower house of Parliament to be formed.
Key Headlines
- UN Political Chief Visits Somalia (Horseed Media)
- Somalia Parliament Passes Refugee And IDPs Bill (Horseed Media)
- Army Shootings To Be Probed In Somaliland (Garowe Online)
- Bomb Likely Caused Somalia Plane Blast Say U.S. Government Sources (Reuters)
- Somali Authorities Believe Body Fell From Plane After Explosion (VoA News)
- What Is A “Fair” 2016 Election Model For Somalia? (Somalia Newsroom)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Parliament Passes Refugee And IDPs Bill
03 February – Source:Horseed Media – 173 Words
Somalia’s Federal Parliament has finally passed Bills outlining measures to be taken to manage internally displaced persons and refugees.The Bills which were first submitted to the Parliament in 2013, were introduced by the government to improve the lives of the Somali refugees in neighbouring countries and internally displaced persons.Chaired by Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Mr Jeylani Nur, 155 of the 156 members of the Parliament unanimously voted in favour of the Bills.
Passing of the Refugees Bill comes at a crucial time as the process of Somali refugees in Kenya repatriation is under process. The passing of the Bill is expected to ease the process.Somalia has witnessed over two decades of conflict, violence, human rights violations and natural disasters, all of which have triggered repeated waves of displacement.According to statistic by aid organizations, there are still an estimated 1.1 million Somalis – approximately a tenth of the population – who are internally displaced. Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to live in dire conditions in protracted displacement.
Army Shootings To Be Probed In Somaliland
03 February – Source: Garowe Online – 149 Words
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Siilaanyo) has decried a series of killings targeting commanders in charge of army units, hinting at more robust probe into the motives behind the worrying trend, Garowe Online reports.
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 22d anniversary of Somaliland Army at a command center in Sool region village of Oog, Siilaanyo unveiled that anybody linked to the killings would be brought to justice.“Nowadays, there’re assassinations within the army, especially killing of commanders. This matter is tantamount to crime and it cannot be tolerated, and I stress that anybody that commits such heinous crime will appear before justice, paying heaviest price for its serious repercussions,” Somaliland leader told battalions.Somaliland will soon appoint a fact-finding commission to probe the incidents that have been on increase in the northwestern region.Siilaanyo was reacting to shooting incidents that saw many commanders within Somaliland army ranks killed.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Bomb Likely Caused Somalia Plane Blast, Say U.S. Government Sources
03 February – Source: Reuters – 436 Words
Investigators believe a bomb probably caused the onboard explosion that forced an Airbus A321 to return to the Somali capital of Mogadishu for an emergency landing this week, U.S. government sources said on Wednesday. One man was killed by the blast on Tuesday on the Daallo Airlines plane, officials said. Local authorities north of Mogadishu said the body of a man, believed to have been sucked out through the hole in the fuselage made by the blast, was found in their area.
The U.S. sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity that hard forensic evidence was lacking and no group is known to have claimed responsibility for the blast.There was no immediate comment from al Shabaab, the Somali Islamist group that has waged an insurgency against the Western-backed Somalia government. It has carried out regular attacks on officials, government offices and civilian sites.
Daallo Airlines, which did not refer to a blast, said on its website that the “incident” that caused a hole in the fuselage happened 15 minutes into the flight.”Pilots managed to land the aircraft back (in) Mogadishu Airport safely and without any further incident. All passengers, except one, disembarked safely,” it said, adding there was an investigation into “the cause of one missing passenger.”
Two passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries, it added.”The investigation goes on,” Somali civil aviation director Abdiwahid Omar said on the state radio website.Local authorities said the body of a passenger was found in the Balcad area, about 30 km (19 miles) north of Mogadishu.
A police officer at Mogadishu airport said the body of the 55-year-old man was being brought to the capital. “He dropped when the explosion occurred in the plane,” the officer said.
Somali Authorities Believe Body Fell From Plane After Explosion
03 February – Source: VoA News – 285 Words
Somali authorities have found the body of a missing passenger from a plane that made an emergency landing at Mogadishu airport after a blast ripped a hole through it Tuesday.
Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Ali Ahmed Jama “Jangali” told VOA Somali that the body of the person, found near the town of Bal’ad, is in the hands of the investigators.He said it will take days to determine what caused the explosion on the plane, operated by Daallo Airlines, that was carrying 81 people.
Meanwhile, passengers praised the pilot and the crew for saving their lives.Ahmed Elmi Muhumed, a Somali official who was on the plane, told VOA’s Somali service that the crew immediately evacuated the passengers sitting near the hole, helped them put on oxygen masks and assured them there would be a safe landing.“The pilot and crew have done a wonderful job by communicating effectively,” he said.
Muhumed said the explosion occurred 10-15 minutes after take-off. He said that air that was coming into the plane through the hole but the airliner did not dive or lose balance.
Another passenger on the plane said he felt the lights “flickered” seconds before the explosion.
According to sources the explosion occurred at row 16. The person who was ejected out of the plane after the blast was sitting in seat number 16F.
The airline said most of the passengers were transferred by Turkish Airlines which cancelled flights to Mogadishu two days ago.Turkish Airlines gave a brief statement to VOA Somali which read: “”Our relevant flights have been cancelled due to operational reasons required in the framework of bad weather conditions.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“As Somali leaders continue to debate which election model is more “fair” for 2016, the benefits and drawbacks of each plan as outlined above should be discussed transparently in order to address misconceptions about the fairness and practicality of each plan,”
What Is A “Fair” 2016 Election Model For Somalia?
02 February – Source: Somalia Newsroom-
Last week, the federal government of Somalia (FGS) published its plan for a 2016 election format after the effort to institute one person-one vote polls was deferred to 2020.
The FGS released a communique at the conclusion of the most recent round of negotiations that acknowledged the absence of a consensus but underscored the need to move forward with a plan for elections.
The model outlines how Somalia will proceed with re-electing the Lower House and forming the yet-to-be-established Upper House. According to the provisional constitution, the next president will be elected by a joint vote between the Lower and Upper Houses of parliament.
The plan calls for 275 parliamentarians in the Lower House of parliament to be selected using the 4.5 clan formula. It also proposed the assemblies of the regional administrations select six members each for the 54-seat Upper House, with Puntland and self-declared independent Somaliland (which certainly will not participate in the process) receiving three extra seats each. Both houses would have a 30% quota for women.
The political solidarity between Jubaland and Puntland on the election issue is mostly steady, as Jubaland reluctantly accepted the FGS model but criticized the international community and FGS for “forcing” the agreement on Somali leaders.Puntland also rejected the FGS model due to the use of the 4.5 clan formula. Puntland still desires Somalia’s districts to select representatives. However, this plan may not be more fair than the roundly criticized 4.5 clan formula, which clearly discriminates against traditionally marginalized clans.
Ostensibly under Puntland’s plan, each of Somalia’s 92 districts would choose three representatives each, giving the Lower House 276 parliamentarians, or one more than the current 275. However, there are several questions that should be asked about this model.Firstly: Districts would receive the same amount of representation — regardless of the size of the district. Communities comprised of a handful of settlements would have the same political voice as bustling urban areas. This would be an unconventional and unfair electoral structure in terms of global democratic standards for a country’s lower legislative house.Even if Puntland proposed to create a new formula that would give larger districts more representation than smaller districts, it is highly unlikely Somali leaders could agree on the exact numbers in a timely manner given the current political climate.