June 1, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Erdoğan Heads To Uganda, Kenya, Grants $24 Million To Somalia
31 May – Source: Daily News – 343 Words
A grant agreement signed between Turkey and Somalia has entered into force as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan departed for a small tour of African countries.
The agreement was signed by the governments of Turkey and the Federal Republic of Somalia on May 26. Upon a correspondence by the undersecretariat of the Treasury dated May 27, the cabinet decided for it to enter into force during their meeting on May 30. The agreement was published in the Official Gazette on May 31 following Erdoğan’s approval, and thus went into force.
The agreement, which the Official Gazette said was signed by Turkey and Somalia “within the spirit of historical and cultural ties as well as the long existing good relations between the parties” and was “desiring to strengthen and further enhance good relations between the parties,” went into force only a few hours before Erdoğan departed on May 31 on a four-day, two-country visit to East Africa that will last until June 3.
The President departed for Uganda, the first leg of the visit, from the Aegean province of İzmir, where he attended the “Distinguished Observer Day” of the Efes-2016 Combined Joint Military Exercise in the Seferihisar district.
Erdoğan will proceed to Kenya on June 1. The Turkish President completed the first leg of his Sub-Saharan African tour in the West African country of Senegal this February. Then in April, he continued in West Africa tour with visits to Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Guinea. During his latest visit to Africa, Erdoğan vowed to boost Turkish-African relations.
While in Africa, Erdoğan is highly likely to make an unannounced stopover in Somalia and meet top officials there. According to the agreement published in the Official Gazette, Turkey will extend Somalia a financial contribution of $2 million on a monthly basis not exceeding in total $24 million as a grant in accordance with domestic laws and annual budgetary applications.
Somalia is supposed to utilize the grant for budget financing and institutional capacity building. The grant will be supervised in accordance with the financial rules, administrative regulations and practices of Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Erdoğan Heads To Uganda Kenya Grants $24 Million To Somalia (Daily News)
- National Leaders Forum Enters Third Day (Shabelle News)
- Blast Kills Four Soldiers In Northern Somalia (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia And Somaliland Talks Due To Start In Turkey (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland Electoral Commission Debates Laws (Garowe Online)
- Somali Man 61 Graduates From High School (Voice of America)
- AMISOM Djibouti Contingent Distributes Food To Flood Victims In Hiiraan Region (AMISOM)
- Kenya Receives Sh4.2b To Fund War Against Al-Shabaab (The Standard)
- Cuttin’ It Young Vic London – Review: A Sensitive Exploration Of How FGM Affects Young Girls (The Independent)
NATIONAL MEDIA
National Leaders Forum Enters Third Day
31 May – Source: Shabelle News – 168 Words
Somalia’s National Leaders Forum (NLF) entered its third day in Mogadishu on Tuesday as Somali political leaders convened to discuss upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.
The forum is being attended by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. Presidents of Jubbland, South West, Puntland and Galmudug are also in attendance. The Federal government and regional administrations leaders have gathered to discuss the implementation of the electoral model previously endorsed at the National Consultation Forum.
Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeast of Somalia, has reportedly refused to yield to a proposal to allocate Banadir region seven representative seats in the Upper House. Benadir region houses the capital city of Mogadishu. Despite the current deadlock, sources from the Office of the President indicate that the leaders approved Somalia’s National Security Policy (NSP). .
The Provisional Federal Constitution states that the original four-year term of the current federal legislative branch (the Federal Parliament) of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) ends in August 2016 while the federal executive term ends in September 2016.
Blast Kills Four Soldiers In Northern Somalia
31 May – Source: Hiiraan Online – 224 Words
Four soldiers from the northern Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland were killed after a roadside bomb ripped through their vehicle in Galgala town in the region, officials said Tuesday.
The Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group has claimed the responsibility for the attack in the mountainous old town, where security forces are fighting a militant group which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group based in Iraq and Syria.
The roadside bomb blast occurred as military convoys were travelling in a forested area on their way to a military base in the outlying town.Security forces have increased their military campaign to retake the territory from militants in recent months.
With a population of nearly 20,000, Galgala town remains the only area in Puntland largely controlled by rebels. Security experts in the region have long warned of possible links between the local militant group based in Puntland and ISIS fighters in Yemen.
Somalia And Somaliland Talks Due To Start In Turkey
31 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 94 Words
Talks between Somalia and the breakaway state of Somaliland are expected to reopen in Turkey. Delegates from Somaliland arrived in Turkey to represent Somaliland in the talks. Delegates representing the Federal government of Somalia are also expected to travel to the country in the next few hours.
The talks are due to begin although the Turkish government is yet to an official statement on the issue and the date of the resumption of the talks. Talks between Somalia and Somaliland were postponed due to an appeal from Somali government, which is currently embroiled in political infighting between its top Somali leaders.
Puntland Electoral Commission Debates Laws
31 May – Source: Garowe Online – 257 Words
Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC) members on Tuesday convened to debate key electoral laws, review bylaws and propose amendments to some of the clauses.
The commissioners have also launched a review into Local Elections Law under the chairmanship of Ahmed Mohamed Ali (Kismayo). Ali told the media afterwards that the review exercise was going to be thorough and extremely candid. He hoped that the meeting would conclude deliberations on municipal polls Law.
“We were endorsed by parliament in April, ever since we have been reviewing laws and clauses. We now have two laws including Local Council Elections Law and Political Associations Law on our hands. Once we amend, then we will hand them for parliamentary approval,” said the TPEC Chairman.
Electoral Committee is slated to wrap up the deliberation on laws by Wednesday. In mid-February, Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and Parliament Speaker Ahmed Ali Hashi jointly announced nine nominees for TPEC in a move hailed as a step towards one person, one vote by European Union envoy to Somalia, Ambassador Michele Cervone d’Urso. Puntland officially launched TPEC at a well-organized event that attracted members of diplomatic community in Garowe on May 11.
“Huge tasks including voter education awareness campaign, review into election laws, registration of political associations, voter registration, and announcement of official political parties lie ahead for the committee,” TPEC head said during the launch of the committee. TPEC is tasked with conducting and supervising state election under a renewed electoral Board passed by the parliament on December 9, 2014.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Man, 61, Graduates From High School
31 May – Source: Voice of America – 606 Words
Ahmed Mohamed Ali dropped out of school to support his family by working when he was 10 years old. Over the years, he became a well-known tailor in his hometown of Bal’ad, Somalia, but he never gave up on his dream of getting an education.
Over the years, he made attempts to go back to school but the economic situation in Somalia forced him to continue working as a tailor. Four years ago, Ahmed finally got his chance, and this week at the age of 61, the father of four was one of several thousand students who sat for their high school exams.
“People were surprised. They told me to give up because of my age, but I said you are never too old to learn,” he told VOA Somali. Ahmed said he always knew he had to get back to learning at some point: “Education improves people, it’s a light, and I thought it will be my guide in life for me and my family.”
Ahmed Saney, as he is popularly known, says he now wants to go to university and become a medical doctor. In 61 years, he has never yet left Bal’ad, except on a few occasions when he visited the capital, Mogadishu, just 30 kilometers south. His success has made him a social media sensation. After his sudden rise, the town’s administration offered him support. He says he received pledges for help with the cost of a university education.
Ahmed is from a traditional paternal society where boys get more access to education than girls. His older son, Mohamed, graduated from high school but, because of a lack of job opportunities and better education, he migrated to South Africa where he was killed four years ago following an attack on Somali shops in Johannesburg. Ahmed believes the incident was related to xenophobic attacks against Somalis and other immigrants.
Three of his four living children, the daughters, have not been to school and have since married, leaving him to go to school with his youngest child, a son, who is in grade 6. Ahmed has been receiving compliments all week from the community. Even his classmates, who doubted and made fun of him him early on because of his age, now find him inspiring: “Some of my classmates said to me they will try to bring their fathers back into schools,” Ahmed said.
AMISOM Djibouti Contingent Distributes Food To Flood Victims In Hiiraan Region
31 May – Source: AMISOM – 490 Words
AMISOM has distributed food and other essential commodities to thousands of residents displaced by floods in Beletweyne. The consignment, worth thousands of dollars, was donated by the Djibouti government following appeals by non-governmental organizations and the Federal Government of Somalia for humanitarian aid.
“We have now received the first humanitarian assistance from Djibouti government, which we have distributed part of it. OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) visited us today and told us they will also bring food, medicine and shelter for the IDPs. The number of IDPs who fled from the Beletweyne floods is estimated at between 17,000 and 20,000. Really, the damage is very huge but we are doing our best,” said Sector Four Commander Abdirahman Abdi Dhimbil.
Hundreds of residents have been left homeless after Shabelle River broke its banks following weeks of torrential rains. According to OCHA, Hiiraan office, the raging floods have rendered approximately 70,000 families homeless. It is estimated that 60,000 were displaced in Ceel jaale east of Beletweyne, 922 in Nasiib Camp, 380 in Doon-subagle west of Beletweyne, while the rest have been forced to move from Burjada ciinta and Far-libaax.
The raging floods have also affected many villages, among them, Bundaweyn, Koshin, Hawo tako and part of Howl-wadag. Elder Mohamed Elmi Farah described the flooding as one of the worst to have hit the region in recent times, adding that the disaster had caused a lot of human suffering: “This flooding is one of the worst and it reminds us of another bad one which affected us 36 years ago in 1980,” said the 75-year-old Farah.
Djiboutian Ambassador to Somalia, Dayib Dubab Roble, said Djibouti will do all it can to help Somalia tackle the flood problem, by not only donating food but also other essential commodities like blankets and mosquito nets. In early May, OCHA warned that Somalia could experience flooding due to heavy rains. At that time, the UN organization said there was a foreseen high risk of flooding in the middle and lower reaches of Shabelle River and moderate risk along Juba.
Deputy Hiiraan Governor, Mohamed Ibrahim Abdulahi, said maintaining peace and security had been a challenge as main streets and alleys were covered by water: “When the flooding started on the 14th of May, it became difficult to ensure security prevails as main streets became closed. However, we did the best we can.”
Kenya Receives Sh4.2b To Fund War Against Al-Shabaab
31 May – Source: The Standard – 471 Words
Kenya has received Sh4.2 billion from the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to support the war against Al-Shabaab.
The latest statement of actual revenues published by Treasury in the Kenya Gazette on Friday shows the country was expecting Sh6.4 billion in the current financial year, which ends next month. But it had received Sh4.2 billion, which is Sh2.2 billion less by April 29.
The war in Somalia has seen Kenya increase its spending on security in the last three years in a bid to secure its borders against the militant group. But the exercise has gone on longer than it had initially been planned and this has come with huge economic implication.
AMISOM is a peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union in Somalia. It has been providing grants to support Kenya’s security budget. According to the Treasury statement, the country was running behind its revenue projections by Sh400 billion as at April 29 this year.
The statement shows that the country had so far received Sh1.4 trillion revenue against a target of Sh1.8 trillion, two months to the end of the financial year. The revenue statement shows the country had received a total of Sh888 billion in tax revenue by end of April against a target of Sh1.2 trillion. The big gap forced the country to borrow at a faster rate than had been anticipated to fill the deficit.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“From the point of view of Muna, FGM is a downright affront that traps you in a culture of shame and fear, with medical repercussions that you can’t mention to doctors or school friends.”
Cuttin’ It, Young Vic, London – Review: A Sensitive Exploration Of How FGM Affects Young Girls
31 May – Source: The Independent – 501 Words
In this award-winning play, Charlene James writes with great power and sensitivity about the trauma of female genital mutilation. She does so through the jarring perspectives of two fifteen year old Somalia-born girls who happen to attend the same British school.
The piece – first heard on Radio 4 last year and now fleshed out for the stage in Gbolahan Obisesan’s starkly eloquent production – brings home forcibly how this practice is happening in our midst, in this case in an inner city flat where, on Saturday mornings, seven year old girls are taken by their mothers and cut in an atmosphere choking with the stench of blood and bleach. It’s clear that James finds the ritual horrific but she contrives to write about the subject without either demonising the perpetrators or indulging in a slack no-one’s-to-blame type of cultural relativism.
The play takes the form of alternating monologues which occasionally collide into conversation – the fluctuations between apartness and convergence intensified by Joanna Scotcher’s design which has the two protagonists ranging in diagrammatic spatial relationships on a steep, fissured set of brutalist concrete steps. The lippy, street-smart Muna (played by the extremely winning Adelayo Adedayo) has lived in Britain since early childhood and has loads of friends.
Tsion Habte beautifully captures the gentle stoic sorrow of the lonely Iqra, an orphan of Somalia’s civil war, who has only been here for four months, has never heard of Rihanna, and is billeted in a bleak tower block with an “auntie” who does community work.
Yet the girls have in common the memory of unimaginably painful violation and the experience of living with a wound that leaves you feeling estranged from your own body. Muna blurts out her fear that her beloved little sister will suffer the same fate on her upcoming seventh birthday. The result is a clash of attitudes which James presents with keen compassion and insight.