October 3, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somalia’s Intelligence Agency Chief Fires Over 1000 Intelligence Personnel
02 October – Source : Garowe Online – 179 Words
Somalia’s Intelligence Agency chief has fired 1,500 intelligence staff on Sunday, in a new shakeup of the Intelligence agency following intensified attacks by Al Shabaab group in the capital of Mogadishu. Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) chief General Abdullahi Gafow said that the officers were sacked over incompetence to perform their duties, and will carry out major reforms to the agency to bring more competent officers to counter insurgency in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud also has officially replaced Abdi Hakim Fareey with Mohamed Hassan Farah as the new head of NISA in Banadir region, through a presidential decree, yesterday. The move came amid suicide car bombing that struck a restaurant near prison run by NISA in the capital Mogadishu, killing 3 people and wounding others, on Saturday. Al Qaida linked Al Shabaab militants group have earlier vowed to disrupt the upcoming country’s elections set to conclude in November 30. General Gafow, former Director of the Somali Immigration & Naturalization Department was officially appointed as the new chief of NISA in June 2016.
Key Headlines
- Somalia’s Intelligence Agency Chief Fires Over 1000 Intelligence Personnel (Garowe Online)
- SNA Is Committed To Annihilate Al-Shabaab Fighters Defence Minister (Goobjoog News)
- Mogadishu Mayor Warns Residents Against Roadblocks (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Religious Council Warns Against Corruption And Women In The Upcoming Elections (Radio Dalsan)
- Somali Presidential Candidate Takes Aim At Corruption (Associated Press)
- Kenya Extends Amnesty Period For Al-Shabaab Recruits (World Bulletin)
- Why Government Risks Losing Maritime Dispute With Somalia (The Standard)
NATIONAL MEDIA
SNA Is Committed To Annihilate Al-Shabaab Fighters, Defence Minister
02 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 270 Words
Defence Minister Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali Diini has said despite all the challenges facing it, Somali National Army (SNA) is determined to defend the country and annihilate Al-Shabaab fighters. A delegation led by the Federal Minister of Defence, are currently visiting Cadaado has already had several meetings with Government officials, SNA commanders and the elders. Diini who visited Cadaado town to discuss with Galmudug leaders on the ongoing re-building and modernisation of the Somali forces and future operations against Al-Shabaab fighters in the region said his main priority during his tenure is rebuilding Somalia’s army, which has endured more than 20 years of chaos and war. “Alongside our AMISOM partners we will continue to make progress in liberating areas of Somalia still under Al-Shabaab control,” said the minister.
The defense minister praised Galmudug State for its tireless efforts to retain the status of the Somali national army. “ The rebuilding of an army is not something that can be done overnight. You have to equip the army and rebuild the barracks. We will focus on that and make sure we build a national force,’’ he said.
The minister’s visit comes barely three after more than 20 soldiers were killed in US led airstrike on military base near Galkayo town. Somalia, once one of Africa’s largest military forces under former dictator Siad Barre, toppled in 1991, The army has been torn apart by decades of clan rivalries and the absence of any effective government to actually serve. Somalia faces profound challenges reforming its security sector. Issues include an underdeveloped national command and control system, competing clan-based loyalties, limited equipment, resources and discipline concerns.
Mogadishu Mayor Warns Residents Against Roadblocks
02 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 179 Words
Mogadishu mayor Yusuf Hussein Jima’ale has warned over arbitrary closure of roads in the city noting the practice was causing a lot of inconvenience and curtailing movement in various parts of the city. Jima’ale who also doubles up as Banaadir Regions Governor said his administration would move to open all closed roads, a development which is likely to rub shoulders of powerful forces with vested interests in the road blocks. “This problem is quite distressing, It has become a habit for everyone to place roadblocks near their houses. My administration will no longer tolerate this,” said Jima’ale.
His immediate predecessor Mohamed Hussein Mungab was axed last year after a spat with Interior Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed over the closure of the road linking UNDP offices to the airport. Mungab had deployed bulldozers to clear the roadblocks but the Interior Minister responded with a similar force and finally succeeded in having the roadblocks in place.Concrete blocks are a common feature in most roads in Mogadishu and attempts to remove them have always been justified in the name of security.
Somali Religious Council Warns Against Corruption And Women In The Upcoming Elections
02 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 228 Words
Somali Religious Council has strongly warned politicians and election delegates against engaging in corruption in the upcoming polls expected in the country. Press statement on Sunday from the bold religious authority that brings together respected Somali religious scholars has warned the government against advocating for women in politics saying it is dangerous and against Islamic religious ethics. “Somali religious council cautions the nation against so called quota of women in politics, it is non Muslim driven agenda that will lead to disintegration of family,” said part of the statement.
The council also called upon delegates and tribal elders tasked to elect members of parliament to ensure free and fair decision and against engaging in graft during the voting exercise. “Somali religious council calls upon the people to respect the promise trusted upon them by the religion by ensuring moral and God fearing leaders to power and not drug addicts or dealers into leadership,” The council also called upon tribal elders tasked to select members of parliament that so called quota of women in politics is neither religious nor democratic but darkness. The bold call by religious authority towards the people and government of Somalia comes just few weeks to the historic elections in the country and there is no doubt that it will affect directly or indirectly the outcome of the polls as far as topics on women.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Presidential Candidate Takes Aim At Corruption
02 October – Source: Associated Press – 901 Words
Running to become president of a country always comes with challenges — but facing death threats from militants and fearing you may never see your four children again are not the usual hurdles. Despite those enormous obstacles, Fadumo Dayib, 44, plans to leave the safety of Finland, where she arrived as a refugee 26 years ago, to run for president in Somalia. She will be one of dozens of candidates vying to rule the troubled Horn of Africa nation, whose government has been struggling against the al-Shabab extremist group, which is trying to impose a strict version of Islam.
When her children are mentioned, a worried frown crosses her face.“I’ll have to tell them they may never see me alive again,” Dayib tells The Associated Press. “That is going to be a tough, tough thing to do as a mother.”After her own mother fled adversity in Somalia, Dayib was born in neighboring Kenya and arrived in Finland as an 18-year-old refugee. Educated in health care and nursing in this Nordic country and in public administration at Harvard University, she has set her goals high for conservative Somalia— aiming to eradicate the stranglehold on power held by the country’s four major clans.“My aim is to tackle this structure. My aim is to destroy it,” she says. “It has no place in the 21st century.”
Any Somali citizen above age 40 can run for president as long as his or her parents are both ethnic Somalis and the candidate has had higher education and work experience. Candidates do not represent regions and run on their own platforms. Dressed in long flowing trousers and a blue-black headscarf, Dayib sips a latte in a Helsinki cafe. She could hardly be further away from the bloodshed in Somalia, where al-Shabab is waging a guerrilla war after being pushed out by African Union peacekeeping forces from major cities and towns, but the violence is never far from her thoughts.During a recent visit to the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Dayib became only too aware of the dangers after a trip to the waterfront. People had been enjoying a quiet Thursday afternoon until al-Shabab fighters attacked the beach, killing several people — after she had posted beach pictures on social media.
Kenya Extends Amnesty Period For Al-Shabaab Recruits
02 October- Source: World Bulletin – 177 Words
Kenya on Saturday has extended indefinitely the amnesty period offered to youths who are considered to have been lured and radicalized to join the Somalia-based al-Shabaab militant group after being promised financial support. Coast regional coordinator Nelson Marwa on Saturday said that government will continue rehabilitating the returnees indefinitely.Kenya’s Capital FM news quoted Marwa as saying: “Any sympathizer should heed the call and come forward because you cannot fight with the government. That I can confirm to you. You cannot dodge a legitimate government and no action will be taken against you.”
The initial program, which was launched by Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery in March 2015, had expired in May 2015.In past successful rehabilitation exercises in Kenya, the government found most returnees reported unemployment to be the main reason they decided to join the al-Qaeda affiliate, which offered them financial aid.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“While Kenya argues security fears led to cancellation of the visit by Mr Wetangula, Somalia says Italian and French companies have continued their exploratory activities in disputed areas courtesy of Kenya,”
Why Government Risks Losing Maritime Dispute With Somalia
02 October – Source: The Standard – 642 Words
Kenya is likely to lose maritime dispute claims against Somalia in the long run if past determinations of International Court of Justice (ICJ) are anything to go by, a maritime law expert has cautioned. Prof Musili Wambua, who is one of Kenya’s foremost maritime law experts says the method adopted by
Kenya to claim the maritime border — parallel of latitude — is likely to be dropped in favour of the one preferred by Somalia – equidistant line. At stake are oil and gas deposits in the three blocks within the disputed area.
Kenya could win on some of the preliminary points on jurisdiction raised last week and the dispute could be stayed pending determination of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). “Based on the cases decided by the ICJ, Kenya may lose on the use of the parallel of latitude as the court is likely to settle on the equidistant line, leading Kenya to lose the oil blocks L21, L23 and L24,” Wambua says. He says that the only way Kenya can avoid losing is by demonstrating existence of “very strong circumstances which warrant a departure from the equidistant line advocated by Somalia.” “There are strong arguments which may persuade the court to stay the proceedings pending the conclusion of the submission to CLCS. However, it is worth noting that Somalia’s claim is not restricted to the extra 150nm which Kenya is claiming in the CLCS reference,” Wambua said.
In its court papers, Somalia wants delimitation of three zones – the Territorial Sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf.“It is only in Nicaragua v Honduras that the ICJ departed from the principle of equidistant special circumstances principle/rule and applied bisector method because equidistant could not produce equitable outcome,” Wambua said.