November 4, 2016 | Morning Headlines
SRSG Keating Welcomes Agreement Reached In Abu Dhabi To Defuse Crisis In Gaalkacyo
03 November – Source: UNSOM – 221 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in Somalia Michael Keating today welcomed the agreement on a ceasefire in the city of Gaalkacyo reached in Abu Dhabi by the President of Puntland, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali “Gaas” and President of Galmudug, Abdikarim Hussein Guled.
The agreement commits the two regional presidents to refraining from incitement to violence through the media, to supporting the return of people displaced by the conflict to their homes, and to appointing joint committees to find lasting solutions to the conflict. This follows an agreement reached between the two regional leaders almost one year ago in December 2015 that has not been implemented.
Mr. Keating commended the role of the United Arab Emirates in facilitating this new agreement. He urged the two regional presidents to take immediate action to ensure its implementation. The SRSG highlighted the indispensable role of community leaders and the business sector in Gaalkacyo in finding a peaceful solution to the crisis. He commended the role they have consistently played to defuse tensions and restore normal social and commercial interaction between northern and southern Gaalkacyo.
“This is a positive step,” said SRSG Keating. “The ball is now in the court of Presidents Gaas and Guled to deliver on unfulfilled promises and to act in the best interests of the people of Galmudug and Puntland.”
Key Headlines
- SRSG Keating Welcomes Agreement Reached In Abu Dhabi To Defuse Crisis In Gaalkacyo (UNSOM)
- Somali President Welcomes The Abu Dhabi Peace Agreement Signed By Puntland And Galmudug Over Galkayo Conflict (Villa Somalia)
- Preparation In Progress For Lower House Elections In Puntland (Garowe Online)
- Six Dead 10 Injured In Abudwak Tribal Clashes (Shabelle News)
- Al-Shabaab Behind Attack On KDF Death Toll Rises To 4 (Shabelle News)
- German Delegation Tours Future Centre For Disengaged Former Combatants in Kismaayo (AMISOM)
- EU Confirms Its Unwavering Commitment To The Somali People (EU Delegation To Somalia)
- Arrested Students Had Been Going To Somalia Join Al-Shabaab Police Say (Daily Nation)
- How A Somali-American Muslim Woman Candidate Is Mobilizing Millennial Voters In Minnesota (The Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali President Welcomes The Abu Dhabi Peace Agreement Signed By Puntland And Galmudug Over Galkayo Conflict
03 November – Source: Villa Somalia – 224 Words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed the Abu Dhabi peace agreement signed by Presidents of Puntland & GalMudug States of Somalia over Galkayo conflict. President Hassan Sheikh appealed to both Presidents of Puntland and GlaMudug to immediately implement the signed agreement with full commitment to end violence in Galkayo so that a long lasting peace and stability is prevailed in the area.
“I call on Puntland President Dr Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas and GalMudug President Abdikarin Hussein Guled to work together and to implement the signed Abu Dhabi peace agreement in order to stop the bloodshed between brotherly communities in Galkayo. The Federal Government of Somalia is committed and ready to assist both Federal Member States of Puntland and GalMudug so that the signed peace agreement can be immediately implemented without delays,” said the President of Somalia.
The president hugely thanked to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for their tireless efforts towards the Abu Dhabi peace agreement between Presidents of Puntland and GalMudug States of Somalia. The President has also hugely thanked the UAE leaders for their leadership on Somalia in terms of the rebuilding of the country, the peace & stability and the overall progress in Somalia.
Finally, the President of Somalia stated that UAE and Somalia have a long bi-lateral relationship stretch back to antiquity. Both countries enjoy excellent brotherhood relationship and Somalia is committed to strengthen that mutual and bilateral relationship further.
Preparation In Progress For Lower House Elections In Puntland
03 November – Source: Garowe Online – 224 Words
Preparations are underway in Garowe city, regional capital of Puntland State to hold elections for lawmakers representing clans from Puntland in the forthcoming Lower House chamber of Federal Parliament, Garowe Online report. Early this week, State Indirect Electoral Implementation team (SIEIT) called for regional clans to expedite the process by bringing forward their contenders and delegates (Electoral College) who will vote for the candidates competing for the seats of the Lower House chamber.
Garowe is set to host the ballot for the Lower House elections, as the first phase of the voting process will beginon Saturday with the selection of 12 candidates. The city has witnessed in the past period the influx of many parliamentarian aspirants all aiming to secure the seats. Despite the suspension of the registration of delegates for some clans by Puntland’s electoral dispute resolution body due to internal conflicts between the clans, Puntland’s SIEIT has announced it will continue with the process and elections as planned.
However, according to the revised timetable of the electoral process endorsed by leaders of Somali government and regional states, parliamentary election was set to take place from October 23 to November 10. This comes amid concerns from public and international community over the recurrent delays to meet deadlines of the ongoing electoral process scheduled to conclude in less than 5 weeks.
Six Dead, 10 Injured In Abudwak Tribal Clashes
03 November – Source: Shabelle News – 141 Words
At least six people are known to have been killed, and 10 others were wounded on Thursday in a deadly renewed clan clashes in the town of Abudwak in Galgaduud region in central Somalia, residents said.
Long-running animosity and clan revenge have reportedly triggered Thursday’s fighting between the two clan militia fighters in Abudwak city. The rival clan militias have engaged in street battles in the town of Abudwak, whereby six people, mostly from the warring sides lost their lives.
Most of the wounded are said to be civilians caught in the crossfire. There were no efforts underway to mediate the dispute that led to the renewal of the tribal warfare. A resident who spoke to Radio Shabelle over the phone on condition of anonymity said the ongoing clan fighting in Abudwak city has affected business and people are staying indoors.
Al-Shabaab Behind Attack On KDF, Death Toll Rises To 4
03 November – Source: Shabelle News – 117 Words
The death toll from Wednesday’s IED attack on Kenyan military convoy near the border town of El Wak in Gedo region has jumped to four, while nearly a dozen were wounded, an official said. Confirming the incident, Sahal Mo’lim Aden, who is the deputy commissioner of El Wak, Kenyan troops have suffered losses from the land mine explosion targeted on KDF convoy.
He added KDF convoy came under a remote-controlled Improvised explosives device (IED) while transporting a military supply to their bases in Buzar area, near Somali-Kenyan border. The Somalia-based Al Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al Shabaab claimed credit for bomb attack on KDF convoy outside El-Wak town, saying it destroyed one vehicle and killed 4 Kenyan soldiers.
German Delegation Tours Future Centre For Disengaged Former Combatants in Kismaayo
03 November – Source: AMISOM – 285 Words
A delegation led by the deputy German Ambassador to Somalia Markus Bollmohr welcomed the progress made to date in the construction of a Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) centre for former al-Shabaab combatants in the Jubbaland state capital. The German government is funding construction of the centre, which began five months ago. “It is almost complete, and we hope it can be opened very soon,” said Mr. Bollmohr.
The German delegation was received by senior Jubbaland administration officials, including the Minister of State for Security Mohamed Abdi Kalil, the Youth and Sports Minister Mohamed Mohamud Yusuf, and the Minister of Planning and International Relations Osman Hussein Haji. “This building is meant to rehabilitate youth who have disengaged from the militants. They will be trained and rehabilitated here and reintegrated into the society,” said Mr. Kalil.
Another member of the visiting German delegation underscored the importance of the backing the project has received to date, from Jubbaland authorities and the local community. “As Germany, we are supporting this project, and the International Organization for Migration is running it, but it can only work if there is the support of the community, and this we are witness to today,” said Arvid Enders, a senior German Federal Foreign Office official. “At the end, it will be the centre for the community in Kismaayo and it will take care of the youth in Kismaayo. I think that all together we are working on a very promising project”.
A ground-breaking ceremony for construction of the DDR centre was held in June of this year. When complete, the centre will house disengaged al-Shabaab fighters who will be rehabilitated under the DDR programme run by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
EU Confirms Its Unwavering Commitment To The Somali People
03 November – Source: EU Delegation To Somalia – 160 Words
EU Ambassador Veronique Lorenzo presented her credentials to H.E. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of the Federal Republic of Somalia. On her first visit to Mogadishu as Head of Delegation of the European Union to Somalia, Ambassador Veronique Lorenzo confirmed the unwavering commitment of the European Union to the people of Somalia and spoke of the long-term partnership.
“I arrive at a time when Somalis are choosing the leadership to steer Somalia to a new period of peace and prosperity”, said Lorenzo. “I applaud the courage and commitment of all those who have undertaken the responsibility to see this process through to a peaceful, fair and credible conclusion that all Somalis will accept”, she said.
“The acceptance by The President of the Republic of my credentials on the first day of my arrival in Mogadishu is a symbol of our mutual commitment and of the EU’s determination to continue its uninterrupted support to the people of Somalia”, said Ambassador Lorenzo.
Arrested Students Had Been Going To Somalia Join Al-Shabaab, Police Say
03 November – Source: Daily Nation – 248 Words
Three students who were arrested in Isiolo last week were on a mission to join terror group Al-Shabaab in Somalia, police have said. Isiolo Police Commander Charles Ontita on Thursday said the students, who are from a secondary school in Eastleigh in Nairobi, had been heading to Somalia through Wajir for recruitment into Al-Shabaab.
The three, aged 17, 16 and 15, were arrested by the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) in a bus in Ngaremara along the Isiolo-Marsabit highway. They claimed to have been heading to a funeral in Moyale. One is from Garissa and another from Wajir. The third one’s home is yet to be known. On Wednesday, an Isiolo court granted police 30 days to complete investigations into the possible terror links. Parents of two suspects reported to the offices of the ATPU and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office in Isiolo where the suspects were released pending investigations.
The suspects will be required to report to the offices every two weeks for investigations. “We took them to court after arrest where they were charged with being in the country illegally, but later upon investigations, we realized that they were terror suspects. We further asked the court to grant us more time to investigate terror links,” Mr Ontita said.
The Moyale bus that the suspects had been travelling in had earlier been impounded, but was later released to its owner. Police are currently questioning several people believed to be recruiting young people in Isiolo to join Al-Shabaab.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“If Omar is elected, she would represent a district with the largest population of East African immigrants as well as students in Minnesota, including those on three college campuses: The University of Minnesota (UMN), Augsburg College and the Minneapolis campus of St. Catherine University. Around 50 per cent of District 60B’s residents are between the ages of 18 to 24.”
How A Somali-American Muslim Woman Candidate Is Mobilizing Millennial Voters In Minnesota
03 November – Source: The Nation – 1,843 Words
On a recent Sunday evening Ilhan Omar’s campaign held a party to celebrate her primary win in August and the lead-up to the general election. Held at an East African restaurant in the heart of Minneapolis’s diverse East Lake Street, in many ways the gathering felt like a typical East African family party. The banquet hall was decked out with white tablecloths and blue ribbons—the colors of the Somali flag. Somali men waited outside the door jawing and catching up with friends and relatives.
The crowd inside, a mix of students, older white liberals and members of local East African communities, was a cross section of Omar’s supporters and the district she hopes to represent in the Minnesota State Legislature. Women looked elegant in their dresses. The men, young and old, were all in suits. Omar, like many of the young women there, had a creative and funky style. Her black and white patterned head-wrap matched a woven scarf hung over her shoulder and the long black beads draped around her neck.
As the night went on the crowd swelled, the music blared, and the excitement in the room was palpable. Omar has a rock star–like following here. She smiled and greeted people with warmth, taking selfies with friends and supporters while holding her youngest daughter. Omar’s primary win in Minnesota House District 60B was historic. She defeated incumbent Phyllis Kahn, who, after 44 years, is the longest-serving member of the Minnesota House. She is now poised to be the first Somali-American to be elected to a state legislature in the United States. For young women of color, her victory is huge.
“This is someone who looks like me, who was from Somalia like me. Someone who understands our needs, who understands our lives,” said Maymuna Sahal, a young Somali woman and a volunteer for Omar’s campaign from outside of her district. Omar, a 33-year-old mother of three, is the director of policy initiatives at Women Organizing Women. She has been active in Minneapolis progressive politics for years, having worked as a policy aide for Minneapolis City Council member Andrew Johnson and as a leader with the Minnesota Young Democratic-Farmer-Labor party (DFL), the liberal political party of Minnesota.