November 10, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somali Government Congratulates Trump On His Historic Victory
09 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 220 Words
The Somali government has today sent a congratulatory message to the US ppresident-elect Donald Trump. Donald Trump has been declared winner in a closely contested US presidential election today. He becomes the 45th American president in a landslide victory in an election which took a sudden turn as many anticipated Hillary Clinton to sweep into the White House.
The Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also congratulated Donald Trump saying his government welcomes his election as the new president of the United States of America. Speaking to Somali speaking broadcasting radio station, the Somali foreign minister, Abdisalaam Omar Hadliye said the federal government of Somalia will work with Trump in his term in office.
The minister added that the US government assists Somalia in its fight against Al-Shabaab and said he expects that the two governments may still cooperate on the same. Hadliye said Trump was elected out of the will of the American people and that the Somali government welcomes the determination of the American people.
He added that the hate speech against the Somalis in the United States by Trump during the campaign was not appropriate. He, however noted the campaign was filled with harsh words as both Hillary and Trump tried to unleash any word that could attract votes from any American voters lured by such speeches.
Key Headlines
- Somali Government Congratulates Trump On His Historic Victory (Hiiraan Online)
- Somali Prime Minister Reaches Kismayo City (Shabelle News)
- UN Report Slams Puntland Leader For Currency Printing Weak Counter-terrorism Policy (Garowe Online)
- An Elder Killed In Drive-by-shooting In Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- Al-Shabaab Launches Separate Attacks In Southern Somalia (Garowe Online)
- Voting For Lower House Members From Jubbaland And South West States Enters Second Day HirShabelle Conducts Upper House Balloting (UNSOM)
- UN Security Council Urges Cooperation With Somalia To Combat Piracy (Xinhua)
- Kenya Could Postpone Dadaab Camp Closure (The Star)
- A New Path Emerges For Troubled Somali Security (IPI Global Observatory)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Prime Minister Reaches Kismayo City
09 November – Source: Shabelle News – 98 Words
Somalia’s caretaker Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke has on Wednesday arrived in the Jubbaland regional state capital Kismayo. The premier’s entourage was welcomed in style at Kismayo international airport by the president of the interim Jubbaland administration Ahmed Madobe and other top officials.
PM Omar Abdirashid and Jubbaland leader Ahmed Madobe held talks at the state’s presidential palace in Kismayo, where they discussed a range of issues pertaining to country’s elections. Mr Sharmarke is who currently a presidential candidate has applauded the ongoing Lower House election in Kismayo, where delegates are electing lawmakers for the next Somali parliament.
UN Report Slams Puntland Leader For Currency Printing, Weak Counter-terrorism Policy
09 November – Source: Garowe Online – 534 Words
United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea has blamed the President of Puntland Government, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas for destabilizing the economy by printing new currencies and weak measures to eradicate insurgencies in Puntland, Garowe Online reports. The UN investigators attributed the violent demonstrations in early May 2016 in Garowe and Bossaso to soaring commodity prices prompted by the printing of new money, using a printing machine located in the State Bank of Puntland in Bossaso, to cover the salary arrears of civil servants and the security forces.
The UN monitors obtained new counterfeit notes at an exchange market in Bossaso city in Puntland, despite the last Somali Shilling being printed before the collapse of the central government in 1990.
“The total amount of new Somali Shilling currency in circulation is assumed to be relatively low. However, the demonstrations in May 2016 have shown that relatively small quantities of new notes can still upset the market, causing inflation and rising commodity price hitting the region’s most vulnerable populations the hardest. Unregulated currency printing further threatens to undermine federal level negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement currency reform in Somalia,” said the UN report dated, October 31, 2016.
The Puntland President and Finance Minister both have denied the allegation, whereas the Chairman of Puntland Bank, Abdi Ismail “Boos” declined to respond to UN request to access the Bank in Bossaso city.
An Elder Killed In Drive-by-shooting In Mogadishu
09 November – Source: Shabelle News – 85 Words
A well-known Somali elder has been killed in a drive-by-shooting in Mogadishu on Wednesday, the latest in a string of attacks in the capital of the horn of Africa country. The elder who was identified as Abdullah Ahmed Rooble died in the attack which took place at Zoobe building in KM5 junction, according to an eyewitness.
The gunmen, who were riding a car, escaped the scene shortly after killing the elder. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the murder of the elder.
Al-Shabaab Launches Separate Attacks In Southern Somalia
09 November – Source: Garowe Online – 156 Words
The Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab carried out several attacks in Lower Shabelle province in southern Somalia on Wednesday. In one incident Al-Shabaab fighters fired mortars on Somali troops’ base in Balli-Doogle area, where U.S. military experts reportedly train Somali army cadets. In a separate incident, heavy fighting between militants and Somali government troops broke out near KM-50 area on Wednesday, after Al-Shabaab staged an ambush on a Somali National Army (SNA) base.
There was no immediate indication of Somali army personnel deaths or injuries as a result of Wednesday’s Al-Shabaab attacks in Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia. The volatile region has been beset by insecurity, Al-Shabaab attacks in the government controlled areas and recurrent clan battles over the past few years. Despite being defeated militarily, the militant group has recaptured several towns in central and southern Somalia in the past weeks from the African Union peacekeeping troops (AMISOM) following their withdrawal from their outpost.
Voting For Lower House Members From Jubbaland And South West States Enters Second Day, HirShabelle Conducts Upper House Balloting
09 November – Source: UNSOM – 560 Words
Another fourteen members of the federal parliament’s House of the People were elected from Jubbaland and South West states today. In addition voting for the eight Upper House seats representing the recently formed HirShabelle federal member state was completed in the state capital of Jowhar. Two of the eight members of parliament (MPs) chosen for the House of the People in South West state today were female, and two more women were elected to the lower chamber from Jubbaland state. To date, eight women candidates have won seats in the House of the People out of a total of 40 that have been elected nationwide since balloting began in Puntland on 5 November. That falls well shy of the 30 per cent parliamentary quota for women that had been previously established by the National Leadership Forum.
One of the newly elected female members of parliament promised to use her new position to achieve positive change. “My promise is to help my community and the wider society in addressing the gaps and challenges in sectors like education, women, health, female empowerment and increased participation in politics and development”, said Samra Ibrahim, a 31-year-old relative newcomer to Somali politics who was elected in Baidoa. Another newly elected MP-elect said he hopes to use his influence to promote development in South West state. “My objective is to use my new position to work with other MPs in tackling poverty and illiteracy that continue to affect my community”, said Sandheere Mohamed Iftin. South West state has thus far elected 15 members of its total allocation of 69 House of the People seats.
“We have so far exceeded the expectations of everyone as far as delivery by the State-Level Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (SIEIT) is concerned. Elections are being held in a calm and secure environment. We will keep up the momentum until our work is done,” said Sid Ali Abukar Baafo, the deputy chairman of the South West SIEIT. In Jubbaland state, six members of parliament were elected, bringing the number of MPs elected in the state to 13 out of a total of 43 seats allocated to the state. “I am really happy that I have been successful in my bid for parliament, and I thank God and those who voted for me. I can say that the election was free and fair,’’ said MP-elect Sa’adia Muse Abdullahi, one of the two female candidates who were elected today in the Jubbaland capital of Kismaayo.
Voting for Upper House seats representing HirShabelle finally opened in the town of Jowhar. Two of the eight seats at stake were won by women candidates, bringing to 43 the number of Upper House seats that have already been decided nationwide. One of the Upper House MPs elected in Jowhar today pledged to represent his constituents’ interests in parliament. “As the first member from HirShabelle to be elected to the Upper House, I will endeavour to serve you,” said Osman Ahmed. “It is an historic moment, and I promise to work hard for my people.” Abdinur Farey failed to win his Upper House election but nonetheless praised the manner in which polling was conducted. “I am happy to say that the election was fair. I want to confirm that I have no reservations regarding the election of my brother, the winner of this seat. I congratulate my brother,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Security Council Urges Cooperation With Somalia To Combat Piracy
10 November – Source: Associated Press – 165 Words
The UN Security Council on Wednesday encouraged member states to continue to cooperate with Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea. In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-nation council decided to renew the authorization granted to countries and regional organizations to cooperate with Somalia for another 12 months. While deploring all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, the council recognizes that piracy exacerbates instability in Somalia by introducing large amounts of illicit cash that fuels additional crime and corruption.
In this regard, the council “urges all states to take appropriate actions under their existing domestic law to prevent the illicit financing of acts of piracy and the laundering of its proceeds,” said the resolution. According to a UN report, private activity in Somalia has increasingly shifted to the hijacking for ransom of dhows and foreign fishing vessels. The complex linkage between piracy and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing continues to be of concern.
Kenya Could Postpone Dadaab Camp Closure
10 November – Source: The Star – 289 Words
Kenya will not shut down the Dadaab refugee camp by the end of the month after all. Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery in May promised to close the camp, which at the time was home to more than 300,000 Somali refugees. The government set November 30 as the deadline. According to UNHCR data, only 34,900 refugees had returned home by last Saturday, with 276,269 still in the camp. Since the start of the repatriation, 99 convoys and 160 flights have left for Somalia, 66,650 refugees have approached the return home help desks, while 66,252 have indicated their desire to go back, the UN agency said in an update.
The tripartite agreement signed in 2014 by Kenya, Somalia and the UN refugee agency lapses today. The agreement offered a legal framework for Somali refugees’ return under a UN-monitored programme. UNHCR Special Envoy on the Somali Refugee Situation Mohamed Affey yesterday hinted the agreement will be renegotiated for possible extension. He spoke in Dadaab. Affey denied the refugees face undue coercion and intimidation from the Kenyan security agencies. He said the return is voluntary and humane.
Interior ministry spokesperson Mwenda Njoka said the government has never issued an ultimatum to close the camp, and indicated the period might be extended. “The government just set a target and when targets fail, they are rescheduled,” he said. Nkaiserry in May said the decision to close the camp is “explicit and final”, raising local and global concerns of refugee rights abuses and mass displacements.
Affey urged host countries to respect humanitarian laws. A survey done last month by Doctors Without Borders, a medical charity organisation, said more than 80 per cent of refugees are unwilling to go back home.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The international community is contemplating a paradigm shift in the nature of its support to Somalia’s security sector, pivoting from a highly centralized approach to one more closely aligned with the country’s new federal structure and political realities on the ground.”
A New Path Emerges For Troubled Somali Security
08 November – Source: IPI Global Observatory – 956 Words
Ethiopia’s recent military withdrawal from key areas in Somalia, and the speed at which al-Shabaab extremists filled the power vacuum, is a significant reminder of the limited progress made in building a credible Somali fighting force and again exposes the fragility of the country’s security architecture. Ethiopia remains committed to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), with some 4,000 Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) troops stationed along the Somali/Ethiopian border in the South West State, Hiraan, and Galgaduud regions. But over the past four months ENDF troops operating outside the mandate of AMISOM have, with little warning, abandoned at least eight locations in Somalia. In each case the targeted town was immediately overrun by al-Shabaab members, who summarily executed suspected “collaborators” with the group’s opponents.
These recent developments are a stark reminder that, despite the presence of 22,000 AMISOM troops and hundreds of millions of dollars from international donors invested in training and equipping the Somali National Army, momentum in the campaign against al-Shabaab has largely stalled. Somalia’s current security apparatus remains ill-prepared to take over the responsibility for the provision of state security should AMISOM forces withdraw prior to 2020.
Confronted with this deadline, the international community is contemplating a paradigm shift in the nature of its support to Somalia’s security sector, pivoting from a highly centralized approach to one more closely aligned with the country’s new federal structure and political realities on the ground. This new path is being spearheaded by the “S6” group, which includes the main donors to Somalia’s security sector: Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, European Union, United States, United Kingdom, and United Nations. Formed in May 2016, the group is hammering out a consensus on a common approach, and while challenges remain in aligning foreign interests, there is unanimity that enhanced coordination in security assistance is essential in protecting Somalia’s hard fought political progress.