December 13, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Puntland Concludes Lower House Elections
13 December – Source: Garowe Online – 284 Words
The parliamentary elections in northeastern region of Puntland was concluded on Mondayevening with the election of all 37 lawmakers representing the state in the upcoming Lower House chamber of Federal Parliament, Garowe Online reports. The election resumed yesterday in the capital following a week’s break and witnessed the election of 11 MPs. However, today’s ballots were scheduled to wrap up the voting for the remaining 5 seats. The elections started early in the morning in Garowe city, with the first seat for the day being won by Anab Hasan Elmi after defeating her opponent Ifrah Nur Mohamed with a majority 45 votes, according to the polls results. Ahmed Ismail Shabeel also secured a parliamentary seat, following a landslide win of 48 votes against his rival candidate Ahmed Ibrahim Awali who received 2 votes. The third seat was won by Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed “Dubays” who got 42 votes, and it was reported that 9 delegates were absent from the voting process.
Continuing, Deeqa Saed Hassan has also become a lawmaker after obtaining majority 50 votes, as her rival candidates didn’t show up to the polling station. Whereas the voting for the last seat has witnessed the election of Ikran Yusuf Hirsi who obtained 32 votes against Ayan Ali Ismail who received 19 votes. Puntland was the first state to start the parliamentary election however it lagged behind other regional states that concluded the parliamentary elections last week. The new lawmakers are expected to take part in the swearing-in ceremony in the Somali capital of Mogadishu in the coming week. The parliamentarians of Lower and Upper Houses are set to vote for the new Speakers of both Houses and the new Somali President before the end of December.
Key Headlines
- Puntland Concludes Lower House Elections (Garowe Online)
- Somali Police Warns Over Illegal Cutting Of Trees In Hiiraan Region (Goobjoog News)
- National Leadership Forum Members Expected To Meet In Mogadishu (Jowhar.com)
- SNA Denies Claims That Al-Shabaab Captured El Wak (Shabelle News)
- Measles Outbreak Poses New Threat To Children In Somalia (UNICEF)
- AMISOM Commends Role Played By Female Peacekeepers In Stabilizing Somalia (AMISOM)
- Somali Maritime Rights: Kenya’s Expansionist Doctrine And Danger Game (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Police Warns Over Illegal Cutting Of Trees In Hiiraan Region
13 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 243 Words
Hiiraan police commander, Ali Duh Mahad has sent stern warning to those who are cutting down trees saying his officers would no longer tolerate cutting of trees and would take legal action against them. The warning follows the arrest of several people in Hiiraan, for allegedly cutting down trees in the region. The suspects apparently cut the trees to burn charcoal. “Those arrested while involved in cutting trees and burning charcoal will be arraigned in court,” said Mahad who spoke to Goobjoog News He underlined that he is giving first priority to the fight against deforestation and burning of charcoal. “The increased deforestation and overexploitation of trees has put them at risk of extinction” Mahad said. Hiiraaan administration and some of the regional states in Somalia including Galmudug state are carrying out initiatives to impose ban on tree cutting to try and slow the rate at which the country’s trees are being steadily decimated for firewood and charcoal.
Somalia’s once-vast acacia forests now cover only nine percent of the nation and the ambitious reforestation campaigns of the previous administrations of Siad Barre and Gen. Mohammad Farah Aideed are history. The harvest is denuding the savannah and making portions of southern and central Somalia unsuitable for human habitation by accelerating soil erosion, reducing the arability of the land, depriving cattle and goats of shade in the savannah’s intense heat, reducing foliage for grazing camels, and killing tree root systems once capable of retaining moisture in the soil.
National Leadership Forum Members Expected To Meet In Mogadishu
13 December – Source: Jowhar.com – 90 Words
The National Leadership Forum members are today expected to gather in Mogadishu to deliberate on the venue for the election of the Upper House seats for the disputed Sool and Sanaag region. According to sources the National Leadership Forum is set to convene in the afternoon as some of the members of the forum are not in Mogadishu and they are expected to arrive in the afternoon. Last week’s meeting of the National Leadership Forum was not attended by the leaders of Jubbaland and Puntland but they sent their representatives.
SNA Denies Claims That Al-Shabaab Captured El Wak
13 December -Source: Shabelle News – 144 Words
A Somali military commander has refuted reports by local media that Al-Shabaab militants have seized the border town of El-Wak in Gedo region near Kenyan border. Speaking to Radio Shabelle, Col Osman Nuh Haji one of Somali army officers in El-Wak confirmed that the area is calm and under their full control, saying Al-Shabaab has never taken over the town.“The capture of El Wak is only Al-Shabaab propaganda and false information. I can confirm that Somali National Army are still in control and have never vacated the town,” he added. The Kenyan military has also vehemently denied claims that Al-Shabaab, has captured the border town of El-Wak. Al-Shabaab retook El Wak town near Kenyan border on Sunday night after a deadly attack on Somali military bases. The militants remained in the town for about 13 hours before their retreat.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Measles Outbreak Poses New Threat To Children In Somalia
12 December – Source: UNICEF – 433 Words
The cholera treatment centre at Kismayo General Hospital, the biggest hospital in Kismayo, have not had any patients since the last outbreak was brought under control. But lately it has again been inundated with patients. This time, the outbreak is measles – a highly contagious viral disease that can lead to pneumonia, diarrhoea, encephalitis which causes brain swelling, and blindness. Since September, 419 measles cases have been officially recorded, 302 of which are children under five. In Somalia, measles is a major cause of death among children – but it can be effectively prevented with a simple vaccine. Lying on mattresses on the floor are dozens of children. Most of them are sleeping with their bodies curled up – oblivious of the heat and flies. Some have visibly swollen eyes, leaking pus from their eyes and nose. If awake, they look dazed and listless. Among them are Maryan, 8 months, and her brother Masoud, 1 year and 8 months. Maryan breathes rapidly and has contracted pneumonia, a severe complication caused by measles, while Masoud has a rash all over his body. The children are accompanied by their mother, Maano.
“They have had a fever for 10 days, and also vomiting, coughing and congested chests,” says Maano. “We brought them here two days ago. It was only when we got here we realized that it was measles.” On a mattress across from Maano and her children is Sahra and two of her children, Nasra, 3, and Abdirahman, 4. Both children are sleeping as if exhausted. They arrived today after being ill for more than a week. “I took them to a private clinic and they thought it was malaria and gave us some medications,” says Sahra. “Then they started having rashes and itching eyes. A neighbour told me that it could be measles, so I rushed them here.” When asked whether the children have ever been immunized, the mothers both answered “No.”
AMISOM Commends Role Played By Female Peacekeepers In Stabilizing Somalia
12 December – Source: AMISOM – 579 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has today commended its female peacekeepers for their critical role in the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia after decades of war.The recognition was made during the female peacekeepers conference, held in Somali capital, Mogadishu, and attended by officers from all components of AMISOM including the military, police and civilian. Speaking on behalf of female peacekeepers, AMISOM Deputy Police Commissioner, Christine Alalao, said female officers had sacrificed a lot in the stabilization process of Somalia, despite the numerous challenges they faced.“Like their male counterparts, they have fought at the frontline, they have operated big guns like artillery to fight the enemy, they are commanders of their troops and contingents, and they have gathered intelligence, enabling operations.
The women are building the capacity of the local security to enable them handle the security of their country. Some are in administration and in the leadership of the mission to ensure that the mandate of the mission is achieved,” Ms. Alalo stated. The Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, thanked the female peacekeepers for the courage they have exhibited in their duties and enhancing the mission’s ability to execute its mandate.Ambassador Madeira said female officers were an inspiration to many women, especially in their host communities, adding that they had played a role in encouraging Somali women to be active in the affairs of the country.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“By a note verbale dated 2 March 2010, the Permanent Mission of the Somali Republic to the United Nations informed the Secretariat that the MOU had been rejected by the Parliament of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, and is to be hence treated as non-actionable.”
Somali Maritime Rights: Kenya’s Expansionist Doctrine And Danger Game
12 December – Source: Hiiraan Online – 1510 Words
Somalia filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2014, requesting the court to review the maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Kenya. The country argued that diplomatic resolutions concerning the territory had failed and asked for a proper determination of the maritime boundary between the two countries. The maritime area spans beyond 100,000 sq. km, and it is thought to encompass huge oil and gas deposits. Somalia claims that Kenya desires the maritime borderline between the territorial seas to be a straight line from the parties’ land periphery, along the equivalent of latitude where the land borderline sits, through the territorial maritime – Somalia’s proclaimed exclusive economic zone, and the continental shelf. According to Somalia, the straight line infringes UNCLOS Article 7 and UNCLOS Article 15 and, therefore, Somalia claims the boundary between the two countries to be a median line as specified in UNCLOS Article 15 and the border of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf to be determined in the three-stage procedure outlined in UNCLOS Articles 74 and 83. On 7th October 2015, Kenya submitted preliminary objections – challenging the admissibility of Somalia’s case and the ICJ’s authority to hear the application. According to Kenya, the two nations drew up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 7th April 2009, which required them to handle their differences through the United Nations’ Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), and not through the ICJ.
The MOU signed between the two countries was carefully assessed by the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia and the members of Parliament, who unanimously rejected its ratification on 1st August 2009. This rejection was communicated to the UN Secretary General, requesting to take note that the MOU was non-actionable for Somalia and from a legal perspective, non-actionable means NULL and VOID. The UN noted Somalia’s point on the MOU, when it published on its webpage the following note: “By a note verbale dated 2 March 2010, the Permanent Mission of the Somali Republic to the United Nations informed the Secretariat that the MOU had been rejected by the Parliament of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, and is to be hence treated as non-actionable”. The Somali legal team argued that the MOU only covered the outer limits of the continental shelf; however, this did not prevent the two nations from implementing other approaches to determine their borderlines. Even if Somalia was in breach of the MOU, which it is not, this will not preclude it from coming to the court. Therefore, Somalia argues that it determinedly defends its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. In the meantime, considering the broader interests of peace and stability with its neighbouring country, Somalia has exercised great restraint and remains devoted to a peaceful resolution.
TOP TWEETS
@nuurist:@AMB_Affey calls upon #refugee hosting countries to continue to honor their international obligations towards refugees #Somalia
@Ahmed_Yasto:#Somaliland and #Somalia #drought “extremely worrying,”#UN aid official warns http://bit.ly/2hoLkIM
@Mr_Omarsson: #Somalia is making rapid progress towards peace, stability & prosperity. #SDRF @MofSomalia@MoPIC_Somalia @SomaliaDeputyPM @TheVillaSomalia
@YBrunger:Edna Adan: ‘With my army of midwives, fewer girls will go through FGM’ #endFGM #Somalia #Somaliland #women#girls
@MoPIC_Somalia: The last Somalia Development & Reconstruction Facility #SDRF has started today in Mogadishu.The main agenda is the National Development Plan
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Jubbaland President, Ahmed Mohamed presides over a function for MPs Elect in Kismaayo.
Photo: Radio Muqdisho.