December 29, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
National Leadership Forum Asks For Amendments To Article 72 Of The Constitution
29 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 102 Words
National Leadership Forum is likely to ask for amendment of article 72 of the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Government of Somalia. This comes after NLF added 18 seats to the Upper House, according to an official communique. The Provisional Constitution stipulates the Upper House can not be more than 54 seats. The National Leadership Forum allegedly wants to postpone the selection of the added seats after the presidential election. According to reports, Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke will formally ask the newly inaugurated Somali Parliament to make the amendment which should allow the extra 18 seats.
Key Headlines
- National Leadership Forum Ask Amendments To Article 72 Of The Constitution (Goobjoog News)
- Gunmen Shot Dead An Elder Involved In Election (Garowe Online)
- Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) Has Announced Holding Election For Nullified Seats (Dhacdo.com )
- UN Chief Welcomes Inauguration Of Somali Parliament (china.org)
- Suspects In Secret Contact With Terrorists Says State (Daily Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Gunmen Shot Dead An Elder Involved In Election
29 December – Source: Garowe Online – 186 Words
Unidentified assailants in Mogadishu have gunned down a Somali elder, the latest in a string of targeted killings against electoral delegates. Reports said that armed men killed the elder who is identified as Ahmed Dhoore outside a mosque in Hiliwaa district in Mogadishu. The late elder was shot dead as he walked out of a mosque on his way to his residence on Wednesday evening, police said. Dhoore was among the electoral delegates who picked the Federal MPs from Galmudug State. However, no group has claimed responsibility for the assassination of the traditional elder, but the Somali Police said they are investigating into the reasons behind the murder. The Al Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab has earlier vowed to disrupt the Somali electoral process, and intensified attacks in the capital Mogadishu in the past weeks. So far over 3 delegates were reportedly killed by unknown assailants following parliamentary elections in the regional states. Last Tuesday, Somalia has sworn in 284 MPs to form its 10th parliament, despite concerns voiced by the international community over election fraud that marred the integrity of the electoral process.
Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) Has Announced Holding Election For Nullified Seats
29 December – Source: Dhacdo.com – 70 Words
A statement posted by Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) has declared that they will start the electoral process for the 5 nullified seats as soon as possible. FIEIT has said that they are working on the remaining seats for the Somaliland and Banadir Lower House selections, the statement said. FIEIT didn’t specify the timeline for the exercise, but they assured that the process will commence soon.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Chief Welcomes Inauguration Of Somali Parliament
29 December – Source: China.org – 177 Words
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday welcomed the inauguration of new federal parliament of Somalia, while urging the parliament to maintain the momentum to complete the electoral process. In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban asked the parliament to tackle urgent legislative priorities, including establishing a permanent Constitution of Somalia. He also called on the authorities to quickly fill all remaining vacant seats in the parliament and ensure that the seats reserved for women are filled by women.”Any irregularity, abuse, or malpractice reported by the federal and state electoral bodies should be fully addressed to preserve the credibility of the process,” said Ban in the statement.
A total of 284 new members of the Lower and Upper house of the Somali federal parliament were sworn in on Tuesday in the capital Mogadishu.The swearing-in of the new parliament came after a number of delays in the country’s electoral process. The Members of Parliament are expected to elect a new president in January. The presidential election which was previously set for September has been postponed four times
Suspects In Secret Contact With Terrorists, Says State
29 December – Source: Daily Nation – 417 Words
The Kenyan government now says four women accused of being Al-Shabaab members have been in secret communication with the Amniyat wing of the terrorist group. Ms Khadija Abubakar Abdulkadir, Ms Ummulkheir Sadri Abdulla, Ms Khadija Abubakar Abdulkadir and Ms Halima Adan deny being Al-Shabaab members. State Counsel Jami Yamina told a Mombasa court on Wednesday that details from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit revealed that the four have been communicating with suspected terrorists outside Shimo La Tewa Prison.
According to the prosecution, the Al-Shabaab wing that the four have been communicating with was responsible for coordinating attacks and promoting the group’s activities globally.Mr Yamina said a letter addressed to the women by an unknown person was found on Ms Abubakar during a routine inspection by prison officers.“We are ready to ransom ourselves for you, no matter what. We have heard of the humiliation and harassment you are going through,” part of the letter said, according to Mr Yamina.“From the letter, it is reasonable to believe that the suspects have been communicating with sympathisers outside the prison,” the prosecution added.
He said the revelation indicated that the women were associates of the Islamic State group and high profile terrorism actors.Documents from the prison show that Ms Abubakar admitted to being found with unauthorised articles.The woman, however, defended herself, saying it was a letter of encouragement she and her co-accused wrote to one another.“Oh sisters, Allah has chosen you to be in this path. Have Sabr and Ikhlas in this path because it lead us to Allah’s mercy,” another part of the letter read, according to the prosecution.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Mohamud’s younger son dropped out of high school and had brushes with the law. Feeling adrift after high school, Mohamud’s older son decided to travel to Somalia. He learned about his roots, including a grandfather renowned for his charity. “He found what many Somali youth in Minnesota are lacking a sense of identity,” Mohamud said.”
Somali-American Father Shares With Parents The Painful Lessons He Learned In Minnesota
28 December – Source: Star Tribune – 1244 Words
Mohamed Mohamud seethed as educators told him his son was failing his classes in 2007. He questioned why he hadn’t been alerted until April. He threatened a lawsuit. But the brunt of Mohamud’s anger — all the more bitter because he worked as a teacher — he directed at himself. “You have failed your kid,” he told himself. “You are educated; you can afford a tutor. Who will help a single mother of six who doesn’t speak English?.” That day, Mohamud conceived a nonprofit that would answer that question. He has since grown his Somali American Parent Association (SAPA) into one of the largest East African nonprofits in the state. Today, in his pinstriped suit and tie, he paints a painfully personal contrast for his staff on the power of hands-on parenting: the illiterate single mother who saw all six of her kids go to college, and Mohamud himself, with his master’s degree, who watched his two sons flailing in his new homeland.
The past two years have been pivotal: Riding new interest in Somali community investments by philanthropists and public officials, SAPA almost tripled its budget. Meanwhile, Mohamud drew criticism after stepping to the forefront of a federal pilot project to prevent radical recruitment. Mohamud got his first school job two months after arriving in Minnesota in 1997, as a parent liaison in a Minneapolis elementary. He had left Somalia before the civil war and spent 17 years in Saudi Arabia working for a United Kingdom management company. He started on a master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and would later pursue coursework for his teaching license at Hamline University. Then, tragedy struck: His wife died of complications from diabetes. Mohamud became the single father of two young boys. He resolved to stay focused on his job and studies.
TOP TWEETS
@HIPSINSTITUTE: There are three possible options for managing the Gaalkayo conflict. Read these options herehttp://bit.ly/2hvr0aN #Gaalkacyo #Somalia
@intelligenceled: UK warns citizens in Somalia of electoral fraud
@Abdiomarbile: #Somalia‘s political leaders aka (Madasha Qaran) has delayed the election of 18 members of the upper house, which they increased last week.
@Xaqiiqa_Times: Kenyan police officers under AMISOM, awarded medals for distinguished service in Somaliahttp://www.xaqiiqatimes.com/
@UNSomalia: Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on #Somalia https://www.un.org/sg/en/
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IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somalia Attorney General Axmed Cali Daahir is received by Somalia Ambassador to Kuwait Cabdulqaadir Amiin Sheekh in Kuwait city.
Photo: Radio Muqdisho