January 6, 2017 | Morning Headlines

Somali President Opens First Senate Session In Mogadishu

05 January – Source: Garowe Online – 241 Words

President Hassan Shaikh Mahmoud has officially opened the senate session on Thursday for the newly inaugurated Upper House chamber of Federal Parliament. However, the session has begun despite senators hailing from Somaliland community are yet to be elected due to recurrent delays to the process. President Mahmoud along with Turkish Ambassador to Somalia and interim Senate Speaker Mohamed Hussein Raage have cut the ribbon of the provisional Senate headquarters located in Shibis district in Mogadishu. The facility previously meant to serve as a modern education centre was later decided to become the base of the country’s new Upper House.

Today marked the first session of Upper House chamber since the sworn-in event that took place on December 27 in the capital. Speaking to the senate, the interim Speaker of Upper House chamber, Raage has expressed gratitude to the outgoing President and officials from the Turkish embassy for taking part in the event and further commended Turkey’s role in supporting and developing the country.

On his side, Turkish Ambassador Kani Toru has congratulated the newly elected senators and ensured Turkey’s continuous assistance to the country. President Hassan also praised Turkey for their support and noted the building will be used as temporary headquarters for the senate, as the construction of the new Parliament building will commence soon. Somalia is preparing to hold elections of new Speakers Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament and new Somali president in secret ballots in January 2017.

Key Headlines

• Somali President Opens First Senate Session In Mogadishu (Garowe Online)
• Puntland Marine Forces Seize Two Boats Arrest Two Yemeni Fishers (Puntlandi)
• Appeal For Somali Refugees In Horn Of Africa And Yemen (United Nations Radio)
• Somali Immigrants Arrested In Garissa (The Star)
• Can The Credibility Of Somalia’s Indirect Elections Be Salvaged? (African Arguments)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Puntland Marine Forces Seize Two Boats, Arrest Two Yemeni Fishers

05 January – Source: Puntlandi.com – 96 Words

Puntland marine forces on Thursday conducted an operation in the coastal town of Eyl, engaging in a sustained gunfight with armed guards giving protection to Yemeni boats illegally fishing in Puntland waters.

The marine forces detained two Yemeni fishermen and a Somali guard in the operation. Two boats were also seized in the operation, while two others managed to escape.

Reports say two of the arrested men with gunshot wounds are currently being treated at a health centre in Eyl. No casualty has been reported on the side of the marine forces involved in the operation.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Appeal For Somali Refugees In Horn Of Africa And Yemen

05 January – Source: United Nations Radio – 262 Words

The international community is being encouraged to continue its efforts to stabilize Somalia as a means to help resolve the “protracted situation” of refugees from the country. The appeal has been made by the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) Special Envoy for the Somali Refugee Situation, Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Affey, speaking in Geneva on Thursday.

Around one million Somalis are registered as refugees in the Horn of Africa and Yemen region, while an estimated 1.1 million people are displaced within the country. Mr Affey recently concluded a visit to camps hosting displaced Somalis in Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Yemen, as well as in Somalia. He described their plight as a “protracted situation,” lasting more than two decades since the collapse of the country’s central government.

The Special Envoy was concerned that these people might be forgotten. “I would like to use this press briefing to appeal to the international community first of all to continue to redouble efforts of stabilizing Somalia because these populations that are in camps are Somali populations required to reconstruct their own country but the situation of their country is such that there is no possibility now of massive return of Somalis back to the country because conditions are not yet fully in place to allow massive return of this population.”

Mr Affey also spoke of a “very severe and serious” nutritional situation in the camps due to the longstanding nature of the refugee crisis coupled with donor fatigue. He said he is encouraging a “regional conversation” aimed at finding a durable solution to the Somali refugee crisis.

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Somali Immigrants Arrested In Garissa

05 January – Source: The Star – 226 Words

Some eight Somali immigrants yesterday were charged in a Garissa court with illegal stay. The accused were believed to have come from Mogadishu and Hargeisa. They are Hassan Khalif, Jama Kayas, Abdi Siyat, Mubarak Abdi, Osman Ahmed, Abdihakim Noor, Mohamed Abdi and Nura Yussuf together with her one-year-old daughter. They were arrested on Sunday at Kabobey trying to make their way into Nairobi through Garissa town.

Also arrested were five children aged between 12 and 17. The accused were arrested at around 5am by the Quick Response Police Unit from the Administration Police led by Waberi chief Yussuf Sheikh Ali, following a tip -off. They will take a plea after the results of their age assessment are out. Garissa resident magistrate Victor Asiyo ordered the Garissa police chief to take those suspected to be below the age of 18 to the county referral hospital for age assessment.

There has been an influx of Somali immigrants trying to sneak into the county following the planned closure of Dadaab refugee camp. UN’s Refugee agency has welcomed the decision to extend the closure of Dadaab refugee camp. However, it called for flexibility on the timeframe for the repatriation. Since 2014 some 35,000 Somali refugees have been supported in returning voluntarily to Somalia. The UN agency has also called on the international community to make adequate investments in Somalia.

OPINION, CULTURE & ANALYSIS

“Somalia is in a critical and fragile position. Allowing electoral fraud to be carried out with impunity wouldjeopardise the country’s political transition. Both Somalia’s nascent democracy and the international community’s credibility are on the line.”

Can The Credibility Of Somalia’s Indirect Elections Be Salvaged?

05 January – Source: African Arguments – 1,100 Words

The credibility of Somalia’s electoral process is under severe threat amidst widespread allegations of electoral fraud, manipulation and intimidation. The ongoing indirect elections – which began in October 2016 and involve 14,025 electors picking 275 parliamentarians – are meant to signal a crucial moment in the country’s path towards political transition and electoral democracy. But claims of egregious electoral abuse are posing a serious threat to the process.

Several parliamentary candidates have allegedly been intimidated and even attacked by rivals to get them to withdraw. In some instances, numerous nominees have pulled out leaving just one remaining candidate. In one striking case, Mumunio Saeed Mursal, who was vying for a seat in the Upper House, says she was detained and beaten by soldiers, and later found out that her name had been withdrawn from the race following a forged letter claiming to be from her.

Elsewhere, candidates have reportedly engaged in fraud and expended huge sums of money to purchase votes. According to Somalia’s Auditor General Nur Jimale Farah, “some votes were bought with $5,000, some with $10,000, and some with $20,000 or $30,000”. Two particularly sought-after seats, he says, each cost the winning candidates a whopping $1.3 million in bribes.  This is happening at a time that a new cycle of drought is putting thousands of Somalis on the brink of humanitarian disaster.

These allegations are widespread, and Somalia’s Indirect Electoral Dispute Resolution Mechanism (IEDRM) called for reviews to assess whether certain results should be annulled. However, an initial 24 seats under consideration was later reduced to 11 with no explanation. Moreover in December, the National Leadership Forum (NLF) – the body organising the elections and which is made up of the country’s leading politicians – decided to revoke all disqualifications.