January 9, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Somaliland Holds Upper House Elections, Elects Six MPs In The First Phase Of The Exercise
08 January – Source: AMISOM – 412 Words
Upper House elections for Somaliland and northern regions commenced today in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Six seats out of eleven, allocated for Somaliland and the northern regions were filled in a daylong exercise presided over by the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT). Five more seats will be filled by the end of the week, according to the electoral oversight body. “Today’s election is a historic one as it demonstrates that Somalia’s Upper House is inclusive of all regions and it has representation all over the country,” FIEIT Chairperson Omar Mohamed Abdulle said.
A total of 45 delegates participated in the exercise. “The absence of these regions could have damaged the legitimacy of the Upper House. The distribution of the Upper House seats was based on regions so that each region gets representatives who will build relationships with other regions as well as with the federal government,” Abdulle added, noting that the Upper House would provide a platform to debate the sharing of natural resources between the regional states and the federal government. Seasoned journalist Muna Omar Hassan is among the MPs-elect. Muna was the sole woman MP elected during the first phase of the exercise. “I was motivated to join politics by the desire to find solutions to the plight of Somali journalists,” Muna, a journalist with 16 years experience, said.
Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, a seasoned politician who was also a member of the 9th federal parliament of Somalia, Muhiyadin Sheikh Ali, Mustafa Mohamed Qodah, Abdikarim Mohamed Hassan and Abdirisaq Ahmed Ali, a retired army General, are the other MPs-elect who emerged victorious in the balloting exercise. “Parliament is the foundation of the government as it makes the laws and keeps the government in check. Our laws are fragmented and vague, hence it needs reconstitution. I am very hopeful that the current Upper House will address a lot of these issues,” MP-elect Hashi stated.
“I stand for the unity of Somalia with a new vision that is distinctively different. We want to build a new Somalia from scratch, based on federalism, by uniting the Northern and Southern regions of Somalia,” Retired General Abdirisaq Ahmed Ali said. Somaliland and northern regions were allocated eleven seats in the Upper House and forty-six seats in the House of the People. So far, six members of the Upper House and 39 members of the House of the People have been elected. It is hoped that the remaining seats will be filled by the end of the week.
Key Headlines
- Somaliland Holds Upper House Elections Elects Six MPs In The First Phase Of The Exercise (AMISOM)
- Galmudug Lawmakers Submit Impeachment Motion Against Galmudug President (Goobjoog News)
- Mogadishu Local Government Pledges To Reconstruct Several Roads In The City (Goobjoog News)
- Suspected U.S. Airstrikes Near Kismayo Kill 5 People (Shabelle News)
- AU Mission Probes Alleged Civilian Killing In Somalia (Xinhua)
- AU Somali Troops Arrest Al-Shabaab Commander (Xinhua)
- Aleppo Dentist Brings ‘Hollywood Smiles’ To Somalis After Fleeing Syria (BBC)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Galmudug Lawmakers Submit Impeachment Motion Against Galmudug President
08 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 150 Words
Members of the members of Galmudug assembly have filed a no-confidence motion against Galmudug President Abdikarim Hussein Guled, accusing him of poor leadership. The motion was handed over to the Speaker of Galmudug Assembly by over fifty of Parliamentarians after meeting the requirements of the number of MPs to table in a motion. Shariif Mohamed Tahliil who is a member of Galmudug Assembly said the legislators have accused the President of incompetence since he came to power in 2015.
“We have been preparing this motion for a while and we believe that there is no other way of solving what is going on in the Galmudug Presidential office,’’ said Tahliil. MPs are expected to hold their session to debate the no-confidence motion against Galmudug state President Abdikarim Hussein Guled. This comes a day after Galmudug Forces accused of blocking the state’s lawmakers from conducting a parliamentary session in Adado town.
Mogadishu Local Government Pledges To Reconstruct Several Roads In The City
08 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 172 Words
The local administration of Banadir region has pledged to construct new roads in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The Mogadishu Mayor, Jama’a Hussein Jim’ale has held talks with the district commissioners from all the seventeen districts across Mogadishu. The mayor said that his administration will soon commence a project to renovate several roads in bad state.
“We are doing means and ways to construct roads and rebuild others in the city. We gave contracts to Somali companies so that they upgrade and construct roads in the city,” said one of the commissioners attending the meeting. The project of the construction to be implemented by the administration of Banadir region in collaboration with the residents of city, will take part the process to appeal the city. Mogadishu local government has upgraded some of the city’s road in last two years.
The roads in Mogadishu are still mostly unpaved, with only certain streets — the ones where most of the businesses and government offices are located having tarmac on them.
Suspected U.S. Airstrikes Near Kismayo Kill 5 People
08 January – Source: Shabelle News – 96 Words
A military official says at least five people were killed, and scores wounded in airstrikes carried out by suspected U.S. warplanes in Al-Shabaab-controlled areas near the coastal city of Kismayo on Sunday.
The officer who asked not to be named, told Radio Shabelle that the fighter jets fired at least 20 missiles on several Al-Shabaab camps, including Singaleer and Tuulo Kuusow, about 30km north of Kismayo.
The airstrike has inflicted heavy casualties on residents in the villages under the Al-Shabaab control. According to the reports, the raid has left many livestock dead.
The aerial bombing comes as Al-Shabaab has retaken Bulo-Gadud area after the pull-out of Jubbaland and Ethiopian forces who seized the area on Friday from the militants following a joint operation.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AU Mission Probes Alleged Civilian Killing In Somalia
09 January – Source: Xinhua – 226 Words
The Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Sunday that they are probing into claims that its troops killed civilians during an ambush by Al-Shabaab on Friday in Barawe region in southern part of the Horn of Africa nation. AMISOM confirmed that fighting took place after its troops, while on a foot patrol, encountered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) reinforced with an ambush, between Marangway and Jameeko in the outskirt of Barawe town.
“Contrary to media reports, AMISOM is not aware of any civilian casualties caused by its troops in the attack,” it said in a brief statement. It however said it together with relevant Somali government authorities will investigate the incident further and establish a course of action. During the Friday incident, the AU mission said 25 camels were killed and four injured. “Unfortunately, livestock that was in the neighborhood was caught in the crossfire as our troops engaged the terrorists. Our forces met with the local administration and livestock owners on Saturdayto discuss the matter,” it said.
The Al-Shabaab militants have recently increased their attacks against AMISOM and Somali forces in the country, which resulted in the loss of some towns although the militants mainly held those towns briefly. The AMISOM and Somali forces have also increased air strikes across the Horn of Africa nation, resulting in the killing of several militants.
AU, Somali Troops Arrest Al-Shabaab Commander
08 January – Source: Xinhua – 134 Words
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali troops have arrested a senior Al-Shabaab commander during an operation in Somalia’s Wanlaweyn, the mission said Saturday. AMISOM said the Somali Special Forces backed by the AMISOM troops engaged the insurgent militants in a fierce fight that saw the arrest of one commander who is being interrogated over a series of terror attacks in the region.
AMISOM said its forces would pursue the insurgents behind a series of terror attacks in the Horn of Africa nation. Al-Shabaab militants have recently increased their attacks against AMISOM and Somali forces in Somalia, which resulted in the loss of some towns, although the militants mainly held these towns briefly. The AMISOM and Somali forces have also increased air strikes in the country, resulting in the killing of several militants.
OPINION, CULTURE & ANALYSIS
“The wars in Syria and Yemen are unfortunate,” says a Somali friend as we speed along a freshly tarmacked road, linking Somaliland’s capital to the coast. “But in some ways those conflicts have been good for Somalis. They have brought us people with skills we do not have. This smooth and amazing road, for instance, was built by Syrian refugees. “And if you want the best meal in town,” he said, “go to a Yemeni place.”
Aleppo Dentist Brings ‘Hollywood Smiles’ To Somalis After Fleeing Syria
08 January – Source: BBC – 847 Words
During every visit to the self-declared republic of Somaliland, I notice something new. This time, there are even more multi-storey shopping malls, hotels and luxury villas in the capital, Hargeisa. Just two decades ago it was known as The Dresden of Africa, the city pulverised by repeated aerial bombardments, its population gone, seeking refuge abroad. A Saudi fast-food chain has arrived – cheeky red and yellow signs advertising fried chicken with an assortment of unhealthy trimmings. But most of all, it is the Syrian dentists.
In the far-flung town of Burao, where nomads are losing livestock to a devastating drought, I see signs displaying pictures of dental disasters. Mouths with wildly crooked, discoloured teeth and gaps where others are missing. All miraculously transformed into sparkly white Hollywood smiles. Above these images are the words “Syrian Dentist”. It is the same back in Hargeisa. It is prayer time in the next-door mosque as I step into a building advertising the dental services of a Syrian.
A young Somali woman stands behind a counter filled with toothbrushes, floss and other items I do not know the names of but clearly relate to oral health. She asks me to sit. After prayers, a Syrian man with an open face and a green T-shirt invites me into his consulting room. There is a modern white dental chair with blue plastic cushions. Posters on the wall show cross-sections of teeth and gums. A glass-fronted wooden cabinet displays neat rows of drills, picks, forceps and other worrying-looking implements. On the side of a sink sits the mould of somebody’s mouth and teeth.
“My name is Hosam. I come from Aleppo,” the man says. I ask him how on earth he ended up in Somaliland. He explains there had been no point going to Turkey, Lebanon or Europe because of the difficulty for refugees to find work suited to their skills. “I went online,” he says. “I Googled places that don’t have dentists. The first one that came up was [Somalia’s capital] Mogadishu. I went there with my wife and baby, without knowing a single soul, only to discover it was like Aleppo. But there was one difference. My earnings trebled. “We heard there was safety in Hargeisa and other Syrians living there, so we came here. We have a small community here of doctors, dentists and engineers,” Hosam adds.