January 12, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Jawari Re-elected Head Of Somalia’s Lower House
11 January – Source: Daily Nation – 214 Words
Professor Mohamed Osman Jawari has been re-elected to head the Lower House of the parliament, better known as the People’s House. Prof Jawari emerged ahead of Mr Abdirashid Mohamed Hiddig, a former state minister, Mr Abdifatah Ibrahim Geseey, a former regional governor and Mr Idris Abdi Daqtar. The Wednesday election of Prof Jawari was reached after one round of voting. The Interim Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Osman Elmi Boqore, announced the results. Up to 251 legislators voted. Mr Daqtar garnered two votes with Mr Geseey getting 19 votes and Hiddig getting 89 votes. Professor Jawari secured 141 votes.
The winner was required to attain at least 139 votes, which is 50 percent plus one of the total MPs of the parliament. Prof Jawari (pictured below) was born in 1945 in Afgoye town, 30 km south of Mogadishu. He worked for the Somali government during the civilian government of the 1960s and the socialist government between 1970s and 1980s. Following his re-election, he will guide the house for four years until January 2021.
The election of the 71-year-old Jawari, a member of the Digil and Mirifle clan, means that his fellow clansman, the president of Somalia’s federal South West state, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, will be forced to withdraw from the presidential race.
Key Headlines
- Jawari Re-elected Head Of Somalia’s Lower House (Daily Nation)
- US State Dept Issues New Travel Warning Against Somalia (Hiiraan Online)
- Puntland Parades Weapons Seized From IS Fighters (Garowe Online)
- Galmudug President Warmly Welcomed In Adado (Shabelle News)
- More Than A Million Somali Refugees Unable To Return Home (The Citizen)
- Local Somalis Cheer Fellow Refugee’s Historic Role (My Informs)
- As ISIS Struggles For Influence In Somalia Al-Shabaab Remains The Main Threat (World Politics Review)
NATIONAL MEDIA
US State Dept Issues New Travel Warning Against Somalia
11 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 360 Words
The US Department of State issued a warning to its citizens against traveling to Somalia in an advisory warning that covered land, air, and sea travel. The travel advisory released on Wednesday cites the presence of Al-Shabaab as the main concern and extends to all parts of Somalia including Somaliland and Puntland. “The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens to avoid travel to Somalia because of continuous activity by the al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group, al-Shabaab. U.S. citizens should be aware of the threat of kidnapping in all parts of Somalia, including Somaliland and Puntland. ”
Although there was a travel advisory in effect since May 2016, this new warning would supersede the previous advisory. The advisory warns against congregating in large groups in public areas especially airports, hotels, shopping areas and government buildings. The statement notes to the frequency of which attacks occurred at those hot spots in the last year. ” In 2016, there were 14 documented attacks directed at hotels, restaurants, and the international airport in Mogadishu… They (Al Shabaab) targeted government facilities, foreign delegations’ facilities and convoys, and commercial establishments frequented by government officials, foreign nationals, and the Somali diaspora. ”
The same statement also reiterated a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ban on all US airlines flying over Somali airspace. “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) containing information on the U.S. prohibition against U.S. civil aviation operations in airspace over Somalia.” Finally, the warning advised U.S citizens of sailing along the coast of Somalia to avoid the risk of pirate attack, despite there not being a successful hijacking of a vessel in over two years.
“U.S. citizens should avoid sailing near the coast of Somalia due to the risk of pirate attacks. Merchant vessels, fishing boats, and recreational craft all risk seizure and detention by pirates in the waters off the Horn of Africa, especially in the international waters near Somalia.” Although the US has an ambassador to Somalia, there is currently no embassy in Mogadishu; which would complicate the issue for a US citizen looking for consular services in they find themselves in peril.
Puntland Parades Weapons Seized From IS Fighters
11 January – Source: Garowe Online – 205 Words
Puntland has paraded a huge cache seized from a faction affiliated to Islamic State (ISIS) after recapturing Qandala on December last year. Last week, a delegation led by Puntland President Abdiwali Mohamed Ali Gaas visited the coastal town of Qandala to observe its situation following its fall to the hands of northeastern administration military forces. The military paraded light weapons, ammunitions and explosives seized in the operation. The ISIS fighters were reported to have fled to nearby mountains areas between Qandala and Bosaso, following their defeat.
Addressing the military troops in Qandala, President Ali said the terror group could not hold on territories in Puntland and urged the community to collaborate with the military forces to ensure security and stability of the region. However, the government didn’t clarify if militant fighters were captured or surrendered following the takeover of Qandala.
On October 2015, a faction, which defected from the Al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabaab group has announced allegiance to ISIS and were since recruiting fighters to consolidate gains in Puntland, which led to the fall of Qandala last October without resistance. Puntland has been relatively stable compared to the rest of Somalia, but attacks by the terrorist groups are posing serious risks to the stability of the region.
Galmudug President Warmly Welcomed In Adado
11 January – Source: Shabelle News – 82 Words
A day after Galmudug parliament voted to oust regional president Abdikarim Guled from office, Guled returned to Adado and was warmly received in the town. Accompanied by Galmudug courts officials, Mr. Guled has been received by high-ranking officials, including vice president Mohamed Hashi Arabey, senator Abshir Bukhari, army commanders and flag-waving residents at the main airport in Adado town.
Speaking to reporters, he ordered security forces to beef up the security of the town. He once again termed the no-confidence vote as illegitimate.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
More Than A Million Somali Refugees Unable To Return Home
11 January – Source: The Citizen – 527 Words
The Somali refugee crisis is one of the longest-running in the world, with people who have been displaced for more than 20 years. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is backing a regional summit, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa, which will take place in March to determine lasting solutions for Somali refugees. More than one million Somali refugees who have been displaced from their homes for decades are becoming despondent as they continue to be unable to return home and donor support is growing fatigued, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
“There is a growing sense of helplessness in the camps because people are feeling forgotten,” said Mohamed Abdi Affey, the Special Envoy to the Somali refugee situation for the (UNHCR). The Somali refugee crisis is one of the longest-running in the world, with people who have been displaced for more than 20 years. Some one million live in camps throughout the Horn of Africa, while an additional 1.1 million are displaced within Somalia.
“There has been some real progress in Somalia over the past few months, including the successful organisation of elections inside the country,” acknowledged the Special Envoy. “What’s needed now is to build up infrastructures across the country so refugees do not suffer when they go back.” A proposed regional response would provide continued protection to 262 000 Somali refugees in a camp in Kenya that has been hosting people for more than 20 years.
When a decision was made last year to close the camp, UNHCR lobbied the government with a new plan of action and successfully delayed its closure. “Nobody wants to be a refugee forever. A regional solution is the most viable solution for the Somali situation,” said Affey.
Local Somalis Cheer Fellow Refugee’s Historic Role
11 January – Source: My Informs – 483 Words
Winnipeg’s Somali community and refugee advocates are hailing the appointment of the first Canadian refugee to become an immigration minister. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, who arrived in Canada as a refugee at age 16, faced many challenges and obstacles to become a successful lawyer, MP and, since Tuesday, a high-ranking federal cabinet minister.
“For Somalis around the world, this is a proud moment,” said Abdi Ahmed, director of Immigration Partnership Winnipeg who is also a former refugee from Somalia. Canadian flags will be flying in Somali communities around the world, Ahmed predicted.
“This is the senior-most Somali in any western government,” he said. Since the mid-1980s, people have been running for their lives from Somalia, escaping human rights abuses by the regime of Mohamed Siad Barre and the civil war that followed in 1991. Somalia is still unstable and unsafe. More than 300,000 Somalis are stuck in the world’s largest refugee camp at Dadaab in Kenya. Hundreds of thousands of others fled to countries around the world.
Now, all over the globe, they’re celebrating the success of their fellow refugee, Hussen in Canada, said Ahmed. He knows because of the global response to the story about Canada’s new immigration minister that he posted on Facebook. For refugee kids from Africa struggling to find their place in Canada, it’s important to see someone who looks like them and has struggled like them achieve a leadership role, said Ahmed. “They come here and go through a lot of hurdles and issues and don’t think they can make it,” said the community leader who has received the Order of Manitoba.
“This is a huge, huge boost for the self esteem of these kids.” Last year, Hussen visited Winnipeg twice. Before becoming minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, he met with Somali youth and encouraged them to take part in civic engagement. “Some people have their hearts back in Somalia and their bodies in Manitoba,” said Ahmed. “He said ‘You need to invest yourself in civic activities here’.”
OPINION, CULTURE & ANALYSIS
“Al-Shabaab has made it clear where its loyalties lie by violently resisting the Islamic State’s overtures and hunting down its own members suspected of sympathies with the self-proclaimed caliphate.”
As ISIS Struggles for Influence in Somalia, al-Shabab Remains the Main Threat
11 January – Source: World Politics Review – 1,082 Words
The so-called Islamic State received some modest good news recently from Somalia, in what has otherwise been a dismal stretch of losses for the jihadi group. In October, a small militant faction aligned with the Islamic State took and held Qandala, a port town in northern Somalia, for more than a month before withdrawing. It was the first time a group linked to the Islamic State has occupied a town in Somalia.
Talk of the Islamic State dominated much of the debate on counterterrorism issues during the U.S. presidential campaign. Yet as concerning as the Islamic State’s Qandala operation is, President-elect Donald Trump should not be distracted from what remains the primary threat in Somalia. Al-Shabab, the terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaida that has been ensconced in Somalia for years, is far more dangerous than the Islamic State is likely to ever be in the country. The incoming Trump administration should commit to fighting it with determination.
Somalia is more than 8,000 miles from the United States, but it has rightfully been an American security concern for decades. The violence and instability there since the late-1980s have been a constant strain on the fragile East Africa region. That volatility has made Somalia a sanctuary for militants, including several al-Qaida members involved in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Al-Shabab once had scores of foreign fighters in its ranks, including dozens of American citizens, leaving the U.S. vulnerable to all the risks associated with having citizens fighting with a committed and competent terrorist group. Despite a years-long regional campaign to wipe it out, al-Shabab remains a threat in Somalia and beyond, as it has been behind terrorist attacks in neighboring Kenya and Djibouti and nearby Uganda.
The Islamic State covets a presence in Somalia and has for nearly two years wooed al-Shabab. Adding to its web of affiliates bolsters the image that the Islamic State tries to project of itself as a divinely favored group continually expanding in fulfillment of Islamic prophecy. Al-Shabab also has thousands of fighters, sophisticated capabilities and a wide network in East Africa. Even with serious setbacks over the past five years, al-Shabab still controls swathes of Somalia, in the midst of a region full of pro-Western countries.
Al-Shabab and al-Qaida share a long history. Several al-Shabab founders trained in al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, where al-Shabab’s first leader reportedly met Osama bin Laden in 1998. A number of prominent al-Qaida members in East Africa also associated with al-Shabab, including Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the terrorists involved in the Nairobi embassy bombing. He was also behind a 2002 attack on a hotel and airliner on Kenya’s coast. In 2012, al-Shabab formally joined al-Qaida as an affiliate, a pledge its current leader later reaffirmed.