March 22, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
President, Prime Minister And Cabinet To Declare Their Property- PM Khaire
22 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 275 Words
The President, Prime Minister and the cabinet will be required to declare their property and be subjected to an audit when leaving office, Prime Minister Hassan Khaire announced Tuesday setting an unprecedented bar whose implementation could remain a tall order. In what could be seen as efforts at bolstering good governance practices, the Prime Minister said all the newly appointed ministers and their deputies will have to declare their earthly belongings and ‘starting with him and the President.
The PM did not however elaborate on how the measures will be affected including if the exercise will be overseen by an independent body as is practice in other jurisdictions. Somalia has for the tenth year now been ranked the most corrupt country in the world in company of such countries as North Korea and South Sudan and the PM’s move to his government open up to the public could be a positive move towards taming the vice.
“We will require everyone to declare their property, whether in cash or fixed assets and at the end of service, an audit will be conducted to ascertain if there was any embezzlement of funds. This will start with the President and the Prime Minister,” Khaire said. Crucial institutions responsible for anti-corruption efforts are yet to be established almost five years after the 2012 Provisional Constitution was adopted.
Article 111C of the Provisional Constitution contemplates the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission whose mandate among others is ‘to promote integrity, accountability, and proper management of public matters and property.’ President Mohamed Farmaajo pushed a strong anti-corruption agenda during his pre-election campaigns.
Key Headlines
- President Prime Minister And Cabinet To Declare Their Property- PM Khaire (Goobjoog News)
- President Farmaajo Calls On Parliament To ‘Swiftly’ Confirm The New Cabinet (Hiiraan Online)
- Gunmen Murder Civilian In Bardere Town Gedo Region (Shabelle News)
- Another Group Of Refugees Leave Dadaab for Somalia (Standard Media)
- Water An Extra-precious Resource During Severe Drought (ICRC)
- The Face Of Hunger: Family Portraits From The Crisis In Somaliland (BBC)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Farmaajo Calls On Parliament To ‘Swiftly’ Confirm The New Cabinet
22 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 140 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo praised his Prime Minister for Tuesday’s announcement of the new cabinet saying that it took him a short period to form his government considering the 30-day deadline stipulated in the constitution. “I asked him to form his government in 15 days when I named him. It took him six more days but it is ok given the fact that he had 30-days as provided by the constitution,” said President Farmajo.
President Farmajo has shown confidence in the newly appointed cabinet hoping that it will be capable enough to execute its responsibilities. The President asked the parliament to speed up the approval of the cabinet, which he said is required to quickly embark on its duties of serving the people and nation. Prime Minister Khayre is set to propose his cabinet lineup to the country’s lawmakers soon.
Gunmen Murder Civilian In Bardere Town, Gedo Region
22 March – Source: Shabelle News – 127 Words
Unidentified gunmen, thought be Al shabaab members shot dead a civilian in the town of Bardere, located in Gedo region of South-western Somalia last night. According to local authority, two young pistol-wielding men gunned down Ilyes Abdi Madobe on Tuesday evening while on his way to his house in the Bardere district.
The slain man was reported to have been working for a local NGO, and a Telecommunication firm operating in the city, which is under the control of Somali Federal Government troops. So far, no group has claimed credit for the murder of late Madobe, but Police say Al-Shabaab could be behind the assassination, which was the latest in series of killings in the country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Another Group Of Refugees Leave Dadaab for Somalia
22 March – Source: Standard Media – 539 Words
This week, a group of 850 refugees left Dadaab refugee camp for Somalia under the ongoing voluntary repatriation program. According to Mr. Collins Guedje, UNHCR head of operations in Hagadera Camp field office, about 7000 refugees have been repatriated since the beginning of this year. It is projected that about 79,000 more refugees will return home by the end of this year.
This followed the temporary suspension of the program last year following heavy rains in parts of Somalia which made most roads impassable and only resuming in January this year. Again it’s coming at a time when the UN refugee agency is facing a cash crunch as a result of an explosion of the refugee population in the Middle East and under funding from its major donors.
The impact has been a massive cut in food rations and other necessities for refugees. Some organisations have been forced to undertake job cut in the face of these new financial challenges. This has led to the closure of the once smallest camp called Kambios after most non-Somali refugees were relocated to a newly established camp in Kakuma called Kalobeyei, more than a thousand kilometers away.
Water, An Extra-precious Resource During Severe Drought
22 March – Source: ICRC – 380 Words
Water is precious everywhere, but there are few places on Earth where water is as precious as in Somalia right now. The Horn of Africa region is fighting a severe drought that threatens thousands of lives. It’s a reminder during this year’s World Water Day how valuable water is for those without it. Pastoralist families across Somalia are uprooting their lives and moving in search of water that their animals – goats, sheep and camels – can drink before dying of thirst.
Somali families that grow crops using irrigation now stare at dry rivers and empty farmlands. Though the climatic conditions in Somalia frequently alternate between drought and floods, the current dry spell is as severe as many residents have seen in their lifetime. Residents have told the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that hundreds of their livestock have died. Some families have even lost loved ones to extreme thirst. Communities are flocking to any water source they can find.
“Boreholes are pumping water for almost 24 hours a day, especially now during the drought,” said Fernando Resta, the ICRC’s water and habitat coordinator. “There is an overcrowding of livestock and humans around boreholes as these are the only water sources available’. To assist families in need, the ICRC is providing temporary animal troughs and onion tanks – flexible, open-top storage tanks — to increase the capacity of communities to store water.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“But whatever difficulties I faced when taking these photos, I know it is nothing when compared to the emotional state of these families who are suffering from the drought.”
The Face Of Hunger: Family Portraits From The Crisis In Somaliland
22 March – Source: BBC – 667 Words
Photographer Mustafa Saeed spent eight days travelling across in Somalia’s self-declared republic of Somaliland with charity Save the Children, meeting pastoralist families whose lives have been ruined by drought. Thousands of children are malnourished, families have lost their livelihoods, and fathers are absent as they travel to sell what cattle they have left.
Sixteen million people across Somalia (including Somaliland), Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan need food, water and medical treatment, according to the UK’s Disasters and Emergency Committee. “These pastoralist families are representative of the many Somali families across the Horn of Africa who are affected by this drought,” says Saeed.
“Their livestock is their bank account – it is the currency that they depend on to live, and they have been watching their animals die. “They are still waiting for help, telling me about their needs for food, water, and shelter.
“It was an emotionally exhausting experience, especially seeing the scale of the situation and knowing there are so many people out there who need our help. “But whatever difficulties I faced when taking these photos, I know it is nothing when compared to the emotional state of these families who are suffering from the drought.”
TOP TWEETS
@AmandaCerny : No matter what, the food will be delivered and lives will be saved . Thank you everyone for helping us out on mission #Somalia !
@mansuur8 : #BREAKING: More than 100 MPS are refusing the new cabinet of #Somalia @TheVillaSomalia @SomaliPM #Mogadishu
@NajiibFarah: Congratulations to #Somalia‘s Information minister @engyarisow. He is more than qualified for the job.
@SomaliDesk : Day-two of Puntland Youth Conference kick off in Garowe.#Somalia
@ChismaioCity : A growing number of women in #Kismayo are going into business and succeeding…… Women make up over 60% of business owners in #Somalia
@ibraahinkey : Many Congratulations the new chief of staff of presidential office Hon. Abukor Baale and Personal Asistant Mohamed Abdullahi Ahmed #somalia
@Abdiomarbile : Today the World is celebrating #World #Water #Day, but here #Somalia, thousands of people are at risk of dehydration, caused by drought.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Newly appointed Cabinet of Ministers walk over to the Office of the President to Meet with President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ‘Farmaajo’
Photo: VIlla Somalia