April 27, 2017 | Morning Headlines
PM And Speaker Convene Urgent Meeting Over Security Architecture Fall Out
26 April – Source : Goobjoog News – 295 Words
Prime Minister Hassan Khaire and Speaker Osman Jawaari convened a meeting with teams from both sides to salvage a fall out following critical questions raised by the Lower House defense committee regarding the national security architecture which the parliamentary committee has dismissed as unconstitutional. Impeccable sources privy to the developments have intimated to Goobjoog News the PM alongside the defense minister and line technocrats is expected to respond to questions from House Speaker Jawaari and Defense Committee in light of issues tabled before the House Tuesday.“Both sides are meeting today to iron out the issues before presenting a report to parliament”.
The Lower House was set to proceed for recess Wednesday but the Defense Committee sought the indulgence of the Speaker for more time to dispose of the matter ahead of the May 11 London conference where Somalia is expected to present the security architecture to pitch for international funding of the security sector. The House will sit until Sunday. The Committee Tuesday tabled scathing criticism of the government warning the architecture which was unveiled following a three days meeting between the Federal Government and Federal State leaders in Mogadishu not only violated the constitution but also could compromise the stature and integrity of the Somali National Army.
The Committee in particular took issue with the involvement of the state presidents in the composition and distribution of the military in addition to appointment of sector commanders. Citing article 54 of the Provisional Constitution, the Committee noted the Federal Government cannot share power and authority of managing the military with state governments.Article 54 singles out national defense besides monetary policy and regulation, citizenship and immigration and foreign affairs as off limits for state governments and squarely fall within the scope of the federal government.
Key Headlines
- PM And Speaker Convene Urgent Meeting Over Security Architecture Fall Out (Goobjoog News)
- Government Forces Exchange Gunfire In Mogadishu 5 Killed (Garowe Online)
- Galmudug Electoral Body Summons Candidates Seeking Presidency To Adaado (Goobjoog News)
- Emirates Islamic Bank Donates AED 2 Million To ‘For You Somalia’ Campaign (Emirates News Agency)
- Miraa Export To Mogadishu Resumes After 4-Day Standoff (Business Daily)
- Somali Coastline Still Vulnerable To Piracy Despite A Five year Lull: Expert (Xinhua)
- The Horn of Africa’s Growing Importance To The U.A.E. (Middle East Institute)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Government Forces Exchange Gunfire In Mogadishu, 5 Killed
26 April – Source : Garowe Online – 183 Words
At least five people were killed, and several injured when Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers exchanged fire in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday evening. Witnesses confirmed to Garowe Online that the clashes took place at the busy market near Seypiano area in Mogadishu’s Hodan district where the stimulant leaves locally known as Khat is sold. It is not yet clear the exact reason behind the deadly shoot-out that claimed the lives of five people, including local traders in the market. More than five people, among them pedestrians were critically wounded in the skirmish, and were immediately taken to the hospital, according to the witnesses who spoke to Garowe Online over the phone.
Somali Police officers later intervened to end the deadly clashes in the market. There were several incidents when Somali Military, police and Intelligence soldiers clashed in Mogadishu over suspicion and quarrel on the demolition of disputed slums; subsequently triggering a gun battle. Somali army commanders and Benadir regional administration officials did not comment so far on Wednesday’s confrontation in the capital, which has seen increased security incidents in the past weeks.
Galmudug Electoral Body Summons Candidates Seeking Presidency To Adaado
26 April – Source : Goobjoog News – 110 Words
The electoral commission for Galmudug presidential election has summoned all those seeking the presidency of the regional state to arrive in Adado and start the registration process . Mahad Sheikh Ali Omar, an official in Galmudug electoral commission has told Goobjoog News that the candidates need to register so as to start the process.The official said the process will go on the scheduled date. The Federal Government of Somalia and Galmudug agreed to postpone the elections in order to allow for the talks between Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa and the Galmudug administration to yield fruits. Reports say the talks are almost collapsing after both sides failed to make an agreement.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Emirates Islamic Bank Donates AED 2 Million To ‘For You, Somalia’ Campaign
26 April- Source : Emirates News Agency – 170 Words
The Emirates Red Crescent has received a donation of AED3 million from the Emirates Islamic Bank in response to the humanitarian agency’s ‘For You, Somalia’ campaign, launched to raise funds to help people suffering from famine and drought in the Horn of Africa country. The charity telethon was launched earlier this month by the Emirates Red Crescent in response to directives from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to raise urgent aid for Somalia. TV channels and radio stations from across the UAE took part in the media campaign.
Emirates Red Crescent’s Deputy Secretary-General for Local Affairs Rashid Mubarak Al Mansouri were presented with the donation cheque by General Manager of Operational Quality and Processes at Emirates Islamic Bank Awatif Al Harmoodi. Donations will be used to provide food, water, medicine and other necessities to help Somalis survive their third famine in 25 years. Al Harmdooi also announced the donation of another AED 2 million for the Emirates Red Crescent’s assistance programmes for the poor inside the UAE.
Miraa Export To Mogadishu Resumes After 4-Day Standoff
26 April – Source : Business Daily – 426 Words
Miraa traders resumed transporting the herb to Somalia through Mogadishu International Airport, after a four-day boycott over a tax dispute with Somali authorities. Nyambene Miraa Traders Association (Nyamita) spokesman Kimathi Munjuri said importers had resumed the trade reluctantly as no talks had been held with government. “Some airlines broke the resolve of the boycott and started flying to Mogadishu. Other transporters could not risk losing their customers leading to resumption of business,” Mr Munjuri said on Tuesday. The impasse was a result of Mogadishu authorities demanding Sh103 ($3) tax per kilo of Khat despite agreeing on Sh 231.75 a kilo last month. The charges apply in the Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu.
Late February this year, Khat traders boycotted exporting miraa to Mogadishu, Somalia after the Somali government increased the tax from Sh 309 to Sh360.5 per kilo. Trade resumed four days later after importers and government officials in Somalia and traders agreed on a tax of Sh 247 (2.40USD) per kilo. “All cargo flights had been diverted to Jowhar airstrip about 97 kilometres away from Mogadishu. This is because the authorities in this region charge Sh 154.5 per kilogramme of miraa. However, the khat may not reach the main markets of Mogadishu by road due to the standoff,” Mr Munjuri said.
However, the transporters feared their planes may be banned from the business if found using the Jowhar airstrip. “Traders have diverted the herb to Bosaso, Baladweyn, Galkayo and other small towns across Somalia. It is impossible to transport it by road in Somalia,” he said. Mr Munjuri said the dispute was sparked by a move by two airlines which have been seeking to control the miraa transport business.
Somali Coastline Still Vulnerable To Piracy Despite A Five year Lull: Expert
26 April – Source : Xinhua – 533 Words
The expansive Somali coastline that is a critical shipping route remains prone to pirate attacks despite a five year lull occasioned by enhanced patrols by international naval forces, an expert has said.John Steed, the Regional Manager of Horn of Africa at Oceans Beyond Piracy told Xinhua in a recent interview that commercial vessels transiting through Somali waters could be targeted by pirates unless vigilance is enhanced.”The threat of return of piracy in Somalia coastline is real if the international community does not wake up. The big commercial ships can still be hijacked by pirates,” Steed said in Nairobi.
He spoke against a backdrop of a series of pirate attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Somalia in the last two months.Steed blamed lax policing, high youth unemployment alongside break down of law and order for the resurgence of piracy in Somalia waters.”At the height of piracy in 2012, ships coming to high risk areas took deterrent measures like having armed guards and sailing at high speed in deep waters. Time passed and companies abandoned those measures and pirates found an opportunity to strike,” said Steed.He noted that reduced presence of international naval forces in Somali coast alongside scaling of security budget by shipping companies may have fueled latest pirate attacks.
“We had six pirate attacks this year and most of them were on commercial dhows. With war in Somalia and Yemen, it makes this crucial shipping line a potential target for pirates,” Steed said. He regretted that well heeled individuals who have profited from piracy are luring jobless Somalia youth into the criminal enterprise that promise them new sources of income.There is ample evidence that pirates are regrouping to stage more attacks on commercial vessels sailing through Somali coastline.Steed noted that piracy was not completely vanquished through aggressive onslaught by international naval forces or lengthy prison terms for culprits.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The U.A.E. is taking the piracy threat seriously, with Abu Dhabi financing the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, the on-shore training activities for the Puntland Maritime Forces, as well as boosting security and training cooperation with the Somali army,”
The Horn of Africa’s Growing Importance To The U.A.E.
25 April – Source : Middle East Institute – 799 Words
The Horn of Africa is currently playing a pivotal role in the U.A.E.’s security interests at a time of international uncertainty, regional conflicts, and demanding domestic transformations. The U.A.E. is expanding its foothold in the region, with Eritrea to host its first military base abroad and another in Somaliland in the works. Abu Dhabi’s ‘pivot to the Horn’ strategy is designed to tackle three rising security concerns now: Yemen’s instability, freedom of navigation threats, and piracy. In 2016, the Emiratis opened a military base at Assab in Eritrea which encompasses an airbase, a deep-water port, and a facility for military training. Following meetings between Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and Saudi King Salman in April and December 2015, Eritrea permitted the use of its military bases to the Gulf states.
A 30-year lease agreement between the U.A.E. and Eritrea is part of the aforementioned framework deal. In return, Gulf monarchies pledged a foreign aid package, which includes more fuel supplies to Asmara, the modernization of its international airport, and new infrastructure projects. The Emirates is now seeking to establish another naval outpost in the area in the unrecognized state of Somaliland, at the port town of Berbera. Somaliland’s ‘parliament’ has approved the project, but it has yet to obtain a green light from Mogadishu to proceed, with objections also from Ethiopia and Djibouti .
The Yemen war is the main driving force behind the U.A.E.’s military interests in the area. The U.A.E. forms an important part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi-Saleh forces in the country, but unlike Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi focuses much of its efforts in south Yemen. The U.A.E.’s military priorities in Yemen can be categorized into three areas: counter-terrorism operations against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in southern and eastern Yemen, stabilization of re-conquered areas, and training of local forces aligned with the coalition.
Assab’s military facility is, thus, fundamental to the U.A.E.’s commitment in Yemen. The Eritrean base provides invaluable logistical support for operations such as the Golden Spear operation launched on January 2017 in Western Yemen to regain Mocha and Hodeida as well as to enforce the naval blockade to prevent Iranian arms from reaching the Houthis. Moreover, the U.A.E. trains and equips many pro-government Yemeni soldiers at Assab including the Hadhrami Elite Forces, which is tasked to secure Mukalla (after AQAP withdrew in April 2016), and the Security Belt Forces, active mostly in Aden but also deployed in the Abyan region.