May 9, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
President Farmaajo Departs For Britain Ahead Of May 11 London Conference
09 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 230 Words
President Mohamed Farmaajo will be leaving today for Britain ahead of the May 11 London Conference on Somalia. President Farmaajo who will be co-chairing the conference with the British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson will negotiate for a New Deal agenda for Somalia aimed at securing international donor funding for state building and economic recovery. The government has identified four thematic areas which form the basis of the conference. They are security, political processes, economy and new partnerships.
In an Op-ed Wednesday, Johnson said the British government will be fronting security reform and development of the Somali national security architecture. “I want to strike a bargain whereby Somalia’s leaders carry out vital security reforms – including drawing up a clear plan for a National Army – in return for more help and training from the international community. And when conditions allow, Somali troops will take over from their AMISOM allies,” said Johnson.
Parliament approved the national security architecture last month which the government is expected to table at the conference for international donor support to actualise it. In the architecture, the government projects Somalia will for the start have a 22,000 strong army including 4,000 drawn from the special force. East African leaders including Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta will be attending the conference where they will be expected to shore up support for Somalia’s course under the IGAD umbrella.
Key Headlines
- President Farmaajo Departs For Britain Ahead Of May 11 London Conference (Goobjoog News)
- Prime Minister Closes Media Stakeholder Meeting In Mogadishu (Radio Mustaqbal)
- President Warns Against Illegal Checkpoints (Goobjoog News)
- EU Naval Force Hosts Somalia Prime Minister Aboard Counter-piracy Operations Ship (AMISOM)
- Four Arrested As they Tried To Travel To Lybia To Join ISIS(Daily Nation)
- Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society Donates AED650000 To ERC’s Aid Campaign In Somalia(Emirates News Agency)
- Securing Progress In Somalia( The Interpreter)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Prime Minister Closes Media Stakeholders Meeting In Mogadishu
09 May -Source: Radio Mustaqbal-131 Words
The Prime Minister of Somalia, Hassan Ali Khayre has officially closed a consultative meeting for media stakeholders in Mogadishu. The three day meeting come to a closure yesterday. The Prime Minister thanked the Minister for Information, Abdirahman Omar Osman who was chairing the talks attended by information ministers from the Federal Member States. In his closing remarks the PM called on other ministries to work closely with their line ministries in the Federal Member States. The PM stressed the importance of informing the public calling on media stakeholders to stand up for leading the country to development. The media stakeholder meeting which has been going for the last three days has led to the signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Information and line ministries in the Federal Member States.
President Warns Against Illegal Checkpoints
09 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 182
Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has repeated that the illegal checkpoints cannot be accepted again at all in government controlled areas. Speaking during his visit to Afgooye, Farmaajo said that his government will not tolerate troops mounting illegal checkpoints. “Henceforth, whoever found mounting illegal checkpoints on roads will not be part of us, we will jointly fight against those snatching money from the public. There will be nobody in SNA clad robbing the public, we are going to give our soldiers their rights and pay their wages, we are ready for that,” said President Farmaajo.
The move comes a time the public transport drivers are complaining of new illegal checkpoints mounted by government soldiers between Mogadishu and Afgooye in which they ask for money. Somali President also visited frontline positions west of Afgoye town, to boost morale of the Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers as part of military buildup in Lower Shabelle. The President’s visits to towns are aimed to build trust and moral to the citizens and the national security forces. He made similar visits to Baidoa town two weeks ago.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
EU Naval Force Hosts Somalia Prime Minister Aboard Counter-piracy Operations Ship
09 May- Source:AMISOM-521 Words
The European Union (EU) Naval Force hosted the Prime Minister of Somalia, H.E Hassan Ali Khayre, aboard the flagship ESPS Galicia, on Monday, to highlight the cooperation existing between EU and the Federal Government of Somalia, in policing Somalia waters.The EU Naval Force is presently working under the codename “Operation Atalanta,” which is a counter-piracy military operation off the coast of Somalia. The forces protect Somalia bound ships, belonging to the UN World Food Programme and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).Discussions between the Prime Minister and the EU officials focused on the counter-piracy operations, recent piracy incidents on the Indian Ocean; and how the EU can best support the Federal Government of Somalia, to take full control of its maritime security, which is essential for long-term stability of the country.
The EU delegation was led by H.E Veronique Lorenzo, the EU Ambassador to Somalia, Major General Rob Magowan CBE, the Operation Commander for EU NAVFOR, and Brig. Gen. Maurizio Morena, the EU Training Mission (EUTM) Commander in Somalia.“We have been a supporter of the security sector in Somalia and maritime security is a central pillar often overlooked,” Ambassador Lorenzo said in her remarks.“The protection of the Somali coast and over 3,300 kilometers of it, is central not only for the fisheries sector but also for the commercial shipping industry; and in general for the private sector, who wish to have some degree of stability, of security, to be able to invest in such a sector with wealth of prospects,” she added.
Four Arrested As they Tried To Travel To Lybia To Join ISIS
09 May – Source: Daily Nation – 102 words
Three Kenyans and a Somali refugee were arrested in South Sudan on suspicion they were travelling to Libya to join the Islamic State. The Kenyans are Said Ahmed Dabow, Adan Sheikh, Mohamed Abdi Mohamed and the Somali National is Abdiqani Abdishakur Shobay.At the same time police are looking for Nicholas Karanja Mwangi alias Said Mwangi and Dahir Mohamed Dahir. They are suspected of recruiting people for ISIS and smuggling them to Libya. Police on Tuesday circulated their photos and offered Sh4 million to anybody who would give information that would help in their arrest. Police described them as armed and dangerous.
Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society Donates AED650,000 To ERC’s Aid Campaign In Somalia
09 May- Source:Emirates News Agency – 83 Words
The Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society, AD Coop, has donated AED650,000 to the Emirates Red Crescent’s humanitarian campaign, “For You Somalia”, to help victims of famine in Somalia. AD Coop also provided 843 baskets containing various food items for the cause.
Rashid Mubarak Al Mansouri, ERC Deputy Secretary-General for Local Affairs, said that this humanitarian donation reflects the Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society’s generosity, and is a demonstration of the real and positive impact that private sector contributions make to the country’s charitable efforts.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Sorting out security, dividing up power between the centre and the regions, avoiding another famine – all of these are daunting challenges. Hence the importance of the London Conference this week. The stakes are so high that we dare not fail,”
Securing Progress In Somalia
09 May- Source:The Interpreter- 730 Words
It’s never a good sign when the recommended mode of transport through a national capital is by armoured convoy. As I bumped along the streets of Mogadishu during my visit in March, passing one sun-bleached ruin after another, I had a sense of the destruction wrought by Somalia’s years of turmoil.And yet the simple fact that I was able to go to Mogadishu at all – where, today, the Union Flag flies over a British Embassy – is remarkable in itself.Never mind British Foreign Secretaries, for years it was Somalia’s official government that couldn’t visit its own capital – or, indeed, its own country. The Somali cabinet and president used to be stuck in Nairobi, holding endless meetings about a nation they could not enter, let alone govern. In their absence, Mogadishu was abandoned to the depredations of warlords and Islamists, who proceeded to pound its white Italianate boulevards to rubble.
Eventually, the terrorists of al-Shabaab – the East African wing of al-Qaeda – captured most of southern Somalia and imposed their pitiless version of Islamic rule. In the words of one Somali leader, the country became a ‘danger to itself, to its neighbours, to the region and to the entire world’.Today, all that has changed. Brave African soldiers mobilised by the African Union Mission in Somalia – known as AMISOM – turned the tide against al-Shabaab, driving the terrorists out of Mogadishu and liberating thousands of square miles.The official government was able to return to Somalia and begin the painstaking task of rebuilding a state from nothing. In 2013, Britain reopened our Embassy, sending our diplomats to help lead the international effort that has allowed Somalia to rise from the ashes. And in February this year, a milestone was reached when President Farmajo took office in Mogadishu following a peaceful transfer of power.
After decades of bloodshed and anarchy, this is a remarkable story of recovery. But a huge amount remains to be done.That’s why I will co-chair a conference in London on Thursday, 11 May designed to take forward the progress achieved at such cost.So far, AMISOM troops have borne the brunt of the fighting against al-Shabaab, waging this campaign with training and funding from Britain and other Western nations. When I was in Mogadishu, I was privileged to meet the British soldiers who are helping to improve the skills of their AMISOM counterparts. But Somalia cannot rely on outsiders forever: its own forces will have to take responsibility for the security of their own country.
TOP TWEETS
@Oabdiqani:Attending #EuropeDay2017 #Mogadishu #Somalia celebrations with #EU Members States,friends & #Somalia authorities. @EU_in_Somalia @MwomenHRD
@Daudoo: BREAKING: #AlShabaab fighters ambush #Somalia reinforcement convoy heading to #Gofgudud. 2 military vehicles seized, 1 destroyed
@HarunMaruf: Four govt soldiers were killed in roadside explosion in Kabtanlas area, east of Qoryoley town, Monday: regional officials said.
@TheVillaSomalia: Pres Farmaajo; “Improved security for the productive people of Afgooye is our first priority”
@UNdeClercq: Getting ready for London Somalia Conference! Join discussions on security,econ recovery,partnership &follow #NabadiyoNolol #FutureForSomalia
@engyarisow: #Somalia will begin the implementation of National Media Strategy, review the Media Law and introduce Public Awareness Campaign 2 key issues
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo embraces a Somali mother during his visit yesterday to Afgooye.
Photo: Radio Muqdisho