May 24, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali Prime Minister To Visit Troops At Balli Doogle Airbase
24 May – Source: Shabelle News – 105 words
A delegation led by Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre is expected to pay a short visit to Lower Shabelle region, to boost morale of military troops fighting against Al-Shabaab in the region. Sources said PM Khayre will spend hours with soldiers stationed at Balli Doogle.During his stay at the military base, 110kms south-west of Mogadishu, Khayre is set to meet with the chiefs of armed forces forces, to discuss the war on Al-Shabaab. The military base hosts over 1,500 soldiers driven out of Mogadishu few days ago by the government after staging a short-lived mutiny in protest over their unpaid salaries.
Key Headlines
- Somali Prime Minister to Visit Troops At Balli Doogle Airbase (Shabelle News)
- Prime Minister Khayre: “We Will Not Accept Armored Vehicles In Mogadishu Streets” (Jowhar.com)
- Banadir Regional Administration Appoints 15 District Commissioners (Jowhar.com)
- AMISOM Supplies Water For Mogadishu Community (The Citizen)
- Three Kenyan Police Killed In Landmine Attack Claimed By Al-Shabaab (Reuters)
- Horn Of Africa: Ports In Puntland & Somaliland To Compete (African Business News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Prime Minister Khayre: “We Will Not Accept Armored Vehicles In Mogadishu Streets”
24 May, Source: Jowhar – 155 words
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre said that his government will not accept vehicle mounted with heavy weaponry to be driven around in city of Mogadishu. Prime Minister Khayre said the city of Mogadishu is like a mirror that needs to be protected and said “ we will not accept pickup trucks mounted with heavy weapons to be driven around in the city. He further stated that the cabinet has reached an agreement that no official should have more than four AK47 guns and two cars.” The Prime Minister announced that the operations to seize and collect weapons have begun and requested the public to be patient while security forces carry out these activities. He spoke of the changes that his government is working on including securing the country and thus, need support. The security forces yesterday carried out operations in around the city and during that time, they exchanged gunfire with another group who were also armed.
Banadir Regional Administration Appoints 15 District Commissioners
24 May – Source: Jowhar.com – 217 words
Banadir regional administration on Wednesday announced the appointment of 15 District Commissioners for Banadir region. Five of the new district commissioners are women, making it the highest number of women to join the Banadir administration. The appointment was made in a decree signed by the ministry of internal affairs. The replaced commissioners were in office since 2014. Eight of the new district commissioners hold foreign passports with six of them holding British passports. The appointments were based on the 4.5 power sharing system. Banadir governor and Mogadishu Mayor Thabit Mohamed said he was pleased to introduce the new team of District Commissioners of Banadir regional administration and promised to work on ‘creating a safe, clean and livable city’.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Supplies Water For Mogadishu Community
24 May – Source: The Citizen – 311 words
The local community living near the African Union base camp in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, are now enjoying an uninterrupted supply of clean water. A water point constructed by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), was handed over to the community on Tuesday, by the AU Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira. “Efforts to bring peace to Somalia is not only through bullets, it is also about making the people happy and satisfied; and having water is a basic human right,” Ambassador Madeira told the beneficiaries, during a handover ceremony of the water project.The project was prioritised by the community as critical for their survival and well being. “We thank you for providing us with security; we are thankful to AMISOM because you give us food, and sometimes the soldiers share their rations with us,” Abdi Ibrahim Yasin, a leader in the community stated, as he expressed gratitude for the water supply.
The project implemented by indigenous contractors and completed within two months of inception, has six distribution points, and will benefit 76 households with approximately 250 people, who live in close proximity to the camp. “We believe that community engagement is an essential part of supporting the mandate of AMISOM, in order to achieve our objectives here,” Dr Opiyo Ododa, the AMISOM Senior Civil Affairs Officer and Head of Stabilisation and Early Recovery said. The community consists of former Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who settled near the AMISOM base camp. Previously, they received water from AMISOM through water boozers, after every three days, but are now assured of constant flow of water close to their residential homes. The water project was funded by United Kingdom, through the African Union Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development, at a cost of over $34,000. Local elders will appoint a management committee who will ensure continued viability of the project.
Three Kenyan Police Killed In Landmine Attack Claimed By Al-Shabaab
24 May – Source: Reuters – 338 words
Three police officers were killed in eastern Kenya on Wednesday when their vehicle hit a landmine, a senior official said, in an attack claimed by Somali jihadist group al Shabaab. The officers were part of a three-vehicle early morning patrol in the Somali border region when their truck hit the improvised explosive device (IED), North Eastern regional commissioner Mohamud Ali Saleh said. “The police car ran over an IED and we have casualties. All the dead officers are from one work station,” Saleh told Reuters, without revealing the number of wounded officers. “From past incidences, it is easy to see that even this one is the work of our enemy, the al Shabaab. They plant these IEDs to target our security people.”
The Kenyan Red Cross said on Twitter eight officers had been wounded. “We are behind the attack in Liboi area. We destroyed the police car. Some died and others were injured,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman told Reuters. The Garissa county in which the incident happened has suffered several attacks linked to al Shabaab in the last few years, including a 2015 assault on a university in which 148 people were killed. Al-Shabaab, which seeks to topple Somalia’s government and impose its own harsh interpretation of Sharia law, says it will continue to attack Kenya until Nairobi withdraws its troops from an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The police said on Tuesday they were on alert for an increase in violence after al Shabaab fighters were detected moving into Kenya in small groups. “These groups are dispatching operatives into parts of North Eastern Region to lay IEDs along the routes used by our security patrols in efforts to frustrate our security operations at the border areas,” it said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“At the start of March, DP World began its 30 concession to develop and operate the nearby port of Berbera in Somaliland. The company is committed to investing $442m in what will be a similar sized development to Bosaso.”
Horn Of Africa: Ports In Puntland & Somaliland To Compete
24 May, Source: African Business Magazines – 645 words
Puntland and Somaliland have managed to isolate themselves to some extent from the quarter century of chaos that has engulfed rump-Somalia. Yet their lack of sovereign status has deterred investment and more rapid economic development. However, both governments are now banking on the development of modern container ports to kick start more rapid growth. According to sources in Puntland, the government in close to reaching an agreement with DP World to develop a multi-purpose port at Bosaso, although President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali says there are still some details to finalise. Investment of $336m has been mooted, which would include the construction of a 450m quay, an unspecified number of berths, container storage capacity and container handling equipment. In common with other similar projects on the continent, the state will retain ownership of the port but it will be operated under a 30 year concession. The investment will be made in two phases. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of Puntland declaring itself independent.
At the start of March, DP World began its 30 concession to develop and operate the nearby port of Berbera in Somaliland. The company is committed to investing $442m in what will be a similar sized development to Bosaso. A 400m quay is to be constructed and a free zone developed to encourage job creation. Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo said: “It will bring back and highlight the commercial position and importance of the Port of Berbera as a Red Sea gateway for the Middle East and Africa.” Bolloré Africa Logistics had previously indicated its interest in developing Berbera and held talks with President Silanyo. The group chairman and chief executive of DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, added: “This is part of our vision to act as an enabler of trade and to facilitate growth by helping African countries develop their infrastructure that connects them to global markets. These are exciting times for our industry and for Africa…Investment in this natural deepwater port and free zone will act as a catalyst for the growth of the country and the region’s economy.” Both projects seem to have been mooted now because of the fall in the incidence of Somali piracy over several years. In addition, the Suez Canal Authority has introduced a number of discounted rates for different classes of vessel. The two factors are encouraging more ships to travel between Asia and the Mediterranean Basin via the Red Sea and Suez Canal, rather than taking the more circuitous route around the Cape of Good Hope.
Located on the approaches to the Red Sea, Bosaso and Berbera are well placed to take advantage of this trade. The domestic trade needs of both semi-autonomous states are very limited but their respective ports can attract transhipment business, with containers offloaded here to be transferred onto other vessels. Why DP World? It is interesting that it is DP World that is focusing on Bosaso and Berbera, as the company already operates a container port in neighbouring Djibouti. It could simply be keen to stymie any competition to Djibouti before it emerges but the Dubai-based firm could be eager to provide more transhipment options and additional capacity in anticipation of rising trade volumes. Berbera in particular is well placed to serve landlocked Ethiopia. Although Djibouti’s position as the main entrepôt for Ethiopia has been strengthened by the construction of the new railway between the port and Addis Ababa, the government of Somaliland is confident that it can take a share of the business. It estimates that it can target about a third of the population of Ethiopia if the planned highway between Berbera and Ethiopia is actually completed. The UAE has also signed an agreement to develop a military base just outside Berbera, probably for use in the Yemen War. The two Berbera projects are starting to draw people and investment into the city.
TOP TWEETS
@DConcar: Useful report on aid flows to Somalia. Underlines need for Somali businesses to support their country by paying tax http://so.one.un.org/content/
@VOANews: Militants Attack 14 villages in Southern Somalia http://dlvr.it/PD7JQR
@radiogarowe: #Puntland VP Abdihakim Omar Amay accuses @ElmanPeaceHRC of freeing dozens of #AlShabaab prisoners transferred to #Mogadishu. @UNHumanRights.
@HarunMaruf:Pres Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo of Somalia arrives in Djibouti for an official visit, opens talks with Pres Ismail Omar Guelleh.
@SomaliPM: Hosted a dinner reception 2nite for independent media and encouraged them to be part of the essential tools to develop #Somalia
@MohamoudXiddig: A young student in #Puntland his dream cme true.after taking his finalexams.Thanknx #PuntnadEducationMinistary.
@HarunMaruf: Remember this name: Barkhad Bulshale, the soldier who died after stopping the bomber in Bosaso forcing him to detonate before reaching target.
@ThabitMhd: Pleased to introduce the new team of District Commissioners of BRA. Looking forward to create a safe, clean & livable city & region together
@SomaliPM: SomaliPM Retweeted Mikael Lindval It was my pleasure. Our women have always been the backbone and strength of our society thus it was pleasant to drop in. #Somalia
@Aynte: Congratulations to my friends @Cantoobo & A/Karim Ali-Kaar who are appointed District Commissioners of Hodan & Howlwadaag in #Mogadishu
@SenatorAbshir: The election of #Somali Health Minister @AbikarDr as one of the Vice Presidents of WHO Assembly is a remarkable feat & progress for Somalia.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ‘Farmaajo’ speaks at the inauguration ceremony of Doraleh port, 15km from Djibouti City.
PHOTO: @TheVillaSomalia