October 13, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
There Is Ongoing Plan To Remove Al-Shabaab From Southwest, Says President Sharif Hassan
13 October – Source: Dhacdo.com – 119 Words
Southwest President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden said they are working on a plan along with federal government and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to launch a major offensive aimed at liberating areas in Southwest that are still under the control of Al-Shabaab. President Aden said they developed the plan that will see the liberation of Al-Shabaab from the region. He noted that regional state leaders, who recently met in Kismayo also underlined the need for collaboration among regional states in the fight against Al-Shabaab. Speaking about the AMISOM mission, President Aden said it is not yet time for AMISOM to withdraw from the country since the reconstruction of the Somali National Army is yet to be achieved.
Key Headlines
- There Is Ongoing Plan To Remove Al-Shabaab From Southwest Says President Sharif Hassan (Dhacdo.com)
- Somalia: Qatar Recruiting Soldiers In Somalia For Combat (Garowe Online)
- Turkish Government To Implement Projects Promised By President Erdogan (Jowhar.com)
- “Black Tea Was All I Could Give To My Children” (Care International)
- Somalia And Turkey Reap Rewards From Mutually Beneficial Relationship (TRT World)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia: Qatar Recruiting Soldiers In Somalia For Combat
13 October – Source: Garowe Online – 460 Words
Garowe Online has learnt, following an investigation, that Qatar began recruiting soldiers in Somalia to increase its defense force. The report says high-ranking officials at Villa Somalia, the country’s Presidential Palace are facilitating the recruitment program which is currently underway in several Somali semi-autonomous regions. Reporter in Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland, has visited passport office, where he interviewed youngsters lined up for Somali passports, and preparing to travel to Qatar. “We are here to get Somali passports, and will wait 20 days period for a Visa from Qatar, where we will undergo military training to become soldiers,” said one of the youths, speaking to GO on condition of anonymity.
These young men revealed to GO that Qatar will pay $6,000 for each soldier after the training courses. Hotels in Garowe are packed with youths recruited from Somaliland and other parts from Somalia. In Mogadishu, at least ten persons said to be employees working for the Ministries of Somalia’s Federal Government were dispatched to Qatar, becoming the first batch of the cadets, according to the sources. It is unclear whether the Somali Government and Federal Member States are aware of the plan to recruit the unemployed youths taking passport to leave for Qatar as they are ‘being lured’ by Qatari agents. On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, along with several Arab allies, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in a move that sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East and beyond, including Somalia. Doha is working on plans to increase its army and eyeing the unemployed youths in poor countries, including Somalia, where it is recruiting low paid soldiers for a purpose to strengthen its military capability. Last week, Turkey which threw support behind Qatar in rift with Gulf Arab States has set up its biggest overseas military training base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, increasing Ankara’s presence in the Horn of Africa country.
Turkey has influence in Somalia, as Turkish firms, including Al Bayrak manages Mogadishu’s port in a two-decade contract, while Favori LLC is handling the lucrative Aden Adde International Airport. Somali Federal Government stayed neutral on the Gulf Crisis, a decision that sparked political crisis in the country after several Federal State Members disagreed and sided with Saudi-led bloc against Qatar. The leaders of five regional states wrapped up last Wednesday a two-day meeting in Kismayo with a joint communiqué suspending temporarily reviews on the country’s draft constitution until deal is reached in resource sharing. The Villa Somalia Chief of Staff, Fahad Yasin, who is also one of the President’s Aides has a “very close relationship” with Qatar, as he worked many years for Doha-based Al-Jazeera’s Arabic Channel. Mr. Yasin became head of an organization that conducts research projects in East Africa before shifting to the Somali politics.
Turkish Government To Implement Projects Promised By President Erdogan
13 October – Source: Jowhar.com – 192 Words
Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction of the Federal Government of Somalia, Mr. Sadiq Abdullahi Abdi said that housing projects that the Turkish Government has promised to implement in Mogadishu plans are going well. A presentation of the implementation of buildings projects was handed over to the minister in the capital city of Ankara, where the Minister of Commerce and Taxation, TIKA Development Agency, the Ministry of Development Education and Foreign Affairs held meetings. The Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction of Somalia requested from the Turkish authorities to contribute to the rebuilding efforts of the country.
Minister Abdullahi said the Turkish Government and Turkish Public Institutions are both ready and willing to assist Somalia in rebuilding efforts of the country. The Turkish Minister of Commerce and Taxation said they will stand by the Somali people. The Minister also encouraged Turkish business people to invest in Mogadishu and welcomed Turkish Businesses. A committee was organized to implement and build 10,000 houses in Somalia which Minister Abdullahi worked on ever since taking over the ministry. While in Turkey, Abdullahi will also meet with officials from various government agencies and request for more support.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
“Black Tea Was All I Could Give To My Children”
12 October – Source: Care International – 337 Words
Hodu, in her 20s, lives in Oodweyne village in Burao in Somaliland. She is a mother of three children. Her oldest child is four years old, her youngest one year. She is also expecting her fourth child. Her family lost all their 20 goats and sheep during the drought. “We struggled putting food on the table. There were many days when we had nothing to eat and we went to bed hungry,” Hodu says.
Somaliland has faced many crises in recent times including drought and an outbreak of cholera. Thousands of subsistence farmers have lost all their livestock, and with it, their livelihoods and their food source. And of course they too are without water due to the drought. In total, more than 18 million people across the region are facing food insecurity.
Hodu and her family depended on the animals to have food to eat. They went for days without food. On many days, she gave her children black tea. That was their only meal in the evening. Sometimes their neighbors shared maize with them, so they could at least eat a little bit of food. “We had to find an alternative source of income, so my husband started burning and selling charcoal at the market. Most people do not have the money to buy it, though, so he operates mainly by loaning out the charcoal.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Ankara decided to look beyond the politics of men in suits; it took a pragmatic approach. Turkish charities immediately arrived in Somalia to distribute food supplies. At the same time other projects started, such as rebuilding the airport, the port and the largest hospital in the country, as well as the main roads in the capital. Erdogan announced that Turkish Airlines would start flying to Somalia the first international carrier to do so for more than two decades enabling the Somali diaspora easy access to the country.”
Somalia And Turkey Reap Rewards From Mutually Beneficial Relationship
12 October – Source: TRT World – 1136 Words
If you want to fly to Mogadishu, it will likely be via Turkish Airlines, the only international carrier flying into Somalia. You will arrive in a spanking new terminal run by Favori LLC, a Turkish company. The roads are freshly tarmacked by TIKA, Turkey’s development agency. The solar-powered street lights also from TIKA. The Turkish Red Crescent provides everything from refuse collection, road construction, waste water treatment to debris removal. Several thousand Somali students also study in Turkey on government scholarships. In all, Turkey doesn’t suffer from a lack of ambition. So what is Turkey doing in Somalia and why is it so popular with us Somalis? What’s behind the emergence of so many Turkish flags in Mogadishu? These are some of the questions asked by officials and observers from Western nations, neighbours, and some Arab countries. They are puzzled by the sudden rise of Turkey in Somalia. The problem, however, lies with their arrogance and their determination to keep Somalia in a subservient position. Ask any Somali about Turkey and they will give you a candid answer.
Simply put, Turkey is popular with Somalis because its intentions and approach benefits both peoples. The two nations have historic links but renewed relations began in August 2011, during the height of the Somali famine. Two planes carrying Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, along with a delegation of politicians, business people, charity workers and the media landed in Mogadishu. It was clear Erdogan and his team were responding to the graphic pictures of malnourished children they saw on their television screens. Millions of Somalis inside the country were suffering from acute hunger, and many more were deeply traumatised. We felt powerless and abandoned by the world. However, Erdogan’s visit lifted Somali morale and brought much needed global attention to the crises. Turkey came to our rescue during one of our most desperate times. That’s how the Turkish people won the hearts and minds of the Somali people. I was covering the famine at the time and I met some of those affected by the disaster. The suffering that I witnessed will always remain with me.
What particularly made me angry was hearing from humanitarian agencies that the US had decided to withhold aid and told others to follow suit. Officials in Washington thought if the local population were starved, they would turn against Al Shabab thereby weakening the group. That cynical strategy of using food aid as a weapon didn’t bring the demise of Al-Shabaab — but it has certainly contributed to the deaths of thousands of poor Somalis. Ankara decided to look beyond the politics of men in suits; it took a pragmatic approach. Turkish charities immediately arrived in Somalia to distribute food supplies. At the same time other projects started, such as rebuilding the airport, the port and the largest hospital in the country, as well as the main roads in the capital.
TOP TWEETS
@Radiohiran: Somalia: “Black tea was all I could give to my children” http://www.hiiraanweyn.net/
@cgtnafrica: #Somalia’s top military chiefs resign, no reason given http://ow.ly/DTtT30fQvc8
@HarunMaruf: Gunmen fired on a wedding convoy last night in Mogadishu’s Dharkaynlay district, groom among at least 3 wounded in the incident: reports
@ahmedvision1: Somalia’s traditional livelihood coping mechanism might not sustainable anymore, many of the droughts affected families are living in dire situation even during good years #Call2ActionFF
@HarunMaruf: Breaking: UAE’s DP World/P&O ports takes over Puntland’s Bosaso port in a 30-yr concession to develop, manage; deal worth $336m: officials.
.@engyarisow: Somali cabinet approved Gen Abdiweli Jama Hussein (Gorod) as the new Chief of Army following the resignation of Gen Ahmed Jimale (Cirfid)
.@Goobjoognews: According to the Accountant General’s June 2017 report, domestic revenue was $10.2m against external grant of $4.7m
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Hirshabelle Regional President Mohamed Abdi Waare receives vehicle from the Somali Police Commissioner Abdihakim Dahir Said.
Photo: Radio Dalsan