November 16, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
President Farmaajo Set To Visit UAE Next Week
16 November – Source: Jowhar.com – 125 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo is set to visit the United Arab Emirates next week after receiving an official invitation. Various news sources close to Villa Somalia and Office of the Prime Minister confirmed that President Farmaajo would be traveling to the United Arab Emirates, on November 20th. Reports added, that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is involved in an attempt to bring the UAE and Somalia countries closer, following Somali government’s decision to stay neutral in the Gulf Crisis.
Some of Somalia’s regional administration leaders are also expected to visit UAE next week, among them, Southwest President Sharif Hassan and Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas. UAE has in recent past had a visible influence on Somalia’s politics, forming strong relations with regional state administrations.
Key Headlines
- President Farmaajo Set To Visit UAE Next Week (Jowhar.com)
- Government And Constitutional Review Bodies Sign MoU To Jump-start Process (Goobjoog News)
- Cabinet To Hold Weekly Meeting In Baidoa (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia: Mayor Thabit In Rome To Bolster Investment In Mogadishu (Allafrica)
- Defense One: US Airstrikes in Somalia on Exponential Rise (Newmax.com)
- What Somalia And The Rest of Africa Should Learn from Somaliland (Face2Face Africa)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Government And Constitutional Review Bodies Sign MoU To Jump-start Process
15 November – Source: Goobjoog News
The Ministry of Constitutional Affairs, Parliamentary Oversight Committee and the Constitutional Review and Implementation Commission, have signed a memorandum of understanding, outlining their roles and working relationship in what could end long running feuds between the ministry and the two bodies. The signing of the MoU on Tuesday was a major step, in resolving disputes between the ministry and the two committees and paved the way to restart the review and implementation process of the constitution, that stalled due to disagreements.
Constitutional Affairs Minister, Abdirahman Hosh Jibril, pledged that his ministry will honour the agreement, and implement it accordingly. The Oversight Committee chairman Mr. Abdi Qeybdiid and the Constitutional Review and Implementation Commission (CRIC) acting chairperson Mr. Abdalla Salah, also expressed confidence and promised to abide by all terms of the agreement. The signing which was witnessed by the Speaker of House Mohamed Jawaari, Senate First Deputy Speaker Abshir Bukhari, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, and his deputy Mr. Mahdi Guled, comes a month after the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs cancelled a constitutional conferences that was scheduled for October 10 as the two other bodies boycotted citing overstep of the ministry.
The Oversight Committee which draws membership from both Houses of Parliament and the CRIC, had accused Minister Hosh of seizing their powers, and conducting constitutional review process unilaterally. A meeting between the House leaders, Oversight Committee and the Federal Government, in September failed to yield any settlement as the Ministry went ahead to convene the conference. Federal Member States (FMS) also announced they would give the conference a wide berth. A meeting by President Mohamed Farmaajo and FMS leaders early this month resolved to re-start the review and implementation process noting the process must be completed by 2018 to pave way for the national referendum to formally adopt a new constitution. The leaders witnessing yesterday’s signing of the MoU hailed the agreement and called for respect and adherence of all the terms of the agreement.
Cabinet To Hold Weekly Meeting In Baidoa
16 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 133 Words
Somalia’s Council of Ministers is set to hold its weekly meeting in Baidoa, the interim capital of the Southwest regional administration, today. On Wednesday, a delegation led by State Minister of the Office of the Prime Minister arrived in Baidoa, with a delegation led by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and accompanied by his Cabinet expected to arrive in the city today.
The meeting is expected to discuss several issues including the expansion of government administration, military offensives against Al-Shabaab among others. The security of Baidoa was bolstered mainly due to this meeting that is will take place there today. It is not the first time that the Council of Ministers holds its meeting outside Mogadishu. In mid-July, it held a similar meeting in Kismayo, the interim capital of the Jubbaland administration.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia: Mayor Thabit In Rome To Bolster Investment In Mogadishu
16 November – Source: All Africa – 153 Words
Ten African cities, Italian government and international relations on Wednesday gathered in Rome for the African Cities Investment Conference. Somalia’s capital Mogadishu was among the ten African cities represented in the conference that aims at linking growing urban centers to investors in Italy. “We are here under invitation by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs” Mogadishu Mayor Thabit Mohamed said after the end of day one of the conference. In his speech at the conference Mayor Thabit highlighted the recent achievements made by Mogadishu in the face of security challenges.
There has been an economic boom in Mogadishu. Many people are moving to Mogadishu. Many are investing in the city” he said. The conference is expected to end with deliberations that would bolster investment in the ten African cities including Mogadishu. Thabit noted the steady expansion and growth of the city limits of Mogadishu in recent time due to a rise in population.
Defense One: US Airstrikes In Somalia On Exponential Rise
15 November- Source: Newmax.com – 157 Words
The U.S. military has increased its air strikes on terrorists in Somalia more than four times the average over the previous seven years, Defense One reported. According to Defense One, the U.S. Africa Command reported 14 strikes since August have brought the year’s total to 18. The strikes have largely been carried out by drones, and no official number of fatalities has been released, the outlet reported. The Bureau for Investigative Journalism estimates the death toll is between 88 and 124 from nearly 30 strikes this year — far more than the Pentagon claims.
The increase comes as ISIS has lost nearly all of its territory across Iraq and Syria — Defense One reported — and in the wake of President Donald Trump’s order in March that “allows the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct lethal action against al-Shabab within a geographically defined area of active hostilities in support of partner forces in Somalia.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“It is also a big challenge for the people of southern Somalia to put their differences aside and embrace peace. The fact that their brothers and sisters in Somaliland have been able to coexist for years without any major disruption of peace is an indication that they too can find a lasting solution to their problems,”
What Somalia And The Rest Of Africa Should Learn from Somaliland
16 November- Source: Face2face Africa – 460 Words
On Monday, citizens of the self-proclaimed Somaliland lined up at over 1.500 polling stations to elect their fifth President. Everyone, including the young and the elderly, was eager to make their choice. But on top of choosing their leader, the residents also hoped to use the third presidential election to prove their democratic credentials and show the world that they are a maturing democracy. It also offered a perfect chance for them to strengthen their push for independence from the troubled Somalia. Occupying the northern part of the Horn of Africa country, Somaliland, which enjoys more political and ethnic stability than many countries in East Africa, broke away from the rest of Somalia in 1991 and has since been pushing for autonomy.
The former British protectorate gained independence in 1960, but later joined with the now war-torn Somalia. The tiny state has been under President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud since 2010 but he is not seeking re-election. Monday’s election, which had attracted three candidates, went on smoothly, with the vote counting exercise commencing immediately after the voting closed. Among the three contenders were Muse Bihi, a seasoned politician, Abdirahman Iro and Faysal Ali Warabe. The election was supposed to be held in 2015 but problems of drought and technical glitches forced the government to push it to 2017.
While its southern counterpart has not known peace since the early 1990s, Somaliland has always enjoyed peaceful and democratic transition of governments after every five years. In fact, Somaliland is considered to be one of the most democratic states in East Africa. A good example of the extent of democracy in the tiny state is the just concluded election, which involved televised presidential debates and the use of biometric voter identification systems – a luxury that voters in southern Somalia don’t have. Actually, the election was the first in Africa to use an eye-scan biometric technology, which authorities say prevented people from voting twice. More than 700,000 registered voters are said to have participated in the poll, whose results are expected to be announced before Friday.
TOP TWEETS
@AbdusalamHOmer: This is an important warning for African governments to do what is right. It says Invest in your people to avert disaster!
@SahraCabdi: Rumors indicates that, ministerial reshuffle is on the way, & many ministers will resign in the coming day ahead of the reshuffle.”
@gconway_UNDP: Meet Adan: The man operating free ambulance service http://www.nation.co.ke/news/
@Abdi_AlSheikh: What Somalia and the Rest of Africa Should Learn from Somaliland – Face2Face Africahttp://dlvr.it/Q1Chpq #Somalia
@natsecwatson:This morning I wondered where US airstrikes were falling in Somalia this year.
So I took a look — http://www.defenseone.com/
@HarunMaruf: UN Security Council maintains partial lifting of arms embargo on Somalia for one yearhttps://www.un.org/apps/news/
@HarunMaruf: Hearing this strike targeted a group of Al-Shabab militants at a checkpoint near Warmahun village in Lower Shabelle region, several reportedly dead. US drones are now increasingly targeting Al-Shabab foot soldiers.#Somalia https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
@DrBeileh: Productive day of discussions with donors &@mpfsomalia on successes, challenges & the way forward. Partnership is key to fiscal & economic progress in Somalia. Thankful for all donor & @mpfsomalia support.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden in Baraawe.
Photo: @SomaliPM