November 24, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
President Farmajo Promises Speeding Up Talks With Somaliland
23 November – Source: Somali Update – 172 Words
Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has congratulated Muse Bihi Abdi on his election as a president of Somaliland. In a statement issued in Mogadishu on Tuesdayevening, President Farmajo praised the peaceful elections conducted in Somaliland, saying the Nov. 13 presidential polls enhanced reputation, and honor to Somali people in general. “I am thanking all parties and candidates who competed in the democratic way. I was closely watching registration procedure, election campaign and vote casting that showed civilization and patience,” President Farmajo said.
President Farmajo pledged to continue talks between Somalia and Somaliland. “To the elected president Muse Bihi Abdi, I am promising that I will work with you on speeding up talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and Somaliland to restore the confidence of people,” Farmajo said. His message comes hours after National Electoral Commission (NEC) declared Mr. Abdi as the winner of the Somaliland presidential election conducted on Nov. 13. Mr. Abdi garnered some 350,909 votes or 55.1 percent of the total votes cast.
Key Headlines
- President Farmajo Promises Speeding up Talks With Somaliland (Somali Update)
- Somalia: Clashes Renew In Galkayo Amid Ceasefire Deal (Garowe Online)
- President Waare Announces The Inauguration Of Army Integration Program (Hiiraan Online)
- Divers Group Says It’s Building U.A.E. Naval Base in Somaliland (Prensa Latina)
- Somaliland’s Fading Chance For Recognition – OpEd (Eurasiareview)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia: Clashes Renew In Galkayo Amid Ceasefire Deal
23 November – Source: Garowe Online – 223 Words
At least five people, including two soldiers, were killed in a renewed fighting in Galkayo city, the regional capital of Mudug province on Thursday, Garowe Online reports. The fighting broke out between local militias belonging to businessmen from Puntland and Galmudug states following a dispute over an area, where a new food store was built in the city’s hectic market. The two soldiers were members of the newly integrated combined Police force drawn from Puntland and Galmudug, who are assigned to ensure security in the volatile city that is divided between the two sides. The clash, which erupted early morning and continued on for several hours, has led to the casualties on warring sides, as well as the civilians while forcing merchants to shut down their businesses.
The authorities of Puntland and Galmudug states are yet to release statement relating to Thursday’s deadly gunfight in the central town but, the joint forces were reported to have intervened in the scuffle. The situation has returned to normal and businesses reopened later today after the gunfire subsided. The outbreak of fighting comes amid ceasefire deal between the two Somali Federal member states. Galkayo town lies on the fault line of the long-running conflict between the two sides, who have previously inked several peace agreements which failed to bring a lasting solution to the recurrent clashes.
President Waare Announces The Inauguration Of Army Integration Program
24 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 127 Words
President of HirShabelle Mohamed Abdi Waare yesterday arrived in Beledweyn, and announced a program that will integrate the national army in line with an earlier agreement endorsed by the federal and regional governments. President Waare stated that the first initial phase will be to train a consignment of an integrated police force unit in Beledweyn mostly will be recruited from HirShabelle region. “The plan is to launch here in Beledweyn training camp to integrate the police force that will mostly be recruited from HirShabelle region” said the president.
In regards to the training of army, the British and UNSOM will be provide assistance the president added. The federal and regional government have agreed to establish a multilateral army forces in order to support and protect the country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Divers Group Says It’s Building U.A.E. Naval Base in Somaliland
24 November – Source: Prensa Latina – 160 Words
Divers Marine Contracting LLC started construction of a United Arab Emirates naval base in a semi-autonomous region of northern Somalia. The Sharjah-based engineering group began work on the project after being awarded the $90 million contract in April, Managing Director Abdulla Darwish said in an interview in Dubai. The facility, being built near the regional port of Berbera, is expected to be completed by June, he said.
Berbera is located on the Gulf of Aden, 260 kilometers (162 miles) south of Yemen, where U.A.E. troops in a Saudi Arabia-led coalition are battling Houthi rebels. Somaliland’s foreign minister said in May that the U.A.E. leased the airport in Berbera for 25 years as part of a pact for a military base. The Somaliland naval base will include a 300-meter (984-foot) L-shaped inland berthing port with a depth of 7 meters ‘to support the military airport,’ accommodating naval vessels to patrol the Gulf of Aden, according to Darwish.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Somaliland has owed much of its internal stability to the 1993 Boroma conference, where questions pertaining to representation and power-sharing between clans were resolved through the clans’ effective institutionalization. Clans were “turned” into parties, with the two most important ones – Habar Awal and Habar Yonis – controlling the country’s major political entities: the Kulmiye and Wadani party, respectively.”
Somaliland’s Fading Chance For Recognition
23 November – Source: Eurasia Review – 946 Words
When Somaliland went to the polls last week, the self-declared state had more at stake than a transfer of power. The vote, if conducted in a peaceful and orderly way, would have been a chance for the self-declared state to make a compelling bid for international recognition. While the polls themselves occurred without major hiccups, violence erupted afterwards, when the Wadani opposition party to the ruling Kulmiye party claimed serious polling irregularities. In the ensuing chaos, seven people were killed amid outgoing President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo’s pleas for all sides to show restraint.
The recent developments are an unexpected tragedy for a would-be country known for its relative stability since it declared independence from Somalia in 1991. For seasoned observers, it wasn’t surprising that in the electoral run-up, the authorities seemed committed to get things right. Unlike neighboring Kenya, whose electoral process was flawed from the very beginning, the Somaliland government sought to avoid such attacks by using biometric voter registration in a bid to ensure the legitimacy of the vote. What’s more, outgoing President Silanyo banned government staff from using state funds for campaigning, and urged state media to provide equal coverage of all candidates. The nominees also participated in a presidential debate that was live-streamed from the capital, leading international observers to brand the process a success.
However, all these accomplishments are now on the verge of being undone. The accusations of vote-rigging levied against Kulmiye by Wadani party candidate Abdiraham Irro are threatening to throw Somaliland into political disarray. Not only is this undermining the state’s claim to legitimacy and recognition, it also has potentially far-reaching consequences. Without international recognition, Somaliland will face difficulties gaining international assistance to achieve a lasting peace accord with Somalia. Strategically located at the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland is crucial for achieving greater stability and security in the region.
Along with the allegations, Wadani officials suspended cooperation with the National Election Commission (NEC) and presented a book of empty ballot papers supposedly forged by Kulmiye. The announcement was enough to incite hundreds of irate Wadani supporters to take to the streets in clashes with law enforcement. It is true that the riots have so far been relatively small and highly localized. But they may point to rising tensions simmering beneath the surface that are now coming to the fore. As such, they carry a serious inherent risk of fracturing what is still a clan-based society. Somaliland has owed much of its internal stability to the 1993 Boroma conference, where questions pertaining to representation and power-sharing between clans were resolved through the clans’ effective institutionalization. Clans were “turned” into parties, with the two most important ones – Habar Awal and Habar Yonis – controlling the country’s major political entities: the Kulmiye and Wadani party, respectively.
The new system established an upper house of clan elders, fusing indigenous forms of organization with contemporary modes of governance that ensured a democratic, consensus-based governing system. That way, political leaders succeeded in implementing a constitutional mechanism for settling differences, rather than resorting to violence. While this broadly appeased society, clan competition continues and society remains formally divided along clan lines, most of which are in coalition with either Kulmiye or Wadani. Still, there is no indication that the riots were orchestrated from the top. In fact, amidst the violence, it did not take long for Wadani officials to reach an agreement with the NEC. Consequently, cooperation with NEC was restored and an investigation into the allegations will be initiated. The swift resolution was hailed by international observers and regarded as proof that all parties continue to support the electoral code of conduct signed in April this year.
TOP TWEETS
@ThabitMhd: Great meeting with Amb Bekar. Grateful for the continued support for Benadir Regional Administration & Mogadishu Municipality @TC_Somalia
@engyarisow: Thanks to Hormuud Telcom for donating 5 Dialysis machines to Erdogan (Ex-Digfer) Hospital in#Mogadishu, #Somalia
@Goobjoognews: SOMALI PARLIAMENT paid over $700,000 to families of 26 deceased MPs since 2013 –
@AbdulBillowAli: Authorities in #Somalia are celebrating the latest victory against Al-Shabaab after a US airstrike killed 100 militants in the Bay region.
@Goobjoognews: HALT DEBATE on bills until we’re consulted, State leaders tell Senate –
@HarunMaruf: After a hard fought election Somaliland political rivals embrace publicly as President-elect @musebiihi meets the main opposition leader Abdirahman Irro. (H/T @Rooble2009)
@Goobjoognews: DIVERS MARINE starts construction of UAE’s naval base in Berbera –
@mpfsomalia: 6 ICT position with the newly established National Communications Authority in #Somalia. Search under “Business Opportunities” https://wbgeconsult2.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Construction of a modern football stadium underway in Las Anod in northern Somalia.
Photo: @AbdulBillowAli