January 8, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Somalia President Arrives In Garowe , Receives Warm Welcome
07 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 160 Words
Somalia President , Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Sunday arrived in Puntland’s Garowe town following planned two-day visit to the state. The president and his entourage were received by the Puntland Sate President, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas at the airport. Hundreds of regional security forces backed by federal troops were assigned to secure the city during the president’s stay as he was scheduled to open Garowe’s main airport.
A private plane carrying the president touched down at the airport where he shook hands with state officials and meet with crowds of residents that come out to welcome him. Officials at the airport said that the President will be holding meetings with regional officials after airport’s opening ceremony and will further discuss on issues concerning security and collaborations with the higher state officials. Somalia President will also be attending the celebration of the fourth anniversary since President Gaas was elected which is set to take place at the statehouse on Monday night.
Key Headlines
- Somalia President Arrives In Garowe Receives Warm Welcome (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia Lobbies To Secure Its Former Foreign Minister Top IGAD Job (Hiiraan Online)
- Three New Federal Ministers Sworn In Today (Goobjoog News)
- Adan Duale: Kenya Never Planned To Encroach Into Somali Territory (Hiiraan Online)
- Suspected Al-Shabaab Militants Cut Off Communication In Kenya’s Border Town (Xinhua Online)
- Kenya Likely To Compensate Somalia Over Oil Exploration On Disputed Sea Area (The Standard Kenya)
- Corroding Our Nascent Democracy: How the Government Introduced a Rule of Tyranny in Somalia (Goobjoog News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Lobbies To Secure Its Former Foreign Minister Top IGAD Job
07 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 354 Words
The Somali government is lobbying for its former foreign minister, Abdusalaam Hadliye Omer to be the next Executive Secretary of The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) an eight-country trading block in East Africa. The current head of the regional bloc, Mahboub Maalim is expected to step down after leading the organization for eight consecutive years since 2009. Reliable sources at the Somali foreign ministry told Hiiraan Online that Somalia which never lead the bloc is seeking to secure the Executive Secretary’s position.
The source said Somalia submitted the name of the country’s former Foreign minister for the post as IGAD approaches its session to choose new Executive Secretary. “Abdusalam Hadliye Omer who has extraordinary experience has been endorsed by the Somali government to replace Mahboub Maalim as the Executive Secretary of IGAD,” said the top ministry official who spoke to Hiiraan Online on condition anonymity. Somali leaders have written to IGAD leaders urging them to support the candidate from the Horn of Africa nation which is now recovering from more than two decades of civil war, according to the official. IGAD will choose new Executive Secretary this year as Mahboub’s term is coming to an end.
Somalia never held the office of the Executive Secretary which has been rotational turn since the bloc was founded in 1986. Abdusalam has held several position in Somali government. In 2013 he served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia. He later served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under Omar Abdirashid from 2015 to March 2017. The current Executive Secretary, Mahboub is the fifth since the establishment of the organization. Moalim who is a national of Kenya took over the office from Attalla Bashir of Sudan who had served two terms between 2000 and 2008. Djibouti which hosts the headquarters of IGAD and South Sudan who joined the bloc after its independence in 2011 are among the countries yet to lead the organization. Some of the troop-contributing countries including Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda and Ethiopia are Members of IGAD.
Three New Federal Ministers Sworn In Today
07 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 137 Words
The three newly appointed federal ministers have been sworn today into their respective office in Mogadishu. Foreign affairs Ahmed Isse Awad, Trade and Industry Abid Hayir Mareeye, and Interior and Federalism, Abdi Mohamed Sabriye today took the oath of office in a brief event held in the Somali capital.
Four days ago, Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire sacked Ministers Yussuf Omar Garad of foreign affairs; Abdi Farah Juha of Interior and Federalism; Khadra Ahmed Duale of Trade and Industry replacing them with the new ministers through an announcement made by the federal minister of Information and Culture Abdirahman Omar Osman on Somali National Television (SNTV). Minister Awad was then the Somali ambassador to the US before his appointment. Sabriye is a telecom businessman while Mohamed Abdi Mareye is a former minister and currently a federal MP.
Adan Duale: Kenya Never Planned To Encroach Into Somali Territory
07 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 236 Words
The government of Kenya has never planned to encroach into territory of its neighbouring country, Somalia, Kenyan official said Saturday. Kenya announced in 2015 that it will begin construction a 700 Km long security wall along Kenya and Somalia border after Al-shabaab raided several towns inside Kenya. Adan Bare Duale, the majority leader of Kenya’s National Assembly faulted the reports accusing the east African nation of building the security wall inside Somalia. “Kenya government never attempted and will not attempt to take another country’s land, the allegations were unfounded, even Somalia’s (former) interior minister who visited where the construction is going on, has known the reality that reports were false,” Duale.
He blamed Al-Shabaab militants for the consequences of the wall saying the militant forced the government of Kenya to start building a security wall along Kenya and Somalia border. Mr. Duale pointed out that his country would only stop the construction of the wall after Al-shabaab is annihilated from the Somalia.
Last month, residents of Beled-Hawa had protested against the construction of the security wall following allegations that Kenya had encroached into Somalia’s territory. Somali government had last week dispatched delegation led by the country’s then interior minister, Abdi Farah Juha to assess allegations against Kenya and the construction site is. The government is yet to released the findings of the assessment as the interior minister was sacked just after he returned from Beled-Hawa town.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Suspected Al-Shabaab Militants Cut Off Communication In Kenya’s Border Town
07 January – Source: Xinhua – 275 Words
Suspected Al-Shabaab militants early Sunday destroyed a communication mast in Kutulo in northeast’s Wajir County, paralyzing communication in the area. Wajir County Police commander, Stephen Ngetich, confirmed that gunmen used a rocket propelled grenade to attack mobile service provider, Safaricom mast at 2 a.m. on Sunday before engaging in gunfight with four officers who were manning it. “The militants wanted to cut off communications in the area between El Wak and Kutulo and prevent reinforcements by security officers to enable them carry out terrorist attacks in the area. But we thwarted this,” Ngetich said.
The police commander however confirmed that none of the security officers whom the insurgents engaged in the fight was injured and they had all been traced. He added the attackers escaped into a bush. “All our officers are safe for now but the mast was completely burnt down in the incident,” Ngetich said. He said a major manhunt had been launched in the area for the suspects who fled in the bush.
Wajir County had enjoyed relative calm for the past four years. The police commander warned that they will not allow criminals to disrupt peace and tranquility which was returning to the remote town after attacks witnessed in 2013. Northeastern Kenya has suffered grenade and gun attacks in recent years since Kenya took its troops to Somalia to fight the Al-Shabaab militia group in October 2011. Several attacks believed to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa and Dadaab districts of northeastern Kenya even as the military reports gains against the Islamist group by capturing their military bases and killing scores of them.
Kenya Likely To Compensate Somalia Over Oil Exploration On Disputed Sea Area
07 January – Source: The Standard – 602 Words
Kenya could be forced to compensate Somalia over oil exploration on a disputed sea area if the neighbouring country wins a case being adjudicated at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The case lodged by Somalia on August 28, 2014 is set to gain full steam after Kenya lost preliminary objections last year. The government was then required to file a substantive response to the main case in December last year.
And although Kenya, through the Office of the Attorney General Githu Muigai, complied with the orders by December 22nd, officials have remained tight-lipped on the content and nature of the defence they gave. “Unfortunately, it is neither procedural nor possible to release documents in custody of the ICJ. These are confidential documents. It is only the ICJ that can give these documents and this would only be with the concurrence of the other party (Somalia),” an official at the AG office wrote to the Sunday Standard.
The Attorney General who put up a spirited fight inside the ICJ courtroom last year but lost, did not respond to our inquiries. His fate in the wake of Friday’s Cabinet purge remains unknown. In the secretive defense known in court parlance as a “memorial,” Kenya is understood, to have insisted on its boundary with Somalia being along a parallel of latitude as was decreed in the presidential proclamation of 1979. It is also rooting on a second Presidential Proclamation in 2005 as well as its submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) in 2009 “Kenya asserts that all her activities including naval patrols, fishery activities, marine and scientific research as well as oil and gas exploration are within the maritime boundary established by Kenya and recognised and respected by both parties since 1979,” a statement from AG’s office said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“This atmosphere of intimidation has already sparked an aura of political uncertainty in Somalia. It alarmed Somalia’s friends in the International Community because of the poor judgement exhibited by the occupants of Villa Somalia – the State House. But as leaders, we will not stand on the sidelines as our constitutional democracy crumbles in the face of tyranny,”
Corroding Our Nascent Democracy: How the Government Introduced a Rule of Tyranny in Somalia
05 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 1019 Words
On December 17, I survived a coordinated assassination attempt by heavily armed government units within the intelligence at our Wadajir Headquarter and residence in Mogadishu – a political party I established early 2016 with group of likeminded. This brazen assassination attempt, which claimed the lives of five of my security guards, including my driver, was taken by surprise to many Somalis who were outraged by its sheer barbarity. Our headquarter office is located nearby Jazeera Hotel, arguably one of the safest corner of Mogadishu city and the government has deployed hundred of well-armed troops across major streets leading to our office. Precisely at 11:40pm, while I was I was finalizing a meeting with party members, I heard major gunshots inside the premise and I thought it was terror attack.
Caught in short notice and in shock, our guards remained silent, unresponsive to the ruthless attack. Not a single shot fired back nor did they threaten anyone. The siege was sustained for more than 40 minutes until the two-story of the building were brought down with bullets with heavy grenades and anti-aircraft. What is more terrorizing is that the attack occurs almost at midnight, with virtually no prior notification, and has traumatized many children and families who live our surrounding neighbor.
This night has left an indelible mark on Somali history – a night filled with terror and agony, a night our nascent democracy came under assault, a night our fragile rule of law came under threat, a night our hope and stability is dashed. While the terror and siege ensues, I heard someone with loud voice screaming: “Everyone must step out from the building with hands behind your heads.” We had no doubt we will be dead with or without cooperating with that order. But we started voluntarily to step out as ordered one after another before apprehension – some of my colleagues sustained gunshots, including this author with minor injury on the right hand.
One might ask about the motive for all this terror against our legitimate political party – that we’re involved in “acts of treason with foreign entities” as alleged by the Attorney General, Mr. Ahmed A. Dahir, during a press conference early in that day, where he urged law enforcement agencies, without any due process, to arrest anyone suspected. However, as a political party, we knew the serious implications in which those assertions could have on our fragile political process.
And as such, I tweeted on December 17, “In post-civil war, we’ve agreed to two key pillars: Federalism and democratic constitution. The federal system has come under attack few weeks ago by the Government and today, the Attorney General has launched an unconstitutional war on Somali Members of Parliament. We’re facing a critical time.”