March 29, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia: Political Crisis Deepens As Motion Against Speaker Lapses
29 March – Source: Garowe Online – 250 Words
The political crisis in Somalia is deepening after MPs announced that the deadline for an impeachment motion against Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari lapsed. After a late night meeting the Villa Hargeisa, the Speaker’s residence in the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu, 120 lawmakers released a statement nullifying the motion after the 10-day deadline set for the vote expired on March 28.
This came after the Senate Committee has announced mediation talks and efforts to resolve the current political stalemate between rival legislators within the Lower House of the Federal Parliament have failed. The MPs have claimed that the proposed no-confidence motion against the Speaker fell short the required two-thirds majority of the Lower House which is 184, as a result, it is null and void, urging the speaker to resume work.
Meanwhile, the opposition parliamentarians allied to the office of the Somali PM Hassan Ali Khaire, insist that the voting for the controversial anti-speaker motion will take place next on Saturday, 31st March. Jawari who has been the Speaker of Parliament since 2012, is accused of being violating the constitution and an impediment parliament procedures.
The Speaker’s camp blamed PM Khaire for being responsible for the current standoff and plotting the motion as several of his Cabinet members, who are also MPs are among the signatories. They warned that President Farmaajo and his PM will take the responsibility for the dire consequences that will result from the ongoing political deadlock which could lead to the “collapse” of the National Institutions.
Key Headlines
- Somalia: Political Crisis Deepens As Motion Against Speaker Lapses (Garowe Online)
- Heavy Fighting Erupts In Mogadishu As Gunmen Attack Army Base (Shabelle News)
- Somali Forces Confiscate Weapons And Illicit Drugs During Operation In Wadajir (Halbeeg News)
- Somalia Moves To Develop An Inclusive National Action Plan To Prevent And Counter Violent Extremism (AMISOM)
- UN Security Council Makes ‘Historic’ Warning On Climate Threat To Somalia (Climate Home News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Heavy Fighting Erupts In Mogadishu As Gunmen Attack Army Base
29 March – Source: Shabelle News – 131 Words
A heavy gunfight between Somali government forces and suspected Al-Shabaab suspects took place in northern Mogadishu on Wednesday night. The skirmish erupted at a military base near the former candy factory in Heliwa district, following an ambush by the assailants thought to be militants from Al-Shabaab.
The local residents reported a heavy gunfire raged on for several minutes at the army camp manned by Mogadishu’s Stabilization Unit forces. It was not immediately clear the exact number of the casualty figures as result of the overnight firefight in the capital but, police say the situation has returned to normal. Mogadishu has witnessed a surge in attacks, including car bombing by Al-Shabaab, a militant group linked with Al-Qaeda over the past few weeks amid political crises in the country.
Somali Forces Confiscate Weapons And Illicit Drugs During Operation In Wadajir
29 March – Source: Halbeeg News – 119 Words
Somali forces have seized weapons and drug illicit during covert operation in Wadajir district of Mogadishu. The operation which took place last night in parts of the district targeted several houses. Wadajir district commissioner, Mr. Omar Abdullahi Hassan said, the forces apprehended unspecified number of suspects during the operation.
“The operation was intended to hunt down illicit drugs and muggers. The forces confiscated illicit liquors, two AK-47 rifles and two pistols. Several people also detained,” said Mr. Hassan. He pointed out that the suspects would be arraigned in court after the police conclude investigations. The commissioner sent stern warnings to the individuals who sell and use drug saying the arm of the government is long to reach the spoilers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Moves To Develop An Inclusive National Action Plan To Prevent And Counter Violent Extremism
29 March – Source: AMISOM – 726 Words
Somalia is taking concrete steps to develop a more inclusive National Action Plan, aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism in the Horn of Africa country. The new plan, will factor in the views and needs of all stakeholders, including the Federal Member States, to enable the implementation of a comprehensive strategy, that will tackle violent extremism in a more decisive manner.
A two-day conference convened by the Office of the Prime Minister, to review the existing strategy concluded in the capital Mogadishu yesterday, with calls for the involvement of key sectors, in the development of the new national action plan. “The only way we can combat extremism is to listen to different perspectives particularly the religious leaders and address this problem from a Somali perspective,” Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled told participants during the opening session of the review meeting, in Mogadishu.
Religious leaders play a critical role in dialoguing, opinion shaping and controlling violent extremism in Somalia, thus the emphasis on their active participation in the review exercise, expected to culminate in the implementation of a national strategy on Prevention and Counter Violent Extremism (PCVE), as provided for in the country’s Comprehensive Approach to Security (CAS), Strand 4. Considered key in Somalia’s stabilization, the Comprehensive Approach to Security, which falls under the National Security Architecture, is part of a security pact agreed to by Somalia’s leaders in 2017 “Countering violent extremism through military means should be the last resort. There should be an active awareness campaign on ideology and to cut the source of funding and revenue to activities that support violent extremism,” stated the Deputy Prime Minister.
The Mogadishu Mayor called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to end violent extremism in the country. “We are at the final phase of developing an inclusive National Plan with Federal Member States and this requires an efficient implementation. I commend the PCVE office for their successful mobilization of communities and leaders around this issue” he said. “This is a collective problem that affects us on daily basis; bringing us constant fear and bombings. Whenever a suicide bombing occurs, a woman is either a mother to the dead or a husband to the victim,” added Ms. Abshir Ahmed Maalim, the deputy head of the Somali Women’s Association.
Ms. Adar Ali Mohamed, the Communications Director in the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development, added that women have a major role to play in countering violent extremism. “The victims of this scourge are mostly women since they are the mothers to the victims and the perpetrators. I believe women can play a bigger role to counter violent extremism as they can bring valuable information from the neighborhoods in which they live in and detect early signs of radicalization in their communities,” stressed Ms. Adar.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Dadaab, the Kenyan town near the Somalian border which houses 5 refugee camps, is under immense strain after attempting to meet the resource demands of 250,000 refugees amid a long term drought.”
UN Security Council Makes ‘Historic’ Warning On Climate Threat To Somalia
28 March – Source: Climate Home News – 600 Words
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has formally recognised climate change as a destabilising factor in Somalia. In a resolution adopted on Tuesday as part of a renewed mandate for assistance and peacekeeping in the country, the council noted “the adverse effects of climate change, ecological changes and natural disasters among other factors on the stability of Somalia, including through drought, desertification, land degradation, and food insecurity”.
The council emphasised the need for peacekeepers and governments working in Somalia to be better prepared to cope with complications arising from climate impacts. The links between climate change and insecurity have been emerging on the ground and in the halls of diplomacy. Camilla Born, a senior policy advisor at E3G, said: “The fact an old school body like the security council are sitting up and taking notice of climate security risks should not be underestimated. Never before has this powerful body mandated the UN to practically deal with climate change in the here and now as a threat to peace.“The prospects for sustaining peace in Somalia could be significantly strengthened as a result, which bodes well for its people, the region and future UN activities elsewhere seeking to sustain peace and achieve prosperity.” Janina Vivekananda, senior project manager and climate expert at consultancy firm Adelphi, said the move by the UNSC was “historic”.
The elevation of climate change as a risk factor in Somalia adds to recent council statement on the significant shrinking of Lake Chad, and the consequent destabilisation of West Africa and the Sahel. It raises concerning parallels between the Horn of Africa and West Africa. Somalia, which straddles both sides of the equator, has little seasonal variation, and produces some of the highest recorded mean temperatures of any country in the world. Recent projections by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) in Somalia’s Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) predicted a mean temperature increase of 3.2°C by 2080, which will bring with it a host of irrevocable consequences.
Speaking to Climate Home News, Vivekananda outlined three interlinked impacts climate change is having on Somalia: the sharpening of pre-existing grievances over access to already scarce resources, the rise in terror group recruitment, and the increased complications in migration. “Extreme weather conditions decrease the viability and quality of land and risks access to already scarce resources,” said Vivekananda. This makes it easier for militant groups to recruit. “Young people working in farming, pastoralism, and fishing face a future of unemployment, so are more susceptible to alternatives which provide food security, livelihood and a daily wage,” she said. The presence of terrorism pushed more people into migration, already a problem in a region where neighbouring communities and nations are also suffering climate change’s effects.
Dadaab, the Kenyan town near the Somalian border which houses 5 refugee camps, is under immense strain after attempting to meet the resource demands of 250,000 refugees amid a long term drought. Vivekananda said UN peacekeeping efforts have so far paid little attention to the links between Somalian conflicts and climate change.“It is a step in the right direction,” said Vivekananda. “A lot can be done on increasing community resilience to climate change but also there’s a lot that can be done on the conflicts. If the context is less fragile then communities, governments and national institutions are much better placed to address and adapt to these climate risks.” The resolution was adopted unanimously by the council, which includes the US as a permanent member. That country has been been unwilling to accept climate change language in some international fora – such as the G7.
TOP TWEETS
@Goobjoognews: NO END in sight as late night talks over motion stalemate collapse
@DalsanFM: Engineering training in #Mogadishu for #SomaliaMaritime Police Unit Officers organised by UNODOC. In the photos Maritime officers are seen repairing the steering system on MPU boats which are now ready to be launched for operations.
@t_mcconnell: Environmental destruction, criminality and the charcoal trade in East Africa https://econ.st/2pR1v6z via@TheEconomist
@sntvnews1: #UAE ambassador to Somalia stressed that his country is fully committed to protecting, respecting and supporting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of#Somalia
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: Somali political crisis deepen as “120” MPs issue a statement accusing @SomaliPM of orchestrating the no-confidence motion against Speaker of the Lower House. MPs have warned that the PM and @M_Farmaajowill take responsibility should national institutions “collapse”.
@AfricaACSS: Unlike other Europeans that worked closely with colonial administrations, Nordic missionaries championed resistance to colonial rule. Church groups’ ties at the community level facilitated direct contact with and between African liberation movements.
@Goobjoognews: These actions by the UAE in #Somalia are in clear violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international cooperation
@HarunMaruf: Video: Late night meeting of MPs supporting the Speaker. MPs have blamed @SomaliPM for the current political crisis which crippled Mogadishu politics during the last two weeks.
@Goobjoognews: We remain deeply concerned with UNSOM senior officials periodically, making erroneous statements during conference on political issues on Somalia.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire meets UN SRSG, Michael Keating.
Photo: @SRSGKeating