April 23, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report.
UAE Delegation Meet With Somaliland President Muse Bihi
23 April – Source: Hiiraan Online – 198 Words
A large delegation from the United Arab Emirates arrived in Hargeisa to hold talks with Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi. The spokesman for Somaliland President, Mohamud Warsame Jama, said in a press statement the 12-member UAE delegation and President Biihi discussed a number of key issues concerning the two sides. The UAE delegation expressed their regret over recent remarks made their State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, which they stated were misinterpreted by some of the local and international media. The UAE stated it will issue a formal apology on the same soon.
The UAE also made several other pledges to Somaliland including assisting the breakaway republic in strengthening its security and rebuilding its army by providing equipment and training. It also accepted to start purchasing livestock from Somaliland markets in the near future. The UAE further expressed their willingness to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two sides and lambasted the ‘enemy of the two nations’ of resorting to disseminating misleading reports aimed at undermining the relations between the two nations. President Siilaanyo on his side thanked the UAE government for accepting the Somaliland passport which he said is of high significance for the Somaliland nationhood.
Key Headlines
- UAE Delegation Meet With Somaliland President Muse Bihi (Hiiraan Online)
- Somali Justice Minister to Appear Before Upper House (Halbeeg News)
- Somali Parliament To Elect New Speaker On 30th April Says Poll Committee (Shabelle News)
- Minister Hosh: Ministers Can Vie for Speaker Without Resigning (Halbeeg News)
- Somalia Finance Minister Says Country Passes Trust Factor (Voice of America)
- Somalia’s Protracted Conflict: The Mistrust Factor (Wardheere News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Justice Minister to Appear Before Upper House
23 April – Source: Halbeeg News – 180 Words
Somali Minister for Justice, Hassan Hussein Hajji is expected to appear before the members of the Upper House on Monday. Hajji who will brief the Senate on the government’s fight against graft, will also submit the proposed Anti-corruption bill. The Bill which calls for the formation of the Anti-corruption commission that will be tasked to oversee and protect public funds, was approved by members of the Lower House in November last year.
The ministry for Justice has been struggling to get the endorsement of the bill by both the lower and upper house before President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo signs it into law. Since Somalia adopted federalism in 2004, nepotism, favoritism, bribery, public fund and aid embezzlement has been a commonplace across all sectors of the government.
Last year, Prime Minister, Hassan Ali-Khaire vowed to mobilize his government to tackle corruption. Addressing the Parliament, PM Kheire vowed to make the fight against misconduct a non-negotiable principle in his administration. The Transparency International (TI) corruption perception index has this year ranked Somalia the worst country among the 180 countries in the report.
Somali Parliament To Elect New Speaker On 30th April, Says Poll Committee
22 April – Source: Shabelle News – 96 Words
The voting of Somalia’s parliament speaker will take place on April 30, the organizing committee of the election said in a statement on Sunday. Several candidates are in the running, including Defense Minister Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman as well as the water and energy minister Salim Aliyow Ibrow.
Any candidate of the three ministers who announced their candidacy for the speakership should resign before his registration, the committee said. Earlier this month, the former speaker of Somalia’s parliament Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawaari has resigned after few weeks of political standoff between the Somali federal government in Mogadishu.
Minister Hosh: Ministers Can Vie for Speaker Without Resigning
22 April – Source: Halbeeg News – 271 Words
Somali Ministry for Constitutional Affairs, Abdirahman Hosh Jibril on Sunday refuted remarks of the speakership election oversight committee calling for resignation of ministers vying for the office of the speaker. In a social media, Jibril said the Provisional Constitution grants the members of the Parliament who are holding portfolios to contest for the speakership without standing down from their offices. “The person contesting for the position (Speaker) must be a member of the Parliament. In accordance with the Article 59 (c) of the constitution, a membership of the Federal Parliament can be lost as a result of [the member accepting to hold a government position other than a ministerial post]” reads the post.
Hosh pointed out that the ministers vying for the speakership is eligible to contest with no need of resignation. The remarks of minister contradict the announcement by the committee who vowed not to allow minister to vie for the speakership till they step down from their portfolios. Abdullahi Mohamed Adan, a member of the oversight committee of the election of the speaker has this morning directed the ministers who expressed interest in the speakership to resign before they submit their letters of candidatures. “The minister contesting for the office of the speaker should quit the office (of the ministry) before vying. They have to submit their resignation letters to Prime Minister Kheire and give us a copy of their resignation letters before we allow them to take part in the election,” said Adan. Among the MPs who want to take part in the race are ministers for Defense and Water Ministers, Mohamed Mursal Sheikh and Salim Ibrow respectively.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Finance Minister Says Country Passes Trust Factor
23 April – Source: Voice of America – 646 Words
Somalia’s finance minister said the country is winning in its effort to get the trust of international financial institutions and could receive debt relief as early as next year. Abdirahman Duale Beileh, who participated in the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank last week in Washington, said Somalia has “passed [the] trust” factor with international creditors following roundtable meetings. “They [IMF] have submitted their assessment, and they said Somalia has passed,” he said. “Somalia can be trusted. Somalia is back. And Somalia has to be supported to move with the clearance of arrears sometime next year.”
Somalia owes an estimated $5.5 billion to international creditors, the Paris club, the non-Paris club and other international financial institutions. Beileh said those groups are working to see Somalia cleared of its debts next year. “They are all moving together in tandem, but they all agree that sometime next year, everything will be done,” he said during an interview in VOA studios in Washington. “Countries and organizations are also promising a pre-arrears clearance fund to be established for the assistance of Somalia.”
Somalia and the IMF signed staff-level agreements aimed at monitoring Somalia fiscal reforms and increased revenue. Beileh said the government has successfully completed two IMF staff-monitored programs. In the first quarter of this year, the Somali government reported collecting $42.5 million in domestic revenue, the highest in a single quarter in recent history. In February this year, the government introduced a new 5 percent sales tax on businesses to further boost income.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“What all these fruitless national reconciliation conferences had in common was the absence of trust among the local tribes in the country. All Somali tribes have a desire to get the presidential position status to run the country and so as to pursue more privileges that compare with each other. Since they are playing the same zero-sum”
Somalia’s Protracted Conflict: The Mistrust Factor
22 April – Source: Wardheere News – 1705 Words
Clans in Somalia have many causes to mistrust each other. Between 1991 and well into 2006, the Somali conflict was mainly based on clan warfare. However, after 2006, the conflict became religiously motivated. Since the emergence of the militant Islamist groups, it has been widely seen as the most serious threat to peace and stability in neighboring countries.
Somalia has been without an internationally recognized government since 2012, the longest recorded in Africa’s postcolonial history. Since its recognition, it has been characterized by clan suspicion, politics, fear of clan dominance rule and distrust among Somali clans. Put it another way, it has been mistrust between major clans. Consequently, it was deemed necessary to divide the country into several mini-states in order to satisfy local clan demands.
Therefore, to understand the cause of such mistrust and clan suspicion in Somalia’s protracted conflict situation becomes an urgent work. I will begin with the reason behind the longevity of the Somali conflict, and then I will discuss the dilemmas of security in the Somali conflict, and finally wrap up with a convincing conclusion. The reason behind the longevity of the Somali conflict; Since I am interested in the correlation between the lack of trust among Somali clans and the longevity of the conflict in the country, I will limit my analysis to the overlooked mistrust factor which gets us to the result we are witnessing today.
My main point in this article is to argue the absence of trust and security dilemma among the local tribes such as the Hawiye, Daarood, Isaaq and Rahanweyn which helps to explain why the conflict in Somalia is so protracted. Likewise, I want to highlight why these tribes are seeking to increase or maintain their state power positions relative to each other. The condition of the Somali conflict is usually accompanied by mistrust and fear among the major tribes in the country.
TOP TWEETS
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: Gunfire heard in the vicinity of former UAE military training centre in Mogadishu: Witness
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: Members of UAE-trained Somali forces exchange gunfire with another unit from the national army after a “dispute” in the formerly UAE-run centre: Sources
@Fatumaabdulahi: #Kismayo book fair in full swing. Very encouraged by the gender balance and average age group of participants, very young! This should be an engaging 3-day event. Looking forward to hear from young authors. #Somalia#KBF2018
@khadarHared: Three-day sessions of #KBF2018 #Somalia in progress, impressive authors & inspiring speakers has kicked off in Kismayo today, I am so glad to see many young and old turn up at this year’s #KBF2018 as #Somalia embraces the reading culture.
@Abdirashid Hashi: It rains in #Mogadishu today and because of prolonged disrepair of roads and infrastructure, roads are flooded and we hoped this road will be less flooded then our normal route but it was not, #Somalia
@UBAXA CAASIMADA: Volunteering in public and community work builds a cooperative, positive, & a very healthy society with shared values and goals. Public assets always needs public attention. Our youth are of a great asset in rebuilding our country
@AbdirahmanCumar: This is the Spirit of Somalinimo, with all storm surrounding #Somalia UAE Diplomatic spat, @DrBeileh is focused on what matters most to the nation uninterrupted: Have a nice read good people. Finance Minister Says Country Passes Trust Factor https://www.voanews.com/a/
@EpukaUgaidi: Somali National Army launches massive operation aimed at rooting out Al Shabaab presence in the areas between Bal’ad and Jowhar towns in Middle Shabelle region, Somalia. #EpukaUgaidi @NPSOfficial_KE @kdfinfo@ForeignOfficeKE @amisomsomalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire officially launched the Somali civil servant HR-audit exercise that will begin today with the employees working in the office of the premier.
Photo: @SomaliPM