May 3, 2018 | Morning Headlines
AU, UN Appeal To Somali Leaders For Unity With New House Speaker
02 May – Source: Xinhua – 208 Words
The African Union and United Nations envoys in Somalia have lauded the peaceful election of Mohamed Sheikh Abdirahman Mursal as the new Speaker of the House of the People and called for unity among leaders. In separate statements issued on Tuesday evening, Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Michael Keating, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative, urged the leaders to respect the constitution in conduct of all parliamentary and government business.
“The people of Somalia will benefit if political actors take steps to strengthen the capacity and bolster the integrity of key State institutions,” Keating said. “The supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law should be respected in the conduct of all parliamentary and government business,” he added.
Mursal was elected on Monday as new Speaker of Parliament in Somalia in a tightly contested race to replace Mohamed Osman Jawari who resigned early this month after a political stand-off. In his statement, Madeira expressed AMISOM’s support in helping the federal parliament perform its constitutional duties to ensure peace and stability is restored in Somalia. “AMISOM will continue working closely with members of the federal parliament in their effort to bring back lasting peace and security,” said the envoy.
Key Headlines
- AU UN Appeal To Somali Leaders For Unity With New House Speaker (Xinhua)
- Government Announces $1m For Floods Emergency Relief (Goobjoog News)
- Politicians Undermining My Work Mayor Yarisow Says (Radio Dalsan)
- Somalia Must Speed Overhaul Of Fragile Army To Face Militants Say Donors (Reuters)
- Kenyan Leader Vows To Spearhead Regional Peace Initiatives (Xinhua)
- How Will The Somalia-UAE Diplomatic Row Affect AMISOM? (Institute for Security Studies)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Government Announces $1m For Floods Emergency Relief
02 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 228 Words
The Federal Government of Somalia says it has set aside $1 million for aid the emergency humanitarian support in the country following President Mohamed Farmaajo’s pledge during a visit to Beledweyne on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Ahmed Guled, who is leading the government’s response unit, said that the government was leading by example to encourage Somalis to take part in the mission as thousands of people remain displaced in various parts of the country. “In order to encourage our Somali people to take part in the support of their fellow citizens we in government are contributing one million dollars to support those affected by the floods,” the deputy Premier said.
Speaking in Beledweyne on Tuesday, President Farmaajo pledged government support to ensure those affected receive adequate support. “We have formed a national disaster committee to respond to the needs of our fellow citizens who have been affected,” he said. “The government stands by your side morally and materially to deliver all the help that we can.”
The UN estimates about one million people have been affected by the floods in the country with over 150,000 forced out of their homes in Beledweyne alone. The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) delivered 4.5 million metric tons of medicine and other medical supplies to Belet Weyne on 29 April. Hormuud Telecom announced on Wednesday a $100,000 donation towards the relief efforts.
Politicians Undermining My Work, Mayor Yarisow Says
02 May – Source: Radio Dalsan – 197 Words
The Governor of Banaadir, who also doubles up as the Mayor Of Mogadishu, Mr. Abdirahman Omar Osman Yarisow has opened up on what he terms as interference by politicians seeking favours from his office. Mr. Osman said in an interview with a local television that visiting politicians consumed more of his time meant to serve the residents of Banaadir. Osman disclosed the politicians had been disrupting his day to day work as the Mayor.
He pointed out that he has had to deal with a daily queue of Ministers, MPs and other politicians seeking assistance from his office. “Since I have been in the office for the last three months I have tried to allocate time to resolve the issue of MPs, Ministers and politicians” Osman said. Politicians seen to be aligned to the government and pro government bloggers have in the past one week launched an online attack on the Mayor. An insider told Radio Dalsan that the Mayor had declined to play to the tune of some politicians. Osman was appointed the Mayor of Mogadishu on January 23 this year to replace Thabit Mohamed, who had fallen out with the government over the Banaadir region’s future.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Must Speed Overhaul Of Fragile Army To Face Militants, Say Donors
02 May – Source: Reuters – 413 Words
Somalia should accelerate reforms of its army, its main foreign backers said on Wednesday after discussing slow progress in transforming the graft-ridden force into one capable of fighting al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants. The statement from a donor summit in Brussels urged Somalia to work faster to address problems identified in a report last year by the government, the United Nations and the African Union (AU).
That report called the Somali National Army (SNA) a “fragile force with extremely weak command and control”, and comes as AU peacekeepers prepare for their departure in 2020, leaving the local military in charge of Somalia’s security. The AU force began drawing down last year. It does most of the fighting against Shabaab insurgents who launch attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere. Without strong Somali forces, Shabaab could be reinvigorated, analysts say.
Donors said the army should create biometric registration and electronic payroll systems to curb corruption. “The SNA has to improve dramatically in a short amount of time as it is falling farther and farther behind schedule on achieving the benchmarks agreed to last year,” said Joshua Meservey, at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. The International Monetary Fund has been pushing for better management of public finances and says the government is implementing reforms under an agreed staff-monitored program.
Kenyan Leader Vows To Spearhead Regional Peace Initiatives
02 May – Source: Xinhua – 338 Words
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed Wednesday to continue spearheading regional peace initiatives to help bring stability in neighboring South Sudan and Somalia. Kenyatta also committed to strengthening the capacity of the country’s security forces to keep the peace, noting that without peace the desire for a better Kenya will remain a mere wish.
He said it is in Kenya’s interest to have a stable Somalia and South Sudan, two of the immediate neighboring nations that have been most affected by insecurity. Kenyatta said Somalia remains troubled, largely by foreign agents, who are weakening its government and dividing its people, stressing Kenya will continue supporting Somalia to regain stability. The foreign agents troubling Somalia, he said, are also threatening to reverse the gains won under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces.
“Through it all, we remember that if our brothers and sisters in Somalia prosper, we prosper; if they are safe, so are we. It has been our policy, then, to help them regain the peace and prosperity they once knew,” Kenyatta said. He said Kenya has continued helping Somalia secure funding and support commensurate to its challenges, recalling his visit to Somalia last year during which he spoke to Kenyan soldiers serving as part of the AMISOM forces.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The UAE’s withdrawal of its support and its potentially negative role could weaken the Federal Government of Somalia’s security forces and reverse the small gains that have been made in security.”
How Will The Somalia-UAE Diplomatic Row Affect AMISOM?
02 May – Source: Institute for Security Studies – 938 Words
In early April, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stopped its capacity building support for security institutions and humanitarian aid to Somalia. This was due to growing diplomatic disputes between the two countries. The move comes at a time when the international community, in the form of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), is considering its exit by 2020/21.
How will the UAE’s withdrawal of its support affect AMISOM’s exit strategy? AMISOM has been in Somalia since 2007 with the mandate to support the government in restoring peace and stability. It does this by building the capacity of state security bodies and reducing security threats posed by al-Shabaab and other militant groups. AMISOM has worked in collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral bodies such as the UAE.
The UAE had been supporting Somali government institutions since 2011. It established and supervised the Puntland Maritime Police Force, constructed and commanded a military training centre in Mogadishu, trained hundreds of security forces and paid the salaries of 2 407 Somali government soldiers. The UAE also built the Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Mogadishu and has provided free medical services for roughly 300 patients daily. The UAE-built Sheikh Zayed Hospital provided free medical services for roughly 300 patients daily
Somali officials have often praised the UAE for its support. Former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud acknowledged the UAE’s swift response to the Somali government’s call to support institution building in the security, education and health sectors. Recently Puntland’s President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali also noted how the UAE had helped rebuild the capacity of the Somali National Armed Forces. However, the relationship has deteriorated. On 8 April, Somalia’s security forces intercepted a UAE plane and confiscated almost $10 million in cash at the airport in Mogadishu. This angered the UAE, which immediately ceased its support to Somalia. The UAE said the money was intended for training and to pay the salaries of Somalia’s state soldiers.
Relations between the UAE and Somalia have in fact been deteriorating since President Mohamed Abdullahi ‘Faramajo’ Mohamed came to power last year. His government resisted a request for Somalia to join Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain in taking isolation measures against Qatar, amid accusations of the latter sponsoring terrorist groups. Faramajo’s official position over the conflict among the Gulf States was ‘neutral’, but analysts noted his stance as pro-Qatar, because Turkey – Somalia’s ally and largest foreign investor – was behind Qatar, opposing the Saudi Arabia-led allies.