May 18, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali Government Cuts Ribbon Of New Jubbaland High Court Building
17 May – Source: Halbeeg News – 185 Words
Somali Deputy Minister For Finance, Abdullahi Sheikh Ali has cut the ribbons to inaugurate the newly built Jubbaland High Court building in Kismayo. The Finance ministry funded and implemented the construction of the court with the help of Somali Financing Fund. In a ceremony held in Kismayo, the administrative capital of Jubbaland, Ali said the Finance Ministry was committed to rebuild and refurbish government institutions: “Today, we have officially completed the construction of a new building for Jubbaland High Court. We are determined to rebuild this country with the help of the public,” said Ali.
The official urged Jubbaland authorities and residents in Kismayo town to take the responsibility for maintaining the new buildings. “This building is very crucial for Jubbaland authorities and the judiciary. We urge the administration to take up the responsibility of maintaining this beautiful building,” he urged.
The Deputy Minister commended United Nations for its commitment in supporting Somalia’s state rebuilding process. “We thank the UN and our other partners for their tireless efforts to help Somalia in the process of rebuilding government institutions and the country’s infrastructure,” he remarked.
Key Headlines
- Somali Government Cuts Ribbon Of New Jubbaland High Court Building (Halbeeg News)
- Jubbaland President Resumes Illegal Charcoal Exports (Shabelle News)
- Prime Minister Khaire Visits Mogadishu Port (Dhacdo.com)
- AMISOM Camp Where Everyone Carries A Gun (Daily Nation)
- Tropical Cyclone Threatens Somalia And Djibouti (Al-Jazeera)
- Anti-Shabaab War In Somalia Enters Critical Stage (Daily Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Jubbaland President Resumes Illegal Charcoal Exports
17 May – Source: Shabelle Media – 215 Words
Jubbaland state has resumed charcoal exports years after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) found it guilty of funding the Al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabaab extremists and placed an embargo on the illegal trade, a Somali official has said. The official, who requested not to be named, said the secret resumption of the charcoal export started Wednesday as 15 boats docked at Kismayo port, located about 500 kilometers south of Mogadishu.
The boats said to be belong to India and Arab countries are currently waiting to be loaded with bags of charcoal transported from Bar-Illaan area under a heavy escort by local Jubbaland forces. Sources in Kismayo revealed to Radio Shabelle that businessmen behind the charcoal export were close allies of Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe, who maintains a strong relationship with the UAE.
Early this week, a boat named Al Safa 381980 carrying 1,500 bags of charcoal sailed from Burgabo, a small coastal town situated south of Kismayo city in Lower Jubba region to Iran and the UAE. In February 2012, the UNSC banned charcoal exports from war-torn Somalia to help stop funding activities of Al-Shabaab, which is fighting to topple the Western-backed Somali government. The UN says Kenyan Defense Forces, who are currently part of the African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM], have failed to stop charcoal trade at the port of Kismayo.
Prime Minister Khaire Visits Mogadishu Port
18 May – Source: Dhacdo.com – 195 Words
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire has made a working visit to the Port of Mogadishu to assess progress made in ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of the workers, as well as transparency in terms of tax collected from the facility. The Prime Minister had a special meeting with the Minister of Finance and the management of the Port to discuss port operations, challenges faced and how services at the port can be improved for the benefit of the Somali people.
Premier Khaire also discussed with the team on how best to eliminate corruption as well as stop the abuse of public property. Prime Minister Khaire urged officials and staff at the port to safeguard the responsibilities bestowed upon them by the government since they will be held accountable by the authorities.
The Prime Minister emphasized it would not be acceptable for the private sector to abuse government property and urged the new port management to deliver diligently to the Somali people and take care of the port. The Prime Minister’s visit to the seaport of Mogadishu is part of the government’s accountability plan to implement systems of good governance.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Camp Where Everyone Carries A Gun
18 May – Source: Daily Nation – 313 Words
Captain (Dr) Robert Tsimba wears a stethoscope, attending to patients seeking treatment at a military camp in Somalia, but still tightly holds an M4 assault rifle. At another corner, sergeant James Karanja, the camp’s catechist, sits holding a Bible while the other hand carries an AK-47 rifle. Evans Wekesa is the camp’s chef and, as he lead cooks in preparing dishes for his comrades, he has a G3 rifle on his back. This is the typical life in an African Union Mission to Somalia (Amisom) camp in Somalia.
In Sector Two, the area where Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) are deployed, there are 16 of them and are known as Forward Operating Bases. With the headquarters at Dhobley, there are bases in Hosingo, Tabda, Belesqoqani, Afmadhow, Xagar, Abdalle Birole, Kismayu, Busaar, Fafadun and Kuday, among others.
The Nation visited some of the bases and spent days with the soldiers on the frontline. Brigadier Joachim Ngure Mwamburi, the sector commander, started with a warning: “The security situation here is fluid and unpredictable. Always wear your helmet and flak jacket to protect yourself from bullets. In case of an attack, you move to the trenches. That is where we seek protection.”
Tropical Cyclone Threatens Somalia And Djibouti
18 May – Source: Al Jazeera – 406 Words
A small but powerful tropical cyclone is threatening Djibouti and northern parts of Somalia with severe weather within the next 24 hours. ‘Sagar’ was named by the Indian Meteorological Department on Thursday, after beginning life as a tropical depression (1A) in the Gulf of Aden. ‘Sagar’ is now in the western part of the Gulf of Aden. Its northern edge has brought heavy rain and some minor flooding to coastal towns of Yemen. Its forecast track, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, is to the west-southwest, making landfall close to the small town of Lughaya. It is highly likely that ‘Sagar’ will be one of the first tropical storm systems to cross the entire Gulf of Aden. For such systems to affect Djibouti is almost unheard of. Since the start of satellite imagery in the mid-1960s, only two tropical cyclones have been observed to move into the western Gulf of Aden.
The first was Tropical Storm 1A which made landfall in northern Somalia in May 1984. As recently as November 2015 Cyclone Megh devastated the island of Socotra before passing just to the north of Somalia and making landfall in Yemen. ‘Sagar’ has taken advantage of favourable winds through the vertical profile of the atmosphere, and sea surface temperatures of around 30C, easily warm enough to allow for further intensification.
Although the winds associated with ‘Sagar’ are expected to peak in the next few hours, with sustained winds of 95 km per hour, the seas in the Gulf will remain very rough until well after landfall, which is expected to be around 10:00 GMT on Saturday. The effects of ‘Sagar’ could also be made worse by the impact of Ramadan, where people are fasting during the day, and less likely to be prepared for the life-threatening weather.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“We are ready to handover to the Somalia military but we have to be sure that on their own, they can hold liberated areas after we hand over.”
Anti-Shabaab War In Somalia Enters Critical Stage
18 May – Source: Daily Nation – 643 Words
Nearly seven years after Kenyan troops crossed the border to fight the Al-Shabaab in Somalia, the war has entered a crucial phase which could see the soldiers return home in 2020. In the transition phase, the troops will surrender their Forward Operating Bases to the Somali National Army. There are also police stations manned by Kenyan officers, which too will be handed over to their Somalia counterparts. But the withdrawal is designed to be gradual and conditional.
Besides Kenya, there are more troops from Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Burundi who are also expected to pull out when the United Nations mandate ends in 2020. In total there are over 21,000 African Union troops in Somalia. At present, all the African troops there are under Kenya’s Major-General Tai Gituai, who is the acting commander of the joint Force.
He said: “The transit plan is conditional. We will give them the Forward Operating Bases on condition that they will have the resources and acquired capabilities to operate on their own.” Maj Gen Gituai went on: “It is a comprehensive approach that will also involve the police as well as development partners. They must have prisons, a working judicial system, schools and health centres.” He also revealed that the European Union has given 100 million Euros (Sh11.8 billion) to make the dream a reality.
The funds are meant to last until 2020, when Somalia is expected to hold a General Election. “That time, African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) may exit on conditions. “As of now, our troops, other police and civilian components of Amisom are mentoring the Somalians and professionalising their agencies. We are looking at a transition driven by Somali Government because we feel there’s ability they can take care of security responsibilities,” Maj Gen Gituai added.
The forces have divided Somalia into sectors and Kenyans are deployed in Sector Two as well as Kismayu area. The Kenyan troops are spread-out in 16 Forward Operating Bases with its headquarters at Dhobley. Dhobley was a stronghold of Al-Shabaab before the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops flashed out the terrorists in 2011.
The pull out began in earnest as the Amisom force last year withdrew 1,000 soldiers after a United Nations (UN) resolution. An additional AMISOM’s 1,000 troops are supposed to return to their countries by October, in line with another UN resolution. Kenyan commanders in Somalia are however cautious of the drawdowns. Brigadier Joachim Ngure Mwamburi is Sector Two commander, placing him squarely on the front lines. “We are ready to handover to the Somali military but we have to be sure that on their own, they can hold liberated areas after we hand over. “They are very upbeat in recruitment and we are ready to train. But if the Somali National Army (SNA) is not ready, in numbers and resources, the UN should hold the drawdown,” he said.
TOP TWEETS
@UNDPSomalia: #Somalia launched a historic constitutional review process this week, following a 3-day national convention attended by over 350 Federal Government & Federal Member State representatives, civil society orgs & Somali diaspora. Find out more: http://bit.ly/2ILDObv
@cgtnafrica: Rare Gulf of Aden cyclone a potential threat to Somalia, Djibouti. http://ow.ly/nDo430k3TU6
@AJEWeather: Tropical cyclone threatens Somalia and Djiboutihttp://aje.io/m724j
@HarunMaruf: Gunmen fired on a camp run by the Somali National Army near ex-control during Iftar, Thursday evening, one soldier slightly wounded: Security sources #Somalia
@Goobjoognews: #Somalia: A total of 752.5 million new bank notes will be printed in phase one corresponding to 1,750 billion Somali shilling notes to be exchanged.
@DalsanFM: Inter District Quiz Competition organised by the@DalsanTv @DalsanFM officially launched by Mogadishu Mayor. The competition which takes place every Ramadan will be aired live on Radio Dalsan TV, Radio and Facebook.
@eu_echo: The new EU policy for #education in emergencies has 4 priorities: 1) Improve access to learning 2) Provide quality education and training 3) Ensure that education is protected from attacks 4) Promote innovative approaches to education in emergencies #EUEducationEmpowers
@AMB_Affey: I am inspired by the passion of UN@RefugeesChief Filippo Grandi to tackle refugee situations globally, and Somalia in particular. A lot more needs to be done but we are on course!
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Council of Ministers meeting in Mogadishu yesterday.
Photo: Dhacdo.com