July 18, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Local Authorities In Hiiraan Region Form Forces To Stabilise Beledweyne Town
17 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 291 Words
Local authorities in Hiiraan region on Tuesday announced the formation of a cohesive force to take over the security of Beledweyne town. Over one hundred of integrated forces drawn from Somali National Army (SNA), police and security forces, were paraded in a ceremony held in Beledweyne town.
The ceremony was attended by local authorities, Members of Parliament, leaders from civil society members and military and police commanders. Speaking at the event, Beledweyne District Commissioner, Mohamed Oman Abdi said the forces will be deployed to different parts of the town to boost security.
Hiiraan police commissioner Col. Issack Ali Abdulle, who also spoke at the ceremony, urged the public to cooperate with the new force unit: “The force comprises of military, security and police officers, who have been assigned to boost security of the town. The public should accordingly work with them,” he stated. Hiiraan region’s SNA commander, Farah Ali Wasuge, similarly called on the forces to interact with members of the public:.“You need to secure the trust of the public. You should therefore not point your guns at the civilians or create fear among them. If you are receptive to the public they will in turn assist you in restoring peace in Beledweyne town,” Mr. Wasuge said.
On his part, the Hiiraan Governor, Abdullahi Ahmed Maalin, said the formation of the force was meant to maintain law and order in Beledweyne town: “The new security unit has been formed for three main reasons — to maintain the security of the town, fight off thugs out to harm members of the public, and to eradicate illicit drugs as the drug trafficking gains momentum with the expansion of the town,” he explained. The governor vowed to bring all culprits and criminals to book.
Key Headlines
- Local Authorities In Hiiraan Region Form Forces To Stabilise Beledweyne Town (Halbeeg News)
- Somali Partnership Forum Calls For Passage Of Electoral Law Ahead Of 2020 Election (Halbeeg News)
- Government Requests Religious Scholars To Join The Fight Against Al-Shabaab (Hiiraan Online)
- International Community Strengthens Support For Somalia’s Plans For Stability And Development (EU)
- Q&A: Somalia Charts Security Transition (Africa Center for Strategic Study)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Partnership Forum Calls For Passage Of Electoral Law Ahead Of 2020 Elections
17 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 261 Words
Delegates at the Somali Partnership Forum have conclusively told Somalia’s legislature and executive arms of government to meet their commitment in delivering legislation that will pave the way for the country to hold universal elections. The delegates from 58 international organisations met in Brussels, Belgium, for two days to discuss on Somalia’s security, economic and political situation: “We call on executive and legislative branches to meet their commitment to deliver legislation that will pave the way for holding a historic one-person-one-vote election that will realise the wishes of Somali public,” reads a communique issued Tuesday evening after the conclusion of the Forum in Brussels.
During the conference, the Somali government was praised for its commitment to hold a multiparty universal election in 2020: “We welcome the commitment of Somalia, led by H.E. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to hold a multiparty universal election,” the participants lauded. “We commend the FGS for putting inclusive politics at the core of its reform agenda towards federalisation and constitutional review as expressed through the Political Roadmap for Inclusive Politics.”
The international stakeholders at the forum pledged to support Somalia in its efforts to realise the proposed inclusive elections in 2020. “We express our commitment to its implementation in an enduring spirit of unity,” the attendees said.
The communique called for the endorsement of the electoral law by Somali Parliament before the end of the year. “This meaningful process must be encouraged and supported to ensure clarification of all outstanding issues, the passage of the electoral law by Parliament by December 2018….continued registration of political parties, finalization of related constitutional amendments,” the leaders stated.
Government Requests Religious Scholars To Join The Fight Against Al-Shabaab
17 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 150 Words
Somali Federal Government for the first time has held discussions with religious groups and urged them to take part in the fight against Al-Shabaab, who lately have increased the attacks against the government. Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire held a special meeting with some religious scholars to discuss their role in preventing radicalization and terrorism.
Sheikh Ali Wajis, who is one of the Somali religious scholars at the meeting, told the media that the meeting also shared information relating to the security situation in the country besides discussing the role of religious groups in the war against Al-Shabaab. “We had an important meeting with the Prime Minister, who explained the work the government was undertaking. We gave him some suggestions and agreed to work with the government” said Sheikh Wajis. This is the first such step by the government to bring on board religious groups in the fight against the Al-Shabaab group.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
International Community Strengthens Support For Somalia’s Plans For Stability And Development
17 July – Source: EU – 336 Words
Somalia will benefit from renewed international support, both politically and financially, as the country implements key reforms to overcome years of conflict and secure a better future for the Somali people.
For two days, international stakeholders gathered in Brussels for the Somalia Partnership Forum, organised by the European Union together with the Federal Government of Somalia and Sweden. Over 60 delegations took part and agreed on joint commitments in key areas for inclusive politics, peace and security and economic recovery in Somalia.
High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said: “The European Union is leading the international partnership to strengthen Somalia’s political, economic and security reform agenda. Today, I announced that the EU will provide additional €200 million to support Somalia’s overall stabilisation to create a better future for its people. I also signed the EU’s contribution of €114.2 million for the African Union Mission to Somalia until the end of this year. The stability and development of the country is also critical for the stability of the broader region and for Europe.”
The President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said: “The Federal Government of Somalia is fully committed to implement the Political Roadmap 2020, Transition plan for security, economic reform and reach out to the whole of Somalia for reconciliation and dialogue. The Somalia Partnership Forum is key for strengthened partnerships with our regional and international partners. We want to work according to the theme of the forum – forward together.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs Sweden, Margot Wallström, said: “The Somalia Partnership Forum has made a number of strong commitments for inclusive politics. We encourage Somalia to adopt national laws and policies that protect women’s and girls’ human rights and enable them to have a stronger role in society. Somalia has taken very important steps on the pathway for sustainable peace and development. Sweden remains a committed partner and will double our development support to Somalia to approximately $350 million over the next five years.” A Joint Communiqué was adopted which outlines the key outcomes of the Forum.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Legitimate governance and inclusive politics is the basis for all the other reforms and capacity building we are doing across the government and across the country.”
Q&A: Somalia Charts Security Transition
17 July – Source: Africa Center for Strategic Study – 2822 Words
Somalia’s state-building efforts, including initiatives to strengthen security and rebuild the political system, have proceeded steadily since the inauguration of President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo in February 2017. Nonetheless, serious challenges remain. The Africa Center for Strategic Studies spoke with Abdisaid Ali, National Security Advisor to the President of the Federal Government of Somalia, to take stock of the progress.
What does the security landscape in Somalia look like, and what is the state of readiness of the Somali authorities to assume responsibility for security?
For the last 10 years, security in Somalia has not been delivered by the state. We owe a debt of gratitude to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) whose forces from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, and Burundi have been the primary security providers since their deployment in 2007 and whose presence and sacrifice has enabled the progress to date in Somalia.
Other international partners have also made significant contributions, notably the United States and other bilateral partners who have provided the security forces and equipment that have enabled the re-establishment of federal and state government after the overthrow of the Union of Islamic Courts.
The violent extremist Islamist group Al-Shabaab has been and continues to be the greatest security threat in Somalia and the region. The group retains a determination to control parts of the country, impose their radical ideology on Somalis, and target the Somali government and security forces.
The security institutions and forces in Somalia are at an early stage of development and yet are faced with a threat that would be daunting for most established security forces. After years of misplaced investment, disjointed attempts at reform, and a lack of a common vision for security in Somalia, an Operational Readiness Assessment of the Somali National Army in 2017, led by the federal government, highlighted the need for significant reform and a more systematic approach to building and sustaining the army.
One of President Farmajo’s first acts after taking office in February 2017 was to agree to a National Security Architecture. This historic agreement was the basis of the Security Pact signed between Somalia and international partners at the London Somalia Conference in May 2017 that laid the foundations for the building an able, accountable, affordable, and acceptable security sector.
The architecture sets out the composition, structure, and scope of the security sector in Somalia, the size of the security forces, the roles of the institutions for civilian oversight, and the division of command and control between the federal government and the Federal Member States (FMS). It marked the first time that Somalia had formalized and agreed to a vision for its security institutions.
In December 2017, the federal government, working closely with the FMS, AMISOM, troop contributing countries, and international partners, committed to develop a plan which would enable Somalia to gradually assume responsibility for security. The plan includes the gradual transfer of responsibilities from AMISOM to Somali forces. It also covers those parts of the country where AMISOM has never had a presence but where security institutions and capacity need to be built. The planning horizon is the next four years, up to the 2020/2021 elections, though it is recognized that rebuilding the Somalia security sector will be a long-term process. Transition is ultimately about Somali state-building and peace-building, with the emergence of effective Somali institutions.