July 19, 2018 | Morning Headlines

EU Provides €200 Million Support To Strengthen Somalia’s Stabilization Process

18 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 356 Words

Vice President of the European Union, Federica Mogherini has announced that EU will provide additional €200 million support to strengthen the stabilization of Somalia: “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 stabilization 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 overall stability of the broader region and for Europe. Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallström, separately asked Somalia to implement policies that will protect women and girls’ human rights. Sweden also promised to double its support to Somalia so as to speed up development.

“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,” observed Margot Wallstrom.

Speaking during the forum in Brussels, Belgium, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia stressed the dedication of his government to implement it’s developmental agendas and strengthen its affiliation and cooperation with the international community: “The Federal Government of Somalia is fully committed to implement the political road map for 2020, transition plan for security, economic reforms and reach out to the whole of Somalia for reconciliation and dialogue. The Somalia Partnership Forum is key for strengthening partnerships with our regional and international partners. We want to work according to the theme of the forum – forward together.”

The EU is currently increasing its security support to the country, reorienting it to more direct support to the Somali institutions. The EU has also stepped up its humanitarian contribution, with €89 million in new funding announced last week.

Key Headlines

• EU Provides €200 Million Support To Strengthen Somalia’s Stabilization Process (Halbeeg News)
• Constitutional Affairs Minister Announces Plans For The Commencement Of Voter Registration (Radio Kulmiye)
• Parliament Speaker Receives Qatari Envoy For Somalia (SONNA)
• Uganda Dispatches More UPDF Troops To Somalia (PML Daily)
• Trump Administration To Rule On Special Immigration Status For Somalis (Star Tribune)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Constitutional Affairs Minister Announces Plans For The Commencement Of Voter Registration

18 July – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 98 Words

Abdirahman Hosh Jibril, the Minister of Constitutional Affairs, has said the constitutional review and the 2020 elections process are at advanced stage. Speaking to the media, the minister reported that in the next few days they will complete the review of the constitution and will soon embark on the voter registration process ahead of the 2020 elections.

The minister also confirmed that the national elections committee will take the relevant steps to ensure the process continues smoothly. Mr Hosh expressed optimism that the one-man-one-vote principle will be realized.

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Parliament Speaker Receives Qatari Envoy For Somalia

18 July – Source: SONNA – 169 Words

The Speaker of the House Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman on Wednesday received Qatari Ambassador to Somalia, Hassan Hamza in Mogadishu. Discussions by both officials focused on enhancing relations between the two nations and the cooperation of both Parliaments.

The Qatari ambassador thanked the acting President and Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Government of Somalia, Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman, for the warm welcome and meeting. ”I would like to convey to you a message of congratulation and greetings from the Qatari Parliament Speaker Honorable Ahmed bin Abdullahi Al-Mahmoud. Qatar promises to support Somali Parliament in different capacities. We are working towards strengthening collaboration between the two Parliaments” said Ambassador Hamza.

The Somali Parliament Speaker pointed out that Qatar was playing a big role in the ongoing developments in the country: “Qatar Government is taking part in the ongoing development programs, that are supportive of the Somali people’s future”, Mr. Abdirahman stated. He also thanked the Qatari envoy’s efforts in improving ties between the two countries.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Uganda Dispatches More UPDF Troops To Somalia

18 July – Source: PML Daily – 388 Words

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi on Monday July 16, flagged off Battle Group 25 and United Nations Guard Unit at the Peace Support Operations Training Centre in Singo, Nakaseke District.

Gen Muhoozi said Battle Group 25 will be charged with the responsibility of sustaining peace and stability in Somalia under the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia, while UN Guard Unit will be protecting key UN and the vital Somali government installations, UN personnel as well as escorting VIPs.

He however, urged the soldiers to avoid negative propaganda and live up to their expectations since life in the mission area is not a picnic but a mission that demands hard work: “The Somalia Mission demands both discipline and sacrifice for one to be successful. Therefore, work hard while there and don’t let down Uganda,” Gen David Muhoozi the two groups adding that UPDF is in Somalia in line with its Pan-Africanist ideology of supporting fellow Africans whenever called upon.

He cautioned soldiers going for the peace keeping mission in Somalia to make sure that they come back as healthy as they have gone since UPDF as an institution has already invested so much in them. Battle Group 25 will be commanded by Col Paul Muwanguzi who will be deputised by Lieutenant Col CK Asiimwe while Col Stuart Agaba will command UN Guard Unit, deputized by Maj Edward Mugisha.

The UPDF Commander Land Forces Maj Gen Peter Elwelu who accompanied the CDF applauded soldiers for successfully completing the training and wished them well in the mission area. He reminded them that Somalia is a fighting area that calls for disciplined and professional soldiers. Before their deployment, they underwent six-month’s training in basic combat.

Uganda is the largest contributor to the mission, with more than 6,000 troops. AMISOM peacekeeping mission in the Horn of African nation continues to be threatened by al-Shabaab terrorists. In April this year, Uganda’s army reported eight UPDF soldiers had been killed and six injured in an attack in lower Shabelle.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“It is widely expected that the Trump administration will rescind Somalia’s special status, based on the President’s past comments about Somali refugees and his increasingly hard-line stance on immigration. Shortly before the 2016 election, Trump singled out Somalis during a trip to Minnesota, saying large numbers of Somali refugees were coming in to the state without proper vetting and were spreading extremist views”.

Trump Administration To Rule On Special Immigration Status For Somalis

17 July – Source: Star Tribune – 991 Words

Hundreds of Somalis who fled violence and famine in their home country could be forced to leave if the Trump administration ends a special immigration program that has allowed them to live and work here legally.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will decide by Thursday whether it will extend temporary legal protections to approximately 250 Somalis who sought refuge in the United States, including some who have been living in this country for nearly three decades. A majority of those who would be affected live in Minnesota, which is home to the nation’s largest concentration of Somali-Americans.

The special designation for Somalia was first approved by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 in response to a brutal civil war, and has since been extended 22 times under multiple presidents. Known as Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, the designation has shielded many Somalis from deportation and enabled them to build families and businesses here.

Ending the program will force those migrant families into an agonizing decision: leave the country or risk becoming illegal immigrants facing deportation. Many TPS holders are married to legal immigrants and have children who are U.S. citizens, which means some Somali families would be forced to separate if the special status is not extended.

Immigration advocates warned that many Somalis facing loss of their protected status would recede into the shadows, like the roughly 12 million immigrants in the United States illegally. Those returning to Somalia from Minnesota would face a bleak future in a country still stricken by armed conflict and a devastating drought, said immigration advocates.

“Terminating TPS would essentially be a death sentence” for Somalis forced to return, said Mustafa Jumale, co-founder of the Black Immigrant Collective, an advocacy group for black immigrants and their families, at a news conference Tuesday. “Given the option of going back to face certain violence, many would choose to become undocumented.”

The TPS program was designed to help people from countries wracked by armed conflicts, natural disasters and other forms of civil strife in their home countries. But it has come under harsh scrutiny from members of the Trump administration, who have argued that it was never meant to be a long-term solution for immigrants coming to this country.