August 14, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia’s Army Asked To Comply With International Humanitarian Law During Military Operations
14 August – Source: AMISOM – 569 Words
The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Somali National Army (SNA), Maj. Gen. Abdiweli Jama Hussein ‘Gorod’, has instructed his troops to ensure compliance with International Humanitarian Law, when conducting military operations in the country. The CDF warned that soldiers who disregard the law will be prosecuted. He also distributed the “Code of Conduct for Combatants’ to the local army to familiarize them with combat rules, which guides on how to protect civilians and their property, limit destruction and respect civilian property during combat, among other rules.
The Humanitarian Law regulates the conduct of forces in armed conflict and seeks to protect the rights of civilians who are not participating in hostilities. “When you want to maintain security and you are fighting insurgents (Al-Shabaab), there are international laws to be observed which must to be safeguarded,” Gen. Abdiweli cautioned the soldiers. “The religion of Islam ordains that. The people you are protecting, those you are fighting with and those you are fighting for should be very clear to you.”
Senior officials of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) joined the army chief and troops to discuss the tenets of the International Humanitarian Law, at the General Gordon Military Academy in Mogadishu on Monday. AMISOM is spearheading training of the Somali National Security Forces on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. “The rules apply to situations of war and these are officers and soldiers who are going to conduct operations soon. The idea is that they ensure compliance with applicable international obligations; rules that protect the victims of war; rules that limit the effects of armed conflict; rules that restrict methods and means of warfare,” explained Dr. Omar Abdulle Alasow, the Senior Advisor to AMISOM on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights.
Key Headlines
- Somalia’s Army Asked To Comply With International Humanitarian Law During Military Operations (AMISOM)
- Somalia Foreign Affairs Minister Meets With The Chinese Ambassador To Somalia (Goobjoog News)
- Goats Die Of Disease In Galmudug As Vets Say They Lack Vaccine (Radio Ergo)
- Norway In A USD 10 Million SMEs Rescue For Somalia (The Exchange)
- Closer Than They Seem (Carnegie Middle East Centre)
- Ethiopia: Exploiting The Gulf’s Scramble For The Horn Of Africa (Africa Arguments)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Foreign Affairs Minister Meets With The Chinese Ambassador To Somalia
14 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 116 Words
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Ahmed Isse Awad received the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Mr Qin Jian, where they discussed ways to develop and strengthen Somali-Chinese relations. The fruitful meeting focused on several aspects issues including the bilateral relations between the two countries, in particular, the political, security and development agenda.
The meeting was attended by State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mr. Abdikadir Ahmed-Kheyr Abdi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Mr. Siciid Haji Mohamud and the Director of Asia, Mr. Shirwa Abdullahi Ibrahim. The Chinese embassy is one of 17 foreign embassies that currently have a offices in Somalia.
Goats Die Of Disease In Galmudug As Vets Say They Lack Vaccine
14 August – Source: Radio Ergo – 382 Words
An outbreak of smallpox has killed around 300 goats in the last three weeks in Galo village, 45 miles east of Dhusamareb, Galgaduud region. The disease has affected the livestock of 180 families, with at least 3,000 more goats infected, according to the local chief Mr. Said Ali Abdi. Veterinary doctors in Dhusamareb have not visited Galo village, although they have been alerted the spread of the disease, by members of the community. Some of the herders told Radio Ergo that the vets had said, it would be a wasted journey coming to Galo village, as they did not have the right vaccine available.
Abdullahi Kadiye, 45, a father of eight, owned 100 goats. Fifty of them fell sick with smallpox disease, and 20 have died. He told Radio Ergo that, he went to Dhusamareb searching for the medicine and vaccines but, he could not find any. His family earns income from the sale of goat’s milk. After his losses, and the rest of the animals being weak, he has not been selling any milk and has had to buy food for the family on credit from local shops. Fourteen of the female goats that died were pregnant.
Pastoralist families believe that disease is communicable among the goats and it spreads when, they are drinking water or grazing together. Warsame Aded Dhiblawe, 40, is a father of seven children. He owned 200 goats, half of which have been infected by smallpox. So far 40 have died. The family lives off the livestock. Mr. Warsame told Radio Ergo that the sick goats began to cough and blisters and sores erupted on their bodies, before they died a week later. The goats that have survived are weak and skinny. He noted that the disease first spread among his livestock three weeks ago and is claiming more animals every day.
Radio Ergo shared the symptoms with Suleiman Mohamed Salah, a veterinary expert, who said there is no treatment for the disease but, there is a vaccine available to prevent it occurring. Dr Suleiman advised herders to separate the sick goats from the healthy ones to contain the spread of the disease. He urged them to contact local veterinary doctors in the area. The disease is usually occurs during extremes of cold or hot weather.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Norway In A USD 10 Million SMEs Rescue For Somalia
13 August – Source: The Exchange – 538 Words
Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries, Norfund has, together with Shuraako, a program of One Earth Future, and the Danish development finance institution, IFU, have established a USD 10 million fund for supporting small and medium sized companies in Somalia. The Nordic Horn of Africa Opportunities Fund is among the first commercial investment funds for Somalia. The Fund is expected to have significant development impact by enabling Somali entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses, contribute to their country’s economy and tax base, and create a significant number of jobs within their communities.
The Fund has been set up in line with Norwegian development assistance. It focuses on post-conflict and fragile states by building sustainable societies and creating jobs. The Fund has an initial capital target of USD 10 million. The primary investment instrument will be the Sharia compliant “Murabaha” and the average deal size will be USD 250 000. The capital will flow to all regions of Somalia.
The investments are made into companies in various sectors including but not limited to fisheries, agriculture, light manufacturing, hospitalities and energy. Norfund is the initiator and anchor investor of the Fund and has committed an investment of up to USD 5 million, whereof the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported a first loss component of USD 3 million.
Closer Than They Seem
14 August – Source: Carnegie Middle East Centre – Video – 2:27 Minutes
Khalif Abdirahman is a Somali researcher with five years of experience in the Horn of Africa. He has participated in numerous studies on issues related to the region, at Tufts University, Humanitarian Outcomes, Transparency International, the Overseas Development Institute, and the Rift Valley Institute. He also has more than ten years of experience in community work and issues relating to the Somali diaspora and their involvement in political and other issues at home.
Currently Abdirahman is working in London with the Rift Valley Institute and the London School Economics. Diwan met with him in early August, at a conference in Beirut organized by Carnegie, to get his perspective on a little-discussed topic, namely the ties between Yemen and Somalia, particularly at a time of crisis in both countries.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“The rapprochement with its neighbour should give it access to Eritrean ports, while the UAE’s development of Berbera in Somaliland will give it another crucial option. Ethiopia defied the Somali federal government’s objections when it supported the UAE’s deal with the semi-autonomous region, but in return it has acquired a 19% stake in the project.”
Ethiopia: Exploiting The Gulf’s Scramble For The Horn Of Africa
14 August – Source: Africa Arguments – 1407 Words
This is the fourth part of The Thin Red Line, an African Arguments series focusing on dynamics around the Red Sea. For the past two months, Ethiopians and Eritreans have been trying to make sense of their governments’ sudden declaration of peace. After 20 years of hostility, citizens on both sides of the border are waiting to see what the momentous rapprochement will mean and what the two leaders will do next.
But the neighbouring populations are not the only ones keeping a close eye on the events. Nor are the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments the only players determining the future direction of their relationship and how it affects the broader Horn of Africa region.Further afield, several Middle Eastern nations are watching developments unfold and trying to ensure their interests in the region are well-served going forwards. In fact, the United Arab Emirates played a key behind-the-scenes role in facilitating the deal between Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki. Both men met with Emirati leaders on several occasions before and during the reconciliation, and they have stayed in regular contact ever since.
In late-July, for example, Abiy and Isaias paid a joint visit to the UAE where Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, bestowed the nation’s highest civil honour on them. Last week, Abiy hosted the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation. That meeting came just a day after he received the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s main ally. After decades of disengagement, countries east of the Red Sea are scrambling to gain a greater footprint along the opposite coast. In response, states on the Horn such as Ethiopia are trying to leverage these rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics to enhance their own influence.
Relations between the Horn of Africa and Arab nations east of the Red Sea date back over millennia. They took a turn for the worse following the 1973 “Oil Crisis”, triggered when oil-producing Arab countries cut down production to punish Western countries that supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Horn countries became collateral damage as inflation skyrocketed.
To overcome economic devastation and soaring debt, they began to court oil-rich Gulf States, offering political loyalty and natural resources in return for aid. Countries such as Somalia, Djibouti, Egypt, and Sudan invoked their cultural and religious connections with the Gulf in a bid to gain help in dealing with their balance of payment crisis and political instability. Arab nations seized the opportunity, using their wealth and newfound geostrategic importance to expand their influence in the Horn and secure key loyalties.
With the end of the Cold War in the early-1990s, relations shifted again as the Horn of Africa underwent several changes. The Marxist-Leninist regime in Ethiopia collapsed. Somalia imploded into protracted civil war. Eritrea gained independence. And Sudan experienced an Islamic Revolution. With revenue from oil declining, Gulf nations decided to retreat, rendering the strategic waters of the Red Sea insignificant and inconsequential.
TOP TWEETS
@shf_somalia: In 2018, the SHF raised $35.5 million from nine donors. Thanks to that, the Fund has been able to release nearly $26.5 million so far for life-saving assistance for hundreds of thousands of people in #Somalia. Another allocation of $7.5 million is being finalised.
@SahraCabdi: #Eritrea sent to it’s first diplomatic delegate led by the foreign minister to #Somalia, for bilateral talks to Federal gov of #Somalia.
@DrBeileh: I enjoyed the frank public discussion in the#DoodFuran program yesterday on @MofSomalia successes & remaining challenges. We are making progress but there is more to do. The people & their great effort is why #Somalia improving fiscally.I learnt much &will act on it #DoodFuran
@ChismaioCity: Two masons died in #Kismayo on Sunday after the wall they were digging caved in and buried while Two others were rushed to the general hospital with minor injuries. Without the right equipment and gears for the work, stone masons put their lives at risk to feed their families.
@SahraCabdi: #SOMALIA: The commander of Somali National Army, Gen. AbdiWAli Gorad, has concluded training given to the Somali army to preserve the code & conduct of#SomaliNationalArmy and humanitarian laws, , particularly during their operations against Alshabab. Source #AMISOMpress release
@RadioErgo: First local secondary school opens in Dollow which saves parents the hustle of sending their children to neighboring Ethiopia or Kenya for education and bright future.#Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Isse Awad meet with Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Qin Jian today in Mogadishu.
Photo: @MofaSomalia