August 20, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report.
President Farmajo Meets His Predecessor In Ankara
20 August – Source: Halbeeg News – 137 Words
Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Sunday met with his predecessor Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Turkey’s capital city, Ankara. Details of the closed-door meeting were scanty but a brief statement from Mr. Hassan indicated that the two leaders discussed the challenges facing the country.
The statement said the two agreed to cooperate on the stabilisation of the country and jointly working on security and development. “I met with president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. In our meeting we discussed on the gains achieved by the government and challenges as well as means to resolve them,” Hassan said.
This is reminiscent of a meeting in July where the two leaders discussed on security and stabilisation. President Farmajo has taken office after winning last year’s election in Mogadishu, succeeding Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the 8th president of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Key Headlines
- President Farmajo Meets His Predecessor In Ankara (Halbeeg News)
- Somalia’s Supreme Court Chief Suspends Judges (Shabelle News)
- Puntland Refutes Reports Of Peace Deal On Tukaraq Tension (Halbeeg News)
- Qatar Funds Diplomatic Institute Project In Somalia (Gulf Times)
- As Somalia Marks World Humanitarian Day UN Calls For More Protection Of Aid Workers (UNSOM)
- Going “Full-Circle” In Somalia (LSE – Centre for Africa)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia’s Supreme Court Chief Suspends Judges
20 August – Source: Shabelle Media – 109 Words
The newly appointed Somalia supreme court chief, Bashe Yusuf Ahmed has suspended 9 judges at the first and second degree courts in Mogadishu following public complaints. According to a statement from Ahmed’s office, the move was aimed at resolving the repeated grievance from the people over injustice which led to the suspension of judges.
Abshir Omar Abdullahi, the head of the appeals court proposed the suspension and also called for an investigation into the alleged injustice and corruption allegations. In the past few weeks, the government has arrested and suspended more than 10 officials, including the manager of Mogadishu port tax department and other staff members over graft claims.
Puntland Refutes Reports Of Peace Deal On Tukaraq Tension
19 August – Source: Halbeeg News – 282 Words
Authorities in Puntland state of northeastern Somali have dispelled reports claiming the state inked a peace agreement with its neighbour Somaliland over Tukaraq village. Forces loyal to both Puntland and Somaliland state had engaged in a deadly gun battle over the ownership of Tukaraq village leading to displacement of thousands of residents. Local media on Saturday reported that the delegates from both sides penned a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tensions in Sool region.
Speaking to the media, Puntland Minister for Information, Abdi Hirsi Qarjab dismissed the claims saying Puntland state did not engage in talks with Somaliland administration. “We neither engaged in talks nor signed a peace agreement with Somaliland. Those are unfounded, the tension is still escalating,” said Qarjab.
The minister expressed Puntland’s readiness to start talks with Somaliland on condition of pulling Somaliland forces out of Tukaraq locality. “Currently, we are not at a stage where we can start talks. The sides should move to their respective areas and then we can start talks on the issue but we will negotiate with anyone who is occupying our areas,” he said.
The tension is fresh as both sides reportedly employed light and heavy guns near Tukaraq village, about 1,100km northwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu. Tukaraq lies between the main towns of Las Anod in the breakaway Somaliland state and self-declared republic – and Garowe in Puntland state.
Somaliland and Puntland have hand long-standing border disputes, particularly over the Sool and Sanaag regions that separate them. Territorial disputes in the region go back to the colonial era when Britain colonized Somaliland and Italy colonized the rest of Somalia. The people in Sool region are represented in both the Somaliland and Puntland administrations.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Qatar Funds Diplomatic Institute Project In Somalia
19 August – Source: Gulf Times – 117 Words
Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Eissa Awad and Qatar’s ambassador Hassan bin Hamza Hashim on Sunday placed the cornerstone of the project to build the diplomatic institute, which is financed by Qatar Fund for Development. The project is one of many developmental schemes offered by Qatar to Somalia in November.
The Somalia Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the institute will contribute to graduating diplomats who work for advancing their country. He noted that the institute will work on developing a diplomatic culture. He thanked Qatar for supporting the project. For his part, the ambassador said that the project is the first in a group of developmental schemes offered by the State of Qatar to Somalia. He stressed that the other project will be launched in the near future. Sunday’s ceremony was attended by a number of ranking officials in Somalia.
As Somalia Marks World Humanitarian Day, UN Calls For More Protection Of Aid Workers
19 August – Source: UNSOM – 524 Words
As the international community marked the World Humanitarian Day today, a senior United Nations official warned of the grave threats faced by aid workers in Somalia, where they continue to be targets of armed groups which often abduct and detain them and steal desperately needed relief supplies. “As humanitarians deliver aid and medical workers treat the sick and wounded, they are directly targeted,” the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia and Humanitarian Coordinator, Peter de Clercq, said at a press briefing in the Somali capital.
“They are still facing threats and they are being prevented at times from bringing relief to those in desperate need – this must stop,” he added. The UN official noted that 74 violent incidents affecting humanitarian personnel, health facilities and assets had been registered in the Horn of Africa country since the beginning of 2018. Seven humanitarian workers have died thus far this year and another ten have been injured.
Of the 18 humanitarian workers who have been kidnapped this year, six remain in the custody of their captors, including the German nurse Sonja Nientiet who was working with the International Committee of the Red Cross when she was abducted in the capital, Mogadishu, last May. The Humanitarian Coordinator said that although the number of aid workers who have been targeted in 2018 is lower than the figure for last year, the practice remains a cause for concern.
Somalia’s federal government has vowed to take action to reduce the threats facing aid workers. “Our ministry will work on getting strong policies that protect the well-being of civilians, aid and health workers,” the federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hamza Said Hamza, said at today’s event.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Further, it will not be lost on observers that the fast-approaching elections also scheduled for 2020, and where the, as yet, unfulfilled promise of ‘one-person-one-vote’ is marked for delivery, presents a unique turning-point for the war-torn country.”
Going “Full-Circle” In Somalia
19 August – Source: LSE – Centre for Africa – 1022 Words
Somalia is an interesting place to try and understand the morphing, and increasingly complex nature of war – from the multiple actors, both state and non-state, to the frighteningly close horrors that filter through on our ever-pervasive digital screens. Young men and women across the region, and from as far away as Minnesota, in the United States, have fallen victim to the allure of fighting a ‘just cause’, and as a result, countless families — even those who send their children off to war to fight such victims — have themselves been victimised.
Yet, many parties have stood to gain, be it monetarily, or by their new-found prestige and strategic alignment with superior allies. But as the conflict in Somalia wanes or intensifies (depending on whom you ask), a mounting and unavoidable danger lurks.
On 1 July 2018, celebrations were held in Somalia and across the diaspora, marking the 58th anniversary of the country’s independence. Two years from now, as the country marks its diamond jubilee, the full withdrawal of AMISOM from Somalia is scheduled to take place. Coincidentally, this will also happen to be the year by which the AU Master Roadmap (AUMR) on Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020 is expected to be implemented.
Currently, at the international level, it is an open secret that there is growing disaster fatigue regarding Somalia, among other regions on the precipice (humanitarian efforts are up, but historically low; political efforts lack global leadership). In Somalia’s case, the overarching problem — perhaps dating back to 1967/9 – has been the general lack of legitimacy of the ruling elite.
Further, it will not be lost on observers that the fast-approaching elections also scheduled for 2020, and where the, as yet, unfulfilled promise of ‘one-person-one-vote’ is marked for delivery, presents a unique turning-point for the war-torn country. Should the ballot be once again confined to a select few, al Shabaab and company will only be further vindicated in their claims to authority, no matter how narrowly defined these may be.
All the same, should inclusivity be stressed, the existing array of political agendas might threaten to burst an already fragile context into further anarchy. Indeed, 2020 might present the country with its most difficult balancing act in decades, and it will be the hurdle that really tests the patience and/or true resolve to actually alleviate the situation, on the part of local and external actors.
One emerging, and stinging critique of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), is that it is a 21st century tool of rentierism mirroring the Cold War neopatrimonialism that shaped much of Africa’s recent destiny. One wonders about the veracity of the proclamations of help coming from outside, as with the intentions of local players, in their ‘shared goal’ to stabilise Somalia, as when the long-requested heavy machinery arrive 24 months to the date of withdrawal, in the first case, or when internal power struggles dominate over more pressing recovery efforts, in the latter.
TOP TWEETS
@MoulidHujale: War took away my childhood & forced me to flee from my beautiful coastal town,Kismayo,southern #Somaliato a refugee camp in Kenya.But because of dedicated humanitarians I thrived & my hopes restored.On this World Humanitarian Day I stand them & #WithRefugees #WHD2018#NotATarget.
@GEEL_Somali: #Somali exports are on the rise thanks to links made at the Gulfood Fair in 2018. A #Somali company signed an agreement to supply 95MT of sesame, worth over $130,000, to Iraq and Turkey, the first of many shipments expected throughout the year. #BuySomali #BuildSomalia.
@MofSomalia: We will be most transparent! The Ministry of Finance in Somalia is proud to open its financial information.
@engyarisow: Providing wheelchair and all assistance to our disable people is a duty to all of us. We must do all we can to all disadvantaged groups in our community.
@HarunMaruf: Somalia recalls ambassador to Sudan, officials over student complaints
@Sh_Garjeex: #Somali Armed Forces led by General Caanood have retaken the strategic town of #Xaramka near #Jilib City.#Alshabaab fled hours ago and #SNA soldiers have regrouped and are expected to mount an attack on #Jilib. #Xaramka is strategically located between #Mogadishu and #Kismaayo
@HarunMaruf: London: The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and Somali Regional Democratic Alliance (SRDA) have announced the formation of new political alliance known as the Somali Coalition for Freedom (SCF). SCF says it is seeking to secure self-determination for Somalis in Ethiopia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Eissa Awad and Ambassador Hassan bin Hamza Hashim of Qatar place a cornerstone for the new diplomatic institute, funded by Qatar Fund for Development.
Photo: @MofaSomalia