September 7, 2018 | Morning Headlines

Somalia, Eritrea And Ethiopia Sign Declaration Of Cooperation

06 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 239 Words

Leaders of Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia have agreed to establish a framework of cooperation in security, economy and political affairs. In a joint declaration signed by President Mohamed Farmaajo, Ethiopia’s Ahmed Abiy and President Isaias Afwerki, the three countries expressed commitment to foster comprehensive cooperation for stability in the Horn of Africa region.

“The three countries shall build close political, economic, social, cultural and security ties,” the joint declaration read in part. The leaders also agreed to coordinate to promote regional peace and security. The declaration signed on Wednesday night came ahead of the tripartite meeting between the three leaders today in Asmara.

The meeting follows shuttle diplomacy among the three leaders in the last two months which has seen the once hermetic Red Sea nation return to the fold following years of isolation amid rivalry with Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Djibouti has maintained its dispute with Eritrea is yet to be resolved and even rebuked President Farmaajo for calling on the UN Security Council to lift sanctions imposed on Eritrea in 2009.

But the dispatch of foreign ministers from the three countries on Thursday is indicative of efforts to mediate the two countries. Djibouti and Eritrea are in dispute over Dumeira Island and Dumeira Mountain. The tiny Dumeira Island lies just off the coast of the two countries, at the southern end of the Red Sea. It is close to the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, an important shipping lane for global commerce.

Key Headlines

• Somalia Eritrea And Ethiopia Sign Declaration Of Cooperation (Goobjoog News)
• NISA officer Killed In Mogadishu (Dhaco.com)
• Bosaso City Council Elects New Mayor (Shabelle Media)
• Residents Of Hiiraan Region Embrace Community Policing To Tackle Violent Extremism (AMISOM)
• The Road To Peace? Diplomatic Ties Strengthen In The Horn Of Africa (Deutsche Welle)

NATIONAL MEDIA

NISA officer Killed In Mogadishu

06 September – Source: Dhacdo.com – 119 Words

Gunmen have shot dead a member of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in Waberi District of Mogadishu. According to witnesses of the incident, the deceased officer was shot dead as he alighted from a motorcycle, commonly referred to as Bajaj.

Waberi District Police Commander Habad Rage, who visited the scene of the crime, said the gunmen who murdered the officer escaped from the scene immediately after committing the crime. The police collected the body of the officer and took it to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters. Security officers immediately cordoned off the area and commenced an investigation to bring to book perpetrators of the crime. Since yesterday, four government soldiers have been in attacks in Karan District.

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Bosaso City Council Elects New Mayor

06 September – Source: Shabelle Media – 81 Words

The councilors of Puntland’s commercial city of Bosaso on Thursday voted to elect a new mayor. The move comes ahead of the General Election. Abdisalam Bashir was declared winner of the ballot contest after beating his sole challenger, Mohamed Farah, with a majority of 28 votes against Farah’s three votes.

Senior officials from Puntland state, including the Interior Minister, witnessed the election process and congratulated Bashir on his victory. They urged him to assume office and get down to work immediately.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Residents Of Hiiraan Region Embrace Community Policing To Tackle Violent Extremism

06 September – Source: AMISOM – 385 Words

Residents in Hiiraan region have agreed to embrace community policing to counter cases of crime and violent extremism. The decision was reached at the end of a two-day community policing engagement, on Tuesday, organized by the police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which was attended by residents, representatives from civil organizations and security personnel.

AMISOM Police Public Information Officer, Philip Mukasa, said the objective of the meeting was to build and deepen partnership between residents and the police in the fight against crime, particularly violent extremism: “AMISOM Police have been working with the SPF (Somali Police Force) in Belet Weyne to engage the community and dialogue on how to prevent violent extremism,” Mr. Mukasa explained.

He said AMISOM will continue to work together with the SPF and community leaders to educate them on countering violent extremism to restore lasting peace and security. Mr. Mukasa’s sentiments were echoed by Abdikarim Muhumed Takoy, the Deputy Governor of Hiiran region in charge of security, who emphasized cooperation between the local community and the police was important to countering extremist groups that comprise the country’s peace and stability efforts.

Col. Isak Ali Abdulle, the commander of Belet Weyne Police, urged the communities to work closely with security forces by volunteering information to tackle violent crimes and help secure neighbourhoods: “The community is the backbone of security. It is important that we work together to counter dissidents who want to disrupt peace and security within the society,” Col. Abdulle stated. Arab Yusuf Noor, the commander of Belet Weyne Stabilization Forces, urged residents to embrace community policing, saying both the police and the public have a role to play in bringing back peace and security.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia established a joint cooperation agreement this week, in another major step towards achieving stability in the conflict-ridden region. So is peace finally on the horizon?”

The Road To Peace? Diplomatic Ties Strengthen In The Horn Of Africa

06 September – Source: Deutsche Welle – 720 Words

The decades-long conflict between states in the Horn of Africa seemed all but forgotten this week as leaders from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia worked to strengthen long-lost diplomatic ties during a tripartite summit in Asmara.

And their efforts already seem to be paying off. Shortly after the three countries formally agreed to enhance economic, political, social, cultural, and security cooperation, Ethiopia opened its first embassy in 20 years in Eritrea on Thursday, less than two months after Eritrea reopened its own embassy in Addis Ababa.

Meanwhile, Wednesday marked the formal reopening of Eritrea’s ports to Ethiopian trade — another major step in the peace process. An Ethiopian cargo ship docked in Eritrea’s Massawa port as it prepared to transport zinc to China. Ethiopia’s new reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is widely credited for pursuing peace talks with Eritrea and opening up the possibility of diplomatic thaws between neighboring states in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea and Somalia had agreed to establish diplomatic relations in late July following Eritrea’s rapprochement with Ethiopia, following tensions over Eritrea’s alleged support for Somalia’s extremist rebel group, Al-Shabaab. Ethiopia and Eritrea formally cut diplomatic ties following a brutal border war between 1998 and 2000, which claimed the lives of at least 100,000 people on both sides.

A border demarcation backed by the United Nations (UN) in 2002 was meant to settle the dispute for good, however Ethiopia refused to follow its recommendations and continued to hold on to territory meant to be under Eritrean control. Only two months after taking office, Abiy announced in June that Ethiopia would hand back disputed areas, including the flashpoint town of Badme where the first shots were fired, beginning the border war.

Ethiopian journalist Sisay Woubeshet told DW that the peace talks between Ethiopia and Eritrea are especially significant for families divided for years as a result of the conflict: “It’s been a very big and exciting year for Ethiopians,” she says. “Because people have been separated from their families for more than 10, 20 years. Eritreans [in Ethiopia] have been looking for an official and formal way to communicate with their families and friends and this is the first step. The opening of the embassies makes the situation more stable for them.”

It remains unclear however when the heavily militarized Ethiopia-Eritrea border will formally open, or when Ethiopian armed forces will withdraw from the disputed areas. The rapid peace talks between the former enemies appear to have opened a pathway to pursue further resolutions, potentially changing the landscape of politics in the region.