September 13, 2018 | Morning Headlines

The Senate has stepped in to quell rising tensions between the Federal Government and the Federal Member States following declaration by state leaders to cut off relations with Mogadishu. The Senate said Wednesday it was dispatching senators to the regional states to find avenues for resolving the row with the Federal Government. “The Committee, recalling the decisions taken in its 16th meeting of September 10, 2018, is mandated to send delegations to all the regional states to assess the security and political situation of the country to resolve the dispute arising from the current crisis between the Federal Government and the states,” a statement from the Senate Business Committee read in part.

The Senate also urged regional parliaments to find amicable solutions to disputes in the regions instead of resorting to impeachment motions against speakers of regional assemblies. The Senate House Business Committee chaired by the Speaker Abdi Hashi also urged the state legislators to give the committees a chance to find solutions to the disputes.

The Committee also called on the two levels of government to cease rhetoric which could inflame tensions. The Senate’s intervention comes amid uncertainty on whether or not the regional state leaders will attend the National Security Council convened by President Mohamed Farmaajo and for September 17 and 18th.

Key Headlines

• Senate Intervenes In Ensuing Political Row, Urges Restrain (Goobjoog News)
• RADIO: Galmudug Assembly Votes Out Speaker (Dalsan Radio)
• RADIO: Somaliland Discusses Enforcement Of Rape Law (Radio Kulmiye)
• TV: South West Legislators Oppose Suspension Of Ties With Farmaajo (Somali Cable TV)
• Fears Of Further Flooding Haunt Householders Along River Shabelle In Beletweyne (Radio Ergo)
• Somali Forces Kill Senior Al-Shabaab Operative In Lower Shabelle (Halbeeg News)
• UN Chief Appoints New Envoy For Somalia (Xinhua)
• Liban Abdi: “I’d rather help Somalia than play for them” – BBC Sport (BBC Sports)

NATIONAL NEWS

RADIO: Galmudug Assembly Votes Out Speaker

12 September 13:06:19 – Source : Dalsan Radio – 116 Words

Galmudug state legislators have passed a no-confidence motion against their Speaker, Ali Gaal Assir. The move comes after the state legislators, sitting in Dusamareb, the capital of Galmudug, debated a motion of no confidence tabled against the Speaker by some legislators who are critical of him.

The final vote count was announced by the first deputy Speaker, Hared Ali Hared, signalling the impeachment of Ga`al Asir as Speaker of Galmudug state assembly. The ousted Speaker has been at loggerheads with Galmudug President Ahmed Dualle Haf. Ga`al Asir, alongside Galmudug Vice President Mohamed Hashi Arabey, has also opposed Dualle’s position requiring Galmudug to cut off links with the Federal Government

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RADIO: Somaliland Discusses Enforcement Of Rape Law

12 September 16:06:43 – Source : Radio Kulmiye – 105 Words

Somaliland’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowment presided over a public discussion on the anti-rape legislation that President Muse Bihi Abdi recently signed into law, alongside several other bills.

The meeting held in Hargeisa. the capital city of Somaliland, was attended by a huge number of civil society organization and the Ministry of Religious Affairs officials. The general director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Adan Abdullahi Abdalla, told the media that the ministry and civil society organizations had resolved to collaborate in compiling related concerns for possible legislation. Topics discussed included the prevention of rape and other sexual offences including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),

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TV: South West Legislators Oppose Suspension Of Ties With Farmaajo

12 September 17:16:35 – Source : Somali Cable TV – 126 Words

Several legislators from the Southwest state have opposed the decision arrived at by the Southwest regional state’s Cabinet to cut off working relations with President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo’s administration. Speaking at a press conference in the interim capital of Baidoa.

The MPs termed the move illegal since it violates sections of the Constitutions that legitimize a federal system of government. Claiming the decision was a personal stand of the Southwest regional President, the legislators argued such a weighty decision cannot be undertaken without endorsement of the regional state assembly..The latest move follows a decision by the Southwest state Cabinet endorsing a decision by regional leaders at a recent conference in Kismayo to suspend working relations with the Federal Government.

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Fears Of Further Flooding Haunt Householders Along River Shabelle In Beletweyne

12 September – Source : Radio Ergo – 404 Words

The rising level of the River Shabelle is causing high anxiety among people living along the river in the southern Somalia town of Beletweyne, where flooding earlier this year caused major destruction and displacement. Nurto Hassan Ahmed, a mother of six living in Hawo Tako on the outskirts of town, told Radio Ergo she had packed up her belongings ready to get out of the house quickly if the river starts to overflow its banks.

In April, she had to move suddenly with her children when the rising river took them all unawares. “I nearly lost my children in the previous floods,” said Nurto, recalling the nightmare. “The water came in to the house at night while we were sleeping.” People living in the densely populated areas of Hawo Tako, Hawl wadaag, Kooshin, and Buundoweyn, who all suffered in April, are very likely to suffer another disaster, according to experts.

Professor Muse Sha’iye, an advisor to Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM), told Radio Ergo that the erosion of the rivers banks in these areas in Beletweyne pose a serious risk of flooding in the surrounding villages. Recent heavy rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands has brought large flows of water down river. Excessive amounts of silt and sediment have piled up along the river bed, reducing the amount of water the river can hold and exacerbating the risk of further flooding. Professor Sha’iye identifed 124 weak spots along the river banks that may break if there is water levels rise further.

Fifty places along the river in Hiraan and Middle Shebelle regions were broken during the last flooding. For Nuurto and other householders like her, meanwhile, there is nothing they can do but keep a wary eye on the river day and night. That is what she is doing, as well as her neighbours. There is no other more formal system to alert them to the need to move.

Thousands of people were left homeless after the floods in April, and large tracts of farmland were inundated with crops washed away. Most of the displaced began returning to their homes to try to rebuild in July. The social welfare representative in Hiran region, Hussein Osman Ali, told Radio Ergo that the local authority does not have the resources to work on reconstructing the broken river banks.

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Somali Forces Kill Senior Al-Shabaab Operative In Lower Shabelle

12 September – Source : Halbeeg News – 229 Words

A senior Al-Shabaab operative has been killed in an operation conducted in Lower Shabelle region, Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) confirmed. In a statement, NISA said it’s forces killed an Al-Shabaab member near Mubarak village.

The agency added the operative was killed in a confrontation which took place on Tuesday following covert operation launched by the Somali forces. “In an operation conducted by the security forces in Mubarak village of Lower Shabelle region, there was a confrontation between the forces and Al-Shabaab. One member of the group was killed and several others (Al-Shabaab) were injured,” the agency said.

Somali security forces have stepped up their operations against Al-Shabab fighters in southern Somalia. On Tuesday, the forces also killed an Al-Shabaab member in an operation that took place in the Somali capital. The suspect who staged stiff resistance was killed by the forces as four other suspects were nabbed in the operation.

Police Spokesman, Qasim Ahmed Roble, told the media that the suspects were hiding in one of the city’s suburbs when the forces acting on a tip-off raided their house. “Somali Police Forces arrested a senior Al-Shabab commander from the Amniyat (spy unit) and captured three others, who were injured. They were hospitalized and will face justice after treatment,” Roble said.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UN Chief Appoints New Envoy For Somalia

12 September – Source : Xinhua – 146 Words

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Nicholas Haysom of South Africa as his special representative for Somalia and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, Guterres’ press office said Wednesday. Haysom will succeed Michael Keating of Britain.

Haysom, born in 1952, is a lawyer with a long international career with a focus on democratic governance, constitutional and electoral reforms, reconciliation and peace processes, said the press office. He is currently the secretary-general’s special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, a position he has held since 2016.

Prior to this, he served as the UN chief’s special representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. In his earlier career, Haysom served in the government of South Africa. He was involved in the Burundian peace process from 1999 to 2002, and in the Sudan peace process from 2002 to 2005.

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OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“”Of course I would love to play for Somalia one day but only if I know that something good can come of it then. Unfortunately, the country is not at that stage yet.” While his journey out of conflict via Kenya before eventually arriving in Norway may be a familiar one, his path to professional football is a little different.””

Liban Abdi: “I’d rather help Somalia than play for them” – BBC Sport

11 September – Source : BBC Sports – 525 Words

As a youngster Somali-born Liban Abdi dreamed of playing for Norway but now hopes things improve in the country of his birth so he can play for them. The 29-year-old’s youth career began at English club Sheffield United with World Cup stars Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire. He went on to play in Hungary, Turkey, Portugal, Norway and Saudi Arabia. He gained Norwegian citizenship as a refugee after fleeing Somalia as a child and is eligible to play for both sides at international level.

The 29-year-old has been approached by Somalia for more than a decade and in the past looked on the verge of playing for Norway. “Of course it is tempting – Somalia remains a special part of who I am. But it’s just not something I feel I can do until major changes are made there,” he told BBC Sport. “It’s still a scary, dangerous place and I’d be worried about people trying to use me to promote things that I don’t want to be associated with. I refuse to become a player used for propaganda. Corruption is rife too.

“When the Somali Football Federation (SFF) first called me, I was playing youth football for Norway and honestly, I saw my international future with Norway. “It wasn’t about feeling disconnected from Somalia, in fact it was the opposite. “I thought moving to a bigger club, playing for Norway, would help me have a bigger profile and ultimately be able to do more for Somalia in terms of helping improve the infrastructure there.” His assessment is difficult to dispute. Somalia have not played an international fixture in 16 months and currently sit rock bottom of the Fifa World Rankings, alongside the likes of Eritrea and Tonga in 206th place.

Abdi is determined not to neglect his birthplace, however, and has already found alternative ways to contribute to the development of football. “I’ve done a few fundraisers and sent some equipment, footballs – that sort of thing. I work with NGOs and charities and so far that has been a better way for me to help. “Of course I would love to play for Somalia one day but only if I know that something good can come of it then. Unfortunately, the country is not at that stage yet.” While his journey out of conflict via Kenya before eventually arriving in Norway may be a familiar one, his path to professional football is a little different.

At 14, Abdi left Norway for England as his older brother and sister were heading to university. He turned out for local semi-professional club Buckingham Town “just for fun” and a career in football was never on his mind. Two years later he signed a professional contract with Sheffield United. “Truthfully, I never imagined I would become a professional footballer,” Abdi explained. “At that time Sheffield United were in the Premier League and I just couldn’t believe that I was there. I was born in a warzone.

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