November 2, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Regional State Leaders Lack Principles Of Federalism, Farmajo
01 November – Source: 252Politics – 230 Words
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has claimed leaders of the regional states have little understanding of the federal system. Speaking during meeting with members of the Somali community in Juba, South Sudan, the President said regional states officials have a tendency of interfering with the work of the national government, especially with regard to foreign policy.
“The regional states’ main agenda is to improve basic government services such as health, education, water and revenue collection in their areas,” the President said. “But if they want to come up with a separate foreign policy or investigate on details of the meeting between President Salva Kiir (of South Sudan) and I, then that is beyond their mandate.”
His comments come days after his extended an invitation to state leaders to Mogadishu for talks to end political stalemate. A statement from Council of Inter State Conference issued following the President’s invitation expressed willingness to attend the meeting on condition that the Upper House is allowed to play the mediation role as a third party. The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Haysom, along with the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, have toured Kismayo and Baidoa respectively to convince the regional leaders to come to the negotiating table to end the political standoff with the central government.
Key Headlines
- Regional State Leaders Lack Principles Of Federalism Farmajo (252 Politics)
- Families Displaced By Fighting In Jamaame Face Food Crisis In Kismayu (Radio Ergo)
- EU launches Vocational Training Project In Somalia (Halbeeg News)
- Military Court Sentences Two Civilians To Eight Years For Robbery (Goobjoog News)
- AU Fetes Burundian Troops With Medals For Their Distinguished Service In Somalia (AMISOM)
- Spike In Violence In Somalia Forces 21000 People To Flee Their Homes (NRC)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Families Displaced By Fighting In Jamaame Face Food Crisis In Kismayu
01 November – Source: Radio Ergo – 368 Words
Close to 200 families displaced by ongoing military operations in Jamaame in Lower Jubba are facing hunger and lack access to basic services. Local officials said 160 families uprooted from their homes are now camping in Kismayu with little humanitarian support. Somali and AMISOM forces launched major offensives against the militant group Al-Shabaab in Jamaame district in October, forcing families to leave their homes.
Bishar Mohamed Ibrahim, an official from Jubbaland Refugee and IDP Affairs Committee, told Radio Ergo that the families who fled Jamame district are facing a humanitarian crisis in Kismayu, the administrative capital of Jubbaland state. “As a result of the ongoing clashes between Somali military and Al-Shabaab, most villages under Jamame district have witnessed a massive movement of people heralding new humanitarian crisis,” he said. “They are facing an acute food shortage, and they are yet to receive full aid support.”
The families fled from Bar-Sanguni, Bandar-Jadid, Muse-Haji, Wirkoy, and Komon villages under Jamame district. According to the official, the families have received minimal handouts from Jubbaland government and two aid agencies. “When they arrived in the town, we alerted the aid agencies in Kismayu. We had responses from Jubaland ministry for Women Affairs and ARC (American Refugee Committee), which served the IDPs with cooked food for some days. LWF (Lutheran World Federation) has also been trucking water to the IDPs,” said Ibrahim.
Hawo Mohamud Mohamed, a mother of seven, fled Komon village a week ago after fighting broke out in her village. She has hardly been eating for two days since the little food she got from a nearby mosque finished. “Initially I used to cook once a day but today we have nothing to eat. We were displaced by fighting in the area,” Hawo said. “My elder sister died in the fighting. She left behind eight children. We are all here with nothing to eat,” the bereaved mother added. Another IDP, Raba’o Moalim Abkow, arrived in Kismayu town last week after she fled her home. She has been surviving on food from a nearby mosque. “After I arrived here I was given a half sack of rice. Now it is almost over and I do not know how we will survive,” Raba’o said.
EU launches Vocational Training Project In Somalia
01 November – Source: Halbeeg News – 221 Words
The European Union (EU) in partnership with the government of Germany has today launched the “Rehabilitation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project (TVET) in Somalia. The project, which will be implemented by The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German government-owned development agency, will be rolled out across the country.
Education Minister Abdullahi Godah, who attended the event in Mogadishu, commended the project saying the major faculty would help bridge the skills gap of young people and create much needed jobs. “Today is an important day in the education sector in Somalia as we bring back to live the ‘Technical Training Skills in Somalia” in order to unlock the potentials of our Youths,” he said.
The EU Head of Cooperation Pilar Palermo, who also spoke at the launch, said the union will contribute to resilience building and economics development of the country. “Vocational training is at the heart of the EU support to the development of Somalia. It’s a bridge between education and employment, 2 focal sectors of the EU in Somalia.”
Mogadishu mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, welcomed the establishment of project: “We thank the EU and German for their kind donation to this project. Skills development of youths in Somalia will positively contribute to the national sustainable development in the fields of social, economical and environmental development.”
Military Court Sentences Two Civilians To Eight Years For Robbery
01 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 155 Words
A military court in Mogadishu has sentenced two civilians to eight years in prison for robbing three people among them a police officer. The court of the First Instance found Aweys Ali Maalim and Ayaanle Ahmed Nur guilty of robbing two teenagers and a police officer on separate occasions in September. The officer, who was robbed of personal effects while off duty, later arrested the accused at Lido Beach later in the month.
The prosecution also informed the court that the two had earlier committed murder, which was resolved through an out of court settlement. The families of the two resolved the cases separately through payment of blood money. But the defense lawyers dismissed reference to the murder cases noting they were not subject of litigation. The military court judge Col. Hassan Shute handed the two eight year jail terms but subject to appeal. It remains unclear, however, why a military court tried the civilians.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AU Fetes Burundian Troops With Medals For Their Distinguished Service In Somalia
01 November – Source: AMISOM – 104 Words
The AU has awarded medals to a contingent of troops from the Burundi National Defense Force (BNDF), in recognition of their contribution in furthering the mandate of the mission in Somalia. The troops from the 44th and 45th battalions of the BNDF were decorated with medals and awarded certificates, upon completion of their one year tour of duty, serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Col. Remy Cishahayo, the Burundi contingent Chief of Staff, who represented the Contingent Commander, presided over the function held on Wednesday in Mogadishu. At the same function, Col. Cishahayo received and welcomed a new battle group, from Burundi, that has just been deployed on the mission and urged the soldiers to maintain discipline.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“We are alarmed that fighting has forced thousands of people to run for their lives. Several of the hardest hit communities are in insecure areas, where aid agencies are unable to reach them. We fear many displaced people will be left without life-saving assistance.”
Spike In Violence In Somalia Forces 21,000 People To Flee Their Homes
01 November – Source: NRC – 363 Words
Multiple regions of the country see rise in fighting in October, pushing thousands of families into crisis. Many flee to makeshift camps, surviving in flimsy shelters with little protection from the rains. “We are alarmed that fighting has forced thousands of people to run for their lives. Several of the hardest hit communities are in insecure areas, where aid agencies are unable to reach them. We fear many displaced people will be left without life-saving assistance. These families were recovering from last year’s drought, and fighting has now pushed them back into crisis,” said Victor Moses, Country Director for Norwegian Refugee Council.
Over 21,000 people have fled for their lives due to fighting and insecurity in October, according to the UNHCR Protection and Returns Monitoring Network. Overall there are 2.6 million people displaced in Somalia from conflict, insecurity, drought and other causes. The largest number of people displaced by fighting and insecurity in October were from Lower Shabelle region, followed by Hiran, Bay and other regions. “We were harvesting crops when fighting started. The fighting went on for hours, so we fled to Mogadishu. We didn’t come with any belongings, we just escaped with our lives. We’re worried we cannot afford to buy what we need, and we cannot go back home,” said Mustaqiim, a farmer and mother of three, who fled Marka district in Lower Shabelle region. The children surviving in the camps are especially vulnerable. Without enough food, shelter, clean water and sanitation, they are left vulnerable to disease outbreaks. 294,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished, of which 55,000 are severely malnourished, putting them at risk of death.
The Norwegian Refugee Council says that parties to the conflict should take all precautions to minimize civilian casualties. They must allow free access to humanitarian agencies to safely provide aid, in line with international humanitarian law. NRC also calls for the international community to scale up their support. This year’s UN humanitarian aid appeal for Somalia has received $857 million, sharply down from $1.3 billion in 2017. As a result some programmes for vital services have been cut back, including for food, water, health, cash relief and education.