November 8, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
President Farmaajo Meets With Speaker Mursal Following The Resignation Of Sharif Hassan
08 November – Source: Kismaayo.com – 171 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ‘Farmaajo’ has held an urgent meeting with the Speaker of the Lower House, Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman, barely hours after the resignation of South West President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan. According to a state-run radio, the two leaders held a closed-door meeting at Villa Somalia, during which they discussed a wide range of issues including the country’s latest political situation and stepping up cooperation among various arms of government.
However, sources indicate the duo’s main discussions centred on the situation in South West following the resignation of Adan, which has complicated the political situation in Baidoa. While it has not yet officially commented on Adan’s resignation, the Farmaajo-led administration is believed to consider his departure as a big accomplishment in its campaign to undermine the power of regional authorities.
Having dispatched several of its men to Baidoa to contest for the upcoming elections, and arm twisted President Adan into pulling out of the polls, things are now apparently moving on well in favour of the central government.
Key Headlines
- President Farmaajo Meets With Speaker Mursal Following The Resignation Of Sharif Hassan (Kismaayo.com)
- Displaced Families From Clashes In Ethiopia Struggle In Rain-soaked Shanties In Sool (Radio Ergo)
- Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan Steps Down As CIC Spokesman (Kismaayo.com)
- Turkish Defense Minister Arrives In Somali Capital (Anadolu Agency)
- AMISOM Concerned With Media Allegations On Civilian Deaths In Balaad (AMISOM)
- How We Work To Solve Somalia’s Eviction Crisis (NRC)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Displaced Families From Clashes In Ethiopia Struggle In Rain-soaked Shanties In Sool
08 November – Source: Radio Ergo – 413 Words
Displaced families from the Somali region of Ethiopia living on the outskirts of Badhan town in northern Somalia’s Sanag region are surviving under difficult conditions without access to food and proper shelter.The 27 families, who fled from conflict between Somalis and Oromos in eastern Ethiopia, have been in Badhan since September. Muhibo Ali Ibrahim and her six children fled their home in Jina’asani village on the border between Somali and Oromo states in Ethiopia in September, after a conflict broke out.
After trekking for days, she arrived in Lako village near Badhan town, where she built a makeshift hut from clothes and sticks. The shelter she now calls ‘home’ has been saturated in the ongoing rain. “We live a miserable life; this shack cannot shelter us from the rain and the cold. Me and my children have slept in this leaking hut as rain pounds the area, and all our foodstuff is soaked,” Muhibo told Radio Ergo.
Saeed Mohamed Salah, an official from Puntland’s Refugee and IDP Affairs Committee, told Radio Ergo that the families displaced were not receiving any assistance. “These people face dire conditions, they live in shanties. They neither have blankets nor food and the host community has nothing to offer them. They need urgent support,” he explained. Abdi Ahmed Dahir, a father with two children, left his wife and his parents in Jigjiga town in Ethiopia. He has been living with his children in Lako village in Badhansince September. He now wants to bring his other family members over the border if he can get money for their travel. According to Abdi, the journey took them two nights and two days. He does not wish to return to Ethiopia. “We have peace here. I do not know if I would return to Ethiopia. Although I had a livelihood there,the area is engulfed by clashes,” he said.
None of the families say they have any intention of returning to Ethiopia at the moment, as the conflict has not yet been resolved. Deadly clashes broke out in the Somali-Oromo border towns in September 2017 and resumed again in May 2018. According to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Ethiopia’s National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC), 1,073,7642 people were displaced by conflict as of mid-April 2018. Though some were displaced since 2012, the report notes that the vast majority of the displacements occurred after September 2017 in Oromia and Somali regions.
Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan Steps Down As CIC Spokesman
08 November – Source: Kismaayo.com – 219 Words
The recently appointed spokesman of the Council of Interstate Cooperation (CIC) Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan has stepped down less than a month after his appointment. Hassan was appointed on 12 October as the spokesman of the CIC after HirShabelle President Mohamed Abdi Waare broke ranks with his regional colleagues.
Speaking to reporters in Baidoa, Abdullahi said his decision followed the resignation of South West regional President, Sharif Sheikh Hassan, who was the chairperson of the Council: “I’ve stepped down as the council’s spokesperson following the resignation of the council’s chairman,” said Abdullahi, who hailed the outgoing South West President for his brave decision to step down.
The outgoing president handed over office to the state’s regional assembly speaker Abdulkadir Sharif Sheikhuna, who will act as the region’s president until a new president is elected for the state. The resignation of President Hassan follows a charged political atmosphere in the region following mass resignation of the state’s electoral commission members, tasked with the duty of presiding over the forthcoming presidential poll.
The development in Baidoa appears to serve as a major political victory for the Federal Government, which has recently been embroiled in a heightened political rift with the leaders of the regional states. The embattled Council of Interstate Cooperation (CIC) is yet to comment on the developments in Baidoa.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Turkish Defense Minister Arrives In Somali Capital
07 November – Source: Anadolu Agency – 188 Words
A Turkish delegation led by Defense Minister Hulusi Akar arrived in Somalia capital Mogadishu on Wednesday. Hulusi Akar, and his delegation was received by Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and other senior government officials at Adan Adde International Airport in Mogadishu. “I’m glad to welcome Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, a close friend of Somalia; heartening to hear him repeat Turkey’s firm commitment to stand by Somalia not only through the good times but also the tough times,” Khaire wrote on Twitter.
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed received the delegation at the presidential palace. “I want to thank our brotherly Turkish government for the work and support for our armed forces rebuilding process,” Mohamed said following a meeting with the delegation.
The Turkish defense minister said his government will continue its support to Somalia. “We will continue our commitments with Somalia and provide support in rebuilding Somali National Army,” Akar said. Turkey has been the biggest supporter of Somalia for years and has its biggest embassy in Africa in Mogadishu. Turkey also runs the only modern military training facility in Somalia which trains Somali armed forces.
AMISOM Concerned With Media Allegations On Civilian Deaths In Balaad
07 November – Source: AMISOM – 167 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has expressed concern over the incident involving its troops that took place near ex-control Balcad in which, regrettably, lives were lost. “AMISOM has commenced a full-scale investigation and will work closely with the competent FGS authorities to determine the full truth about the circumstances in which this violent incident took place. The findings of this investigation will be made public,” said the mission in a press statement.
The African Union Mission in Somalia presented its condolences to the bereaved families, stating that prior to deployment in the theatre of operations, AMISOM forces are always trained and mentored to strictly observe the provisions of International Humanitarian Law, as well as International Human Rights Law: “In particular, our forces are trained on the core principles of sacred respect for, and protection of civilians. AMISOM will not relent until the truth about this incident is known and justice is done.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“There are many layers contributing to the eviction crisis. One of the bigger issues is that displaced people don’t have documents proving that they have a right to live on the land,”
How We Work To Solve Somalia’s Eviction Crisis
07 November – Source: NRC – 986 Words
Since January 2018, over 234,000 people have been forcibly removed from their homes in Somalia. In August this year, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned that the number of evictions was nearly twice the number of the same period last year. Many people have been made homeless multiple times. Fleeing conflict and drought: Aden is a 69-year-old father of six and displaced in his home country. In 2015, armed conflict and drought forced Aden and his family to flee their town in southern Somalia. They arrived in the outskirts of Mogadishu, where they lived in an informal settlement for two years. Aden started selling samosas to earn a living.
Prolonged drought and violent conflict, combined with the lack of access to essential services in varying parts of Somalia, have forced many to migrate from rural to urban areas. This has created many new settlements, especially in Mogadishu. The city hosts more than 600,000 internally displaced people – a third of the total figure in Somalia.
In the early hours of the morning a little over a year ago, Aden was preparing samosas in the kitchen when armed men came to the settlement and ordered everyone to leave. “We had not had any warning.” The men started arguing with the settlement leader and some of them opened fire. Three stray bullets hit Aden. “I didn’t realise I was shot until things calmed down. By then, I had lost much blood and was rushed to the hospital.”
Rapidly growing cities; Cities in Somalia are already struggling to address the needs of their poorer populations. With the migration from rural areas, a sizeable population of Somalia’s farmers and pastoralists have come to live in cities where they have trouble finding a livelihood. This is a cause of concern for rapidly growing cities and Somalia’s key agricultural economy. What used to be considered seasonal rural-urban migration has increasingly become a permanent move to cities as rural livelihoods have been destroyed by recurrent and protracted droughts and violent conflict since the collapse of the government in 1990.
Settlements such as the one Aden and his family were living in are usually in the outskirts of the city. As population density rises in Mogadishu, displaced people and urban poor are being pushed further out – and with every kilometre they go, the chances of exploitation increase. It was only a few months after he was released from the hospital that we encountered Aden. The bullets had struck him in his right leg leaving him unable to walk without a cane. He spent over two months in the hospital and was discharged when he could no longer afford it.
TOP TWEETS
@AbdirahmanCumar: President Farmaajo meets with Speaker Mursal following the resignation of Sharif Hassan #Somaliahttps://www.kismaayo.com/
@UNSomalia: For #SomaliYouth like Nawal Mohamed, entrepreneurship is a pathway to encouraging other young women in #Somalia to step up and be empowered. In Nawal’s case, she has a local business which produces cheese from camel milk.
@unicefsomalia: “We have rice & spaghetti on alternate days.” Sihaam, 9, enjoys the free, nutritious lunch her school provides. W/ generous funding from @JapanGov, the eager learner & her classmates can now pursuit an education in a safe, clean and conducive environment. https://www.unicef.org/
SomaliPM: I’m glad to welcome Turkish Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar, a close friend of Somalia; heartening to hear him repeat Turkey’s firm commitment to stand by Somalia not only through the good times but also the tough times.#NabadIyoNolol
@MichelleSybert: ‘Inside Al-Shabaab’ “reveals insights I’ve never seen during my 15 years in counterterrorism—an excellent work.” —Clinton Watts, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institutehttp://www.iupress.indiana.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, with the visiting Turkish Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar, who was in the country to discuss on ways to strengthen cooperation between the two nations.
Photo: @SomaliPM