November 15, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
No More Interference Into Our Internal Affairs – President Farmajo
15 November – Source: 252Politics – 191 Words
The President of the Federal Government of Somalia has said he has succeeded in stopping neighboring states from interfering in internal affair of Somalia. The President said his government had convinced regional states in the Horn of Africa region on the significance of respecting the sovereignty and political independence of the country.
In a-video circulated to media by Villa Somalia’s communication department, Mr. Farmaajo stressed how the move can boost stability and security in Somalia and the region in general: “For the first time in 30 years, our neighbors are ready to closely work with us by completely keeping off our internal affairs,” the President said.
Farmajo added that his meeting with former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemaryam Desaleyn, shortly after coming to power, focused on why and how Addis Ababa should cease interfering in Somali politics through its support for regional leaders. The President’s comments come just days after he returned from meeting in Bahr Dar in Ethiopia with Eritrea President, Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian PM, Abiy Ahmed. Under the leadership of Ahmed, Addis is viewed as having taken a stance different from that of the previous governments on foreign policy.
Key Headlines
- No More Interference Into Our Internal Affairs – President Farmajo (252Politics)
- Gunmen Kill A Traditional Elder In Beledweyne (Kismaayo.com)
- Somaliland Improving Food Security With New Agricultural Scheme And Silos (Radio Ergo)
- Somalia Libya Top List Of World’s Most Dangerous Countries (The Star)
- Terrorism And Somalia (Al-Ahram Weekly)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Gunmen Kill A Traditional Elder In Beledweyne
15 November – Source: Kismaayo.com – 125 Words
Assailants armed with pistols on Wednesday night shot dead a traditional elder and a peace activist in Beledweyne’s Howlwadaag neighbourhood, under unknown reasons. The gunmen attacked and murdered Osman Yusuf Iiley as he left a mosque in the neighbourhood. Security forces later arrived at the scene and carried out operations aimed at arresting the culprits. They have, however, not managed to apprehend the criminals.
Area residents, who were so outraged by the killing of the elder, asked the security agencies to bring to an end the targeted assassinations in the town, which have significantly risen in recent months. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the killing, but similar attacks that have previously targeted instrumental members of the society in Beledweyne, were claimed by Al-Shabaab.
Somaliland Improving Food Security With New Agricultural Scheme And Silos
15 November – Source: Radio Ergo – 411 Words
The first harvest of cereals from an agricultural scheme aimed at boosting production and ensuring food security in Somaliland is finding its way into newly constructed grain silos. Somaliland, which remains perennially food insecure, unveiled the 767-hectare schemes to grow a variety of crops such as wheat, millet, maize, beans and sesame several months ago.
The seasonal emergency livelihood project, which comprises three divisions, is carried out in Tog-Wajale, Beir and Hahi localities. It follows on from the recent severe drought, in which thousands were displaced and many lost their livelihoods. Awdal, Woqooyi-Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Sanaag regions recorded the highest number of people facing emergency, with Awdal leading with 70,000 people. In March, the Somaliland ministry of agriculture established the National Cereals and Produce Board and built silos to store food harvested from the agricultural schemes.
Mowlid Hassan Abdi, the head of the project, told Radio Ergo that the farming project funded by Somaliland government in collaboration with development partners was set at a cost of $300,000. The cereals from the first harvest are being stored in the silos to strengthen community resilience in times of crisis. “We made our first harvest two weeks ago. We harvested six tonnes of millet and wheat. The project is meant to deal with the droughts and food shortages caused by climate change,”Mowlid said.
The project targets feeding residents of three regions: Marodijeh, Togdher and Awdal. Mohamed Dahir, an officer from the agriculture ministry, said the government would release this food from the silos during periods of drought to meet food shortage. Most of the food will be distributed to pastoralists. The stems from the grain crops will be used as livestock fodder. Mohamed Dahir, an agriculturalist, said this would help fill the food gap in Somaliland and would enable the government to better support IDPs, nomads and those affected by recurrent drought.
“This will reduce displacement of people because if the government distributes food to the affected area nobody will flee from his home,” he told Radio Ergo. Adan Igal, who lost his livestock to the drought in 2016, welcomed the initiatives by the Somaliland government saying the project will help many people to alternative food sources. “I was displaced by drought. We had been surviving on little food distributed by aid agencies. I would not have fled if there had been such project earlier,” said Adan, who now lives in an IDP camp in Gar-adag village in Sanag region.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia, Libya Top List Of World’s Most Dangerous Countries
15 November – Source: The Star – 474 Words
Libya, Afghanistan and Somalia are the most dangerous places on earth, according to a new map designed for travellers that alerts them to risks abroad. The interactive ‘Travel Risk Map’ for 2019 reveals the countries where travellers are most likely to have trouble when it comes to road safety, security and medical matters. Nordic countries Finland, Norway and Iceland have been labelled the safest places on the map.
The map has been launched by medical and security specialists International SOS and Control Risks. Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria all ranked lowly in each of the three categories, meaning they are the most dangerous. At the opposite end of the ranking, Norway, Finland and Iceland all were deemed to have a low risk of medical problems, security and road safety issues, meaning they are the safest.
When looking at health, countries with a highest risk of contracting medical issues or disease included the African countries South Sudan, Niger, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. Iraq was also labelled a high risk country when it came to health along with Lebanon, Venezuela and North Korea. In contrast, places with a low risk of disease were deemed to be the vast majority of those in Europe as well as Canada, the US, New Zealand and Japan.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Still, it should be borne in mind that terrorism in Somalia will not end unless the international community follows through on its pledges to establish genuine security and stability throughout that country and, to give the Somali government the types of support it needs to rebuild the institutions of the state, to increase the rates of economic development and to rehabilitate the Somali people psychologically and physically”
Terrorism And Somalia
15 November – Source: Al-Ahram Weekly – 1272 Words
The Somali capital Mogadishu and neighbouring areas were deeply shaken by a string of bomb car attacks on Friday, 9 November 2018, near a well-known hotel and the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) police headquarters. The bombings killed and wounded dozens of people, mostly civilians, in this latest episode in the long train of terrorist attacks since the collapse of the Somali state in 1991 and the spread, in Somalia, of extremist takfiri groups affiliated with international terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.
Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, as it is commonly known, is one of the groups that splintered off the Islamic Union, or Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiya (AIAI), in the late 1990s. After several defeats and setbacks, the old guard of the AIAI decided to renounce militant activity and re-assimilate into civilian life, a decision rejected by the younger generation and especially those freshly returned from Afghanistan. After the split, Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen focused on training and recruitment and remained uninvolved in any of the conflicts in Somalia until 2005 when the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) came to power in southern Somalia.
Al-Shabab’s star rose as a major component of the ICU system and its members occupied most of the executive posts. In 2006, Al-Shabab served as the military wing of the ICU when it seized control of Mogadishu. Al-Shabab forces also supported the ICU during its war against Somali government forces and the Ethiopian forces that supported them. However, it split off from the ICU in 2007 following the declaration of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia, led by Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who, at the time, was chairman of the ICU. Al-Shabab opposed the new alliance’s decision to enter into UN-brokered negotiations with the Somali government.
In 2008 and 2009, the US and the UN designated Al-Shabab as a terrorist organisation with close ties to Al-Qaeda. Civil warfare, the collapse of institutionalised government and, above all, the lack of viable military and security establishments in Somalia generated a fertile environment for jihadist groups that exploited the rampant poverty and famine in order to spread their influence through the country. Al-Shabab, a Salafi movement that aims to create a state ruled by a strict interpretation of Sharia Law, established links with Al-Qaeda through connections with some leaders of Al-Qaeda cells in eastern Africa as well as through the returnees from Afghanistan. The organisation has between 7,000 to 9,000 members including native Somalis and foreigners, primarily from Arab and African countries, as well as from Pakistan.
The movement has clashed militarily and staged military operations against the transitional governments headed by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. It refused to recognise the presidency of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud whom it accused of being a US proxy and whom it tried to assassinate the day after he was declared the victor in the presidential elections. Al-Shabab would then carry out a number of terrorist attacks against government buildings and facilities during President Mohamud’s term in office.
TOP TWEETS
@abdi_adaani: BREAKING: #Somalia‘s Southwest state regional police “block” a campaign-event by contender Mukhtar Robow Ali [Abu Mansor] at Baidoa, moments ago, according to sources. Police chief refuted to comment the action, and no reaction so far the former #AlShabaab No2.
@MofaSomalia: State Minister for Foreign Affairs bid farewell to outgoing Turkish Ambassador to Somalia, H.E. Mr. Olgan Bekar https://www.facebook.com/
#Somalia #Somali #Mogadishu #Turkey #Turkish
@Goobjoognews: U.S. AMBASSADOR to Somalia starts duty via@goobjoognews.
@Halbeeg_News: UN extends arms embargo on Somaliahttps://en.halbeeg.com/2018/
@DalsanFM: Farmaajo Hails Ethiopia’s Abiy Govt For It’s “Non Intereference” Policy On Somalia, Welcomes New Horn Of Africa Co-operation https://www.radiodalsan.com/
@Halbeeg_News: Somali parliament approves surplus budget for the army https://en.halbeeg.com/2018/
@UKinSomalia: “Since 2012, @DFID_UK‘s Girl Education Challenge @DFID_GEC will invest nearly $100 million to ensure almost 100,000 #Somali young women and girls access good education” Phil Evans, Head, DFID Somalia #GirlEducationChallenge
@USAIDSomalia: Jeffrey Bakken, new Mission Director #USAID#Somalia announces partnership w/ #DFID @DFID_GEC & Minister of Education @Godahbarre as “a testament to our three institutions’ commitment to support a better education for#Somali girls and boys today, and for the future.” #IEW2018
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo during a meeting with UK Ambassador to Somalia, David Concar, at Villa Somalia. The two leaders discussed political and security developments in the country
Photo: @DConcar