December 5, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
U.S. Renews ‘Permanent Diplomatic Presence’ In Somalia
05 December – Source: Reuters – 118 Words
The United States has renewed a “permanent diplomatic presence” in Somalia, the State Department said, nearly 30 years after the U.S. embassy was closed as a civil war raged in the Horn of Africa country. Somalia has been trying to recover from the conflict that engulfed the country in 1991, when clan warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on each other.
“This historic event reflects Somalia’s progress in recent years and is another step forward in formalising U.S. diplomatic engagement in Mogadishu,” the State Department said in a statement late on Tuesday. Somalia has in recent years faced an insurgency by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group, as well as famine and maritime piracy.
Key Headlines
- U.S. Renews ‘Permanent Diplomatic Presence’ In Somalia (Reuters)
- Somalia-Somaliland Talks To Resume – MP (Goobjoog News)
- Pregnant Women Trudging 10 Kilometers To Fetch Water In Burhakaba (Radio Ergo)
- AMISOM Hands Over Newly Constructed Police Station To Jubbaland Authorities (AMISOM)
- KQ Puts Off Direct Flights To Mogadishu Indefinitely (Daily Nation)
- A Football Hero For A New Generation Of Somali-Americans (The Undefeated)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia-Somaliland Talks To Resume – MP
04 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 245 Words
Talks between Somalia and the break-away region of Somaliland could resume soon, a lawmaker has said. Ahmed Mohamed Diriye, an MP in Somaliland parliament told Goobjoog News, visiting EU delegation had urged the talks to resume, following failed attempts in the last three years.
EU delegation led by EU Charge d’Affaires, Fulgencio Garrido Ruiz arrived in Hargeisa, where they held talks with President Muse Bihi Abdi of Somaliland. The two sides discussed issues concerning Somaliland and Somalia talks, reflecting on the significant changes in Horn of Africa, and the EU role on the upcoming elections.
Speaking to media, Mr. Diriye said, that the EU delegation had urged Somaliland government to open talks with the Federal Government of Somali. “We have accepted the request of the EU and it’s very important to have talks with the federal government, but we need the talks to be just like two governments engaging,” said Mr. Diriye. Speaking during the 58th anniversary of Somalia’s independence on 1st July 2018, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, announced that the government of Somalia is ready to resume talks with Somaliland, but he never disclosed any date.
The last round of talks between the two sides in Turkey in March 2015 collapsed and any attempts to revive was unsuccessful. Somaliland cancelled to participate in similar talks March 2018, following a fall-out with the FGS over Berbera port. Somaliland which declared a unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 is still seeking international recognition.
Pregnant Women Trudging 10 Kilometers To Fetch Water In Burhakaba
04 December – Source: Radio Ergo – 379 Words
The strain of having to walk long distances to fetch water has led to several miscarriages among pregnant women in Burhakaba, southwestern Somalia, where a protracted water shortage has been causing much suffering. With a population of 58,000 families, all five wells in Burhakaba town are producing only brackish water. The nine dams normally serving the town have all run dry. The nearest borehole is 10 kms away in Goley.
Last week, three women were reported to have gone into early labour whilst waiting in line for water. Deqo Sheikh Mohamed, the chairlady of Burkahaba women’s group, told Radio Ergo that the severe water shortage was taking its greatest toll on pregnant women. “They have to carry heavy jerry cans of water on their backs for long distances. Last week, three of them were rushed to the hospital after they went suddenly into labour. Two of them suffered still births,”Deqo said.
A 200-litre barrel of water is currently priced at three dollars. This means the only option for the poor is to make long treks back and forth carrying water from other sources. Deqo has asked the South West state authorities and humanitarian agencies to intervene and address the water crisis. Habibo Moalim Adan, a resident of Burhakaba, cannot afford to buy water and walks daily to Goley village to get water. “Despite the hot sun and the distance, every day I fetch 100 litres. Even this is not enough for my family. Some of those women going to fetch water faint every day because of the hardship,” she said.
Mohamed Isack Bashir, an elder in Burhakaba, said the water shortage had provoked conflict among the people. He pointed out that the situation in the town had reached a crisis level and called on stakeholders to focus on intervention measures. He said more water trucks and storage tanks were needed in the district.
Southwest state authorities with support from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) drilled a new borehole that became contaminated and brackish. Adan Hassan Mohamed, the state’s water minister, said the administration was planning other wells to provide water for the residents. “The process is underway and we are planning to start the drilling after the presidential election to end water scarcity,” he pledged.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Hands Over Newly Constructed Police Station To Jubbaland Authorities
04 December – Source: AMISOM – 459 Words
As part of initiatives to boost security in the regional states, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), on Monday handed over a newly constructed police station in the Farjano district within Kismayo town, to Jubbaland State authorities. The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, Amb. Francisco Caetano Madeira, handed over Dalhis Police Station to the Deputy President of Jubbaland State, H.E Mohamud Sayid Aden, at a ceremony witnessed by local elders, officials from AMISOM and Jubbaland administration.
The police station will house and facilitate strategic police engagement activities and also provide space for the implementation of police mentorship programmes. Constructed by AMISOM, it includes a gender office which will cater for gender related crimes. “Security is about people feeling safe, going about their everyday lives in peace and confidence including going to school, market, hospital etc and coming back to their home in one piece,” Ambassador Madeira stated. He reiterated that AMISOM remains committed to achieving lasting peace in Somalia.
“As the African Union, we understand too well that supporting Jubbaland State to build its state institutions, including supporting the Police is important to bringing lasting peace and stability to Jubbaland and Somalia,” noted the Head of AMISOM. Jubbaland’s deputy president acknowledged the importance of having functional police stations in the port city. He said the facility was critical in reducing crime and maintaining law and order. “It is historic that a police station which was operating under a tree, now has a roof with fully functional offices,” Mr. Aden remarked. He was flanked by the Jubbaland Police Commissioner, Ahmednasir Guleed.
KQ Puts Off Direct Flights To Mogadishu Indefinitely
04 December – Source: Daily Nation – 309 Words
Kenya Airways has postponed the launch of its direct flight from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Somali capital Mogadishu indefinitely. The national carrier which had initially planned to fly to Mogadishu beginning November 15 was to launch its direct flights to Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu, on Wednesday in a move that was expected to boost trade with the Horn of Africa nation.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kenya Airways CEO Sebastian Mikosz however said the airline would not fly to Somalia until further notice as it is still facing a delay in getting “additional operational requirements” to fly on the route. “There is delay in KQ getting the additional operational requirement—-and the launch has been postponed until further notice,” said Mr Mikosz.
The daily non-stop flight was to leave JKIA at 07:40 am to arrive in Mogadishu at 9:55 am local time. It was then expected to depart Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu at 10:45am to arrive back in Nairobi at 1:00pm. KQ was set to fly Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 on this latest route that is set to ease travel between the two cities.
A ticket for the Nairobi-Mogadishu route was to go for about Sh42,000 ($403) round trip and Sh22,000 ($218) one way. The delay comes at a time when three East African countries have refused to allow KQ to use Bombardier planes to operate scheduled flights in their capitals, causing diplomatic tension. Burundi, for instance, declined the Bombardier DHC8-Q400 aircraft on grounds that it has no business class seats. Djibouti and Southern Sudan flatly declined KQ’s applications. KQ prefers use of Bombardier planes on short-haul flights because they are less costly to operate. Kenya Airways ‘s chief executive last week told Parliament that the rejections are “politically motivated” and are hampering the carrier’s regional expansion plans.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The Somali community has worked hard for that acceptance. They have transformed vacant storefronts downtown into bustling businesses, selling everything from colorful Islamic-style dresses imported from Dubai to cuts of wild camel meat. There are four Somali restaurants and 10 retail stores, which is quite astonishing considering Willmar’s downtown consists of only about three or four full blocks.”
A Football Hero For A New Generation Of Somali-Americans
04 December – Source: The Undefeated – 1910 Words
When the clock on the scoreboard hit zero, Hamza Mohamed was jubilant. His high school football team had just advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time in 30 years. His friends and family rushed the field. His older brother, Kaafi Adeys, kissed him on the cheek, wrapped an arm around his neck and embraced him. Hamza could see the delight in Kaafi’s eyes. This made it all worth it.
The two-a-days in the summer heat. Then tackling drills in the cold temperatures. Everyone congratulated him, lined up to take photos for their Instagram stories, proud that one of their own had succeeded. The usually stoic and measured 17-year-old could no longer control his emotions on that early November night. Tears streamed down his face. The senior linebacker is the most talented Somali-American football player in the history of Willmar, Minnesota, a small rural town outside of Minneapolis.
And for most of his career as a Cardinal at Willmar Senior High School, Hamza has been the only Somali-American on the team, consistently, as most Somalis play sports familiar to them such as soccer or cross-country. Now in this town with a growing Somali population, Hamza is a role model for first-generation high-schoolers like him who don’t want to play soccer or run anymore.
They stop him in the hallways and after games to let him know they’re proud of him and to say they’re inspired by him. They want to play football like Hamza, their all-American hero. “It’s great to accomplish this. I’ve been waiting for it my whole career,” said Hamza, who’s also a point guard on the basketball team. “I’m just going to enjoy it for this moment.” One person missing at the game was Hamza’s mother — the one person he most wanted to make proud. Khadija Mohamed Jirow was where she was most days: looking after her retail shop, selling clothing, shoes, trinkets and more.
She works there 12 hours a day, six days a week to provide for her family. Even if she wasn’t working, Hamza’s mom wouldn’t be at his game. She believes football is too violent and even tried to persuade Hamza to quit. He, of course, refused. “I didn’t plan on [my children] being athletes,” Jirow said, with Hamza as her interpreter. “Basketball, football, soccer: They’re all the same. They are distractions from learning. Sports were their decision.”
For years, Hamza watched his brother, Kaafi, who is nine years older, thrive as an athlete. Born in Somalia, Adeys was a star cross-country runner for Willmar High School and helped the team win back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007. He is now an English-Somali interpreter. “It made me want to be better at what I wanted to do,” Hamza said. “He always had the 100 percent mentality. You can’t settle for average. He definitely motivated me.”
Jirow had another reservation about sports, one that ran much deeper for her. She wanted a “better life” for her children in the United States — and sports didn’t represent that for her. In 1998, Jirow, Adeys and her oldest daughter, Maqsuud Adeys, fled the war-torn country of Somalia for a Kenyan refugee camp. Her husband, Ali Jirow, had come to America seven years earlier, and the family reunited that year after they received asylum in the United States. Jirow and Ali Jirow eventually had three more children, including Hamza in 2001, but have since divorced.
TOP TWEETS
@Halbeeg_News: Somali FM Welcomes New Turkish Ambassador https://en.halbeeg.com/2018/
@SahraCabdi: Kenya Airways puts off direct flights to Mogadishu indefinitely
@Halbeeg_News: US re-opens its embassy in Mogadishu after more than two decades of absencehttps://en.halbeeg.com/
@RAbdiCG: Somali Speaker said at odds with Villa Somalia over SWS polls, other issues. Talks to smooth ties said so far have made no headway. Sounds familiar? Ousted former Speaker Jawari must be smiling wryly wherever he is… https://allafrica.com/
@HarunMaruf: Reports from Lower Shabelle region say Somali troops supported by partner forces believed to be US troops attacked an Al-Shabaab tax collection site in Awdhegle town early Wednesday. A Somali official familiar with the operation says number of militants were killed. #Somalia
@MwomenHRD: Her Excellence, The Minister of Women and Human Rights Development Deqa Yasin receives The Netherlands Deputy Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Roelof Haveman at her office today for a courtesy call#ProductiveDiscussion #VillaSomalia #SomaliPM@NetherlandsinSomalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The AU Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira accompanied by the Deputy President of Jubaland State of Somalia, Mohamud Siyad Aden cut the ribbon for the newly constructed Dalhis Police Station, in Kismayo.
Photo: AMISOM