April 20, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Jubbaland Parliament To Be Inaugurated On Saturday
20 April – Source: Wacaal Media – 109 Words
The newly formed Parliament of Jubbaland which was sworn in recently is set to be inaugurated on Saturday amid controversy surrounding how the selection process was carried out. Officials of the Jubbaland presidency who spoke to Wacaal.com on condition of anonymity confirmed that the inauguration ceremony will be held at the presidential palace this coming Saturday. The event will be attended by top level delegations from IGAD, Kenya and Ethiopia. A section of communities from the regions forming Jubbaland have taken issue with the selection process and how the slots were allocated to different communities. Some have even walked out of the conference in protest.
Key Headlines
- Tens Of Thousands At Risk In Capital After They Forcibly Evicted From Their Homes (Somali Update)
- After One Year Of Siege On Bullo-burde Residents In Desperate Situation (Goobjoog News)
- Jubbaland Parliament To Be Inaugurated On Saturday (Wacaal Media)
- Somali President Attends International Forum On Counter Terrorism In Urdun (RBC Radio)
- Federal Government Of Somalia Is reviewing Its Production Sharing Agreement (Alshahid.net)
- Al-Shabab Militants Create Chaos Pain For Somalis (USA Today)
- Al-Shabaab Suspect Arrested In Wajir (Standard Media)
- Uhuru: We Won’t pull Out Of Somalia (Daily Nation)
- This Is Not The Right Time For Somali Refugees In Kenya To Return To Somalia ( Sahan Journal)
- The UN Protector Of Corrupt Officials Who Steal Aid From Desperate Victims (Daily Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
After One Year Of Siege On Bullo-burde, Residents In Desperate Situation
20 April – Source: Goobjoog News – 251 Words
People in Bullo-burde town and its surrounding areas face a grim future as their living conditions became harder due to over one year blockade of major trade routes leading to the major districts. Traditional elders who met in the town have expressed their concern over the situation of the residents of the town, most of those affected are women and children. The elders noted that residents of Bullo-Burde are lacking social services and basic needs such as food, water and medicine. Bullo-Burde chairman of traditional elders, Hussein Abdi Mataan says he is alarmed about the living conditions of the people of his town. “Life is becoming difficult, there is outbreak of diarrhea in the town” he said. He added that they are facing with acute shortage of water with no essential subsistence like food, shelter and medicine. He called on the federal government of Somalia and the humanitarian aid agencies to deliver emergency support and save the lives of the displaced people before the situation becomes tragic. Al-Shabaab has laid one year siege on Bullo-burde, as well as several other towns recovered by AMISOM and SNA in the past one and half years.
Tens Of Thousands At Risk In Capital After They Forcibly Evicted From Their Homes
20 April – Source: Somali Update – 923 Words
Somali state security forces forcibly evicted about 21,000 displaced people in the capital, Mogadishu, in early March 2015, Human Rights Watch said today.The authorities beat some of those evicted on March 4 and 5, destroyed their shelters, and left them without water, food, or other assistance. Many of those affected had fled their homes during the 2011 famine and fighting, and have been repeatedly displaced since then. Somali authorities should cease forcibly evicting displaced people in Mogadishu, and adequately protect and assist them, Human Rights Watch said.”The Somali government has done next to nothing over the last three years to address the miserable and unsafe living conditions for Mogadishu’s thousands of displaced people,” said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Now, instead of providing safe alternative options and much-needed water and sanitation, security forces are violently uprooting them, leaving them homeless and destitute.”
Human Rights Watch spoke with 17 camp residents and 6 other witnesses to the March evictions and analyzed satellite imagery of the area recorded between February 27 and April 9. From March 4 to 7, Somalia’s national police, national intelligence agency forces, and city council police forcibly evicted the thousands of internally displaced people from informal camps in the Kahda (formerly Dharkenley) district in Mogadishu. During the operation, security forces beat those resisting orders to vacate, destroyed shelters and shops with their hands and a bulldozer, and threatened displaced people. Authorities failed to provide adequate notification and compensation to the communities facing eviction, and did not provide viable relocation or local integration options required by international law, Human Rights Watch said.Aid organizations estimate that 1.1 million people throughout Somalia are displaced, including an estimated 370,000 in Mogadishu. Precise data is not available because the government has not officially registered displaced people. Since 2011, women, men, and children living in informal camps for the displaced have been subjected to serious abuses including rape, physical attacks, restrictions on access to humanitarian assistance, and clan-based discrimination at the hands of government forces and affiliated militia, as well as private parties. According to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, at least 25,700 people were forcibly evicted in the two months prior to the Kahda operation. However, the Kahda eviction was particularly brutal, Human Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch obtained a copy of a February 25, 2015 notice from the Benadir Regional Administration signed by the mayor of Mogadishu. It stated that people living in a specific 600-by-650-meter section of “government land” should vacate within a week and ordered the local district commissioner to inform affected communities. Residents told Human Rights Watch that many did not receive the notice or any notification from the commissioner. Several first learned of the impending operation about three days before it began, when security forces arrived in the camps and painted the word “demolish” (dumisin Somali language) on some shops bordering the main road. No one interviewed had seen the official written order, and most had been unaware of the planned evictions. Several camp residents said security forces beat them when they refused to vacate or dismantle their shelters on March 4.A 33-year-old mother of seven told Human Rights Watch: There were three gunmen. One shook my hut and I tried to stop him because my baby was inside. He slapped me, but I cried and shouted, “My daughter is inside! My daughter is inside!” He finally stopped shaking the house and told me to take my daughter. As soon as I got her, he uprooted the sticks holding up our shelter, it collapsed, and he moved on to destroy the one next to mine. Governments may lawfully evict people under exceptional circumstances, such as for the public interest. However, to be lawful, evictions must be carried out in accordance with both domestic and international human rights law, including with proper notification and other due process protections. Displaced people who are moved from where they are living must be given alternative housing and access to food, education, health care, employment, and other livelihood opportunities. The Somali government has adopted a policy on displacement that spells out clear procedures aimed at protecting affected communities during evictions and ensuring that evictions are lawful, but has failed to observe them, Human Rights Watch said.
“At every turn of these operations, the authorities violated their own policies on evictions,” Lefkow said. “If the Somali authorities need to move displaced people, the local and federal authorities in Mogadishu should first put in place a plan that ensures people’s security and access to basic assistance.” Those evicted told Human Rights Watch that they had relocated further north into an area known as the “Afgooye corridor,” a stretch of road between Mogadishu and the town of Afgooye. They said, though, that they lack access to clean water and sanitary facilities, raised health and security concerns, and said they would probably move again. Security is a serious concern along the Afgooye corridor, with ongoing attacks by the armed Islamist group Al-Shabaab against government and African Union forces. One UN official told Human Rights Watch that the agency’s staff is reluctant to visit and monitor some of the more distant areas where the evictees are living due to insecurity. “Forcibly evicting the displaced to insecure areas without protection and with limited assistance puts them at tremendous risk,” Lefkow said. “All concerned, including the government, donors, and aid agencies, should make sure any evictions fully respect the rights of displaced people before, during, and after any operations.”
Jubbaland Parliament To Be Inaugurated On Saturday
20 April – Source: Wacaal Media – 109 Words
The newly formed Parliament of Jubbaland which was sworn in recently is set to be inaugurated on Saturdayamid controversy surrounding how the selection process was carried out. Officials of the Jubbaland presidency who spoke to Wacaal.com on condition of anonymity confirmed that the inauguration ceremony will be held at the presidential palace this coming Saturday. The event will be attended by top level delegations from IGAD, Kenya and Ethiopia. A section of communities from the regions forming Jubbaland have taken issue with the selection process and how the slots were allocated to different communities. Some have even walked out of the conference in protest.
Federal Government Of Somalia Is reviewing Its Production Sharing Agreement
20 April – Source: Alshahid.net – 222 Words
The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the Federal Government of Somalia has adopted a Production-Sharing Agreement (PSA) model to maximize public benefits from oil and gas and to uphold national ownership of resources. The ratification of Petroleum Law by Parliament of Somalia in 2008 has codified that principle and repealed the legacy concession agreements that were previously entered into by the prior Somali Government.
The Ministry is reviewing the details of the adopted PSA model. PSA’s are the most appropriate type of contractual arrangements for petroleum exploration and development where an oil company carries the entire exploration risk and the government owns both the resource and the installations. It is after finalizing this model that Somalia will be able to enter into PSA agreements. Thus, the Ministry has not entered into any PSA agreement with any company.
Furthermore, Somalia has adopted a federal system of governance as opposed to the previous unitary system. As a result, the country will address the ownership, control and revenue sharing of the natural resources and address any constitutional issues. These issues include the precise division of governmental powers over oil and gas. The Ministry has been working on a sustainable model for revenue sharing through consultations with relevant stakeholders. It is in our firm belief that agreements on revenue sharing are on the horizon.
Somali President Attends International Forum On Counter Terrorism In Urdun
19 April – Source: RBC Radio – 162 Words
After getting an official invitation from the Kingdom of Urdun, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has attended a forum on countering terrorism, Rbc Reports. The President has participated this conference on counter terrorism which was hosted by Urdun Kingdom. Several International Heads of states have also been invited to attend. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who departed Mogadishu on Friday, after returning from Gal-gudud where he launched state formation convention, have been warmly welcomed in Urdun by top Urdu officials.
This conference has reportedly held to discuss best and fastest ways of countering terrorism at the presence of presidents whose countries suffer terrorism. Somalia, horn African nation wh roots the notorious Al-qaida linked militants Al-shabab has also been sent an official invitation to shares its view on the matter on the table. Uhuru Mungia Kenya, Kenyan President is also attending the forum as his country struggles to protect bloody terror attacks from its citizens.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Al-Shabab Militants Create Chaos, Pain For Somalis
20 April – Source: USA Today – 663 Words
Sitting under a veranda at the former headquarters of Somali Airlines, Ali Bashir sipped coffee and chewed khat, an African herb, as he recounted 15 years of anarchy fomented by al-Shabab Islamic terrorists.”Life is very hard here,” he lamented. “There’s nothing to eat and nowhere to work. But the rebels will come and still ask you for money.” Since Somalia’s central government collapsed in the early 1990s, al-Shabab has emerged as the greatest threat to international efforts to rebuild the east African nation. The al-Qaeda-linked militants extort, kidnap, stage terror attacks and control remote areas of the countryside. Al-Shabab gained renewed global attention last week, when a small band of militants massacred 148 people at Garissa University College in neighboring Kenya, where they singled out Christians for execution. In 2013, al-Shabab terrorists attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, murdering nearly 70.
In the wake of this month’s attack, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called for more cooperation between Kenya and Somalia to eliminate al-Shabab, and Kenyan jets pounded two al-Shabab camps in Somalia. Bashir, 28, who sold clothing before fleeing here, doubted the Somali government could do much about the terrorist group. He fled to the capital here a few years ago after al-Shabab seized control of a region in the south. He now lives in the old airlines headquarters with 1,000 other families.”I have grown up in this country without knowing peace or stability,” said Bashir, a father of six. “My children have no future because there are no schools and health services in this region. The rebels have destroyed structures and instilled fear to teachers and aid workers working here.” The militants have targeted government offices, United Nations facilities, the airport, the president’s palace, hotels and restaurants in their bid to overthrow the government.
With the help of American drone strikes, the government has pushed the extremists out of most large cities, but the group remains active. “We’re in control of the security situation in Mogadishu and other parts of the country,” said Abulrahman Ali, a police officer in the capital. “But the militant group still poses a threat to our peace.” Early this year, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for killing at least 27 people in an attack on a popular Mogadishu hotel as senior government ministers were at Friday prayers. The deputy mayor and a member of parliament were among the dead. The deputy prime minister and minister of transport were injured.
Al-Shabaab Suspect Arrested In Wajir
20 April – Source: Standard Media – 209 Words
The Government has acknowledged holding a Madrassa teacher arrested on suspicion of links with Al-Shabaab in Wajir town. Security personnel arrested Ali Duale Keynan on April 14 in Wagberi neighbourhood, according to County Commissioner Shadrack Shisia. Mr Shisia said the security agents had been monitoring the movements of eight people, and when caught they were ordered to stop but started running. seven flee “We believe the suspect we have in custody was their co-ordinator.
While the other seven people fled, the suspect was shot in the leg to immobilise him,” he said, adding that they were pursuing the rest. He said during pursuit, the arrested man handed his phone to one of the fleeing suspects. “If they are innocent we don’t see the need for them to defy orders to stop for a search,” he said. See Also: Garissa Governor Nathif Jama:
Mr Shisia said in the last one week they have arrested three “high voltage terror suspects”. However, he declined to reveal where the State is holding the suspects. The teacher’s arrest caused his family much agony, and they expressed fear that he may have been executed. His brother Ibrahim Keynan said that the suspect be taken to court or be released to be with his family.
Uhuru: We Won’t pull Out Of Somalia
18 April – Source: Daily Nation – 100 Words
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday said Kenya will not pull its troops from Somalia until the country is peaceful and stable. The President said Kenya will continue to work with other countries under the African Mission in Somalia. He said the recent attacks by Al-Shabaab would not scare Kenya from performing its role in the fragile country. Speaking during the Tana High-Level Forum on Security held in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, which brought together Eastern Africa Heads of State, the President said the country had suffered deadly attacks from the terrorist group recently but promised not to bow to their demands.
OPINION/ANALYSIS/CULTURE
The Somali government simply does not have the absorption capacity needed to receive and resettle half a million refugees from Kenya, many who are from areas that continue to be under al-Shabaab control. This clearly illustrates that the factors that have caused many to flee have not yet been resolved.
This Is Not The Right Time For Somali Refugees In Kenya To Return To Somalia
20 April – Source: Sahan Journal – 1081 Words
The last time I was in Dadaab was in January 2013. During my time there, fear and panic was visible amongst many refugees at the prospect that they would be returned to Somalia against their will. Many said that they are happy to return to Somalia, but only once their safety can be guaranteed and they have access to practical assistance. Security fears in Kenya had heightened, and in an election season where citizens demand quick responses, targeting the most visible foreigners i.e. Somali refugees became the easiest and the reflex solution. Kenya continues to insist on repatriating the huge Somali refugee population it hosts, even though the political, security and economic conditions inside Somalia are demonstrably non-conducive to ensuring a lawful repatriation. The existence of one million-plus internally displaced people within the Somali borders further demonstrates that the Horn of Africa presently lacks the capacity to accommodate, let alone absorb, large number of returnees. In the time that I have been living in Somalia, roughly two years, the number of attacks in Kenya has increased. Four hundred people have been killed in Kenya in the last two years alone, including the horrific attacks on Westgate and the more recent attack on Garissa University College killing 147.
On April 11, William Ruto publicly said that the Kenyan government had ordered United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to close Dadaab within three months, and should they fail to do so, Kenya would do it themselves. It is extremely alarming that senior politicians’ immediate knee jerk reaction to security incidents on Kenyan soil, is to blame the very people they are bound by law to protect, instead of trying to find viable solutions to the security problems in Kenya. Needless to say, Kenya is a signatory to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. It, therefore, owes a duty of responsibility to the refugees that are currently living in the refugee camps and the urban areas. Refugees by their very nature are considered to be amongst the most vulnerable groups in our societies. Threats to close the refugee camps achieves nothing but to alarm those living in Dadaab and bring them further instability and fear of having to return to the very country they fled from more than two decades ago. The exact number of refugees in Dadaab is unknown. It is estimated that approximately 350,000 are registered there, although the numbers are likely to be twice this amount. Given the chronic insecurity in Somalia and the lack of preparation by both the Somali and Kenyan government, repatriation of Somali refugees is practically impossible.
In Somalia, UN agencies routinely look the other way when local implementing partners or cartels divert or steal food and other aid. Those who dare speak out against such irregularities are castigated, ignored, demoted, or fired.
The UN, Protector Of Corrupt Officials Who Steal Aid From Desperate Victims
19 April – Source: Daily Nation – 670 Words
When James Wasserstrom, a top anti-corruption officer at the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo revealed a scheme that involved paying kickbacks worth $500 million to Kosovo officials and senior members of the UN mission, his passport was confiscated, his car and apartment searched, and his photograph placed at the entrances of the mission’s offices to deny him access to the premises.
Years after his arrest and dismissal, the UN’s Dispute Tribunal — the court of first instance of the two-tier internal justice system through which UN employees contest their administrative rights — found that Wasserstrom had suffered humiliating and degrading treatment at the hands of his employer. Although the whistleblower won his case before the tribunal, the relief ordered did not eliminate the effects of retaliation — the tribunal awarded him $65,000 in compensation, which is less that 2 per cent of the estimated losses, damages, and costs he had incurred since he started his legal battle with the UN.
What is worse, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon not only appealed the decision, but failed to take any disciplinary action against Wasserstrom’s retaliators. Fortunately, Wasserstrom’s struggle for justice was not completely in vain. In January this year, President Barack Obama signed into law a Bill, the first of its kind, that forces the US State Department to withdraw 15 per cent of US funding from any UN agency that fails to adhere to best practices for whistleblowers. This is good news because the UN is notorious for not protecting whistleblowers, despite a 2005 whistleblower protection policy, and rarely, if ever, takes disciplinary action against corrupt individuals.
The Washington-based Government Accountability Project, which lobbied for this Bill to be passed, found that the UN Ethics Office, which is responsible for receiving appeals for protection from UN whistleblowers, failed to protect more than 98 per cent of those who approached it for help between 2007 and 2010. Furthermore, under UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the UN’s whistleblower protection policy has been regularly undermined or ignored.
TOP TWEETS
@Somalia111 I condemn attack this morning on @UN in#Garowe. Shocked and appalled by loss of life. More details to follow. @UNSomalia #Somalia
@UNDP “Now, thanks to water storage solutions from@UNDPSomalia, families can have clean water”:http://ow.ly/LN2fF
@SomPundit My prayers R with the pple of #Garowe may Allah s.w have mercy on the victims. This forces of evil won’t deter #Somalia‘s resolve to peace
@amisomsomalia ·AMISOM condemns the deadly attack this morning @UN in #Garowe
@UNICEFAfrica #UNICEF staff have reportedly been killed in an attack on a vehicle they were riding in Garowe, Somalia. Another 4 in a serious condition.
@FCONeilWigan I utterly condemn today’s terrorist attack in#Garowe. A despicable assault on those trying to help#Somalia. My deepest condolences.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Soldiers share a light moment with children in Kuday town which was recently liberated from Al Shabaab by the Somali National Army backed by AMISOM troops. Slowly, life is returning to normal in the island.
Photo: AMISOM