April 29, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
United Somalia is the only option we have, says president Hassan
29 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb – 251 words
The President of Somalia Federal Republic Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a short working visit to the northeastern semi-autonomous region of Puntland has rebuffed claiming from local politicians towards the unity of the country as a northern region seeking for separation from Somalia since 1992.
“Today it is not a matter of choosing whether we will be united together or breakaway into states, but it is the matter of reconciliation and treating all the civil war wounds to our people.” president Hassan announced on Sunday during a press conference in Garowe town, the capital of Puntland.
“I know that there are some people in parts of Somalia who feel the traumas left by civil wars. We have to come together and help out finalizing all these matters.” he added.
Key Headlines
- United Somalia is the only option we have says president Hassan (Raxanreeb)
- Speaker Jawari in Turkey for talks with government and agencies (Raxanreeb/Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu)
- Kenya and Somalia vow to fight terrorism threat (Daily Nation)
- Farole calls for prosecution of warlords in Somalia parliament (Markacadeey/Raxanreeb)
- Dr. Tedros meets with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Mfa.gov)
- Somali Journalist Living and Working on the Edge (Ips News)
- Somali capital braces for business boom with improved security (Xinhua)
SOMALI MEDIA
Speaker Jawari in Turkey for talks with government and agencies
29 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb/Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu – 135 words
Somalia Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari has begun an official visit to Turkey on Sunday for talks with Turkish government officials and some of the Turkish owned development agencies operating in Somalia.
The parliament speaker has met on Sunday the mayor of Istanbul city as he relied appreciations for the brilliant work done in Somalia by the Turkish government and aid agencies. According to the speaker’s press office, the speaker will hold meetings with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and president Abdullah Goul.
The visit by Somalia parliament speaker will also highlight the bilateral relationship between the two countries as well as a follow up discussions between Somalia parliament members and Turkish international aid agency “TIKA” which had already pledged the reconstruction of Somalia parliament building in Mogadishu.
Farole calls for prosecution of warlords in Somalia parliament
29 Apr – Source: Markacadeey/ Raxanreeb – 84 words
The president of Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland Abdirahman Mohamed Farole has called for the prosecution of warlords in the federal parliament.
“I would call for the prosecution of warlords who still remain inside the parliament for killing thousands of Somalis,” President Farole said while speaking during a dinner-ceremony in Garowe on Sunday evening which the president of Somalia federal government attended.
“I believe that they ought to face the justice and be sued for destroying the country’s government and opposing several peace process,” Farole added.
United Somalia is the only option we have, says president Hassan
29 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb – 251 words
The President of Somalia Federal Republic Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a short working visit to the northeastern semi-autonomous region of Puntland has rebuffed claiming from local politicians towards the unity of the country as a northern region seeking for separation from Somalia since 1992.
“Today it is not a matter of choosing whether we will be united together or breakaway into states, but it is the matter of reconciliation and treating all the civil war wounds to our people.” president Hassan announced on Sunday during a press conference in Garowe town, the capital of Puntland.
“I know that there are some people in parts of Somalia who feel the traumas left by civil wars. We have to come together and help out finalizing all these matters.” he added.
After 23 years with no postal services, Somalia could soon start receiving mail again
29 Apr – Source: Radio Dalsan/RBC/Radio Mogadishu – 285 words
After 23 years with no postal services, Somalia could soon start receiving mail again, thanks to talks facilitated by the Universal Postal Union. Under a memorandum of understanding, the parties committed to negotiating the details of an agreement that would see Dubai act as a hub for handling mail destined for Somalia in future.
Abdullahi E. Hersi, Somali minister of information, posts, telecommunication and transports, and Emirates Post president, Fahad al Hosani, signed the memorandum on April 22 with the UPU director general, Bishar A. Hussein, present. “It is time for our government to provide postal services,” said Minister Hersi, who added that communication is a human right. “People may have the internet and phones, but these will never replace the benefit of receiving mail from a distance,” he said.
UPU Director General Hussein said the agreement signaled an important step toward launching mail services again in Somalia, but it is just the beginning, he said. The postal network is practically non-existent in Somalia, which covers more than 637,000 square kilometres and has a population of 9.9 million people. In 1991, the country had some 100 post offices and a postal staff of 2,165. Today, there is one general post office in the capital and some 25 staff.
Somalia and Puntland presidents hold joint press conference in Garowe
28 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb – 136 words
The president of Somali federal government, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who arrived in Garowe and the president of Puntland Mr. Farole have jointly held press conference in the Puntland presidential palace in Garowe.
President Farole who spoke first in the press conference reiterated that the need for the federal government to implement the federalism and to allow establishment of regional administrations like Puntland.
Mr. Farole has also stated that his administration will not compromise the implementation of federalism in accordance with the constitution of the country. He said that Somalis have fought on tribal basis and therefore can only solve their problems through federal state.
Puntland president has also shown support for the on-going Kismayo conference which is aimed at establishing a semiautonomous region which will administer the three southernmost regions of the country.
IDPS in Mogadishu ask for immediate aid
28 Apr – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 189 words
Some of the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPS) in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, complained about dire condition of life as rains batter the capital and its environ.
Some of the IDPS had impact from the rain because they don’t have shelter from the rain since it is time of summer. These IDPS have spoken to Mustaqbal radio and called on humanitarian aid agencies, Somali business community and the federal government of Somalia to support them and give them shelter, NFI, and livelihoods so to escape from the current hard life.
Somali federal government has already announced that it plans to resettle the IDPS and relocate them towhere they originally fled following the famine in 2011.
Somaliland: BCIU Holds a Discussion Dinner with President Silanyo
27 Apr – Source: Somaliland Press – 85 words
The Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) hosted a dinner in honor of Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud (Silanyo) President of (Self-declared Republic of) Somaliland and his delegation which was held in the exclusive Willard Hotel, Washington DC.
President Silanyo speaking at the dinner said,” Somaliland government is committed to promoting investment and we shall continue to create positive and enabling environment through sound regulatory policies and mechanisms which are vital to encourage further investment to all sectors and in order to achieve future sustainable economic development”,.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Dr. Tedros meets with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
28 Apr – Source: Mfa.gov – 596 words
On his first day at the United Nations in New York, Dr. Tedros met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The discussions were focused on peace and security developments in Somalia and the future course of AMISOM. Also raised were issues related to Sudan, the chance for dialogue between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the upcoming London conference on Somalia.
The Secretary-General began by commending Ethiopia on the very important role it has been playing in the region, most notably in consolidating peace and security in neighbouring Somalia.
Regarding the Ethiopian National Defence Forces currently serving in Somalia, Ban Ki-moon said, he had taken note of Prime Minister Hailemariam’s statement in parliament days earlier where he reiterated Ethiopia’s commitment to the preservation of security in Somalia.
Kenya and Somalia vow to fight terrorism threat
28 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 326 words
Kenyan President Kenyatta and his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday agreed to fight terrorism until the Horn of Africa nation was free of security threats.
The two Presidents who met at State House, Mombasa, observed that terrorism and al Shabaab threats remained the greatest impediment to the progress of Somalia and the region.
“All of us in the region and the international community should focus on fighting the terrorist group to secure Somalia’s and the region’s unity,” President Kenyatta said.
The Heads of State also called on the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) to hasten the restoration of social and economic stability in Somalia.
Pirates threat in East Africa waters diminishes
27 Apr – Source: East African – 562 words
Somali pirates today pose a diminished threat to regional and international shipping , a senior US State Department official said last wee. “We’ve essentially put Somali pirates out of business,” declared Andrew Shapiro, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. “Pirates today can no longer find helpless victims like they could in the past and pirates operating at sea now often operate at a loss.”
Somali refugees should return home, says Kagwe
27 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 476 words
Somali refugees camping in Kenya should return home, a senator has said. Nyeri Senator Mutahi Kagwe said the Somali President had already signalled that his country was stable enough for its citizens to return and wondered why Somalis were still in refugee camps in Kenya.
Speaking in the Senate, he said it would be more sensible to have the Dadaab refugee camp, possibly the world’s largest, shifted to Somali territory so Kenya could help the refugees while in their own country.
Tanzania accuses 14 Somalis of human trafficking
27 Apr – Source: East African – 691 words
Tanzania has blacklisted 14 Somali businessmen suspected of engaging in human trafficking and who allegedly enjoy close links with powerful politicians.
The businessmen, who are naturalised citizens, are said to be responsible for facilitating the illegal entry of hundreds of Somalis, enroute to Southern African countries and Europe. This has resulted in a surge of arrests of Somali nationals in the past three years.
According to intelligence sources, the suspects’s activities are widely known to senior officials within Tanzania’s Ministry of Home Affairs. However the suspects’s names are yet to be revealed.
Al Shabaab in crosshairs of Somalia’s anti-terrorism law
26 Apr – Source: Sabahi Online – 568 words
In the coming days Somalia’s parliament will debate a proposed anti-terrorism law that targets al Shabaab and aims to restructure the country’s national security and intelligence services in the fight against terrorism.
The Somali cabinet approved the draft anti-terrorism law on April 18th, four days after al Shabaab operatives killed at least 29 civilians in a raid on the Benadir regional court complex. The details of the proposed draft law have yet to be released to the public, but will be available once the debate in parliament formally begins.
“This is a very important piece of legislation that represents a key component of the government’s strategy to fight terrorism comprehensively while taking responsibility of our own borders and the security of our people,” Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said in a prepared statement issued after the draft was approved.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Journalist Living and Working on the Edge
29 Apr – Source: Ips News – 991 words
When journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh was shot by unknown assailants outside his home in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Apr. 22, his name was added to a list of four journalists who have been killed in this Horn of Africa nation since January.
Last year, 18 members of the media were killed across the country, according to figures from the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) – the country’s largest.
But despite efforts by the Somali government, which earlier this year offered a reward of 50,000 dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons involved in the murder of reporters, analysts say that Somalia cannot protect its officials, let alone journalists.
Somalia’s economic boom
28 Apr – Source: Enca – 144 words
Somalia’s economy still has a long way to go, despite the recent economic boom in the region. According to experts, a key tenet to full economic recovery lies in the country’s strategic ports.
Somalia’s coastline is the longest in Africa at a massive 3,300 kilometres. It’s two major ports, which are in Mogadishu and Kismayo, would be strategic gateways for Africa’s imports and exports industries. Experts say the Mogadishu port is the choke-point for all resources getting in and out of the country.
Mogadishu port manager Abdullahi Ali Nor, said: “Our port cannot keep up with the demand. Now we are even shipping livestock. [It] shows us that our seaport is now ready to do all the activities of an international seaport.”
However, decades of fighting has left Mogadishu’s bulk and container port vulnerable, making security at the ports an issue.
Somali capital braces for business boom with improved security
26 Apr – Source: Xinhua – 780 words
There are signs businesses are getting a new lease of life in the Somali capital Mogadishu. The sheer numbers of newly-opened beauty parlors and newly erected business signage around the ruined city affirm the determination of a nation to turn a new chapter after 22 years of civil war.
The financial sector appears to have thrived the most during the country’s slightly over two decades of war.
The scale of the expansion registered by the locally incorporated money transfer services that have kept the country’s 10 million people going during the war is not in doubt throughout Mogadishu.
Ladan Express, one of the indigenous Somali cash transfer service providers opened in 2009, is already extending its presence in the Horn of Africa country.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Three states in southern Somalia are keen to become an autonomous region known as Jubbaland. IHS Jane’s examines why the central government opposes these plans, despite initially backing the idea.”
Somalia: Somalia’s Jubbaland conundrum
28 Apr – Source: Horseed Media – 305 Words
A centre of trade, commerce, agriculture and rich in marine resources, Kismayo and the surrounding Jubbaland area is of great economic importance to Somalia. The region also has the potential to hold the balance of power in the country, meaning all important actors – indigenous or foreign – want to control it. Strategically located at the southern tip of Somalia on the Indian Ocean coast, it has the biggest working sea port in Somalia and two airports.
Kismayo and the surrounding region has been fought over by warlords, radical militants in al Shabaab and clan militias (mainly from the Darod clan) since the start of civil war in 1991, in the process displacing approximately 500,000 refugees to camps in Kenya.
Since the emergence of the United Islamic Courts (UIC) in 2006, Kismayo has changed hands between various groups including the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Hizbul Islam (HI), the Muaskar Ras Kamboni (MRK) and al Shabaab. The al Shabaab’s capture of Kismayo in 2008 began the longest period of control by one group since 2006. This prompted the TFG to formulate a ‘liberation strategy’ that ultimately sought to mobilise the dominant clans in the Jubba regions against al Shabaab by promising to support the creation of a ‘Jubbaland’ autonomous region – akin to those already existing in Puntland, Galmudug, and Khatumo – once the area was liberated.
“Somalis have lost a creative, talented and irreplaceable poet. Dhoodaan passed away at age 72 and is survived by a wife, 10 children and a nation hungry for poets like him.”
Dhoodaan: The Death of a Poet
27 Apr – Source: Hiiraan Online – 330 Words
At 72 years of age, poet Abdullahi Ma’allin Ahmed (Dhoodaan) recently died in Harar, Ethiopia. He was a renowned Somali poet with unrivaled talents and miraculous voice. He is considered to be one of the most outstanding Somali poets, albeit his contentious traits.
Poet Dhoodaan would use his poems as a weapon whenever he felt pressured and overpowered. And by using his razor-sharp poems, he once reviled and rebelled the Honrn of Africa’s most powerful, feared administrations, that of President Mohamed Siyad Barre and Mengistu Haile Mariam.
He composed both feared and funny poetry. He was a real artist with captivating poems that could make one laugh endlessly due to their shactiro (humour). Dhoodaan would, through his poetry, tell an audience that humor was the spice of life, and thus would keep people at bay and compel them to listen to his poetry, willingly or unwillingly.
“If there was ever a time to invest in Somalia it is now. The country is emerging out of over two decades of crisis; security is improving and a semblance of stability is taking hold. Investing in the country is crucial- to ensure that the recent progress is not reversed.”
Somalia: Investment Opportunities for the Diaspora
27 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb – 337 Words
Would you go back to Somalia if you’re given a grant worth of 100,000 U.S dollar to invest in the country to generate new resources? If your answer is yes, then it’s time for you to design your project and head back home. That’s at least what one international agency is offering to the Somali Diaspora.
After two decades of civil war, security and stability in Somalia is improving. One place in particular, Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia where the sound of daily gunfire has been replaced by the noise of construction. This little progress has attracted many including international investors.
In February of this year (2013), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said that it will provide a grant worth 1.5 million U.S dollars to finance innovative Diaspora projects in Somalia in a new initiative to tap investment. IFAD said amounts ranging from 20,000 dollars to 100,000 dollars will be provided to implement projects such as cross- border investment in agriculture, improve food security and increase rural employment.
Top tweets
@UN_Women Listen to #UN expert talk about #sexualviolencein #conflict in #Somalia http://ow.ly/klHP7 via @UN_Radio.
@Moallem10 Chairman of #Somalia parliament Mr Jawari arrived in istanbul with his delegation “photos”.http://on.fb.me/11w07lS.
@amisomsomalia Visit our facebook pagehttp://on.fb.me/YJ6HUd to view photos of #AMISOMdonating office equipment & supplies to the #Somaligovernment w
@mary_harper A new film about #Somalia…http://gawker.com/celebrating-
@cfpaar The whole concept of “federalism” in #Somalia needs to be defined in unambiguous legal frames otherwise #Somaliswill be keep in confusion.
Image of the day
President Abdirahman Farole of Puntland state hosts Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh at his residence in Garowe on April 28, 2013. Photo: GaroweOnline.