April 4, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Somali Pirates Strike Again, Seizing Indian Vessel And Crew
03 April – Source : New York Times – 275 Words
Somali pirates seized a small boat and kidnapped its 11-member Indian crew off the coast of Somalia, local officials said on Monday, the second vessel to be snared recently by the region’s resurgent hijackers.The cargo ship, which had set sail from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, was carrying unidentified goods and fuel when it was seized Saturday near the Somali port of Hobyo, said Mukhtar Ahmed Abdulle, the vice chairman of the local chamber of commerce in Jubbaland, in southern Somalia. The ship was headed to the regional port of Kismayo, Somalia, he said.
Last month, Somali pirates hijacked an oil tanker, the Aris 13, and temporarily detained its Sri Lankan crew, according to The Associated Press, the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel since 2012. The crew and the ship were later released without conditions, Somali officials said at the time.On Monday, the pirates who captured the Indian vessel demanded a ransom for the release of its crew, Mr. Abdulle said, adding that the ship had been diverted to Harardhere, a small town in Mudug Province, which has been used as a staging ground for Somali pirates in the past.
The hijacking of the small dhow, a traditional wooden sailing ship common in regional waters, is reminiscent of the threat to global shipping off the coast of Somalia, where international efforts had helped lessen the threat to cargo vessels in recent years.Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, told The A.P. that he was “aware of the reports, and we are monitoring the situation.” The Fifth Fleet oversees regional anti piracy efforts
Key Headlines
- Somali Pirates Strike Again Seizing Indian Vessel And Crew (New York Times )
- New Information Minister Pledges Free Media Environment (Goobjoog News)
- Gedo Governor Declares The Region Safe Calls For Diaspora Investment (Hiiraan Online)
- Curfew Imposed On Leego (Goobjoog News)
- Turkey Boosts Aid For Somalia’s Development (Daily Sabah)
- Child Deaths Grip Starved Somalia (Caj News Africa)
- Finance Minister To Increase Domestic Borrowing To Meet Budget Deficits (Goobjoog News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
New Information Minister Pledges Free Media Environment
03 April – Source : Goobjoog News – 159 Words
The newly appointed minister for information and public awareness Abdirahman Omar Yarisow has pledged to create a more conducive working environment for the media. Speaking after formally taking office in Mogadishu, Yarisow said his ministry will ensure press freedom and freedom of expression is upheld in Somalia. “My top priority as Minister is to promote the freedom of expression in Somali, as enshrined in our provisional constitution Article 18 (1),” the minister said.
Somalia remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists to work in with dozens having been killed or maimed in the past. In one of recent attacks against journalist, goobjoog television producer Hanad Guled was kidnapped and later on found alive in Afgooye, some 30 kilometres south of Mogadishu. The minister commended his predecessor for his achievement during his tenure in office. The ceremony held on Sunday, was attended by ministers and other government officials and member of the Federal Parliament who oversaw the handover.˙
Gedo Governor Declares The Region Safe, Calls For Diaspora Investment
03 April – Source: Hiiraan Online – 110 Words
Gedo regional authority has declared parts of the region safe and sound and called on diaspora hailing from the region to come and invest in the region. Speaking in Bardhere after returning from Mogadishu, the area regional governor Mohamed Muhumed Mohamed, said the seven districts of the region enjoy reliable security situation. He urged Diaspora members to invest in the region which he said has economic resources that can be exploited. He said the region is best known for its pastoral and agricultural resources. He further said security measures were kept in place to keep the militant group Al-Shabaab from sneaking into the region and jeopardizing stability in the area.
Curfew Imposed On Leego
03 April – Source : Goobjoog News – 118 Words
Leego local administration has imposed a curfew on the town with effect from April 03, 2016. Leego district commissioner, Abukar Abdullahi Isack said that the move would help slow down movement of militants in the dark. “Under the Curfew Order which will take place at nights, no gathering or procession should have more than five persons without authorization of the administration,” he said. “The main reason behind the curfew is to beef up the security of the town” he added. The move comes as businesses in the affected area were counting losses after several insecurity incidents occurred at the town. Following the administration’s order, residents of the town will be required to stay indoors from 1830h to 0600h.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Turkey Boosts Aid For Somalia’s Development
03 April – Source : Daily Sabah – 179 Words
Embattled with drought and poverty, Somalia received a new batch of aid from Turkey on Sunday. Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak attended a ceremony in the capital Mogadishu for the donation of trucks, cement mixers and other equipment to be used in improving the country’s infrastructure. The Turkish Red Crescent and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) made the donations for the Benadir Governorate near the capital and municipality of Mogadishu.
Deputy Prime Minister Kaynak and Somali officials attended the ceremony at the compound of the Turkish Red Crescent in Mogadishu.The Turkish deputy prime minister said the trucks and the equipment donated by his country would help improve transportation infrastructure in the country, saying building new roads helps a country to prosper.”We hope that our Somali brothers and sisters will not have to suffer any more from traveling on dusty roads,” he said at the ceremony, underlining that Turkey has always helped Somalia fight drought and hunger. “Turkish people see Somalis as their brothers and sisters and we will extend more aid to Somalia,” he added.
Child Deaths Grip Starved Somalia
03 April – Source : Caj News Africa – 256 Words
Thousands of children have been diagnosed with cholera or acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) in Somalia since the beginning of the year, raising fears figures will outstrip the 130 000 children killed in the famine in 2011. More than 18 400 cases of cholera/AWD have been reported a few months into 2017, far surpassing the 15 600 cases reported the whole of 2016. “These numbers are a wake-up call,” said Leila Pakkala, United Nations Children’s Fund director for Eastern and Southern Africa. “Children are dying from malnutrition, hunger, thirst and disease. We are working with partners around the clock to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are nine times more likely to die of disease than a well-nourished child.
During the 2011 famine, the biggest killers were diarrhoea and measles. Six years since famine was declared in parts of south-central Somalia, the country is again on the brink of catastrophe with the drought and conflict more widespread. In February, UNICEF projected that 944 000 children would be acutely malnourished in 2017, including 185 000 children suffering from SAM who would need urgent, lifesaving support. That number could shoot up, even if the next rains due to start late April come on time, and in full. UNICEF Somalia has raised its 2017 funding requirement from $66 million (R886 million) to $147 million, with a funding gap of 54% as of mid-March. “This year, many donors have come forward early but the worst may still be ahead of us,” Pakkala warned.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Funding for opportunities which ensure job creation particularly among the youth is therefore an area the finance minister will have to direct resources. To actualize his budget however, the Finance Minister will have to engage the domestic market the more. Establishing a viable and effective tax regime is crucial to realise domestic borrowing.”
Finance Minister To Increase Domestic Borrowing To Meet Budget Deficits
03 April – Source : Goobjoog News – 444 Words
Finance Minister Abdirahman Beyle will today present the first national budget in the new administration to finance the president’s pre-election pledges and notably offset deficits four months after the end of the 2016 financial period. Both President Mohamed Farmaajo and PM Hassan Khaire have, since taking office tabled ambitious economic recovery blueprints some of which will require huge financial commitments and robust domestic borrowing. Somalia is not eligible to take credit in the international financial markets forcing it to rely on donor funding, diaspora remittances and domestic revenues.
In the 2016 financial budget, then minister Mohamed Adan Fargetti submitted a $246, 307, 948 national budget. Out of this, the minister set the total government revenue at $139,221, 120 with domestic borrowing expected to generate $107,771, 120. Turkey, the only listed bilateral support donor for the 2016 budget injected $30,043,387 while multilateral donor support through project funding amounted to $77,043,441. The multilateral donors included the African Development Bank, World Bank among others. Salaries for public servants and other government officials took the largest share of the 2016 budget totaling $52,970,191 followed by the Somali National Army which was allocated $35,469,640. Fargetti also awarded the police the third largest share of the budget at $13,947,560.
The 2016 national budget was increased almost by $50 million from the previous year which saw the government propose a $199,033,838 budget. This year’s budget comes in the backdrop of a severe drought which is fast transitioning into a famine. The minister will be expected to increase support for drought relief efforts to supplement domestic and international support. Key will also be the security sector. One of President Farmaajo’s flagship projects in line with the pre-election pledges is building a strong and professional army alongside other elements of the country’s security architecture. Somalia has an estimated 20,000 National Army force trained and funded by among others the African Union, EU and the US.
The socio-economic sectors are also expected to get increased funding. The president pledged to reverse the deadly immigration missions by Somali youth which have cost lives and robbed the country of its workforce. Funding for opportunities which ensure job creation particularly among the youth is therefore an area the finance minister will have to direct resources. To actualize his budget however, the Finance Minister will have to engage the domestic market the more. Establishing a viable and effective tax regime is crucial to realise domestic borrowing. The minister will also need to expand the tax bracket and put in place stringent measures to ensure taxes are not siphoned off by corrupt networks in government.