August 1, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Somalia, UN And IGAD Call For End To Tukaraq Fighting
31 July – Source: Mareeg News – 329 Words
Somalia, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations have called for immediate and unconditional end to the fighting in the border village of Tukaraq in northern Somalia. The fighting has left dozens of people dead while hundreds of other have been forced to flee from their homes.
The calls come amid tension between Somaliland and Puntland that has been building up over the past few months. Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, while on a tour of Puntland state, urged the warring factions to end the fighting and resolve their differences through peace talks. Said Khaire: “The renewed war in Tukaraq town is terror and it must be stopped forthwith to give room for unity of the Somali people”.
UN’s top official in Somalia, Michael Keating, who visited Garowe in Puntland and Hargeisa on Somaliland between July 28 and July 30, delivered the same message to the people. He urged local residents to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Tukaraq area of Sool region. Keating held discussions with Puntland’s President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas, Vice President Abdihakim Abdullahi Haji Omar and Traditional Elders from the Sool region.
In Hargeisa, Keating met with President Muse Bihi Abdi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Saad Shire, and other members of the Cabinet, together with members of the two Houses of Parliament, as well leaders of the UCID and WADDANI opposition political parties. He also met representatives of the civil society and a committee of Somaliland elders, who are working with counterparts from Puntland to de-escalate the tensions.
The UN mission discussed with the interlocutors on avenues of resolving the Tukaraq crisis and exchanged views on the way forward. The leaders from both Somaliland and Puntland and the interlocutors reiterated their commitment to finding a peaceful solution. The joint IGAD-UN team will now assess the emerging issues and challenges before to returning to Puntland and Somaliland in the coming days and weeks to execute a lasting solution.
Key Headlines
- Somalia UN And IGAD Call For End To Tukaraq Fighting (Mareeg News)
- Somali Prime Minister Arrives Qardho Town Puntland (Halbeeg News)
- Arrested Director of IDP Resettlement Programme handed over to Banadir Regional Court (Jowhar News)
- African Union Pledges to Guarantee Peace and Stability in Somalia (Prensa Latina)
- Porous Somalia Border Costing Kenya $20m Yearly (The East African)
- How The Gulf Crisis Is Destabilising Somalia (Middle East Monitor)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Prime Minister Arrives Qardho Town
31 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 151 Words
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and his high level delegation arrived in Qardho town in Puntland state, Tuesday. He was accompanied by Puntland senior officials and members of his Cabinet. On arrival in the town, the Premier and his delegation received a warm welcome from district officials and members of the civil society.
The security of Qardho was strengthened as hundreds of soldiers were deployed to the main streets of the town. The Prime Minister and members of his delegation arrived in Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland state, two days ago. The PM held meetings with senior officials of the regional government, including Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas, his Vice President and cabinet ministers.
The PM, his Cabinet ministers and other members of his entourage are expected to attend the 20th anniversary ceremony marking the formation of the Puntland state. Puntland declared itself an autonomous state on 1st August 1998.
Arrested Director of IDP Resettlement Programme handed over to Banadir Regional Court
31 July – Source: Jowhar News – 146 Words
Recently detained Director of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Resettlement Programme, Dahir Mohamed Nuur, has been handed over to the Banadir Regional Court. Dahir was detained last week over money theft allegations.
Banadir Regional Court Chairman has denied reports that he ordered the arrest of several National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) officers for allegedly delaying the handing over process. He instead clarified he had admonished them for taking too long to hand over the detained suspect.
The accused’s lawyer and Banadir regional court officials have demanded the release of the detained officer to allow him to be arraigned in court since every defendant has the right to face charges in court 24 hours after their arrest. The arrested suspect, a senior officer in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, is accused of stealing public money to the tune of 84,000 dollars.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
African Union Pledges to Guarantee Peace and Stability in Somalia
31 July – Source: Prensa Latina – 144 Words
The African Union (AU) announced today its mission in Somalia will continue working to ensure the security and stability of the country, consistent with the UN”s decision to remain there until 2019.
The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution stipulating the non withdrawal of the team by May 31, 2009. Regulation 2431, with the unanimous approval of the 15 members of the Council, also decides to reduce the level of uniforms for the mission, known as AMISOM, to 20,626 and to include a minimum of 1, 040 law enforcement officers.
According to an AU statement, “the measure allows for a delay in AMISOM’s transition precisely to provide enough time and space for Somalis to put their nation into order on the basis of peace and stability”. This will also allow the mission to prepare adequately for the transfer of responsibilities, the statement detailed.
Porous Somalia Border Costing Kenya $20m Yearly
31 July – Source: The East African – 369 Words
The closure of the Kenya-Somalia border in Mandera at the height of insecurity five years ago could be costing the country at least Ksh2 billion ($20 million) annually, as smugglers have a field day sneaking substandard goods in and out the country. The Kenya Revenue Authority, immigration and Kenya Bureau of Standards offices at the border post are deserted, with the walls dotted with bullet holes.
This has allowed smuggling to thrive, with local traders saying the goods from Mogadishu and Kismayo ports are relatively cheap since they are not taxed and their quality is not tested. The porous border is 360 kilometres long, and efforts by the Kenyan government to stop movements between the two countries have not borne fruit. A border wall meant to curb insecurity is still under construction.
The border post, which was built in 1981 and “rehabilitated in 2009” is home to goats and dogs. The staff quarters for Customs officials are also deserted by non-locals due to fear of raids by Al Shabaab fighters. According to Mandera Governor Ali Roba, the country is losing at least Ksh 2 billion ($20 million) per year due to unregulated cross-border business, that also exposes the country to importation of contraband.
“If this border was open, we could control quality and also get revenue for the national government and county government,” said Mr Roba. On the Kenya-Ethiopia Suftu border, it is a different story. River Dawa is busy as traders transport their goods on rafts.
Kenyan traders transport bottled water, sugar and timber to Ethiopia, while Ethiopians transport onions, cement and other farm produce to Mandera, where distributors transport them to other parts of the country including Nairobi.Unlike the Kenya-Somalia border, Mandera County revenue officers collect revenue from traders.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“What began with a siege on Doha may well not end there; Somalia’s future lies in great part on whether the Gulf Cooperation Council bickering can be stopped”.
How The Gulf Crisis Is Destabilising Somalia
31 July – Source: Middle East Monitor – 722 Words
The impact of the anti-Qatar embargo continues to have strange consequences beyond the Gulf. Somalia is increasingly compromised by its schizophrenic approach to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE on the one hand, and Qatar on the other, exacerbated by a fragile federal system in which constitutional responsibilities for foreign affairs are stated vaguely.
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed – better known as Farmajo — has tried to steer a neutral course between the two camps, even if Saudi Arabia had offered incentives for Horn of Africa countries to cut off ties with Iran in 2016 and, since 2015, to help with the conflict against the Houthis in Yemen. The UAE was initially sceptical, viewing many of the Somali leader’s key appointments as being too close to the Qatari point of view.
Over the past year, cracks have started to show internally. The argument was that there was more to gain from Somalia siding with the Saudi-UAE faction within the GCC. Critics of Farmajo cited migrant remittances, port opportunities and larger markets for livestock exports if Doha was rejected.
Mogadishu held the cards though; under the constitution, only the federal government had the right to dictate foreign policy. The divide, forced upon Somalia by the actions of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, risked straining the Somali constitution unnecessarily, in a country which is still very much in the state-building stage of post-conflict redevelopment.
Last August, the Puntland region in north-east Somalia argued that Farmajo had not consulted properly with its state administration about backing the UAE-Saudi factions, and publicly backed a new strategic relationship with their axis. As Omar Mahmood noted at the Institute for Security Studies, this was likely related to a decision by Dubai-based P&O Ports to sign a thirty-year concession for Bosaso port, which acts as Puntland’s main harbour and is a major source of revenue.