August 17, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
HirShabelle Presidential Election Organizing Committee Named
17 August – Source: Allbanaadir.com – 169 Word
HirShabelle regional assembly has formed a presidential election organizing committee in an emergency meeting in Jowhar days after it has ousted the state’s leader, Ali Osoble. The 9-member committee is expected to organize the forthcoming election of the state’s new president in the coming 30 days. Regional Assembly speaker Sheikh Osman Barre and his deputies chaired the meeting in Jowhar where MP unanimously agreed on the formation of the electoral body.
Reporters at the venue said 73 members of the regional assembly were first in attendance but were later joined by a group of MPs who were previously in support of the deposed president, making the number of MPs at the session 81. Hirshabelle which is in existence for less than a year, the youngest regional state is in political crisis following the sacking of President Osoble. Osoble termed the decision unconstitutional and accused the federal government of being responsible for the crisis in his region. No comments have been yet made by the federal government regarding this matter.
Key Headlines
- HirShabelle Presidential Election Organizing Committee Named (Allbanaadir.com)
- Puntland New Council Of Ministers To Hold First Meeting Today (Radio Dalsan)
- Federal Minister Of Education Names Commission To Fight Graft In Scholarship Schemes (Radio Dalsan)
- Somalia Under Pressure To Side With Saudi Arabia UAE Against Qatar (Africa News)
- Swedish Soldiers To Fend Off Pirates Near Somalia (The Local Sweden)
- Turkish Military Base In Somalia: Risks And Opportunities (Arab News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Puntland New Council Of Ministers To Hold First Meeting Today
17 August – Source: Radio Dalsan – 112 Word
Puntland’s new Cabinet will today convene for their first meeting since it was formed a week ago. President Abdiweli Gaas will chair the meeting in which key issues including the rising tensions between Somaliland and Puntland over elections taking place in the disputed regions of Sool and Sanaag, are likely to be discussed.Upon its conclusion, it is expected that the new Cabinet will issue a statement on the latest situation in the region.
Their meeting comes amid increasing tension in parts of Sool region where Somaliland established the polling stations for the upcoming elections, a move that has angered Puntland. However, no incident has been so far reported in the region.
Federal Minister Of Education Names Commission To Fight Graft In Scholarship Schemes
17 August – Source: Radio Dalsan – 163 Word
Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education has formed a committee that will fight corruption in the scholarship schemes. Abdirahman Dahir Osman said the motive is to fight corruption in the education sector and make sure that scholarship positions are offered to deserving students. The commission was formed following lots of complaints that there is widespread corruption in the distribution of scholarships.
Osman said the committee will administer the scholarships and distribute it fairly among students. Members of the commission comprise of members of the two chambers of the Parliament. He said the move was part of the accountability initiative recently announced by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre.
He made the remarks at the opening of the renovated building of the ministry of education, culture and higher education. Prime Minister attended the opening ceremony of the building and urged the education officials to fairly distribute the scholarship donations the government receives from abroad. The ministry was previously based at the presidential palace- Villa Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Under Pressure To Side With Saudi Arabia, UAE Against Qatar
17 August- Source: Africa News- 324 Words
Somalia’s neutrality in the ongoing Gulf region crisis has generated a lot of pressure for the Horn of Africa country to join the Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates faction against Qatar. The latest call is from the autonomous Somali state of Puntland which on Wednesday called on the federal government to change its neutral position due to the good relations it has with Saudi Arabia and UAE. “We urge the Federal Government of Somalia to reconsider its position regarding the impending crisis which, if not addressed properly, will have lasting and negative consequences for the people of Somalia,” Puntland said in a statement. “We believe our position is to clearly stand with our partners, namely Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” it added while calling for an end to the crisis.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, cut diplomatic relations with Qatar in June after accusing the small country of supporting Islamist militants and Iran. Qatar vehemently denies the claims. Some African countries took sides in the diplomatic row with Chad recalling its ambassador from Qatar “for consultations” after Senegal recalled its envoy citing its “active solidarity” with Saudi Arabia. Mauritania, a member of the Arab League, severed ties with Qatar following the lead of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt – while Gabon condemned Doha.
Swedish Soldiers To Fend Off Pirates Near Somalia
17 August – Source: The Local, Sweden – 270 Words
Thirty-four Swedish soldiers are heading to east Africa as part of international efforts to prevent attacks from Somali pirates. The soldiers, from Gothenburg, will be stationed off the coast of Somalia as part of Sweden’s fifth mission to the region. Two small Swedish combined transport and war ships will be on board the Dutch HNLMS Rotterdam, an amphibious warfare ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy.It is the second time Sweden’s part of the mission is carried out together with Dutch troops“In the first place we are there to escort the World Food Programme’s aid deliveries with supplies to Somalia. But we also have the mandate to intervene and stop pirate attacks and armed robberies at sea,” Major Thomas Olsson, head of the Swedish troops in Somalia, told the TT news agency.
Piracy in the Western Indian Ocean has presented what the EU describes as a “growing threat to security, international shipping and development” since the mid-2000s. In 2011 at the peak of their activity three years ago, Somali pirates captured more than 30 ships and held more than 700 crew members, according to EU data. The pirates demanded huge ransoms from both governments and private businesses.
The number of attacks dropped dramatically after the international community, including EU as well as China and the US stationed ships in the area. In 2017 eight incidents have been reported so far.“The biggest risk for us is that there is an accident in the event of severe weather. Those are the usual risks when you are at sea. We know that military forces are a deterrent to pirates,” said Olsson.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Hasan Ozturk, an Africa expert from the Istanbul-based think tank BILGESAM, said the camp’s strategic location is telling, as it is very close to the entry point of the Gulf of Aden, north of Mogadishu,”
Turkish Military Base In Somalia: Risks And Opportunities
17 August – Source: Arab News – 646 Words
As a projection of its expanded geopolitical and economic presence in East Africa, Turkey will open its largest overseas military training camp in the Somali capital Mogadishu in September. It will be the first of its kind for the Somali national army, which is being restructured. Construction began in March 2015. At the cost of some $50 million, the base will host three military schools, dormitories and depots over an area of 400 hectares. For training exercises with up to 10,000 Somali soldiers in early September, some 200 Turkish soldiers will be deployed at the base, which will be able to train more than 1,500 troops at a time. But such a military engagement carries risks. It is not clear whether Turkish troops will be involved in combat missions against the militant group Al-Shabab, which controls most of south-central Somalia.
Turkey has been very active in Somalia since 2011, helping the country strengthen its public institutions and alleviate a severe famine. On Aug. 15, Turkish Airlines carried more than 60 tons of food aid to Mogadishu, to be distributed to 12 locations in Somalia. More than 60 tons of food aid and medical supplies were sent to Mogadishu in April. Prof. Sedat Aybar, director of the Africa Research Center at Istanbul Aydin University, said Turkey has contributed positively to Somali development.
“In terms of building up hard power, establishing a military base is a serious effort, but the outcomes are unknown in the short run,” he told Arab News. “However, given the situation in Somalia, this effort is more likely to provide positive returns for Somalis,” he added. “A NATO member and an inspiring candidate for full EU membership, Turkey’s efforts in Somalia are more likely to generate international coordination and cooperation, rather than creating conflict and turmoil.”
Aybar said establishing a Turkish military base in Somalia has become even more significant since the announcement by President Donald Trump that US aid to Africa will be reduced. “Many countries in Africa are aid-dependent, and American aid is an important part of their functioning as nation states,” said Aybar. “Turkey, being one of the major donor countries to Somalia, is going one step further by establishing a military capacity there,” he added. “This is particularly important as development requires building up a military capacity that doesn’t fully exist in Somalia.”
TOP TWEETS
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: An airstrike has been reported at a village between Jilib and Kamsuma towns in Middle Jubba region, casualties reported.
#Somalia
@HassanIstiila: #UPDATE: #Somalia‘s ambassador Jama Abdullahi presents his credentials to President Erdogan, the Amb received cordially welcomed. #Turkish
@HarunMaruf: Hearing reports that one of the 118 Somali prisoners detained in Mumbai India has passed away, he is the 3rd to die in the same jail.
@adancabdulle: Hiirshabelle joins Puntland in siding with Saudi/Emirati coalition. Language used by both admins very similar indicating outside dictation
@Somaliupdate: Human Rights Watch Calls for Probe of Defected Former Al-Shabab Leader over Abuses #Somaliahttp://somaliupdate.com/
@Abdi_AlSheikh: Villa Somalia leads the way in solar power innovation http://www.so.undp.org/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali Premier Hassan Ali Khayre met with EU Ambassador to Somalia Veronique Lorenzo who called on him to deliver message of support from the European Union.
Photo: @SomaliPM