August 31, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
PM Khaire Pays A Courtesy Call On Former President Hassan Sheikh
31 August – Source: Jowhar.com – 137 Words
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire on Thursday evening paid a courtesy call on former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at his residence in the capital. The former President returned to the country yesterday following his long absence abroad. Prime Minister Khaire’s visit was abrupt and brief. The two leaders later posed for photos full of smiles and joy. PM Khaire briefed the former President on the general situation in the country and achievements so far made by the incumbent administration.
PM Khaire was among the former President’s close confidants during his tenure in office. He was once the chief finance officer of Hassan Sheikh’s election campaign. The former head of state stated that he would embark on a fact-finding and assessment tour to the regions. Political commentators say his return will heighten political activity and tension in the country.
Key Headlines
- PM Khaire Pays A Courtesy Call On Former President Hassan Sheikh (Jowhar.com)
- Ministry Of Education Rubbishes BRA Order On Registration Of Universities (Goobjoog News)
- PM Khaire Promises Reconstruction Of Banadir Stadium Under The ‘Is-Xilqaan’ Campaign (Dhacdo.com)
- Xi Meets With Somali President (Xinhua)
- Britain Calls For World Support To Stabilize Somalia (china.org)
- Abdi Iftin’s New Memoir Presents A Case For The Green Card Lottery (The Weekly Standard)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Ministry Of Education Rubbishes BRA Order On Registration Of Universities
30 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 156 Words
The Ministry of Education has dismissed as unconstitutional an order by Banaadir Regional Administration (BRA) to universities in the region requiring them to register their institutions with the city administration. In letter to the BRA dated August 30, 2018, the Ministry said the regional administration does not have the mandate nor powers to register universities and called on it to rescind the order.
“According to the Higher Education Act articles 10, 11 and 12, registration of universities falls within the docket of the Ministry of Higher Education,” the Ministry said. The Ministry instructed the BRA to withdraw the orders issued on August 4 to universities. According to the order, the BRA had demanded that universities must submit a profile and constitution, a request letter for administration and profile of university staff. Universities must also disclose ownership in cases where more than one university is owned by one entity in addition to paying a registration fee of $1000, the order added.
PM Khaire Promises Reconstruction Of Banadir Stadium Under The ‘Is-Xilqaan’ Campaign
31 August – Source: Dhacdo.com – 147 Words
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire has announced that the recently handed back Mogadishu Stadium will be reconstructed under the government-run “Is-Xilqaan” (Do-it-yourself) Campaign. The PM made the announcement at yesterday’s weekly Mogadishu cleanup campaign, saying the ‘Is Xilqaan’ project will seek to reconstruct dilapidated government facilities and roads, such as the Mogadishu stadium, the National Theatre and the National Library among other notable government institutions that are presently non-operational.
“If you are awaiting foreigners to come and reconstruct this stadium for you, you should forget about that, rather you have you to mobilize yourself, clean and reconstruct your stadium to resume operations,” said PM Khaire, while addressing dozens of people who gathered at the stadium to take part in the cleanup campaign.” The Prime Minister’s message demonstrated the importance and symbolism of the facility that was this week handed back to the government by the AMISOM forces.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Xi Meets With Somali President
31 August – Source: Xinhua News – 240 Words
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Friday ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Noting the long tradition of China-Somalia friendship, Xi said Somalia was the first East African country to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and one of the countries proposing to restore the PRC’s lawful seat in the United Nations. “China congratulates Somalia on the new progress in its peaceful reconstruction and will continue to support the Somali government in advancing its political agenda, promoting social reconciliation and enhancing governance capability,” Xi said.
China supports Somalia’s efforts in safeguarding sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, he said. Xi called on both sides to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, FOCAC, and the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.
For his part, Mohamed expressed the gratitude of the Somali government and its people for China’s long-time support, their admiration of China’s achievement in reform and opening-up, as well as the desire to learn from China’s development experience. Somalia firmly sticks to the one-China policy and actively participates in the Belt and Road cooperation. The country would join hands with China to build a China-Africa community with a shared future within the framework of the FOCAC, he said.
Britain Calls For World Support To Stabilize Somalia
30 August – Source: china.org – 260 Words
Britain on Thursday called on the international community to do more to help the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) lead the fight against al-Shabab as Mogadishu takes on greater responsibility for its own security. Visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May in a statement issued during her visit to Kenya also pledged additional funding to support international efforts to build long-term stability in Somalia. “Somalia is at a critical juncture and sustainable, predictable funding and support for the troops who are building stability in the region is vital to support a transition to Somali-led security, when the conditions for a handover are right,” she said in a statement issued during the visit.
May who announced over 9 million U.S. dollars of new UK funding to support the AU’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia, said she will call on international donors to contribute more, setting out that an unstable Somalia has a knock-on effect on stability across the region and further afield.
In 2017, Britain contributed 385 million pound towards international efforts to help the Somali people build an increasingly secure, stable and prosperous country. May also announced more than 60 million pound to help over a million people cope with and recover from the impact of conflict and drought.
May also announced over 25 million pound to support Somalia as it works to establish a stable and democratic political system. “This will include advice to help develop rules on resource and power-sharing, and to prepare for landmark elections, including through support for voter and political party registration,” the statement said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“For Iftin, dedication came naturally. His love of American culture was an oddity among his friends in Mogadishu, and his commitment to learning gave him a sense of mission”.
Abdi Iftin’s New Memoir Presents A Case For The Green Card Lottery
29 August – Source: The Weekly Standard – 1,185 Words
One constant in American life is that most of us fail most of the time to see just how American we are. Often, we have to leave and come back—from a trip abroad, for instance—to notice what qualities characterize us as a people. But a transporting book can do the trick, too. The new memoir from Somali-born green card lottery winner Abdi Nor Iftin, Call Me American, is one such book.
Iftin came of age in war-torn Mogadishu, where the other boys called him “the American” because of his grasp of idiomatic English and his all-consuming obsession with our culture. He endured daily whippings at the local madrassa and bouts of near starvation during the chaotic depths of the Somalia’s ongoing 26-year civil war, all the while clinging to a conviction that puzzled his compatriots. Iftin believed from adolescence onward that he was meant to be—and in a deeper sense already was—what his friends jokingly called him, and what he would one day officially become: American.
In 2013, when he was 28, Iftin won the controversial diversity visa lottery, an arguably flawed avenue for legal immigration which President Trump—along with nearly every legal immigration reformer in Congress—proposes to cut off. The program’s 50,000 visas makeup just 5 percent of the annual influx of legal immigrants to American, but it’s the best chance for many ( 22.4 million applied last year).
But for reformers, axing the lottery is the simplest call to make in a complicated game. Deserving of a green card as Iftin may seem, the randomness of his winning the lottery isn’t lost on him, either. The moment he got the news, he considered how fate had handled him so far: “As I entered my application number and date of birth, I thought about all the good luck I had received in my life.”
His unlikely luck is a revealing reflection of ours, an obvious foil to the comforts that many take for granted. But his bravery and conviction belong entirely to him: It’s through a combination of luck but also hard-won language ability and charming confidence that Iftin befriended a foreign correspondent who introduced him to the radio program that would earn him an English-speaking following and an adoptive family.
TOP TWEETS
@HarunMaruf: Former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud gets a visit from @SomaliPM at his new residence tonight.#Mogadishu
@TheVillaSomalia: Press Statement. H.E @M_Farmaajo’s bilateral talks with H.E Xi Jinping https://pbs.twimg.com/
@AbdulBillowAli: Somali President @M_Farmaajo has met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks aimed at strengthening decades long friendship between #Mogadishu &#Beijing. Farmajo is in #China on an official visit to attend this year’s #FOCAC Summit. #Somalia
@JustAwHirsi: Fomenting clan conflicts in the pursuit of settling old scores in areas where #AlShabab is being fought does not only give the terrorists a time and respite to regroup, but it also hinders the morale, coherence and effectiveness of the forces that are in the shooting war.
@HarunMaruf: Govt forces in Afgoye repulsed heavy Al-Shabab attack on Afgoye town, 30 km west of Mogadishu just after midnight; at least three Govt soldiers were killed, 6 others wounded, several vehicles also destroyed, per security sources.#Somalia
@engyarisow: #Mogadishu Districts’ Football Tournament gives young people a huge opportunity to socialize and enjoy watching the skills of young talented footballers
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
@HarunMaruf: ‘DO-IT-YOURSELF’ campaign underway in Mogadishu to cleanup, rebuild the capital’s biggest soccer stadium. On Thursday the residents were joined by @SomaliPMwho told them not to wait help from outside in refurbishing the facility. AU forces vacated the stadium after 7 years.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo meets with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping in Beijing ahead of China-Africa Cooperation forum.
Photo: @M_Farmaajo