August 5, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Coalition Of Political Parties Calls For The Formation Of Interim Government
05 August 2016 – Source:Jowhar.com – 376 Words
Political parties in Somalia are calling for the formation of an interim government to take over from the President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud administration after its term of office expires onSeptember 9.
This subject dominated a symposium held in Mogadishu, which brought together stakeholders in the country’s political arena to discuss the legal implications of the current political activities. Presidential candidates, leaders of political parties, members of the civil society as well as invited guests attended the function.
Those in attendance were presidential candidates, Anab Mohamed Dahir, Abdirahman Abdi Shakur, politicians Maalim Fiqi, Mohamed Ahmed Nur Tarsan, Salad Ali Jelle, Ali Nuh Timajili’ among other leaders. The leaders unanimously agreed to resist any attempts to extend the term of the current administration and called on the people of Somalia to decide how the country will be governed after September 10 to avoid a constitutional crisis and leadership vacuum.
Former mayor of Mogadishu and Chairman of the Social Justice Party, Ahmed Nur Tarzan, blamed the current administration for the delay in the preparation for the elections. He said the government had underperformed during its tenure and did not deserve an extension. Meanwhile, the Chairman of United Democratic Party Salad Ali Jelle, observed that the coalition of political parties was ready to work with elders to carry out the selection exercise of parliamentarians because the federal government had failed to spearhead the process within the scheduled timeframe. This, he said, would save the country from any political crisis and leadership vacuum.
Jelle said the onus will be on the people of Somalia and urged them to be proactive beforeSeptember 10. Anab Mohamed, one of the female candidates seeking the country’s top seat, urged the federal government to hand over the leadership mantle to an interim administration once it’s time lapses because it had dragged its feet in executing the electoral process.
A joint statement released at the end of the symposium called for the formation of a caretaker government headed by technocrats with no political affiliation or interest. The current leadership was also asked to hand over power peacefully once their term expires. Further similar forums will be held in the run up to the elections, the statement added
Key Headlines
- Coalition Of Political Parties Calls For The Formation Of Interim Government (Jowhar.com)
- Somali Elder Killed Outside Mosque Near Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- Galmudug Is Ready To Implement 30 Percent Quota For Women- Minister (Goobjoog News)
- Turkey’s Impartiality Questioned In Matters Somalia – Somaliland (Qurbajoog.com)
- AMISOM Troops To Enhance Cooperation With Somali National Army In The Fight Against Al-Shabaab(AMISOM)
- Ex-Recce Officer ‘could be planning’ Terror Attack (The Star Kenya)
- Meet Fadumo Dayib The Woman Risking Everything To Become Somalia’s First Female President ( Mic Network)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Elder Killed Outside Mosque Near Mogadishu
05 August – Source: Shabelle News – 106 Words
Gunmen, thought to be members of Al-Shabaab, shot and killed a prominent elder at an area in the outskirts of Mogadishu on Thursday night. The elder, identified as Abdirashid, was killed outside a mosque in Arbiska village by suspected Al-Shabaab assailants armed with pistols.The motive behind the murder of the elder remains unclear. The incident is the latest in a string of killings in Mogadishu and nearby suburbs in the past few months. Mogadishu has been hit by violence and rampant attacks by Al-Shabaab fighters, attempting to oust the UN-backed Somali Federal Government.
Galmudug Is Ready To Implement 30 Percent Quota For Women- Minister
05 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 197 Words
Galmudug State has pledged to reserve thirty percent of the electoral seats for women in the upcoming legislative elections in Somalia, a deputy Minister has said.Speaking to Goobjoog news, Galmudug’s deputy Information minister, Dahir Farah Fiidow said that Galmudug was ready to prioritise the women’s demands by reserving 30 percent of the parliamentary seats for them: “Our administration is ready to guarantee 30 percent of the seats for women in the Federal Parliament for members from Galmudug.”
According to the current arrangement, parliamentary seats are allocated using a clan-based power sharing system, the 4.5 formula, where equal number of seats in parliament goes to each of the four major Somali clans, while a coalition of minority clans receive half that number.
Turkey’s Impartiality Questioned In Matters Somalia – Somaliland
05 August 2016 – Source:Qurbejoog.com – 304 Words
A request by Turkey to Somaliland seeking the closure of the Nile Academy, an institution linked to a man the Turkish government has accused of masterminding the recent aborted coup, continues to attract the fury of Somaliland residents. Speaking during an interview with a local media house in Hargeisa, Dr. Edna Adan, a prominent Somaliland professional, told off Turkey’s advances saying the school was playing an integral role in the education of Somaliland children and there was no way it could be shut in the interest of others.“We know the Turkish President has never set foot in Somaliland and his government does not recognize us. His development record largely focused on Somalia and we know what he has done for that country, for him to tell us to close an institution that is serving our children is something we will not accept,” said Dr. Edna.
A visibly angry Dr. Edna said Somaliland was an independent country and was at liberty to decide what was good for its people and warned Turkey against pushing for its ‘one sided agenda’. She noted that Turkey had refused to recognize Somaliland and has been pushing to re-unite it with Somalia, a move she termed unacceptable.
Dr. Edna dared Turkey to uproot any development project it has implemented in Somaliland: “Let Turkey come and uproot any road, airport or hospital it has constructed in Somaliland. We are an independent country that is charting its own future and we are not ready for any unification with Somalia.” .Dr. Edna called on the government of Somaliland to make sure it does what was good for its people by resisting attempts to impose vested interests on its citizens. Somaliland announced its break-away from Somalia after the fall of the central government in 1991. However, the country is yet to receive international recognition.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Troops To Enhance Cooperation With Somali National Army In The Fight Against Al-Shabaab
05 August – Source: AMISOM – 506 Words
Troops drawn from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Army (SNA) will enhance their collaboration as part of wider plans to invigorate the fight against the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab militants.
AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Osman Soubagleh, at a meeting attended by the SNA Chief of Defence Forces, Maj. Gen. Mohamed Aden Ahmed, and the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, Lydia Wanyoto, reiterated the need for greater co-operation between the two forces in the fight against Al-Shabaab. “Everything that we do, as we develop and implement our concepts for 2016 and 2017, we must work jointly with the Somali National Army as directed by those above us. If we do not assist in developing the Somali National Army, if we do not work together and defeat Al-Shabaab, and if we do not effectively handover security of Somalia to Somali security forces, then we will have failed in achieving our mandate,” Lt. Gen. Soubagleh cautioned.
Lt. Gen. Soubagleh made the remarks, yesterday, at a joint conference that brought together top AMISOM and SNA army commanders. The objective of the conference, held in Somali capital, Mogadishu, was aimed at charting the way forward in securing Somalia.The Force Commander reiterated that enhancement of cooperation between the two forces was in line with the UN Council Resolution and a recent directive by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira.
Ex-Recce Officer ‘could be planning’ Terror Attack
05 August – Source: The Star, Kenya – 329 Words
Police are investigating how a former Recce Unit officer and suspected Al-Shabaab sympathiser acquired three AK-47s belonging to the GSU. Eric Kanyingi is suspected to have been planning an attack on the Recce headquarters in Ruiru.
Yesterday, officers at the Firearms Bureau confirmed the weapons, found near a riverbed in Ruiru, belong to the GSU. Detectives recovered the weapons during a police operation to track Kanyingi. Three AK-47s, 178 bullets and nine gun magazines were retrieved from his house. Kanyingi has been linked to a series of robberies in Ruiru and Githurai. A suspected accomplice identified as Samuel Karanja was arrested on Tuesday. Intelligence reports indicate terrorists had planned to attack the Recce headquarters. Kanyingi was a highly trained Recce commando in hostage and rescue operations.
He escaped a police dragnet leaving the weapons behind. The search for Kanyingi has intensified with the terror threat report. Documents show the officer deserted his duties as an officer of the Elite Squad in 2014 while at a Recce camp in Northeastern Kenya. Detectives from the Ruiru police station on Wednesday had raided a house said to be owned by the former officer in Githurai 45 Estate. They did not find any weapons. “We only found literature that suggests the man was radicalised,” a senior security official in Kiambu said.
Police said Kanyingi has in the past been spotted at Riyadh Mosque. The mosque has in the past been linked to Islamic extremism, fuelling suspicion Kanyingi was radicalised. The latest operation comes after it emerged that suspected Al-Shabaab affiliates have penetrated the security forces.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Not everyone is ready for a woman to step into the role of president in Somalia. She has received death threats during her campaign and has prepared her will in case something should happen to her”
Meet Fadumo Dayib, The Woman Risking Everything To Become Somalia’s First Female President
04 August – Source: Mic Network – 903 Words
Fadumo Dayib wants to be Somalia’s first female President – and the stakes are high. The African country has not only seen decades of civil war, violence and political instability, but was also considered one of the top five most dangerous countries in the world for women.Somalia’s former women’s minister, Maryan Qasim, agreed. “If asked where is the most dangerous place to be a woman, I would have said with certainty Somalia.” Qasim told Thomson Reuters Foundation in 2011. “The most dangerous thing a woman in Somalia can do is to become pregnant.”
Dayib, 43, wants to change all of that: “I’m not a politician, I’m actually a layperson,” the mother of four said in a phone interview. “I’m a person who believes that making a difference in your country is a moral obligation. It’s a civic duty that is incumbent on all of us.”Dayib faced many challenges along the way before making her historic announcement. Born in Kenya, her family was forced to move back to Somalia amid tensions between the neighboring countries when she was young. When civil war broke out, her family were forced to move to Finland as refugees. It was in Finland where Dayib became fully literate, learning to read and write at the age of 14.
From there, she went on to obtain multiple degrees in public health, earned a master’s degree from Harvard in public administration and spent several years as a healthcare specialist with organizations such as the United Nations and UNICEF. She is currently working on her doctoral degree, focusing on women’s governmental participation and empowerment in post-conflict regions.Even though Dayib built a life for herself and her family in Finland, she still felt an obligation toward her country of origin. It was during her time with the United Nations that she felt as though a leader should step up and help push for change in Somalia.
TOP TWEETS
@asmali77:In 1987 Abdi Bile of #Somalia won the 1st & only Gold medal ever for Somalia. Seb Coe of GB became 2nd.#Rio2016
@saeed_abdiaziz:If #Somalia had had Good neighbors, it wouldn’t have been a turmoil nation for decades. Ethiopia & Kenya have always been a part of problems
@SomaliEmbKenya:Speaking at the #Somalia stakeholders consultative meeting on the development of the Horn & East Africa P/CVE Center
@farahblue:The conflicts in #Somalia & #SouthSudan has become a prolific projects for #Kenya and #Ethiopia. #IGADturned into a profit organization.
@engyarisow:#Somalia contributes to the development of Horn and Eastern Africa Regional Strategy for Preventing & Countering VE
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A Somali soldier on duty at the beach in Mogadishu.
Photo: @samigaid