December 23, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Somalia Bans Christmas And New Year Celebrations

22 December – Source: Horseed Media – 203 Words

Somalia’s Federal government on Tuesday banned the celebrations of Christmas and New Year in the capital Mogadishu, an official has said.Director General of Somalia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow announced the decision in a press conference held in Mogadishu along with the Vice Chairman of the Supreme Religious Council (SRC), Sheikh Nur Barud Gurhan.“All events related to Christmas and New Year celebrations are contrary to Islamic culture, which could damage aqidah (faith) of the Muslim community,”He added: ‘’All security forces are advised to halt or dissolve any gatherings. There should be no activity at all.’’

Sheikh Nur Barud Gurhan, the deputy chairman of the Supreme Religious Council of Somalia said that such events might motivate extremist group al-Shabaab to launch attacks in the capital.“We Islamic Scholars are warning against the celebration of such events which are not relevant to the principles of our religion. Such events give also al-Shabaab to carry out attacks,’’Last year, al-Shabaab militants launched a deadly attack on the main African Union (AU) base in Mogadishu as a Christmas party was going on. It was confirmed that more than 5 peacekeepers and eight militants died in the battle which lasted for several hours.

Key Headlines

• Somalia Bans Christmas And New Year Celebrations (Horseed Media)
• Al Shabaab Commander Killed In Drone Strike (Garowe Online)
• International Community Proposes Somalia To Adopt A Mini Election And To Move Away From Elder Dominated Selection Process (Hiiraan Online)
• UN Official Says Somalia Is No Longer A Failed State (Associated Press)
• Suspected U.S. Drone Strike Said To Target Al-Shabaab Camps (Bloomberg News)
• Effective Philosophy: The Missing Concept Of Somalia’s Ailing Education Sector (Wardheer News)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Al Shabaab Commander Killed In Drone Strike

22 December – Source: Garowe Online -113 Words

Al Shabaab guerrilla operations commander has been reported killed in suspected United States drone strike on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports. Residents of the five Americas, a small vicinity near Lower Shabelle regional district of Kurtunwarey confirmed that militants closed drone-hit areas to the public. The killed commander was identified as Abu Utayba, with other sources saying other terror commanders might have been targeted in the strike. Details remain sketchy, and Garowe Online couldn’t reach officials with explicit knowledge of the drone attack for comments. Officials at National Security Ministry said, the incident is being investigated. The strike is thought to have adversely affected nearby nomadic civilians in Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia.

---

International Community Proposes Somalia To Adopt A Mini Election And To Move Away From Elder Dominated Selection Process

22 December – Source: Hiiraan Online – 612 Words
The 4.5 formula must no longer be the primary determinant of political representation. Even so, clan balance will continue to need to be ensured, the international community told Somalia’s government in a confidential report seen by HOL Tuesday.The report calls for the application of an electoral system that combines different dimensions of representation with a continued allocation of parliamentary seats according to the 4.5 formula, in order to start moving beyond clanism.

The development comes after Somalia held the National consultative forum last week in which regional leaders and Somali government discussed about the most appropriate ways to establish credible and inclusive parliament  in 2016, enabling power transfer when the current government’s term expires.
Some Somali politicians advocate basing the selection process on the 4.5 clan power sharing system to allocate political representation while others such as Puntland call for a selection process based on districts.However, the report circulated by the donors suggested an accountability of parliamentarians to local constituencies should be enhanced by creating electoral colleges that reflect the districts, rather than the 4.5 formula.“Federal member states, existing and emerging, are the building blocks of a Federal Somalia. This needs to be reflected by determining the size of the electoral colleges in accordance with the relative representation of Federal member states in the parliament.” The confidential report said.

The report further suggested a mini electoral model through which every parliamentarian would be elected by 30 electors unlike the previous through parliamentarians were being picked by his/her clan elder. According to the chart, the multiplication of parliamentary seats per region by 30 determines the overall number of electors per state (e.g. for a particular state: 29 seats x 30 = 870 electors).” The report said.“Across the country, this creates a total number of 275 x 30 = 8,350 electors: a significant increase over the 135 elders in 2012, while still feasible.” It said.

Breaking down the allocations, the report says that 135 clan elders would select the electoral colleges, which will convene at the regional state capital level with clan elders would then pick electors with consideration for the adequate reflection of sub-clans and districts so that the electoral colleges ultimately represent the districts of Somalia.“There should be a 30% women’s quota across all the electoral colleges. There should also be a 30% quota for youth, and adequate representation of other constituencies such as civil society. Although elders will still pick the electoral colleges, the strict criteria will ensure enhanced transparency and accountability compared in 2012.” The confidential report said.

Indicating the upcoming election’s system, the report says that nation-wide political associations or groupings would compete for votes (each party presents a list of 275 candidates reflecting the 4.5 formula). (Ballot papers will show only the names of parties.).The report further states, “Each candidate aspiring to become Prime Minister must present such a list. Each electoral list should also contain a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 50 current MPs to ensure a degree of continuity and experience in the new legislature. In order to encourage political change, no more than 10 names of current MPs should be among the top 50 candidates of the list.” It said.

According to Somalia’s Provisional Federal Constitution, adopted in 2012, the mandates of the Somali Federal Parliament and of the Government would come to an end in August and September 2016, respectively. The provisional constitution which is yet to be finalized should determine the form of government Somalia should take, strong parliamentarian system where parties and prime minister dominate, or a presidential system, though this report seem to promote the parliamentarian system.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

UN Official Says Somalia Is No Longer A Failed State

22 December – Source: Associated Press/The Big Story – 504 Words

Somalia is no longer a failed state but a recovering fragile country, the top U.N. official for war-torn Somalia has said. In the last three years the country has stabilized but there is still a lot of work to do, Nicholas Kay, the outgoing representative for the U.N. Secretary General in Somalia, told The Associated Press. “The country is the past two-three years has come together quite significantly. It is both politically stable and developed as well,” he said.

Somalia’s Islamic extremist insurgents, Al-Shabaab, who are allied to al-Qaida, will not succeed in undermining the progress being made but the prospect of some members shifting allegiance to the Islamic State group is a real concern, Kay said. Somalia has been torn by decades of conflict since the 1991 ouster of long-time dictator Siad Barre by warlords who then turned on each other. Somalia had transitional administrations from 2004 but it did not have a functioning central government until the 2012 election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Somalia’s weak U.N.-backed government is struggling to rebuild the country but insecurity caused mainly by Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaida-linked, remains its greatest challenge. Kay says the political process in Somalia is successful with political leaders of the country engaging in political dialogue and negotiations with each other.”These are not armed warlords fighting each other on a clan basis,” Kay said. “They are presidents of interim regional administrations who are willing to sit and talk then use a barrel of a gun. In so, they are contributing to peace in the country, not to the fragmentation of the state as in the old days,”

---

Suspected U.S. Drone Strike Said To Target Al-Shabaab Camps

22 December – Source: Bloomberg – 165 Words

An overnight drone strike in Somalia’s southern Lower Shabelle region destroyed al-Shabaab training camps, government officials said Tuesday.The suspected U.S. attack targeted the Shanta Ameerika area “causing heavy losses” for the militants, Muhidin Ali Aliyow, mayor of a district near the camps, said by phone.

The attack targeted senior Al-Shabaab commanders, according to Abdi Ibrahim Shamow, the head of Lower Shabelle region’s police. Neither official gave any figure for casualties.U.S. drones and Kenyan fighter jets regularly target bases belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked group that opposes Somalia’s government. That, combined with pressure by Somali forces and African Union troops, has worked to weaken the insurgency, especially in the capital, Mogadishu. However, al-Shabaab still stages frequent attacks both in Somalia and neighboring Kenya. On Tuesday, an armored vehicle belonging to the AU peacekeeping mission was destroyed by a roadside bomb in Mogadishu, police said. The attack was claimed by al-Shabaab, which is fighting to impose a strict version of Islamic law, in Somalia.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“Education philosophy can be operational and successful when instructors carefully employ a reasonable philosophy that promotes balance and moderation, addresses the local demands, and benefits learners. Therefore, approving a philosophy that can unite and balance the different education beliefs is needed. Such educational philosophy can, not only help find answers to the aforesaid problem, but respond to what doable education objectives the country’s educators should develop, what type of subject matter should be taught in the classroom, and what methods of teaching that should unanimously be practiced at best in the country’s public schools.”

Effective Philosophy: The Missing Concept Of Somalia’s Ailing Education Sector

21 December – Source: Wardheer News – 1,273 Words

In Somalia, where more than two decades of civil and proxy wars devastated the lives of millions of people, different education philosophies quietly emerged from the ruins of the country’s learning structures. One is dominant and active at the moment while the other is on the horizon awaiting an opening to challenge the last. How the Somali educators and policy makers harmonize these different opposing philosophies in unison and effectively use the outcome to recover and advance education is so far an unheeded subject.

Any noble cause rely on values and human capacity for guidance to a successful triumph whence all other necessary elements emerge for action. Education is no exception. To their credit, Somali educators made a significant difference by saving and, in fact, improving considerably the country’s education sector giving hope to millions of desperate youth. Also, Somali diaspora have been for decades the forefront for the country’s education recovery effort through either a direct individual impact or a group exertion such as fundraising activities.

However, if human assets are in action to the best of their capacity toward the mission, applying different education philosophies may thwart any effort to effectively develop reliable and sustainable education system. Therefore, adopting an appropriate education philosophy to revive and advance the country’s ailing education sector is an essential factor to consider before it is too late, particularly when developing and applying a national curriculum or when designing instructions that serve the country’s own specific educational goals.