December 23, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Two Killed In Clashes Between Puntland And Galmudug In Central Somalia
23 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 177 Words
At least two people have been reported killed and several others wounded after clashes flared up between Puntland and Galmudug troops on friday morning in Galkayo. A temporary ceasefire between warring parties in the central Somalia town collapsed again as the two sides resume fighting in the town. Elders asked the leaders of Puntland and its neighboring Galmudug state to stop the clashes which displaced hundreds of residents from their homes since mid this year.
Medics in the town reported the death of two people and injury of several others as the two sides exchanged mortar shells and anti aircraft missiles in the town. The wounded were admitted to hospitals in Galkayo. The two sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire deal and initiating the fighting. The relation between Puntland and Galmudug soared in October after Galmudug said a US strike aimed at Al-Shabaab militants had in fact killed 13 of its soldiers. Galkayo is divided into two zones, where the northern portion forms part of Puntland state, while its southern part is governed by the Galmudug administration.
Key Headlines
- Two Killed In Clashes Between Puntland And Galmudug In Central Somalia (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland Vice President Backs Somaliland Elders’ Request For Additional Parliamentary Seats (Garowe Online)
- Government Security Forces Carry Out Operation In Bardhere District (Shabelle News)
- High Demand Threatens Frankincense Trade In Somaliland (VOA)
- UK Invests £1.5m To Support Nationwide Somalia Infrastructure Fund (GOV.UK)
- “I Live In Mogadishu” By Justin Brady (OCHA Somalia )
NATIONAL MEDIA
Puntland Vice President Backs Somaliland Elders’ Request For Additional Parliamentary Seats
23 December – Source: Garowe Online – 230 Words
In a letter sent to the National Leadership Forum (NLF) and the international community, elders hailing from Somaliland community have requested Somali leaders for additional seats in the Upper House chamber of Federal Parliament, in respect to the union of northern and southern regions of Somalia back in 1960. The letter which was obtained by Garowe Online, shows the elders requesting about 15 to 18 seats to be allocated for Somaliland community in the Upper House election.
Close sources tell Garowe Online, that Puntland Vice President Abdihakim Haji Omar and Puntland MPs among them MP Sadiq Gaarad, took a major role in convincing Somaliland elders to demand for additional seats. Vice President and MPs hailing from contested regions of Sool, Sanag and Ayn, are currently in a visit in the Somali capital of Mogadishu for the past 21 days, and reported that they held meetings with Somaliland elders to negotiate with the Somali leaders for higher quota for their northern region in the upcoming Federal Parliament. The letter was drafted following the conclusion of meetings between Puntland delegates led by the vice president with elders and politicians from Somaliland, added the sources.
Government Security Forces Carry Out Operation In Bardhere District
23 December – Source: Shabelle News – 90 Words
Security forces from the Federal Government of Somalia have this morning launched an operation in some parts of Bardhere district in the Gedo region. The operation follows after a blast targeted a convoy of government soldiers and Ethiopian peacekeepers in the area. A military officer, Asad Ali Hashi , who spoke to Radio Shabelle said the operation is aimed at flushing out criminal elements within the society and those who were behind the attack that targeted the convoy. He also noted that the operation is aimed at securing the district.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
High Demand Threatens Frankincense Trade In Somaliland
23 December – Source: VOA – 472 Words
The ancient trade in frankincense starts here in the remote hills of Somaliland. Frankincense, the dried sap of the frankincense tree, has been a valued commodity for millennia. Egyptian pharaohs traded for the gum, and Christians know frankincense as one of the gifts the three wise men brought to the baby Jesus, according to the New Testament. Since those Biblical times, the people in the Cal Madow Mountains have tapped the trees for their resin, which is burned as sweet incense. Frankincense remains a popular Christmas-time gift, but it is also used in churches, French perfumes and cosmetics. Much of the world’s supply comes from Somaliland, including at least one of the most sought-after species.
Demand puts harvesters at risk. It is one of the largest sectors of the economy in this small breakaway republic in the Horn of Africa. And increased demand has threatened the ancient trade as men in Somaliland risk their lives to harvest the resin in greater and greater quantities. Mohamed Ahmed Ali produces at least 7,000 kilograms of raw gum each year from land he owns with a brother in the shadow of the mountains. “We have been doing this for more than 100 years,” Ali said. “My father inherited it from his father, and I inherited it from my father.” Using metal hand tools, Ali scrapes away pieces of bark from frankincense trees so the sap inside seeps out and dries. During tapping seasons, men live in caves in the mountains to be close to the forests. But tapping the trees can be dangerous. They often grow on cliffs, and the men have no safety gear such as ropes or harnesses. They risk deadly falls if branches snap or trees break off the cliff face.
UK Invests £1.5m To Support Nationwide Somalia Infrastructure Fund
23 December – Source: GOV.UK – 195 Words
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £1.5 million of support to help establish a new fund to deliver key infrastructure projects in Somalia. The support, delivered through the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) multi partner “Somalia Infrastructure Fund”, will make a vital contribution to Somalia’s stability by focusing on infrastructure rehabilitation and development, with specific investments in the energy, water and sanitation and transport sectors. The funds will also help strengthen government capabilities in infrastructure development and management, and provide skills training for young people.
These investments will be critical in building Somalia’s economy, creating employment opportunities and supporting peace and state building. The Head of DFID Somalia, Phil Evans said: Somalia’s economic development is a top priority. This new fund will help bridge a gap in international donor funding to Somalia. Our contribution is part of the UK’s wider efforts in helping boost economic growth across all regions in Somalia, with the aim of improving productivity, reducing the costs of doing business and creating jobs. The Somalia Infrastructure Fund is part of the Somali New Deal Compact commitments endorsed by Somalia and its international development partners in Brussels in September, 2013.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Now that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has returned to Mogadishu, its Head of Office, Justin Brady, writes about the daily reality of working in the Somali capital,”
“I Live In Mogadishu”
22 December- Source: UN OCHA Somalia – 518 Words
I live and work in the Halane area of Mogadishu, which flanks the airport. Nowadays, Halane is populated almost entirely by African Union troops (22,000 in total, most of whom are from East African countries and sent to support the fledgling federal Government), members of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other UN agencies, which is why some sceptical Somalis call it “the occupied territory”. Ordinary Somalis will find it difficult to access areas of Halane other than the civilian airport terminal. I happened to be out of town the day the attack occurred. A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device destroyed the front gate of our office. Suicide attackers followed. They were eventually cornered in the compound and killed, but only after they had killed a number of guards and staff. I knew each of the victims to some extent, and one was a very close friend.
Moving into Halane headquarters was full of complications. I still breathed the same air, watched the same stars, felt the same rain (on the rare occasions that it rained) as my fellow Somalis and NGO workers, but things were not ideal. It was very difficult to access our partners due to insecurity, and we had to constantly work to separate any conflation or misperceptions between humanitarian and military operations. Despite this, there are multiple advantages to where we are now. In addition to interacting with the humanitarian agencies based in Halane and with partners based just outside, we engage daily with the political mission, to ensure their decisions are informed by humanitarian concerns. And we have strengthened civil-military coordination with AMISOM, reiterating our concerns around civilian protection and humanitarian access at every opportunity. Anyone who knows how AMISOM operated four or five years ago will see that while imperfect, those areas have significantly improved. Our national staff are with us again, though making their way into the compound can be perilous. In July 2016, an attack at the main gate killed a UNHCR colleague, the father of three beautiful young children.
TOP TWEETS
@mary_harper: #Somaliland official confirms to BBC that MoU has been reached with #UAE to build a military base near Berbera port.
@Adesoafrica: Somalis abroad rebuilding their war torn country though selfless giving http://bit.ly/2i5AGae They send more than aid; they send hope!
@NSantur: Some people at least have noticed the positive site of the 2016 election. Somalia Staggers Towards Better Elections
@eu_echo: Threat of #malnutrition for children living in camps for internally displaced persons in #Somalia.
@SomaliaNewsroom: Power Struggles Hamper Anti-Corruption Efforts in Somalia Elections
@amisomsomalia: With peace steadily returning out of efforts by#SomaliForces and #AMISOM, the sky is the limit for #Somalia’s people.#CelebrateSomalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Hundreds of somali youth turn up for police recruitment exercise conducted by AMISOM and Somali Police in Kismaayo
Photo: AMISOM