December 26, 2017 | Morning Headlines
President Farmaajo And The Senate In An Emergency Meeting Over 2018 Budget
25 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 188 Words
Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and the permanent council of the Upper House met in an emergency session regarding the Budget 2018. The meeting was convened under Article 87 clause C. The upper house is raising complaints against the house of the people who they say ignored their existence by submitting the 2018 budget straight to the office of the president after they passed it before the Upper House debated it.
Speaking to Goobjoog News, Senator, Hussein Sheikh Mohamud said the Upper House has a role in debating the budget and all other bills ratified by the house of the people before they are forwarded to the President’s office. Senator Mohamud explained that the Lower House blocked the Upper House from debating the motion. President Farmaajo has until December 31st 2017 to endorse the 2017 Budget to avoid “government shutdown” which literally means lack of salaries for the civil servants and the armed forces.
Key Headlines
- President Farmaajo And The Senate In An Emergency Meeting Over 2018 Budget (Goobjoog News)
- Defected Al-Shabaab Commander Taken To Baidoa (Hiiraan Online)
- Security Minister Opens Orphanage For Police (SONNA)
- 54 Students Abandoned University To Join Terror Groups (The Standard Kenya)
- Take A New Approach To Holiday Leftovers With This Sweet Somali Tradition (Quartz Africa)
- Can President Farmajo Avert The Crisis? (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Defected Al-Shabaab Commander Taken To Baidoa
25 December- Source: Hiiraan Online – 177 Words
A former Al-Shabaab insurgent commander who defected to the Somali government was flown to Baidoa on Sunday evening. The militant commander who has not yet been named surrendered to Somali government last Month. The plane carrying the commander landed at Baidoa Airport. Abdulle Issack, Southwest state Military officials confirmed the arrival of the militant saying the plane took off from Diinsoor where the man had been since his surrender. “The man who was Al-Shabaab commander defected to the Somali government. He was transferred to Baidoa where he will stay till the authorities decide his fate,” said Issack.
His defection comes barely two months after former Al-Shabaab leader, Robow Abu Mansur surrendered to the Somali government. Robow decided to surrender to the government after he fell out the militant group. The group launched multiple attacks to eliminate or capture the Robow. Since Robow joined the government, Al-Shabaab lost a number of its fighters who sought an official government amnesty. The militant insurgency group which is Al-Qaida affiliate for years to tried to depose the internationally backed Somali government.
Security Minister Opens Orphanage For Police
25 December – Source: SONNA – 129 Words
Minister of Internal Security of Somali Federal Government, Mohamed Abuukar Islow has today on opened a orphanage center for the children of the police forces who died in service. “The center comprises of dormitories, classrooms, mosque for praying and a playground. The Minister said that orphans of the police will get care from this center and 20 children who lost their parents in Zobe tragedy will also benefit from this centre.
He added that this is one of the various government success. Also present during the official opening ceremony include; Interim chief of the police forces, Gen. Muktar Hussein Afrah, presidential adviser for political affairs Mohamud Ahmed Nuur (Tarsan) and other government officials. The center was named after Gen.Mohamed Abshir Muse who was the first Somali police commissioner.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
54 Students Abandoned University To Join Terror Groups
25 December – Source: The Standard, Kenya – 722 Words
At least 54 university students have abandoned their studies to join terrorist groups in the past two years. The majority of them – 44 – joined the groups last year but this year only 14 have fled, a police report reveals. The decline in the number of terror recruits has been attributed to various counter-terrorism strategies by the Government. “Most of the successes from current counter-terrorism efforts are largely due to close working relations between security agencies and members of the public who voluntarily share information with security personnel,” says the report.
The students were among dozens of youths who left the country to join terror groups in countries such as Libya, Somalia, and Syria. But this trend has declined due to, among others, enhanced security patrols along the Kenya-Somali border and other Kenyan border points. Additionally, many Kenyan youths are increasingly becoming aware of the futility of joining militant groups such as Al-Shabaab and ISIS, the report says.
The report cites intelligence that shows that many of the Kenyan terror fugitives in Somalia have borne the wrath of Al-Shabaab, which is increasingly accusing them of spying for the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia. Many Kenyan fighters in its ranks have been killed in the wake of spying claims. In addition, the mounting counter-offensive against the militant group by the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), the Somali National Army (SNA), and the American military is eroding the appeal and traction the group had among foreign fighters.
Take A New Approach To Holiday Leftovers With This Sweet Somali Tradition
25 December – Source: Quartz Africa – 555 Words
The joy of sharing food with friends and loved ones lies at the heart of the festive season. A longstanding Somali tradition can help guests give back. Given the communal nature of African families, holiday celebrations often involve a large number of relatives and distant cousins trickling into homes from far away. The families receiving them cook ample food, with the dishes, ingredients, spices, and flavors varying depending on the culture.
Despite the fact that everyone is expected to finish what he or she is served at the lunch or dinner table, even after second or third helpings, copious amounts of food often remains. Among the Somali community, food is never thrown away. Leftovers are stored to eat for breakfast or lunch the next day. Another custom is to pack the food into containers and send them away with guests.
Often, guests will return this kind act by sending the containers back filled with sweet delicacies and desserts. One of these delicacies is the halwa, a Turkish delight-like sweet dish made with sugar, cornstarch, oil, nutmeg. and cardamom. There are variations of halwa across the world—the word itself means “sweet” in Arabic. Another desert that is gifted is kac kac, or Somali donuts, sprayed with powdered sugar. These are often eaten as snacks with sweet Somali tea.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The October 14 tragedy in Mogadishu must shape the President’s leadership to save the lives of ordinary Somalis. If not, the death and destruction of innocent Somalis will keep rising. Prolonging or escalating the conflict will almost certainly have humanitarian consequences, including an increase in civilian casualties and refugee flows,”
Can President Farmajo Avert The Crisis?
25 December – Source: Hiiraan Online – 814 Words
Through a tumultuous first ten months as president of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is facing an ominous rumble of discontent driven by a mixture of anxiety, anger, frustration and political opportunism. In the past two months, an assortment of new opposition groups has emerged, some with noble sounding names and political agendas, led by an improbable collection of bad or good leaders, Federal Member States President, disaffected public appointees and young professionals. Even an ex Somali Prime Minister has joined the fray with a new, pointedly non-leftist forum called the “Talo – Wadaag Forum.”
Their demands include individual grievances, and several of the more controversial leaders have grabbed most of the attention. But their broader message is remarkably similar: The government of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has failed to protect the public and provide national leadership. The president has overreached his executive powers and excluded diverse points of view. He must act now, produce meaningful reforms and legitimize his fractured, teetering government or else.
The Prime Minister is the losing edge of the game. In the name of fighting corruption, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre is bringing millions of dollars in procurement deals under his direct purview, denying ministries the opportunity to contract their own goods and services. The best example is the resignation of Maryam Qasim Ahmed, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, citing the corruption and lack of coordination within the government, particularly the Office of the Somali Prime Minister.
And staff members under Mr. Khayre’s authority are even directly writing and carrying out policy for the government, leaving some ministry officials wondering what their jobs are anymore, some officials say, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering the Prime Minister. Still, the Somali Prime Minister has not managed to move aggressively on some tenets of his anti corruption campaign although often in ways that have rankled rather than assured.
Success in Somalia requires a firm Presidential Leadership, not half – measures. President Farmajo soon must make one of his most important national security decisions: how to proceed in Somalia, a crucial theater in the war against Al Shabaab. This week the President received the Operational Readiness Assessments of the war from the recently appointed commander of SNA with the AMISOM and international partners support.