February 1, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
We Shall Deal Harshly With People With Counterfeit Title Deeds, Says Banadir Governor
01 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 184 Words
Banadir administration yesterday announced it will deal severely with people possessing fake title deeds to claim land that does not belong to them. New Banadir governor Abdirahman Omar Osman ‘Yarisow’ noted his office will not consider cases relating to counterfeit land documents that are meant to mislead the authority to claim ownership of a plot that belongs to other people especially in Mogadishu. “The most horrific one is you will find some people with counterfeit documents for lands that does not belong to them which is a crime that cannot be forgiven easily. We shall take harsh steps against any person who commit such an act. We cannot completely entertain such things” said Governor Yarisow.
Separately, governor Yarisow pledged city dwellers in the coming weeks to start construction on some vital roads in the city for the smooth flow of traffic.“I pledge to conduct services that will thrill the hearts of the people. I promise in the coming weeks to construct roads starting from Liido. We want to extend our management services to Bakara, Hilwaa and Dayniile areas by freeing from being confined into Hamar Weyne district” added Governor Yarisow. He highlighted that payment of tax will facilitate many developmental progress to be achieved through service delivery programs in the country. He also proclaimed that his office will strive to make the city districts commissioners’ position to be a competitive one that will be filled through an election. Currently the 17 city district commissioners are appointed by the governor.
Key Headlines
- We Shall Deal Harshly With People With Counterfeit Title Deeds Says Banadir Governor (Goobjoog News)
- Meeting On Constitutional Review Held In Jowhar (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia To Announce Police and NISA Chiefs After 3 Months (Radio Dalsan)
- Somalia UN Launch Initiative To Improve Lives Of IDPs (Xinhuanet)
- Long Gone Colonial Borders Threaten Somali Unity and Recovery (Wardheer News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Meeting On Constitutional Review Held In Jowhar
01 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 184 Words
Consultative meeting on constitutional review was held last night in Jowhar town, HirShabelle state capital. The meetings solely focused on how to follow the constitutional system in order to accelerate the legal review and revisiting the draft constitution. Addressing the participants, federal Constitutional Affairs Minister Adirahman Hosh Jibril noted the importance of the inputs coming from the regional federal member states where he has already visited some of them.
“Truly today, it has a special importance for us to hold this meeting with the state acting president and state ministers. My ministry and the committees we work together have agreed upon to consult with regional federal member states on constitutional review. My ministry had earlier commenced consultation with some of the states” said minister Jibril.
Attendants included head of constitutional review committee of the two federal Houses Senator Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid, state assembly speaker Osman Bare Mohamed, state assembly constitutional committee and other dignitaries. In the last 2 days, the federal delegation headed by minister Jibril have been making consultation with the local officials and the public in HirShabelle state on the constitution.
Somalia To Announce Police and NISA Chiefs After 3 Months
31 January – Source: Radio Dalsan – 236 Words
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo is expected to announce the new Police Commander and Director of National Intelligence Service NISA, three months after the positions fell vacant, according to reports. A source reliably told Radio Dalsan, that the President on Wednesday night held a meeting at the Villa Somalia, to make a final decision on who will take up the positions. The names are expected to be presented to the cabinet for approval on Thursday.
On October 29, 2017 Police Commander Mr. Abdihakim Dahir Saiid and Director General NISA Mr. Abdullah Mohamed Ali “Sanbaloolshe” were both sacked following the deaths of 29 people at Mogadishu’s Nasa Hablod hotel attack, two weeks after Somalia’s deadliest attack in which more than 500 people were killed. Pressure had been mounting on the government to replace the two positions, the public expectations are high and that, the new chiefs of Police and NISA will be more competent. But the government finds itself caught between adhering to the 4.5 clan formula for considerations and competency.
Farmaajo’s administration has in the past been criticized of poor choice of top government officials who end up being fired. “In the first year of this administration, three different persons headed the NISA, Police and Army. This negatively affects the delivery of work by the officials” Mr. Jama Hirsi, a political analyst, told Radio Dalsan. Security analysts had questioned the 3-month delay in appointing.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia, UN Launch Initiative To Improve Lives Of IDPs
31 January – Source: Xinhua – 428 Words
Somalia and the United Nations on Wednesday launched a major innovation challenge to seek ideas from young Somalis on improving the living conditions of people in internally displaced persons (IDPs) communities. Both Somali government and UN officials who attended the launch in Mogadishu urged the Somali youth to develop solutions for tackling the many problems facing IDPs in their country.
Achim Steiner, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator advised the youth to develop professional networks to promote their innovations. “We do a lot of emergency support. But what we love the most is to work with people like you because if we can succeed with you, to help you to the next level, you will take Somalia to its next level,” he said in a statement issued by the UN mission in Somalia (UNSOM).
The challenge is part of an ongoing “Innovate for Somalia” project led by UNDP, in collaboration with Somali government which has conducted two previous innovation challenges to improve the dairy industry and on coding development focused apps. The third of its kind, the new innovation project is open to young Somali IDPs, returnees and young people from host communities.
Mark Lowcock, Emergency Relief Coordinator and head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said no country wants to be reliant on emergency assistance. “And the only way I can achieve my dream of not being needed anymore (as UN Emergency Relief Coordinator) is if Achim (Steiner) is fantastically successful in helping all of you to be fantastically successful. As far as I am concerned, you are the solution, and good luck,” Lowcock said.
The officials welcomed innovative ideas developed by young Somalis that can address the various social and economic difficulties facing their country. World Bank Senior Vice-President Mahmoud Mohieldin called on young Somalis to maximize the opportunities provided by the government, civil society and Somalia’s development partners under the innovation challenge.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“The move coincided with the visit of the Somali president, Farmajo, to the Puntland State of Somalia, a Federal State that is part of the Somali Republic and happens to be on the other side of the imaginary demarcation line sought by the separatists in Hargeisa.”
Long Gone Colonial Borders Threaten Somali Unity and Recovery
30 January – Source: Wardheer News – 1904 Words
British Somaliland ceased to exist on 26 June 1960 when the blue Somali flag was hoisted in Hargeisa, the then administrative seat of the British Colonialist in Northern Somalia. A famous poet by the name of Timadde described the momentous event in his famous poem “Kaana Siib, Kanna Saar” which roughly translated means “Lower that (the colonial flag), and raise this (the glorious Somali flag)”. With those words, the British era in Somalia came to an end and the Somali people embarked on the long and arduous journey of restoring the Somali map back to its original pre-colonial shape, “Greater Somalia”, the dream of every Somali, then and now.The historic and joyous moment was however marred by the hidden mines and snares that the British left in its wake: mines that would later threaten the unity and territorial integrity of the Somali people; mines that created an atmosphere that would lead to a destructive civil war which eventually caused the collapse of the only credible government that the Somali people have had in centuries. In his epic poem, Timadde did acknowledge the evil of the British imperialist by describing it as a sorcerer: “Saaxirki kala guurnaye ….” “We have parted ways with the sorcerer…”.
The sorcerer departed but used its sorcery to sow the seeds that would ignite a destructive war between Somalia and Ethiopia and the massacre of ethnic Somali residents by the Kenyan government in the Garissa District of the now North-Eastern Province of Kenya. The 1977 war with Ethiopia led to the weakening and eventual collapse of the Somali army which lost the backing of its traditional ally, the Soviet Union after it switched sides and backed the Ethiopian Dergue under Colonel Mengistu Haile Miriam. Somalia’s new western and Arab allies such as the USA and Saudi Arabia straddled the fence and refused to bolster the ailing Somali army.
The mines that the British left behind made it difficult for the Somali people to resume their pre-colonial cohesion with ease. Before granting Northern Somalia its independence, the British transferred the Ogaden or Western Somalia to Ethiopia while it later granted a large chunk of Southern Somalia to Kenya against the will of the Somalis who lived in those areas. Since Djibouti was under French domination, the Somali people managed to only restore part of the Greater Somali map when Southern Somalia, which was under Italian trusteeship, united with the newly independent Northern sibling.
In the first half of the 16th century, Somali clans were in an existential war with the Abyssinians to the west in defense of their territories under the leadership of the Somali leader Ahmed Gurey who managed to unite all the Somali clans under a single banner. The written records from that era, like “The Conquest of Abyssinia (Futuh Al-Habasa)”, clearly illustrate that Somalia, from Ras Hafun in the North to Ras Kamponi in the South formed a cohesive and united State. More recently, the Darwiish movement that waged a liberation war against all the colonial powers in Somalia from 1895 until 1920 managed to establish a presence in all Somali territories from Medeshi in the North to Beledweyne in the South. The Taleh and Daawad forts along with many other forts bear testimony to that widespread reach.
TOP TWEETS
@omabha: #somalia Somalia: The AU Mission in Somalia Has a New Force Commander
@Goobjoognews: #Somali national army personnel in a location known as #60 in Lower Shabelle, @SouthWestState complain from lack of salary for some months.
@Halbeeg_News 2h2: New AMISOM Commander Pledges Building Somali Forces http://en.halbeeg.com/2018/02/
@Goobjoognews: #Somali national army personnel in a location known as #60 in Lower Shabelle, @SouthWestState complain from lack of salary for some months.
@DalsanFM: #Somalia Gov introduces Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services for the first time.The Government is now focusing on increasing its revenue collection. OPINION POLL: Do you support the introduction of VAT?
@DrBeileh: It was a pleasure & privilege to welcome@IsmaelRaage to my office today after he successfully graduated from @SIMADUniversity with a degree in Banking & Finance. We are proud of him & all Somali students who are the bright stars of our future. NO limit to ambition & progress.
@TC_Mogadishu: Congratulated @engyarisow at his office. Turkey will continue supporting Mogadishu Municipality in developing infrastructure and delivering basic services to the people.
@HarunMaruf: Regional MP Ahmed Hassan Abdi is in dentention for the 2nd day in Kismayo; he was arrested by security forces after his parliamentary immunity was removed allegedly for “violating parliamentary rules”. Before his arrest Abdi said removal of his immunity was “illegal”. #Jubbaland
IMAGE OF THE DAY
AMISOM head Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira at the handing over ceremony of AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Jim Beesigye Owoyesigire, who took over office from his predecessor General Osman Noor Soubegle.
Photo@Halbeeg_News