February 16, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Former President Mohamud To Exit Villa Somalia Today As Farmaajo Takes Over
16 February – Source : Goobjoog News – 270 Words
Former President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will formally exit Villa Somalia today to pave way for the new President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo who will be inaugurated next week. Villa Somalia Communication Director, Shadoor Haji Shadoor told Goobjoog News plans have been finalized for the official hand over of instruments of power and all facilities at the Presidential palace to the new president. “The former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will hand over all the instruments of power, documents and anything else belonging to the state to the new president,” said Shadoor.
A small ceremony will take place at the palace witnessed by among others senior government officials. The two leaders met this week to plan for the hand over. It is not clear how the outgoing president will be compensated by the state since there is no law in place which outlines the retirement plan for presidents or prime ministers. Lawmaker Dahir Amin Jeeso says Parliament has not passed any law dealing with the welfare of state officers like the president upon retirement. “There is however a plan which every administration puts in place but at very informal level to secure the president’s retirement. It is normally at the wish of the incoming administration,” said Jeeso.
The State Officers Emoluments Bill which came to the floor of the House in November 2015 failed to proceed into law dusting any hopes of President Mohamud’s state protection and compensation upon end of service. If passed, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would have received 70% of his salary for a lifetime, a house with elite security units, first class tickets for official trips abroad among other benefits.
Key Headlines
- Former President Mohamud To Exit Villa Somalia Today As Farmaajo Takes Over (Goobjoog News)
- Senator Farole Urges To Support New President Warns Against Political Interference (Garowe Online)
- Additional Money Imposed On Passengers At Adan Adde Airport (Allbenadir.com)
- British Envoy Urges Action To Prevent Somalia Famine Deaths (ABC News)
- Somalia ‘Plans To File Legal Complaint Against UAE’ Over Somaliland Base (Press TV)
- The Time Is Now to Prevent A New Famine In Somalia (Chatham House)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Senator Farole Urges To Support New President, Warns Against Political Interference
16 February – Source : Garowe Online – 337 Words
Upper House Senator and former Somali presidential candidate, Abdirahman Mohamud Farole, has arrived back to Garowe city, the regional capital of Puntland state, on Wednesday. Upon arrival to Garowe’s Airport, Farole was received by clan elders, politicians and members of the civil society, as members of the public cheered him on his way to his residence. Consequently, Farole held press conference at his residence and briefed the media about his presidential campaign in the past weeks in Mogadishu and noted that he dropped out of the race due to continuous interference by Somali leaders and external forces.
He indicated that Puntland leadership including its state Parliament have took part in the play to influence the election and backed a candidate at the detriment of other presidential hopefuls, but noted that their plan has failed miserably following the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. He revealed that his current visit to Puntland aimed to woo support for the new Somali government and indicated that there are some officials who are seeking to interfere in the process of forming a new Federal government. “I warn against interfering in the political agenda of the new President and I call the National Leadership Forum’s members who lost in the election to stop meddling in the process of forming a new government,” said Farole.
On the other hand, Farole has downplayed recent rumors surfaced that some presidential candidates who hail from Puntland region are aiming to stage opposition against current Puntland administration led by Abdiweli Mohamed Ali “Gaas”. However, Senator Farole noted that he always pushed efforts to ensure the interest of Somali people and never promoted political difference. He later extended his gratitude to the people and supporters, who welcomed him at the Airport and in the city, after his arrival from Mogadishu city. This comes amid heavy criticism towards Puntland administration for taking side in the last presidential election and abandoned its responsibilities to tackle worsening security situation and drought crisis that affected hundreds of vulnerable families in the region.
Additional Money Imposed On Passengers At Adan Adde Airport
16 February – Source: Allbanaadir.com – 117 Words
Additional money between 5-10 dollars has been imposed on passengers travelling from Adan Adde International Airport, a move aimed to respond to the current drought in the country.Speaking to the media, Ashkir Abdi, airport manager told reporters, the money will support ongoing drought response initiated by the government nationwide.
Domestic flight passengers will be charged 5 dollars while international passengers will be charged 10 dollar effective from Friday 17th February 2017. He requested all citizens to contribute and adhere to this decision.The manager said that the decision comes after a ministerial council meeting in Mogadishu and it is part of drought response efforts. The Ministry of Finance will be collecting this money from the passengers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
British Envoy Urges Action To Prevent Somalia Famine Deaths
15 February – Source : ABCNews – 492 Words
Hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia may die or be near death in May if immediate action isn’t taken to address the threat of famine, Britain’s envoy for the Horn of Africa warned Wednesday. Nicholas Kay said at a briefing for a group of journalists that Britain is “deeply concerned by the famine warning in Somalia.” Somalia, which faced famine in 2010-2011, is currently experiencing widespread drought that was first declared in August 2015. According to the U.N. humanitarian office, 5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network warned earlier this month that “nearly three million people in Somalia face crisis and emergency of acute food insecurity” with little to eat. The network, started by the U.S. Agency for International Development, said approximately 363,000 acutely malnourished children “need urgent treatment and nutrition support, including 71,000 who are severely malnourished.”Britain’s government is organizing a conference on Somalia in London in May seeking to spur progress on long-term stability and security in the country, but Kay said that “action is needed immediately.” “If by the time the conference in May happens we are having to sound the alarm and discuss the famine issue, that is going to be too late,” said Kay, the former top U.N. envoy for Somalia.
“There may be hundreds of thousands of people dead or about to die. ” Somalia began to fall apart in 1991, when warlords ousted dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other. Years of conflict and attacks by the al-Shabab Islamic extremist group, along with famine, shattered the Horn of Africa country of some 12 million people. The country has been trying to rebuild since establishing its first functioning transitional government and electing a new president Feb. 8.
Somalia ‘Plans To File Legal Complaint Against UAE’ Over Somaliland Base
15 February – Source: Press TV – 381 Words
Somalia’s internationally-backed government is reportedly planning to file a legal case against the rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for setting up a military base in the unrecognized breakaway republic of Somaliland. The Somali government’s Auditor General Nur Jimale Farah announced Mogadishu’s plans to file the complaint against the UAE on charges of violating international law for entering a deal with the Somaliland government to establish the military installation in the port of Berbera. Farah said Emirate’s officials had bribed officials in Somaliland to get the deal through. He accused senior officials in Somaliland and the government of Somalia’s former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of approving the deal for the sake of “illegitimate private gains.”
He further challenged the right of the internationally unrecognized Somaliland which considers itself independent from Somalia to enter an official agreement with the UAE.“The deal has none of the legal provisions needed and did not go through Somalia’s legitimate public procurement, financial institutions, and the parliament. Therefore, it is corrupted and illegal,” Farah said.
He also blasted the UAE for violating Somalia’s national and territorial integrity, demanding that the Persian Gulf state withdraw from the deal.“UAE has already violated our national sovereignty and airspace because of its plans to come to Somaliland without paying airspace tax and without the permission of Somalia’s legitimate government,” Farah said. “We ask UAE to respect the international code of conduct.”The UAE, which is part of a Saudi Arabian-led military coalition waging war on Yemen since 2015, intends to use the Berbera base for its anti-Yemen operations.The Saudi-led war on Yemen has so far killed at least 11,400 Yemenis.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Amid all this noise, the risk is that governments wait for certainty about the prospect of famine and squander the chance to prevent one in the process. That would be a tragedy. In a world that seems wracked by crises, this is one that can be prevented,”
The Time Is Now to Prevent A New Famine In Somalia
15 February – Source: Chatham House – 853 Words
The election last week of Somalia’s new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed known as Farmajo came at the same time the country was in the news for being one of the seven affected by US President Donald Trump’s immigration ban. President Mohamed immediately promised a ‘new beginning’ for his country. He undoubtedly faces monumental political challenges in delivering this, but these may pale into insignificance against a looming famine which needs immediate action and international support if it is to be prevented.
There is nothing new about famine in Somalia. The last one in 2011, killed over a quarter of a million people and is the best-chronicled descent into mass starvation in history. Between the failure of the short rainy season in November 2010 and the declaration of famine in July 2011, the Famine Early-Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) and the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) between them released more than 70 early warning bulletins and undertook a similar number of briefings with donor governments and humanitarian agencies in a desperate attempt to trigger a preventative response. But the warnings fell on deaf ears. Only when famine was declared was aid dispatched, and at this point it was too late.
Now the alarm has been raised again. Following a poor short rainy season at the end of 2016, FEWSNET has warned that famine could return if the long rainy season, due to begin in April, fail as they did in 2011. Current forecasts suggest they might.But things could be different this time around. Few humanitarians have forgotten the failure of 2011, which was followed by a period of intense soul-searching and painstaking evaluation. The result was a wealth of analysis on the lessons to be learned, and a grim determination to learn them.
Meanwhile, the situation in Somalia has improved in important respects. In 2011, Somalia was a country without a state, fought over by the Islamist militia al Shabab and African Union troops in a war that dramatically restricted the ability of humanitarian agencies to reach the worst affected populations. Today, the access of humanitarian agencies is better and Somalia has a federal government, though it is probably stretching things too far to claim it has a fully functioning state at its disposal.
TOP TWEETS
@HIPSINSTITUTE: Read our constitution report. It covers history, review process & contentious issues in #SomaliConstitution http://bit.ly/2lRZuEj #Somalia
@joaoscarpelini: British Envoy @NicholasK111 urges action to prevent #Somalia #Famine Deaths! https://nyti.ms/2lmbXCy via @nytimes
@HIPSINSTITUTE: @HIPSINSTITUTE presents the constitution report to Speaker of the Somalia’s Upper House,Hon Abdi Xaashi #SomaliConstitution @AnalystSomalia
@SomaliAid: Nearly one million persons in #Somalia, one in 12 of the population struggle to meet their food needs due to drought.
@Daudoo: BREAKING: #Somalia gov suspends flights in/out of #Mogadishuairport on 22 Feb due to inauguration ceremony of President Farmajo in the city
@APO_source: #Somalia: @ICRC assisting 240,000 people affected by severe drought http://www.APO.af/gcbhEz
@HarunMaruf: Rumours on social media suggesting Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansour may “surrender” to the Somali govt have been dismissed as “false” by his camp.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo meets with Outgoing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Speaker of Somali Parliament Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari at Villa Somalia yesterday before the official hand over today.
Photo: @MudaneFarmaajo