February 2, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Lower House Vote Re-Run For South West And Jubbaland To Kick Off Today
02 February – Source : Goobjoog News – 212 Words
A rerun for Lower House seats in South West and Jubbaland states will take place today after clans agreed on the candidates following the nullification of the earlier vote by the Independent Dispute Resolution Mechanism. The Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) announced Wednesday delegates for Gaaljaceel-Doqondide sub clan will choose between former petroleum minister Mohamed Muktar Ibrahim who had earlier been disqualified by the electoral body and Abdullahi Adan Mohamed Adan.
In South West state, delegates from Mahalin Weyne sub clan in the capital Baidoa will be casting their vote in favour of either Halima Mohamed Abdi, Shair Sheikh Mohamed or Mukhtar Yassan Yarow. The electoral body did not however give directions regarding a seat in HirShabelle state which was contested by embattled Sports and Youth Minister Mohamed Abdullah Nuh who whose election was nullified two times.
Goobjoog News has learnt voting for a seat contested by the Abdulkadir Gafow Mohamud, brother to intelligence boss Abdullahi Gafow Mohamed will take place in Mogadishu after violence broke out during the previous election in Galmudug state. Mohamud garnered 48 votes out of a possible 51 in the nullified poll while the other candidates, Mohamed Mohamud Gurre, Zakarie Mohamed Osoble and Abdulkadir Nur Araale dropped. The same candidates will be contesting in the re-run.
Key Headlines
- Lower House Vote Re-Run For South West And Jubbaland To Kick Off Today (Goobjoog News)
- Candidates Addressing Parliament Ahead Of Polls (Shabelle News)
- Senior Al-Shabaab Official Killed In Galmudug (Jowhar.com)
- Somali Non-profit Rejects $500K In Federal Funding Over Trump’s “Anti-Muslim Sentiments” (Hiiraan Online)
- UK And EU Invest EUR 16.1 Million To Support Somalia Public Resource Management (Reliefweb)
- Somaliland Students To Trump: You’re Destroying Our Dreams (CNN)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Candidates Addressing Parliament Ahead Of Polls
02 February – Source : Shabelle News – 114 Words
The presidential candidates contesting for the top job in Somalia are due to begin their campaign speeches at the Parliament in Mogadishu on Thursday evening. The committee organizing election of the President, 8 candidates, including the incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is seeking a re-election will attend presidential debate. The presidential hopefuls addressing the parliament are as following; Ahmed Mohamed Abdi, Zakariye Mohamud Haaji, Bashiir Raage, Jibril Ibrahim Abdulle, Saiid Abdullahi Deni, president Hassan Sheikh Mohamed, Dr. Saiid Iise Mohamed and former president Sheikh Shariff Ahmed. According to the presidential election committee, the debate will be concluded on Sunday, next week and the election of the president will be held on February 8, 2017.
Senior Al-Shabaab Official Killed In Galmudug
02 February – Source: Jowhar.com – 118 Words
A senior Al-Shabaab official has been killed in an operation near the coastal town of Harardheere in Mudug region. Galmudug security forces conducted the operation that saw the death of Arab, Al-Shabaab’s head of finance in Central regions. Confirming Arab’s killing, Sadiq Omar Hassan, Galmudug chief of intelligence agency said they gunned down the militant officer near Harardheere where the group have hideouts. He however, didn’t give further details of the operation. Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on the incident as well. It was just a week ago when a similar operation in Gedo saw the death of a senior Al-Shabaab commander Abdullahi Qanaas, who was killed after he was found secretly visiting his family in Tuulo-barwaaqo settlement.
Somali Non-profit Rejects $500K In Federal Funding Over Trump’s “Anti-Muslim Sentiments”
02 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 395 Words
A Somali youth group in Minnesota has declined federal funding in light of the Trump Administration’s recent changes to the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program and evident “anti-Muslim sentiments” in the government Ka Joog, a youth organization founded in 2007 by young Somalis, announced that they have declined the half million dollars awarded to them. The group funds and operates several initiates aimed at undermining extremist ideology as well as mentoring and job training. The group’s name literally translates to “stay away” in Somali which highlights their commitment to steering youth away from radicalization, gangs and other negative influences.
Last month the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) earmarked $10 million for the CVE program, Ka Joog was one of its recipients. In a statement released on Wednesday evening, the group said that they were “deeply troubled by our nation’s new administration and their policies which promote fear, uncertainty and even worse; an unofficial war on Muslim-Americans and Immigrants.” Ka Joog’s Executive Director, Mohamed Farah said ““In order for Ka Joog to continue building community, it requires vigilant awareness of the work we must continually do to undermine all the socialization and injustice that leads us to behave in a way that perpetuates more divisions.”
The CVE program under the previous Obama administration was no stranger to controversy as many felt that it left the Muslim community vulnerable and unfairly targeted the Somali community as a hotbed for terrorist activity. Attorney Andy Luger who prosecuted the most high profile and controversial ISIS trial in American history was successfully lobbied by Minneapolis area Imams to change the name of the pilot program. During the trial, 9 Somali young men were either convicted or plead guilty to various terror charges which divided the Somali community in Minneapolis.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UK And EU Invest EUR 16.1 Million To Support Somalia Public Resource Management
02 February – Source : Reliefweb – 356 Words
The programme will help the Federal Member States establish their core administration, collect revenue and begin to fund the provision of basic services to the people of Somalia. UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), European Union and senior officials from Federal Government and Federal States of Somalia successfully launched a Public Resource Management in Somalia – PREMIS programme.
This four year programme will support newly established Federal Member States of Somalia – South West, Galmudug, Jubbaland and Hirshabelle in fulfilling their core state functions – raising revenues, effectively managing public resources and building up their civil service. Head of DFID Somalia, Phil Evans said: ‘The launch of PREMIS programme is a unique moment for us as development partners. Several years ago, there were no regional administrations that we could engage with – now we are discussing with Senior officials from South West, Galmudug, Jubbaland and Hirshabelle how we can best assist them in building up robust and transparent public resource management’.
The programme will help the Federal Member States establish their core administration, collect revenue and begin to fund the provision of basic services to the people of Somalia. Head of Cooperation for the EU Delegation in Somalia. Pilar Palmero, said: ‘Somalia’s economic development and provision of basic services is a top priority for both DFID and EU. This cannot happen without strong Federal States which have the necessary capacity to collect their revenue and effectively manage public resources. I believe that PREMIS program will help them achieve this goal’.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Starr noted that the first five of his former students will be graduating from U.S. colleges this year and plan to come back home.”They’ll be educating their population and developing industry using American know-how. A developed Somaliland and Somalia is good for America and its safety,” he said,”
Somaliland Students To Trump: You’re Destroying Our Dreams
01 February – Source: CNN – 662 Words
President Trump’s decision to ban the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries has jeopardized the university dreams of hundreds of students from the self-declared republic of Somaliland. The Abaarso boarding school in Somaliland has become an unlikely feeder school for elite universities in the United States, having sent dozens of its students to schools like Harvard, Yale and MIT since 2013.Somaliland is an autonomous region that declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, but its residents are also included in Trump’s travel ban.
The risk of the ban being extended beyond 90 days has made students at the school question their future.”I feel lucky that I’ve been accepted to an elite college in the U.S., but also sad that I might not be able to start my college education,” said Shukri Ali, a 19-year-old Abaarso student who was accepted last month to study at Wellesley College in September.She said she wants to study neuroscience in order to open a hospital in Somaliland after completing her education.Despite the uncertainty, Ali was stoic, saying she accepts Trump’s explanation that the travel ban was intended to keep the U.S. safe.”I will not take this personally because I know I’m not a terrorist,” she said.
The Abaarso school was founded in 2009 by Jonathan Starr, an American former hedge fund manager. It was designed to educate underprivileged kids in the local community.Starr said he’s now concerned about his students’ ability to study and travel, and he argued that the ban was counterproductive.”Our students are wonderful for America and its safety,” he said. “They are only in the U.S. to get the education needed to develop their country.” Starr noted that the first five of his former students will be graduating from U.S. colleges this year and plan to come back home.”They’ll be educating their population and developing industry using American know-how. A developed Somaliland and Somalia is good for America and its safety,” he said.
TOP TWEETS
@USAIDSomalia: An educated girl is an asset to her whole community @USAID @US2SOMALIA #lettinggirlslearn in#Somalia @mercycorps
@AMAGuudcadde: “A pre-famine alert has been issued for#Somalia & an immediate & at scale humanitarian response is highlyrequired. http://www.
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: Suspected Al-Shabab fighters attacked Kenya police outpost at Arabia village near the border w/ Somalia last night: local sources.
@UNFPA_SOMALIA: Our team briefs @UNdeClercq on life-saving reproductive health services to drought affected communities in #Puntland #avertsomaliafamine
@DalsanFM: Mogadishu car bombing kills port staff –http://radiodalsan.com/en/
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IMAGE OF THE DAY
UN Deputy Special Representative & Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Peter de Clercq during a recent visit to Puntland to access the drought situation in that region
Photo : @UNdeClercq