January 17, 2017 | Morning Headlines
FAO Seeks 26 Million USD To Help 1.5 Million Somalis
17 January – Source: Xinhua – 301 Words
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Monday that it is seeking 26 million U.S. dollars to help an estimated 1.5 million Somalis who are facing food shortages as well as to protect livestock until June. FAO said in its Drought Response Plan for 2016/2017 for Somalia that the money will be used for cash-for-work and unconditional cash to save lives of those without income and food, and emergency veterinary care and water for animals to survive the dry season and thus protect 8.5 million livestock.
“By December 2016 — following the poor Deyr rains — conditions worsened, with most of the country experiencing severe to extreme drought. The Jilaal dry season follows from January to March. This is the driest and hottest time of year in Somalia,” it said. FAO said during these harsh months, rural families rely on remaining water and pasture from the preceding rainy season, and food and income from the preceding harvest. This Jilaal, however, pastures, wells and grain stores will be largely barren.
According to the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) in November 2016, an estimated 1.37 million people will be in crisis or worse between February and May primarily due to below-average rains during Deyr (October-December) following poor Gu rains (April-June).
Key Headlines
- FAO Seeks 26 Million USD To Help 1.5 Million Somalis (Xinhua)
- Somaliland Elect Three Candidates To Upper House (Goobjoog News)
- Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony For First Polytechnic College Held In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Military Court Sentences Three To 10 Years In Jail For Violent Robbery (Goobjoog News)
- AMISOM Troops From Ethiopia Donate Food To Needy Residents Of Gobwein Village Lower Jubba Region (AMISOM)
- Somalia’s Crooked Route To Democracy (World Street Journal)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland Elects Three Candidates To Upper House
16 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 165 Words
Upper House elections for Somaliland regions have resumed Monday in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. Three more candidates have been elected to Upper House, raising the number of elected senator from Somaliland and northern regions to nine. The trio were elected in a peaceful electoral process, held in Mogadishu, and secured by Somalia security forces, working closely with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Two of those elected in the peaceful exercise are women as northern regions made efforts to fulfill the 30 percent women representation quota as required by the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT). Those elected in the latest round of voting are Ayub Ismail Yussuf who won the seat with 39 votes, Nuuro Farah Jama’a who defeated her opponent with 38 votes and Deqo Hassan was elected as senator after garnering 24 votes The new senators hailed the process, describing it as free, fair and transparent. Somaliland and the northern regions now have two more seats to fill to complete the exercise.
Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony For First Polytechnic College Held In Mogadishu
16 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 177 Words
The foundation stone of first government Polytechnic College since 1990 has been laid in Somalia’s capital aimed to bring about educational development. Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Polytechnic College in Shibis district, Mogadishu mayor, Yusuf Hussein Jimale said that the government put on more efforts to open the institute which will fill the gap of the need of a technical institute.
“This is the first time a district has got a Polytechnic College and this will be an opportunity for the youth as well as other members of the community,” said Jimale.
The mayor has pledged to take more development to the city as a reward to the people for being supportive of his administration. The college is to be built at an estimated cost of hundreds of US dollars and will have Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Electronics and Electronics and Communication departments, according to the mayor. Creating more polytechnics and technical training institutes is crucial as it offers alternative pathways for high school leavers to acquire skills for gainful engagement.
Somali Military Court Sentences Three To 10 Years In Jail For Violent Robbery
16 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 159 Words
Somalia’s Military Court on Monday sentenced six people to ten years in jail after prosecuting them on armed robbery against civilians in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. The court’s verdict came after the military tribunal finalized investigations through the alleged armed robbery which the six involved. The Somali military court’s chairman, Hassan Ali Shuute announced the court’s verdict. All defendants were given the chance to appeal.
“After finding testimonials of the victims with the defendants admitting to have committed the armed robbery against civilians in Mogadishu, the court sentenced these six men 10 years of jail term,” the Military Court Judge said. Armed robberies, gang rape and killings are among the highest crime acts in Somalia, most of them carried out by armed soldiers and some of them have been related to the government forces. Somali military court has often carried out sentences and executions against alleged Al-Shabaab fighters and murders who frequently target politicians and as well Somali government officials.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Troops From Ethiopia Donate Food To Needy Residents Of Gobwein Village, Lower Jubba Region
16 January – Source: AMISOM – 231 Words
Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Sunday donated an assortment of foodstuff to vulnerable households in Gobwein village, Lower Jubba region. The team from AMISOM ENDF led by their contingent commander in Kismaayo, Colonel Regassa Tesfaye and logistics officer Lt. Colonel Tilahun Abraha, visited and distributed the relief supplies in the village, which is 12 kilometres north of Kismaayo.
“We are so happy to do this, because we have made sacrifices and are trying to help the Somalis embrace peace and to restore their dignity,” Lt. Col Tilahun said. “The main purpose of our presence in Somalia is to fight Al-Shabaab and make this country peaceful. But this gesture enhances our relationship with the people,” he stated. Local leaders thanked AMISOM for the donation and requested for support to construct a water well.
Although a farming community, the prolonged drought has dried up their yields. “Gobwein village has a population of old and weak people. There is shortage of maize, which is our staple food. As residents, we are grateful for the support from AMISOM and Somalia,” said Alas Abdi Adan, a local resident. AMISOM troops have been donating food supplies and medicine, to needy populations living in close proximity to their camps. Somalia is facing a humanitarian crisis due to a prolonged dry spell that has also affected yields and livestock.
OPINION, CULTURE & ANALYSIS
“Some donors and experts argue federalism is a necessary step, because deeply entrenched animosity and mistrust among Somali clans make building national institutions like a unified national army impossible.”
Somalia’s Crooked Route To Democracy
16 January – Source: Wall Street Journal – 1,036 Words
Abdiweli Ibrahim Ali Sheikh Mudey reclined in his plastic chair inside this war-torn city’s fortified perimeter and cracked a smile behind his Ray Bans. He had just been elected, unopposed and unanimously, to Somalia’s new Parliament. “I will do my best,” the former regional minister said, as ululating supporters whisked him away. He had secured the votes of a handful of delegates—in turn handpicked by clan elders—who cast ballots in front of a coterie of United Nations officials and journalists.
“We have elected the most handsome candidate,” a female delegate said triumphantly, draping herself on Mr. Mudey’s shoulder. After nearly half a century of civil war, a jihadist insurgency, and tens of billions of dollars of Western aid, Somalia is for the first time attempting something like democracy—and it isn’t looking pretty. Instead of the one-person, one-vote paradigm—deemed impossible given widespread insecurity and the absence of a census—135 clan elders handpicked 14,025 delegates, who convened in heavily fortified halls across the war-ravaged nation of more than 10 million to select representatives for Parliament, including Mr. Mudey.
After months of delays and accusations of bribery, manipulation and candidate intimidation, the selection of 347 lawmakers was completed in December. Parliament on Jan. 9 re-elected its speaker, signaling a likely second term for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud —who is from a different clan—as the country’s top offices are traded off among top members of the most dominant clans. The complex process, which in part aims to move Somalia closer to federalism, is being lubricated with more than $14 million from Western donors. Diplomats say bigger sums are coming in, covertly backed by other foreign powers—including Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates—who are jostling for dominance in the Horn of Africa nation and its strategic perch on the Red Sea.