January 19, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Exploitation Of Public Land Is Barred, Government Assigns National Committee
19 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 277 Words
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Friday halted selling, leasing and allocation of public land amid reports that grabbing of public properties is increasing. Since fall of Somalia’s central government in 1990s, the public premises and government institutions had been occupied by individuals. President Farmaajo said his government will assign committee to probe the land issue. ” I want to make clear for Somali public that we will assign a national level committee to investigate land issues in order to make sure that public land is not used for a private purpose,” said the President in a post on Villa Somalia Twitter account.
There have been numerous allegations of corruption regarding the selling of public land with claims of fake title deeds finding way into the official system. “In accordance with article 43 of the provisional constitution of Somalia’s land is the first resource and basic for the lives of the public,” Farmaajo affirmed. The president’s decision could also be seen as a move to get the situation right and build an effective system even as he puts his administration in order. It is not only public land which is facing scramble, lack of legal precedents and multiple ownerships of private land over time make it difficult to resolve land ownership in the city. Land and property ownership in Mogadishu remains an emotive and complex issue dating back to the collapse of the government in 1991 and even before. Somalia which is recovering from two decades of civil war is now experiencing construction boom and land value has significantly shot up and investors locally and from abroad are struggling to get a piece leading to rise of speculators and land brokers.
Key Headlines
- Exploitation Of Public Land Is Barred Government Assigns National Committee (Hiiraan Online)
- Central Bank of Somalia And Somali Financial Institutions Take Steps To Modernize Banking Sector (Hiiraan Online )
- Puntland State Assembly Holds An Emergency Session Over Tukaraq Location (Goobjoog News)
- International Partners Welcome Creation of Unified Galmudug State ( Somali Update)
- Somalian Refugees Evicted From Temporary Shelters Without Notice (Church Times)
- Horn of Africa Tensions ( Al Ahram Weekly )
NATIONAL MEDIA
Central Bank of Somalia And Somali Financial Institutions Take Steps To Modernize Banking Sector
19 January – Source: Hiiraan Online- 264 Words
The Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) and Somali Financial Institutions (SFIs) have announced that they will begin strengthening the inter-bank payment, clearing and settlement systems in Somalia in a bid to modernize the banking sector. The announcement was made on the heels of a five-day consultative forum in Nairobi focused on establishing public-private understanding and creating a common ground regarding the most efficient and effective way of setting-up national payment systems in Somalia.
National payment systems contribute to the development of modern financial markets and promotion of market-based financial service provision,” said Abdishakur Mohamud, Central Bank of Somalia. “Centralizing clearing into the actual movement of money from one account to another with speed, lower cost, reliability, and convenience.) and settlement will contribute to financial stability in Somalia, and evoke domestic and foreign trust in Somali financial institutions.” The changes will open doors to manage international payments in the country from a single platform.
The World Bank expects that the developments will have a positive economic impact and the development of new financial products can become an important source of fee income for financial institutions. These steps are crucial to bringing Somalia one step closer to the international banking standards. One of the commitments for the national payment system is the strengthening of the ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) system and the use of a communal interbank digital ID system to enhance fraud and anti-laundering controls. “With the Central Bank leading this process, it is clear that the financial governance capabilities of Somali authorities are increasing,” said Thilasoni Benjamin Musuku, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank.
Puntland State Assembly Holds An Emergency Session Over Tukaraq Location
18 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 161 Words
An emergency meeting of lawmakers from Puntland regional assembly today took place on the military tension in Tukaraq location, Sool region. A press statement released from the session and signed by the state assembly speaker Ahmed Ali Hashi depicted their unanimous support of the state administration plans among them defending and maintaining security of Puntland.
A committee made up of state MPs was also formed in the process that will be tasked to monitor closely the defense of Puntland. The declaration also called upon the state residents to defend the region. Almost 10 days ago Somaliland forces attacked Tukaraq location overrunning Puntland forces which compelled the latter to retreat entirely from the area leading to heated exchange of words in the local media between the top leaders from the two regions. Somaliland military incursion coincided with the first day of the official visit of Somali federal president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in Puntland State on 8th January and still occupies the location.
International Partners Welcome Creation of Unified Galmudug State
19 January – Source: Somali Update- 299 Words
The African Union, United Nations, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Djibouti, Ethiopia, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and United States congratulate Galmudug and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) for concluding the agreement endorsed in Dhusamareb today which paves the way for the establishment of a unified Galmudug administration.
The international partners also congratulated Galmudug President Ahmed Duale Ghelle “Xaaf” and ASWJ leader Sheikh Shakir for their commitment to reconciliation and unity, and the efforts to build an inclusive and stable Federal Member State in Galmudug. At a ceremony attended by Federal President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo and the Presidents of Hirshabelle, Puntland and South-West states, international partners called on the leaders and people of Galmudug to begin work on the implementation of the agreement, adopting a fully inclusive approach to all of its elements, including the formation of a joint parliament, a joint constitution and joint security forces to protect the population and uphold the rule of law.
The political stability stemming from this agreement will allow Galmudug to focus on pressing needs such as a further deepening of the political settlement, generating revenue, socio-economic recovery and implementing the National Security Architecture, including its State Police Plans. They urged the Federal Government of Somalia to continue to support implementation of the agreement, and provide the conditions to enable it to succeed. The partners stand ready to accompany Galmudug on its peacebuilding and statebuilding journey.The partners appreciate the role played by IGAD in facilitating the dialogue between the Galmudug administration and ASWJ, as well as the support of the Somalia Stability Fund, which made possible the agreement in Djibouti that was signed in Mogadishu in December 2017. They expressed their commitment to work together with IGAD in supporting and facilitating its implementation.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Refugees Evicted From Temporary Shelters Without Notice
19 January – Source: Church Times – 389 Words
Thousands of refugees who are fleeing drought and famine in Somalia have been forcibly evicted by armed security forces from their temporary shelters on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Mogadishu. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that eyewitness reports of the bulldozing of shelters and other accommodation, including schools, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, were of “deep concern”.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Peter de Clercq, said: “I am deeply saddened to learn of evictions, without prior notice, of internally displaced persons, in Banadir region. Some of these displaced people have walked long distances from different parts of the country, fleeing drought and conflict. On 29 and 30 December, over 23 internally displaced persons’ [IDPs] settlements, housing over 4000 households, were destroyed. “Personal property and livelihoods have also been lost as people were not given time to collect their belongings before the destruction started. Families, including children, women and the elderly are now living in the open.”
Much of the temporary infrastructure, which included sanitation, water points, schools, and latrines, had been paid for through foreign aid. Few of those who were evicted have found other shelter, and most of them are now reported to be living rough. The UN and international NGOs have called on the Somali government to protect the rights of those who have been forced to flee their homes. World Vision has denounced the violent actions of security forces. Its director of operations in Somalia, Simon Nyabwengi, said: “We are concerned that families were not provided with adequate notification and compensation; though viable relocation or local integration options are required by international law. We would like to urge the government of Somalia to respond to the ongoing situation, protect the communities impacted, and work with landowners and other actors to develop a plan that will promote and protect housing, land, and property rights of IDPs.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“ Although Mogadishu has declared itself neutral in the conflict involving the embargo against Qatar, it agreed to the construction of a Turkish military base. The $500 million base will accommodate 200 Turkish soldiers and train 10,000 Somali soldier,”
Horn of Africa Tensions
18 January – Source: Al Ahram Weekly – 116 Words
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s visit to Cairo last week was a sign of how the crises in the Middle East and the conflict over Nile waters shape alliances in the Horn of Africa. In the Middle East, Qatar and Turkey are clearly aligned on one side and Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are aligned on the other. Other countries have diverse and varying relations with the members of both camps. Syria and Iraq are close to Egypt which supports their efforts in the war against terrorism, while Saudi Arabia has softened its rhetoric against the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Damascus and the ruling Shia forces in Baghdad in an effort to lure them away from their powerful Iranian ally. The Yemeni position remains uncertain, mired as that country is in a military and political standstill while deteriorating humanitarian conditions have brought it to the brink of famine. In the Nile Valley Basin, tensions are rising between Egypt and Ethiopia over technical issues related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Negotiations have stalled and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri’s recent visit to Addis Ababa failed to break the deadlock. Ethiopia, the largest country in the Horn of Africa, is worried by a number of issues. Prime among them is the success of Eritrea, Addis’s sworn enemy, at breaking through the isolation that it had suffered since its independence from Ethiopia in 1991.
Asmara had taken advantage of the war in Yemen, turning away from its former allies, the Houthis, and granting Arab coalition forces access to its military base at Assab, which it has leased to the UAE. Asmara has also relinquished its support for the terrorist Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahideen movement in Somalia in exchange for joining the bloc of countries that have declared an embargo against Qatar. This has opened the doors to Egyptian and Gulf arms, according to the Europe Centre for Foreign Policy Advice. To the east and south, Addis is worried, on the one hand, by the fact that Al-Shabaab in Somalia remains undefeated and, on the other hand, by Mogadishu’s inclination towards both the Eritrean enemy and Egyptian rival.
Developments in Somaliland also make Ethiopia uneasy. Somaliland, which seceded from Mogadishu in 1991 but remains unrecognised by the rest of the African and international communities, now leans towards the UAE which has poured in investment, in order to develop the strategic Berbera port for the purposes of the war in Yemen.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are the key partners in the Arab coalition which has been fighting in Yemen since 2015 against the Ansar Allah “Houthi” movement, which Abu Dhabi and Riyadh claim is backed by Iran. The $442 million Berbera port development project is being carried out by the Dubai-based development firm DP World. The revamped port is expected to generate some $1 billion in investment for the development and modernisation of Somaliland’s infrastructure, according to the International Crisis Group which noted the trip made by Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo to the UAE in order to strengthen relations between the two countries. However, Somalia still claims sovereignty over Somaliland which may cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the agreement over the port.
TOP TWEETS
@HarunMaruf: Harun Maruf Retweeted Harun MarufUpdate: Kids freed by the Somali troops are said to be as many as 35, aged between 7-14 years old. Meanwhile, pro-Al-Shabab has claimed that Somali and US troops were involved in the operation.
@Goobjoognews: International Community condemn forced IDP evictions in #Mogadishu, call for a probe –
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: Somali national army commandos have killed Al-Shabab’s local emir of Jame’a Jilay near Beled ul Amin, Lower Shabelle in a special operation overnight; troops have also freed six children thought to be held there, possibly to be trained as fighters: security source.
@IOM_Somalia: On 16 Jan, @MoPIED_Somalia &@EU_in_Somalia hosted a#REINTEG Programme Steering Committee in #Mogadishu, supported by@IOM_Somalia&@UNHABITAT. >27,000 returnees, #IDPs and host community provided with reception assistance and reintegration support:https://goo.gl/2jav5e
@engyarisow: Three al-Shabaab terrorists died in an explosion in Beer Xaani in Lower Jubba at approximately 6PM on Thursday… https://fb.me/9y2wZGrUt
@HarunMaruf: Central Bank of Somalia and Somali Financial Institutions Take Crucial Steps to Modernize Banking Sector
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: Pres @M_Farmaajo halts allocation, leasing and selling of public lands, says any land sold or leased after the date of his election on February 8, 2017 is “void”: statement
@Goobjoognews: #Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi@M_Farmaajo today visited Somali national army 21st battalion located #Dhusamareeb,@Gaalmudug State.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo with Galmudug President , Ahmed Dualla Geele (Haaf) in Galgaduud, Mudug region.
Photo: @DalsanFM