January 29, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
UN Praises ‘Inclusive’ Somali Election Plan
29 January – Source: Yahoo News/AFP – 278 Words
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised Somalia’s government for agreeing Thursday to hold elections this year to a new two-chamber parliament in which women will hold nearly a third of seats.The new federal parliament will hold elections “based on inclusivity and representation,” Ban said in a statement welcoming the decision.The UN chief “particularly applauds the commitment to representation of women and minority groups, including that women will comprise 30 percent of the next parliament,” the statement said.
The members of the new parliament will not be chosen by direct vote, and Ban called for a “roadmap towards universal suffrage in Somalia by 2020” as part of Somalia’s transition to democracy. UN special envoy Michael Keating said Thursday’s decision by the Somali cabinet, which capped nearly six months of intense negotiations, “may be a watershed moment.”
The move marks “the growing political maturity of a federal Somalia,” Keating told the UN Security Council, adding that the new electoral model was devised by Somalis and would be led by them.The new parliament will consist of a 275-seat lower house and an upper chamber of 54 members.The lower house will be elected based on a power-sharing formula between clans, said Keating.
Key Headlines
- UN Praises ‘Inclusive’ Somali Election Plan ( Yahoo News/AFP)
- Somali President’s Kenya Trip Sparks Outrage (Hiiraan Online)
- AMISOM Police Commences Second Phase Of Training Of Somali Police Force Recruits In Baidoa(Goobjoog News)
- UN Says Somalia’s Success Depends On Managing Threats (China.org)
- UAE Ambassador To Somalia Meets Somali Official (Emirates News Agency)
- Remarks By UN SRSG Keating For The Security Council Consultations On Somalia (UNSOM)
- Dadaab: Inside The World’s Largest Refugee Camp (The Telegraph)
- Jama Aden Interview: Coaching Genzebe Didaba (Athletics Week)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali President’s Kenya Trip Sparks Outrage
29 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 471 Words
Somali politicians and citizens have taken to social media Wednesday in outrage following their president’s trip to Kenya to attend the memorial service of Kenyan soldiers killed in militants attack last week. Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s visit to Kenya to join in a service honouring Kenyan soldiers killed in an Al-Shabaab attack on El-Adde army base on January 19 came soon after At least 20 people were killed and many others were wounded after Al-Shabab fighters stormed Liido Seafood restaurant last week.
His critics said that Mr. Mohamud had ignored calls of visiting victims wounded in the restaurant attack in the Somali capital and instead chose to travel to Kenya to mourning for dead Kenyan soldiers, prompting a flurry of criticism from Somalis around the world. “That’s an appalling own goal Mr. President—you bypassed your dying victims and then again chose to travel and cry for other country’s victims.” tweeted Yasin Haji in Tunisia, referring an attack on a restaurant near Mogadishu beach last week.
Politicians claimed that the visit by the president who returned to Mogadishu Thursday had hurt his political image, and breached set of rules, despite diplomacy experts’ arguments that the president’s visit was suitable in a diplomatic sense and in accordance with international courtesy rules.“That visit breached all international protocols – in any protocol, there’s nothing like a president attending a memorial service for other country’s fallen soldiers.” said Mohamud Ahmed Nur, the former Mogadishu mayor on his Facebook page. However, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari also joined Mr. Mohamud in the service.
However, some say that the outrage was politically motivated pushed by the president’s opponents.“In a diplomatic sense, the president can visit any partner country for any reason that can strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries –therefore this absurd fuss on social media is more of political game than nationalism-driven resentment.” tweeted Ahmed Musa, a professor of international relations based in Virginia.
AMISOM Police Commences Second Phase Of Training of Somali Police Force Recruits In Baidoa
29 January – Source: Goobjoog – 410 Words
A group of 200 new recruits for the Somali Police Force commenced training in Baidoa on Tuesday 26 January 2016, in a programme that will last three months and benefit 180 male and 20 female police officers.This is the second batch of Somali police being trained for the Interim South West Administration, under AMISOM tutelage. The first of 200 police officers passed out last year and were deployed in various parts of the region. AMISOM is still mentoring them to enable them have the necessary skills to perform their functions effectively. In his address during the official opening ceremony of the training programme, AMISOM Police Commissioner Brigadier Anand Pillay said AMISOM Police will continue to train and support the Somali Police Force (SPF).“We will continue training SPF until there is a complete police institution where there is command, control, supervision and accountability,” he stressed.
The Commissioner reiterated AMISOM’s enthusiasm in participating in the second phase of the training programme, adding that the first group that peace dividends could already be felt in the communities that the police officers were deployed. The ceremony was presided over by the Interim South West Administration Acting President and Minister of Disarmament, Reintegration and Rehabilitation, Mr. Hassan Hussein Mohamed, Speaker of the Regional Assembly Abdukadir Maalim Sheikhuna, representatives of the Federal Somali police, AMISOM military representatives, Interim South West Administration members of parliament and ministers.Before being selected, the trainees underwent stringent selection process, to ensure only the best are included in the programme.
AMISOM has deployed officers to assist in establishing police institutions in the regional states, mainly coming up with the necessary structures of command and control and helping in the establishment of police stations.AMISOM is also aiding the SPF come up with rules and regulations for supervision and promotion of transparency and accountability in the security department. The Regional Police Commissioner, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Maalim Kutub, thanked AMISOM and the donors for their overwhelming support.
“We thank all those who had a hand in organizing and preparing the programme. Enormous efforts have been put in place to prepare for the training and I thank the Federal Government, Somali Police Commissioner, the police command for planning and training, AMISOM and the United Nations for their unwavering support,” Kutub said.The training is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) through the African Union Mission in Somalia Police Component.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Says Somalia’s Success Depends On Managing Threats
29 January – Source: China.org – 520 Words
The Security Council heard Thursday from the top United Nations official in Somalia that success in the country this year will depend upon managing threats, notably those posed by the terrorist groups Al-Shabaab, while announcing a “breakthrough” political achievement.”It gives me particular pleasure to share some breaking news with you,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Somalia, Michael Keating, told the 15-member Council during an update on the situation in the country.
“This morning, a decision was taken by the Somali Cabinet on the electoral model to be used later this year. This is the culmination of almost six months of intense consultations. It may be a watershed moment, marking the growing political maturity of a federal Somalia,” he said.
Separately, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the Somali leadership on this decision, noting that it paves the way to a timely transition at the expiry of the current institutions’ term.”He particularly applauds the commitment to representation of women and minority groups, including that women will comprise 30 per cent of the next Parliament, in line with the Mogadishu Declaration of December 2015,” said a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.
The UN chief also reiterated the urgency of establishing a political roadmap towards universal suffrage in Somalia by 2020, to ensure continued momentum in the country’s transition to democracy.In the Security Council, Mr. Keating, who is also the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), said the electoral model is Somali-devised, Somali-led and Somali-owned, adding that real momentum could and should result from the “breakthrough” achieved today.
UAE Ambassador To Somalia Meets Somali Official
29 January – Source: Emirates News Agency – 110 Words
Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to Somalia has met with Somalia’s Galmudug Region President, Abdi Karim Hussein Gulled, at the Embassy. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Somalia. President Galmudug region extended thanks and appreciation to the UAE for its continued economic development efforts in Somalia. Gulled pointed out that the region is endowed with natural resources, especially the livestock, agricultural and fisheries and others. He invited Emirati companies to invest in the region. On his part, the UAE Ambassador thanked Gulled for his efforts to enhance relations between the two countries, and his dedication to ensuring the stability and security in Somalia.
Remarks By UN SRSG Keating For The Security Council Consultations On Somalia
29 January – Source: UNSOM – 1,694 Words
Mr. President, I am delighted to speak to you so early in my tenure. It is my pleasure to be briefing you alongside Ambassador Madeira who has been in post since December 2015 – an old hand compared to me. Before I start, allow me to pay tribute to my predecessor, Nicholas Kay, who handed over a mission that is in good shape. All my interlocutors in Mogadishu – Somali and international, AU and UN – have stressed the critical role he and his team have played in the past two and a half years.
I would also like to pay tribute to the international community and to this Council, which has played a pivotal role on Somalia for several years. The unity of the Council is a fundamental requirement for progress in Somalia. I look forward to working closely with you.
Mr. President, Let me begin with some first impressions. I was lucky enough to spend some time inSomalia in my youth when Mogadishu was thriving, and again in the Nineties when it was in turmoil. My two weeks as SRSG have not been Somalia’s easiest — marked by tough political negotiations and marred by two horrific terrorist attacks.
Yet, the Somalia I see today is closer to my childhood memory than the nightmare of the civil war. It is a country of enormous potential, of determined people and entrepreneurial spirit, with extraordinary natural resources, a privileged geographic location, a natural gateway. Somalis know their potential, and they will not be deterred from realising it.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Guled was a normal boy with a strong sister and an affection for music and Manchester United football club: he wanted nothing to do with Al-Shabaab. But it wasn’t always a choice. Some children who refused to join had their hands cut off. One boy who lived nearby had said no when the recruiters came knocking. They took him anyway. The next day his 13-year-old sister opened the front door of their house to find his head on the step: a warning.”
Dadaab: Inside The World’s Largest Refugee Camp
29 January – Source: The Telegraph – 3664 Words
The one million refugees who arrived on Europe’s shores, streets and railway stations during 2015 are a fraction of the global total of ‘forcibly displaced’ people, which last year was about 60 million. They are the lucky few. A large majority live in camps, some of which have existed for decades. The world’s largest, Dadaab, in Kenya is full of Somalis who fled the endless civil war there.
Guled came to the camp in 2010, aged 16, after a terrifying journey of hundreds of miles, in flight from the extremist group Al-Shabaab. He was born in Mogadishu at about the time two American military Black Hawk helicopters were shot down among the tightly packed houses of the Wardighley district of the city. Jubilant crowds had dragged the bodies of several US Army soldiers through the streets. The US and UN withdrew and the world washed its hands of the country.
During Guled’s childhood, Mogadishu’s beautiful boulevards, its grand mosques and cathedrals, its ancient Omani, Portuguese and Italian waterfront and sparkling white villas had been reduced to rubble thrice over. Growing up in a country without a government, in a permanent state of civil war, Guled learned to go with the grain.”The main effect of the war was to inoculate Guled against ambition. His priorities were playing football and staying alive”
“He has such a big impact. I broke five world records since working with him.” “I don’t have words to express his contribution in my running career. He has such a big impact. I broke five world records since working with him” – Dibaba on Aden
Jama Aden Interview: Coaching Genzebe Didaba
29 January – Source: Athletics Week – 941 Words
Much has been written about Genzebe Dibaba’s historic season in 2015, but less is known about the man who masterminded the Ethiopian’s journey into the record books, coach Jama Aden. A former elite miler from Somalia, the 53-year-old Aden has been the world’s most successful middle-distance coach in recent years, having coached Dibaba, Taoufik Makhloufi, Ayanleh Souleiman and Abubaker Kaki to championship success.
Before taking up a coaching position in Qatar in 2010, Aden was based in Sheffield for 17 years, coaching local 800m athlete Mukhtar Mohammed, among others. Aden was also joint-coach to Abdi Bile, the Somali miler who was a long-time rival to many of Britain’s best and who took 1500m gold at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. However, it is his association with Dibaba for which he has become renowned. “I don’t have words to express his contribution in my running career,” Dibaba said in Beijing when Athletics Weekly asked about Aden. “He has such a big impact. I broke five world records since working with him.” “I don’t have words to express his contribution in my running career. He has such a big impact. I broke five world records since working with him” – Dibaba on Aden
In a discussion which offers an unprecedented insight into her performances, Aden speaks to Cathal Dennehy about how he transformed Dibaba’s training, why he believes she can run 3:47 for 1500m, and why he thinks doping accusations levelled at her are borne out of jealousy. The below is just a taster of what Aden had to say. To read the full six-page interview, check out the January 28 edition of Athletics Weekly magazine, which is also available to download digitally here.
TOP TWEETS
@TyMcCormick: #Somalia Leaders Agree on Elections Framework – new prez 2 b chosen by parliament (which will get a new upper house) http://www.voanews.com/
@FCONeilWigan: The UK and partners welcome FGS announcement on model for #Somalia elections. An important step forward. https://unsom.unmissions.org/
@DhanaanMedia : VIDEO:Somalia #UN envoy and #AU envoy addressing the UN security council on the situation in #Somaliahttps://youtu.be/A3vhF9UDWrI via @YouTube
@mohamedmukhtaa: Our Government still has no coherent strategy for countering Islamist radicalisation.#LiidoDemonstration #Somalia
@UNODC : UN refugee agency launches app reaching out to potential migrants in #Somalia & #Eritrea – http://j.mp/1ZY43sL
@SolnsAlliance : @UNHCRSom: #SolnsAlliance #Somaliagroup mtg in NBO to work out a durable solutions framework for displaced Somalis
@lasoco: Somalia: Women protest against al-Shabaab restaurant attack – AfricaNews http://j.mp/1Snqze7 #Somalia
@Omaar_nor : A Soldier at (NISA), #Alshabaab fighter killed, while 4 arrested in an operation at Elasha Biyaha,18Km SW of#Mogadishu. @HSNQ_NISA #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Residents in the Somali capital Mogadishu walk in Hamar-Weyne Market as shops around the city continue to open and flourish. #NabadSomalia
Photo: AMISOM