January 3, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia Sets 11th January For The Election Of Lower House Speaker
03 January – Source:Goobjoog News -216 Words
Somalia’s House Leadership election committee has officially released poll dates for the election of the new parliament’s leadership.In a statement, Abdirahman Duale, chairman of the House leadership election commission announced on Monday that the registration of Lower House speaker candidates and the two deputies will take place on the 3rd to 5th of January 2017.
The commission also said the House Speaker’s election will now take place on 11th of January while one of the first and second deputy speaker of the House will be held from 12th of January for the Lower house.“The election of speakers of houses of parliament will be held on 11th followed by the election of the deputies, which will kick off on 12th,” Chairman Bayle said in a statement released in Mogadishu on Monday evening.
More than 13,000 Electoral College delegates representing Somalia’s clans have casted their votes for over 270 members of the Lower House.After the election of the parliamentary leadership, the lawmakers will elect the country’s president on a date to be set later.Over twenty candidates are running to become Somalia’s president who will then choose a prime minister.The incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is among dozens of candidates vying for the post of president, who will be elected by new lawmakers.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Sets 11th January For The Election Of Lower House Speaker (Goobjoog News)
- An Event In Support Of President Hassan Sheikh’s Re-election Bid Held In Mogadishu (Jowhar.com)
- Somali Domestic Workers To Arrive In Saudi Arabia (Xamarcade.com)
- Uganda Chief Of Defence Forces Urges Speedy Security Sector Reforms In Somalia (AMISOM)
- Mogadishu Bombings Hot On The Heels Of Terror Attack In Istanbul (ATC News)
- Somali Refugee In Milwaukee Self-publishes Book On Life Ordeal (USA Today
NATIONAL MEDIA
An Event In Support Of President Hassan Sheikh’s Re-election Bid Held In Mogadishu
03 January – Source: Jowhar.com – 181 Words
A highly organized event in support of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s bid to get re-elected as the country’s next president, has been held in Mogadishu on Monday morning – the same day a deadly Al-Shabaab attack occurred near Aden Adde airport.The event was attended by up to 300 of the newly elected members of parliament’s both houses, officials from the regional administrations, clan elders, youth and women.
Speaking at the function, President Hassan asked the newly elected MPs to vote for him in the upcoming president election presenting his four-year plan for the country if re-elected. He promised to improve security and stability of the country, complete the regional states formation processes, finalize the constitution and establish a strong national political agenda.The event came just days after presidential candidate and former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed returned to the country criticizing President Hassan Sheikh’s administration of failing to secure the capital and hold the electoral process in time. President Hassan Sheikh’s re-election campaign is dubbed as ‘Qabyo ninkeedaayaa dhammaystira’ meaning unfinished work can only be accomplished by its starters.
Somali Domestic Workers To Arrive In Saudi Arabia
03 January – Source: Xamarcade.com – 107 Words
The first of batch of Somali domestic workers are expected in Sauid Arabia in the next few months, according to officials from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor. Reports say hundreds of the Somali domestics workers, majority of them female workers will arrive in the oil-rich Arab country.Officials from the Somali government are set to visit Saudi Arabia soon to finalize the deal reached earlier last year, Al-Eqtisadiyah newspaper reported. As part of the agreement between Somalia and Saudi Arabia, the Horn of Africa nation will send up to 2000 domestic workers to Saudi Arabia. However, the agreement was criticized by some sections of the Somali public.
INTERNATIONAL
Uganda Chief Of Defence Forces Urges Speedy Security Sector Reforms In Somalia
02 January- Source: AMISOM -393 Words
Visiting Chief of Defence Forces of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), General Edward Katumba Wamala wants Somali leaders to fast-track implementation of security sector reforms and the rebuilding of the national army, to enable them effectively take over the country’s security from African Union troops.
The Uganda Chief of Defence Forces arrived in Mogadishu today for a three-day official visit to Somalia.“As you interact politically with whoever will take the chair, this should be among their priority area; to make sure that they address the issue of building their security apparatus,” he told a meeting of senior officials from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The Somali security sector reforms which are in line with AMISOM’s revised Concept of Operations (CONOPs) and its exit strategy, are aimed at building the capacity of Somali National Security Forces to take over the security of the country, when AMISOM troops begin withdrawing down in 2018.Gen. Wamala praised the implementation of the quick-impact projects (QUIPs) by AMISOM, describing it is a big asset for the mission in its efforts to provide essential services to populations liberated from Al-Shabaab rule.
During the meeting, Hon. Lydia Wanyoto, the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) updated Gen. Wamala on the ongoing electoral process in the country and the security arrangements in place to ensure a smooth transition of power.“We are doing everything it takes to ensure that we give the support and that our offices are open 24/7 for supporting the troops for which your country contributes,” Hon. Wanyoto stated.
Mogadishu Bombings Hot On The Heels Of Terror Attack In Istanbul
03 January – Source: ATC News – 190 Words
While the world is still coming to terms with the New Year’s Eve attack on a popular venue in Istanbul and the number of casualties this caused have two simultaneous bombings in Mogadishu have gone almost unnoticed.Targeted by Al-Shabaab criminals were both the airport and combined AMISOM entrance area and in the second attack a hotel popular with foreign visitors.The airport and AMISOM – short for the African Union Mission in Somalia – were repeated targets last year, showing the challenges which exist to keep militants and terrorists out of the Somali capital. Several hotels and recreation spots too were targets in 2016 with a significant number of casualties.
The Peace Hotel, where the second bomb went off, suffered some superficial damage but other nearby building are said to have collapsed under the impact of the blast wave. This is the first time that the Peace Hotel was attacked.Somalia’s terrorists pose a threat for the entire Eastern African region and the withdrawal of the navy alliance is seen by many observers as opening the door again to piracy from ports and shore areas still controlled by Al-Shabaab.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Ali describes her childhood in the refugee camps across the border in Kenya, including the time a scorpion bit her and made her sick with hallucinations. Food and civility were in short supply. She often didn’t see her parents, who worked long hours for pocket change, but lauds them for their values,”
Somali Refugee In Milwaukee Self-publishes Book On Life, Ordeal
03 January – Source: USA Today- 950 Words
At a time when the United Nations says the world has never seen so many refugees, with tens of millions displaced by war and persecution, Milwaukee teenager Zeynab Ali is just one more.Born in a refugee tent village in Kenya to parents forced to flee the Somali civil war, Ali landed in the United States when she was 6.
She’s been watching an anti-immigration backlash take hold in one western nation after another. But what Ali and her family witnessed on their odyssey — starvation, anarchy, mindless killings — are facets that don’t always make their way into the emotionally charged debate on immigration.”Some people don’t understand the sacrifices that immigrants make,” she said.
The 18-year-old senior at Rufus King High School, in between applications to college, just self-published a book meant to add her voice to one of the nation’s most complicated political issues.Cataclysm: Secrets of the Horn of Africa is part history of Somalia and part personal memoir.And because Ali’s story involves one of the world’s most “unstable and dangerous” nations, in the words of a U.S. State Department travel warning, her book deals with the traumatic extremes of the modern refugee experience.Ali’s chapters on Somali history are written in matter-of-fact style, beginning with European colonialism and spanning national independence in 1960 and the famine and political chaos that followed.
The personal narratives, however, are anything but academic. They begin with firsthand accounts Ali learned from her parents, whose educations didn’t even include grade school because Somali warlords destroyed schools along with the economy. She describes the murder of her mother’s father — which took place in front of her young mother — at the hands of bloodthirsty bandits who pillaged and raped in the Somali villages.Post-traumatic anxiety is common for political refugees, Ali said, citing her research and personal experience. Her father witnessed his share of bloodshed and used to scream in his sleep.
TOP TWEETS
@Fatumaabdulahi:#Mogadishu is not only healing but does it in style, every afternoon! To the brave soldiers we lost today and innocent bystanders. #Somalia
@SagalAshour:Today’s blast is yet another reminder – We need a government who will prioritise #Security, #Stability and#PeaceBuilding agenda in #Somalia
@JobFair_ :After our successful JobFair in #Mogadishu, we’re now preparing 4 #GaroweJobFair in #Garowe. Come & Join us#FursadoAbuur #Somalia #Puntland
@ChiefOfDefence:My deepest sympathy &Condolence victims and their families regarding senseless violence #AlShabaabAttack Peace Hotel #Mogadishu #Somaliau
@Omaar_nor :#Alshabaab claims responsibility for two Suicide Blasts Outside #Mogadishu Airport and near #AMISOM base which killed at least 5. #Somalia.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid touring the newly constructed Upper House building in Mogadishu.
Photo:Hiiraan Online