January 30, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Ex-Bank Chief appointed as Somalia’s FM accused of corruption
30 Jan – Source: Horseed Media – 243 Words
Former governor of Somalia’s Central Bank, who has been appointed to serve as the country’s new Minister for Foreign affairs this week was accused of being involved in corruption in a UN report. Abdisalam Hadliye Omar, quit in September 2013 after U.N. Monitors Report linked him to irregularities regarding millions of dollars withdrawn from the central bank, though he denied the allegations. The U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said in July 2013, that Mogadishu’s central bank had become a “slush fund” for political leaders and that Omar had played a central role in irregularities surrounding unaccountable disbursements.
His Successor, Yussur Abrar, who was the first female appointed to such a position unexpectedly resigned after seven weeks on the job, citing corruption concerns. In a letter, she claimed that she had been pressured to accept arrangements she believed would open the door to corruption by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud’s aides. Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke appointed his new cabinet on January 27, but they have not yet gained vote of Confidence from the Parliament. It was the second time the Prime Minister appointed a new government.
Key Headlines
- Bad weather leaves Hobyo fishermen hungry (Radio Ergo)
- Ex-Bank Chief appointed as Somalia’s FM accused of corruption (Horseed Media)
- The President Hasan Sheikh Mohamud attends IGAD-mediated talks of South Sudan (Radio Goobjoog)
- Water shortage hits many villages in Gedo region (Radio Goobjoog)
- Somaliland denies UN Monitors access to Berbera Port (Garowe Online)
- New security laws justified as Kenya is at war says Solicitor General (Star)
- 38000 Somali children facing starvation (Daily Nation)
- 3 Million Somalis need humanitarian aid (Worldbulletin)
- Former DC-area taxi driver added to most-wanted terrorist list (ABC News)
- Red Emperor Resources falls as it withdraws from Somalia project (Londonsouthwest.co.uk)
UN Special Representative welcomes announcement of the nomination of a new cabinet by Somali Prime Minister
30 Jan – Source: UNSOM – 140 Words
The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has welcomed the announcement of the nomination of a new Federal cabinet by the Prime Minister of Somalia on 27 January 2014. “This announcement is an important step towards the establishment of a new cabinet,” Special Representative Kay said. “Once approved by the Federal Parliament, the Federal Government will need to address urgently Somalia’s state and peacebuilding goals. Much remains to be done to complete Somalia’s Vision 2016. The Federal Parliament has an important and urgent role to play in passing key legislation and establishing the remaining independent commissions foreseen in the provisional constitution, particularly the National Independent Electoral Commission. A spirit of compromise and reconciliation will be needed in the days and months to come. The United Nations is committed to supporting state and peacebuilding in Somalia.
SOMALI MEDIA
Ex-Bank Chief appointed as Somalia’s FM accused of corruption
30 Jan – Source: Horseed Media – 243 Words
Former governor of Somalia’s Central Bank, who has been appointed to serve as the country’s new Minister for Foreign affairs this week was accused of being involved in corruption in a UN report. Abdisalam Hadliye Omar, quit in September 2013 after U.N. Monitors Report linked him to irregularities regarding millions of dollars withdrawn from the central bank, though he denied the allegations. The U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said in July 2013, that Mogadishu’s central bank had become a “slush fund” for political leaders and that Omar had played a central role in irregularities surrounding unaccountable disbursements.
His Successor, Yussur Abrar, who was the first female appointed to such a position unexpectedly resigned after seven weeks on the job, citing corruption concerns. In a letter, she claimed that she had been pressured to accept arrangements she believed would open the door to corruption by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud’s aides. Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke appointed his new cabinet on January 27, but they have not yet gained vote of Confidence from the Parliament. It was the second time the Prime Minister appointed a new government.
Water shortage hits many villages in Gedo region
30 Jan – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 141 Words
The villages around Garbaharay district of Gedo region are reported to have severe water shortage after water ponds went dry. Residents of Daabley, Godey, Aano-maal Reysqode, Qadiida and Buraa villages are facing life threatening water shortage due to the dry season.
Sheikh Mohamed Deerow, an elder in Daabley village told Goobjoog FM that the situation of the villagers became worse after the dams dried up while remaining wells mechanically broke down. “We are in the dry season so all water wells and ponds went dry and there are no public water boozers in village therefore people are not able to fetch water from Garbaharay which is 40 away from the hamlet ” Deerow said. Several other localities in the region are reporting water shortages as people started migrating to water sources in elsewhere in the country.
The president Hasan Sheikh Mohamud attends IGAD-mediated talks of South Sudan
30 Jan – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 130 Words
The president of the federal government of Somalia Hassan Sheik Mohamud attended the IGAD-mediated talks of South Sudan in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The summit of regional block, IGAD, was widely discussed as a solution for the warring sides in Republic of South Sudan. Clashes between the president of south-Sudan Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar has erupted December 2013 after president Kiir accused his vice president unsuccessful coup d’état. In the meeting, IGAD told the two warring sides to report back to IGAD on Saturday. The regional block also warned the two factions to produce a solution by the first day of February or face action from IGAD member states. The two parties took face to face meeting over Power sharing arrangement which failed.
Somaliland denies UN Monitors access to Berbera port
29 Jan – Source: Garowe Online – 161 Words
Somaliland’s separatist administration in northwestern Somalia has denied UN Monitors access to Berbera seaport according to independent sources, Garowe Online reports. UN experts along with Ethiopian consular officials were refused entry into the port after a ship allegedly carrying weapons docked a few days ago. High-ranking officials in Somaliland government reportedly issued the order to bar visiting UN monitors from the seaport. Garowe Online was unable to reach UN experts for comments on the matter. Somaliland Interior Minister Ali Mohamed Waran Adde earlier last week told the media that MV Shakir was loaded by local businessmen from Port Sudan but later he confirmed the security officials found three armored vehicles, 10 AK47 rifles and ammunition inside the ship. Ever since indepth investigations have been underway and no findings were released to the media. UN Security Council imposed arms embargo on Somalia in 1992 following the ouster of long standing military government.
Bad weather leaves Hobyo fishermen hungry
29 Jan – Source: Radio Ergo – 283 Words
Fishermen in Hobyo district in Mudug region say they are suffering as prolonged storms have been preventing them from fishing. Hussein Mohamed Jama told Radio Ergo his small fishing boats could not withstand the high waves and rough sea and he had not fished for many days. “My family of 15 members are now facing huge hardship. They now cook every two days if they are lucky. I don’t have any other savings. In good weather I make good catches that cover the basic needs of my family and they cook three times a day. You can see from my children’s faces how life is treating us badly,” Hussein said.
Sharif Abdi Adde, who lives in Hobyo, said the cold season from December to February always took a heavy toll on incomes. “The fishing boats that went out to sea last night had no catch, and this has had a negative effect on life in the whole town which mainly depends on fishing.” Hobyo district deputy commissioner Mohamed Ali Gure said the local fishing industry had been going through a tough time and food security was poor.
“Fishermen in villages along the coast have been facing big challenges. They don’t have alternative jobs. This year, fishermen are idle and hanging around in the market places. Our capacity to address their plight is very limited – we can’t give them better fishing gear or improve their skills. We can only provide them security and appeal to the world to help them,” he said. Abdirzack Mohamed Du’ale, a fisherman, said they received solar-powered refrigerators last year from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) but would not be able to use them until the good weather came.
REGIONAL MEDIA
New security laws justified as Kenya is at war, says Solicitor General
30 Jan – Source: Star – 326 Words
Solicitor General Njee Muturi yesterday said Kenya is at war and in a state of emergency, hence, the necessity of the new anti-terror laws.Mututi told a five-judge bench that since the Kenya Defence Forces entered Somalia in 2011, terror attacks in Kenya have increased, seriously threatening to the mwananchi. “It is no longer business as usual and action had to be taken. Being a frontline border state, we are at risk. The law had to be enacted to protect the lives of Kenyans,” he said.
Muturi was arguing in support of implementation of the new security laws. Eight sections have been suspended on grounds of human rights violations. This hearing concerns the constitutionality of the entire Act. According to statistics Muturi presented, 20 attacks happened in 2011, 37 in 2012, 25 in 2013 and 30 in 2014. “The government is doing everything to fight terrorism, which has flourished due to corruption in the security sector,” Muturi said.
38,000 Somali children facing starvation
29 Jan – Source: Daily Nation – 367 Words
Over 38,000 Somali children are at “high risk” from dying from starvation despite hunger levels improving by almost a third across the war-torn nation, UN experts said on Thursday.The grim assessment, based on the latest data collected by the UN, comes just over three years since intense drought and war sparked famine in the Horn of Africa nation, killing more than a quarter of a million people. In total, over 731,000 people, including 203,000 children who are severely malnourished, face “acute food insecurity”, according to a joint report released by the UN’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network.
But the total number affected is a drop of 29 per cent from last assessments covering the past six months, with “relatively good rains” in late 2014 helping farmers. “Many children remain acutely malnourished, despite a small decrease in their numbers over the past six months,” the statement read. “An estimated 202,600 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, including 38,200 who are severely malnourished and face a high risk of morbidity and death.” Three-quarters of those in dire need are those who have fled their homes, mainly due to continued fighting. “Malnutrition rates remain stubbornly high,” UN aid chief for Somalia Philippe Lazzarini said. “The outlook for 2015 is worrisome.” More than 250,000 people, half of them children, died in the devastating 2011 famine.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
3 Million Somalis need humanitarian aid
30 Jan – Source: Worldbulletin – 305 Words
The UN asserted on Thursday that nearly three million people in war-ravaged Somalia were in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. “About 731,000 Somalis face acute food insecurity, the vast majority internally displaced people, while an additional 2.3 million people are at risk of sliding into the same situation,” Philippe Lazzarini, deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general, told journalists in Mogadishu. “This brings the number of people who need humanitarian and livelihood support to three million,” he said, describing the outlook for 2015 as “worrisome.”
The UN official added that there were 203,000 acutely malnourished children in the troubled country in need of emergency food supplements. “About 38,000 children are severely malnourished and need life-saving medical treatment and therapeutic food,” he asserted, citing recent findings by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. More than 250,000 people, mostly children, died during Somalia’s 2011 famine, which was the worst to hit the troubled country in recent history. Somalia’s southern and central regions represent the epicenter of the current humanitarian crisis, despite ample rainfall last October and December. Internally displaced people in Bossaso Baidoa and Doolow have been among the hardest hit by the crisis. The UN says approximately $863 million is needed to save lives in Somalia.
Former DC-area taxi driver added to most-wanted terrorist list
29 Jan – Source: ABC News – 355 Words
He grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and for a time made his living driving a taxi in the area. But today, Liban Haji Mohamed was added to the FBI’s “Most Wanted Terrorists” list, and a $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to his capture and conviction. The FBI says Mohamed, a naturalized citizen born in Somalia, used his U.S. passport to travel to East Africa in July 2012 to fight with the terror groups al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda. He’s been charged with providing material support and resources to a terrorist organization. The FBI says it believes Mohamed is still in East Africa.
“We know he’s received training with weapons,” Lindsay Ram of the FBI’s Washington Field Office told ABC News. “We don’t want him using his passport to come back into the United States. He knows the language, the [Washington] area, the culture and even the transportation of the region, so we are concerned that he may try to come back to utilize those skills.”Agent Ram also pointed out that Mohamed was a close associate of Zachary Chesser, another young man from the Washington suburbs who turned to terror. Chesser allegedly played a key role in al-Qaeda’s propaganda efforts before his arrest, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2011 for providing aid to terrorists.
Red Emperor Resources Falls As It Withdraws From Somalia Project
29 Jan – Source: Londonsouthwest.co.uk – 219 Words
Shares in Red Emperor Resources NL dropped heavily in early trade on Thursday after the company said it is shutting down its Puntland joint venture in Somalia. Shares in the company dropped 23% to 1.45 pence, one of the worst performers in the AIM All-Share, after it said its joint venture for the Puntland licences in Somalia had withdrawn from the project. The decision follows negotiations held between the Somalian government and states in the country, including Puntland, over revisions to the country’s hydrocarbon laws, particularly as regards revenue-sharing legislation.
In September, Red Emperor had warned the talks were “delicate” and also noted that though it had received verbal confirmation that its joint venture in the country had valid rights over the licences, it had not received written confirmation. It said the joint venture, which held an interest in two licences in the country, is in the process of closing down its office. All contracts will be terminated, with the exception of the production sharing agreements, it said. All remaining inventory in Puntland is to be disposed of or sold. Meanwhile, the group said work on its interests in Georgia is progressing, with Strait Oil & Gas stepping up preparations for the drilling programme at the Block Vlb prospect.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“There has been welcome progress in the NGO sector in Somalia during recent years, with many new organisations setting up around the country. However, questions have been asked about the degree to which they are helping to support peace and development work, with international aid money flowing in and the potential for corruption increasing.”
That sinking feeling in Somalia? The trouble with NGOs in the Horn of Africa
30 Jan – Source: Transconflict.com – 899 Words
After the 1991 downfall of government led by Siad-Barre, a new era of great decadence began in Somalia, which continues to this day. The country found itself in the midst of an intense struggle for power, featuring prominent Somali clans and warlords. The bloody civil war which ensued was followed by several humanitarian crises, with an estimated 350,000 peopel dying as result of fighting, kidnappings and other problems linked to conflict.
Although more than 20 peace-building conferences on Somalia have been held since the demise of Siad Barre, none has brought lasting peace in Somalia. They have failed because of a lack of local participation, and the influence of clan-based interests where there has been. Regional and international interventions in Somalian affairs have further complicated matters. However, in the wake of disintegration of the Somalian state in 1992, numerous NGOs were formed. This upshot of the civil war has helped to bolster the strength of indigenous voices, and contributed to the rise of self-help groups aimed at improving people’s lives in the absence of government.
Ten Somali Artists & Entertainers To Watch In 2015
28 Jan – Source: Okayafrica.com – 640 Words
Somali growth, innovation and artistry is, for the most part, only championed by other Somalis, which is why hashtags like #SomaliDiversity and #EastAfricanFeminism have gained a lot of traction in the last few months. Whether or not it’s publicized, Somalis outside of Somalia are a diaspora to be reckoned with: they’re artists, thought leaders, entertainers and writers; they’re a generation of people— from the United States to England— defying convention and representing Somalis in positive and meaningful ways. While their last names may be similar, these Somalis are only loosely connected. They represent hope, resilience and prosperity. They’re continuing the legacy of diasporic greatness in the arts and entertainment, a legacy that counts Nuruddin Farah, Iman, K’naan and Kinsi Abdulleh among its ranks. Browse through them in the following pages.
Top tweets
@HarunMaruf #Somalia: US welcomes announcement of new Somali cabinet. #FGS w.raxanreeb.com/2015/01/somalia-u
@unicefsomalia Over 38,000 severely malnourished children in #Somalia need lifesaving assistance http://bit.ly/1DjrZwF
@SomaliaEU ·#Somalia‘s regions on the move: encouraging launch of the Afgoye reconciliation conference by President Sharif Hassan & SW administ
@amisomsomalia ·SRCC @MamanSidikou1 briefly held a closed door meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today to discuss bilateral issues #Somalia
@engyarisow Over 730,000 people across #Somalia face acute food insecurity despite improvements in some areas
29, 2015,… http://fb.me/77vc5mh6j
@Abdihakim_Som “@AliMohamoud: #OnlyInSomalia “@horseed: UN and US Envoys urge Somalia lawmakers to approve New Cabinet http://goo.gl/fb/QhSDxK #Somalia“”
Image of the day
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia Maman Sidikou, meets with Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to discuss bilateral issues and also brief the President on the outcomes of his own official engagement with various stakeholders in the sidelines of the AU Heads of State meeting
Photo : AMISOM