January 30, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
The New Mogadishu Mayor Takes Office From Thabit
30 January – Source: Radio Shabelle – 142 Words
The new Mogadishu mayor and Banadir governor, Abdirahman Omar Osman (Eng. Yarisow), took the oath for office on Monday night following a handover ceremony event held in the capital. Mr. Abdiweli Sheikh Ibrahim Mudey, the acting President, and first Deputy Speaker of the house of the people, Federal MPs, Ministers, and civil society members attended the event.
Former mayor Thabit Abdi Mohamed, who was sacked this month by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, has promised to work with his predecessor and urged him to help the injured people he was assisting. The new mayor who served as the former Information Minister prior to this post, has commended the tremendous achievements made by the outgoing governor during his tenure. In his keynote speech, Eng. Yarisow has pledged to reform the institution and tackle the city’s crises including insecurity, corruption, and the economy.
Key Headlines
- The New Mogadishu Mayor Takes Office From Thabit (Radio Shabelle)
- Governor Osman Orders Vetting Of All BRA Employees (Radio Dalsan)
- Jubbaland Assembly Strips Immunity from MP After Lobbying Motion Against Jubbaland Cabinet (Hiiraan Online)
- AU Calls For More UN Support To Realize Somalia Elections in 2020 (Xinhuanet)
- Somalia: Government Plans To Reduce Famine Threat (Al-Jazeera)
- When Laws Against Rape Aren’t Enough (New York Times)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Governor Osman Orders Vetting Of All BRA Employees
30 January – Source: Radio Dalsan – 210 Words
The new Governor of Banadir Abdirahman Omar Osman (Eng. Yarisow) has ordered for all employees of the Banadir Regional Administration to undergo a compulsory vetting as a measure and overhaul the recruitment system. Mr. Osman was speaking at the handing over ceremony held in the Somali capital Mogadishu said “We can understand that the public has a lot of concern over the employment mode”.
We know people who will get the opportunity will come to governor Eng. Yarisow are mostly like politicians, and the less connected poor people cannot get that opportunity” Mr. Osman said in his speech. “Because of that we will promise to employ in a just, transparent, accountable and competitive way. We will also try to subject all employees to undertake examination, and anyone who can’t perform in it will be disqualified” Osman said.
In the well attended ceremony at the BRA headquarters in Mogadishu’s Hamar-weyne district, the outgoing Governor Thabit Abdi Mohamed called on Mr. Osman to take up on the projects he had initiated including, the Zoobe Memorial and the welfare of the victims of the October 14 bombing. Mr. Osman the Mayor of Mogadishu praised Mr. Mohamed for a peaceful handover after he was relieved of his services through a Presidential decree last week.
Jubbaland Assembly Strips Immunity from MP After Lobbying Motion Against Jubbaland Cabinet
30 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 264 Words
Jubbaland Assembly on Monday stripped the immunity from a lawmaker accused of political unrest in the southern regional state of Somalia. The Ethics, Discipline and Immunity Committee, has tabled a report accusing Mr. Ahmed Abdi Hassan of enticing unrest and creating political crisis within the state. In a session, which chaired by the the House Speaker, Abdi Mr. Mohamed Abdirahman, the MPs approved the committee’s request to lift the immunity from Mr. Hassan.
Although, the MP was stripped off his immunity, it is yet unknown if he will remain to serve as lawmaker in parliament until a court proves him guilty. In recent days, Mr. Hassan has been lobbying motion against Jubbaland cabinet. In a post on his Facebook account, the MP published names of 31 lawmakers, whom he claimed to have signed the motion against Jubbaland cabinet. Mr. Mohamud Mohamed Abdulle, who spoke to reporters, on Saturday confirmed the motion against the cabinet saying over 40 lawmakers submitted the document to the parliament leadership. According to Mr. Abdulle, MPs accused the ministers of incompetence.
Jubbaland President, Ahmed Mohamed Madobe subsequently called the legislators for a meeting, to iron out the rift between the executive and legislative. Despite the move to strip off the immunity from Mr. Hassan, it is yet unclear the fate of the motion against the cabinet. According to Jubbaland Interim charter, twenty and more can table the motion while fifty members are capable of ousting the cabinet. The current cabinet was formed in 2016 by President Madobe. Jubbaland state which shares border with Ethiopia and Kenya was established in 2013.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AU Calls For More UN Support To Realize Somalia Elections in 2020
29 January – Source: Xinhuanet – 273 Words
The AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, on Monday called for more support from the UN to realize national elections in Somalia by 2020. Chergui, speaking at the sidelines of the second day of session of the 30th African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government, said the AU has budget for peacekeeping operations in Somalia that lasts only until May 2018. He was particularly referring to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations in Somalia.
AMISOM, which recently marked 10 years of peacekeeping in strife-torn Somalia, has grown from a force of several hundred to around 22,000. The mission has for some time faced monetary pressure and domestic concerns over casualties from troop contributing nations. Currently, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Uganda and Djibouti make up the AMISOM force. “As much as we regain territories, degrade terrorist group Al-Shabab, we need to train and prepare Somali national forces to take over for these interrelated processes progress to be sustainable,” said Chergui.
“There’s an overwhelming unanimity among AU member states on the need to build institutions, to promote excellent relationship among all regional leaders and prepare next step in 2020 where we can have a new election with international standard” said Chergui.”As much as we celebrate the defeat of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, we want the international community to put at our disposal the same means and support so that we can quickly recover the territories lost to terrorists in Somalia, Lake Chad basin, Mali and Sahel region,” he added.
Somalia: Government Plans To Reduce Famine Threat
30 January – Source: Al Jazeera – Video 2:41 Minutes
The United Nations is warning humanitarian assistance will remain vital to millions over the next six months. Somalis have been particularly vulnerable to food shortages due to drought and the displacement of people. But now the government says it has a plan to improve food security in the long run.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“In mid-December, a 16-year-old girl with mental disabilities was raped by a group of marines in the town of Garacad. She had been on her way to collect firewood. Four men were arrested but were freed shortly after they swore on the Quran that they were innocent. The victim was told that she would need to provide four witnesses — an effectively impossible task.”
When Laws Against Rape Aren’t Enough
30 January – Source: New York Times – 900 Words
In late 2016, the semi-autonomous Puntland region of northeastern Somalia passed a landmark sexual-offenses law to widespread international acclaim. The law — the first of its kind in the region — criminalized all forms of sexual violence. It banned gang rape, sexual exploitation and harassment. The result of many years of hard work, it had support from Puntland’s Ministries of Women, Development and Family Affairs, Justice and Religious Affairs, as well as from parliamentarians and religious and community leaders. There were predictions that it might serve as a guide for the rest of the region. When it was enacted, women like me who’d fought so hard for its passage were filled with a new sense of hope.
Slightly over one year later, things have turned out far worse than we could have ever expected. Not only have there been few signs that sexual violence has decreased, but in the past two months in particular, cases of rape in Puntland appear to have spiked. And incredibly, in a majority of the cases that my organization, the Galkayo Center, has worked on, the men accused of rape have been members of the police force, military or marines. Instead of serving as enforcers of the new law, these officials are actually perpetrators. They knew that they would not face repercussions, and some did not even bother changing out of their uniforms before committing their assaults.
One of the most high-profile cases I worked on took place just after 2 a.m. on Jan. 10. Eight armed men invaded the Bulo Bacley settlement in Galkayo, kidnapped four women and raped two of them, and tried to drag other women from their homes. Some of the men were recognized as members of the local police force. Despite efforts by my organization and others to ensure sufficient evidence is gathered, including the in-depth testimonies of the survivors themselves, only one suspect was brought into custody and then was released soon afterward under suspicious circumstances. The lack of basics such as forensics facilities and a qualified team of investigators means that the case is likely to be dropped soon.
Other, less-noticed cases have been equally egregious. In mid-December, a 16-year-old girl with mental disabilities was raped by a group of marines in the town of Garacad. She had been on her way to collect firewood. Four men were arrested but were freed shortly after they swore on the Quran that they were innocent. The victim was told that she would need to provide four witnesses — an effectively impossible task. Those are just two of over a dozen recent cases in which we were able to step in to provide urgent medical, psychological, legal and financial support for the survivors. It’s hard to get accurate statistics on the prevalence of rape in Puntland or in Somalia in general, but anecdotally, the law appears to have had little impact.
TOP TWEETS
@AbdikarimMN: Of high-level Roundtable on #Somalia Drought Response and Recovery in which @SomaliPM,@SRSGKeating, @UNReliefChief, @ASteiner, @UNdeClercq,#WorldBank Senior Vice President Mahmoud Mohieldin among other dignitaries were present. Great presentation on drought recovery plan 2018on
@DalsanFM: Somalia connects citizens to a more prosperous future – http://radiodalsan.com/en/
@MoPIED_Somalia: A high level roundtable on #Somaliadrought response and recovery is taking place today in Mogadishu. #DINA #RRF. @SomaliPM @UNDPSomalia@EU_in_Somalia @WorldBankMENA @GFDRR @UNHABITAT
@Goobjoognews: Federal trade minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir@AbdiMaareeye expressed his determination to arrest any entity that claims the ownership of the former building of now defunct governmental department of Hides and Skins.
@Lamamra_dz; On margins of @AUSummit, meeting with President of #Somalia @PFarmajo on ways for predictable and sustainable funding of @amisomsomalia and SNA @AU_PSD@AU_Chergui @AUC_MoussaFaki @JGuehenno @UNOAU_
@Goobjoognews: New #Banadir governor takes office officially.http://bit.ly/2DNU7Tc
@engyarisow: Thanks to @ThabitMhd and his team for organizing a peaceful transfer of power ceremony and as the new Mayor of Mogadishu & Governor of Benadir Region my team will engage with citizens in order to address all the challenges that exist.
@TheVillaSomalia: President Farmajo meets his Ugandan counterpart @KagutaMuseveni on the sidelines of AU Summit in Adis Ababa. Uganda a valuable partner in our quest for peaceful and prosperous Somalia.
@DalsanFM: ONGOING: A well attended and colourful handover ceremony to welcome the new Governor of Banaadir and Mayor of Mogadishu @engyarisow farewell to former Governor and Mayor @ThabitMhd.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Former Mogadishu Mayor Thabit Abdi Mohamed handing over the mayor’s office to the former Information Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman (Eng. Yarisow), last night in Mogadishu city.
Photo: @Goobjoognews