July 16, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia Partnership Forum Conference Opens In Brussels
16 July – Source: Shabelle Media – 152 Words
Somalia Partnership Forum conference has officially opened in Brussels, the capital of Belgium on Monday, the 16th July. Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, leaders of the federal states and international community are attending the two-day conference in Brussels.
Participants are expected to discuss avenues of backing Somalia’s efforts in building a more secure and prosperous future for its citizens following years of conflict. According to a statement by the European Union (EU), which is co-hosting the event alongside Sweden and Somalia, the conference is co-chaired by Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ms. Margot Wallström.
The conference which will run for three days will also be attended by EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides. A delegation led by Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo arrived in Brussels early Sunday. Some leaders of Somali federal member states have also reached Belgium to attend the conference.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Partnership Forum Conference Opens In Brussels (Shabelle Media)
- Engage Al-Shabaab In Dialogue Somali Government Told (Jowhar.com)
- Somaliland Farmers Distressed By Insects Destroying Crops In Salahley (Radio Ergo)
- Senior Somali Commander of terror group Killed in Syria (Fars News)
- Aisha Mohamed Warsame: A Passionate Advocate For Vocational Training (UNSOM)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Engage Al-Shabaab In Dialogue, Somali Government Told
16 July – Source: Jowhar.com – 266 Words
Former Minister of Internal Security in President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government has called on the Federal Government to open dialogue with Al-Shabaab, noting that fighting only cannot win the war against the militia group. Abdirizak Omar, who is now a Member of Parliament and member of the Parliamentary Security Committee, said the previous government had initiated negotiations with Al-Shabaab during the last year of Hassan Sheikh’s presidency: “During my tenure as Security minister, we started a dialogue with Al-Shabaab. I would wish to encourage the current government to continue with the talks that we initiated/ We cannot only use military means to fight the Al-Shabaab threat, it is also important to dialogue with them., said, former Minister. Al-Shabaab has previously and repeatedly refused to negotiate with the Somali government, maintaining foreign forces must first leave the country for such talks to materialize.
Hon. Abdirizak Omar has separately criticized government security agencies, pointing out that the current arrangement to secure the city is not working according to plan: “During my time at the ministry, we installed a camera at 48 junctions in the city and now I hear some of the cameras are currently not working. It seems we are reluctant in using modern technology and intelligence techniques. You will think the NISA operates like the military and not like an intelligence agency.” added former Minister.
Abdirizak Omar Mohamed has lately been critical of the NISA security agency following a series of attacks by Al-Shabaab. Despite his criticism, it is widely remembered that during his tenure as Internal Security Minister, similar attacks by Al-Shabaab were equally common in Mogadishu.
Somaliland Farmers Distressed By Insects Destroying Crops In Salahley
13 July – Source: Radio Ergo – 451 Words
Harvests from 550 farms in Salahley, 80 km south of Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa, have been destroyed by pests. The crops were planted in April and May when the Gu seasonal rains resumed in Salahley, after the long period of drought. Mustafe Abdiqadir, an expert working with a German international organization (GIZ), said the pests included in particular the Tomato Leafminer, which originated in Peru, and might have been imported with produce coming from Europe. He said this insect is resistant to chemicals available but farmers should plant coriander and fenugreek in the fields to fend them off.
Omar Warsame Nur, whose farm has been affected by the pests, has a large family of 17 children and two wives. They depend on the farm for a living. He planted tomatoes, muskmelons, maize and beans using $1,500 he borrowed from the money transfer company Dahabshil when it began raining. Omar said he used the money to cultivate the field and pay the labourers. He expected to reap the harvest between the end of June and early July, but it was all destroyed. He is worried about how to find the $220 to pay his six workers. Omar has very high hopes from the farm this year, and expects to make $5,000 from the sale of the produce. This is equivalent to what he made all of last year. He told Radio Ergo this is the worst turndown he has suffered since he started farming 30 years ago.
The head of the farmers association in Salahley, Hamud Abdilahi Ismail, estimated that the pests have destroyed $150,000 worth of food. He said farmers have really lost hope now. “The people have been recovering from prolonged drought. We have tried different ways to enhance the productivity of the farms, but nothing worked. We have sprayed different chemicals on the crops but nothing has changed,” he said.
Dahir Osman Guled has abandoned his four hectare farm where he planted tomatoes and maize. Over the last four months he used to wake up early to attend to the crops. He had invested $400, which he borrowed from his brothers working in Hargeisa. Dahir and his six children have always depended on the farm produce. He now needs to find $300 that went into preparing his field. He described it as the worst loss since he started working on this farm seven years ago. Last year, he earned $2,300 in profit from his farm. Abdirisaq Muhumed Gabobe, the coordinator of the agriculture ministry in Maroodi-Jeh, told Radio Ergo that they are aware of the Tomato Leafminer and its destruction. They have sent experts to survey the farms after receiving numerous complaints from the local farmers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Senior Somali Commander of terror group Killed in Syria
15 July – Source: Fars News – 192 Words
Abu Harira Somali, a Somali commander of Tahrir al-Sham, was gunned down by unidentified assailants on the Idlib-Saraqib road. The sources further pointed to the intensified assassination attempts on the lives of terrorist commanders and tensions among militants, adding that at least four terrorist commanders have been assassinated in the region only in the last few days.
Other sources, meantime, said that heavy fighting is underway between ISIL and Tahrir al-Sham in Western Idlib, adding that Tahrir al-Sham has captured a number of ISIL members in Sahl al-Orouj region following the clashes. Local sources in Southern Idlib reported on Thursday that one of the senior commanders of Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at terrorist group, namely Mohamed al-Iraqi, was assassinated by unknown assailants near the town of al-Khowin.
They also reported that two military vehicles of Tahrir al-Sham were destroyed and a number of militants were killed and wounded during the ISIL terrorists’ attack on the road linking the village of Nayrab to the town of Sarmin in Southeastern Idlib.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“The reason why I had difficulties getting a job is that in universities, you are only taught theoretical lessons, yet the job market requires skill sets. There is a difference between what universities teach and what the real job world requires in terms of skill sets.”
Aisha Mohamed Warsame: A Passionate Advocate For Vocational Training
15 July – Source: UNSOM – 779 Words
Aisha Mohamed Warsame’s education was no bed of roses. Much of the 23-year-old’s schooling coincided with Somalia’s descent into armed strife and conflict in the nineties. In 1995, hoping for a better future for their children, Aisha’s parents moved from their temporary home in Bal’ad, in the Middle Shabelle region, to Mogadishu to seek better educational opportunities for their children.
However, as they would later realize, the move to the capital made going to school even more dangerous for their children as the country plunged into full-blown armed conflict. The sound of gunshots and grenades rent the air almost every day in their neighbourhood, making it difficult for the youngsters to concentrate on homework, in addition to the perils of moving about the city.
Even worse, while at school Aisha and her classmates had to frequently flee and hide whenever fierce fighting between armed groups extended into the school compound: “We had to dodge bullets on the way to and while at school. Shooting would start outside the compound forcing students and teachers to take cover and wait for the fighting to stop before resuming lessons. It was a tough life for us,” Aisha recalls.
But that was not the only challenge she faced. Others were due to more traditional cultural biases, such as that against girls in education: “I was often the subject of ridicule from men whenever I walked to school clutching my books. I received gaping stares. I heard them gossiping ‘Why is she going to school?’” she says.
Nonetheless, Aisha believed a university education was what she needed to have a better life, and the gunfights and the ridicule did not stop Aisha from pursuing her goal. After graduating from university with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2016, she had high hopes of landing a well-paying job, ideally in a high-profile organization which would allow Aisha to contribute to her country’s development.
But to her surprise, all attempts to get a job proved unsuccessful, leaving her frustrated and disappointed. She worried that all the time and money invested in her education might have been a waste. She had almost lost all hope when she met one of her former teachers, who advised her to consider vocational training to increase her competitiveness in the job market.
TOP TWEETS
@DalsanFM: BREAKING: Somalia’a intelligence agency NISA Chief fires his two deputies Abdallah Mohamed and Abdiqadir Mohamed Nur.
@engyarisow: Somalia Partnership Forum (SPF) meeting begun in Brussels and recognizes that Somalia is on an upward trajectory and is making progress despite extraordinary challenges
@kdfinfo: Kenya Defence Forces peacekeepers serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia based at Hoosingo held a friendly football match with the town’s youth football team with the latter winning 2-1. The peacekeepers also donated sports kits to the youth team.
@EU_in_Somalia: It’s all system go for the #SomaliaConferencein Brussels today and it’s international partners. Guest arriving for the Opening remarks by Federal Government of #Somalia, EU and Sweden.
#ForwardTogether #SPF
@DrBeileh: The Somali Partnership Forum has just begun in Brussels. @DeputySomaliPM opened strongly with our commitment to leading on our development in partnership with all our valuable people& international friends. Heavy agenda ahead but much to be proud of & work on together #Somalia
@JustAwHirsi: @Jubaland State delegation headed by H.E. the President has joined the #SomaliaPartnershipForum after the FGS and @EU_in_Somalia officials have apologized for the breach of protocol; and the agenda was restored to its original status. President AM Islam has just done speaking.
@HarunMaruf: Intelligence experts in Mogadishu say there is a “serious concern” over whether NISA Director Hussein Osman Hussein has the authority to suspend two senior intel officials appointed by a president. The suspension letter doesn’t say whether the Director consulted with @M_Farmaajo
@HarunMaruf: Just made contact with the office of 1st Deputy Director of NISA Gen. Abdalla Abdalla Mohamed; his office confirms that NISA Director has issued an order denying his Deputies from accessing the HQs of NISA.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali Partnership Forum officially kicks off in Brussels, Belgium.
Photo: @Engyarisow