July 19, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Civil Society Groups In Puntland Welcome Vote Against Cabinet
19 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 227 Words
Civil society groups in Puntland have welcomed the vote of no confidence of President Abdiweli Gaas’ Cabinet which ended the tenure of the ministers two weeks into the 19th anniversary of the northern state. A spokesperson for Puntland civil society groups, Dahir Omar Said told reporters the move by the state assembly to dismiss the Cabinet was welcome noting the ability of the Cabinet to deliver the mandate of the constitution was questionable. “The decision taken by the Parliament was welcome by all the region’s 9 districts in 43 locations because of the inability of the ministers to deliver [public services]. It was a calculated move,” said Said.
The spokesperson said Parliament acted in the interests of the public by sending home the entire Cabinet through the vote and that it acted within its powers. The spokesperson pointed it was imperative for every individual irrespective of their positions to perform their duties and responsibilities and their failure would attract similar consequences. The state assembly Tuesday passed a majority vote of 47 against 1 in favour of the motion while 9 others abstained effectively sealing the fate of the ministers. In a quick rejoinder, President Gaas said he would constitute a new Cabinet after consultations with his deputy. The state constitution gives the president 21 day to assemble a new cabinet and send it to parliament for approval.
Key Headlines
- Civil Society Groups In Puntland Welcome Vote Against Cabinet (Goobjoog News)
- Some Electoral Delegates Join The Army As Recruits (Dhacdo.com)
- President Of Hirshabelle To Create Job Opportunities For Youth In Hiiraan Region (Goobjoog News)
- 316 Somalis Arrive Home From Yemen In Past Four Days (Relief Web)
- HirShabelle State Assembly Lawmakers Laud Training On Conflict Resolution And Reconciliation (AMISOM)
- The Troubling US Post-prison Experiment To ‘Rehabilitate’ An ISIS Supporter (Fox News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Some Electoral Delegates Join The Army As Recruits
19 July – Source: Dhacdo.com – 147 Words
Following a spate of assassinations some electoral delegates who elected the MPs in the last election have joined the government armed forces. Some of delegates who refused to give their names to the reporters stated that since Al-Shabaab is out there to kill them, it is only reasonable for them to join the army.
A group of the delegates who are currently in the army said, since joining the army they can defend themselves from Al-Shabaab because they are armed with guns. “Before I was always worried that I was going to get killed after joining the army I realized that I can defend myself from them” said one of the delegates. Al-Shabaab has previously threaten to kill anyone who took part in election. Many of the delegates who were killed in Mogadishu city, among them were elderly individuals who were part of the election process.
President Of Hirshabelle To Create Job Opportunities For Youth In Hiiraan Region
19 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 175 Words
The President of Hirshabelle administration met with a section of youth and women organizations in that region to discuss ways in which to create employment opportunities for the youth. The youth stated that currently they have no access to employment opportunities and sometimes they are asked which clan they belong to before they can get hired. The youth are requesting the President of Hirshabelle to come up with a plan in of creating employment opportunities for them.
President Osoble who spoke at the meeting acknowledged the lack of employment opportunities for the youth in Hiiraan region however, the administration is planning to create such opportunities that are based on merits instead of clannism. “There are the young people who want to live here, raise families and defend it, therefore, they must be able to have employment opportunities, as they are the brain power for this state”, said President Osoble. President Ali Abdullah Osoble’s promise that job creation will be provided for the youth by the administration has never materialized
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
316 Somalis Arrive Home From Yemen In Past Four Days
19 July – Source: Relief Web – 337 Words
After nearly a five-month ordeal, 316 Somali migrants have reached Somalia, transported by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, overland through Yemen and across the Arabian Sea. In February 2017, a smugglers boat, carrying more than 150 Somalis hoping to reach Europe, headed north up the Red Sea on the western coast of Yemen. The boat had originated in Somalia and docked once in the South of Yemen. A few kilometers from Yemen’s Al Hudaydah port, the boat was hit, killing 40 persons and severely injuring another 13.
IOM moved almost 100 Somali survivors of this boat tragedy, who were fit to travel, from Al Hudaydah to Sana’a, Yemen’s capital. They traveled safely overland, bisecting war-torn Yemen. On 12 July 2017, three buses and an ambulance departed Sana’a to bring the Somali migrants to Aden, where IOM teams in Aden were on standby to receive the group. After a night’s rest, IOM helped the group board a passenger boat that sailed from the Aden seaport. Crossing the Arabian Sea in 15 hours on 14 July, the group of Somalis – 57 men, 25 women, 5 boys and 3 girls – arrived at the Port of Berbera, Somalia. An additional group of Somali migrants left Aden on 15 July 2017, with a total of 103 persons (23 men, 22 women, 30 boys and 28 girls). In order to guarantee a smooth arrival and appropriate reintegration, IOM Somalia welcomed the returnees.
HirShabelle State Assembly Lawmakers Laud Training On Conflict Resolution And Reconciliation
19 July – Source: AMISOM – 392 Words
Legislators from HirShabelle State Assembly today concluded a capacity building workshop on conflict resolution and management, convened by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), in the Somali capital Mogadishu.The six-day training which was attended by 75 legislators was funded by the Danish government through its funding to the AU Mission’s Stabilization Programme. The sessions focused on the MPs’ role in resolving conflicts and enforcing reconciliation.
In addition to conflict resolution and reconciliation, the Hirshabelle workshop (unlike the one organized for Galmudug) also included constituency relations management and parliamentary leadership skills. “We are the newest and youngest federal member state and therefore appeal to the Federal Government of Somalia and AMISOM to continue with their interventions until we find a lasting solution to recurring conflicts in HirShabelle state,” Tariig Ibrahim Ahmed, an assistant Minister for Women and Human Rights in the state said. The workshop is part of a series of capacity building trainings for the regional state assemblies, being carried out by AMISOM’s Political Office. Similar workshops have been held for Galmudug and Jubbaland state assemblies. “There are numerous conflicts in Somalia and this workshop helps us in mediation and finding lasting solutions to these conflicts,” noted Mohamed Sheikh Ahmed Farasade, the HirShabelle state Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“In recent years more than 30 young Somali men in the state have been charged with having links to ISIS and Al-Shabab, a terror group in Somalia. Lowry noted the trial rehab initiative is still running, and that they are continuing to train officers both in Minnesota and other states to develop new tools and strategies in the realm of rehabilitation. They are learning how the radicalization process works in the mind of a would-be terrorist and how to reverse it.”
The Troubling US Post-prison Experiment To ‘Rehabilitate’ An ISIS Supporter
19 July – Source: Fox News – 1112 Words
When a young man from Minnesota’s Somali community who admitted trying to join ISIS appeared for sentencing in November, the judge made him an offer: avoid more prison time and participate in an experimental “terrorist rehabilitation.” But two months ago Abdullahi Yusuf, 21, was back before the judge charged with violating the terms of his probation after watching a news documentary about western ISIS fighters in a halfway house where he is confined. Critics say Yusuf’s troubles underscore the limits of trying to rehabilitate wanna-be terrorists in the U.S.
“Terrorist rehab is a joke and a total waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars,” said Col. James Williamson, who founded the group OPSEC that advocates for U.S. Special Forces. “All cases are different as are each of the individuals but as a rule, there is no such thing as rehabilitating a committed jihadist. They should be dealt with by military courts and, if not able to execute under the military courts martial, they should be locked up forever.” This latest infraction was not Yusef’s first while undergoing de-radicalization in the halfway house. After pleading guilty after his arrest in 2014, he was sent back to federal custody after a banned weapon – a box cutter – was found under his bed. His rehabilitation resumed after it was determined that the weapon belonged to a roommate. When he appeared in court in May, Minnesota Federal Court Judge Michael Davis gave Yusef another chance, sending him back to the halfway house and the rehab program with a warning that further slip-ups would see him promptly back behind bars.
The judge told Yusef authorities were “working to make you well.” Yusef is undergoing the de-radicalization as part of a sentence of 20-years-supervised release. His sentence takes into account the 21 months he spent behind bars and his cooperation with prosecutors. Davis has made Yusef the poster boy for the first effort in the U.S. to de-radicalize rather than criminalize the offense. The judge believed Yusuf was a candidate, finding that he had been manipulated to try and join ISIS by three older Muslim friends who are now in prison for providing support to the terror group. The de-radicalization effort is following in the footsteps of countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria and Denmark that offer rehab for terrorists. Such programs typically take several years and consist of a combination of religious teachings, creative therapies, vocational training and counseling. Chief Kevin Lowry of the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services to the District of Minnesota argued that terrorist rehab and de-radicalization programs are crucial for public safety, especially in Minnesota — home to the largest Somali population in North America. In recent years more than 30 young Somali men in the state have been charged with having links to ISIS and Al-Shabab, a terror group in Somalia.
TOP TWEETS
@radiogarowe: Two #Somali nationals Nur Osman Nur & Mohamed Hussein Ga’al killed within minutes apart, and their shops looted in #SouthAfrica. #Xenophobia
@HusseinUCalgary: Enjoyed visiting #Mogadishu last week. But the sight of ruined #Somali government buildings in the downtown is depressing. Let us build them
@HIPSINSTITUTE: Read our latest policy brief: Survey of Public Opinion on #Somalia’s Provisional #Constitutionhttp://www.heritageinstitute.
@Aynte: Congratulations to @BBCSomali 4 the 60th anniversary. It’s an honor that I worked at z prestigious institution. Many returns #BBCSomaliAt60
@SRSGKeating: Michael Keating Retweeted Mary Harper Many congratulations to @BBCSomali service – dedicated & responsible reporting throughout the ups and downs of Somalia’s turbulent history.
@NUSOJofficial: #StopDraconianMediaLaw. No Curbs to Freedom of Expression in #Somalia
@HarunMaruf: Who is Mohamed Noor, Minneapolis officer accused in Justine Damond’s death? – CBS News
@AbdiAddow1: @AJStream covered the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and@Abaaraha
submitted a video comment for the show. -Watchhttp://stream.
@nuurist: Statesman! listen to the inspiring @Aynte speaking at#USIPSomalia https://www.usip.org/events/
@IlhanMN: I am deeply heartbroken and disturbed by the death of Justine Damond, in the hands of MPD Officer Mohamed Noor. Read my statement here:
@PhoebsG86: 24% of members of Somali parliament are female, up from 14% four years ago, huge positive step in the right direction @Aynte #USIPSomalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somalia’s Ambassador designate to the UK, Abdirahman Aynte takes part in a webchat held at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
Photo: @Aynte