July 28, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali Foreign Minister To Visit India Next Week
27 July – Source: Eenadu India – 122 Words
Somalia’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Garaad Omar will arrive on a visit to India next week, during which he will meet his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj and hold discussions over a range of issues, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.
During the five-day visit, the two sides will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. The Agreement for Transfer of Sentenced Persons will also be signed between the two nations during the visit from July 31 to August 4, the ministry said.
Omar will be accompanied by a high-level official delegation. On the second leg of his visit, he will travel to Mumbai on August 2 and to Hyderabad, a day later.
Key Headlines
- Somali Foreign Minister To Visit India Next Week (Eenadu India)
- Central Bank Governor Expresses Concern Over Counterfeit Currency (RBC Radio)
- Saudi Minister Of Hajj And Umrah Meets Somalia Minister Of Endowments And Religious Affairs (Goobjoog News)
- Tension Rises In Abduwak Town Central Somalia (Shabelle News)
- German Plane Hijacked To Somalia In 1977 Being Brought Home (Associated Press)
- Mobile Teams Deliver Health For Somalis “Far Far Away” (ICRC)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Central Bank Governor Expresses Concern Over Counterfeit Currency
28 July – Source: RBC Radio – 180 Words
Somalia Central Bank Governor Bashir Isse Ali has expressed his concern over the counterfeit currency circulating in local markets which he said has negatively affected the livelihoods of the ordinary citizens. Mr. Ali called on the national and state government leaders to counter the influx of the fake shilling in order to protect the lives of the people. “The fake currency has been in circulation for a long time, and indeed it is affecting people negatively,” said the head of the Central Bank of Somalia during a press conference in Mogadishu on Thursday.
He said the regional states are required to work closely with the central bank and implement new measures to protect the already fragile economy in the country. The economy of the country collapsed after billions of counterfeit Somali shillings flooded the markets which prompted the businessmen to opt dollars in all their daily transactions. “We are in process to introduce new currency which will not be vulnerable to counterfeit and our aim is eliminate these fake notes from the market in order to secure our economy,” he added.
Saudi Minister Of Hajj And Umrah Meets Somalia Minister Of Endowments And Religious Affairs
28 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 139 Words
Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Saleh bin Taher Benten today met with Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia Dr. Iman Abdullah Ali accompanied by an entourage. In their meeting, Dr. Benten discussed the strong relations between the two countries and issues related to the pilgrims of Somalia especially the great efforts being exerted by the Saudi government to take care of pilgrims and the new services launched by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah this year.
For his part, the Somali Minister praised the efforts being exerted by the Saudi government to provide the best services for pilgrims to perform their rituals in peace and tranquility. Somalia has taken a neutral stand in the Gulf diplomatic crisis and this meeting is viewed to be a step towards strengthening the relationship between the countries.
Tension Rises In Abduwak Town, Central Somalia
27 July – Source: Shabelle News – 117 Words
Tension between two rival clan militias is reported to be mounting in the central town of Abudwak in Galgaduud region on Thursday morning. The tension is related to previous clan atrocities, and has dramatically changed in the last few days, as the sides are in preparation for battle, that could erupt at any period of time.
Local elders say the brewing tension has sparked fear and panic among the residents, who some of them are on the brink of fleeing their houses in the town, to outside rural areas. The town was beset by recurrent inter-clan skirmishes in the past years, which resulted in disputes over the ownership of pasture fields and revenge killings.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
German Plane Hijacked To Somalia In 1977 Being Brought Home
27 July – Source: Associated Press – 179 Words
A Lufthansa Boeing 737 hijacked to Somalia 40 years ago at the height of the leftist Red Army Faction’s campaign against West German authorities is coming home to a German museum. The Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany said Thursday the plane is expected in September, the news agency dpa reported. The aircraft, which has been at Brazil’s Fortaleza Airport for years, will be dismantled for transport.
The October 1977 hijacking of the Mallorca-Frankfurt flight by a Palestinian group demanding the release of RAF members marked the peak of the “German Autumn” of leftist violence. German commandos stormed the plane in Mogadishu, Somalia. Germany’s foreign ministry bought the plane from Brazilian airport operator Infraero. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told daily Bild the aircraft symbolizes that “we won’t bow to terrorism.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The whole village feels alive as residents and surrounding villages congregate. The Somali Red Crescent team draws its volunteer staff from the region, adding to the sense of community pride. “Everywhere we go, we are going to our Somali people who we help,” said Dalmar”.
Mobile Teams Deliver Health For Somalis “Far, Far Away”
27 July – Source: ICRC.org – 533 Words
The families seemed to appear out of nowhere. Death and disease stalk the rural residents in this remote and lonely village, giving this drought-hit region a quiet, ghost-like feel. On Wednesdays, though, the mobile health team arrives. Ceel-Qorrah village sees a burst of activity: mothers with children in tow begin streaming in, and once the van bearing the Red Crescent symbol pulls up, the work begins.
The fight against malnutrition and disease is pressing in the small, thirsty villages of Somalia. With the help of the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS), mobile teams are being deployed to communities cut off from basic health care due to conflict, disaster and distance. Ceel-Qorrah in southern Galgaduud region is one of those villages. Drought has laid waste to livestock and threatened the way of life of pastoral communities. The villages the mobile health teams visit are up to 100 kilometres from the nearest larger towns. “The villages we work in are far, far away,” said Dalmar, the head nurse of the SRCS mobile health team operating in the area. “There is no other health service other than the one offered by the Red Crescent.”
The team of six nurses in distinctive red coats unload their equipment next to a tree and inside makeshift houses made of woven sticks and polythene roofing. Nurses take the weight and height of the children, checking for malnutrition, while mothers collect the family’s weekly ration of high-calorie, vitamin-packed biscuits. The cries of children receiving vaccines fill the air, while the midwife station provides antenatal and postnatal care. The more serious health needs are referred to the nearest SRCS clinic, three hours away by car.
The whole village feels alive as residents and surrounding villages congregate. The Somali Red Crescent team draws its volunteer staff from the region, adding to the sense of community pride. “Everywhere we go, we are going to our Somali people who we help,” said Dalmar. “And they welcome us and give us room to work in. The people are our people. We are one and the same. We are no different.” The SRCS, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), operates 11 mobile clinics in southern and central Somalia. Six began operations this year as part of the scaled-up drought response. The mobile clinics also double as barometers of alarming malnutrition levels and disease outbreaks like cholera, likely occurrences during the prevailing parched conditions.
TOP TWEETS
@Mogadishu_News: BREAKING: Massive explosion just heard in #Bulomarer town, about 125Km SW of #Mogadishu
@engyarisow: Minister @HoshAbdi meets EU Amb 2#Somalia @VLorenzoEU to discuss the review of the provisional constitution and how EU can support it
@OCHASom: #Somalia Drought Situation Report highlights#FSNAU 2017 Post Gu Preliminary Assessment results & Gu rain impact: http://bit.ly/2v1GCKi
@MoPIED: @MoPIED_Somalia Minister H.E @AmbGamalwent to Baidoa to co-sign a Resilience Project that #EUsupported to South West for Drought recovery
@RIBT_SOM: #Puntland VP Abdihakim Camey cuts the ribbon to officially open the Royal Institute of Business and Technology #RIBT #Garowe #Somalia
@PPRMOFA: Remittances from the #SomaliDiasporarepresents at least 20% of the #Somalia‘s GDP and is more than the total amount of foreign aid.#Somali
@USIP: Drought and al-Shabab threaten #Somalia‘s recovery plan, writes@graffcorinne: https://www.usip.org/blog/
@engyarisow: #Somalia PR to the UN, Abukar Dahir Osman, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
@SomaliPM: I am inspired by their happiness and geared by their need for reliable and comfortable future.
@HarunMaruf: Preachers clash with musician’s guards during performance in Galkayo overnight, 1 person was killed, 6 injured; arrests made after scuffles.
@AmbGamal: In Baidoa today to launch the Drought Recovery Program w/ EU and SomRep. Held discussions on drought recovery w/ Pres Sharif Hassan & SW gov: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister Hassan Khayre receives new IGAD Special Envoy for Somalia, Dr Mohamed Ali Guyo in Mogadishu.
PHOTO: @SomaliPM