June 1, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Puntland Forces Seize Truck Carrying Bomb-Making Materials
31 May – Source : Garowe Online – 182 Words
Security forces of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland state have on Wednesday seized a truck carrying explosive-making materials arrived from Baladweyne town in Hirshabelle state. Security officials told Garowe Online that forces have seized the truck at the control point of Bosaso town and arrested two people who were on board suspected of having ties with the Al-Qaida-affiliated Al-Shabaab group. The truck was carrying consignment of fruits and vegetables from Baladweyne town in southern Somalia, and passed towns in Puntland region before it was stopped for search in Bosaso city.
However, Security officials have not released any statement in regard to the seizure of the truck and how it past security checkpoints in southern border control. The security situation in Puntland region has deteriorated in the recent period as the ISIS militant group carried out suicide bombing at military checkpoint in Bosaso, killing 5 people and injuring dozen more. Puntland, located northeast of Somalia has been relatively stable compared to the rest of the country, but frequent attacks by the terrorist groups are posing serious risks to the stability of the region.
Key Headlines
- Puntland Forces Seize Truck Carrying Bomb-Making Materials (Garowe Online)
- President Farmajo Appoints A Special Commission To Assess The State Of Inmates In Mogadishu’s Two Main Prisons (Jowhar.com)
- Prime Minister Visits Police Headquarters In Mogadishu (Garowe Online)
- Saudi Arabia To Give Financial Aid To Somali Government (Hiiraan Online)
- Turkey To Send 15000 Tons Of Aid To Drought-Ridden Somalia (Daily Sabah)
- DP World To Invest Half A Billion In Somaliland Port (Global Construction Review )
- Stable Somalia Requires Grand Strategy (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Farmajo Appoints A Special Commission To Assess The State Of Inmates In Mogadishu’s Two Main Prisons
31 May – Source – Jowhar.com – 109 words
Concerned about the state of prisoners in Mogadishu’s two main prisons, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmaajo” has appointed a special commission to assess the state of prisoners in the Central Prison and the Criminal Investigation Centre. In a statement from Villa Somalia, President Farmajo said the new commission is tasked to draft an urgent report about the situation of inmates behind bars in the two prisons. The commission is expected to update the president on the total number of convicted people in the two prisons, number of prisoners awaiting trial and female and child prisoners. The commission is wanted to get back to the president with a feedback.
Prime Minister Visits Police Headquarters In Mogadishu
31 May – Source : Garowe Online – 184 Words
The Prime Minister of Somalia’s Federal Government, Hasan Ali Khayre has paid a visit to the Somali Police Forces headquarters in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday. PM Khayre was reported to be accompanied by cabinet ministers and federal lawmakers, aiming to boost the morale of the forces and closely assess the needs of the Police Forces. The commander of the Police Forces General Abdihakim Dahir “Sa’ed” along with top officers have welcomed the Prime Minister and his delegation who received an honorary salute from the forces.
During a brief speech, Prime Minister Khayre said he was previously member of the Police Forces in Hodan district in Mogadishu and stressed that the Police has a paramount responsibilities to serve and protect the Somali public. He later urged the Police Forces to fulfill their duties and promised them that his government will place a great importance to provide the needed welfare and government entitlements. The Somali Federal Government led by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo” has vowed to implement security reforms to drive out the Al-Qaida affiliated Al-Shabaab group from large areas in the country.
Saudi Arabia To Give Financial Aid To Somali Government
31 May – Source – Hiiraan Online – 118 words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmaajo” said that Saudi Arabia has pledged financial aid for his government. Speaking at Adado, President Farmajo said that his government asked Saudi Arabia financial aid of up to $4 billion, noting that the Saudi government didn’t signal any objection to their request. Upon the receipt of the said money, President Farmaajo said that it will be spent on infrastructural development such as the construction of a new airport and the rehabilitation of government buildings across the country. Meanwhile, Mogadishu airport officials said that the facility has been equipped with runway lighting system that will enable it handling night flight services. Aden Adde Airport receives up to 30 local and international flights on daily basis.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Turkey To Send 15,000 Tons Of Aid To Drought-Ridden Somalia
31 May – Source : Daily Sabah – 229 Words
The Turkish Red Crescent Society is set to send 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Somalia on Friday, the organization said Wednesday. A ship carrying relief goods will depart from Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Mersin following a ceremony which will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak, a statement released by the agency said. Turkish Red Crescent President Kerem Kinik and Disaster and Emergency Management Authority President Mehmet Halis Bilden will also attend the ceremony.
The aid, which includes 8.6 tons of flour, 3.1 tons of sugar as well as food and medicine, is expected to arrive at the Somali capital Mogadishu on June 18–19. Turkish aid agencies, including the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, sent aid to the drought-hit country as part of a campaign instructed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Somalia is one of the several African states facing famine due to drought. Eleven of its 18 regions have been hit by the drought. More than 6 million people are in urgent need of food, according to aid agencies. The drought has led to a lack of clean water and cholera has killed more than 600 people this year, the World Health Organization has said. The UN said at least 615,000 people have been displaced since 2016 and 40,000 children have stopped attending school.
DP World To Invest Half A Billion In Somaliland Port
31 May – Source : Global Construction Review – 623 Words
Dubai-based port operator DP World has announced plans to spend $442m on the expansion of its port at Berbera in Somaliland. The investment which is about the same as the annual GDP of Somaliland follows the official opening of its Doraleh Multipurpose port in Djibouti last week. The money will be spent on the construction of a 400m quay, a 250,000-sq-m extension to the port’s storage area, as well as equipment such as modern gantry cranes and reach stackers. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the chief executive of DP World, said: “This is part of our vision to act as an enabler of trade and to facilitate growth by helping African countries develop their infrastructure that connects them to global markets.”
Somaliland’s economy, 60% of which is made up of livestock exports, should receive a boost from increased transit fees and the new free-trade zone. However, the main function of the port is to provide another connection between Ethiopia and global markets, and a transshipment hub where large container ships can offload their freight to feeder ships able to negotiate the Horn of Africa’s shallow ports. DP World will pay Somaliland will pay $5m a year as well as 10% of all port revenue.
Muse Biihi, the chairman of Somaliland’s ruling Kulmiye party, said: “We intend to transform Berbera into a hub for East Africa and develop a free trade zone.” Ibrahim Al Hammadi, DP World’s chief executive of Berbera, said that as well as the port expansion the company was working on a “long-term strategic plan for sustainability projects. We look forward to working together with the people of Berbera to restore its historical role as a major trade hub on the Red Sea”. DP World took over the port in May last year. It has a 65% stake in the operating company, which itself has a 30-year concession with a possible 10-year extension. The $442m investment was a condition of that deal. Somaliland will own the remainder. Port politics: The expansion also has geopolitical ramifications. Somaliland is a breakaway republic of Somalia, and is not recognised by the UN as an independent state. The DP World deal treats the republic as a sovereign entity and may strengthen its claim to become a nation state.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“With this new hope and enthusiasm shown by Somalis at large by both the diaspora and the locals, it is crucial for the political establishments to capitalize this new phenomenon and ultimately marshaling the aspirations of their citizen in a highly-organized manner in order to achieve the ultimate goal of one nation, one people.”
Stable Somalia Requires Grand Strategy
30 May – Source : Hiiraan Online – 1045 Words
As a country, Somalia requires a bold initiative in order to achieve its long-term objectives for the stability of the country thus ultimately returning the pride of nationhood. This requires series of complex planning towards the fulfillment of a long-term objective. The true patriots of Somali nationalist need to formulate and implement a grand strategy that require the identification of a national goal with a thorough assessment of the state’s future, its resources, political stability, and the aspiration of its citizen. The people of Somalia are tired of being stateless. They have suffered various forms of humiliation over the past two decades through the ongoing clan warfare while the rest of the world looks on.
The Somali people have brought these demise to themselves by putting clannism and now regionalism before nationhood. By now they (Somalis) should have learnt or seen the destructiveness tribalism perpetuates and the lack of empathy shown by the rest of the world. However, there is a window of opportunity today and the pride of nationhood is returning or at least being realized. With this new hope and enthusiasm shown by Somalis at large by both the diaspora and the locals, it is crucial for the political establishments to capitalize this new phenomenon and ultimately marshaling the aspirations of their citizen in a highly-organized manner in order to achieve the ultimate goal of one nation, one people.
Although a grand strategy is concerned with national affairs both in times of war and in times of peace, national strategies historically have been predicated on the existence of an enemy that needs to be overcome. To that end, policy makers should attempt to develop the best possible way of coordinating military prowess, political leverage, diplomatic ability and economic might within a cohesive national strategy. Many may see this as an elusive ideology due to scholars, politicians and military leaders alike have the tendency to define it in considerably different ways.
However, most people do agree that the formulation and execution of a grand strategy can be an extremely complex process, incorporating a wide array of political, economic, military and even psychological dimensions. A wartime strategy is said to become grand when it is concerned not only with winning the war, but also with securing a comfortable lasting peace. A grand strategy provides a national vision for the future and a precise plan for the fulfillment of said vision.
Achieving these goals of a grand strategy presupposes more than the successful prosecution of a war or the economic development of a country. It also requires a concerted effort on the part of a significant segment of society. In other words–upon its formulation by policy makers a grand strategy requires a measure of national consensus or at the very least, the absence of general resistance to its goals. In addition, a grand strategy needs to exhibit some flexibility while balancing means and ends, setting realistic goals and then devoting all the necessary resources to achieving those goals.