June 11, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali Foreign Minister arrives in London for Global Summit
11 Jun – Source: Hiiraan Online – 148 words
The Somali Minister for Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion, Abdirahman Beileh, arrived in London to take part in the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict areas, organised by the British government.
The four day summit is hosted by the British Foreign Minister William Hague and the special Envoy for the UN High Commission for Refugees and movie star Angelina Jolie.
The summit is the biggest of its kind and aimed at bringing together national governments, international bodies and civil society groups to take action against sexual violence and to offer protection to the most vulnerable in affected countries.
William Hague, the British Foreign Minister and his co-host Angelina Jolie both spoke of the devastation and pain rape and sexual violence causes women in times of war. Both urged immediate and co-ordinated action to tackle this matter through education and the strengthening of international legal frameworks.
Key Headlines
- Somali Foreign Minister arrives in London for International Summit (Hiiraan Online)
- Members of federal parliament finally pass development bank of Somalia’s’ bill (Radio Mogadishu/Goobjoog/SNTV)
- Three journalists briefly detained in Kismayo (Radio RBC)
- Gedo: Severe hunger and water shortage reported (Radio Goobjoog)
- River floods displace more than 250 families (Radio Ergo)
- Conference on better trade opportunities in Somalia concludes in Stockholm (Radio Goobjoog)
- Somalia: Puntland Football tournament kicks off (Garowe Online/Horseed Media)
- Somali pirates’ hostages tell of dramatic escape (The National)
- Global Summit to end sexual violence in conflict opens in London (PTV News)
- Somalia: UN agencies call for immediate action to curb measles outbreaks (UN News Centre)
PRESS STATEMENT
Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed attends IGAD Summit on South Sudan
11 Jun – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 543 words
The Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia His Excellency Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed attended the 26th Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the Situation in South Sudan, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 9-10, 2014.
The Prime Minister of Ethiopia H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, the current Chairperson f the IGAD Assembly, chaired the Summit. The Summit was attended by H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, H.E. Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of Uganda, H.E. William Ruto, the Deputy President of Kenya, H.E. Bakri Hassan Saleh, the First Vice President of Sudan and H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Djibouti.
Other attendees included Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Amb. Mahboub Maalim, the Executive Secretary of IGAD, Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo, IGAD Special Envoy and representatives from the United Nations, China, the European Union and the Troika (Governments of Norway, UK and the US).
In an 18-point Communiqué issued at the end, the Summit commended H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, and his former Vice President Dr. Reik Machar, the leader of the SPLM/A In Opposition on signing the Agreement to Resolve the Crisis in South Sudan in Addis Ababa on May 9, 2014 and committing to the cessation of hostilities, negotiating a transitional agenda and reforms and a transitional government of national unity that would include a broad range of South Sudanese stakeholders.
The stakeholders in this inclusive peace process are the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, the SPLM/A In Opposition, SPLM leaders, political parties, the civil society and faith-based leaders.
The Summit expressed deep disappointment in the failure of the government of South Sudan and the opposition for failing to honour previous agreements and failing to move forward in engaging in the peace process to reach a political resolution to the crisis in South Sudan.
The Summit called on all parties to honour their pledge to allow access to humanitarian workers and resolved to hold all parties accountable on the resolutions of the Extraordinary Summit, including targeted sanctions of any party that failed to comply.
After the conclusion of the Extraordinary Summit, H.E. Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed said:
“On behalf of Somalia, I was happy to participate in the 26th Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the Situation in South Sudan. We are always ready to work with other members of IGAD to foster dialogue and reconciliation in the region.
“Along with other members, I call on the Government of South Sudan and the opposition to work together to end the conflict and to honour the agreements reached.
“It is critical for all parties to follow through on their commitment to an inclusive peace process as well as to allow humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the conflict. We wish our brothers and sisters in South Sudan the best in this process, and remain supportive of their efforts to resolve their differences.”
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali Foreign Minister arrives in London for Global Summit
11 Jun – Source: Hiiraan Online – 148 words
The Somali Minister for Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion, Abdirahman Beileh, arrived in London to take part in the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict areas, organised by the British government.
The four day summit is hosted by the British Foreign Minister William Hague and the special Envoy for the UN High Commission for Refugees and movie star Angelina Jolie.
The summit is the biggest of its kind and aimed at bringing together national governments, international bodies and civil society groups to take action against sexual violence and to offer protection to the most vulnerable in affected countries.
William Hague, the British Foreign Minister and his co-host Angelina Jolie both spoke of the devastation and pain rape and sexual violence causes women in times of war. Both urged immediate and co-ordinated action to tackle this matter through education and the strengthening of international legal frameworks.
Members of federal parliament finally pass development bank of Somalia’s’ bill
11 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Goobjoog/SNTV – 96 words
Members of federal parliament of Somalia in their ordinary session finally passed the development bank of Somalia’s’ bill after several delays due to lack of quorum.
Meanwhile, the members denounced and sent an urgent message to the clan militia fighting in Galgadud region and called on them to immediately stop the conflict, stating that its “unacceptable” for new clashes and bloodshed to embark in the region.
At least 12 people have been killed and scores injured in rural areas near Guri-el town and Balanballe area of Galgadud region after two armed clan militias clashed on Tuesday.
Three journalists briefly detained in Kismayo
11 Jun- Source: Radio RBC- 161 words
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is outraged by the arbitrary arrests of journalists by the Interim Jubba Administration on Tuesday June 10, 2014 in the town of Kismayo, after three journalists were detained for hours. The journalists, Mascud Abdullahi Adan of Somali Channel, Abdirahman Sheikh Aadan of Radio Kismayo and Khader Mohamoud Hared of Bar-Kulan Radio were detained for almost 3 hours after they were ordered via phone calls to come at the Central Police station in Kismayo, but surprisingly they were told, “You are under arrest.”
“I and my two other colleagues were called by the police around 9:00am in the morning, when we arrived, we were informed that we are under arrest.” Khader Mohamoud Hared said, “We were never told why we have been arrested.” The journalists were released around 11:40am, without being informed why they have been jailed. The Police in Kismayo did not comment the arrests of the journalists.
Gedo: Severe hunger and water shortage reported
11 Jun- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 158 words
Reports from Gedo region in south-west Somalia says, Severe hunger and water shortage is spreading in the region where al Shabaab fighters have encircled towns controlled by African Union forces and Somali national Army (SNA). A traditional elder who spoke to Radio Goobjoog said “al Shabaab encircled the towns in the control of the Allied forces, preventing food deliveries , this is causing serious conditions because it has prevented commercial activity and humanitarian assistance to newly recovered areas.” “There is inflation and life is getting harder,” he added.
Several towns in south and central Somalia are now experiencing a famine-like situation due to the lack of food deliveries, and there are deaths from malnutrition and hunger in some areas. About 200,000 children under the age of five could die from severe malnutrition in Somalia by the end of the year, unless the United Nations receives emergency funds to stave off mass hunger, UN officials said in a report last month.
River floods displace more than 250 families
11 Jun- Source: Radio Ergo- 142 words
Dozens of families have been displaced from their homes in Jowhar district due to river floods in Middle Shabelle region. The Shabelle River burst its banks and flooded Hawadley village last weekend, forcing more than 250 families to abandon their houses. The village is located on the outskirts of the town and on the edge of the river.
The river has inundated several other villages in Jowhar and the neighboring district of Balad, according to the Balad chairman, Mohamed Mohamud Mohamed.
Radio Ergo’s local correspondent said there had been no reported loss of life, but the displaced families have no shelter and food as everything they owned was lost in the floods. Most of these people have taken temporary shelter in the IDP camps in Jowhar, while some others have moved to relatives or friends’ homes in other parts of the town.
Conference on better trade opportunities in Somalia concludes in Stockholm
11 Jun – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 122 words
Conference on Somalia Business Opportunities attended by Somalia’s diaspora business community; Swedish companies; representatives from Swedish authorities, The Federal Government of Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland and Juba Interim Administration and people from the business community in Somalia was this evening concluded in Stockholm, Sweden.
The main aim of the conference was to highlight business opportunities emerging across the Somali territories. In the closing event of the conference the participants agreed on the following among other things:
The meeting provided a platform where current constraints to trade and investment were addressed and the ways to overcome them made visible. Acknowledged the potentiality that private and public actors have, the important role they should play, in contributing to prosperity, development, state building and job creation.
Somalia: Puntland Football tournament kicks off
10 Jun – Source: Garowe Online/Horseed Media – 104 words
The Vice President of Somalia’s Puntland Government Abdihakin Abdullahi Haji Omar Amey has officially opened Puntland regional football games at Mire Aware stadium in the state capital of Garowe on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports. Regional teams alongside hundreds of fans poured into the stadium for first encounter between the host, Nugal and Hayland regions.
In attendance were also Puntland’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ahmed Sheikh Abdirahman, Nugal Governor Abdiqani Hashi Ali, Garowe mayor Abdiasis Nur Elmi Koor, football tournament referees and coaches. Sports Minister Abdirahman said in his opening remarks that the game is aimed at improving the social cohesion among Puntland people.
Somaliland Government hosts High Level Aid Coordination Forum, discusses with donors
10 Jun – Source: Somaliland Informer – 131 words
The Somaliland Government concluded its sixth High Level Aid Coordination Forum (HLACF), a two-day event which brought together Somaliland government officials, civil society and their development partners to discuss ways to make the New Deal cooperation plan a reality on the ground.
The meeting comes at a pivotal moment for Somaliland and the region.
With Somaliland’s 2015 latest round of presidential and parliamentary elections only a year away, and with terrorist attacks and threats increasing in neighboring countries, there is a need to ensure that Somaliland gets the support it needs to continue contributing to internal and international efforts to promote democracy, security and stability.
The HLACF was first established in 2011 as a means for ensuring harmonization and complementarity between donors and the government in implementing Somaliland’s National Development Plan.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somali pirates’ hostages tell of dramatic escape
10 Jun- Source: The National-604 Words
A group of sailors have described their dramatic midnight escape after four years held hostage and tortured by a gang of Somali pirates. Barefoot, starving and terrified, the 11 men ran through the darkness for more than 10 kilometres, ducking behind low bushes to avoid recapture before they eventually reached safety.
On Saturday night the men had broken a window in the cramped room in which they were being held, and fled. It was their last slim shot at freedom, as their captors had theatened to start torturing them again on Tuesday.
“It was a do or die situation because they knew if they got caught … they would be shot,” said Fathima Farhana, daughter of one of the crew, Mohammed Bisthamy. “My father is very weak and didn’t have energy but they ran until they were safe. They didn’t have slippers or proper clothes when they jumped through the window. They knew it was their last chance because the pirates had told them they would start to torture them again on June 10.
Aid agencies were driving force behind sailors’ release and families’ survival
10 Jun- Source: The National-427 Words
The 11 hostages will be homeward bound on Wednesday, almost four years after saying goodbye to their families while leaving Jebel Ali Port on a merchant boat sailing for Kenya. Somali pirates hijacked the MV Albedo cargo vessel in November 2010 in the Gulf of Aden. After years of deprivation and misery, the men were freed on Saturday and taken by UN officials to Nairobi.
“This is the longest hostages have ever been held by Somali pirates and it has been a traumatic process all around for the families and for the men,” said John Steed, a retired British colonel. Mr Steed works with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s hostage relief programme and was instrumental in negotiating with the pirates.
“They have been severely beaten by pirates trying to get a ransom amount but with time their wounds have healed, and while they have minor ailments they are in good condition considering they have been hostages for nearly four years,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Global Summit to end sexual violence in conflict opens in London
11 Jun – Source: PTV News – 175 words
The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict kicked off in London on Tuesday (June 10), with British Foreign Secretary William Hague and UN special envoy Angelina Jolie co-hosting the opening ceremony.
Aiming to end the sexual violence and shatter the culture of impunity for sexual violence in conflict zones, the three-day summit is expected to welcome governments from over 100 countries, more than 900 experts, religious leaders and representatives from NGOs as well as international organizations across the world. The summit is the biggest ever international meeting focus on this issue.
“We are convinced this is an issue of international peace and security, that is central to conflict prevention, that it is fundamental to the advancement of women’s rights everywhere, and above all that it is a moral issue for our generation,” said William Hague on the opening ceremony.
Hague said as few of those sexual violence in conflicts have been punished as the culture of impunity, leading this kind of crimes still continue in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
Somalia: UN agencies call for immediate action to curb measles outbreaks
10 Jun- Source: UN News Centre-337 Words
Voicing deep concern that outbreaks of measles have left thousands of children in Somalia at risk of disability or death, United Nations agencies today called for urgent vaccination to tackle the highly contagious disease.
“This is extremely alarming. There is a very poor health care system due to the years of conflict,” warned Dr. Ghulam Popal, Somalia Representative of the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
“We know there have been extremely low immunization rates among Somali children and we need to urgently ensure as many as possible are vaccinated.”
There were over 1,350 suspected cases of measles in March and April 2014 – four times more than the number during the same period last year, and nearly 1,000 cases were reported in May alone, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
In response, with support from WHO, UNICEF and partners, Somali health authorities have launched small scale vaccination campaigns and will carry out larger emergency vaccination in the most affected areas of Bari, Nugaal, Mudug, Banadir and Lower Juba this month, targeting half a million children under five.
Turkey is determined to rebuild ruined Somalia
10 Jun – Source: Daily Sabah – 163 words
My colleague and I took a four-day trip to Somalia’s capital Mogadishu to see Turkey’s work in the field. Despite the security problems, we met with Turkish and Somali officials to obtain information on Turkey’s facilities and services in the country.
Somalia’s history dates back to the early days of Islam. Ottoman merchants introduced Islam to Somalis. Historically, the country is the only one in the world that does not include any non-Muslim community. From north to south, the people are Sunni Muslims and practice Islam according to the Shafi’ee school of faith.
The history of Somalia, one of the most prosperous countries of the African continent, changed after the colonial powers of Germany, Italy, the U.K. and France came to the region.
Prior to World War I, the colonial powers had entered into a deep struggle to control the country. Somalia’s strategic position, laying near the Indian Ocean and fertile lands suitable for massive plantations, attracted the attention of colonial powers.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“In Somalia’s rebel-ruled territories, a slightly different version to the beautiful game governed by FIFA is played.”
Al Shabaab’s ‘halal’ football a different game
11 Jun- Source: Al Jazeera English Blog-818 Words
As thousands of football fans descend on Brazil for the World Cup and millions across the world get ready for a summer of football festivities, in Somalia’s rebel-ruled territories a slightly different kind of football is played. It is exactly 3.45pm local time in the picturesque port town of Barawe which acts as the al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab’s headquarters, and dozens of young men are getting ready to play “halal football” – that’s football that complies with the hardline group’s set rules for the beautiful game.
We are about a kilometre away from the town centre on a sandy white beach, close to a heavily guarded compound. That compound was raided by US navy seals in search of a top member of the group suspected of masterminding the Nairobi mall siege that left at least 67 people dead last year.
About 40 young men have put their heavy weapons aside and changed from their camouflage uniforms to football jerseys – Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea jerseys among them. Arsenal’s jersey is the most preferred among al-Shabab fighters. But the rules of the game here are different to those set by the football governing body FIFA and followed across the globe.
“Many moderate Muslims along Kenya’s coast remain bleak about the prospects of countering the appeal of radicalisation among Mombasa’s jobless youth and wresting back control of the mosques.”
Imam’s assassination deepens Kenya’s climate of fear
10 Jun- Source: Financial Times Blog-577 Words
“If you’re not with them they threaten to kill you”. Sheikh Idris Mohamed, a leading anti-jihadi imam in Kenya’s second city of Mombasa, was not afraid to speak out. Two and a half weeks ago, I met him when he gave an interview to the Financial Times in his dishevelled home to talk about the radicalisation of Mombasa. It turned out to be one of his last. On Tuesday, Sheikh Mohamed was killed in a drive-by shooting on leaving his home for morning prayers. He died on his way to hospital.
The sexagenarian preacher, who was the chairman of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, was one of the most outspoken critics of radical Islam in the country. Last year he was ousted by young worshippers from his mosque in Mombasa, where he had given sermons for more than 30 years. The young congregation later renamed it Mujahideen – those who fight jihad – Mosque.
During the interview last month, Sheikh Mohamed said he was ousted because he had refused to preach jihad and believed that the youth were “doing wrong by Islam”. After that, he moved to a new home in Likoni, a portside neighbourhood in Mombasa.
“Somalia faces many challenges right now. It will face many more in the next decade. Ought we not be doing all we can to mitigate, even if just a little, this deforestation and desertification catastrophe Somalia now faces as well?”
The Charcoal Conundrum: ending the Somali illegal charcoal trade
10 Jun- Source: Global Initiative-646 Words
The UN Security Council has noted on several occasions that ‘charcoal exports from Somalia are a significant revenue source for al Shabaab and also exacerbate the humanitarian crisis’. Recent estimates by the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea are that upwards of 40% of Al Shabaab’s funding comes from various forms of involvement with the illegal Somali charcoal trade. There are indications that this has not substantially changed over the course of 2013, nor so far in 2014.
It is certain that the bulk of the illegal Somali charcoal trade is carried from Somali ports on vessels registered in other States, so the trade is very clearly part of a broader transnational criminal enterprise that extends well beyond the activities of al Shabaab and others inside Somalia itself. Nor does the illicit trade have only transnational organised crime dimensions – charcoal production creates massive deforestation and desertification problems, which in turn reduces the available grazing land for livestock, the dominant Somali export industry.
The UNSC has responded by placing a sanctions regime around the import of illegal Somali charcoal. However, this sanctions regime has three primary weaknesses:
Top tweets
@amisomsomalia PHOTOS: Caretaker administrators deployed to liberated areas of Bulla Burde and Jalalaqsihttp://on.fb.me/QqTSeN pic.twitter.com/TfB6YLeCj2
@SomaliPM Prime Minister of #Somalia at #IGAD 26th Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government pic.twitter.com/uTK4oCMN6R
@ILOSomalia Results of Economically Reintegrating Children Associated with Armed Conflict http://www.ilo.org/addisababa/
@AmnestyUK The Somali Women Development Centre –@SWDC_ORG – say it’s #TimeToAct against sexual violencehttp://bit.ly/1u4oqol pic.twitter.com/rnMMPJYULR
@UNSomalia @UNSomalia Corrections Sector visits#Mogadishu central prison and discusses upcoming projects.http://bit.ly/1qmuF6q pic.twitter.com/cK1qvyNuHU
Image of the day
AU soldiers participate in a nighttime cordon and search operation looking for Al Shabaab members in Mogadishu. Photo: @Tuuryare10