March 2, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
African Union Warned It Faces Donor Fatigue As Mission Reviews Budget
02 March – Source: Xinhua – 394 Words
Senior African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) officials met in Nairobi on Tuesday to review its activities and draw up a budget that will guide the operations of the mission in 2017. The five-day conference which has drawn participants from the African Union (AU) will come up with a detailed plan and budget.
The Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia Francisco Madeira said the meeting will go a long way in helping the mission achieve its objectives. “This is where we are going to plan in detail what each of our units and clusters is going to do or intends to do in the years to come,” he said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Madeira said the pan-African body’s mission is finding it increasingly difficult to fund a number of programs, owing to what he called donor fatigue. “Not all project plans could be implemented, either because we dreamt so much and thought we could do everything and thus lost so much sight or we trusted our partners so much that we thought they would fund everything,” he said.
Key Headlines
- African Union Warned It Faces Donor Fatigue As Mission Reviews Budget (Xinhua)
- Former President’s Close Allies May Feature In New Cabinet List (Jowhar.com)
- MPs Call On The New PM To Form An Effective Cabinet (Shabelle News)
- AMISOM Public Information Officers Urged To Embrace Modern Technology To Counter Al-Shabaab propaganda (AMISOM)
- Fighting To Survive Famine In Somalia (Al Jazeera)
- The Fate Of Fragile Somalia Is Now In The Hands Of A Remarkably Young Diverse Parliament (Quartz)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Former President’s Close Allies May Feature In New Cabinet List
02 March – Source:Jowhar.com – 103 Words
Following yesterday’s approval of the Prime Minister, reports have emerged that close friends of former President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud may be included in the new Cabinet. Sources have told Jowhar.com that parallel discussion have been going on in Mogadishu that discussed the formation of the new Cabinet. According to reliable sources, the new Cabinet will be composed of both new and old faces. However the number of the former President’s close allies in the Cabinet list will be minimal compared to the total number of members of the Cabinet which is expected to be 30 ministers and deputies plus the state ministers.
MPs Call On The New PM To Form An Effective Cabinet
02 March – Source : Shabelle News – 104 Words
A section of the Somali Federal Parliament members have jointly called on the newly sworn-in Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre to appoint effective cabinet ministers. The MPs who gave an interview with Radio Shabelle urged PM Kheyre to include talented and experienced young politicians in his cabinet to lead the country towards peace and stability. They have also warned the new Prime Minister of Somalia Mr Kheyre not to reinstate former ministers who failed their responsibilities in his upcoming government. The MPs’ call comes a day after Hassan Ali Kheyre was approved by the Federal Parliament and sworn-in as the Somali Prime Minister.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Public Information Officers Urged To Embrace Modern Technology To Counter Al-Shabaab propaganda
02 March – Source: AMISOM – 437 Words
Public information officers serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have been urged to embrace modern information communication technology to enable the Mission effectively counter Al-Shabaab propaganda. The AMISOM Acting Deputy Force Commander, Col. Ali Nouhou Abdool, made the remarks while opening a three-day information operations training workshop for military public information officers (PIOs) in Mogadishu, facilitated by the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, established by the United States Africa Command.
He reminded the participants that AMISOM was dealing with a technologically savvy enemy who had no regard for rules of engagement, adding that Al-Shabaab was busy exploiting the power of social media to spread falsehoods, which must be countered at all cost by embracing modern technology.
“You must have realized how tough and crafty the enemy we are dealing with is. He does not use or obey the rules of engagement we do; he uses propaganda to damage our cause and mission. You see how aggressive he is in the use of social media. I urge you to use this workshop to equip yourselves with skills to match and fight this enemy,” Col. Abdool who is also the AMISOM Chief of Training observed.
After being driven out of the major towns, by AMISOM and Somali security forces, Al-Shabaab has reverted to asymmetrical warfare and abuse of social media to justify its war against AMISOM and killing of innocent civilians. AMISOM is currently coming up with effective strategies to counter the Al-Shabaab narrative.
Fighting To Survive Famine In Somalia
02 March – Source: Al Jazeera – 246 Words
A week after his inauguration, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo declared a state of disaster in his drought-stricken country of Somalia, where the lives of 6.2 million people are now at risk. Even as the ongoing war against al-Shabab continues and African Union forces (AMISOM) fight to assist the fragile government, the looming famine has become a priority.
The drought will be a trial for all those involved in Somalia’s struggles. It will test the international community’s response, the government’s ability to assist, and the strength of security provided by the African Union forces. In the far north of Somalia, three years with little rain has had increasingly disastrous effects for a population reliant on the land. The parched earth has failed to produce food for the camels and goats that the people depend on for their income, meat, and milk for their children.
Local leaders in Puntland estimate the pastoralists have already lost 65 percent of their animals. While the men accompany the remaining livestock in the hunt for grazing land, the women and children are migrating towards towns on main roads in search of alternative sources of food. Displaced people have been setting up tents along the roads in hope of receiving aid from passing vehicles. It’s there the women, children, and elderly wait for assistance in the heat and dust. In the coming months, if the word famine is used to describe the crisis in Somalia, it will mean that help never came.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The newly elected parliament is filled with entrepreneurs, media managers, civil society members, fashion designers, and even university students. Many members are young, hold dual citizenships, and hail from diverse backgrounds. Almost 60% of the 275 elected members of the lower house of parliament the country’s 10th parliament was sworn in at the end of December were between the ages of 25 and 50, according to the United Nations Development Programme, which supported the electoral process.”
The Fate Of Fragile Somalia Is Now In The Hands Of A Remarkably Young, Diverse Parliament
02 March – Source : Quartz – 414 Words
On March 1, Somalia’s parliament approved the appointment of new prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire, a political newcomer. The 49-year-old Somali-Norwegian is a former humanitarian worker and oil executive. Khaire isn’t the only novice to have entered the fray of Somali politics. The newly elected parliament is filled with entrepreneurs, media managers, civil society members, fashion designers, and even university students. Many members are young, hold dual citizenships, and hail from diverse backgrounds. Almost 60% of the 275 elected members of the lower house of parliament the country’s 10th parliament was sworn in at the end of December were between the ages of 25 and 50, according to the United Nations Development Programme, which supported the electoral process. Almost half the 54 members of the upper house of parliament were under the age of 50.
Somalia doesn’t have universal suffrage lawmakers vote for the country’s president. The parliamentarians’ recent election of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo as Somalia’s ninth president has created a renewed sense of hope and optimism in one of the world’s most fragile states.
The elections also saw a significant increase in female representation. In the last parliament, Somali women held less than 14% of the seats, a figure that has now increased to 24%, according to Wakiil, an online database promoting transparency in the electoral process. The increase in the lower house alone puts Somalia ahead of other African countries like Kenya (where 19% of lower-house members are women) and Nigeria (5.6%), according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
TOP TWEETS
@engyarisow: EU Amb 2 #Somalia @VLorenzoEU meets Minister of Finance & Police Commissioner to discuss the reform of salary payments to police officers
@HassanIstiila: #BREAKING: Two foreign teachers kidnapped by unknown gunmen, they are working in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. #Somalia
@weltenbuerger1: The fate of fragile #Somalia is now in the hands of a remarkably young, diverse parliament https://qz.com/922449 via @qzafrica
@adancabdulle: US Special Forces in unmarked armored vehicles seen in #Galmudug in coordinated attacks with #Galmudug & Puntland against Al Shabab.
@itayron5 : Support & solidarity will be crucial now for #Somalia to stand unite in its new path as #AlShabaab will try to increase attacks, destabilize
@cgtnafrica : Coming on #AfricaLive with @pwkaribe #Somalia president declares drought a national disaster, appeals for assistance to help those affected
@engyarisow : Head of DFID in #Somalia “Sustained and effective response to the ongoing drought will avert a possible famine in…
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Photo: Cutting a ribbon of hope for youths in Kismayo at the launch of the Kismayo Demobilization Disarmament and Reintegration Center for disengaged combatants – Jubbland First Deputy President Mohamud Sayid Aden is seen here performing the honors with the Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Somalia, Markus Bollmohr.