March 28, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia’s President arrives in Emirates
28 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Dhacdo Online – 77 words
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud is in United Arab Emirates (UAE) for an official visit. During the visit, President Hassan will hold talks with UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on ways of enhancing relations between the two countries in addition to issues of common interest.
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mahmud, accompanied by a delegation participated in Arab summit meeting which was held this week in Doha, Qatar
Key Headlines
- Somalia’s President arrives in Emirates (Radio Mogadishu/Dhacdo Online)
- Somali PM continues talk with interim authority in Kismayo (Shabelle)
- Somali FM meets her Qatari counterpart in Doha (Bar-kulan)
- Flights halt at Aden Adde International airport after bomb scare (Shabelle)
- Somaliland president seeks closer ties with UAE (National)
- Will Somalia get enough rain this year? (IRIN News)
- African linked to violent extremist group in Somalia sentenced in NYC to 9 years in prison (Montreal News/Reuters/CNN)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somalia’s President arrives in Emirates
28 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Dhacdo Online – 77 words
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud is in United Arab Emirates (UAE) for an official visit. During the visit, President Hassan will hold talks with UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on ways of enhancing relations between the two countries in addition to issues of common interest.
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mahmud, accompanied by a delegation participated in Arab summit meeting which was held this week in Doha, Qatar.
Somali PM continues talk with interim authority in Kismayo
28 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 110 words
A government delegation led by the Prime Minister of Somalia is expected to hold their second meeting with officials from the interim authority in Kismayo.
The delegation and officials are expected to meet at Tawakal hotel after Wednesday’s meeting ended in a stalemate. Participants who attended the meeting informed Shabelle radio that Thursday’s meeting will major on the creation of an administration in the Jubba regions.
The prime minister and the officials from the interim authority failed to agree on creation of an administration for the region but agreed to continue with their discussions.
Somali FM meets her Qatari counterpart in Doha
28 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan – 92 words
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Fauzia Yusuf Haji Adan on Wednesday held talks with her Qatari counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Doha.
The meeting discussed a variety of topics of mutual interest as well as ways of enhancing bilateral relations to serve the mutual interests of the two countries.
Adan is among Somali officials accompanying President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who have been in Doha for the last few days to attend the recently ended Arab League summit. The president and his delegation on Thursday travelled to the United Arab Emirates.
Flights halt at Aden Adde International airport after bomb scare
28 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 140 words
Reports from Aden Adde International Airport says that operations have been halted following a report that an explosive-laden vehicle was discovered within the airport’s complex. Government workers, businessmen and passengers have been ordered not to enter at the airport as the AMISOM troops conduct a thorough security search inside the airport.
The workers at the airport reported immediately to the authorities and the AMISOM troops have been ordered to handle the situation. The type of vehicle which contained the explosives is reported to be a water tanker and other news reports that it was a small vehicle.
Activities at the airport have stopped and there are no flights in and out of the country. However it is reported that two small planes, a commercial plane and two helicopters spent the night at the airport.
2 killed in armed robbery in Bossaso, Puntland police pursue killers
27 Mar – Source: Garowe Online – 123 words
Two men were killed Wednesday morning in the Puntland port city of Bossaso in northern Somalia in a deadly armed robbery, Garowe Online reports. Gunmen raided the Kaah Express money-wiring company’s main office in Bossaso, killing a company official and a watchman, Puntland police officials said.
At least two other persons were wounded in the attack, according to witnesses. Police sources tell Garowe Online that the attackers escaped with “around $20,000 USD in cash”.
The attackers escaped with the money , but Puntland police commander in Bossaso, Col. Osman Hassan Afdalow, has told local media that police have identified the attackers and are pursuing them. Unconfirmed reports said the armed robbery was organized by a businessman, who was reportedly “robbed” in South Africa.
Prime Minister Saaid: We are assessing situation in Kismayo
27 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 113 words
The Prime Minister of Somalia Abdi Farah Shirdoon Saaid in his media briefing said that his mission in Kismayo was to assess the situation on the ground and hold talks with stakeholders in the region.
The prime minister together with his delegates arrived in the region to discuss possible formation of an administration for the region. This comes after opposing sides failed to agree on how to build a federal state and political wrangles have continued in the region.
In Somaliland, Half A dozen Court Employee’s Sacked For Incompetence by Justice Department
27 Mar – Source: Somaliland Press – 91 words
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs have in the past week fired more than half a dozen employee’s in districts, regional and Appeal Court.
Among those employees sacked by the justice ministry were four court clerks assigned to the Hargeisa regional court, two other clerks assigned to the Hargeisa District court and one clerk assigned to Hargeisa regional appeal court.
The Court Clerks were sacked for incompetence by the justice ministry after failing periodic evaluation tests conducted by the ministry which prompted the decision to relieve them of their duties.
UK And Somaliland Governments Differ On London Conference
27 Mar – Source: Qaran News – 117 words
The Somaliland government and their United Kingdom counterparts appear to have differing understanding of Somaliland’s participation or lack thereof, in the upcoming conference on Somalia.
Speaking to the media, Mark Simmonds, the United Kingdom’s minister for Africa, stated “the London meeting scheduled for May is to gather support for the fledgling provisional government in Mogadishu, it is not intended as a direct meeting between Somaliland and Somalia. Somaliland had played a key role at the 2012 conference, and we expect them to attend this meeting also”.
There has been no official comment from the administration of President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silaanyo” regarding the official position of the UK government on the London conference and Somaliland’s expected attendance.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland president seeks closer ties with UAE
28 Mar – Source: National – 602 words
Senior government figures from Somaliland have held three days of talks in the UAE on investments, aid and security.”We have met the leadership of the country and responsible leaders, and had fruitful discussions,” said Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo, president of the self-declared autonomous north-western region of Somalia.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991, but has struggled for recognition from the international community, despite having a democratically elected government.
But its foreign minister, Dr Mohammed Abdullah Omar, said Somaliland was being engaged by countries and international organisations. Mr Silanyo said he proposed UAE involvement in establishing two hospitals in the towns of Berbera and Bur’o.
“We have made a request also for improvements to be made on the Bur’o-Hargeisa road, which is known as Sheikh Zayed Road because the late president built it,” he said. The Somaliland government has requested road-building equipment and the tools to dig water wells.
Mogadishu fish market thrives after 22 years of war
27 Mar – Source: Star – 793 words
After many years of wait, the fishermen of the war-ravaged capital Mogadishu – once branded as the most dangerous city in the world – are excited to get back to the sea. The fish market in Mogadishu has reopened its doors after two decades.
Over the last 22 years, the civil war has greatly hampered the development of the country’s fishing industry. However, since the return of normalcy, there is a huge opportunity to harvest the bountiful waters off the Horn of Africa nation, which also boasts the longest coastline in Africa.
The busy Hamarwayne market in Mogadishu is now experiencing a boom due to the improved security. The market and its growing number of customers provide a lifeline for fishermen, traders and even porters who hand-carry the day’s catch of kingfish, tuna, sailfish and sharks from the shore to eagerly waiting fishmongers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Will Somalia get enough rain this year?
28 Mar – Source: IRIN News – 549 Words
Parts of southern Somalia are yet to recover from the battering they took in 2010-2011, when severe drought followed excessive rain, and now the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) says insufficient rain may fall in the coming months. “We are concerned – our forecast shows that there is 80 percent probability that rains could trend from normal to below normal across Somalia,” said Gideon Galu, a regional FEWS NET scientist based in Africa.
The situation appears to be particularly bleak in southern Somalia, where rains during June/July are likely to be inadequate. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said they were “somehow optimistic”. “This is a seasonal climate forecast which will depend very much on the spatial and temporal distribution of the rains during the season,” said Hussein Gadain, chief technical advisor at FAO. “In fact, we expect some areas might even be flooded, especially along the Shabelle River, where farmers cut the… [banks] for irrigation.”
Accurately predicting the weather and its possible impact is tricky, and even more so in a year marked by the absence of strong climatic signals from the oceans. Phenomena like La Niña, when sea surface temperatures are cooler, or El Niño, when they are warmer, are part of the normal climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean and occur once every four to seven years. They can also provide clues as to how the weather may behave.
Somalia has two distinct rainy seasons. The first is ‘Gu’, the long rains from March to June that support the main cropping season. The second is ‘Deyr’, the short rains, which occur at different times across the country but usually from October to November, according to FAO.
African linked to violent extremist group in Somalia sentenced in NYC to 9 years in prison
28 Mar – Source: Montreal News/Reuters/CNN – 130 words
An East African man has been sentenced in New York to just over nine years in prison for conspiring to support terrorism by associating with a violent extremist group in Somalia.
Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to nine years and three months in prison. He had pleaded guilty in June. Ahmed was detained in Nigeria in 2009 before being turned over to U.S. authorities. Prosecutors in New York had accused the Eritrean man of receiving explosives training, buying an assault rifle and raising money for al Shabaab.
Al Shabaab was designated by the United States as a terrorist group in 2008. Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor said in a release that Ahmed travelled thousands of miles (kilometres) to align himself with al Shabaab and aid their campaign of terror.
Major Somali trade event announced during meeting with London Somali community
27 Mar – Source: gov.uk – 339 words
The UK will be holding a major trade and investment event aimed at supporting inward investment into Somalia.
Foreign Office Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds, along with local MP Angie Bray, visited Ealing on 26 March to meet members of London’s Somali community to hear from young Somalis about their hopes and aspirations for Somalia, and their objectives for the upcoming Somalia Conference in May. The discussion was organised with the support of the Anti-Tribalism Movement.
Speaking after the event, Mr Simmonds said:
“I am inspired by the dedication, commitment and passion I see among the Somali diaspora. The Somali diaspora have a vital role to play in the reconstruction of Somalia as it begins to emerge from 20 years of conflict. This is already beginning to happen as security improvements allow more and more Somalis to return home and make a difference for their people. This is leading to a palpable sense of optimism, especially in Mogadishu, and we are keen to support that”.
During the meeting, the Minister announced a Somali trade and investment event to be held in London near the time of the conference.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“With all these changes taking place in Somalia as the nation enters an era of transformation, a new expanded political mission would replace UNPOS in the coming months, we will continue to walk alongside the Somali people on their path to stabilising their country.”
The ‘in’ thing – Stabilisation
28 Mar – Source: UNPOS Blog – 635 Words
There is a new buzz word in town. In almost all the meetings I attended over the past year, it came up again and again: Stabilisation. I have tried to make sense of what it means. Exploring its many facets and faces, a year later, I have reached the conclusion that there is much more common ground between its definitions and stakeholders than there are differences. Basically the Somali Federal Government, international and regional partners all agree that populations living in central and south Somalia, in areas recently recovered from al Shabaab, need to be stabilised. And it is urgently needed.
There is also agreement on what ‘stabilisation’ is not. It is neither live-saving humanitarian aid, nor long-term development. Stabilisation is about enabling the Somali authorities to deliver quick, tangible ‘peace dividends’ to its people so that they can start living with a sense of normality and without fear. After 22 years of conflict in Somalia, the task is monumental. The question is where to start.
To begin with, even relatively small projects can make a huge difference in improving people’s everyday lives. For example, last year’s illumination of Maka al-Mukarama Road with solar-powered streetlights immediately brought greater public safety at night and an upsurge of economic activity to one of the main arteries of Mogadishu. Previously feared for its roadside bombs that were planted overnight on the unlit rubbish-strewn pavement, Maka is now lined with roadside cafes that are bustling until long after dark.
In Balad town, just north of Mogadishu, the recent refurbishment of the main road and bridge not only provided temporary jobs for several hundred local construction workers, but it also eased commerce and transit of goods between Mogadishu and Middle Shabelle and the Hiiraan regions.
But stabilisation cannot be brought about with bricks and mortar alone. It essentially builds on improved safety and security for Somalis at the community level. The removal of land mines and explosives, community policing, and the establishment of district peace and security committees are equally important measures. The establishment of legitimate and trusted local civil authorities through a transparent and consultative process is another priority for the Government – not least in order to lay the groundwork for longer-term reconciliation and for the re-building of Somalia.
But stabilisation crucially also includes the provision of essential social services such as health and education. The plan by Mariam Qasim, the Minister for Human Development and Public Services, to enroll one million children and youth in the course of the upcoming school year, is as ambitious as it is critical to give teenagers an alternative to joining militias or pirate gangs.
Stabilisation requires a coherent policy that sets out the Government’s priorities and that enables international partners to align their support accordingly. The Government is currently working to develop a national stabilization plan, starting with a focus on needs of local populations and building on what has already been achieved in areas that have emerged from Al-Shabaab’s control.
There is also great international goodwill towards the Somali Federal Government in its stabilisation efforts. A number of donors are already funding initiatives in Somalia that promote stability. UNPOS and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office are currently supporting the Office of the Prime Minister in collecting this crucial information from UN and international partners and from the Somali population.
This will empower the Government to take the lead in planning and coordinating stabilization efforts. 2013 is a crucial year for the Federal Government to show the Somalis that it is committed to improving their lives, step by step. With all these changes taking place in Somalia as the nation enters an era of transformation, a new expanded political mission would replace UNPOS in the coming months, we will continue to walk alongside the Somali people on their path to stabilising their country.
“Mahdi Hashi is now fighting to regain his British citizenship while in a New York detention center. But exactly how he disappeared off the streets of Mogadishu and reappeared in a Brooklyn courtroom remains a mystery.”
How did Somali man Mahdi Hashi end up charged in a U.S. court?
27 Mar – Source: CNN – 889 Words
Mahdi Hashi came to Britain with his family as a six-year-old, fleeing the civil war in Somalia. He grew up in London. But his family says that when he turned 16, Britain’s MI5 secret service asked Hashi to become a spy — willingly or not.
“They always used to tell him, ‘you either work for us or you are guilty of being a terrorist,'” his father, Mohamad Hashi, told CNN. Mahdi Hashi filed an official complaint and his local lawmaker met with MI5 representatives. But, his family says, the pressure persisted.
His father, returning from a pilgrimage to the Haj, was stopped at the airport by two people he claims identified themselves as working for MI5.
“I told them, listen, I’m on your side. As a father, I don’t want my son to be in danger. And I don’t want him to harm anyone. Put on the table what kind of proof you have against my son. Let’s cooperate and work together as a parent,” he said.
Mogadishu Music Festival
27 Mar – Source: Somali Sun Rise – 113 words
WAAYAHA CUSUB stars in The Mogadishu Music Festival (also known as the Somali Reconciliation Festival), the grand finale show on the Somali Sunrise Concert Tour. Our movement, uniting Somali musicians, arts, civil society, and the new government, the United Nations, the African Union, and talented performers from around the world, comes together for a week of events to rally hope that the war will end and to persuade at-risk youth and former fighters away from extremism and violence.
The festival, produced by Waayaha Cusub, Humanitarian Bazaar, Somali Interactive Media Association, Bill Brookman Foundation, and Kow Media Corp, and promoted by Somali Public Radio and Radio Daljir, with help from maaaaaaaany others, will feature:
Top tweets
@DanielBekele New gov’t in #Somalia should urgently improve protection & security of Mogadishu’s internally displaced population! http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/
@farhanjimale Somali govt has welcomed @hrw report on IDPs & says the personal testimonies are heartbreaking & deplorable & totally unacceptable. #Somalia.
@Hamza_Africa #Somaliland to spend $22,000 per month on a US lobbying firm in a bid to get international recognition. #Somalia http://politi.co/14mXdo8.
@SavingMaandeeq What’s D difference between nationalism & patriotism? Latter is less aggressive & more introspective. #Somalia is devoid of both; for now!
Image of the day
Members of Somalia’s federal parliament during a recent trip in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle to assess the needs of local communities. Photo: @SomaliaNewsroom.