March 30, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Newly Endorsed Cabinet To Have First Meeting To Discuss Two Key Issues
30 March – Source: Jowhar.com – 115 Words
The newly endorsed Cabinet of Ministers will today meet after it was approved by the Federal Parliament yesterday. The meeting was announced by the Prime Minister following approval of the Cabinet to discuss two important issues regarding the ongoing drought response efforts and the rising insecurity in the capital.
The meeting will also discuss on general orientation for the cabinet members, familiarization and preparing to take over the new offices. PM Hassan Ali Khayre said his government would give special and urgent attention to drought relief operations and security. He said it was time to end the cycle of terrorism and insecurity in the country, adding that they will mobilize the society to contain rising insecurity in the capital.
Key Headlines
- Newly Endorsed Cabinet To Have First Meeting To Discuss Two Key Issues (jowhar.com)
- Farmajo Tells Arab League Leaders Terrorism Is Somalia’s Biggest Threat (Hiiraan Online)
- President Farmaajo Meets With King Of Jordan (Garowe Online)
- National-level Project To Improve Vocational Skills Launched In Kismayo (Hiiraan Online)
- Kenya Says Direct Flights From Somalia To Boost Ties (Xinhua)
- Somalia’s Drought Threatens Half The Population (UN Dispatch)
- Somalia’s Stabilisation Is On Course In Spite Of Monumental Challenges (The Eastafrican)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Farmajo Tells Arab League Leaders Terrorism Is Somalia’s Biggest Threat
29 March – Source : Hiiraan Online – 405 Words
Leaders from 21 Arab League member states met in Sweimeh on the Dead Sea coast in Jordan for the annual summit amid multiple challenges in the region including war and drought. The League called for unity to counter “foreign interference” in regional wars that devastate parts of Syria, Yemen and Iraq as the group met on Wednesday. The Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo told the group of Arab leaders that terrorism was the biggest threat to Somali stability. “Somalia faces many challenges, including recurrent droughts and famine, and most atrocious of all, terrorism. “
“Terror attacks that cause unimaginable loss of lives and destruction of property is the biggest affront to progress, stability in Somalia.” The President went on to say that “Terrorism is a fast growing tumor in almost all continents. Unfortunately, Somalia had endured it longer than the rest.” Somalia is currently battling Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group that has vowed to fight the federal government and African Union (AU) troops for control of Somalia. The Al-Qaeda allied group has been pushed out of most major towns formerly in its control but has been able to launch attacks against checkpoints, hotels and other targets with regularity.
President Farmajo also used the stage to raise awareness for the drastic humanitarian crises facing Somalia, as the worsening drought is threatening to plunge the country into a famine it’s third in a quarter century. “More than 3M women, children and elderly people face enormous risks, if immediate support is not extended to them.” Farmajo attributed the droughts and deaths to a number of factors including climate change and dried rivers.
President Farmaajo Meets With King Of Jordan
30 March – Source : Garowe Online – 170 Words
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo met with King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman on the sidelines of the 28th Arab league summit. President Farmaajo discussed with King Abdullah on ways to enhance the bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields, including security, trade and investment as well as drought assistance programs.
Former Somali Foreign affairs Minister Abdisalam Hadliye, current ambassador to Saudi Arabia and other top officials accompanied Farmaajo’s private meeting with King Abdullah. Somali President has also met with other Arab leaders and discussed with them the current situation of the country, mainly the drought and fighting the militant group Al-Shabaab, which is a major threat to the region.
The meetings come in line with Somali President’s efforts aimed at sustaining cordial relations and an enduring strategic partnership with the international community. During the summit, President Farmaajo has highlighted the current situation in the country and appealed to the leaders to extend efforts to rebuild the nation and support the country in their fight against extremists.
National-level Project To Improve Vocational Skills Launched In Kismayo
30 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 160 Words
A National-level project aimed at improving vocational skills and higher education has been launched in Kismayo. The project by the European Union and Care International seeks to train people in jobs related to roads infrastructure and renewable energy. The opening ceremony was attended by officials from the federal ministry of education and education authorities from Jubbaland, Puntland, Galmudug, ISWA and Banadir regional administration.
The 3.8 million project seeks to create job opportunities for young people while equipping them with various skills that can land them job opportunities. Speaking at the event, Permanent secretary of the ministry of education Ahmed Yusuf said the project will be expanded to other regions in the country. In his address at the event, Jubaland President said the project was important for the Somali society urging on its expansion to other regions in the country. The project was kicked off amid efforts by the ministry of education to unify the education curriculum of the country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya Says Direct Flights From Somalia To Boost Ties
30 March – Source : Xinhua – 475 Words
The Kenyan government said on Wednesday that the resumption of direct flights between Mogadishu and Nairobi will help boost bilateral ties between Kenya and Somalia. Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the historic direct flights between the two cities signalled a revitalization of cooperation between the two neighbouring countries, brimming with optimism that it would also enhance trade. “For us in the transport sector, we have always been working to boost Nairobi’s position as a regional aviation hub,” Macharia said in Nairobi.
Macharia was when he received the first direct flight after 10 years of suspension, carrying 49 passengers from the Somali capital, landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi shortly after 1:00 p.m. The re-launch of direct flights between Nairobi and Mogadishu was agreed upon at bilateral talks between Kenya and Somalia that were led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed during his first State visit to Kenya last week.
For the last 10 years, flights from Mogadishu were landing at Wajir airport for thorough screening and vetting of passengers before proceeding to Nairobi. Kenya in 2006 introduced a stopover in Wajir International Airport in northeast Kenya for all flights coming to Nairobi from Mogadishu over security concerns. “With the opportunities available in the region and the improved security environment and stability following the recent election of President Mohamed, the resumption of direct flights could not have come at a better time,” Macharia said.
Somalia’s Drought Threatens Half The Population
30 March – Source : UN Dispatch – 156 Words
Somalia’s current drought is threatening half of the country’s population, or about 6 million people, according to the United Nations. Aid agencies have scaled up efforts but say more support is urgently needed…The crisis has once again uprooted hundreds of thousands of people across Somalia, which already has a sprawling diaspora of 2 million people after a quarter-century of conflict. Drought-stricken families are on the move, trying to reach points where international aid agencies are distributing food.
The agencies cannot distribute food in areas under the control of al-Shabab, Somalia’s homegrown Islamic extremist rebels who are affiliated to al-Qaida. Somalia’s fragile central government struggles to assert itself beyond the capital and other limited areas. Between November and the end of February, around 257,000 people in this Horn of Africa nation have been internally displaced because of the drought, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Some are moving to urban areas, others into neighboring countries.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Those building blocks include addressing the continuing threat of terrorism and the complexity of security reforms. Somalia needs support to build functioning state institutions, democratic governance, and rule of law. Somalia needs support to meet the needs of its citizens and re-establish social cohesion. Somalia needs support to stimulate employment opportunities, restore vital public services and rehabilitate social infrastructure.”
Somalia’s Stabilisation Is On Course In Spite Of Monumental Challenges
30 March – Source : The Eastafrican – 974 Words
More than two million Somalis have been displaced in one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises that has now entered its third decade. An estimated 1.1 million people are internally displaced within Somalia and nearly 900,000 are refugees in the region with estimates of over 324,000 in Kenya; 245,000 in Ethiopia; 255,000 in Yemen ; 41,000 in Uganda; and 13,000 in Djibouti. I salute the IGAD member states, and Yemen, for the exceptional generosity they have extended to Somali refugees in their greatest time of need. Without exception, they have shown exemplary compassion, allowing women, men and children who had nowhere else to go, to seek refuge on their territories.
Notwithstanding their own monumental needs, Somalia’s neighbours have generously kept their borders open, provided refugees with security and protection, and unfailingly shared meagre resources like land, water and firewood. We must not forget that in Somalia the impact of war, terrorism and sometimes famine has been devastating. Today, there are encouraging signs of progress towards improving the situation in Somalia. On the political front, there is new hope following the recent elections. The new president enjoys massive support and greater legitimacy than any other president in the past 25 years. As Somalia moves into a new phase, other stabilisation achievements are discernible. Security is a case in point. Several IGAD member states Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have contributed troops that are working with the Somali national security forces to increase security throughout the country.
It is important, also, to acknowledge ongoing voluntary repatriation movements, albeit on a very small scale, from mostly Djibouti, Kenya and Yemen. It must be emphasised that refugees who choose to return to Somalia are provided with detailed information about the places they are returning to, and that they do so voluntarily.
TOP TWEETS
@TheVillaSomalia: “The drought situation in #Somalia has caused the death of millions of livestock, thus diminishing our strongest economic mainstay.”
@TheVillaSomalia: I thank His Majesty King Abdullah of #Jordan for his warm hospitality @ brotherly welcome during the #ArabLeagueSummit. @RHCJO @MofaSomalia
@IOM_Somalia: “I lost all animals decades ago during my 1st famine in 1980s, however this the worst #drought I have ever seen in my life” Ahmed 4rm #Burao
@WVUKNews: #FightingFamine: 3,000 people a day fleeing in #cholera-stricken #Somalia as famine looms http://ow.ly/iqfv30aopEk
@RadioErgo: #Drought-displaced children from southern #Somalia forced to work to support their families in Mogadishu http://bit.ly/2oBqGYB
@OCHASom: During emergencies like in #Somalia, limited access 2 reproductive health puts the lives of women & babies @ high risk @UNFPA_SOMALIA
@GenevaImpact: Rapidly deteriorating drought has hit Somalia – @UNMigration calls on partners to scale-up humanitarian support: http://bit.ly/2lDhYI4
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo meets with King Abdullah of Jordan on the sidelines of the 28th Arab League Summit in Jordan
Photo: @TheVillaSomalia