March 6, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Parliament Committee Declares Lack Of Confidence For Minister Hosh
06 March – Source: Radio Dalsan – 248 Words
The joint Constitutional Oversight Committee has accused Constitutional Affairs Minister Abdirahman Hosh Abdi of being an impediment to the review process. In a letter addressed to the Speakers of the Upper and Lower houses the committee says the minister has taken the review process unilaterally sidelining parliament. The committee stated that article 133 and 134 of the Somali Provisional constitution places it with responsibility for the constitution review and not the minister, “Abdirahman as a person does not fit this post since he is a person who likes to manage things alone” the letter partly stated. “He is determined to see the review process diverted and at the same time wants the government to come with a constitution that was not achieved through the legal procedure that includes public participation.
The committee further accuses the Minister of blocking access to the resources needed to operate. Hosh is accused of dragging the process and not consulting the committee. “He wants to make the constitution review process go on for years. He is involved in agreement and other activities with the UN and other international agencies without the knowledge of Parliament” it added. The Somali Parliament resumes on March 10 and the committee is seeking action from the speaker of both houses in regard to Minister Hosh. Radio Dalsan efforts to get a reaction from the Minister not fruitful as our calls remained unanswered. The review of the Somalia Provisional Constitution (2012) process kicked off in May 2017.
Key Headlines
- Parliament Committee Declares Lack Of Confidence For Minister Hosh (Radio Dalsan)
- Somali Forces Carry Out A Security Operation In Beledweyne City (Shabelle News)
- Old Parliament Buildings To Be Reconstructed At $100 Milion (Hiiraan Online)
- Troop Contributing Countries Disagree With UN Donors On AMISOM Withdrawal (The East African)
- Restoring the Foundation of the Somali Police Force (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Forces Carry Out A Security Operation In Beledweyne City
06 March – Source: Shabelle News – 128 Words
The security forces of Somalia’s Federal government have launched a massive security operation in Beledweyne city, the regional capital of Hiran province on Tuesday. Hussein Osman Mumin, the deputy governor of Hiran region on security affairs told Radio Shabelle that the operation was aimed to beef up the overall security in the town. Mumin added that Somali troops have seized illegal weapons during the swoop and several people on suspicion of being Al Shabaab members. The official also said they will continue such operations until the security is restored and flush out Al Shabaab sympathizers mixing among the local population. Beledweyne has been hit by Al-Shabaab attacks despite the city being under the control of Somali and Djibouti troops serving with African Union Mission in Somalia for years.
Old Parliament Buildings To Be Reconstructed At $100 Milion
06 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 222 Words
The Speaker of the Somali Federal Parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawaari has for the first time talked about plans to reconstruct the former parliament building which was destroyed by the civil war. In a live interview with state owned television, SNTV which was attended by live studio participants, the Speaker answered questions from the public. The public pressed the reasons why the old parliament building which is in ruins following the civil war was not reconstructed.
The Speaker said the old parliament building known as the ‘The House of the Nation is a very honorable house that has huge relevance to Somali society. He said they will construct the building for it to be a landmark building and have good status in Mogadishu. The Speaker said there is wisdom behind the reason as to why parliament is operating in the house when it’s in ruin saying it is incumbent for people to remember the destruction the civil war has caused the country. In the interview, Jawaaari explained the reconstruction will begin with a planned demolition of the building saying the government will construct a tower that will host the offices of MPs and that the first phase will cost $60 million saying the cost will go up to $100 million.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Troop Contributing Countries Disagree With UN, Donors On AMISOM Withdrawal
06 March – Source: The East African – 832 Words
Eleven years after the first boots landed on Somali soil to pacify the troubled Horn of Africa country, a major disagreement between the main troop contributing countries and the Somali National Army and the international community on the other has arisen. This comes after the UN and Western countries that fund the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are pushing for a systematic withdrawal, arguing that the Somali National Army (SNA), which has undergone training and rebuilding since 2012, has built a reasonable strength of 12,000 active personnel capable of defending the country against the Al Shabaab insurgency.
The SNA leadership has worked closely with troop contributing countries and was initially sceptical of the push to withdraw Amisom. However, it has recently changed its position on AMISOM’s 22,000-strong force comprising soldiers from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. The police component is made up of officers from Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The change of heart by the Somali authorities on the withdrawal of AMISOM gained momentum last week after the Ugandan army shot dead three SNA soldiers in a friendly fire incident, prompting a flurry of accusations and counter accusations between Uganda and the SNA over who started the shooting.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“But for reform to be successful, Somalis need to take charge and decide what they want their law enforcement system to look like. Do the citizens of Somalia want to go back to the old military system, which they fought against, and resulted nearly three decades of civil war? Or would they prefer something better—something new and transformative, customized to accommodate their needs and the welfare of future generations?”
Restoring the Foundation of the Somali Police Force
05 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 2114 Words
Somalia would benefit substantially from police reform, especially one that adopts a civil policing system where officers work for the people rather than the state, and perform their duties in an impartial, ethical, and professional manner. The nation’s inherited military-style policing system is flawed, and efforts to restore the old system have derailed, as the current police force is markedly disorganized. The system is outdated and simply out of touch with what the Somali population needs. Not only do members of the Somali Police Force (SPF) lack transparency, but they are also paid little and given minimal educational and training opportunities. In addition, the SPF works regularly with international agencies when it ought to be self-sufficient. The system is in dire need of reform.
To truly understand the complexity of the Somali policing system, one must examine its history. The Police Corps of Somalia was the product of forces the British and Italians employed during the colonial period. When Somalia gained independence in 1960, SPF was created as a national law enforcement entity jointly run by the Police Corps of Somalia and the British Somaliland Scouts. Officials also organized a mobile group called the Daraawiishta Booliska, which was meant to keep order in the nation’s rural areas. The group is now defunct.
The SPF was an official branch of the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) until 1991, when Mohamed Siad Barre, former president of Somalia and SNAF commander-in-chief, was overthrown. (Today, the SPF is still part of the armed forces.) Barre, like many other military rulers of the past and present, wanted to consolidate power throughout the nation; to this day the SPF answers to the state rather than the public. In short, Somalia is grappling with a centralized, top-down, government-controlled military policing style that does little to benefit the public. While with the help of generous international donors and the new Somali civilian governments—there have been four in the past 10 years— have begun the process of rebuilding the nation’s police force, the SPF is still dysfunctional and in many ways invisible.
TOP TWEETS
@CBSsomalia: More than 30 aid agencies working in #Somaliaon Monday called on multilateral lenders to cancel the Horn of Africa nation’s debt so that #Mogadishu can access funds to create conducive environment for investment.https://goo.gl/sbVreN
@MofaSomalia: In the second batch, 13 Somalis detained in#Libya have left for #Somalia today through #Tunisia and#Turkey for voluntary repatriation to save them from #immigrationand dangerous trips to #Europe. Ambassador Dr. Ali Said Faqi performs his duties on the 23rd day.
@SomaliPM: Somalia’s friends need to align their support to our new agenda and move away from the business as usual model to a new way of working towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous Somalia. #FragilityForum18
@sntvnews1: Happening now: National reconciliation workshop aiming at regional balance under the umbrella of ministry of interior, federal affairs and reconciliation #Mogadishu #Somalia#Equity
@Eye_on_Somalia: #Garowe Somalia: Under-pressure donors urged to help avoid famine in … 06.03.2018. http://ift.tt/2FcXe89 #Somalia
@unicefsomalia: A new 24.6 million funding is announced by@DFID_Uk today. Among which £7 million will be allocated to#UNICEF to support our lifesaving services in health, nutrition & WASH for children and women affected by the prolonged drought. Thank you! @UKinSomaliahttps://www.gov.uk/government/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khayre addresses participants at the annual Fragility Forum in Washington D.C.
Photo: @SomaliPM