May 16, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Somali President Tells Somaliland And Puntland To End Fighting
15 May – Source: Gosahan.com – Words
Somalia’s President has expressed concern over renewed fighting between Somaliland and Puntland forces in Tukarak village in Sool region. Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo called on “all leaders, traditional clan chiefs, religious leaders, civil society organizations, women and youth to support efforts to end the clashes”. “It is unfortunate that blood is being shed on the eve of the Holy Month of Ramadan,” the President said in a statement posted on his official Twitter account. “The fighting in Tukarak must come to an end immediately and unconditionally and the warring parties should resolve their differences through dialogue.”
President Farmajo also called for reconciliation and dialogue following recent fighting between rival clan militia in El Afweyn village in Sanaag region. The President sent condolences to the families of those killed in both Tukarak and El Afweyn and wished the wounded speedy recovery. In January, Somaliland and Puntland forces clashed in Tukarak. Both sides claim ownership of the village. Somaliland declared independence from the rest of Somalia 27 years ago but is yet to achieve any formal international recognition as a sovereign state.
Key Headlines
- Somali President Tells Somaliland And Puntland To End Fighting (Gosahan.com)
- Stakeholders Call For Completion Of Provisional Constitution Before 2019 (Halbeeg News)
- The Central Government Is Too Engrossed In The 2020 Election Says Madoobe (Jowhar.com)
- Somalia Enhances Security Ahead Of Ramadan (Xinhua)
- Somaliland Wants Uganda Recognition (The Observer)
- Al-Shabaab Fueling Disunity And Fighting Among Clans In Somalia (New Vision)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Stakeholders Call For Completion Of Provisional Constitution Before 2019
15 May – Source: Halbeeg News – 277 Words
Over 300 stakeholders from across the country and Diaspora community have called for the completion of the provisional constitution before 2019 following the conclusion of a three-day convention in Mogadishu. Following wide public consultation, the Federal Government of Somalia was urged to complete the constitutional review process in the course of one year. In a communiquè issued on Tuesday, the stakeholders warned against a unilateral decision and constitutional process spearheaded by a handful politicians.
Six years down the line, from when the country adopted the provisional constitution, the Ministry for Constitutional Affairs has spearheaded the process of constitutional review for four years, and recently announced the process had entered its second phase. The participants emphasized the need for an inclusive process by all key stakeholders, including the Federal Government and member states, on the articles of the constitution which require thorough discussion. “The points [in the constitution] that need political consultation should be discussed by the Federal Government and regional states,” the communiqué said.
The sides called upon the Parliament to endorse the chapters of the constitution. “Within the session 2019, the Parliament should approve all chapters of the provisional constitution of Somalia,” the stakeholders stated. During the course of the convention, Somali has provided 3 million USD aimed at finalizing the constitution. “I hereby confirm that my government has pledged $3million for the constitution review process to be finalized. However, this pledge should produce a Somalia-owned document, Somali thinking, Somali economy, Somali advice and new Somali unity that rebuilds the Somali nation we lost,” Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Kheire said during his speech at the conference.
The Central Government Is Too Engrossed In The 2020 Election, Says Madoobe
15 May – Source: Jowhar.com – 163 Words
Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe has claimed the Federal Government of Somalia is too engrossed in other issues that are not of relevance to it. Addressing the inter-state summit in Baidoa, he said the government was not well prepared for the security transition from AMISOM forces. He claimed the reorganization of the Somali National Army was incomplete. “The government is very busy with preparations of the 2020 elections — who should be elected, which electoral system to apply and which way forward? There are so many issues to be covered before the 2020 elections,” observed the Jubbaland President Madobe.
He said the government required to face the expected outcomes between 2016 and 2020 to ensure the implementation of the stipulated mandate. He also claimed that the government was thinking of unseating Upper House leadership and some regional State presidents. Ahmed Madobe mocked the government’s engagement on social media, criticising some member states leaders. He termed the move retrogressive and unconstructive.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Enhances Security Ahead Of Ramadan
15 May – Source: Xinhua – 227 Words
Somalia security forces have beefed up security in major urban centers in the restive capital city, Mogadishu ahead of Islamic holy month of Ramadan which begins worldwide this week. Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire who toured several districts in Mogadishu on Monday to assess the security has directed security forces to increase patrols in Mogadishu and its environments to ensure peace prevails during Ramadan.
He also urged the police to remain vigilant and reinforce security by arresting any suspicious characters that may utilize the Ramadhan period to stage attacks in the country. Based on past experience, the al-Qaeda allied militant group normally stages attacks during the holy month of Ramadan and their main targets have been urban centers, military bases and other public places such as hotels, markets and busy restaurants requested by many people including military bases.
Last week, African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said, in collaboration with the Somali Police Force, it will conduct patrols throughout the Ramadan period. “We have always had challenges during that month of Ramadan; we always get propping attacks from the al-Shabab but this time, we want to ensure that our brothers observe the fasting peacefully,” said Brigadier Paul L’Okech, the Uganda contingent commander in Somalia. L’Okech said the allied forces will carry out pre-emptive measures to thwart all attacks by the insurgents in Mogadishu and its environs.
Somaliland Wants Uganda Recognition
15 May – Source: The Observer – 421 Words
The state of Somaliland, which seeks to attain international recognition has opened talks with Uganda about a consulate in Kampala. Somaliland, a tiny country in the horn of Africa, was granted independence by the British in 1960 and shortly after joined Somalia, a former Italian colony to form the Somali republic. The union soured in 1991 after a civil war, prompting Somaliland to declare independence from Somalia. Since then, the international community has not yet recognised it as sovereign.
Now, Somaliland intends to add Uganda to the list of countries with which it has diplomatic ties and they include; Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Belgium, United Kingdom, France and South Sudan. While the Somaliland community in Uganda was celebrating their 27th independence on Sunday in Kampala, a Somaliland government representative, Dr Mustapha Awil, said they were engaging Uganda to have a consulate in Kampala to ease movement of Somaliland nationals to Uganda, especially students. “We enjoy diplomatic relations with countries like Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, United Kingdom and the European Union. We are engaging Uganda and we are looking forward to see that it follows suit,” Awil said.
Somaliland issues passports which Uganda does not recognise according to Margaret Kafeero, the head of public diplomacy at Uganda’s foreign affairs ministry. Awil said that they have written to Uganda’s ministry of foreign affairs.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE“
We have managed to ease the tensions amongst ourselves and we are united against one common enemy who are Al Shabab,” he said. He explained that their biggest worry was about the plans of for AMISOM to reduce forces and finally withdraw, yet there were still more areas in the enemy territory, which he said they needed to liberate.”
Al-Shabaab Fueling Disunity And Fighting Among Clans In Somalia
15 May – Source: New Vision – 683 Words
The Al Shabab militants have been fueling clashes between the different clans in Somalia, exploiting their confusion and disunity to recruit and wage war against the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers. Col. Bonny Bamwiseki, the commander of Battle Group 22, which has its headquarters at Ceeljaale in Marka district, said Al Shabab had been at the helm of encouraging clans to fight and kill each other, from where they would recruit massively to fail the peace mission.
Ceeljaale is located in Lower Shabelle region, about 120km South of Mogadishu. But the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) under AMISOM have been engaging the rival clans with a mission of stopping the fighting and reconciling them to be able to work together in harmony. According to Bamwiseki, the different clan chiefs have discovered that Al Shabab’s mission of encouraging clashes was different and accepted to stop killing each other.
On a weekly basis, he said, clan chiefs and elders from the region meet at their base in Ceeljalee where they have been able to discuss a way forward. They have also realised that their people would benefit from their reconciliations, by trading with each other for the sake of development. As a result, the local militias who operate under the command of chiefs and elders have instead joined the struggle and have turned the guns against one common enemy, Al Shabab. The fighting amongst the clans originated from ownership of land, where for some time major clans have been clashing on who owns the fertile land for cultivation.
The clan disunity, Bamwiseki said, had made it difficult for the peacekeepers to fight Al Shabab since they would also mix with the population from where they hatched plans to attack their bases. In a recent meeting at the Battalion heads office, several local leaders expressed gratitude to the contribution made by AMISOM forces. It was attended by the District Commissioner for Marka, Mohammad Osuman Ali, Sheikh Yusuf Osman, the Clan Chief for Ceeljaale, elders from Marka led by Muhammad Ali Abdi Jeylani Hassan Osman and Muhammad Abdikadir Bujeti, among others.
Bamwiseki said that their efforts have started bearing fruit with militias working with the Somali National Army, the chiefs and elders have control over militias who have too ceased fighting amongst themselves and instead turned guns against the Al-Shabaab, fighting alongside the Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM forces.