May 27, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Talks Collapse Between Government And Opposition In Somaliland
27 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 140 Words
Reports from Hargeysa are indicating that talks between the government of Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo and opposition party over the disputed extension has collapsed. According to the chairman of the main opposition party of Waddani Abdirahman Irro, the parties couldn’t agree to end the disagreements about the extension of mandate for the president by the senate house in Somaliland.“
I can tell you the talks has collapsed, and I would urge if there is anyone out there who can help negotiate between us is most welcome” said Abdirahman. But envoys from Kulmiye and UCID parties sounded optimistic, and said that the talks are still ongoing.The talks has been going on since the fallout between the ruling party and opposition over the extension by the senate house which gave the president another year to rule the self proclaimed republic of Somaliland.
Key Headlines
- Talks Collapse Between Government And Opposition In Somaliland (Goobjoog News)
- Deputy PM Held Meeting With Top Financial Committee (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia Launches New Campaign To End Female Genital Mutilation (Radio Danaan)
- Kenya Police: No Officers Killed In Al-Shabaab Attack (Somali Current)
- Sharmarke and Madoobe Hold Talks To Iron Differences Between The Federal Government And The Regional State (Wacaal News)
- Security Council Renews Mandate Of UN Mission in Somalia (Xinhua)
- Kenyans Lament Al-Shabaab’s Recruitment Of Youths (Voice of America)
- Somali Filmmaker Hopes ‘Lobby’ Prompts Dialogue (Twin Cities Press)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Deputy PM Held Meeting With Top Financial Committee
27 May – Source – Goobjoog News – 212 Words
Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Arte Ghalib has met with top government Financial Management committee which is tasked to oversee the smooth running of the state finances. The committee which is parallel to that of IMF and World Bank backed Joint Financial Management consists of Finance Minister, Central Bank governor, top financial advisers, state minister for finance in the office of the prime minister, the auditor general and the attorney general. “We would like to rearrange the management of finances, we would like to face it in a new way, and it’s very productive as we are seeking to get real accountability , this system of financial regulation is aimed at achieving the 2016 vision” said the deputy prime minister.
Arte also pointed out the government has employed a world bank funded electronic system known as FMIS which captures the data about the income and records expenses to avoid corruption and misappropriation of funds “The FMIS system is now implemented in the finance ministry, the central bank, in the port and in the airport” said the deputy PM. The government is also planning to implement the system in all ministries at the end of this year. This meeting came as the cabinet is tightening its grip on the financial matters as it faces budgetary issues.
Somalia Launches New Campaign To End Female Genital Mutilation
26 May – Source: Radio Danaan- 217 Words
Somalia’s government has launched a new campaign aimed at putting an end to female genital mutilation. In partnership with NGOs and local activists, Somalia’s health ministry convened a meeting discussing the FGM which left many Somali women mutilated. According to UNICEF, FGM prevalence is about 95 percent and is primarily performed on girls aged 4-11 in Somalia. The survey said that FGM can have severely adverse effects on the physical, mental and psychosocial well being of those who undergo the practice. The health consequences of FGM are both immediate and life-long. Despite the many internationally recognized laws against FGM, lack of validation in Islam and global advocacy to eradicate the practice, it remains embedded in Somali culture, according to UNICEF.
“We need to decide changing the current FGM status in Somalia which seems to be worrying.” said Mumino Sheikh, Somalia’s deputy health minister. Beyond the obvious initial pain of the procedure, the long-term physiological, sexual and psychological effects of FGM/C are well documented. The consequences can even include death as a result of shock, hemorrhage or septicemia, according to health organizations.Despite the many internationally recognized laws against FGM, lack of validation in Islam and global advocacy to eradicate the practice, it remains embedded in Somali culture.
Kenya Police: No Officers Killed In Al-Shabaab Attack
27 May – Source: Somali Current – 127 Words
Kenyan Police has denied reports that Al-Shabaab militants group killed several officers during ambush in Yumbis village in Garissa County. Kenya Inspector Police General said only Five officers were injured in the attack of which two are critical, adding they found all the other officers who were missing after Monday evening incident. The Inspector Statement comes hours after Al-Shabaab claimed the attack saying they have killed 30 officers in separate attacks on Monday. Mr.Boinnet has admitted that the group has burnt five vehicles during the attacks. After Garissa University attack, Kenya has intensified border patrol to prevent the infiltration of Al-Shabaab into the country. Al-Shabaab vowed to continue carrying deadly attacks in Kenya in retaliation of the Kenyan troops presence in Somalia.
Sharmarke and Madoobe Hold Talks To Iron Differences Between The Federal Government And The Regional State
27 May – Source: Wacaal News – 204 Words
Following increasing misunderstanding between the regional state of Jubbaland and the federal government of Somalia, Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke has landed in Kismaayo yesterday afternoon to iron out any differences with the regional administration. The premier held lengthy discussions with his host Ahmed Madoobe in a closed door meeting also attended by office of the president minister Abdikani Jama. The Federal delegation included ministers for transport and aviation Ali Ahmed Jama his religion and cultural affairs counterpart Adikadir Bagdadi, posts and communications minister Guleid Hussein Kassim and his constitutional affairs colleague Abdirahman Odowaa.
The meeting between the two sides comes after President Madoobe and Interior minister Diini failed to come to a common ground. Issues of contention which the two sides discussed include the integration of armed forces on which the regional state has voiced concerns as it claimed to be self-sufficient in terms of military might and showed reluctance to accept federal forces in its territories. Jubbaland state was also furious with a motion tabled at the Federal Parliament by more than 40 MPs. The MPs sought to petition the state for irregular formation of its newly constituted Parliament. The motion was later shelved after shuttle diplomacy between the two sides yielded fruits.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Security Council Renews Mandate Of UN Mission In Somalia
27 May – Source: Xinhua – 358 Words
The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) until August as the Horn of Africa country continues down its road towards political recovery and increased security. The new extension approved by the Security Council will now see UNSOM’s mandate expire on Aug. 7, 2015.
The resolution reaffirms the 15-nation UN body’s “respect” for Somalia’s “sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and unity” while allowing the United Nations and African Union (AU) to review the dynamics of a temporary surge of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops.
Moreover, the Security Council recalled its request for both the UN and AU to set out a series of recommendations for the next steps in the military campaign against Al-Shabaab — the Islamist extremist group that has waged a long-standing terrorist campaign against the Somali government.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Al-Shabaab has intensified its recruitment of the mostly Kenyan youth and other pastoralist tribes from the larger Isiolo County to beef up its ranks. Al-Shabaab operatives within Isiolo town have trained their eyes on mostly young and unsuspecting school girls and boys. A vast network of influencers and recruitment agents freely roam around town, identifying idle youth who are their immediate targets. Once the identified youths have been lured to join the jihadist movement, another team takes over. At least 200 boys are missing from schools within Isiolo and their whereabouts remain unknown.”
Kenyans Lament Al-Shabaab’s Recruitment Of Youths
26 May – Source: Voice of America – 1,070 Words
The Al-Shabaab militants who have long battled for control of Somalia also have recruited thousands of young people in Kenya, leaving many families bereft. In the Kenyan town of Isiolo, a key target of a new Al-Shabaab recruitment drive, there is agony, fear and lost hope. At a relatively quiet open-air restaurant three kilometers outside Isiolo, several women meet to talk about their fears, their struggles to get loved ones back from the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab, and how to keep others out of the hands of recruiters.
For Zainab Hashi, the wound is still fresh. Her son left home May 1 for what she thought was to be an Islamic retreat. A week later, she received a phone call. “I lost my son. One day he disappeared, he left here on the first day of this month. He was with four other boys,” she laments. The caller told Hashi they were in Liboi, a town on the Kenya-Somalia border. When she asked why her son hadn’t phoned, the caller responded that Kenyan security forces had arrested the boys and that her son was afraid but fine.
A week later, her teenage son and three others were still in custody in Liboi, she says, accused of trying to cross the border to join Al-Shabaab. Hashi seeks comfort and advice from Halima Hassan, another woman who says her own teenage brother has been with Al-Shabaab for eight months. She says before he left, he asked for about $40 for a school trip and that was the last time her family saw him. Three weeks later, he called home and told his family that he was with Al-Shabaab, was fine and was making a lot of money.
“We are a culture of storytellers,” Absie said. “First and foremost we are an oral society … they say ‘tell me something. …’ Fiction is a powerful tool.” But the film isn’t just for Absie’s Somali community. She said she hopes her fellow Minnesotans come out to support her too. “It made sense that it would be a story about two cultures that didn’t know that much about each other but shared the same community,” Absie said.
Somali Filmmaker Hopes ‘Lobby’ Prompts Dialogue
26 May – Twin Cities Press – 359 words
Fathia Absie didn’t wear a hijab when she first moved to Minnesota about five years ago. The decision to wear one was born out of necessity when she started losing hair from the stress of living in a new environment, she said. “For the first time, I had people calling me names just walking by, for no reason at all, and the only reason I could come up with is that I looked different and was wearing a hijab. It made me feel very sad,” Absie said.
The Eden Prairie filmmaker is sharing the message that people have more in common than they realize. Absie’s 56-minute film about a relationship between a white man and Somali-American woman is a response to something she has noticed in her new home. “I still feel that Somali-Americans and fellow Minnesotans share the same space but could not be further apart. There’s no relationship, so I thought there was a dialogue missing,” said Absie, who wrote, directed and stars in the film.
TOP TWEETS
@UNDP: #Youth in #Somalia finds alternative options w/@UNDPSomalia anti-piracy mentors: http://on.undp.org/NsaQi #UNDP4Youth
@Rooble2009 :Security Council has renewed mandate of UN Mission in #Somalia until Augusthttp://www.coastweek.
@omabha : Somalia: Over 5000 Somali refugees stuck in Yemen port town – Horseed Media http://dlvr.it/9zq4Nq #Somalia
@AbuAhmedFuad : @ABDIHAFIDUNIVTV Money & Clan players will have an impact on the presumable democratic process, should build social awareness 1st #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
410 UN Guards from the Ugandan Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) were awarded medals on Tuesday, to mark the end of their one year tour of duty in Somalia.
Photo: UNSOM