May 8, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Legislators prepare confidence vote against President Hassan Sheikh
08 May- Source: Radio Shabelle/Radio Mustaqbal/Caasimadda Online- 164 words
More than 130 Somali legislators from the Somali Federal Parliament are preparing a motion against the President of the Somali Federal Republic Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to be brought up for debate in parliamentary session in Mogadishu.
Days ago, a third of the National Assembly called on the President to resign in a strongly worded letter, informing him that they will have a vote of confidence if he does not wish to tender his resignation.
Several Members of Parliament told Radio Shabelle that they are committed to see positive change in the Somali government.
MP Sanyare described that due to the President refusing to resign, they were forced to prepare a vote of confidence against him and present it to Parliament.
President Mohamud said that he is willing to sit down with the legislators that disagree with his leadership after returning to Mogadishu from a vacation to Ethiopia and United Arab Emirates.
Key Headlines
- Armed men kill Kenyan teacher in Galkayo (VOA Somali Service)
- Legislators prepare confidence vote against President Hassan Sheikh (Radio Shabelle/Radio Mustaqbal)
- Prime Minister Abdiweli’s visit to Marka enters its second day (Radio Goobjoog)
- Bay region farmers expect better crop production (Radio Bar-kulan)
- German Deputy Ambassador to Kenya visits Somaliland (Somaliland Informer)
- Gu’ rainfall starts in parts of south and central Somalia (Radio RBC)
- Brig. Ssentongo shocked by fuel theft in AMISOM (New Vision)
- Education Sector conference held in Mogadishu (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Jowhar town to have a new modern slaughterhouse (Jowhar Online)
- Kenya: Ruiru MP raps Cord over KDF (Star- Kenya)
- Global cost of Somali piracy ‘halved’ in 2013 (Aljazeera)
- Eastleigh schools bear brunt of security swoops (Standard Media)
- Somalis Returned from Kenya Say No Looking Back (VOA)
- Bristol Somali activist helps community to vote in Euro elections (BBC)
- Somalia at “risk of relapse” (IRIN News)
SOMALI MEDIA
Armed men kill Kenyan teacher in Galkayo
08 May – Source: VOA Somali Service/Goobjoog/RBC/Shabelle – 126 words
Reports from Galkayo, the headquarters of Mudug region states that a Kenyan teacher was gunned down in the town last night. Kenneth Mwanga aged 50, was sitting at the front gate of vision international institute where he works from when the gunmen killed him, witness say two men armed with pistols shot the teacher and disappeared immediately.
Yakub Mohamed Abdalla, the Deputy Commissioner of Galkayo told VOA Somali service that the perpetrators fled but the security forces are in hot pursuit.
The motive behind the murder is not known as no one has immediately claimed the responsibility of the murder. Last month two UN officials a Briton and French were killed in Galkayo airport by armed men who were immediately arrested by Puntland security forces.
Legislators prepare confidence vote against President Hassan Sheikh
08 May- Source: Radio Shabelle/Radio Mustaqbal/Caasimadda Online- 164 words
More than 130 Somali legislators from the Somali Federal Parliament are preparing a motion against the President of the Somali Federal Republic Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to be brought up for debate in parliamentary session in Mogadishu.
Days ago, a third of the National Assembly called on the President to resign in a strongly worded letter, informing him that they will have a vote of confidence if he does not wish to tender his resignation.
Several Members of Parliament told Radio Shabelle that they are committed to see positive change in the Somali government.
MP Sanyare described that due to the President refusing to resign, they were forced to prepare a vote of confidence against him and present it to Parliament.
President Mohamud said that he is willing to sit down with the legislators that disagree with his leadership after returning to Mogadishu from a vacation to Ethiopia and United Arab Emirates.
Prime Minister Abdiweli’s visit to Marka enters its second day
08 May – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 127 words
The Prime Minister of Somalia Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed leading delegates is in Marka town for the second day, the PM who reached Marka Wednesday for the first time visited many areas in the town including bases of the government bases and Marka general hospital.
He took closed door meeting with the administration of Marka town and the traditional elders in the area, in their discussion they focused on security, implementation of basic services to the community.
The security of the town was tightened by government forces and African peacekeeping troops in the town.
Today PM Abdiweli is expected to continue his meetings with the intellectuals and the administration of Marka town. This is the first visit of Prime Minister Abdiweli to Marka since his appointment last year.
Bay region farmers expect better crop production
08 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 122 words
Somali farmers in Bay region are hopeful that their crop production will be much higher next season following the start of the raining season in many parts of the country.
Some of the farmers in the region who spoke to Bar-kulan said that heavy rain falls have already been reported in the fertile areas in the region and are expecting better crop production.
The start of the much awaited Gu’ rains have brought much relief to the local populations as an abject drought and acute water shortages left several people and their livestock dead in central Somalia. Bay region is known for its production of crops such as Legumes, Maize, Beans, Nuts and Sesame seeds.
German Deputy Ambassador to Kenya visits Somaliland
07 May – Source: Somaliland Informer – 141 words
The Head of State H.E Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud alias Silanyo in his office met a delegation led by the German Deputy envoy to Kenya H.E Christian Resch. The delegation visits purportedly a fact finding mission according to well placed sources.
Addressing the press at the presidential Mansion the Minister of Planning and National Development Mr. Sa’ad Ali Shire said that Germans were in the country to assist on water and health development. Also occasioning the event were several cabinet ministers led by the powerful and flamboyant Minister in the office of the president Mr. Hirsi Ali Hassan, the Minister of Water Mr. Hussein Abdi Abdule and the personal secretary to the president Mr. Ali AhmedAli.
The country has seen an increase of delegation after delegation arriving to initiate different development projects because of the country’s stability and democratization.
Mama Asha Foundation distributes aid to 20 families in Galgadud
08 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 111 words
Mama Asha Foundation, a local charity has on Wednesday distributed aid consisting of food and potable water to families in Tagabeye village, 15 KM east of Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of Galgadud region. The NGO offered 25 kilograms of rice and 3 litres of cooking oil to each family.
Dhusamareeb Commissioner, Maalim Abdirahman Ali Mohamed who spoke to Bar-kulan said that at least 20 families have benefited from the aid assistance of the local charity. Some of the beneficiaries thanked Mama Asha Foundation for its timely assistance and urged other relief agencies to follow suit and provide aid supplies to them.
Gu’ rainfall starts in parts of south and central Somalia
08 May- Source: Radio RBC- 170 words
The Gu’ rainfall has started in parts of south and central Somalia amid severe dry season and water shortage in the country during the past months. Residents in Elbur and Dhusamareb towns, the central region of Galgadud mentioned that water shortage is expected to decrease as the Gu’ season rainfall continued in the past 24 hours.
The rains which had huge water also reached parts of Baay and Bakool regions where the people recently suffered acute dry season and lack of drinking water as animals begun to die of thirst.
At least 15 people died of thirst in the country’s south and central regions in the past month. The Federal Government of Somalia called for international and local aid groups to intervene the worsening livelihood condition in the country’s south and central parts.
Residents said if the rainfalls continue without damage it is likely that the situation of the people will improve and that farmers will begun cultivating their farmlands.
Education Sector conference held in Mogadishu
07 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 247 words
An Education Sector conference was held in Mogadishu and was attended by representatives of Ministries of Education and Higher Education, regional authorities, the EU, other donors, implementing partners, civil society, private education providers and academia.
The Federal Government of Somalia and the donors held a joint meeting to discuss Somalia’s new priorities for the new EU funded education programmes.
The technical consultative meeting on education in Mogadishu was a great success. Moreover, it allowed the Federal Government of Somalia to review the education priorities in order to better determine future EU support to the sector.
“If we want to support Somalia’s future, we need to invest primarily in Somalia’s children and youth” said the EU Special Envoy to Somalia, Michele Cervone d’Urso.
“With this new support, that is part and parcel of our New Deal engagement, the EU will indeed continue to deliver support for better access to education and training, quality of learning and the capacities of education administrations.” He added.
In line with the New Deal Compact, the EU is providing under the 11th EDF ((European Development Fund) a new envelope of 45 million EUR to education development in Somalia, an amount that will be disbursed over the Compact period 2014-2016, in addition to the 85 million EUR that was provided for the Somali education sector under the 10th EDF (2008-2013).
The new EU support will remain aligned with the Education Sector Strategic Plans and the government´s Go-to-School Initiative.
Jowhar town to have a new modern slaughterhouse
07 May- Source: Jowhar Online/Radio Bar-kulan-114 words
Jowhar town, the provincial capital of Middle Shabelle region is going to have a new modern slaughterhouse, according to Abdiwahid Muse who is a member of the committee assigned to construct the new facility. The construction of the modern slaughterhouse is funded by SAFA, a local non-governmental organization in the region.
Jowhar commissioner, Mohamed Amin called on the residents of Jowhar to preserve and protect the slaughterhouse as it serves for their own interests.
Meat traders in Jowhar town have welcomed the construction of the new slaughterhouse saying that the new facility will help meat sellers to have a hygienic environment to conduct their daily exercises.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Brig. Ssentongo shocked by fuel theft in AMISOM
08 May- Source: New Vision-329 Words
The chairman of the General Court Martial Brigadier Moses Diba Ssentongo first nodded. Then in a startling tone, he asked how a vehicle can consume 1,000 litres of fuel every day for three consecutive times.
“In three days a vehicle took 1,000 litres every day! What type of vehicle is this?” He asked. Then his colleague on the bench, Major Jane Mukasa quickly answered: “Maybe a tank.”
“I don’t think so. A tank cannot move so far in battle to require 1,000 litres of fuel every day. We might need to access the capacity of the engine of these vehicles,” Ssentongo probed further.
Ssentongo was responding to Major Yusuf Kimbugwe’s testimony against Major Alex Kirabo, who is battling charges of diverting over 5,000 litres of fuel and endangering the operation efficiency of AMISOM in Somalia. Kimbugwe, the current AMISOM Uganda Contingent Military Transport Officer told court on Wednesday that some vehicles had no meter –readers.
Kenya: Ruiru MP raps Cord over KDF
08 May- Source: Star- Kenya- 64 words
Ruiru MP Esther Gathogo has described as “mischievous” calls by Cord politicians that Kenya withdraws its soldiers from Somalia. She said their proposal is meant to make Jubilee government fail in serving citizens.
Gathogo was speaking at Focus Centre in Ruiru town on Monday, where she disbursed CDF bursary cheques to 11 orphaned secondary school students.
Global cost of Somali piracy ‘halved’ in 2013
07 May- Source: Aljazeera- 349 words
The cost of Somali piracy to the global economy fell by almost half last year as attacks slumped, but piracy in West Africa is increasing and more than 50 hostages remain in captivity. An annual maritime security report, published on Wednesday by the group Oceans Beyond Piracy, put the total cost of Somali piracy, the largest single threat to international shipping in recent years, at only $3.2bn in 2013.
“The efforts of the international community and the shipping industry have considerably reduced the threat of Somali piracy,” said Jens Madsen, one of the report’s authors, according to Reuters news agency. “But we have yet to achieve the goal of … zero vessels captured and zero hostages held.” There were still at least 50 hostages in Somalia captivity in desperate conditions, held on average for around three years each, the report said.
Eastleigh schools bear brunt of security swoops
07 May – Source: Standard Media – 122 words
Schools in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area have registered a fairly low turnout following the ongoing security operation in the region. A spot check by The Standard revealed that students have suffered the brunt of the swoops, with some failing to turn up on the opening date. According to students who spoke to us at Maina wa Njigi Secondary School, their friends failed to report because they are victims of the operation, their parents having been either deported or sent back to refugee camps.
“Most of our colleagues have not reported because their parents fled following the operation and they have now been left with the responsibility of taking care of their young ones,” said Hafsa Mohammed, a Form Three student at the school.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Bristol Somali activist helps community to vote in Euro elections
08 May- Source: BBC- 436 words
British Somali Mohamed Mohamoud is a man on a mission for democracy. He wants to get as many people as possible in Bristol’s Somali community registered to vote in the European elections. Over the past two years the community organiser and activist has been out and about in east Bristol where most of the city’s 10,000 Somalis live.
So far he has helped more than 1,000 potential voters to register – his aim is to get that up to 3,000 in time for next year’s general election. This year he’s concentrating his efforts on the European elections taking place on22 May.
As part of his campaign, he is visiting shops and cafes along Stapleton Road – once described by a national newspaper as the “most dangerous street” in Britain. He said Somali businesses had contributed to the regeneration of the area since that notorious headline almost five years ago.
Somalis Returned from Kenya Say No Looking Back
07 May- Source: VOA- 2:49 min
As Kenyan authorities push ahead with a security crackdown — targeting terrorists and their alleged supporters — members of the Somali community are feeling increasingly unwelcome. VOA’s Gabe Joselow reports from Mogadishu on Somalis who say they have had enough and have decided to come home.
Somalia at “risk of relapse”
07 May- Source: IRIN News-820 Words
Three years after a famine claimed 260,000 lives in Somalia, 2.9 million people there are still affected by a multifaceted but desperately underfunded humanitarian crisis, and communities are just “one shock away from disaster”, a host of aid agencies have warned in a joint campaign entitled “Risk of relapse.”
“With a third of the population in need of aid, Somalia is clearly in severe crisis,” according to a statement signed by 22 NGOs*.
Just 12 percent of Somalia’s humanitarian funding requirements for the year have been met, and there is a shortfall of US$822 million. The organizations also launched a social media campaign, saying “we can’t fail them again.”
World Vision noted that rains have failed across most of Somalia, and the recent upsurge in the military offensive by AMISOM has led to greater displacement in the south.
“What we have is an early warning that has ingredients of a perfect storm. We urge donors and stakeholders to take immediate action to avert disaster,” said Andrew Lanyon, Chief of Party for the Somalia Resilience Programme (SomReP), an organization that World Vision is a member of, during a media briefing in Nairobi.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Many believe force will not bring peace to Somalia, and that among the country’s many needs, education is most critical for a people who can then become more self-determined.”
In War-Torn Somalia, Education Keeps Youth Away from Guns and Violence
07 May- Source: Trust Blog-660 Words
Shankaroon Abdullahi’s dream is to represent her country in international women’s basketball competition. It’s a long way to come from the war-torn slums northeast of Mogadishu and a life that, for all of her 14 years, has been marked by violence and death. But she may make it.
Shankaroon, the oldest in a family of six children, grew up among the disheveled shanties of Bulomaqarey. She always had more responsibilities than her years would suggest, but those responsibilities multiplied after her father disappeared three years ago, later reported to have died Because of the need to care for her younger siblings, coupled with chronic conflict that resulted in school closures, Shankaroon never attended a single class.
In 2012, she was enrolled in Concern Worldwide’s “accelerated basic education” program, becoming one of 300 students between the ages of 14 and 17 supported by Concern annually as they try to make up for lost years. The classes are geared for those who have missed school due to conflict or poverty; they require focus and commitment from the students, who advance three grades each year. Shankaroon will join in formal primary school supported by Concern in the area after completion of accelerated basic education.
“The Kenyan government’s latest shoot-itself-in-the-foot crackdown on Somali immigrants has convinced many to return on their own.”
What would make someone want to return to Somalia? This
07 May- Source: Global Post Dispatches-1078 Words
After eight years living in Kenya, Ifrah Osman decided to go home to Somalia, the country she fled in 2006 as the long-running war worsened. In the last few years security has improved in Mogadishu, and some have found hope and opportunity here — but that’s not why Osman went home. She left Kenya because it had become unlivable for her.
For Osman the final straw came at 1 a.m. on a weekday night in late April when Kenyan police raided her apartment block in Eastleigh, a predominantly Somali part of the capital.
“They kicked at my door in the middle of the night. I feared they might try to rape me. One of them broke a window but I wouldn’t let them in,” said the 28-year-old businesswoman and mother of two.
She listened as the officers went door to door seizing identity documents from her neighbors then demanding money for their return, or dragging away household items for which the owners could not produce receipts. Extortion marked every step. “They used to harass us in the past but you pay $5 to $10 and they would go away,” said Osman.
“The irony is nobody has been arrested for the bomb attacks so far, so in truth, the terrorists are faceless and without a race. Therefore, for us to turn and blame our Somali brothers for the attacks is not only cowardly but distasteful.”
Why You Should Be Worried When A Somali Is Labelled A Terrorist
06 May- Source: Niaje Blog-422 Words
As a country we should be very afraid when a Somali is labelled a terrorist simply for being Somali. This is because we are setting a precedent that we may never fully recover from. We’ve heard of xenophobic attacks in South Africa and racial segregation in other parts of the world. Fact is, Xenophobia does not just spring up, it starts with what seems like a justifiable cause or reason but gradually grows into a monster that can’t be tamed.
The Holocaust which I think goes down in history as the worst case of racial profiling and intolerance was a gradual process that took 12 years from 1933-1945. The seed of intolerance was planted when the Nazis started blaming the Jews for all of German’s ills but the end result was the killing of Jews en masse in the infamous gas chambers.
Closer home, the war in CAR and South Sudan may have been fueled by politics but what is feeding them is racial and religious intolerance and the notion that one tribe or religion is superior than the other. I am not saying we are headed there, but the seeds are being planted slowly but surely. If you have been observant and listened to conversations around you especially after the Thika road bomb attacks, then alarm bells must have gone off in your head at the directions we are headed as a country.
Top tweets
@AfricaResearch Over 40% of Somalis rely on money sent from friends & relatives abroad to meet basic needs (via@OxfamInSOM) http://bit.ly/1fTueQD #Somalia
@Ashkirsom The #Somali language is the third most-spoken#language in #Bristol after English and Polish.. #BBC..#Somalia
@Oxfam_AU Preventing a #crisis in #Somalia becoming a catastrophe http://oxf.am/pdL via @oxfam Blogs @OCHASom@gatesfoundation @RockefellerFdn
@gcmcSomalia #Somalia World: Peace Direct Annual Report and Accounts 2013 http://bit.ly/1mEHMxD #crisismanagement
@petermartell 50,000 #Somalia children ‘at death’s door’ (again), @AFPAfrica @BBCAfrica : warnings from@OxfamEAfrica @Adesoafrica http://www.bbc.com/news/world-
Image of the day
@SomaliPM in a two day working visit in Marka town of Lower Shabelle region for outreach & consultations with the communities. Photo: @SomaliPM