November 1, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Align Laws With New Federal System To Avoid Inter-governmental Conflicts-AG
01 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 353 Words
Existing laws must be reviewed to align them with the new federal system to avoid conflicts between the federal and state government, Attorney General Dr. Ahmed Dahir has said. The AG said whereas the country adopted a federal system five years ago, several pieces of legislations and laws are still based on the unitary system which governed the country since independence. “This federalism we are using now is something new to Somalia and our previous laws are based on another different system known as unitary system. To inculcate federalism, we need to carry out reviews on laws and come up with [new] laws on everything taking into consideration relationship between the two levels of government,” Dahir told Goobjoog News.
Somalia adopted a federal system in 2012 which led to creation of interim regional administrations yet to be fully transformed into federal states. Puntland state however existed before having set itself as a semi-autonomous region in 1998. Dahir said the regional administrations were formed before critical federal laws were passed causing conflicts between the state and federal governments. “Federal states came up even before federals laws were properly enacted such as on tax collection, resource sharing, and devolution of the judiciary, police department and elections.”
Parliament must therefore come up with laws to set clear direction on how these issues will be managed, said Dahir but called on regional states to work with corresponding federal departments to create synchrony. “Every regional state department needs to work in tandem with its corresponding federal department. All these can be attained through constitutional review which will provide clarity on these things.”
Meanwhile the AG said the maritime case between Kenya and Somalia will come up for hearing after Nairobi files its counter-memorial December 18. “Kenya was compelled to respond to the subject of the case. Initially we are the ones who submitted the case. Now Kenya was given ultimatum till 18th December 2017 to submit their response. After this submission, the court will start hearing the case and the exchange of statements from the opposing sides and will give out its final ruling based on the arguments.”
Key Headlines
- Align Laws With New Federal System To Avoid Inter-governmental Conflicts-AG (Goobjoog News)
- General Indha Adde Criticizes Sacking Of Police And Intelligence Chiefs (Shabelle News )
- Southwest Members of Parliament In Deadlock Over Anti-President Motion (Garowe Online)
- AMISOM Reviews Its Gender Strategy Plan Ahead Of The Planned Drawdown (AMISOM)
- Somalia Remains World’s Worst for Unsolved Journalist Murders (VOA)
- UAE Meddling In The Somali Domestic Affairs (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
General Indha Adde Criticizes Sacking Of Police And Intelligence Chiefs
01 November – Source: Shabelle News – 130 Words
General Yusuf Mohamed Siad alias “Indha Adde” has criticized the recent dismissal of the country’s Police and Intelligence commanders over Al-Shabaab attacks. Speaking to Radio Shabelle, the General said the sacked security chiefs were due to investigate the latest truck bombing and hotel siege in Mogadishu by Al-Shabaab militants. “The NISA and Police commanders were the ones who were expected to probe the recent attacks in Mogadishu and reveal the result to the public,” said General Indha Adde.
He condemned the Cabinet decision to fire NISA boss Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalolshe and the Police commander, General Abdihakim Dahir Said as “hasty and unfortunate.” The General’s remarks come as Mogadishu witness surge in attacks by Al Shabaab which claimed responsibility for a bloody siege at Nasa Hablod 2 hotel in Mogadishu.
Southwest Members of Parliament In Deadlock Over Anti-President Motion
01 November – Source: Garowe Online – 173 Words
The lawmakers of Somalia’s South West Federal member state are in a standoff over a reported no-confidence motion against President Sharif Hassan. More 50 members of the State’s assembly have held an extraordinary meeting in Baidoa, the interim administrative capital of Southwest on Wednesday, in which they debated the anticipated motion.
Speaking to Garowe Online, Hassan Moalim Idow (Hassan Black) who was among the lawmakers who participated in the session said they agreed to defend the President from the current efforts aimed to oust him. This came after opposition legislators, well-known politicians and former Ministers have held several meetings in Mogadishu, the Somali capital who accused President Sharif Hassan of incompetence.
The deadlock has been intensifying since the regional leader has officially opened the 4th session of Southwest state Parliament in Baidoa last month, and urged the MPs to work with his administration. President Aden was among several regional Presidents who supported Saudi-led Arab alliance against Qatar, as the Federal Government of Somalia took a neutral decision on the Gulf diplomatic crisis.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Reviews Its Gender Strategy Plan Ahead Of The Planned Drawdown
01 November – Source: AMISOM –744 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is reviewing its gender strategy plan which is set to expire end of this year. The five year strategy plan was formulated in 2012 to help AMISOM integrate gender issues in its activities in compliance with the African Union Constitutive Act and the various United Nations Security Council mandates.
A two-day workshop has been convened to review and come up with an updated strategy which will capture, among others, the latest AMISOM mandate and the recently adopted comprehensive approach to security whose main objective is to secure Somalia. The workshop organized by AMISOM’s Protection, Human Rights and Gender Unit in conjunction with the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), is also expected to formulate a gender mainstreaming architecture that includes all the components of AMISOM peacekeeping mission and ensure coherent implementation of the updated strategy.
The meeting is being attended by senior African Union officials including the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Francisco Madeira; the Senior Political Officer at the African Union Commission, Semiha Abdulmelik; the Coordinator, Peacekeeping Unit, ACCORD, James Machakaire; Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) officials; Gender officers from AMISOM and the Somali National Security Forces and members of the civil society.
Somalia Remains World’s Worst for Unsolved Journalist Murders
31 October – Source: VOA – 218 Words
Somalia is the world’s worst country for unsolved murders of journalists for the third straight year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In its 10th annual Global Impunity Index, released Tuesday, the committee said more than two dozen journalists were murdered over the past decade in Somalia, where a prolonged civil war continues.
After ranking third last year, Syria, in the throes of a more than six-year civil war, claimed the second worst spot on the index, “a ranking of countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go free.” Third on the list is Iraq, where journalists have been targets of aggression from Islamic State militants, state-supported militias and other groups. Conflict among political factions in South Sudan, where five journalists were killed in a 2015 ambush, propelled the country to number four on the index. The Philippines came in fifth, as government officials and criminal elements “go unpunished for murdering journalists in high numbers.” The committee reported journalists also face similar conditions in Brazil, India, Mexico and Russia, which CPJ said also tout themselves as democracies. Afghanistan was excluded for the first time since the committee began calculating the index in 2008. Murders of journalists in Afghanistan have declined, despite its 16-year war and the fact that there have been no convictions of murdered journalists.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The foreign policy of UAE towards Somalia seems to be determined by security and intelligence gathering, and politically they seem to be misled much by greedy Somali politicians who will do everything for money,”
UAE Meddling In The Somali Domestic Affairs
30 October – Source: Hiiraan Online – 1258 Words
Somalia is defined as a failed state and many may merely relate this to the internal conflicts that has threatened the country for decades. Although internal political and social conflicts are considered to play a significant role, however, the instability is further aggravated by foreign interventions. Somalia has become a major geopolitical battleground for many countries because of its strategic location and with many countries competing to exploit its natural resources. The latter is particularly obvious considering the aggressive diplomatic approach of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken in recent years.
UAE and Somalia share a long history which stretches back to ancient times. Bilateral relations, religious, trade and social ties have become even stronger following the UAE independent in 1971. In addition, the personal friendship between the former President Barre and Sheikh Za’id Al Nahyan (the founder of the UAE) has made the two countries and people much closer. Every year indeed Sheikh Za’id used to spend his vacation time in his farm in Afgoi (Somalia). Both countries are also members of the Arab league. Because of the historical, trade, religious and bilateral ties, the number of Somalis moving to UAE as well as other Gulf countries skyrocketed in the late 70’s and 80’s due to employment opportunities in these countries with many thousands still living in the UAE.
Following the collapse of the Somali regime in 1991, the UAE became the major hub for the Somali business. The proximity of the two countries has played a substantial role in boosting the bilateral trade. Dubai is considered as Somalia’s key link to the rest of the world and a major touristic destinations for Somali Diaspora. It is comprehensible that UAE has security and economic interest in Somalia. President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” considers UAE as one of the key allies of Somalia and vows to maintain a stronger diplomatic relation. UAE continues to provide aid to Somalia, and train national army personnel, but many Somalis worry about its real motive as it has become part of the Somali conflict.
TOP TWEETS
@Horninstitute: Mogadishu: When Checkpoints don’t Workhttp://horninstitute.org/
@HarunMaruf: Somalia is the world’s worst country for unsolved murders of journalists for the third straight year
@markc_anderson: #Somalia & #Eritrea are the hardest countries to do business in according to this year’s @WorldBankrankings https://buff.ly/2lBWTlY via @FT
@amisomsomalia: “We remain true to our duty in delivering our mandate of securing & stabilizing #Somalia. Unity is paramount,” Soubagleh, #IstandwithSomalia
@HassanIstiila: #UPDATE: 8 #Alshabaab militants died while a landmine they were burying went off near Danida village north of#Mogadishu: officials says
@Abdiomarbile: #Turkey delivered nearly 450 of Turkish-made assault rifle MPT-76 to #Somalia to fight Al-Shabab, Anadolu reported, quoting defense source.
@omabha: Somalia: President Farmajo congratulates Kenyatta on his re-election – Garowe Online http://dlvr.it/PyclVn #Somalia
@k_nabad: Somalia need pioneers and peace leaders, come forward, take the leadership of your destiny. Fear from change will alway exist but many of our dreams will become a history one day, dream big and work hard for stable, strong and self sustaining Somalia #KacdoonkaNabadda
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Speaker, Mohamed Osman attends the Arab parliament summit in Khartoum.
Photo:Jowhar.com