November 12, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia’s parliament to vote on new cabinet ministers
12 Nov – Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Mogadishu/Raxanreeb – 208 words
Somalia’s federal parliament is expected to vote on the list of cabinet ministers recently appointed by Prime MInister Abdi Farah Shirdon. Mogadishu’s security is jointly tightened by Somali troops and AMISOM forces to guarantee the security of the parliament center.
Mohamed Omar Dalha who spoke to the press earlier on Monday expressed that the parliament is in the process of deliver its confidence vote on the newly appointed cabinet ministers.
“We are expecting the prime minister to bring his newly cabinet minister and their strategic program of the coming four year before the house,”said Dalha.
Key Headlines
- Somalia’s parliament to vote on new cabinet ministers (Radio Dalsan/Radio Mogadishu/Raxanreeb)
- 700 Somali soldiers finish training in Hudur (Bar-kulan)
- Muhoozi concludes tour of troops in Somalia (New Vision)
- Puntland communities urge Somalia president to ‘stop interfering in Jubaland’ (Garowe Online/Universal TV)
- Charity in pact with UNHCR in Somalia (Gulf Times)
- Banadir administration demolish illegal settlements (Radio Risaala/Universal TV/Shabelle)
- Somalia’s al Shabaab squeezed in south move to Puntland (Defence Web/Reuters)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somalia’s parliament to vote on new cabinet ministers
12 Nov – Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Mogadishu/Raxanreeb – 208 words
Somalia’s federal parliament is expected to vote on the list of cabinet ministers recently appointed by Prime MInister Abdi Farah Shirdon. Mogadishu’s security is jointly tightened by Somali troops and AMISOM forces to guarantee the security of the parliament center.
Mohamed Omar Dalha who spoke to the press earlier on Monday expressed that the parliament is in the process of deliver its confidence vote on the newly appointed cabinet ministers.
“We are expecting the prime minister to bring his newly cabinet minister and their strategic program of the coming four year before the house,”said Dalha.
700 Somali soldiers finish training in Hudur
12 Nov – Source: Bar-kulan – 136 words
A total of 700 Somali soldiers on Sunday graduated from a Military training camp in Hudur town near the border with Ethiopia. Area District Commissioner Mohamed Moalim Ahmed told Bar-kulan that the soldiers have undergone five months military trainings, adding that they will be part of the forces battling al Shabaab militant group.
He said officers from the neighbouring Ethiopia were offering the training in order to help them acquire the necessary military skills. He urged the trainees to be responsible and uphold the country’s rule of law as they battle the militia group, saying that the newly trained officers will restore the long awaited peace into Somalia and drive away the rebel group out of the country. This comes days after another 500 soldiers were dispatched from a training camp in Baidoa city.
Banadir administration demolish illegal settlements
11 Nov – Source: Radio Risaala/Universal TV/Shabelle – 109 words
Banadir regional administration brought down houses in Mogadishu’s Abdiasis district. The operation saw the demolition of illegal settlements along the beach of Lido which is located in Abdiasis. The area district commissioner said they issued several warning to the occupants in the past which were ignored.
He said they were implementing orders from the provincial administration to evacuate people living in government quarters and issued a stern warning to those still occupying government buildings. The Banadir province’s administration has in the recent days been demolishing settlements on government property.
Somaliland President Silanyo Opens a New State of the Art Hospital in Sheikh
11 Nov – Source: Somaliland Press – 140 words
Somaliland President H.E. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamuod (Silanyo) has cut the tape to a newly reconstruct, rehabilitated and renovated hospital in Sheik which was constructed by the government and funds from the Kuwait government.
The hospital which was rendered unusable and badly damaged during the civil war by forces loyal to the late dictator Said Barre has been renovated by the government and by funds made available by the Kuwait government will now provide much need health care services to the people of Sheikh and Sahel Region as a whole.
President Silanyo Speaking during the opening of the Sheikh Hospital said his government is committed to uplifting the living standards of each and every citizen of Somaliland be it in the Health, Education and basic infrastructure etc and that his government will continue to implement similar project in Sahel Region.
3 shot dead near km4 in Mogadishu
11 Nov – Source: Radio Risaala – 97 words
Three shot dead in front of the C.I.D headquarters in Mogadishu. The incident happened when government police vehicle pulled in front of the C.I.D headquarters and fired the shots killing civilians.
A witness said a police vehicle pulled in front of the headquarters and fired shots and the guards of the C.I.D headquarters fired back killing civilians in the crossfire.
3 are confirmed dead including a woman who was passing by. It is not yet clear the reason behind the shooting but the government troops stopped people and vehicle movement near the area of the incident.
Puntland communities urge Somalia president to ‘stop interfering in Jubaland’
11 Nov – Source: Garowe Online/ Universal TV – 417 words
Members of the civil society and government spoke at an event held in Garowe, capital of Puntland, supporting the formation of Jubaland state and requesting an end to the interference of the process by President Hassan Sheikh, Garowe Online reports.
Speakers at the event included Puntland state MP Abdullahi Mohamed Jama, Director of Puntland Agency for Social Welfare (PASWE) Ismail Adan Diriye, traditional elder Aw Musse Jidhun and Ahmed Jama Jinoole a civil society member. The speakers supported the formation of Jubaland state and spoke out against the interference of the process by President Hasssan Sheikh Mohamud.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Muhoozi concludes tour of troops in Somalia
12 Nov – Source: New Vision – 474 words
The commander of the Special Forces Command of the UPDF, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on Saturday concluded a one-week tour of the frontline positions in Somalia under the Ugandan group.
“This is another of my several routine trips here. Many of you know I have been here on several occasions in our efforts to pacify Somalia under the AU mandate. We shall continue sharing experiences and ideas on how to attain our objective,” Muhoozi told the troops during one of the field tours where he interacted with Ugandan peacekeepers.
Maj. Henry Obbo, the spokesperson of the Ugandan group, said Muhoozi congratulated the troops for achieving so much despite the challenging situation.
Charity in pact with UNHCR in Somalia
12 Nov – Source: Gulf Times – 162 words
Qatar Charity (QC) has entered a partnership agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Somali capital, Mogadishu with a sum of QR 3.5mn.
The agreement is regarding a project to support the voluntary return of those displaced in south Somalia. Accordingly, UNHCR would work jointly to help around 1,100 displaced Somali families return voluntarily to their home towns. UNHCR would finance the project with around QR3.4mn and QC would carry out the project through its field office in Somalia.
“This project is very important for improving the humanitarian situation in Somalia and would help greatly in stabilising the situation there. Partnership with international organisations in such projects is crucial for its success,” said Mohammed al-Ghamidi, director of QC international development department.
Arms embargo stifling AMISOM handover plan
10 Nov – Source: East African – 425 words
An international arms embargo on Somalia is likely to slow down efforts by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to cede control of liberated areas to local forces. The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Somalia in 1992 after warlords took control of the country following the collapse of the Siad Barre government the previous year.
Now the Somali National Force remains ill-equipped as the government cannot formally acquire arms. Both the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have in the recent past requested the UN Security Council to consider lifting the embargo due to the fast changing circumstances in Somalia.
With the embargo in place, it means all arms shipments must be registered and cleared by the UN Security Council. The arms embargo and other challenges were key topics at a recent meeting in Nairobi convened to raise awareness on AMISOM’s achievements and its future role in Somalia. The meeting was organised by the AU/UN Information Support Team.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia’s al Shabaab, squeezed in south, move to Puntland
12 Nov – Source: Defence Web/Reuters – 157 words
Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked militants are moving north into the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, long regarded as a relatively peaceful area, after having been squeezed out of their strongholds further south, the president of Puntland said.
Until now, Puntland has largely escaped the worst of the upheaval in Somalia, which has been deprived of an effective central government for the past two decades. The region is rich in energy resources and oil exploration companies are sizing it up. If the militants were able to establish a permanent presence in the area, it might discourage such exploration efforts, Reuters reports.
Although militant numbers are still limited, the authorities fear al Shabaab could gain better access to weapons coming across the Gulf of Aden if it successfully regrouped in the area.
“Their presence has intensified since international forces pushed them in the south. The fighters are coming from the south,” Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamud Farole told Reuters at the weekend.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Mount Charcoal is an intriguing issue for a number of reasons, I think. For one, with respect to Somalia’s nominal government: It’s difficult to run a government if you do not have any sources of revenue. And extensive privatisation had been a side effect of Somalia’s years of fighting and fragmentation. What are often considered public services, including infrastructure, has been entirely in the hands of private business people and interest groups.”
Kismayo Charcoal A Threat To Somalia’s Stability
10 Nov – Source: The Star (Kenya) – 783 Words
In an article for the latest East African, Charles Onyango Obbo tried to explain how big exactly the charcoal pile stuck in Kismayo in Somalia was: There are so many sacks that you could give every 2.5 Somalis one.
Or, if you lined them up, you would end up with a thread of charcoal sacks 4,470km long. If you stacked them up, they’d reach 1,600km into the sky. Basically so much charcoal that your brain will struggle to grasp the magnitude. And, more importantly, it’s worth an estimated USD25m to USD40m.
The reason the charcoal heap grew so mountainous is that the UN Security Council imposed a ban on charcoal exports around a year ago to cut off Al Shabaab’s revenues.
“Unfortunately, however, the first taken by president Hassan show now difference between him and his predecessors as careful reading of this step, the formation of a new council of Ministers, would tell you a policy of Conflict Creation as contrast to Conflict Resolution as following: Absence of a national reconciliation policy as a result of which a tendency to overlooking all others became a clear projector as the new president’s outlook.”
Somalia’s New President’s Policy: Reconciliation or Reconsolidation of conflicts?
11 Nov – Source: SomalilandPress – 543 Words
High expectation is always risky and dangerous, and that is more so when it is based on non-scientific wishful thinking, and therefore does not reflect the realities of life on the ground. But Somalia’s high hopes to get-rid of the dreadful bondage of statelessness, terrorism and extremism was both legitimate and understandable. London Conference in February 2012 has opened up of what was understood as a window of historic opportunity towards a new era of ”post transitions”.
For the first time in more than twenty the International Community have shown united desired and determined to help Somalis to put their house in order. Thereupon, sincere and serious political analysts have not concealed their concerns about the obstacles and difficulties ahead.
As one of the keen observers to see this process yielding I got difficulty to convince myself that things are moving well. But the strong commitment by the UN-AU and Donor Community’s efforts gave me a meek of inspiration and hope, but one would always remembers the wisdom that ‘The way to paradise is not paved with Good intentions alone’.
Conceptually, the external factor in any process in life, be it biological, physical or social can be only helpful, to a limited or certain period of time, but can’t be neither decisive nor enough to accomplish the mission of making history of a people.
“In the article, Aynte offers a middle ground which is sensible, but one premised on the designs Mogadishu would like for Kismaayo. Suddenly, the Federal arrangement enshrined in the Constitution inexplicably presages a national demise when it comes to Jubbaland. And Aynte’s line of thought implies fairness and inclusivity in potential Jubbaland administration can only be transposed from Mogadishu; the clans in Jubbaland are inherently incapable of treating each other fairly, if left alone.”
The Missing Narrative in the “Kismayo Conundrum”
11 Nov – Source: Wardheer News – 1523 Words
Maybe Joseph de Maistre – that immoral advocate of social hierarchy and inequality – was talking about our own people when he claimed that a people will always get the government they deserve; and because we are all clannish, we deserve clannish leaders.
Maybe that explains why we rank at the lowest end of the human ontological scale – the only nation with a land but without a functioning national government in the 21 century.
Maybe, Portuguese Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago’s sarcastic portrayal of all Italians as admirers of “Bunga Bunga” politics for voting Berlusconi into office – not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times through their “sovereign decision-making” – is congruently germane to our situation, as we elect mediocre and divisive rulers one after another.
Maybe, we have offended the high heavens big time, and we need a string of profound communal prayers to redeem ourselves in the eyes of our creator, who must be very upset with us for reasons known only to him.
Spare AMISOM this power politics
10 Nov – Source: East African – 280 Words
THE SOMALI Federal Government spoke for many in the region when it expressed fears about Uganda’s threat to withdraw its troops from the African Union Mission to Somalia, Amisom.
Angered by accusations made by a UN sponsored mission that it has been giving military support to the Congolese rebel outfit M23, Uganda gave the UN an ultimatum to either retract the report or see the East African nation pull its forces from peacekeeping operations in the region.
Such an action would put Amisom, to which Ugandan contributes nearly 70 per cent of the nominal strength, in real jeopardy. Although the threat smells like blackmail even from a mile away, at the end of the day, Uganda had little else in its arsenal to ward off possible sanctions by western powers whose actions are often driven by little more than self-interest.
Top tweets
@amisomsomalia Photos from a foot patrol in #Mogadishu with an #AMISOM Formed Police Unit http://on.fb.me/SGAjyu.
@abdu #Mogadishu is Moving On http://www.youtube.com/watch?
@OCHASomalia Preparedness pays dividends in #Somalia. Prevention of diseases outbreaks in areas affected by floods successful http://bit.ly/TPbPXa.
@AbukarArman Whether in #Somalia or elsewhere around the world charting a new course 4 peace is no longer an exclusive obligation of the political elite.
@nuurist #AMISOM need better coordination in #Somalia lest they are seen as divisive actors http://allafrica.com/stories/
Image of the day
Somaliland’s president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud cuts the tape to officially open the renovated hospital in Sheikh, a hilly town northeast of capital, Hargeisa.