November 14, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali cabinet ministers to be sworn in after endorsement
14 Nov – Source: Radio Dalsan/Jowhar Online/Raxanreeb – 118 words
Somalia’s parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed the 10-member Cabinet of newly appointed Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, marking a major milestone in the Horn of Africa nation’s political transition process.
On the other hand, the cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday in a ceremony at parliament building that will be attended the country’s top officials.
On Tuesday, parliament speaker Mohammed Sheikh Osman Jawari told MPs to be present in the swearing in. Moreover, the Somali population have voiced their opinions towards the approval of the cabinet with most of them expressing their support and expecting to be better government.
Key Headlines
- Somali cabinet ministers to be sworn in after endorsement (Radio Dalsan/Jowhar Online/Raxanreeb)
- Minister of foreign affairs Mrs. Fowsiya travels to Djibouti (Radio Mogadishu/SONNA/Horseed Media)
- Police interrogate five suspects linked to Garissa terror attacks (Standard)
- UK welcomes Somali parliament’s endorsement of new cabinet (Bar-kulan/Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia: Famine is over but more than 2 million people still at risk (Relief Web)
- Ahlu Sunna welcomes approval of cabinet (Radio Dalsan)
PRESS RELEASE
AMISOM Police Donates Food, Clothes to Disabled IDPs
14 Nov – Source: AMISOM – 215 words
The African Union Mission in Somalia’s Police component today donated food items, clothes and cleaning materials to 110 families living in IDP camps in Mogadishu. The donation, which also included children’s clothing, was specifically extended to families with individuals living with disabilities and complemented AMISOM’s efforts to assist neediest members of society.
The deputy commissioner of AMISOM Police in Somalia, Benson Oyo-Nyeko distributed the aid to the needy beneficiaries and called the step a good gesture in helping the most afflicted part of the population. “This donation is a voluntary contribution by individual police officers in AMISOM who have been touched by the plight of the internally displaced and at the same time physically challenged Somalis.
Their plight should send a sobering thought to all. said Benson Oyo-Nyeko, the deputy commissioner of AU police in Somalia. “AMISOM Police is working to ease the plight of ordinary Somalis particularly through our efforts at training, mentoring and advising the Somali Police Force and ensuring a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, “ he added.
The chairman of Somalia Blind Community, Abdikader Mohamed AlAlasow, who received the donation said, “We are very happy that AMISOM Police is assisting us. We appreciate this gesture and hope that it will encourage others to come to our aid,” he added.
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali cabinet ministers to be sworn in after endorsement
14 Nov – Source: Radio Dalsan/Jowhar Online/Raxanreeb – 118 words
Somalia’s parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed the 10-member Cabinet of newly appointed Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, marking a major milestone in the Horn of Africa nation’s political transition process.
On the other hand, the cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday in a ceremony at parliament building that will be attended the country’s top officials.
On Tuesday, parliament speaker Mohammed Sheikh Osman Jawari told MPs to be present in the swearing in. Moreover, the Somali population have voiced their opinions towards the approval of the cabinet with most of them expressing their support and expecting to be better government.
Minister of foreign affairs, Mrs. Fowsiya travels to Djibouti
14 Nov – Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA/Horseed Media – 134 words
Somalia’s new Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fowsiya Yusuf Adam flies to neighbouring Djibouti, marking her first visit abroad since appointment. Fowsiya is expected to attend a meeting by Organization of Islamic Conference in the Djiboutian capital.
The conference is due on Thursday and will be attended by foreign ministers from member countries of OIC. according to Somali National News Agency SONNA.
UK welcomes Somali parliament’s endorsement of new cabinet
14 Nov – Source: Bar-kulan/Hiiraan Online – 157 words
British Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds has welcomed Somali parliament’s approval of the new cabinet saying it provides a clear signal of their support for the new council, including the historic inclusion of two women to senior positions.”
Simmonds said his government welcomes the Tuesday approval by Somalia’s Federal Parliament of the new Council of Ministers. “I commend this swift action which will allow the Council to get straight to work on delivering the change the people of Somalia deserve. The Somali Parliament’s vote provides a clear signal of their support for the new Council, including the historic inclusion of two women to senior positions.
The British Government looks forward to working closely with the new Somali Council of Ministers,” he said. He however reaffirmed the British Government’s commitment to working with the Somali Government in tackling the President’s priorities of: strengthening security and justice, taking forward political reconciliation, stimulating the economy and strengthening public financial management.
Ahlu Sunna welcomes approval of cabinet
14 Nov – Source: Radio Dalsan – 99 words
Sheikh Ibrahim Gureye, the Chairman of Ahlu Sunna’s three committees said his group welcomes the endorsement of the new cabinet ministers by the Somali parliament on Tuesday in Mogadishu. The chairman also noted that current parliament is best compared to the previous ones in the transitional era.
On the other hand, Sheikh Gureye appealed to the new government to fulfill the pledge they made which was the government’s strategic program towards developing the community. Lastly, the Sheikh called on the new government to uphold the agreements signed between Ahlu Sunna and the previous government.
9 militants surrender in Afmadow
14 Nov – Source: Bar-kulan – 132 words
Somali military officials in Afmadow town, Lower Juba, on Wednesday revealed that nine al Shabaab fighters have surrendered to the government after defecting from the militant group. The young militant fighters surrendered without any influence or promises from the government side, according to Col. Jaweshe Mahdi Mohamed of the national army.
Mohamed said four of the defectors came from the Middle Juba while the remaining four came from Hagar district of Lower Juba region. He said these young militant fighters were in the first place misled by the al Shabaab group and have now realized that they were serving the wrong group.
He urged other militants still fighting alongside the rebel group to renounced violence and abandon the group as they will not be prosecuted for serving the outlawed group if they defect immediately.
Mohamed Omar Arteh denies Ambassador rumor
13 Nov – Source: Somaliland Press – 96 words
Somali politician Mohamed Omar Arteh has denied a report saying that the Somali government appointed him as an ambassador to unspecified country.
Reports in Mogadishu claimed that the Somaliland politician was in the seaside city to take up a new ambassador role for Somalia under Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. However, Mr. Mohamed said the appointment was untrue.
Arteh said the report was false and slammed the Somali media including Somalilandpress. He held a number of posts in Somaliland including as a senior policy advisor to the ministry of interior during Riyale administration.
Somali nationals detained in South African airport
13 Nov – Source: Radio Risaala – 75 words
More than 50 Somali nationals are held up at an airport in South Africa. The nationals are said to have booked to fly back home but the South African immigration officers at the airport could not verify the authenticity of their Somali Passports They were then detained at the airport. Somali nationals in South Africa who are mostly youth and entrepreneurs face constant hardships and atrocities which include murder and robberies.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Police interrogate five suspects linked to Garissa terror attacks
14 Nov – Source: Standard – 236 words
Police in Garissa are interrogating five terror suspects believed to be behind series of terror attacks in the area. Detectives handling the case say the suspects are all Somalis from Somalia and who had arrived in the town posing as refugees.
They were arrested at a house where they were holding a meeting on Monday morning, following weeks of tracking. A sixth suspect escaped by jumping over a wall when the anti-terror police raided.
North Eastern deputy CID boss Iregi Ngatia told The Standard they have obtained a court order to continue holding them as they interrogate and get weapons from them.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Most Scholarships go to Somali students
13 Nov – Source: Anatolia News Agency – 89 words
The Presidency of Turks Overseas & Relative Communities will give scholarships to 3,914 foreign students in the 2012-2013 academic year. The organization received applications for scholarship from 45,000 foreign students.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), the President of the Department of Turks Overseas & Relative Communities Kemal Yurtnac indicated that most of the applications came from Afghanistan (7,224).
“Somali students received most of the scholarships. A total of 301 Somali students received scholarships,” Yurtnac noted. “The quota for Syrian students has been increased by 100 percent,” Yurtnac also said.
Somalia: Famine is over but more than 2 million people still at risk
13 Nov – Source: Relief Web – 631 words
Ten-month-old Ifrah Mohamed Abdi was born as the first famine declared in more than 20 years in Africa held its grip on the village in which her family has lived for generations.
Her mother, Fatuma Hassan, desperately hungry herself, struggled to feed her. What little food there was in the markets was too expensive, and Ifrah become sicker and sicker.
Today, she is a smiling, healthy baby whose first months plagued with diarrhoea and chest infections are “only like a bad memory,” Ms. Hassan says. Famine ends, but Somalis remain at risk.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“But it turns out Benghazi isn’t the only place where the CIA has been reported to have acted in contravention of Executive Order 13491. In July 2011, The Nation, a hard-left magazine, reported that the CIA “uses a secret prison buried in the basement of Somalia’s National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters” in Mogadishu. There, according to the magazine, detainees from al Shabaab, “an Islamic militant group with close ties to al Qaeda,” are held and interrogated.”
The Somali Connection
13 Nov – Source: Wall Street Journal – 1246 Words
To what extent is the CIA still involved in detaining and interrogating terrorist enemy combatants? Yesterday we noted that past Petraeus paramour Paula Broadwell had claimed on Oct. 26 that the agency was holding three Libyan detainees in Benghazi at the time of the 9/11 attacks there.
Fox News Channel’s Jennifer Griffin mentioned the three detainees in a report the same day. Yesterday Griffin added that according to her sources, “other prisoners from additional countries in Africa and the Middle East” had also been held there, though “most . . . had been moved two weeks earlier.”
The agency issued a categorical denial: “The CIA has not had detention authority since January 2009, when Executive Order 13491 was issued. Any suggestion that the agency is still in the detention business is uninformed and baseless.”
Executive Order 13491, issued on President Obama’s second full day in office, provides: “The CIA shall close as expeditiously as possible any detention facilities that it currently operates and shall not operate any such detention facility in the future.”
It also bans the enhanced interrogation techniques the agency used during at least part of the Bush administration: Detainees under U.S. custody or “effective control” are not to “be subjected to any interrogation technique or approach, or any treatment related to interrogation, that is not authorized by and listed in [the] Army Field Manual.”
“Aweis Hussein, a Somali Bantu teacher’s aide and interpreter whom Betancourt knew from her work in the Lynn public schools, had helped found Shanbaro, an organization for the Boston-area Somali Bantu refugee community.”
Far From Home
13 Nov – Source: Harvard Magazine – 550 Words
After emancipation, with few options for formal employment, this minority group adopted a subsistence lifestyle, settling in remote river valleys without schools or access to healthcare.
The group, which constituted at least 5 percent (and by some estimates, much more) of Somalia’s population, didn’t have even one representative in the national government. When the civil war began in 1991, Somali Bantu communities were defenseless as armed groups from both sides of the conflict started coming to their communities, raping, pillaging, and killing under the pretense that the villagers had helped the other side.
Tens of thousands of Somali Bantus ended up in refugee camps in Kenya. Returning to Somalia, where they suffered from discrimination and where outbreaks of violence persisted (and still do), was not a good option. By the time the United States agreed to accept 13,000 Somali Bantu refugees for resettlement, most of them had been living in the camps for more than a decade.
Somalia, Place Of Dreams
13 Nov – Source: Impudent Observer – 146 Words
The area of the world known as “Somalia” has witnessed civil war for over thirty years during which times untold thousands have been murdered or watched their homes destroyed. But, to the Migration Board of Sweden, there is not that much difference between living in their nation than in heading to Somalia for fun and games.
Until now the majority of Somali refugees have been allowed to remain in the safety of Sweden, but that might soon change. The Board has decided to change the Somalia status from “war” to “serious adversity.”
Duh! Up to this point about 90% of those seeking asylum have been allowed to remain but new guidelines might result in thousands being returned to the hell spot known as Somalia. OK, the al-Shabaab have been weakened, but I doubt if members of the Migration Board would enjoy a single day in Somalia!
Top tweets
@TravelGov #Travel #Burundi #Somalia-based terrorist org #al-Shabaab has threatened to conduct terror attacks in #Burundi. More at http://ow.ly/fgfbL.
@ActForSomalia #somalia president,Hassan sheikh Hitting the beach in Mogadishu.With the passage of time,life has gradually came back pic.twitter.com/xury8XGw.
@UNOCHA Marked improvements in the food security situation across #Somalia. New #infographic: http://buzz.mw/-TgV_y Follow @OCHASomalia for updates.
@OfficialKhalid Parliament Hall, #Mogadishu, #Somalia. Somali MP’s working to restore Somalia back to her glory. Hopeful & p http://instagr.am/p/R_-E7-
@Africathinker Construction is booming in all corners of #Mogadishu and new buildings and offices are sprouting all over. #Somalia pic.twitter.com/NqITTwJW.
Image of the day
Somali President Hassan Sheikh (centre) meets in Villa Somalia with UN Under-Secretary General for Field Support Ameerah Haq (far Left), Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga and Director of UN Support Office for Somalia, Amadu Kamara. Photo: UNPOS/AU-UN IST.