November 22, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Voting Continues In Four States, Two Ministers Remain Suspended
22 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 233 Words
Elections will continue today in four states across the country as electoral teams and states endeavour to beat the deadlines ahead of the presidential poll slated for November 30. Two MPs will be elected in Jubbaland today. After today’s elections, Jubbaland will have elected 41 MPs remaining with two more seats to fill. The Federal electoral body FIEIT is yet to issue its verdict regarding the incumbent Minister of Petroleum, Abdirizak Omar whom the Jubbaland electoral team recommended for disqualification over what it termed as gross violation of electoral rules.
Delegates in Galmudug will on the other hand elect four MPs including a seat which will be contested by women only. The state has so far elected 18 MPs with another 18 waiting to be elected. Voting will also resume in Hir-Shabelle today following a three days suspension by FIEIT, the electoral implementing body, after a shooting incident involving the Minister of Youth and Sports, Abdullahi Nur which led to a halt of the voting process. Voting for the seat involving the minister remains suspended.
Despite having been the first state to start the election exercise on November 5, Puntland is yet to complete its electoral process for the Lower House, with only 19 seats filled out of the 37 allocated for them. A total of 114 MPs have so far been elected while Somaliland’s Upper and Lower House elections still remain to be conducted. The electoral body has also not issued any communication on when Banaadir MPs, a total of 7, will be elected.
Key Headlines
- Voting Continues In Four States Two Ministers Remain Suspended (Goobjoog News)
- Attorney General Takes Over Investigation Of Jowhar Election Dispute (Hiiraan Online)
- Two Militants Surrender To Jubbaland Security Forces In Kismayo (Dhacdo.com)
- International Community Urges Somali To Ensure Free Fair Polls (CCTV)
- AU Military Officers Meet In Somalia Over Counter-terrorism Strategy (Xinhua)
- Voting Under Way But Is It Really An Election? (Al-Jazeera English)
- Denmark Pulling Out Of The Fight Against Somali Pirates (CPH Post)
- Somalia Fighting Not Only Al-Shabaab But Islamic State Too (Mail & Guardian Africa)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Attorney General Takes Over Investigation Of Jowhar Election Dispute
22 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 136 Words
Somalia’s Attorney General has taken over investigations into the Friday night electoral dispute in Jowhar town. FIEIT, the electoral implementing body officials confirmed to the media that Dr. Ahmed Ali Dahir will now spearhead the investigations into the results disputed by the incumbent Minister of Youth and Sports and Minister Mohamed Hassan Nuh who refused that his competitor won extra votes in the first round.
“The AG is now in charge of investigations into this matter in collaboration with security agencies and we shall make public the outcome of the investigations,” said FIEIT Chair Omar Dhagey. Lower house elections in Jowhar have since stalled following the standoff which has seen supporters of opposing sides engage in fisticuffs. Investigations are scheduled to complete by Wednesday.
Two Militants Surrender To Jubbaland Security Forces In Kismayo
22 November – Source: Dhacdo.com – 131 Words
Two alleged Al-Shabaab militants surrendered to Jubbaland security forces in Kismayo. One of the alleged defectors, Nageye Abdi Shilow, said he was Al-Shabaab’s former Elbur district commissioner. He gave himself up on Sunday, according to Jubbaland’s head of criminal investigations office Colonel Ahmed Muse who spoke to the local media.
Another Al-Shabaab member named Mohamed Hassan Abdi (Qadaab) yesterday surrendered to Jubbaland security forces, saying his decision to defect came as a result of Al-Shabaab’s unabating abuse against innocent people, which he ‘couldn’t tolerate’. “They ordinarily carry out killings against poor pastoralists who refuse to give out some of their livestock to them,” he said.Jubbaland’s head of criminal investigations called on other militant fighters to renounce violence and surrender to Jubbaland, saying that Al-Shabaab is becoming a burden on Somalis.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
International Community Urges Somalia To Ensure Free, Fair Polls
22 November – Source: CCTV – Video: 02:29 Minutes
AU Military Officers Meet In Somalia Over Counter-terrorism Strategy
22 November – Source: Xinhua – 247 Words
Senior military commanders from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) started a meeting in Mogadishu on Monday to review and re-assess their operations and counter-terrorism strategy. The sector commanders’ meeting focused on the effectiveness of ground troops and the possibility of increasing troop size to enable the Mission to conduct more offensive operations and recover territory still under the control of Al-Shabaab.
In his opening remarks, Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia, Francisco Caetano Madeira lauded the troops for their dedication to securing the ongoing electoral process and enabling the exercise to progress smoothly. “I am happy to hear that in all sectors, AMISOM is viewed with respect, because AMISOM is effectively securing the electoral process. It shows we are living up to our commitment, despite all the challenges,” Madeira told the military commanders.
Voting Under Way But Is It Really An Election?
22 November – Source: Al-Jazeera English – Video: 31:50 Words
Question and answer session with Hamza Mohamed, Al Jazeera journalist on the ongoing electoral process in Somalia
Denmark Pulling Out Of The Fight Against Somali Pirates
21 November – Source: CPH Post – 273 Words
Danish warships and patrols have been helping NATO keep Somali pirates at bay in the Indian Ocean for nine years, capturing 295 suspected pirates, of which 50 were forwarded for prosecution in other countries. The number of Somali pirate attacks against merchant ships has fallen from nearly 250 in 2011 to just a few this year.
“We have been very pleased with the Danish effort, because merchant sailing in the area is completely dependent on maritime safety,” Anne H Steffensen, the director of the Danish Shipowners Association, told Metroxpress. As a result of their success – and a need to be deployed elsewhere – NATO and Danish efforts in the region are about to end.
“We certainly understand that Denmark has chosen to move its support ship into the Mediterranean Sea, where the many refugees in boats has created an urgent situation,” said Steffesen. With Denmark and other NATO countries moving out, the big question remains if the pirates will return to fill the void.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The annual United Nations monitoring group report on Somalia recently highlighted the role of illicit weapon flows from Yemen to Somalia, while the former head of Puntland’s intelligence remarked in June that Mumin’s troops had already begun receiving supplies via the Al Mukalla route.”
Somalia Fighting Not Only Al-Shabaab But Islamic State Too
22 November – Source: Mail & Guardian Africa – 975 Words
In late October, a faction of Somali militants aligned to Islamic State and led by long-time cleric Abdul Qadir Mumin, walked into the town of Qandala along Somalia’s northern coast in the Bari region of Puntland, meeting little resistance. Whether or not they subsequently retreated to the town’s outskirts is unclear, but a naval attack by Puntland’s forces on November 10 confirmed the militants’ continued occupation of the area.
The development is worrying for a number of reasons. It’s the first attempt by militants aligned to Islamic State to hold territory in Somalia, a key criteria for pledged groups such as Mumin’s to gain official acceptance as a full wilayat (province) in Islamic State’s global caliphate. Second, Qandala’s strategic location is underscored by its proximity to Yemen, and specifically the port city of Al Mukalla, long rumoured to be a source of weapon imports.
The annual United Nations monitoring group report on Somalia recently highlighted the role of illicit weapon flows from Yemen to Somalia, while the former head of Puntland’s intelligence remarked in June that Mumin’s troops had already begun receiving supplies via the Al Mukalla route.
Finally, the occupation of Qandala may demonstrate the ability of Islamic State-aligned militants to leverage Somalia’s notoriously difficult clan system to their advantage. Mumin hails from the Ali Saleban sub-clan of the Darod/Marjetten, whose members inhabit the Bari region, and he may utilise these loyalties for support and protection in the wake of security operations by regional authorities.
Mumin pledged allegiance to Islamic State in October last year with just a few dozen militants, breaking off from an Al-Shabaab cell based in Puntland. This was the first major pledge, but a small, diverse pool of al-Shabab militants throughout Somalia have since followed his lead, making Mumin’s group the most active, but not the sole representation of Islamic State in Somalia.
TOP TWEETS
@AmbAmerico : @M_ADANH_ I won’t buy a vote in the Presidential elections, I hope that the Senators and MPs will vote for the quality of candidate #Somalia
@riskmaplive : U.s. Special Operations Forces Leads Joint Raid On Al Shabaab In Southern #Somalia http://dlvr.it/Mjpf34
@BarudGSD: For the firs time my adult-life I’m in #Somalia in election time and whilst I don’t want to be despair what I’m hearing is not encouraging
@Ahmed_Yasto: #Somalia: Voting under way but is it really an election? http://bit.ly/2fMLUSh
@Vatescorp : #Somalia: Jubaland forces backed by ENDF launch joint offensive on #AlShabaab held area of Berhani
@Tuuryare_Africa : #UPDATE: Danish warships and patrols helping #NATO pulled out of the fight against Somali pirates.#Somalia
@Vatescorp : #Somalia: Senior AMISOM military officers meet to reassess counter terrorism strategy, ops against #alShabaabhttp://ow.ly/DTRq306p79a
@omabha: Somalia: Electoral Seats Selling for Up to $1.3 Million Each, Says Auditor General – Newsweekhttp://dlvr.it/MjmG9f #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
HirShabelle state is set to resume voting for Lower House representatives following the temporary suspension of polls which was resolved on Sunday following the intervention of the SRSG, Michael Keating and the SRCC, Ambassador Madeira
Photo: AMISOM