November 27, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Human Rights and development are “centre stage” in Somalia, declares Foreign Minister at Brussels summit

Key Headlines

President Hassan meets EU and UN diplomats in Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
Somali Foreign Minister accuses al Shabaab of human rights violations (Radio Mogadishu/SNTV )
More than 50 fall ill with unidentified diseases ( Radio Ergo)
Two warring clans agree to a ceasefire in Sool region (Radio Bar-kulan)
Museveni orders fresh inquiry into UPDF Somalia theft (Daily Nation)
Priority areas chosen for Somali refugees to return home ( Reuters)
Kenya: Somali repatriation process must be voluntary UN agency stresses (UN News Centre)

PRESS STATEMENT

Human Rights and development are “centre stage” in Somalia, declares Foreign Minister at Brussels summit

26 Nov- Source: Office of the President – 381 words
The Somali government is putting human rights and development “centre-stage” of its bold reforming agenda, Her Excellency Fawzia Yusuf H. Adam, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister says today.
Speaking at a high-level EU Development summit in Brussels, the Deputy Prime Minister will give an upbeat assessment of progress during the government’s one year in office. As part of its rights-based approach to development and the war against extremists, the administration was prioritising education and youth employment.
“Make no mistake, education and employment are absolutely critical to wean young Somalis away from extremists. My message today is that they must both be seen as part of the war against Al Shabaab,” the Deputy Prime Minister says.
The government has been working closely with the UN, EU and other international partners to develop a Somali-owned Human Rights Road Map with a new Directorate General for Human and Minority Rights and the Rule of Law. Earlier in the year, the UN’s Independent Human Rights Expert on Somalia Dr. Shamsul Bari, visited Mogadishu and gave the new government a vote of confidence, arguing that “the rule of law and justice were taking root” and that there was “a bright future ahead”.
The worst abuser of human rights in Somalia was Al Shabaab, says the Deputy Prime Minister, the group that Somali religious scholars recently issued a fatwa against. “Their wanton violence, their treatment of women and minorities, their blockade of humanitarian aid to the vulnerable populations, and their opposition to schools and clinics in areas that they control are clear indications that al Shabaab is a force that must be met with unified international resolve to destroy.”
Summarising the situation in Somalia, the Deputy PM says optimism is “the new buzz word. We are now at an exciting time in Somalia where we are rebuilding institutions and government virtually from scratch. We are moving from a period of conflict and anarchy towards peace and the rule of law. No longer a failed state, we are well and truly back on the map.”
The high-level summit includes the President of the European Commission, the Presidents of Liberia and Niger and the Prime Ministers of Jamaica, Lithuania and Cape Verde and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

SOMALI MEDIA

President Hassan meets EU and UN diplomats in Mogadishu

26 Nov- Source: Radio RBC/Radio Risaala/Hiiraan Online- 129 words

Diplomats from European Union and the United Nations Tuesday visited Mogadishu and met with the President of the Federal Government of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud inside the main airport of Mogadishu, sources told RBC Radio. The closed door meeting ended around 2.00 pm local time as sources close to the meeting confirm that the European Union and the UN diplomats were very concerned over the resignation of former Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia [CBS] Mrs Yusur Abrar following rumors of high level corruption and fraud inside the government offices. There has been no any immediate comments made by the presidential officials and the foreign ambassadors yet.The meeting came as the country’s Prime Minister is facing tough parliamentary motion which will be debated on early next week.

Somali Foreign Minister accuses al Shabaab of human rights violations

26 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV 127 words

Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Fowzia Yusuf Haji Aden has accused al Shabaab militant group of committing worst human rights violations in the country. Speaking at EU Development summit in Brussels, she said that al Shabaab is a force that must be met with an iron fist in order to drive them away from the rest of Somalia. “Their wanton violence, their treatment of women and minorities, their blockade of humanitarian aid to the vulnerable populations, and their opposition to schools and clinics in areas that they control are clear indications that al Shabaab is a force that must be met with unified international resolve to destroy.” She said in a statement. Fowzia further stated that improving human rights in Somalia is one of her government’s main priorities.

More than 50 fall ill with unidentified diseases

26 Nov- Source: Radio Ergo- 211 words

More than 50 people have fallen sick from an unidentified illness that local people in Puntland’s Bari coastal region fear may be linked to the after effects of the tropical cyclone. The first people fell sick three days ago. The local administration say they are trying to identify the cause and treatment. Ali Mire Hussein, the local authority chairman of Eastern coastal areas of Bari region, said most of those affected live in the coastal village of Tohin. Both adults and children were among those affected, he told Radio Ergo’s Bossaso reporter by phone. Explaining the symptoms of the diseases, he said people felt skin irritation and itchiness, with infected skin sores. Other symptoms were headache and nose bleeds. There has been no reported death. The village has no health centre and has been cut off by floods from other parts of the region. Red Cross medical staff in the area for cyclone assistance purposes were reported to be assessing the patients. A local resident in the area, Ali Muse Sagar, told Radio Ergo that Tohin village was along the coastline where ships are said to have dumped illegal chemical waste. He said that after heavy rain, people always got sick because of the toxic chemicals washed ashore by rough seas.

Two warring clans agree to a ceasefire in Sool region

26 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 111 words
Two clan militias that have been fighting in Hudun area have on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire in Sarmanyo village, some 83KM north of Taleh town. The two clans agreed to the ceasefire after Puntland and Khatumo State officials brought the two sides together in Sarmanyo village in an effort to end the hostilities. Khatumo State Vice President, Ahmed Elmi Osman promised that his administration in support of Puntland officials will compensate both sides for their losses in an attempt to prevent further skirmishes. Bar-kulan correspondent in Las Anod says the two clans held a several days’ long meeting in Sarmanyo which finally resulted in the rapprochement between the two clans.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Museveni orders fresh inquiry into UPDF Somalia theft

26 Nov- Source: Daily Monitor- 535 words
President Museveni has ordered for fresh investigations, the third in a row, into the alleged theft and sale of the army’s food, fuel and weapons by UPDF commanders on assignment in Somalia. There are disturbing accounts that some military supplies, including bullets, were sold to al Shabaab fighters when AMISOM forces have suffered ammunition stockouts. The latest investigation, sources told this newspaper, is being headed by the Chief of Staff of Land Forces, Brig Leopold Kyanda, and follows a recent one by the military Intelligence’s chief of Special Investigations Bureau, Lt Col Moses Mwesigwa.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenya: Somali repatriation process must be voluntary, UN agency stresses

26 Nov- Source: UN News Centre- 308 words

The agreement signed earlier this month between the United Nations refugee agency and the Governments of Somalia and Kenya supports the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees, a UNHCR spokesperson has stressed, reiterating that the parties are not forcing anyone to return to Somalia. “UNHCR does not support forced returns,” UN Refugee Agency spokesperson, Adrian Edwards, told journalists today in Geneva. “This understanding was reaffirmed last Friday,” said Mr. Edwards, when the Kenyan and Somali refugee commissioners Badu Katelo and Ahmed Nur visited Dadaab refugee camp.

Priority areas chosen for Somali refugees to return home

26 Nov- Source: Reuters-708 Words
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has identified three priority areas to which it will help Somali refugees return home from Kenya, a senior official said on Tuesday. The UNHCR signed an agreement with the governments of both countries on Nov. 10, and half a million Somali refugees living in Kenya are expected to return home voluntarily over the next three years. The number of refugees from Somalia – 1.1 million – is the third highest in the world after Afghanistan and Syria. “We are trying to work with UNHCR Somalia to identify, together with the federal government of the republic of Somalia, the areas which I can call relatively safe for return,” Abel Mbilinyi, UNHCR deputy representative for Kenya, told a news conference. “Currently we are looking at three areas, which are Luuq, Baidoa and a part of Kismayo where we want to start for people who want to go there.” The three areas were formerly controlled by the Somali militant group al Shabaab but are now are under the control of the Somali National Army and African Union troops, known as Amisom.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The clan-based system has had its chance. Only through a party system, overseen by an electoral commission, can Somalia put together a government with the capacity to solve the country’s unique challenges—and bring about the political stability that has eluded it for the last two decades.”

Somalia’s Failure: A Broken System or Lousy Leaders?

26 Nov- Source: Foreign Policy In Focus-646 Words
In most of the world’s parliamentary democracies, it’s rare to see presidents and prime ministers bickering, since their roles and responsibilities are more or less distinct and rarely overlap. However, in many African governments, power struggles between presidents and prime ministers are quite common, even when the offices have clearly defined constitutional roles. In Somalia, the president is the head of state. His powers include appointing a prime minister and serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, which includes the power to declare of a state of emergency or war. The prime minister is the chief of the cabinet, guiding and overseeing the work of the other ministers. However, despite these neatly separated roles and responsibilities, Somalia is once again having great difficulty in governing itself under a power sharing system.