November 8, 2016 | Morning Headlines
PRESS STATEMENT
Presidents Guled And Gaas Instruct Their Military Commanders To Implement Ceasefire In Galkayo In Presence of PM Sharmarke And SRSG Keating
07 November – Source: UNSOM – 357 Words
The United Nations is deeply concerned by the recent breakdown of the ceasefire in Galkayo and the continuing failure of the Puntland and Galmudug administrations to implement agreements, including the one signed on 2 December 2015 and again on 1 November 2016. Deeply alarmed by the ongoing violence in Galkayo, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Michael Keating, travelled to the Puntland city of Bossaso today and met with Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali “Gaas”. This visit follows a recent meeting in Mogadishu between the SRSG and Galmudug President Abdikarim Hussein Guled.
While in Bossaso, the SRSG and President Gaas held a teleconference with President Guled, Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, the Commander of Puntland Forces General Said Mohamed Hersi and the Commander of Galmudug Forces Colonel Abdiaziz Abdullahi Qooje. During that discussion, the two state Presidents gave clear orders to their respective military commanders to reinstate the ceasefire with immediate effect. These orders were accepted by General Said and Colonel Qooje in the presence of the Prime Minister and SRSG Keating.
It was agreed that President Guled and President Gaas, the Prime Minister and the SRSG will travel to Galkayo later this week for further discussions on implementing and monitoring the ceasefire, as well as to agree a plan to address key issues that must be resolved to secure lasting peace in Galkayo. SRSG Keating assured all parties that the international community and United Nations stand ready to support a meaningful peace and reconciliation process. Failure to implement the ceasefire and find a peaceful solution to the crisis will not only cause further suffering for the population of Galkayo, but will also escalate tensions that extremists could exploit. A successful resolution would foster a more positive dynamic between the two regional administrations and bring political as well as practical benefits for Somalia.
“I look forward to meeting community leaders in Galkayo and working with the Prime Minister and the two state presidents in the coming days,” said SRSG Keating. “I remain confident that a lasting solution to this long-running conflict can be found if all parties act in good faith.”
Key Headlines
- Presidents Guled And Gaas Instruct Their Military Commanders To Implement Ceasefire In Galkayo In Presence of PM Sharmarke And SRSG Keating (UNSOM)
- Allied Forces Push Al-Shabaab Out Of New Areas In Central Somalia (Garowe Online)
- Hirshabelle Administration Set To Elect Its Upper House Representatives (Hiiraan Online)
- Presidential Candidate Farole Calls To End Clashes In Galkayo (Garowe Online)
- Prospect Of Offshore Oil Offers Mixed Blessing For Somalia (Reuters)
- Iran: Political Bids On Crew Hijacked By Somali Pirates Impossible (Trend News Agency)
- Somali Presidential Candidate: More Violence Expected As Elections Inch Closer (Deutsche Welle)
- Architecture Around Somalia’s Electoral Process Is Finitely More Robust Than In 2012 – UN Envoy (UN News Centre)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Allied Forces Push Al-Shabaab Out Of New Areas In Central Somalia
07 November – Source: Garowe Online – 153 Words
Somali and allied African troops have seized control of new areas in Hiiraan region from Al-Shabaab militants during a major offensive, Garowe Online reports. Col Hassan Jama, the commander of Djiboutian soldiers serving with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), said the combined troops seized Berhani and Bardere, about 30 km south of Beledweyne city after the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab fighters fled without a fight.
“Al-Shabaab rebels did not mount any resistance and fled the settlements as Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers and Djiboutian forces of AMISOM contingent entered the town,” Jama said. The Djiboutian peacekeeping force commander added the anti-militant push will continue until the Al-Shabaab threat is dealt with and the Al-Qaeda-linked group liberated from their remaining pockets in Hiiraan province.
Al-Shabaab insurgents are fighting to topple Somalia’s internationally-backed federal government, and often launch attacks against Somali government troops and African Union forces’ bases in the country’s south and central regions.
Hirshabelle Administration Set To Elect Its Upper House Representatives
07 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 129 Words
HirShabelle State parliamentarians are expected to elect members representing the regional administration in the Federal Parliament’s Upper House on Tuesday. The announcement comes a day after a breakthrough deal was reached over the selection methodology and the candidates.
HirShabelle President Ali Abdullahi Osoble earlier removed some members from the potential list following rejection by the parliamentarians of HirShabelle State. HirShabelle parliament speaker, Osman Barre Mohamed told the media that the members to represent HirShabelle at the upper house of the federal parliament are set to be elected on Tuesday.
“MP candidates will give speeches in front of the parliament and later the elections will kick off,” Mohamed said. Other regional states such as Puntland, Galmudug, Jubaland have already begun the process of electing their representatives in the Upper House.
Presidential Candidate Farole Calls For End To Galkayo Clashes
07 November – Source: Garowe Online – 219 Words
Somalia’s Federal Parliament Senator and Presidential candidate, Abdirahman Mohamud Farole has spoken to the media on Monday in Garowe, regional capital of Puntland, about the renewed fighting between Galmudug and Puntland in Mudug region, Garowe Online reports. In the press statement, senator Farole lamented at the unfortunate bloodshed in Galkayo city and called for an immediate end of hostilities.He also stressed the need to jointly resolve the conflict to serve the interest of the region and to prevent certain people with vested interests from fuelling tensions in Galkayo.
He also noted that the fighting has inflicted harm on the civilians and called for the Somali government to take a responsible role to stop the fighting that is claiming the lives of innocent people.
Farole stated that he is jointly working with other Somali Federal senators to negotiate for withdrawal of both forces from the frontline at the border and promote peaceful coexistence in the Galkayo city.
His statement comes after over 70 people were reported killed and more injured in the latest clashes between the rival state forces despite a peace deal between leaders of the states was brokered last week in UAE.
Galkayo city, is divided into two areas, with the southern areas governed by Galmudug and the northern one by Puntland, has witnessed in the past months intensified fighting over contested areas.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Prospect Of Offshore Oil Offers Mixed Blessing For Somalia
07 November – Source: Reuters – 757 Words
Somalia looks more likely to strike oil than gas in its long pursuit of offshore riches, making it easier for the African state to exploit any windfall but also potentially upsetting the fragile recovery led by its Western-backed government. The waters off Somalia, best known for years of piracy, may harbor hydrocarbons at a depth where crude is usually found, seismic services company Spectrum said last week its research showed. This is unlike the seas further south along the African coastline where gas is abundant.
That would be good news for Somalia, which would likely find pumping out oil onto tankers easier than securing the multi-billion dollar investment needed to liquefy gas for export. Oil revenues could transform Somalia’s economy, where many people rely on subsistence livestock farming. However, it could prove a challenge for a government trying to rebuild a nation battered by clan rivalries and Islamist insurgents after it descended into war in 1991.
“Disagreements between the member states and the federal government could fuel violence and corruption in a country that is still very much trying to build and extend governance,” said Ahmed Soliman, an expert at British think-tank Chatham House. Some fear oil rigs could also become a new target for pirates, who were the scourge of commercial shipping on nearby trade routes until naval protection and costly security on ships drove them away. The last major hijacking was reported in 2012.
“Somalia is still extremely fragile and hence the risk of the piracy resurfacing is a concern,” said Cyrus Mody, assistant director in the ICC International Maritime Bureau.
Iran: Political Bids On Crew Hijacked By Somali Pirates Impossible
07 November – Source: Trend News Agency – 314 Words
Tehran says that a political approach to the case of a dozen Iranian fishermen who were hijacked by Somali pirates a year ago is impossible. “We have no relations with Somalia. It lacks an effective government,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told a news conference, Trend correspondent reported from the event November 7.
In November 2015 Somali pirates hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel with 15 crew members. Two other Iranian fishing ships were captured by suspected pirates in March of that year. The 16 crew members of one boat managed to raise anchor and escape in August, but the other ship and 26 crew members remained in captivity. Qassemi said that it is hard to deal with pirates, but added that Iran is doing everything possible to save the hostages.
“We have not been publicizing the development of the case due to concern for the lives of the captives. It is a complicated story,” the spokesman said. He refrained from answering a question as to what organizations in Iran are making attempts to free the captives, but assured that “it is not a forgotten case.” Iranian news outlets have reported that the families of some of the captives have paid the pirates to free their beloved ones, but the pirates have not set their hostages free.
Somalia’s government cut diplomatic ties and recalled its envoys in January 2016 after accusing the Iranian Embassy of establishing sects that pose a threat to national security in the Horn of Africa nation. Tehran considers the severing of ties to have been influenced by Saudi Arabia. A few days after Somalia announced its decision, Reuters said it had found documents showing that Somalia received a pledge of aid for $50 million from Saudi Arabia on the same day it announced it was cutting ties with Saudi rival Iran.
Somali Presidential Candidate: More Violence Expected As Elections Inch Closer
07 November – Source: Deutsche Welle – 550 Words
Close to 30 people have died in violent clashes in Somalia over the weekend. The country is supposed to hold elections this December. DW spoke to presidential aspirant Fadumo Dayib. Fadumo Dayib: The security situation in Galkayo is deteriorating rapidly. The same is happening in Mogadishu: There was an explosion at the National Intelligence Headquarters the other day, followed by sporadic gunfire. Unfortunately this seems to be picking up speed and it will increase as the elections – or the selections – come closer. But of outmost concern is the situation in Galkayo. On Sunday, more than 25 people were killed there, 85 injured and almost 85,000 displaced. The situation is grave and very worrisome.
Are you optimistic that the elections will go on according to plan?
That remains to be seen. We have seen the deferment of these selections on several occasions. There is the possibility that the presidential selections could be deferred to some time in December but that remains to be seen. I am not holding my breath. There is a high probability that we will once more fall behind the deadlines based on the patterns that we have seen before.
How free and fair are these elections going to be?
[These] are not free and fair selections. This is a rigged and corrupt election. It is an election or a selection that is unconstitutional. The 4.5 clan-based system is not recognized by the Somali constitution, it is not as per the Somali traditions and culture and it is certainly not an Islamic way of conducting affairs in this country. It is a system that is oppressive. It excludes the majority of Somalis, particularly women and the youth. So this is by far the most corrupt selections that we have seen so far.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“It’s early to say. But already I would argue this because it’s taking place in five or six places around the country. We’ve got much more active political environment, we’ve got women being pretty active, we’ve got youth groups mobilized, we have these ad hoc institutions like the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT), the State Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (SIEIT), the electoral dispute resolution body in place. You’ve got very high levels of international interest. We have a code of conduct, we have international observers. So I would argue that the architecture around this electoral process is infinitely more robust than it was in 2012.”
Architecture Around Somalia’s Electoral Process Is Finitely More Robust Than In 2012 – UN Envoy
07 November – Source: UN News Centre – 1,236 Words
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) is mandated with many tasks in the east African nation as it continues to make significant strides in its peace process after two decades of lawlessness and conflict. These tasks include helping the Federal Government to promote respect for human rights and women’s empowerment, promote child protection, prevent conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, and strengthen justice institutions.
They also include providing policy advice on peacebuilding and state-building in the areas of governance, security sector reform and rule of law, the development of a federal system and democratisation – with the latter including helping with preparations for its political transition, which includes an inclusive national electoral process planned for 2016.
Under the country’s Provisional Federal Constitution, the mandates of the Federal Parliament and of the President of the Federal Republic end this year and a political transition is necessary to re-constitute and re-legitimize the country’s political institutions. While universal elections are not yet possible, an electoral process has been developed to facilitate enhanced political participation, with an eye towards universal elections by 2020. The new Federal Parliament will consist of 275 members of the House of the People and 54 members of the Upper House of Parliament.
Voting for the members of the Upper House took place on 10 October, and voting for members of the House of the People is taking place between 23 October and 10 November 2016, with a president to be elected on 30 November by members of both chambers of parliament. With voting for the lower house underway, the head of UNSOM, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Michael Keating, shared some of his thoughts on the elections.
UN News Centre: People are expressing concern that the electoral process has been dictated to the Somali people by the international community and the UN. Can you explain how the process was arrived at?
Michael Keating: Yes, it’s taken about 18 months to design the model for this electoral process. The first major decision was back in the middle of 2015 when Parliament and Federal Government decided that Somalia is not ready for universal elections-one-person one-vote-for a variety of reasons including the fact that there isn’t a voter registry, the institution capacity is absent including the national electoral commission. So, then there was a consultative process starting in September 2015, went on for several months and that actually involved an unprecedented number of meetings around the country.