November 9, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Puntland Members of Parliament Elect New Speaker
09 November – Source: Garowe Online – 183 Words
Lawmakers in Somalia’s Puntland parliament have voted in tough election that brought together three candidates on Monday morning. Three MPs-Abdihakin Mohamed Ahmed, Ahmed Ali Hashi and Saed Samatar Surad-have vied for the top political post following the resignation of former Parliament Speaker, Saed Hassan Shire on October 28. The 66-seat-chamber members have casted their votes in transparent ballot boxes in accordance with the bylaws set by parliamentary sub-committee on election.
The candidates first off delivered key speeches in parliament, with each MP pledging that he will bring more transparency and efficiency in the parliament if elected as speaker. In the first round of voting, Ahmed Ali Hashi secured 40 votes of the 64 casted, followed by Abdihakin Mohamed Ahmed, 19 and MP Saed Samatar with 3 votes. Hashi and Ahmed proceeded to the second round of voting in what appeared ‘neck-to-neck’ encounter which was televised live from the state capital of Garowe. Ahmed Ali Hashi, a close ally of Puntland President, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali won by 41 votes in the next tallying. Mr Hashi held the Puntland parliament speaker post from 2006 to 2008.
Key Headlines
- Puntland Members of Parliament Elect New Speaker (Garowe Online)
- President Of Somalia Holds Talks With His Ugandan Counterpart (Wacaal Media)
- Al- Shabaab Militants Killed In SNA Operation in Hiiraan (Radio Muqdisho)
- Somali Police Commissioner In Official Visit To Sudan (Wacaal Media)
- Jovago Add Somalia Hotels To Booking Site (Standard Digital)
- Flooding Affects Tens Of Thousands In Somalia (Al Jazeera)
- Two Somali Professors Win A Prestigious Research Award In US (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Of Somalia Holds Talks With His Ugandan Counterpart
09 November – Source: Wacaal Media – 89 Words
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday held talks with his host President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda a few hours after arriving in the country. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations between their two countries including security matters such as the war against Al-Shabaab. Museveni pledged more support for Somalia in the country’s efforts to regain peace and rebuild its national forces so that they can take over the mantle from AMISOM. Uganda has contributed the largest number of forces to the AU’s peace-keeping mission in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab Militants Killed In SNA Operation in Hiiraan
09 November – Source : Radio Muqdisho- 107 Words
At least four Al- Shabaab militants have been killed in an operation undertaken by the Somali National Army (SNA) in the district of Garasyani in Hiiraan region. The operation started after members of the public notified the army of an Al -Shabaab hideout in the area. The operation saw a brief confrontation between the army and the militants. Some of the residents have confirmed to Radio Muqdisho that have seen the bodies of the four Al- Shabaab militants killed in the area adding that the SNA forces were still conducting operations in the area. Reports say that the militants have been terrorising the residents in the area.
Somali Police Commissioner In Official Visit To Sudan
09 November – Source: Wacaal Media – 59 Words
The police commissioner of Somalia Gen. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud has arrived in Khartoum Sudan for three day official visit. Officials say the visit was aimed at bolstering security cooperation between the two countries given the fact that Sudan is one of the countries where the Somali police force is trained. The commissioner later held talks with his Sudanese counterparts.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Jovago Add Somalia Hotels To Booking Site
09 November – Source: Standard Digital – 170 Words
Online hotel booking service provider, Jovago.com, has signed up the first Somalia-based hotels to its online booking platform. The signing comes at a time when the global hospitality industry is shifting gear in response to the e-commerce wave sweeping through the sector. Commenting on the new entry, Estelle Verdier, managing director for Jovago.com East and Southern Africa, expressed her optimism on a recovering Somalia and the country’s rebirth. Somalia, Ms Verdier said, has attracted new attention from Africa and beyond owing to its reconstruction. “Jovago therefore, is seeking to align Somalia’s hotel sector proportionately with new age customer trends and purchasing decisions,” the MD said.
Verdier reckons that change began in 2013, when Liquid Telecom introduced the country’s first fibre optic broadband, linking Somalia’s capital Mogadishu to the rest of the world. The venture, she says, opened Somalia up to opportunities on the Internet. Shiraar Hared Rage, CEO of Idman Ocean View Camp in Mogadishu, says the partnership with Jovago.com will greatly benefit the country’s hotel sector.
Flooding Affects Tens Of Thousands In Somalia
09 November – Source: Al Jazeera – 262 Words
Up to 90,000 people have been affected by the flooding in Somalia and 42,000 people have been displaced, according to the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The worst hit regions are believed to be in the south of the country, much of which are suffering from civil war. The rains this year have been far heavier than normal. Usually Somalia has a fairly dry climate, which is surprising for a country which lies so close to the equator. The lack of rain ensures that much of the country is desert, or desert scrub.
The little rain that falls normally does so between April and November, but it is highly variable from year to year. This year, however, the rain has been enhanced by El Nino. El Nino is a natural ocean current which develops periodically in the Pacific Ocean, and causes the sea surface temperatures to be slightly warmer than usual. El Nino has been seen to dramatically affect the weather around the globe, and one of its impacts is to enhance the amount of rain that falls across the Horn of Africa.
It is estimated that 2,000 people died in the region during the 1997-1998 El Nino event, most of whom were in Somalia. The current El Nino is one of the strongest on record and is still intensifying. It is expected to reach its peak in the northern hemisphere winter, before weakening in the spring. This means that although the latest round of flooding has eased, the threat of more torrential rain still remains.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“People have to question and reflect on the immoralities lodged in the heart of this kind of social inequality which is against the Islamic doctrine as well as the theories of social development.”
Two Somali Professors Win A Prestigious Research Award In US
08 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 496 Words
For two professors Abdi Kusow and Mohamed Eno, the inequality and discrimination faced by Somali minority groups in Somalia is an important topic that media and other writers failed to portray, something which forced the two professors to take matters into their hands by making an extensive research into the topic which earned them the prestigious 2015 Maines Narrative Research Award. Titled “Formula Narratives and the Making of Social Stratification and Inequality.” the two researchers use Somali original narratives to describe the ways in which Somali minority groups are discriminated and deprived of their own social rights, by pushing them further from their social boundary of Somaliness.
The lengthy research also relates how Somali culture, institutions, and social organizations dialectically structure the generic processes that produce and perpetuate social inequality against Somali minority groups. “I personally believe that truly acknowledging some of the serious inequalities and the level of other-ing and discrimination in our society is the first step toward a fair, just, and truly inclusive Somalia.” Kusow told HOL. Asked what made him interested in in this kind of research, Dr. Kusow said “I have always been interested in the idea of justice and equality. Also, I am a sociologist, and I study how societies are organized including the nature of social inequalities.”
Professor Eno, the co-author of the article, also agreed with Professor Kusow by saying “…bringing such a topic into the discursive forum will educate the Somali society, particularly the open-minded people, along the path to a more just and equal society.” Addressing the prejudice against minority groups in the country has never been an easy job, a one which left many stigmatized. ” People have to question and reflect on the immoralities lodged in the heart of this kind of social inequality which is against the Islamic doctrine as well as the theories of social development.” Enow says.
TOP TWEETS
@amisomsomalia: Somali Police Force to introduce Gender Desks to cater for cases of sexual abuse http://bit.ly/1LYP7pV #Somalia
@alibodaye : @SomaliPM @HarunMaruf current Min of Interior Affairs Odawaa is being sworn as member of SF Parliament, replacing Hon Abtidon. #Somalia
@mohamedbashle: #Breaking Ahmed Ali Hashi is elected as the new speaker of #Puntland parliament.#Somalia
@khalid0228: 1972: #Somalia mediated peace treatment agreements between Tanzania and Uganda that ended long running conflicts
@Bogorad_Olga: #Somalia Jubaland President #Madobe to sign deal with rival #Gedo politicians, described as breakthrough in political deadlock @radiogarowe
@SomaliaNewsroom: Chinese are assessing Hobyo port in Galmudug. #Somalia has several strategic but underdeveloped ports in the region.
@TheVillaSomalia: #Somalia and #Ugandan Presidents meets in Entebbe, discuss security and cooperation.
@IlwadElman: #GirlsEducation is not a luxury,its a basic right! Formal education still 100%privatized in #Somalia@ElmanPeaceHRC
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Workers at Kismayo Seaport in southern Somalia praying.
Photo: AMISOM