November 9, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Hirshabelle Upper House Elections Commence In Jowhar
09 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 164 Words
Newly formed Interim Adminstration of HirShabelle has begun its Upper House elections in the interim regional capital of Jowhar town a day after candidates wrapped up their campaign speeches in front of state parliamentarians and state officials who attended the sessions. Regional parliamentarians are set to vote for the candidates representing HirShabelle in the upcoming Upper House chamber of the Federal Government of Somalia.
Osman Barre Mohamed, Parliament Speaker of HirShabelle officially opened the session and commended the candidates for their participation in the process. The State Indirect Electoral Implementation Team for HirShabelle also said that all candidates had satisfied electoral prerequisites and are most worthy to represent the people of HirShabelle.
President Ali Abdualhi Osoble announced the list on Friday, among them are 4 women candidates contesting for the 8 seats quota for Hirshabelle. Other regional states including Puntland, Jubbaland and South-West State, have concluded the Upper House elections. Both the Lower and Upper Houses of parliament will elect Somalia’s next president at the end of November.
Key Headlines
- Hirshabelle Upper House Elections Commence In Jowhar (Goobjoog News)
- Two Military Officers Gunned Down In Beledweyne (Goobjoog News)
- Somali President Praises Lower House Elections in Baidoa and Kismayo (Jowhar.com)
- Ilhan Omar Of Minnesota Becomes First Somali-American Legislator (Identity.mic)
- Anti-government Clan’s Support For Islamic State Faction in Puntland Unlikely To Contribute To Increased Somalia-based Piracy (IHS)
- Somalia Will Strike It Both Good And Bad If It Finds Offshore Oil (Mail & Guardian Africa)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Two Military Officers Gunned Down In Beledweyne
09 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 289 Words
Gunmen shot dead two Somali military officers in central Somalia on Tuesday night, a resident said. The soldiers were killed after four suspected militants approached them and opened fire on the soldiers. According to witnesses, the attackers have immediately escaped the scene after the the shoot out.
Security officials in the town said security forces were pursuing the attackers. “Four armed men opened fire at the officers who died on the spot,’’ said a resident of Bundoweyn locality in Beledweyne. The resident added “Immediately, the gunmen fled away from the area before police arrived to carry out investigations.”
Beledweyne, a town in Hiiraan region is under the control of African Union forces and Somali government forces. No group has yet to claim responsibility for the attack, but Al-Shabaab militants are suspected to be behind killing. Attacks against members of the Somali forces have increased in recent months in the town, but mainly take place in the outskirts of the town where assailants are most active.
Somalia faces a major security challenge from Al-Shabaab who controls large swathes in the southern and central parts of the country. The African Union and Somali troops have launched a major offensive against areas still under militants’ control and recaptured key strongholds, however Al-Shabab has since beefed up their attacks.
Somali President Praises Lower House Elections in Baidoa and Kismayo
08 November – Source: Jowhar.com – 100 Words
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud praised and welcomed the Lower House elections that started in Baidoa and Kismayo yesterday, deeming it as a step towards democracy. The president also praised the citizens and regional leaders’ collaboration in holding the Lower House elections on time as per the agreed electoral schedule.
“The Lower House elections taking place in Baidoa and Kismayo shows the level of high commitment both from the Somali people and the regional leaders,” President Mohamud said. The president thanked both regional leaders and the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team in their unwavering support and dedication to the electoral process.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Ilhan Omar Of Minnesota Becomes First Somali-American Legislator
09 November – Source: Identity.mic – 205 Words
Ilhan Omar will be the first Somali-American to serve as a legislator, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Omar garnered a commanding win in a state House race, having faced little opposition from Republicans. “It’s the beginning of something new,” Omar told the Star-Tribune. “This district has a legacy of making history. I am excited for our progressive values and to be able to be on the ground at the Capitol representing the diverse people of my district and being a champion with them and for them.”
Omar is a 34-year-old Muslim American. She wears a hijab and represents Minnesota’s future: younger, more urban and more racially and ethnically diverse. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen said her victory “says something important about the future of Minnesota, and what it means to be a Minnesotan. According to the Star-Tribune, Omar is also director of policy at Women Organizing Women Network, a group that advocates for East African women seeking civic leadership positions. Omar’s journey to the Minnesota legislature began in the Somali civil war and then a Kenyan refugee camp.
Anti-government Clan’s Support For Islamic State Faction in Puntland Unlikely To Contribute To Increased Somalia-based Piracy
09 November – Source: IHS – 120 Words
The election of representatives from the regional state of Puntland to Somalia’s lower house is due to be finalised on 10 November. This follows the conclusion of talks between Puntland president Abdiweli Mohammed Ali Gaas and former Bari regional governor Abdisamad Muhamed Galan on 5 November.
Galan controls militia forces aligned with the Ali-Saleebaan clan, who are demanding greater political representation in Puntland, which is dominated by the president’s Darood/Harti-Majeerteen clan. Galan has threatened Gaas by using his militia forces to protect the relocation of militants loyal to the Islamic State-affiliated Abdulqadir Mumin to Bari region. Since 27 October, Puntland media have reported militia were manning checkpoints from Bosaso port, which houses the Puntland Defence Forces (PDF), towards Qandala.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Onshore exploration in Somalia took place in the 1950s but the collapse of the government and ensuing conflict 25 years ago kept oil firms away. Much of the geophysical data that had been gathered by the state was lost or destroyed.”
Somalia Will Strike It Both Good And Bad If It Finds Offshore Oil
09 February – Source: Mail & Guardian Africa – 643 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 harbour hydrocarbons at a depth at which crude is usually found, seismic services company Spectrum said last week. This is unlike the seas further south along the African coastline where gas is abundant.
That would be good news for Somalia, which would probably find pumping oil on to tankers easier than securing the multibillion-dollar investment needed to liquefy gas for export. Oil revenues could transform Somalia’s economy, where many people rely on subsistence livestock farming. But 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, of British think-tank Chatham House. Some fear oil rigs could 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.
TOP TWEETS
@amisomsomalia : #AMISOM condemns this shameless act by#AlShabaab to impoverish the #Somali people. #Somalia
@MKahiye : #Somalia BREAKING NEWS: @TheVillaSomaliacongratulates @realDonaldTrump for the election as President.
@lasoco : Somalia regional truce collapses with deadly clashes – http://Aljazeera.com http://j.mp/2fxFG6k #Somalia
@alijira : 3 weeks to go the biggest day of #Somalia‘s political history elections on the 30November 2016 “free & fair “
@VLorenzoEU : @EU to give young people in #somalia job opportunities to keep them away from piracy & illegal migration
@Abdirehman_Abdi : I think#Trump presidency will bring peace and stability to #Somalia and MiddleEast. He opposed Democrats policy.
#USADecides #Trumpwins
@IntegrationTV : Congrats Ilhan Omar @IlhanMN on becoming the 1st Somali-American lawmaker in the #UnitedStates#ElectionDay
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Senior police officials from AMISOM expressed satisfaction with the security arrangements at the electoral center in Kismaayo, the capital of Jubbaland State, where Lower House elections kicked off yesterday.
Photo: AMISOM