October 15, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali President arrives in Paris for historic visit
15 Oct – Source: Hiiraan Online/Radio Muqdisho – 336 Words
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Mohamud Sheikh arrived in Paris, France yesterday ahead of talks with his French Counterpart, President Francois Hollande.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is due to meet with the Socialist President Hollande this afternoon at the Elysee Palace. This would be the first time a Somali head of State has officially been welcomed to Paris since the start of the civil war in 1991.
President Hassan Sheikh is accompanied on this historical official visit by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion, Abdirahman Beileh, the Minister for Defence Mohamed Sheikh Hassan, the National Security Adviser Abdirahman Sheikh Isse and other senior advisers and civil servants. The delegation was welcomed to Paris by Ali Said Faqi, Somalia’s ambassador to France and head of Mission to the European Union.
“I am honoured to be welcoming the President and his delegation to Paris and I sincerely feel that this is an important milestone for our country’s bilateral relations with France,” said ambassador Ali Faqi. “There are many areas of present and future cooperation between France and Somalia and these will be discussed further in the upcoming meetings.”
On the first day of the visit, the Somali President and his delegation visited the Somali embassy building and ambassador’s residence in central Paris. They were shown around by the ambassador Faqi and his embassy team in France who stated that they were honoured to be involved in the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two nations and people.
The Somali presidential delegation was also given a special tour of the world famous Louvre Museum by the chief of Public Relations, Sabine de la Rochefoucauld. After this, they were given a further private tour of the iconic Eiffel Tower by its most senior managers.
The Somali President and his delegation are due to remain in Paris for two more days in which time they will conduct meetings with businesses and investors, UNESCO as well as French Minister’s and senior civil servants.
Key Headlines
- Somali President arrives in Paris for historic visit (Hiiraan Online/Radio Muqdisho)
- PM Abdiweli meets Burundian top leaders in Bujunbura (Goobjoog/ Radio Muqdisho)
- Attorney urges federal government to create constitutional court (Radio Goobjoog)
- Smartphone in Al-shabab liberated residents (Al-Shahid.net )
- Governor Ali Roba’s convoy attacked in Mandera town (The Nation)
- US warns: Al-Shabaab intends to target Bole area of Addis Ababa (Horn affairs.com)
- For first time in 23 years students attend classes at Somali National University (Sabahi Online)
- No contact between soldier with Ebola Somali peacekeepers (Associated Press)
- One million Somalis at risk of starvation UN envoy warns briefing Security Council (UN News Centre)
- RSF writes a letter to Francois Hollande on freedom of the press in Somalia (Reporterswithoutborder.org)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali President arrives in Paris for historic visit
15 Oct – Source: Hiiraan Online/Radio Muqdisho – 336 Words
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Mohamud Sheikh arrived in Paris, France yesterday ahead of talks with his French Counterpart, President Francois Hollande.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is due to meet with the Socialist President Hollande this afternoon at the Elysee Palace. This would be the first time a Somali head of State has officially been welcomed to Paris since the start of the civil war in 1991.
President Hassan Sheikh is accompanied on this historical official visit by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion, Abdirahman Beileh, the Minister for Defence Mohamed Sheikh Hassan, the National Security Adviser Abdirahman Sheikh Isse and other senior advisers and civil servants. The delegation was welcomed to Paris by Ali Said Faqi, Somalia’s ambassador to France and head of Mission to the European Union.
“I am honoured to be welcoming the President and his delegation to Paris and I sincerely feel that this is an important milestone for our country’s bilateral relations with France,” said ambassador Ali Faqi. “There are many areas of present and future cooperation between France and Somalia and these will be discussed further in the upcoming meetings.”
On the first day of the visit, the Somali President and his delegation visited the Somali embassy building and ambassador’s residence in central Paris. They were shown around by the ambassador Faqi and his embassy team in France who stated that they were honoured to be involved in the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two nations and people. The Somali presidential delegation was also given a special tour of the world famous Louvre Museum by the chief of Public Relations, Sabine de la Rochefoucauld. After this, they were given a further private tour of the iconic Eiffel Tower by its most senior managers.
The Somali President and his delegation are due to remain in Paris for two more days in which time they will conduct meetings with businesses and investors, UNESCO as well as French Minister’s and senior civil servants.
Prime Minister Abdiweli meets Burundian top leaders in Bujunbura
15 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog/ Radio Muqdisho – 116 Words
The Prime Minister of federal government of Somalia Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed and a large delegation reached Bujunbura, the capital of Burundi today. The PM is taking a closed door meeting with the top leaders of Burundi.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Bujunbura came after he received official invitation from Burundian government. Their meeting will focus on strengthening the bilateral relations and co-operations between the two African nations.
In his trip to Bujunbura, PM Abdiweli is accompanied by the state ministers for defense, National security and foreign affairs. Burundi was the second African country to deploy troops to Somalia supporting the federal government’s fight against Al-shabaab. The Burundi contingent is the second largest within AMISOM with 5,432 peacekeeping troops.
Attorney urges federal government to create constitutional court
15 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 172 Words
The attorney general of Somalia Dr. Ahmed Ali Dahir called the federal government of Somalia to create the constitutional court of Somalia in order to solve the rifts between the top leaders of the country. While giving exclusive interview to Goobjoog FM, the attorney general urged the leaders to show compromise and resolve their personal difference in the interest of the nation since there is no functioning constitutional court in the country to intervene immediately.
On the other hand, the newly appointed attorney general asked the security agencies to abide by the law and uphold the rights of the people especially alleged criminals and the prisoners. Following the attorney general’s first visit to the central prison in Mogadishu, he said the officials have given good care to the prisoners adding that the central prison has no capacity to cover all the needs of the inmates.
Speaking during the opening of a five-days consultation conference on constitutional reform Dr. Ahmed suggested the separation of constitution and politics to control the repeated difference between leaders and promote justice.
Smartphone in Al-shabab liberated residents
14 Oct – Source: Al-Shahid.net – 206 Words
After Al-shabab militants were defeated in many coastal residents in lower and middle Shabele region in southern and central Somalia, the villagers who live there instantly started purchasing and using equipments which the group banned during their control.
The most visible example is Smartphones which the business people have started transporting from Mogadishu in order to sell them to residents in these towns. The second thing that became valuable is memory card which the group also banned the residents from using.
“I am happy; Smartphone is in my hand after longtime. After Shabab banned all modern technology I was unhappy. Thanks to Allah. Thanks to Somali forces who liberated our resident from the militants,” a resident in Barawe town told the media.
Shabab militant also banded the civilians to watch TVs, but after their withdrawal, Barawe coastal town and Adale and surrounding area residents resumed their TV watching habits.
Smartphone is a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touch screen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded applications which forced Shabab to ban it fearing espionage.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Governor Ali Roba’s convoy attacked in Mandera town
15 Oct – Source: The Nation – 90 Words
Governor Ali Roba escaped unhurt after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded as his convoy passed through Mandera town Wednesday morning. The Governor was in a convoy of four vehicles on his way to the office at 8.50 am when the incident occurred.
The IED exploded moments after Mr Roba’s vehicle had passed but damaged an escort vehicle that was last in the convoy. One of his security officers who was in the vehicle was injured and was taken to Mandera District Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
US warns: Al-Shabaab intends to target Bole area of Addis Ababa
15 Oct – Source: Horn affairs.com – 169 Words
United States’ government si reported to have received “threat reports of al-Shabaab’s intent to target the Bole area” of Addis Ababa city. The area is home to several international organizations and hotels frequented by westerners and is adjacent to the international airport.
The statement issued by US Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security a few hours ago reads:
Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Potential of an Imminent Terrorist Attack in Addis Ababa, Bole Area. The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens in Addis Ababa to avoid large crowds and places where both Ethiopians and westerners frequent.
The Embassy has received threat reports of al-Shabaab’s intent to target the Bole area.
Restaurants, hotels, bars, places of worship, supermarkets, and shopping malls in the Bole Area should be avoided until further notice because they are possible targets for a potential imminent terrorist attack. While the exact location of this planned terrorist attack is not known, U.S. citizens should continue to maintain heightened personal security awareness.
For first time in 23 years, students attend classes at Somali National University
14 Oct – Source: Sabahi Online – 816 Words
The first cohort of students in more than 23 years has begun classes at the Somali National University (SNU), heralding a new era of public education in Somalia, stakeholders say. Students were welcomed Saturday(October 11th) at the university’s original first building in Mogadishu’s Hamar Weyne district, said SNU President Mohamed Ahmed Jimale. ”
The university has now started operating in the original building where the university was first established in 1969. It has been rebuilt and re-equipped by the government of Bahrain,” he told Sabahi. “The building consists of 17 classrooms, an administrative office, 22 small offices and a large library.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
No contact between soldier with Ebola, Somali peacekeepers
15 Oct – Source: Associated Press – 509 Words
A Sierra Leone soldier has tested positive for Ebola but he is not a member of and had no contact with a battalion of peacekeepers waiting to deploy to Somalia, a government spokesman said Tuesday.
Fear of Ebola’s spread has already slowed the deployment of a battalion of Sierra Leone troops, who were supposed to relieve soldiers serving with an African Union mission to protect the Somali government and fight al-Shabab militants. The replacement’s deployment was put on hold this summer when the Ebola outbreak in West Africa spiraled out of control.
One million Somalis at risk of starvation, UN envoy warns, briefing Security Council
14 Oct – Source: UN News Centre – 525 Words
The United Nations envoy in Somalia warned today that despite some political and security gains, the humanitarian situation in the long-troubled country has deteriorated, with more than three million people now in need of assistance, including over one million Somalis who do not have enough to eat.
This number is up 20 per cent compared to six months ago, the Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, told Security Council today as he briefed the 15-member body on the situation in the country.
RSF writes a letter to Francois Hollande on freedom of the press in Somalia
15 Oct – Source: Reporterswithoutborder.org – 529 Words
As President François Hollande prepares to meet his Somali counterpart, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Reporters Without Borders wishes to draw the attention of the French leader to the state of freedom of information in Somalia, where journalists are frequently targeted by armed militias such as al-Shabab and are also subjected to arbitrary arrest by the authorities. Somali journalists continue to pay the price of the absence of the rule of law in Somalia, and are about to face even more curbs on freedom of the press in the near future.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The three famine catastrophes that hit Somalia in 1975, 1992 and 2011 provide important lessons that the nation and the international community can consider in order to ensure that the current food security crisis in many regions of the country is effectively addressed and does not evolve into a famine of grave proportions.”
The approaching risk of another famine in Somalia
14 Oct – Source: Hiiraan online – 3, 440 Words
Somalia is among the few countries in the world, repeatedly facing chronic food insecurity and periodically moving towards acute food insecurity leading to famine. The year 2014 is the third time that within a course of two and half decades the country is again on the brink of a major humanitarian disaster that could lead to famine in catastrophic dimensions.
On 5th August 2014, the Somali federal government declared a severe drought, loss of livelihoods and appealed for humanitarian action for assisting the regions of Lower Shabelle, Middle and Lower Juba, Bay, Bakool, Benadir, Gedo, Hiraan and Galgudud. On 29th August 2014, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Somalia alerted the global community that “the rapidly rising malnutrition and food shortages across the country resemble the warning signs which preceded the 2011 famine in which about 260,000 people died” and reiterated that “it would just be morally difficult to justify and accept that a new crisis of this scope could unfold.”
Top tweets
@hostgatorwork Somalia: Judicial Reform Conference Opens in Mogadishu: A five-day consultation conference on judicial reform … http://binged.it/1sGj2us
@maritimeinstit Talks due on Somalia border suit – Business –http://nation.co.ke http://www.nation.co.ke/
Full text of yesterday’s briefing to the #UN Security Council by UN Envoy to #Somalia Nicholas Kay (@Somalia111):http://bit.ly/1qqTyNd
@AmbAmerico If you want peace on earth. Let it begin with you,be sure you work for justice. For it is that establishes lasting peace.#Somalia
@petermartell The battle is not over: in #Somalia, Shebab still have “appreciable numbers” AU warns @amisomsomaliahttp://amisom-au.org/wp-
@issafrica Seminar today | Groundbreaking research offers insight into roots of radicalisation #FaceOfTerror
http://goo.gl/IxQozR
Image of the day
#AMISOM SRCC at the opening of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) on Sexual Violence in Conflict which is taking place at the AU Commission in Addis Ababa.
Photo Credit: AMISOM