October 24, 2016 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

AMISOM Troops Deployed To Cadaado Town

23 October – Source: Garowe Online – 185 Words

Units from the African Union peacekeeping troops (AMISOM) have reached Cadaado town, the provisional capital for Galmudug state. Somali government officials have confirmed to the local media that Djiboutian and Burundian soldiers serving under the AMISOM umbrella have arrived Cadaado town in Galguduud region, to safeguard the upcoming Somali election process. “AMISOM troops were welcomed by the state officials and subsequently made temporary outposts in the town. They will ensure security in the town and voting centers during the parliamentary elections,” according to a military official. This comes following a recent visit by senior Somali military officials and Somalia’s electoral body who discussed with Galmudug authority on the upcoming election arrangements in the state. However, the arrival of AMISOM troops in Cadaado town coincide with heightened tensions between Galmudug and Puntland, as both frequently clashed over disputed areas in Galkayo town in the past weeks. Earlier, Puntland government has accused Somali government of fueling tensions in Mudug region and announced it had apprehended scores of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) soldiers who were deployed to fight along with Galmudug militias against Puntland forces.

Key Headlines

AMISOM Troops Deployed To Cadaado Town (Garowe Online)
Somalia Seeks Entry Into Comesa (Goobjoog News)
Somalia Has New Presidential Candidate For 2016 Elections (Goobjoog News)
President Praises AMISOM For Role In Hirshabelle Formation (Shabelle News)
Fighting In Somalia Kills At least Seven soldiers: Officials (Reuters)
Somali Pirate Says 26 Asian Sailors Freed After 4 Years (Associated Press/Hiiraan Online)
BOOK REVIEW: Tarzan In The Ruins Of Somalia (The East African)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia Seeks Entry Into Comesa

23 October – Goobjoog News – 299 Words

Somalia could in the near future be admitted into the Common Markets for East and Southern African (Comesa) trade bloc following a green light by the body’s highest organ, the Summit this past week. The Heads of States summit which concluded in Madagascar Wednesday authorized the Bureau of Council to enter into negotiations with the Horn of Africa nation in line with the terms and conditions of accession to the Comesa Treaty. The deliberations of the Council will however have to be approved by the Summit which is made up of heads of states and governments. The Summit will decide whether to admit a country in conformity with rules and regulations of the Treaty. “Upon receipt of the application for membership, the Authority may prescribe the conditions and such other conditions for admission which shall be communicated to the applying state. Article 3(3) of the Regulations provides that admission of membership shall be decided by the Authority,” the regulations state.

Comesa was established in 1994 to replace the then Preferential Trade Area, PTA and has since expanded into a 20 member trade bloc with a Gross Domestic Product of $657.4 billion and a populations of 492.5 million according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD 2016 statistics. The main focus of Comesa has been on the formation of a large economic and trading unit to overcome trade barriers faced by individual States. The Summit also approved negotiations for Tunisia’s entry into the trade bloc. It is not however clear how long the negotiations will last before Somali is admitted into Comesa. Meanwhile Comesa endorsed Kenya’s request to support its foreign affairs minister Amina Mohamed on her bid to be the African Union Commission chairperson. Elections for the position will be held in January 2017.

Somalia Has New Presidential Candidate For 2016 Elections

23 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 194 Words

Former Somali central Bank governor and current columnist and writer Mahmoud Mohammed Ulusow declared today in Mogadishu his intentions to contest for this year’s elections. He joins more than 15 candidates who are aiming to take Somali leadership. Women leaders, poets, religious scholars, traditional chiefs, and Media has participated the declarations event which took place at Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu. The 68 years old Ulusow said he is on mission is to save the country from corrupt political culture and demonstrates transformational leadership style that takes the country to positive direction. The new candidate said his focus will be rebuilding state institutions and making true reconciliation process among Somali Population. The candidate is born in Beledweyne town of Hiiraan region and educated in Somali National University, where he graduated at the faculty of economics and commerce. and later went to study at the Hague institutes of social science studies in Holland. Also, he held posts in Somali central government including agriculture ministry and a number of other posts.
Incumbent president Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, former Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, incumbent premier are among others who have declared their candidacy in this year’s indirect elections.

President Praises AMISOM For Role In Hirshabelle Formation

23 October – Source: Shabelle News – 538 Words

The President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has hailed the contribution of AMISOM and development partners in the formation of Hirshabelle state. President Mohamud said it was the commitment of the local leadership and the never say die attitude of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and friendly nations that led to the birth of the new federal state. “We got here because of our patience. All those who felt disgruntled were convinced and were part of the journey. Patience and resilience helped us achieve this and when people had lost hope, we remained steadfast. It is the confidence and trust that we had in each other that has helped us form this state,” said President Mohamud. The head of state made the remarks in Jowhar, Saturday, during the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of Hirshabelle, Ali Abdulahi Osoble which was attended by top federal government officials, representatives of the international community, the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, Lydia Wanyoto, and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Michael Keating. Hirshabelle is the fifth federal state to be established following intense negotiations between representatives of Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions. The negotiations were brokered by the Federal Government of Somalia, AMISOM and other development partners. Plans are already underway to hold elections of the upper house before month end.

President Mohamud, however, emphasized that the establishment of Hirshabelle is not the end to the state formation process, noting that there is need to address fundamental issues such as the status of Mogadishu and other regions. “We have major tasks to accomplish but we are here today celebrating a milestone,” President Mohamud observed, pledging to help the country complete the state formation process. “We are committed to being a united Somalia. We will not use force to unite Somalia but uphold negotiations,” President Mohamud explained. DSRCC Wanyoto congratulated the residents of Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle for agreeing to unite and form a new state. “The timing is important because we are in the final stages of the elections whose objective will be ensure good governance and growth of Somalia and its institutions,” She noted. The DSRCC urged the leadership of the new state to resolve clan differences, rife in the area and ensure women are elected to parliament. “I would like to urge the Hirshabelle state to borrow examples from the other states that were formed earlier and make sure that women do not only get elected to the upper house but also to the lower house to enable them participate in the leadership of the country. This will enable the people of Somalia achieve their long eluded aspirations,” she explained. Hirshabelle President called for unity, noting that the people of Beletweyne, hitherto opposed to the state formation process, now support it. “I came from Beletweyne this morning and the people of Beletweyne sent a message in support of this administration and the new Somalia. They are ready to work with Hirshabelle administration,” he said. President Osoble assured the country that the state will elect women as members of parliament, adding that the federal state believes in the development of the whole community.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Fighting In Somalia Kills At least Seven soldiers: Officials

23 October – Source: Reuters – 223 Words

At least seven people were killed in weekend fighting between soldiers from two semi-autonomous regions of Somalia, officials from both sides said on Sunday, sparking fears of wider conflict. The clashes which broke outon Saturday pitted forces from Puntland with those of Galmudug, the latest flare-up over a disputed area straddling their border.The two sides are fighting in the town of Galkayo, which is divided between clan militias loyal to the different regions. Hirsi Yusuf Barre, the mayor of Galkayo south, accused soldiers from Puntland of launching attacks first on Saturday.”We lost three soldiers and 11 others were injured. We burned three vehicles belonging to Puntland,” he told Reuters on Sunday.Major Mohamed Ibrahim, a military officer in Puntland, said four soldiers were killed on their side and seven others were injured.”We have repulsed them,” he said. Residents in the area said Galkayo was calm on Sunday but soldiers from both factions were seen reorganizing themselves for more clashes.Earlier this month, the United Nations said the conflict could worsen and clashes had already displaced around 50,000 people. Somalia has been at civil war for 25 years and clashes between the clan-based militias who control much of the country are common. In the south, forces loyal to the weak U.N.-backed government are also battling Islamist insurgents.

Somali Pirate Says 26 Asian Sailors Freed After 4 Years

23 October – Source: Associated Press/Hiiraan Online – 361 Words

A Somali pirate said Saturday that 26 Asian sailors held hostage for more than four years have been released after a ransom was paid, and international mediators said it “represents the end of captivity for the last remaining seafarers taken hostage during the height of Somali piracy.” The crew from Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, China and the Philippines had been among the few hostages still in the hands of Somali pirates.The pirate, Bile Hussein, said the sailors were the crew of the FV Naham 3, a Taiwan-owned fishing vessel seized in March 2012. The ship later sank. Hussein said $1.5 million in ransom was paid for the sailors’ release. That claim could not be independently verified.The 26 sailors “are currently in the safe hands of the Galmudug authorities and will be repatriated using a U.N. humanitarian flight shortly and then on to their home countries,” John Steed, the coordinator of the Hostage Support Partners for the U.S.-based organization Oceans Beyond Piracy, said in a statement. The statement included a photo, stamped Aug. 14, showing the thin, grim crewmen standing or squatting together as proof they remained alive.Steed said only one other group of hostages had been held longer than this one, which spent 1,672 days in captivity.”They are reported to be in reasonable condition, considering their ordeal. They are all malnourished. Four are currently receiving medical treatment by a doctor in Galkayo. They have spent over four and a half years in deplorable conditions away from their families,” Steed said.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“The Mayor of Mogadishu is based on first-hand accounts from Nur’s Somali friends and family, especially those familiar with his early life, which forms the bulk of the story. The period in which he served as mayor features close to the end of the book because, said Harding, “It was less interesting than discovering all this stuff about the city.”

BOOK REVIEW: Tarzan In The Ruins Of Somalia

22 October – Source: The East African – 724 Words

Of the many countries that Andrew Harding has covered in his journalism career, Somalia is the one that really got under his skin.The Mayor of Mogadishu is a captivating account of the lives of Mohammed Ahmed “Tarzan” Nur’s family. Nur was Mogadishu’s mayor from 2010-2014. Mayor Nur was a charismatic, outspoken man of action who became widely popular for his efforts to provide basic services in a country divided by clan politics and increasingly terrorised by Al Shabaab militants. Yet he attracted enemies too in equal measure who accused him of corruption and political machinations.“He was an incredibly good figure for journalists,” said author Harding, an award-winning journalist with the BBC. Upon further investigation of Nur’s personal life, Harding found the makings of his first novel.
Born in 1956 into a small, poor clan in the Ogaden region, Nur was abandoned at a Mogadishu orphanage at a young age and saw little of his mother after that. He grew up in the heyday of Somalia, with Italianesque cafes, open cinemas and women wearing miniskirts. But the streets were no easy place for an orphaned youngster, and Nur was frequently caught up in fisticuffs that earned him the nickname Tarzan. At the overthrow of the Siad Barre regime, Nur and his family join thousands of others fleeing the ensuing chaos and ended up in London for the next 20 years. While on a visit to Somalia in 2010, the president of the new transitional government offered Nur the job of mayor of Mogadishu. From thousands of transcribed words, Harding creates a family drama played out in a flourishing country reduced to a failed state. It tells of one brave soul who leaves a comfortable life in the diaspora and reinvents himself because he is determined to prove that Somalia is worth going back to. The risk to his personal safety and psychological health are set aside for the greater ideal of rescuing a beloved country.