October 3, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Political Situation In Galmudug Now Stable- Mediators
03 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 210 Words
Federal Parliament Lawmakers mediating in the Galmudug political crisis said they made significant progress in stabilizing the political and security tensions in the state following week-long talks. Addressing the media on Monday evening in Mogadishu upon arrival from Adado, the legislators said they managed to bring together the warring factions even though they could not reach a consensus on all the contentious issues. “We met with the diverse traditional elders and created a common understanding among them regarding the constitutional dispute in Galmudug. We succeeded in settling the personal disputes between Galmudug leaders,” Senate first deputy Speaker Abshir Bukhari said.
Bukhari said they brought together the two sides to address their grievances ‘even though some MPs went on with impeachment attempts in restaurants which is detrimental to constitutional order’. State President Ahmed Haaf declared a state of emergency lasting for three months Sunday days after the mediators announced the talks had collapsed.
The leaders, Bukhari said complained bitterly over overt interference from the federal government. The Senator noted the mediators had assured the federal government would no longer interfere in the Galmudug political process. State presidents last week penned a joint statement accusing the federal government of attempts to destabilize the regional administrations citing its hand in the Galmudug crisis.
Key Headlines
- Political Situation In Galmudug Now Stable – Mediators (Goobjoog News)
- President Farmaajo To Visit Sudan (Jowhar.com)
- Somaliland To Monitor Turkey’s Military Base In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- UNSOS Coordinates The Sinking Of 30 Boreholes Across South Central Somalia (UNSOS)
- UN Cuts Food Rations For Refugees In Kenya By 30 Percent (African News)
- What Does Turkey’s New Base In Somalia Signify? (Daily Sabah)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Farmaajo To Visit Sudan
03 October – Source: Jowhar.com – 91 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo is set to make an official visit to Sudan on Wednesday. This comes after receiving an official invitation from his Sudanese counterpart Hassan Al Bashir sometime back. President Farmaajo’s visit to Sudan is reportedly aimed at strengthening the two countries cooperation and bilateral relations.
He will be leading a large entourage comprising of members of the Cabinet and Federal Parliament. His visit will come a week he returned from Saudi Arabia. Farmaajo has so far made several trips to neighboring countries including Kenya, Djibouti, and Uganda.
Somaliland To Monitor Turkey’s Military Base In Mogadishu
03 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 136 Words
Somaliland administration stated that they will monitor Turkish Military Base that was recently opened in Mogadishu. The Minister of Defense of Somaliland Haji Ali Adami, who spoke with the media stated that the administration will monitor all the activities of the new military base. He further stated that anyone has the right to receive support in order to improve their situation, however, the administration will continue to scrutinize this base.
“The important question to ask is why Somalia needs this base now, whether it is built for improving Somalia’s security or it will be used against Somaliland, we do not know.” Further adding “we do not expect anything from Somalia Government, however, we will try to finish the construction of the military camp base in Berbera to strengthen our capabilities”, said the minister.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UNSOS Coordinates The Sinking Of 30 Boreholes Across South Central Somalia
02 October – Source: UNSOS – 312 Words
UNSOS is providing oversight to a borehole project, which will sink new water wells in 30 locations in South Central Somalia. So far, a total of 6 water strikes have been recorded, with a highly significant quantity of groundwater. The wells will provide relief to thousands affected by drought, and help reduce outbreaks of waterborne diseases, rampant from consumption of contaminated water.
During a field visit to Baidoa yesterday, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) to Somalia, Michael Keating, had the chance to visit one of the borehole sites, together with the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator. UNSOS also partners with stakeholders in Somalia to construct and rehabilitate water points for displaced populations.
The project was initiated after an assessment to find drilling targets was carried out by the Groundwater Exploration Team, and the Brindisi based United Nations Global Service Centre. This specialized team, with experience in the use of geospatial technology located areas with high potential for groundwater and conducted desk studies, to better understand and characterize the geology in each of the 30 locations earmarked for drilling.
UN Cuts Food Rations For Refugees In Kenya By 30 Percent
03 October – Source: Africa News – 211 Words
The U.N. World Food Programme is cutting food rations by 30 percent for more than 400,000 refugees living in camps in Kenya due to insufficient funding, it said on Monday. Dadaab and Kakuma camps in Kenya are primarily home to refugees from neighbouring Somalia and South Sudan, both ravaged by wars that have forced millions of people to flee.
The World Food Programme said it needed $28.5 million to cover the food assistance needs of the 420,000 refugees living in the camps for the next six months. “An abrupt halt to food assistance would be devastating for the refugees, most of whom rely fully on WFP for their daily meals,” said Annalisa Conte, the top WFP official in Kenya.
The funding shortfall comes six months after the United Nations warned that the world was facing its greatest humanitarian disaster since World War Two because of the threat of famine in South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen. It said in March that 20 million people risked starvation in what it called largely man-made hunger crises in addition to drought. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network said in a report last month that risk of famine persists in parts of Somalia due to the extended drought and disease outbreaks.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“What Turkey is trying to do in Somalia now is to accomplish, as an American ally, what the U.S. couldn’t manage until now. Turkey will assist Somalia to build a functioning national army capable of taking on the fight against al-Shabaab terrorists. One must not forget, however, that Turkey is acting in the Horn of Africa in total coordination with the U.S. and NATO.”
What Does Turkey’s New Base In Somalia Signify?
02 October – Source: Daily Sabah – 624 Words
Turkey’s largest military base overseas is now operational in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. The base will especially serve as a military academy, and some 200 Turkish soldiers deployed there will primarily have the duty to effectively form the Somali army. The purpose is to reinforce the latter’s defense and combat capabilities, and at first sight, this is not related to Turkey’s immediate security concerns.
Somalia has been practically at war since 1988 when the country became the scene for not only a civil war, but also for a regional conflict involving Ethiopia and Chad. Then, it became the scene for an international intervention led by the United States and backed by the U.N. The strategic reason behind the intervention was that Washington didn’t want radical religious currents to seize power in the country that lies along one of the busiest international shipping routes. Yet, the intervention just added to the ongoing chaos.
Right after the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, the U.S. closed its embassy in Mogadishu and pulled all its diplomats back, only to return to the country the next year, but this time with military troops. Divergent armed groups in Somalia then came together to fight against the common enemy, namely the U.S. The battles were particularly fierce, and public opinions didn’t forget the images of American soldiers being dragged through the streets in 1993, the incident depicted in “Black Hawk Down.”
As it became obvious that the U.S. military would not be able to stabilize the country anytime soon, Washington decided to put an end to the operation in 1994 and waited until 2014 to reopen its embassy. Since then, the U.S. has been cooperating with Somalia’s government to fight against the al-Shabaab militant group.
U.S. interventions in different parts of the world have often made the existing problems more complicated, and Somalia is no exception. Foreign interventions make conflicts harder to be dealt with through local procedures, as it turns a local or regional conflict into an international issue where conflicting interests of great powers clash with one another.
TOP TWEETS
@M_Farmaajo: Today I signed the Telcom bill. This law seeks to regulate the sector & provide protection of corporate & consumer rights #NabadIyoNolol
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: @SomaliPM announces govt received $50m from Saudi Arabia, says it’ll be used for paying salaries, rations to the army, to workers.
@UNDPSomalia: .@ADirshe & @ @gconway_UNDP open first ever social #innovation camp for youth in #Mogadishu – follow the conversation at #innov4som
@JMwanjisi: Hon @DrMaryanQasim a dressing the media on the #drought situation in #Somalia # #fightingfamine
@WorldVisionEARO: Somalia: Drought has displaced 893,000 in last 12 months, reports @UNOCHA_ROSEA – We’re responding to needs in #Baidoa and other settlements
@PDWilliamsGWU: Comparing and contrasting #AlShabaab &#BokoHaram by the teams @ACLEDINFO & @AfricaACSS. Beware #fatalities data.
@MoPIED_Somalia: Our theme is “Innovate for Somalia”.It’s time for youth to solve social issues with innovative ideas#Innovate4Somalia #Mogadishu #Somalia
@YahyeYoungM: #BREAKING Govt forces claim killing 9 militants of #AlShabaab in Gedo region,after forces attack group in places near buurdhuubo #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre with Michael Keating Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia.
Photo: @SomaliPM