October 31, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Integration Of Security Forces Crucial To Fight Al-Shabaab- President Farmaajo
31 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 355 Words
Federal and state leaders will seek to expedite the integration of security forces to build a strong unit to confront the militant group Al-Shabaab, President Mohamed Farmaajo has said. Speaking on Monday night during the opening of a conference bringing together leaders from all the regions, Farmaajo said the meeting will seek to forge a common front ahead of a major offensive against Al-Shabaab.
“The most important thing in this meeting is to integrate forces from the regional and federal government so that we can attack Al-Shabaab from all fronts,” said Farmaajo adding, “And I hope this will be finalized before the end of this meeting.” The president said the leaders will also explore the role of religious leaders and the media to support the war against extremism in the country. “We have enough people but what we need is mobilization. I believe we can mobilize the public who are ready.”
The integration of security forces has remained elusive since the last administration which sought to build a unified national army based on a proportional contribution from the regional states. In the National Security Architecture (NSA) presented for funding during the London conference in May, the Government proposed the formation of a 22,000 strong military supported by 32,000 federal and state police. The states would contribute an average of 4,000 troops each.
However the funding of the Architecture which was supposed to commence this month did not happen as the donor’s conference was postponed to December this year. Donors had promised in May to make financial commitment to the NSA in October upon completion of remaining issues between the two levels of government. President Farmaajo last week travelled to Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti to seek increased support for the offensive against Al-Shabaab which he blamed for the October 14 truck bombing. Al-Shabaab which did not claim responsibility for the attack was quick to take credit for Saturday’s attack at Nasa Hablood II hotel which killed 27 people and injured more than 30 others. The conference will also address issues on federalism, constitutional review process, the 2020 elections and revenue sharing from natural resources.
Key Headlines
- Integration Of Security Forces Crucial To Fight Al-Shabaab- President Farmaajo (Goobjoog News)
- Somaliland FM Calls For Peaceful Election Campaign (Garowe Online)
- Jubbaland President Calls For An All-Out Offensive Against Al Shabaab (Shabelle News)
- Somalia’s ‘Touch And Feel’ E-commerce Hit (BBC)
- Child Bride To Beauty Icon: Mogadishu’s Makeup Trailblazer (News Deeply)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland FM Calls For Peaceful Election Campaign
31 October – Source: Garowe Online -242 Words
The Foreign Minister of Somaliland, Sa’ad Ali Shire has talked about issues related to the contest between Presidential Candidates vying for Presidency. Speaking to Somaliland TV, Shire has called on all political leaders to maintain peace during the campaigns and elections and avoid sensitive words that could undermine the region’s democracy.
The Minister has cautioned the presidential candidates from Kulmiye, the ruling party, UCID and WADDANI against ethnicized rhetoric, saying it could cause divisions among the people of Somaliland. “At the present, we are hearing unfortunate and irrigating words being traded by the Somaliland presidential aspirants during their election campaigns,” said Shire during the TV interview. “Insulting, indictment and humiliating each other do not bring a vote,” he added.
The Minister has made public that Somaliland is facing numerous challenges, including an extensive unemployment that has remained stubbornly high in recent years and education and infant mortality. Sa’ad Ali Shire highlighted that fifty-percent (50%) of the Somaliland population do not have clean water, while one-tenth of all child deaths occur within the first months of life because of malnutrition.
Minister Shire called on the candidates to focus on the problems that Somaliland is currently facing and ‘put them in a high priority’ in their election campaign instead of concerned about their political gain. Finally, Shire stated that Somaliland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has achieved a tangible progress in the past years, including the agreement with DP World for the investment of Berbera port.
Jubbaland President Calls For An All-Out Offensive Against Al Shabaab
31 October – Source: Shabelle News – 175 Words
The President of Somalia’s southern semi-autonomous region of Jubbaland, Ahmed Mohamed Islam alias (Ahmed Madoobe) has called for an all-out offensive against Al Shabaab militants. President Madoobe made the announcement at the consultative forum in Mogadishu, which brought together heads of Federal member states and the leaders of the Somali government.
Jubbaland President has criticized the mourning for the victims of the latest attacks in Mogadishu, including Oct 14 truck bombing in Km5 junction, which claimed the lives of more than 377 people. The leaders held a moment of silence for the victims of Mogadishu attacks at the opening of their meeting kicked off Monday in the heavily guarded Presidential Palace, the Villa Somalia in the capital. “Holding a moment of silence for the victims of the bombings in Mogadishu is un-Islamic and will encourage the extremists to double their attacks in the country, so it should be replaced with action,” said Jubbaland President. Ahmed Madoobe has urged Somali leaders to come out with a new strategy and unity for the fight against Al Shabaab.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia’s ‘Touch And Feel’ E-commerce Hit
30 October – Source: BBC – 614 Words
When Saed Mohamed, a young entrepreneur from Somalia, pitched his online shopping business Muraadso as part of an East African start-up competition in 2015, he was prepared for rejection. And rejection is what he got. Abdigani Diriye, head of the Somalia-based accelerator, Innovate Ventures, which oversaw the competition, was not impressed. “We had a few applications from e-commerce startups and they just weren’t really doing it for me,” he told the BBC.
But Mr Mohamed and his team were not about to give up. “We have had a lot of rejections and we have learned to be persistent. We wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he says. They did eventually get on the programme and ended up winning it. “The irony is they went on to become the most successful start-up we took on,” joked Mr Diriye.
But the business they were pitching – an online store selling mainly electronics – “failed miserably” at first, admits Mr Mohamed. Users can see goods before they buy by visiting one of Muraadso’s three offline stores. It seemed Somalia wasn’t ready yet for online only. Perhaps this isn’t surprising given that less than a third of its 14 million people are able to access the Internet and few have bank accounts. It’s an uphill struggle to get any online business off the ground.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Online and ‘Out of Control’. For Ali, who can be shy and subdued, makeup has been a lifeline, offering her personal expression and professional opportunity. As she continues to build her public persona, she is pushing the boundaries of the spaces women are allowed to occupy in Somali society.”
Child Bride To Beauty Icon: Mogadishu’s Makeup Trailblazer
30 October – Source: News Deeply – 1015 Words
Maryam Ahmed Ali wasn’t allowed to go back to school after she turned 13; her parents said she might be too tempting for male students and teachers, now she was a woman. Instead, Ali was married off to a man 12 years older than her. There was nothing unusual about this situation. Child marriage isn’t illegal in Somalia, and UNICEF estimates that more than 45 percent of girls there are married before the age of 18.
Ali says the man didn’t even want to marry her – he was in love with someone else, someone closer to his own age. But his family didn’t approve of the other woman, and his and Ali’s families decided the two were a good match. The loveless marriage made both of them miserable; they were constantly angry with each other. Her husband was not physically violent to her, but the marriage was a nightmare. Two years on, when she was 15, Ali could take no more. She ran away. “I’m going to show everyone who Maryam is,” she remembers thinking.
When Ali returned to her childhood home, “My mom recognized there was a problem from [the expression on] my face,” she says. Her parents could have sent her back to her husband, but they didn’t. His family begged her to return – they didn’t want people to think he was a bad husband. Ali told her husband over the phone that she was planning to leave him. He said to go, but warned her that once she was out, she couldn’t come back. She demanded a divorce; he refused. “Fine. I’ll just stay un-divorced,” she said.
After leaving her husband, Ali stayed in her family’s home to keep a low profile. To stave off her boredom, she bought a used iPhone from her uncle. She couldn’t understand much on the phone because all the prompts were in English, but she ended up on Instagram where she discovered a buzzing community of Somali women, celebrating their country and embracing their style.
“[Women in Somalia] are almost nonexistent in traditional media. So a lot of them have found the freedom to express themselves online,” said Fatuma Abdulahi, founder of Warya Post, the country’s first women-owned media publication, in an interview for a feminist blog last year. By tapping into social media, Ali, at just 18, has become one of Somalia’s most sought-after makeup artists, making a name for herself in a country where women are almost invisible in traditional media.
Online and ‘Out of Control’. For Ali, who can be shy and subdued, makeup has been a lifeline, offering her personal expression and professional opportunity. As she continues to build her public persona, she is pushing the boundaries of the spaces women are allowed to occupy in Somali society.
As Ali tells the story of how she went from child bride to makeup star, she works on one of her regular clients, Iqliim Mohamed. After finding Ali on Snapchat, Mohamed has come to her four times to have her makeup done, mostly for weddings. This time, the 22-year-old student is preparing for a party at Somali National University. She sits in a chair grinning as Ali spends 30 minutes working. Mohamed’s face is the canvas for the makeup artist’s signature style: thick, swooping eyebrows, shimmering eyeshadow, long false eyelashes.
TOP TWEETS
@M_Farmaajo: On behalf of the people of Somalia, I congratulate H.E @UKenyatta on his re-election as president in the recent #Kenya repeat poll.
@Eye_on_Somalia: #Garowe Somalia: Deadly Mogadishu Bombings Highlight Failed Bid to Q … 31.10.2017.http://ift.tt/2gQRv9x #Somalia
@RadioErgo: Camp Gate-keepers swindle live saving aid in#Mogadishu #Somalia. Residents decided to speak up.
http://bit.ly/2xZR1IQ
@baydhabonline: Somalia president pledges speedy integration of security forces http://dlvr.it/PyTMpy
@GoobjoogBiz: The important roles of Central Bank of Somalia (@CbsSomalia) can play #Somalia’s Economic #Development. http://bit.ly/2zUn1uO
@AbdirahmanCumar: With this kind of moves #Somalia might not realize some sense of peace and stability as reports of former AS spymaster been shortlisted for the NISA job is ripe in the media this morning
@Eye_on_Somalia: #Garowe Somalia: Somaliland FM calls for peaceful election campaign 31.10.2017. http://ift.tt/2z0LpOc #Somaliland
@Galgalanews: EU condemns terror attack in Somaliahttp://radioshabelle.com/eu-
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo welcomes leaders from the Federal Member States to Villa Somalia.
Photo: Radio Muqdisho