September 1, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
President Pledges Support For Yemen In His UAE Visit
01 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 122 Words
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has jetted back to Mogadishu after two days on an official visit to the United Arab Emirate where he has been meeting with their leaders. On his arrival at Aden Ade International Airport, the president has told the media that during the talks with UAE rulers he pledged support for the government of President Abdi Rabbo Mansur Hadi in Yemen. UAE is one of the major backers of President Hadi, who is still in exile in Saudi Arabia while forces loyal to Yemeni government has been part of airstrikes and military operation against Houthis. Its not yet clear the context of the support, but Somalia has previously pledged to provide launching bases for the coalition forces to strike Yemen.
Key Headlines
- President Pledges Support For Yemen In His UAE Visit (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland Is The ‘Only ‘Legitimate Semi-autonomous State In Somalia: Speaker Of The Somali Parliament (Hiiraan Online)
- Security Minister Concludes Training For Members Of The Armed Forces (Wacaal Media)
- Female Police Officers Call For More Involvement In The Somali Police Force (Mareeg Media)
- Pomp And Color As Warring Clans Bury The Hatchet In Warsheikh District (Wacaal Media)
- ‘I Refused To Pay So They Stripped My Home’ (Independent Online)
- Government Urged To Replace Teachers Who Fled NE Kenya Over Insecurity (Daily Nation)
- Blood Ransom: Stories From The Front Line In The War Against Somali Piracy By John Boyle (Hiiraan Online/Geographical Magazine)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Puntland Is The ‘Only Legitimate Semi-autonomous State In Somalia: Speaker Of The Somali Parliament
01 September – Source: Hiiraan Online – 179 Words
The increasing number of regional states operating outside the central government’s authority seem to be a ‘greater’ challenge to the government which now accuses them of being threat to its national administrative mandate. These are some of the emerging challenges of sustaining a federal system of government and political analysts now predict a trend of deteriorating relationship between the government and regional states. This according to donors, could present serious setbacks for Somalia.
However, Somalia’s Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari has finally pronounced himself on this dilemma by singling out Puntland as the only legitimate and semi-autonomous regional entity in Somalia. According to the speaker, the rest are “regional states”. Most of the Somali regional states often identify themselves as semi-autonomous states. Speaking at a constitutional review conference in Mogadishu on Sunday, Prof Osman Jawari said that majority of people mistake semi-autonomous regions for regional states. “Puntland deserves to be called a semi-autonomous region because it was formed before the current constitution was issued.” Jawari said.
Security Minister Concludes Training For Members Of The Armed Forces
01 September – Source: Wacaal Media – 185 Words
Somalia is committed to building a Somali National Army that reflects the faces of all regions in the country, Internal Minister of Security Abdikadir Sheikh Ali Diini has said. Speaking after presiding over the closing ceremony of a four month-long training for newly recruited officers of the Somali National Army at a Jaziira training center, Dini asked the officers to defend their country with vigor and ensure it was back on its feet. The officers took the oath of office in the event which was also graced by Commander of the Somali National Army Dahir Adan Elmi and officials from the EU and AMISOM who offered part of the training.
“It is an honor for the Somali government to conclude this training offered in collaboration with our international partners. We are confident that the National Forces will succeed in bringing back elusive peace, stability and the rule of law to Somalia” said Gen. Diini. Diini asked the officers to reflect what they learnt in the training when they are deployed in the field by carrying out their duties with professionalism. He assured them of the government’s full support.
Female Police Officers Call For More Involvement In The Somali Police Force
01 September – Source: Mareeg Media – 427 Words
At least forty female officers from the Somali Police Force (SPF) completed a seminar this week to assess the needs of female officers, with the view to improving their work conditions and enhancing their role in the force. The needs and capacity assessment seminar, which drew officers from all police stations in the Banadir region, was organized by the African Union Mission in Somalia with support from UNDP. The seminar aimed to improve service delivery in the SPF through greater involvement of female officers.
UNDP’s Civilian Policing Project supports training and appointment of police officers, promoting human rights training and gender equality as well as helping to foster public trust and confidence in them. In addition, new police uniforms were issued in Mogadishu and Somaliland to help better identify police officers and distinguish them from the military. This will eventually build trust and confidence and tangibly improve the official conduct of the police. Women in Somalia are particularly vulnerable and underrepresented in government institutions. Their voices need to be heard when designing responses to insecurity. Assistant Superintendent of Police Sylvia Auma, the AMISOM facilitator at the seminar, said the participants raised several issues, which if addressed, will improve service delivery of the SPF and the fight against crime.
“One of the things that came out vividly is their role in intelligence and information gathering, which they appreciated and has in most cases been successful and we applauded them for that. They also felt that this seminar could be shared or extended to the rest of the sectors or regions so that not only the Banaadir region benefits. We hope that at the end of this seminar, most of them will share the ideas that came up in the seminar with the rest of the female police officers to make them better equipped in their day today running of policing activities.” ASP Auma said. “I came here today to the seminar and I found it very helpful. I want to use what I learned to help the country in the future. That is my hope. I learned with the men today. We learned many things we did not know. We will work hard and I thank my sisters for the help they gave us,” said Fatudama Abdulqadir Abdulshakur, a participant.
Pomp And Color As Warring Clans Bury The Hatchet In Warsheikh District
01 September – Source: Wacaal Media – 113 Words
Pomp and color marked the signing of a peace agreement between two warring clans in Warsheekh district, Middle Shabelle region. The two sides have over the period fought bloody battles over pieces of land, clashes that left in its trail death, destruction and displacement but after a week-long talks in Jowhar town, the two sides decided to bury the hatchet. The event was graced by Banadir regional commissioner and Mayor of Mogadishu Mohamed Hussein – Muungaab, his Middle Shabelle counterpart Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Guudlaawe) and several MPs from the region. Others were traditional elders from both sides as well as religious leaders led by Imam Yussuf Ali, Ugas Mohamed Ugas Ali and Malak Ali Malak Mohamed.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
‘I Refused To Pay So They Stripped My Home’
01 September – Source: Independent Online – 488 Words
A Somali shop owner said that his Cape Town home was ransacked by suspected gangsters after he refused to pay “taxes” and protection money. He was left with just the clothes on his back after alleged members of the 28s gang robbed him. Abdul Muhammed, 34, said he’s been trading at his spaza shop in Olienhout Street, Netreg, for seven years without any problems. He said last Tuesday a group of men came into his house and stripped it bare. The gang arrived in a bakkie as well as a horse and cart. Abdul said: “There were such a lot of them, they even came through the roof.”
Neighbours were too afraid to interfere and could only watch helplessly as the alleged gangsters helped themselves to Abdul’s taps, sinks, furniture, clothing and shop stock. “I stood and watched because if you interfere they come after you,” a witness said. “They want him to pay taxes, but that isn’t right.” Community leaders say they have since called on Pagad to rescue Abdul and other Somali traders in the area. Gangsters have apparently been collecting protection money from other Somali traders for months, and Abdul was the only one who had refused to pay up. The trader said: “They wanted me to pay taxes but the Muslim community said I must refuse, this was after another Somali shop also opened here. “I [have been] staying here seven years and I never had a problem.”
Government Urged To Replace Teachers Who Fled NE Kenya Over Insecurity
31 August – Source: Daily Nation – 395 Words
Residents of northeastern counties have decried the government’s failure to replace teachers who left their schools early this year. They claim there is an education crisis in Wajir, Garissa and Mandera after teachers failed to report to various schools owing to insecurity. The residents, through seven lobby groups, have filed an urgent application alleging the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have contravened their rights to access free, basic and compulsory education as set out in the Constitution. The groups include the Haki na Sheria Initiative, the Pastoralist Girls Initiative, Womankind Kenya, Arid Lands Development Focus (Kenya), the Wajir South Development Association, Napad and Racida.
Mr Qamar Kassim Yusuf, a programme officer at the Haki na Sheria Initiative, said schools are resuming classes beginning Monday for the third term across the country except for the affected northeastern counties, which lack teachers. Students in the affected counties are expected to sit their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams later in the year. “The actions and inactions of the Ministry of Education and TSC have immensely contributed to the worsening situation in the three counties and the matter has now graduated to being an education crisis,” said Mr Kassim.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“What is harder for those taken hostage to accept is that even at sea it is possible for human malevolence to rear its head. To drown in a storm might be expected, but to be captured by an angry, gun-wielding teenager is incomprehensible.”
Blood Ransom: Stories From The Front Line In The War Against Somali Piracy By John Boyle
01 September – Source: Hiiraan Online/Geographical Magazine – 294 Words
‘These are nothing like the swashbucklers from Pirates of the Caribbean.’ That’s what people used to say about Somali pirates. We were to understand that piracy had slowly built up an undeserved romantic reputation. Somalia’s pirates returned us to the terrible, long-forgotten reality. Finding a pirate is Boyle’s first problem in Blood Ransom. Somali pirates are already yesterday’s news, and this book might just turn out to be the first ‘history’ of piracy’s silver age. Nonetheless, Boyle finds a few men willing to open up, and learns that a pirate’s lot is not a happy one.
Amid the Indian Ocean in tiny, rotten boats, they drift without even a compass. It seems fairly likely that there are more would-be pirates at the ocean’s bottom than ever even saw a ship – or a jail. Boyle also follows the world’s navies trawling for pirate activity, and the pirates win some respect from those involved in the hunt. The pirates, either ignorant or heroic, sometimes attack the navy ships sent to capture them. Those taken hostage during raids have lived with the sea and its natural dangers for their entire lives. That risk was expected, and could be accepted with equanimity.
What is harder for those taken hostage to accept is that even at sea it is possible for human malevolence to rear its head. To drown in a storm might be expected, but to be captured by an angry, gun-wielding teenager is incomprehensible. Boyle shows us how the pirates leave their victims – be they fishermen or tanker workers – disorientated. Now that IS dominates the news, the Somali pirates, with their quaint tradition of exchanging hostages for money – even at times taking care of them – seem relatively chivalrous. Such are legends made.
TOP TWEETS
@UNDP: Female police officers call for a bigger role in#Somalia‘s police force: http://on.undp.org/Rwdis @UNDPSomalia
@FAOnews: 855,000 people In #Somalia now facing acute food insecurity, warns new @FEWSNET & @faoinsomaliaanalysis: http://ow.ly/RzROv
@SalahOsman0: #Somalia tries to revive its Banana Export Industry, after more than two decades of conflicts #MogadishuMoving ahead
@Abdi_AlSheikh:Somalia Parliament passes new bill regulating foreign workers – Horseed Media http://dlvr.it/C1qlKT #Somalia
@MoHassan_ppg: “We are confident the days of ‘Saving#Somalia‘ will soon be over.” – Prez http://goobjooge.com/we-are-
@neptune_ms: Somalia warns of return to piracyhttp://bit.ly/1FeXEzJ #pirates #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Somalia, Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Somalia Peter de Clercq and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Somalia, Richard Trenchard, hold a joint press conference on assessment of the food security and nutritional outlook for Somalia on August 31 2015.
Photo: UNSOM