September 10, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia lawmakers to vote for new president
10 Sept – Source: Daily Nation – 215 words
Somalia’s parliament votes Monday for a new president in what the UN has described as a historic election for the war-torn nation, which has lacked an effective central government for decades. The election is the final stage of a UN-backed process to set up a new administration for the country, whose 25 presidential hopefuls include the outgoing prime minister and president.
The election has been delayed several times – having already missed an August 20 deadline – but international pressure has increased on parliament to chose a president swiftly. UN special representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, last week described it as a “historic” election, praising efforts to “move forward to a new more legitimate and representative” system.
Key Headlines
- Tight security in Mogadishu as presidential elections open (Radio Kulmiye)
- One of Somalia’s presidential candidates withdraws from race (Jowhar Online)
- Beledweyne’s District Court to function soon (Bar-Kulan)
- Somalia’s Ministry of Finance denies corruption charges (Radio Risaala)
- Somalia’s government forces impose curfew on Afgoye seize people in operation (Radio Mustaqbal)
- 1 dies in Mogadishu clashes (Shabelle)
- Kenya taken to task over Kismayu civilian deaths (Daily Nation)
Press Statement
Somalia’s most qualified parliament
09 Sept – Source: UNPOS – 377 words
There is an air of excitement as we draw closer to one of the most important dates in the history of Somali politics. Despite the many challenges leading up to the end of the transitional period, there is great pleasure in knowing that the legislative arm of Somalia’s new government sits many of the country’s most highly qualified people.
Approximately 60 percent of the Members of Parliament hold university degrees. The Speaker, Professor Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari, is an attorney by trade with numerous educational achievements and is fluent in five languages: Somali, Arabic, English, Italian and Norwegian. Another Member of Parliament, Mr. Ahmed Samatar, was the James Wallace Professor of International Studies at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Mr. Samatar has lectured at many leading universities including Cornell, Harvard and the London School of Economics. Member of Parliament, Ms. Asha Haji Elmi, a well-known peace activist, holds a degree in Economics from Somalia National University as well as a Master of Business Administration from the United States International University in Kenya.
These are a few examples of the remarkable individuals who comprise the new Somali Parliament and who demonstrate dedication to the service of
their country in this exciting and transformative chapter of Somalia’s history. In this new Parliament, there are many other people of action, integrity and determination; capable of delivering a new Somalia in the next four years. Their collective action will make the needed difference Somali people are expecting from the Parliamentarians.
As International Literacy Day, themed “Literacy and Peace,” was marked, let us reflect on the potential of this new, highly qualified Parliament and its potential to play an invaluable role in the Somali peace process. Just as literacy contributes to peace, bringing people closer to attaining individual freedoms and fostering better understanding of the world, it also plays a key role in the prevention and resolution of conflict. In Somalia, both literacy and democratic processes go hand in hand to create a solid foundation for peace and stability.
While obstacles remain, Monday’s Presidential election will mark another milestone in the country’s political process, and so I call on legislators who are voting to ensure they uphold the standards already set while selecting the best candidate as the leader for their nation.
SOMALI MEDIA
Presidential Elections to be held in Mogadishu today
10 Sept – Source: Radio Risaala – 120 words
Mogadishu is to host the country’s presidential elections today. The electoral commission of Somalia has ealier set the presidential elections to be on 10th September and they are making the final preparations ahead of the historic event. Security at Polizio School in Mogadishu has been tightened ahead of today’s presidential elections that is to be held at the venue. Security in the capital is being maintained by the government of Somalia forces and the African Union forces who have heightened the security.
Banadir governor: The election will take place peacefully
10 Sept – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 151 words
The governor of Banadir authority for Somalia’s government, who is also the mayor of Mogadishu Mohamed Ahmed Nor Tarsan and is now a member of parliament said he is very glad that Mogadishu is hosting the presidential election of Somalia. Tarsan expressed that today is an accomplishment for Somali people wherever they are. The governor said that security in Mogadishu is reliable and the election process is taking place as planned, he added. Tarsan called for the people in Mogadishu to collaborate with government security forces.
Tight security in Mogadishu as presidential elections open
10 Sept – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 97 words
Somali national security forces along with African Union police forces of AMISOM from Uganda are taking a dramatic role against spoiling acts for the elections, according to a radio Kulmiye correspondent in down town Mogadishu who says: “there are police patrols and soldiers in uniform as most of the highways are being blocked before the parliament goes to the polls”.
Preparation for the presidential election is underway in Mogadishu
10 Sept – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 123 words
Preparation for the presidential election is underway in the city. The legislators of Somalia’s parliament are heading to the location where the election is supposed to be held. The candidates for the presidential election are also on the spot.
Somalia to elect new president in historic vote
10 Sept – Source: Bar-kulan/BBC Somali Service – 173 words
Somalia’s parliament is due to choose a new president later today, in the latest step to end two decades of civil war and the eight year-old transitional period. More than 200 newly-elected MPs will convene at a police academy in Mogadishu for the secret ballot to choose the country’s new president among the 25 contenders, including the outgoing president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and his premier Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.
The winning candidate must garner a two-third majority in the first round; otherwise the top four candidates will go into a second round, with a third round of the final two, where the winner will be selected by a simple majority. The new speaker of parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari, has urged MPs to vote with their consciences, according to the BBC.
Somalia’s government forces impose curfew on Afgoye, seize people in operation
10 Sept – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 158 words
Somalia’s government forces based in Afgoye district of Lower Shabelle region imposed a curfew in the area and detained people in operation conducted in the town. The residents in Afgoye district of Lower Shabelle region in Southern of Somalia were ordered not to commute after 8:00pm in the evening.
The government forces were also conducting operations aimed at ensuring the security of the town, during which they seized 20 persons who broke the order of the curfew issued by the officials of government forces in the district. The officer named Ibrahim leading the operation said that 20 persons were suspected to have links with al Shabaab. The officer said the curfew would be maintained until the security of the district is confirmed.
One of Somalia’s presidential candidates withdraws from race
10 Sept- Source: Jowhar Online/Hiiraan Online – 132 words
One of the contenders in Somalia’s presidential elections has withdrawn from the race as MPs in the Horn of Africa nation prepare to elect a president on 10 September. A spokesman for the parliamentary committee overseeing the elections, Osman Libah Ibrahim, said presidential aspirant Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, who was among 25 candidates vying for the presidency “has compromised his bid to contest in the presidential elections”. Mr Warsame, a former MP and minister for planning, “was among a group of 15 candidates who presented their manifestos to the parliament” on 8 September, added the report.
Beledweyne’s District Court to function soon
09 Sept – Source: Bar-kulan – 96 words
Government authorities in central Somali region of Hiiraan on Sunday appointed a new District Magistrate for Beledweyne law court. Speaking at a ceremony in Beledweyne town, the area’s deputy regional governor Ahmed Abdalle said his administration made the move in order to revive all government institutions in the area, including the judiciary.
Abdalle revealed that Sheikh Abdirahman Mohamed Ali has been appointed to head the district court in providing justice to the locals. He however said the move is also aimed at restoring law and order in Beledweyne and have fair hearings for all accused persons.
1 dies in Mogadishu clashes
09 Sept – Source: Shabelle – 96 words
At least one person was confirmed dead and many others injured in heavy clashes between Somalia National Army (SNA) and unknown armed groups, police and witnesses said on Sunday. Eyewitnesses said the fighting which erupted on Saturday in northern Mogadishu’s Hamar Jajab neighbourhood intensified overnight, spreading to other parts of the district and waking local residents up from their sleep.
“The skirmishes which raged on for several hours began soon after armed men attacked an army base in the district, leaving one civilian dead and five injured who were rushed to hospital,” a resident said.
Somalia’s Ministry of Finance denies corruption charges
09 Sept- Source: Radio Risaala-140 words
Somalia’s Deputy Minister for Finance, Ali Idris Farah yesterday denied claims of corruption or wrong doings in his ministry. Mr. Faarah was responding to earlier allegations made by former Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo before parliament where he said that his disbanded administration had transferred 7 million US Dollars to the treasury of the newly-formed cabinet which was headed by Dr. Abdiwali Gas.
However, Mr. Farhaan acknowledged that funds were left behind from Mr. Farmaajo’s administration though he claimed that these funds were never retrieved from the donor countries. The Assistant Minister insisted that the amount of money in question is less than 1 million dollars as opposed to the 7 million claimed by Mr. Farmaajo. Finally, the outgoing assistant minister for finance, Ali Idris Faarah dared Mr. Farmaajo to produce evidence to back his claim.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somalia lawmakers to vote for new president
10 Sept – Source: Daily Nation – 215 words
Somalia’s parliament votes Monday for a new president in what the UN has described as a historic election for the war-torn nation, which has lacked an effective central government for decades. The election is the final stage of a UN-backed process to set up a new administration for the country, whose 25 presidential hopefuls include the outgoing prime minister and president.
The election has been delayed several times — having already missed an August 20 deadline — but international pressure has increased on parliament to chose a president swiftly. UN special representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, last week described it as a “historic” election, praising efforts to “move forward to a new more legitimate and representative” system.
Hundreds flee Somalia ‘al Shabaab’ militant-held port city of Kismayo
10 Sept – Source: Coastweek/ Xinhua – 342 words
Hundreds of residents in the southern port city of Kismayo flee their homes as advancing Somali government forces backed by African Union troops close in on the Al-Shabaab-held city, UN refugee agency said. Almost 800 people have fled Kismayo between Aug. 30 and Sept. 6, said the UNHCR Somalia in a tweet, adding the displaced were “fleeing to other areas south” of the rebel held port city.
Kismayo is the third largest port city in the whole of Somalia and has been under Al-Shabaab’s control since 2008. The port is a key revenue source for the rebel group who has lately been facing a string of losses of territory to allied Somali government troops and the AU peacekeeping force.
400 Kenyan soldiers return home after al Shabaab fight
09 Sept – Source: Capital News – 164 words
Approximately 400 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops are back in the country from Somalia where they have been fighting the Al Shabaab for close to a year now. Troops replacing those who returned home have already arrived in the various parts of Somalia vacated as the war against the militia is stepped up.
Speaking during their reception at the Lang’ata Barrack’s, Army Commander Lieutenant General Joseph Kiptoo Kasaon said that they will be awarded ‘Linda Nchi’ medals by the President in recognition of their sacrifice and service to the nation.
Bribery allegations blight Somalia election
10 Sept – Source: Al Jazeera – 404 words
Somalia’s presidential elections have been marred by allegations of bribery, with up to $50,000 said to have exchanged hands among members of parliament, Al Jazeera has learnt. Senior diplomatic sources deployed in the region to ensure honest and fair election, have confirmed that the process of vote buying has been under way over the last few days.
It was hoped that the vote for a new president, the first of its kind in decades, would alter the political landscape of the nation and be a milestone in the war-ravaged country’s quest to end two decades of violence, corruption and infighting.
Kenya taken to task over Kismayu civilian deaths
09 Sept – Source: Daily Nation – 301 words
The United Nations has reiterated its concerns about reports of civilian deaths in the Somalia port city of Kismayu said to have been caused by shells fired from a Kenyan warship. A spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday that the world agency stands by comments made on August 14 by Mark Bowden, its humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.
Mr Bowden said then he was “deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Kismayu caused by naval gunfire and air strikes”. Human Rights Watch reported on August 23 that three civilians — a pregnant woman and two boys aged 11 and 15 — were killed “apparently from shells fired by the Kenyan vessel” on August 11.
Operation free Shabelle a success, challenges remain
08 Sept – Source: East African – 422 words
Marka in Somalia is a small coastal city located less than 90km southwest of Mogadishu, yet its medieval architecture and hand-carved wooden doors are more evocative of the Swahili culture of coastal Kenya than Somalia’s war-torn capital.
Just over a week ago, this picturesque port city was a major command and control centre for the Al Shabaab leadership, and the centre of the Al Qaeda-affiliated group’s foreign fighter management and recruitment efforts.
The African Union Mission to Somalia victory here represents significant progress in the effort to rid Somalia of the insurgents, and a decisive step in shaping the final push toward the last major insurgent stronghold in south central Somalia, the port city of Kismayu.
Makerere University trains Somaliland vets
09 Sept – Source: Observer – 285 words
The college of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security (CoVAB) has offered to train 10 students from Somaliland in veterinary services.
The move is aimed at building capacity of veterinary practitioners to support the dominant animal industry in Somaliland. The students are being supported by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
“Somaliland has had no vets for over 20 years because of the war and yet 80% of the population is supported by livestock,” Dr Ruth Muwazi, the deputy principal of the college, said. “Therefore, the 10 have been brought to Makerere University to complete their degrees.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Amid fraud fears, Somalia to elect new president
10 Sept – Source: Reuters – 741 words
Members of parliament in Somalia will vote for a new president on Monday in the first vote of its kind in decades amid fears that the historic election will be rigged and do little to alter the political landscape.
Billed as a milestone in the war-ravaged country’s quest to end two decades of violence, graft and infighting, a newly elected parliament will convene at the police academy in Mogadishu to vote for the next head of state by secret ballot.
More than two dozen candidates are vying for the position, including the current president and prime minister, as well as prominent Somalis who have returned from overseas.
EU navy taskforce rescues 68 off Somalia
10 Sept – Source: AFP/Eu business – 116 words
A Spanish warship on anti-piracy patrol off the Somali coast has rescued 68 people found drifting in a small boat in the Gulf of Aden, the EU navy task force said Monday.
The ESPS Relampago, part of the EU’s Operation Atalanta fighting piracy off the Somali coast, picked up the 68 on Saturday some 100 nautical miles (185 kilometres) out at sea after deciding their boat was unsafe.
They were towed to Boosasso port, in north Somalia, a statement said, without giving any details about those on board or what they were doing. The area is notorious for pirate attacks but the presence of several navy task forces has seen such incidents fall sharply this year.
Somali MPs to elect new president in historic vote
10 Sept – Source: BBC – 390 words
Somalia’s parliament is due to start choosing a new president, in the latest step to end decades of war. The newly-elected MPs will convene at a police academy in Mogadishu for the secret ballot.
Among the 25 contenders are incumbent President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali. It is the first time in many years that the vote has taken place on Somali soil, a sign that security is improving, correspondents say.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Somali’s have not known peace in the true sense for 20 years and on Monday’s election of a new President is very significant, not just for Somalia and the nations involved in its theatre of war, but for the African Union”.
Somali election on Monday is golden chance for a fresh start
10 Sept – Source: Standard – 355 words
A quick review of the situation in Somalia offers plenty of hope. The country never had a fully functioning after warlords toppled the vile dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, but this was not before widespread fighting between 1988 and 1990 on a scale that laid the foundation for two decades of hopelessness.
Barre held the country together by forming a coalition with lawless and corrupt clan-based militias who later turned on him, and years after his ouster became the backbone of Al Shabaab. After Barre, the country fell victim to another round of vicious fighting, first between warlords, and then between Al Shabaab and the temporary government backed by Ethiopia.
When Ethiopian troops left, Al Shabaab militants slowly exerted their influence over the country using force and suicide bombings and also established links with terror group Al Qaeda. Since then, however, slow progress has been made and Al Shabaab is on the backfoot with its final stronghold of Kismayu set to be overrun by Amisom forces backed by Somali government troops.
Top tweets
@CNNFrancePR Somali lawmakers to pick president: Somali lawmakers are scheduled to choose the next president Monday.
@IdilLondon #Somalia 1st election inside country since 1967, electing 8th president since 1960, 24 male contest. Parliament vote after 4 decades!
@OCHASomalia News Story: #United Nations reiterated concerns about reports of civilian deaths in the #Somalia port city of #Kismayo.
@warsameh #Somalia parliament Speaker #Jawari announces 229 MP’s, out of the 275 total membership, are present for the presidential vote.#Mogadishu.
Image of the day
A man walks past a campaign billboard of Somalia’s President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, September 9, 2012. The presidential election will be held on September 10. Photo: Reuters.