September 12, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia Foreign Minister Affirms IGAD Summit Will Take Place Tuesday
12 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 190 Words
Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Abdusalam Omer Hadliye has asserted the IGAD heads of states summit will take place on Tuesday in Mogadishu amid reports the talks could be postponed on security grounds cited by some member countries. “The IGAD summit will take place tomorrow in Mogadishu as planned,” Hadliye told Goobjoog News.
Meanwhile Mogadishu’s main roads remains on lockdown for the fourth day. Security personnel have been deployed in main roads of the city forcing businesses to close and movements among residents limited. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud yesterday appealed to the public to bear with the situation and cooperate with security forces to ensure the Summit is conducted successfully.
The summit will be historic for Somalia as it will be the first one in about three decades. Hadliye has indicated the summit is an endorsement of the country’s peace and stability and it will be instrumental in attracting investors to the Horn of Africa country. IGAD is an eight member trade bloc consisting of Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Eritrea and Djibouti.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Foreign Minister Affirms IGAD Summit Will Take Place Tuesday (Goobjoog News)
- Mogadishu Residents Mark Eid As Roads Remain Closed For The Fourth Day (Jowhar News)
- Suspension Of Khat Planes Hasn’t Affected Other Flights Says KCAA (The Star)
- Scores Injured As Youths In Kambi Somali Clash Over Land (The Standard)
- IGAD Summit In Somalia: What You Need To Know About The Bloc (Goobjoog News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Mogadishu Residents Mark Eid As Roads Remain Closed For The Fourth Day
12 September – Source: Jowhar.com – 160 Words
Residents of Mogadishu City turned out in large numbers today to mark Eid-Al- Adha under a different circumstance as major roads remain closed for the fourth day ahead of the upcoming IGAD summit expected to kick off on Tuesday, September 13. There was limited movement contrary to previous Eid occasions as locals were not able to maneuver with cars to visit their families and friends.
People living far from mostly frequented public entertainment centers such as the Lido beach and public parks also found it difficult to reach these areas for the Eid festivities. Businesses have also been inconvenienced as customer movement was disrupted by the city lockdown.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked for public understanding saying the IGAD meeting planned way back coincided with the Eid-Al- Adha festivals. He termed the summit as a success recorded by Somalia which has not hosted such high profile meeting in the past three decades. Locals however expressed their frustrations on Social media.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Suspension Of Khat Planes Hasn’t Affected Other Flights, Says KCAA
12 September – Source: The Star – 417 Words
The suspension of all flights ferrying miraa to Somalia does not affect other flights, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has said. KCAA communications manager Salim Bakari in a statement said diplomatic, NGO missions and passenger flights are not affected by the notice given by the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority.
“KCAA received a notice from the director general Somali Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority, that from September 6, 2016, all miraa flights to Somalia have been banned until further notice,” Bakari said. The Somali Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority general manager Captain Abdiwahid Ahmed banned miraa cargo flights on September 4.
“Considering special circumstances, SCAMA, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Somalia, hereby informs all miraa cargo operators and anyone it may concern that miraa cargo flights and their operations in Somalia have been cancelled effective September 6, until further notice,” Ahmed said.
Scores Injured As Youths In Kambi Somali Clash Over Land
12 September – Source: The Standard – 249 Words
Scores of workers were injured when two groups clashed over prime land in Kambi Somali estate in Gilgil town yesterday. At the centre of the dispute is two acres earmarked for the construction of a children’s home. The land was allegedly grabbed by prominent businessmen with the assistance of officers from the Gilgil sub-county office.
The youths attacked each other with crude weapons before police stepped in and quelled the violence. In a letter to the sub-county administrator, county government legal advisor Harry Gakinya had cautioned him against interfering with land in the area without consultation.
“Kindly note the county government has not passed any legislation on sub-division and allocation of plots, and any dealings without notice from the department of lands is illegal and amounts to gross misconduct,” read part of the letter. Moses Gitonga, who heads a local lobby,
Good Governance, said land grabbing was on the rise and accused county officials of conspiring with unscrupulous businessmen to steal public and private land. He said a local cleric bought the disputed plot in 2005 and was in the process of developing it when he discovered it had been grabbed.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“In 2006, the African Union Peace and Security Council approved an IGAD proposal to deploy an IGAD Peace and Support Mission in Somalia (IGASOM). A year later in February 21, 2007, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 1744 which authorized the deployment of a new African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to replace IGASOM.”
IGAD Summit In Somalia: What You Need To Know About The Bloc
12 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 440 Words
The 53rd IGAD extra-ordinary Heads of States and Governments Summit will be held in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu Tuesday, the first since the bloc was re-established in 1996. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development in 1996 superseded the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development that was founded in 1986 to deal with issues related to drought and desertification in the Horn Africa.
The revitalised IGAD, with expanded areas of regional cooperation and a new organisational structure, was launched by the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government on 25 November 1996 in Djibouti, the Republic of Djibouti. The bloc consists of eight member states categorized into three major regions. The Horn of Africa group consists of Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea. Nile Valley group is made up of Sudan and South Sudan while Kenya and Uganda form the Great Lakes group.
Somalia was among the founding members in 1986 which include Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti and Ethiopia. Eritrea joined in 1993 while South Sudan became a member immediately after its independence in 2011. Djibouti hosts the bloc’s headquarters. Based on UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 2014 statistics, IGAD has a combined Gross Domestic Product of $218.2 billion and a GDP per capita of $874. The bloc occupies 5.5 million square kilometres with a total population of 247.4 million.
IGAD is composed of four hierarchical policy organs namely Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Council of Ministers, Committee of Ambassadors and the Secretariat. Its objectives include promotion of joint policies on trade, communications, security, agriculture, free movement of people and goods among others. In the recent past security has emerged as a sticking concern for the bloc with Somalia, Burundi and South Sudan topic the list of IGAD meetings.
TOP TWEETS
@lasoco: Miraa prices drop by half after ban on cargo flights – Daily Nation http://j.mp/2cGr2rL #Somalia
@UNODC_MCP : IMC Hargeysa, Donors and UNODC upholding minimum international standards on prison conditions#Somalia #security
@Eye_on_Somalia : #goobjoog Amisom chief sends wishes to Somalia on Eid Al-Adha celebrations: Head of African Union Mi… http://bit.ly/2ck0ugB #somalia
@Daudoo: Today is #EidAlAdha
@engyarisow : #Somalia has now officially launched the comprehensive National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Violent… http://fb.me/KuF1nkA9
@DoolAbdullahi : Congratas to President #SharifHassan who banned the entry of #qat in his Bay region in #Somalia. #Qat is evil which #destroys real #people.
@alihwarsame : Today, it’s time 4 forgiveness, tolerance, sharing optimism & dreaming with better tomorrow. Let all celebrate & forget our pains. #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
AMISOM extends its warmest wishes to the people of #Somalia and all Muslims on this Eid-Al-Adha.
Photo: AMISOM