September 18, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Illegal Fishing Vessels Have Forced Us To Be Pirates, Says Iranian Vessel Hijacker
18 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 346 Words
Pirates who seized Iranian ship have for the first time came forward to comment about the reason forced them to hijack ships. One of the pirates who seized Iranian ship, Khaliif Osman Karani, told Goobjoog News that they had faced continuous threats from foreign fishing boats which are equipped with weapons.“Our job is jeopardized, we have been several times chased by these vessels which are illegally taking our sea resources therefore we decided to defend our waters because we have no skill other than fishing if they are going to block our lifeline then we have to respond by hijacking their vessels” he said.He added that they stayed at their fearing for their dear lives after vessels poured them with hot water and destructed their nets. “These are Iranian vessels, we have evident and it is obvious, everybody knows that” he underlined.
He mentioned: “The trawlers are doing the illegal fishing and dumping waste. Some our fishermen have gone missing while others are tortured by the trawlers who at times spray boiling water from cannons” Osman confirmed that they have captured Iranian fishing vessel and its 21 crew members as he vowed they would force the owner vessel to pay the price of their action.The development comes days after a campaign group warned of a possible resurgence of piracy in the Somali waters as a result of increased illegal fishing. Secure Fisheries noted in its report that foreign boats take three times much fish more than Somali fishermen totaling to 132,000 metric tons against Somalia’s 40,000 metric tons.
There has been a general lull in the Indian Ocean waters following a steady decline in piracy activities though there are reports pirates are still holding some foreign crews demanding ransom.Somali pirates released four Thai sailors in February after holding them for five years, the longest period of captivity of hostages held by Somali pirates. The four released were sailors of the MV Prantalay 12 vessel, a Taiwanese flagged fishing vessel seized by Somali pirates on April 18 2010.
Key Headlines
- Illegal Fishing Vessels Have Forced Us To Be Pirates Says Iranian Vessel Hijacker (Goobjoog News)
- Obama Approves Credentials Of New Somalia Ambassador To US (Horseed Media)
- Federal Parliament Speaker Sets Deadline For Political Parties Bill (Garowe Online)
- Somalia Introduces Persons With Disabilities Bill (Horseed Media)
- Islamists Retake Town In Somalia After African Forces Quit (Reuters)
- 240000 Facing Starvation In Somalia As Drought Bites (Anadolu Agency)
- Somalia: The Next Oil Superpower? (The African Post)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Obama Approves Credentials Of New Somalia Ambassador To US
18 September – Source: Horseed Media – 189 Words
President Barack Obama formally welcomed Somalia’s new envoy to the US, Ahmed Issa Awad to Washingtonon Thursday afternoon when he presented his letters of credence at a ceremony in the White House. Mr Awad was among several ambassadors-designate who presented their papers to President Obama in the Oval Office at a traditional credentialing event, which marks the formal beginning of an envoy’s service in Washington.Awad’s accreditation marks the beginning of a new career as he becomes the head of a mission, which had been without a substantive ambassador for close to one year since current Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid left the post in December last year. Two weeks ago, the US government launched its mission to Somalia after closing its embassy in Mogadishu in 1991. The embassy is opened in neighbouring Kenya due to the fragile security situation in the Somali capital.In 2013, the United States government formally recognised the federal government of Somalia following decades of civil war. In May, John Kerry became the first-ever U.S Secretary of State and also the first highest-ranking American official to visit Somalia since 1993.
Federal Parliament Speaker Sets Deadline For Political Parties Bill
17 September – Source: Garowe Online – 107 Words
Federal Parliament speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman (Jawari) has announced a deadline set for the submission of Political Parties bill on Thursday, Garowe Online reports. Speaker Jawari said that the Parliament has put forward the new bill to the government after deliberations in the national assembly.“It (the government) has 30 days to submit the Political Parties Bill after civil society engagement,” he noted. Despite the suspension of popular elections by 2016, Somalia’s Federal Government has allegedly been dragging its feet on the drafting of clauses for the vital legislation.On 20th of September, Somali political leaders will discuss format for transition in 2016 in pre-planned Mogadishu meeting.
Somalia Introduces Persons With Disabilities Bill
17 September – Source: Horseed Media – 182 Words
Somalia’s Federal Government on Thursday introduced a bill protecting the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDS), which will improve the lives of people with disability, their families and caregivers .The bill covers a variety of issues relating to people with disability, such as physical, mental and multiple disability, was part of the weekly-cabinet meeting agenda. According to the Ministry of Labour and Social affairs officials, the main purpose of the Bill is to enhance protections and enshrine the rights of people with disability into law. However, the debate on the bill was postponed to the next weekly-cabinet-meeting.“This bill is aimed to protect and safeguard the rights of the disabled people,’’ read a statement following the meeting. More than two decades of conflict, inadequate health services and discrimination have left people with disabilities in Somalia at risk of forced marriage, violence, rape and repeated forced evictions, Amnesty International said in a report released earlier this year. It called for the Federal government of Somalia ‘’to act decisively to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are protected in law and in practice’’.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Islamists Retake Town In Somalia After African Forces Quit
18 September – Source: Yahoo News/Reuters – 280 Words
Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab has retaken another town in Somalia from African troops, adding to a string of settlements it has seized this month, the group and an official said. Al-Shabaab retook the town of Janale, about 90 km (55 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, on Thursday. This month, the group attacked a base of the Africa Union forces in Janale area, killing at least 12 Ugandan troops, and has retaken at least three other towns in southern and central Somalia.The government has dismissed the gains by Al-Shabaab, saying the areas retaken are not of strategic value. But the recent Islamist offensive has highlighted the group’s ability to keep up the pressure on the Western-backed government it wants to topple, using both its military force alongside its more frequent suicide bomb and gun attacks.
240,000 Facing Starvation In Somalia As Drought Bites
17 September – Source: Anadolu Agency – 160 Words
More than 240,000 people in Somalia are food insecure, a consortium of 19 non-governmental organizations said on Thursday.In a statement released in Nairobi, the aid agencies called on the international community to step in and save over 40,000 households who are suffering from the acute drought.“The rains which were being expected this mid-year have [been] delayed,” Clare Ogara, from the Somalia NGO consortium, told Anadolu Agency. “Thousands are being forced to eat one meal a day. There is an acute shortage of water and thus people are forced to rely on contaminated water.” The most hard-hit regions in Somalia are Maroodijeeh, Gebiley and Awdal, which are the main food production towns. “No water means no life,” Ogara said. “We have records that show that around 35-40 percent of livestock in the affected areas have died.” The aid groups said that malnutrition in Somalia was at an all-time high, especially among infants, the sick and the elderly.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The paper discusses how the oil industry in Somalia could have a promising future, but it also explores the risks facing Somalia if the development of its petroleum resources is not carefully managed. Balthasar rightly asks, “is Somalia ready for oil?”
Somalia: The Next Oil Superpower?
18 September – Source: The African Post – 584 Words
Last month, Soma Oil and Gas, a London based energy company, searching for hydrocarbon deposits off the coast of Somalia, announced that it had completed a seismic survey to ascertain the potential for recoverable oil and gas deposits. Although further details have yet to be released, chief executive Rob Sheppard announced that the results were encouraging. However, Somalia, and potential investors, should proceed with caution when considering entering this frontier market.
East African oil exploration, and in Somalia specifically, is not a secret. Energy firms like Royal Dutch Shell and Exxonmobil operated in Somalia before the government collapsed in 1991.
But recent gains against the insurgent group al Shabaab in the south and the decrease in piracy off the coast have sparked a regeneration of the industry. The Somali president, riding these positive evolutions, recently stated that the country is “open for business.” Although recent security developments are encouraging, substantial hurdles still exist. The Heritage Institute recently released “Oil in Somalia: Adding Fuel to the Fire?,” by Dominik Balthasar. The paper discusses how the oil industry in Somalia could have a promising future, but it also explores the risks facing Somalia if the development of its petroleum resources is not carefully managed. Balthasar rightly asks, “is Somalia ready for oil?”
TOP TWEETS
@horseed:#Obama approves credentials of new #Somaliaambassador to #US http://horseedmedia.net/2015/
@AlertNet:Islamist rebels attack Somali army bases, retake town http://tmsnrt.rs/1UZjw9E #Somalia
@SomaliaJunkie:Congratulations Ahmed Isse Awed, new#Somalia Ambassador to the US. He Succeeds PM Sharmarke on post #Diplomacy
@hiiraan:240,000 facing starvation in #Somalia as drought bites http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/
@harar24:#AlShabaab fighters attack Somali army bases, retake Janale town: http://harar24.com/?p=15154 #Somalia
@hiiraan:#Somalia seeks diaspora input on new draft law on citizenship http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali youth attend a workshop on Youth Mobilisation in Support of the Federal Government of Somalia in Mogadishu. Photo: AMISOM