September 19, 2018 | Morning Headlines

Jubbaland state President, Ahmed Mohamed Islan Madobe, alongside his Cabinet and Members of the Regional Assembly, met with members of the Upper House mediation team in Kismayo. The team consisting of ten senators from the Federal Government’s Upper House, are in Kismayo as part of the group involved in the mediation efforts geared towards resolving the dispute, between the federal and regional governments.

Speaking at the joint press briefing, the Jubbaland leader accused the federal government of disnterest in resolving current challenges faced by the people of Somalia. He singled out insecurity issues, stating how he has constantly reminded the federal government to address the issue. However, his plea has fallen on deaf ears.

President Madobe explained that was part of the reason why regional members were at loggerheads with the administration of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. On their part, the senators reiterated that their mission was to resolve outstanding issues between the two levels of governments.

Key Headlines

• TV: Jubbaland President Meets Senate Mediation Team (Universal TV)
• RADIO: Somali Army Liberates Coastal Locations In Mogadishu (Radio Muqdisho)
• 48 Rape Cases Reported In Puntland For The Last Eight Months (Halbeeg News)
• Increased Cases Of Children And Adults Sick With TB In Mogadishu (Radio Ergo)
• 16 Killed In Heavy Fighting In South Somalia (Xinhua)
• International Republican Institute Build Program That Supports Political Parties In Somalia Ahead of 2020 Elections (IRI)

NATIONAL NEWS

RADIO: Somali Army Liberates Coastal Locations In Mogadishu

18 September 14:41:14 – Source : Radio Muqdisho – 149 Words

Somali Deputy Army Commander, Odawaa Yusuf Rage, has said the army has liberated coastal areas that connect Mogadishu to Merca, in Lower Shablle region. In an operation to flush out members of the Al-Shabaab militia group, the Somali National Army (SNA) liberated various areas, starting from Jazeera, outskirts of Mogadishu. The liberated areas include Gendershe, El aw Maki, Dhanaane and Jilib Marka, along the coastal route that connects the capital city, to the Lower Shabelle region city of Marka.

In other similar operations, the SNA carried out an aggressive campaign against the militant group in Gedo Jubbaland and Hiiraan regions, respectively. The operation is part of the ongoing efforts by the government to clear the group from the region. Al-Shabab and Somali National Army (SNA) recently battled it out in Beled Hawo along the Kenyan border, after an ambush by militant group.

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48 Rape Cases Reported In Puntland For The Last Eight Months

17 September – Source : Halbeeg News – 217 Words

Puntland’s Attorney General on Tuesday, disclosed the statistics on rape cases in the regional state, since January of this year. According to the Attorney General’s report, over 50 individuals is await trial in the Puntland for sexual assault cases: “Over the last eight months, Puntland’s Criminal Investigative Department, has recorded 48 rape cases, which were later submitted to the office of the Attorney General,” stated Hassan Ahmed, a senior officer at the AG’s office.

Puntland has been under the radar of the International Community, over it’s controversial handling of rape cases since last year, when three girls were raped in Galdogob. Five men were accused of gang-raping and violently assaulting a 16-year old girl and her friend, after kidnapping the pair from the streets. A video filmed by the perpetrators of the crime, leaked to the social media, attracting the rage of millions of Somalis both at home and abroad. A sharia court that convened in Galdogob found, the five of the six men accused of rape guilty. They were sentenced to lashes, fines, and prison sentences. Somalia’s northern Puntland state passed a landmark law in 2016, criminalizing sex crimes such as gang rape.

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Increased Cases Of Children And Adults Sick With TB In Mogadishu

18 September – Source : Radio Ergo – 307 Words

Somali health officials say hospitals and health centres in Mogadishu have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) over the past few months. According to Dr. Mohamed Sheikh Omar, head of the TB ward at Banadir hospital, 73 people have been treated in the hospital since May. This compares with 183 people treated there during the whole of last year. He said most cases were treated as outpatients, whilst 15 patients, including some children, were hospitalized due to the severity of their conditions.

TB treatment is provided free of charge by the hospital. A 22-day old infant baby boy was among those hospitalised after being brought in by his mother. Dr Mohamed said the baby was the youngest TB patient he had ever seen and must have been infected by others living in the neighbourhood. The baby is receiving drugs by intravenous drip and by adding medicine to bottled milk. Another mother, Nasro Abshir Mohamed, brought her two-year-old son to hospital on 8 August. He had been coughing for three months, Nasro told Radio Ergo’s reporter, but initially she thought he just had a cold and would recover quickly. However, due to his loss of appetite and weight loss, she finally decided to bring the child to hospital, where he was admitted for two weeks. He will need to continue the medication at home on discharge.

Another TB centre in Mogadishu’s Hamar-jajab district has treated 200 patients in the past three months. The director, Dr. Nur Mohamed Abdi, told Radio Ergo that the centre treated 100 TB patients in the whole of 2017. Among the 25 patients seen in the last two weeks, there were 12 children under the age of five. The health centre attracts many poor people and IDPs from other areas to come there for free services.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

16 Killed In Heavy Fighting In South Somalia

18 September – Source : Xinhua – 196 Words

Fierce clashes between Somali regional forces of Jubaland and al-Shabab fighters erupted on Monday in Gedo region of southern Somalia, killing at least 16 from the both sides, officials confirmed on Tuesday. Jamal Hassan Farey, a senior commander of Jubaland forces, told reporters that they have launched heavy attack on al-Shabab fighters near Geedweyne in Gedo region in southern Somalia.

“We have lost five soldiers and seven others sustained injuries during the fighting. We killed 11 al-Shabab fighters and seized weapons,” the commander said. The commander said the move to attack al-Shabab came after a tip-off indicates that the militants were planning to wage offensive on Jubaland forces but they responded quickly and attacked them.

Residents reported the fighting saying it lasted for several hours. “Both sides engaged in heavy fighting and there were casualties but we don’t have figures,” Abdiqani Ahmed, a resident in Gedo said. Independent sources said a military commander was among those killed in the fighting in the southern part of the Horn of Africa nation. The militant group frequently launches attacks in the towns bordering Kenya, targeting Jubaland forces and Kenyan troops.

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OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“The 2020 elections pose a great opportunity for Somali democracy, but also pose a potential threat. These elections will be complex and will require collaboration between a variety of domestic institutions, actors and stakeholders, as well as international support. The growth of Somali political parties is a key development to track as Somalia advances towards 2020.”

International Republican Institute Build Program That Supports Political Parties In Somalia Ahead of 2020 Elections

18 September – Source : IRI – 531 Words

Somalia is preparing for general elections in 2020, the nation’s first one-person-one-vote elections since the country experienced a military coup in 1969. The United States Agency for International Development’s Bringing Unity, Integrity and Legitimacy to Democracy (BUILD) in Somalia program aims to support electoral and political processes across the country, a key factor of supporting the development of issue-based and viable political parties.

Somalia’s geostrategic importance and instability contribute to the high stakes of the 2020 elections. The Horn of Africa and its elongated conflict have contributed to instability, increased migration, and the rise of violent extremism across eastern Africa. Targeted attacks on Somali civilians by the extremist group Al-Shabab, with suicide bombings continue to have a devastating impact. The violence and instability have forced many to leave their home country.

The BUILD program, implemented by Creative Associates International, the International Republican Institute, and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, supports and fosters citizen participation in political processes, builds the capacity of election management bodies to administer credible elections, and assists in the development of issue-based and citizen-responsive political parties. These strategic activities play an important role in setting Somalia on the trajectory towards stability, inclusivity, and resilience.

Somalia’s clan-based system is the key determinant of how power is obtained, shared, distributed, transferred and purchased within Somalia’s political marketplace. Three previous presidential elections, 2009, 2012, and 2017, were decided in a clan-based system— legislators that were selected by clan-elders, elected the president. Somalia’s clan-based culture tends to marginalize ethnic and religious minorities, youth, and women, however, recent changes in Somali politics indicate progress towards democratic governance that is inclusive of Somalia’s diverse society.

One example of progress towards representative democracy is the shift away from a clan-based electoral system to a one person, one vote system. When the decision to transition to a one person, one vote election was made, the development of issue-based, citizen-centered political parties was highlighted as a critical step towards democratic consolidation in Somalia. The planned vote in 2020 will be a test of the viability of democracy in a country where power is dictated by “clan-based political factional rivalry….compounded by fragmented Islamic-based factionalism.” Political parties have a large role to play in both the election and in processes leading up to the election.

The National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) and the Office of the Political Party Registrar (OPPR) began the process of registering political parties, for the first time in approximately fifty years, on December 3, 2017. Currently, 22 political parties have been registered. More political associations are in the process of registering and estimates from BUILD’s Lead Political Party Programmer based in Mogadishu suggest that there may be up to 30 political parties competing in the 2020 elections. BUILD programming has assisted political associations as they undergo the process in applying to become political parties, however, this work is only the beginning of BUILD’s support to Somalia’s nascent political parties.

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