September 3, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Regional Heads Of Government Conference Kicks Off In Kismayo
03 September – Source: Jowhar.com – 172 Words
A meeting for regional presidents has kicked off in Kismayo amid tightened security in the city. Security officers have cordoned off the meeting venue as well as all roads leading to the conference hall. All the regional leaders are reportedly in Kismayo, where the meeting kicked off this morning. According to reports, several sideline meetings have been ongoing since last night ahead of the main conference this morning.
Some of the major points that are set for discussion in the conference include the blatant interference by the federal government of Somalia against Jubbaland regional administration as well as political pressure from Mogadishu directed at various regional heads across Somalia.
According to Puntland President Abdiweli Gaas, the region is already experiencing heightened political activities ahead of next year’s regional presidential elections. Similarly, all the regional presidents are reporting serious political interferences in their respective cities, mostly from the federal government. Separately, the tenure of Hirshabelle President Mohamed Abdi Waare is under serious threat ahead of a no-confidence motion against him.
Key Headlines
- Regional Heads Of Government Conference Kicks Off In Kismayo (Jowhar.com)
- Somaliland Says Tropical Cyclone In May Killed 53 Displaced 90000 (Halbeeg New)
- Section Of The Cabinet Visits The Wounded In Yesterday’s Attack In Howlwadaag District Centre (Radio Muqdisho)
- Children Injured As Suicide Bombing Causes Somali School To Collapse (Their World)
- Safaricom Restores Services After Shabaab Assault (Daily Nation)
- High Cost Of Water Adds Burden To Struggling Pastoralists In Remote Part Of Northern Somalia’s Sanaag (Radio Ergo)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland Says Tropical Cyclone In May Killed 53, Displaced 90,000
03 September – Source: Halbeeg News – 226 Words
At least 53 people were killed after Tropical Cyclone Sagar caused heavy rainfall in Somaliland in northern Somalia in May this year, the region’s disaster management says. In its final report released on Sunday, Somaliland Disaster Management (SDM) said the deadly storm, which had formed in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and northern Somalia, destroyed the homes in 422 villages along the coastline of Somaliland and left at least 90,000 persons displaced in 12 districts. “53 people including seven who are still missing were killed by the cyclone.
Feisal Ali Sheikh, the manager of the SDM said the storm destroyed homes in 422 villages. The houses caved in as a result of the storm: “1,459 including makeshift, tents, brick-houses were ruined as over 12 wells and boreholes collapsed,” he said. He pointed out that heavy rainfall, strong winds and dangerous flash floods that hit coastal areas of Somaliland resulted in the loss of crops and livestock: “310,000 livestock including 6000 camels, 500 cattle have perished in the floods caused by Tropical Cyclone Sagar,” Mr. Sheikh.
The floods destroyed crops in 8,973 farms in Somaliland state. The largest concentration of fatalities was reported in Salal, Awdal, Gebiley, Maroodi-jeeh, Sahil and Sanaag regions. Sagar was named by UK Meteorological Office on May 16 after beginning life as a tropical depression (1A) in the Gulf of Aden.
Cabinet Visits The Wounded In Yesterday’s Attack In Howlwadaag District Centre.
03 September – Source: Radio Muqdisho – 125 words
A section of the Cabinet last night visited some hospitals in the capital of Mogadishu, where victims of yesterday’s attack in Howlwadaag district centre, were admitted. The ministers mainly visited Digfeer and Madina hospitals to comfort the wounded.
Briefing the media, Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle sent condolences to the families who lost their loved ones “in yesterdays heinous attack in Howlwadaag district”. He also called on members of the public to cooperate with the government in order to thwart such attacks.
Among the ministers present were Mohamed Abukar Islow (Security), Abdirahman Duale Beyle (Finance), the Higher Education Minister and Deputy Humanitarian Minister among others. The government officials examined the situation of the wounded and the medical care accorded to them in the hospitals.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Children Injured As Suicide Bombing Causes Somali School To Collapse
03 September – Source: Their World – 264 Words
At least six students at a religious school were badly wounded by the attack in the capital Mogadishu. Several children were injured when a school collapsed after a suicide car bombing in Somalia. The religious school was near a government office in the capital Mogadishu that was the target of yesterday’s attack.
At least six people were killed and at least 14 injured – six of them children who were badly wounded – according to an ambulance service spokesman. “The blast was very huge – it affected several nearby buildings including a Koranic school and a mosque,” said witness Abdukadir Dahir. Police said the school was open but most children were away from the building on a break when the attack happened.
The bombing killed soldiers and civilians, said officials. Islamist militant group Al Shabaab said it was behind the attack on the Howlwadaag District office, which also blew off the roof of a mosque and damaged houses nearby. Somalia is among 80 countries have signed the Safe Schools Declaration – a commitment to keep students, teachers and their schools free from the fear of violence and occupation during armed conflict.
Theirworld and others have been campaigning for schools to be safe places for children to learn and be with their peers. While the majority of the 15 current members of the Security Council have signed the Safe Schools Declaration, only two of the five permanent members have done so. France and the United Kingdom have shown the way by endorsing the declaration and we are calling on China, Russia and the United States to follow their lead.
Safaricom Restores Services After Shabaab Assault
02 September – Source: Daily Nation – 241 Words
Communication masts destroyed by the Somalia based Al-Shabaab militant group have been restored in Ijara and Fafi in Garissa County. Locals welcomed the move saying crucial services such as mobile money transfer, businesses and free flow of information had been crippled. “We are very happy now that services have resumed. We can now do business and also reopen M-Pesa shops that were closed following destruction of Safaricom masts,” Mr Abdi Mohamud, an Ijara resident, said. Residents had to travel far to access network.
Kenya police officers from the Rapid Deployment Unit have been guarding the mast in Ijara town. Ijara MP Sophia Abdinoor said local leaders have been working hard to have the services restored and fight terror: “We have made everything possible. We have built toilets and also given water tanks to the police officers posted to guard the communication masts,” Mrs Abdinoor said.
Mrs Abdinoor appealed to the government to post more security officers to weed out criminals: “We also want more National Police Reservists to be deployed to guard these installations. We have been affected by lack of communication.” North Eastern Regional Commissioner Mohamed Birik said that telecommunication masts across the region will be given extra security since they have become vulnerable to attacks.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Abdulahi Abdi Jama, the village chief, said only one water tanker is currently serving the area. There were two others that stopped coming because the drivers were not being paid despite their arduous journeys. The locals are often slow to pay their bills.”
High Cost Of Water Adds Burden To Struggling Pastoralists In Remote Part Of Northern Somalia’s Sanaag
31 August – Source: Radio Ergo – 410 Words
Villagers in Geed la-rifay, 40 km from Badhan in northern Somalia’s Sanaag region, are facing a severe water shortage, with water being sold at a record high price of 200,000 shillings ($6.6) a barrel. The water catchments that refilled during the Gu rains have dried out. Local residents say the long drought meant the soil did not retain the water. Around 30 pastoralist families have moved away this month to the Almadow mountains searching for water.
Ruun Mohamed Omar’s family and five others in the village decided to come together and share the cost of water trucked in by businessmen. As they live on high ground that vehicles cannot easily reach, the tanker delivers the water they buy to a plastic-lined pool some distance away. Ruun and the other women walk for half a day to collect the water in jerry cans and bring it home by donkey cart.
Ruun, a mother of 10, holds on to pastoralism as a lifeline for her family. She keeps 100 goats in the rural area and sometimes trades goats for the water, or buys it on credit. Some of the local elders told Radio Ergo that the village hosts around 500 destitute drought-hit families who migrated to the area. They cannot afford to buy water and so are desperate. Abdulahi Abdi Jama, the village chief, said only one water tanker is currently serving the area. There were two others that stopped coming because the drivers were not being paid despite their arduous journeys. The locals are often slow to pay their bills.
Abdullahi said they use the water very sparingly, which means they cook and clean less often. They used to rely on water for free. Having this additional cost is a burden to the villagers, who now depend heavily on their relatives for help. He said they eat only twice a day, and occasionally take a bath.
Bile Awad Ali, the tanker driver, said he fills up from wells and dams in another part of the region, about 30 km away. It takes him at least seven hours to deliver to Geed la-rifay due to the state of the roads and rough terrain. Mohamed Awil, an elder, works in Badhan and sends money back to his family in the village. He told Radio Ergo that his family is spending $65 on just 10 barrels of water every month. They have not experienced such hardship in a long time, he said.
TOP TWEETS
@Goobjoognews: Residents of Howlwadaag District in#Mogadishu undeterred, join hands to clear the scene of Sunday’s deadly bombing which killed 6 people and injured over ten others among them children attending Quran classes
@SenatorAbshir: Const’ Review team 2day briefed Senate Standing Com’tee on review of 5 Chapters of Constitution. Also shared challenges facing the process. I commend them for good work. Political will frm all stakeholders esp Executive & FMS is critical in completing the process. #SenateUpdates
@DalsanFM: UN Chief in Somalia @SRSGKeating makes an appearance in the regional leaders meet on Kismayo where strained relation between federal govt & the regions is top on the agenda. Keating is seeking to arbitrate amid growing rift.
@SaamiNooh: Although the government mainly works at only#Mogadishu. Government’s primary challenge is security, I am curious about if there is a call center of the Police one could call when he/she faces life risk? And how many minutes the police can reach the citizen? #Somalia
@DalsanFM: JUST IN : Al-Shabaab identifies Sunday’s suicide bomber in #Mogadishu as Ahmed Kheyr Adow. At least 6 people were killed in the attack targeting Hawl Wadag district headquarters and destroying near by Quranic school. #Somalia
@unicefchief: Alarmed by reports that children were among civilian casualties in today’s explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia. All fighting parties must commit to protecting children. Attacks that kill or maim children must stop. #ChildrenUnderAttack
@marqaatiSomalia: The CID takes bribes in order to vet passport applicants. Likewise, the Immigration and Naturalisation Directorate is one of the major culprits reported by the public and verified by marqaati: https://www.scribd.com/
#WarbixintaMusuqa
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo meets with his Egyptian counterpart Abdelfatah Alsisi for discussions on bilateral partnership in trade and investment on sidelines of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing.
Photo: @TheVillaSomalia