September 5, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia To Host IGAD Heads Of State Meeting This Month
04 September – Source: Goobjoog News- 187 Words
Somalia will host the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) heads of state Summit in Mogadishu on 10th of September. This will be the first since Somalia has experienced two decades of civil war and instability. This will also be the second high international level meeting Somalia is hosting since 1985.
Addressing the press in the capital of Kenya, Somali Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdisalan Omar Hadliye said the presidents of Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, Djibouti, South Sudan, and Ethiopian Prime Minister will be among the leaders attending the summit.
The leaders are expected to discuss support of peace and development in Somalia. Minister Hadliye noted that the conference will encourage international delegates to come to Somalia. Last year, foreign ministers from seven countries in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) met in the Somali capital for the first time in nearly 25 years .
The group’s talks focused on political and security progress made in Somalia, as well as the anticipated elections this year. The 22,000 strong AU force is mandated to assist the federal government in its war against the terror group Al-Shabaab.
Key Headlines
- Somalia To Host IGAD Heads Of State Meeting This Month (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Commandos US Forces Raid Al-Shabaab Stronghold (Shabelle News)
- National Leadership Forum To Kick Off In Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- UN Report Urges Somalia To Ensure Freedom Of expression As It Is Critical To Political Transition (UN News Centre)
- Hawkers Turn Eastleigh A City In Nairobi Into Massive Dumpsite (Standard Digital)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Commandos, US Forces Raid Al-Shabaab Stronghold
05 September – Source: Shabelle News – 140 Words
Reports reaching Shabelle News from Lower Shabelle region indicate Somali commandos backed by US special forces have launched an overnight joint offensive on Toratorow town which is under Al-Shabaab control. Heavy fighting took place around the town between Al-Shabaab fighters and the allied troops before the airstrike which reportedly killed 3 high-ranking militants.
Toratorow, is a small town located 75Km north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The military jets allegedly belonging to US forces have fired at least two missiles on the town, targeting a houses believed to be hideouts for Al-Shabaab leaders, according to local residents. Al-Shabaab, however did not comment on the reported airstrike on its camp in Lower Shabelle region.
National Leadership Forum To Kick Off In Mogadishu
05 September – Source: Shabelle News – 105 Words
The National Leadership Forum (NLF) of Somalia is scheduled to kick off on Tuesday in Mogadishu, days after a deadly truck bomb attack has killed over 30 people in the capital. The NLF will focus on the electoral process of the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections which will be held in October, according to the sources.
The forum was expected to open on September 7, 2016, but re-scheduled because of Somali leaders are set to leave for Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj or pilgrimage. The leaders have made some significant breakthrough towards the implementation of the 2016 electoral process especially in the wake of a longstanding deadlock that had threatened the country’s smooth transition to political stability.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Report Urges Somalia To Ensure Freedom Of expression As It Is Critical To Political Transition
05 September – Source: UN News Centre – 609 Words
A United Nations report on freedom of expression in Somalia released today describes progress in state-building in Somalia, but shows the very challenging environment that continues to confront journalists, human rights defenders and political leaders, including numerous killings, arrests, intimidation and closure of critical media outlets.
“The trend of arrest and detention of journalists and other media workers seems to indicate an intention to intimidate or harass journalists and media owners which inevitably leads to self-censorship or to media workers eventually leaving the profession,” says the report produced jointly by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Al-Shabaab has prohibited all media to operate in areas under its control but state actors are main perpetrators of violations against media workers and political activists, the report says “Somalia has made great progress in recent years, after decades of conflict and violence,” said Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia and head of UNSOM, Michael Keating, in an OHCHR news release. “But Somalis continue to suffer multiple human rights deficits. They need and deserve accountable institutions.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“These people do not pay any levies. No electricity, no tax, which makes their goods quite cheap yet they sell exactly what shop traders is selling. We are losing business.”
Hawkers Turn Eastleigh A City In Nairobi Into Massive Dumpsite
05 September – Source: Standard Digital – 671 Words
At some point, the conurbation, known as Little Mogadishu, in reference to the Somali capital due to its large ethnic Somali population, was a great attraction that saw major businesses, including hotels, set up in the area. However, this was before hawkers landed. Eastleigh is now a pale shadow of its former self. In fact, it is now a major eyesore as streets have literally been turned into dumpsites.
This has been blamed on hawkers who have been accused of littering the streets without a second thought. Shop owners are also complaining that hawkers are killing their businesses by blocking the entrance to their shops. In addition, they say the hawkers are undercutting them because they do not pay taxes. There is no longer anywhere for pedestrians to walk as the hawkers have spread their wares on all the pavements.
In some of the worst case, hawkers spread their goods on the roads, endangering theirs and their customers’ lives. Fed up with this state of affairs, shop owners went on strike seeking the relocation of hawkers who they also blamed for increased littering along the streets. The protest saw police clear over 20,000 stalls some of the hawkers used, which in turn led to a major confrontation.
Efforts by hoteliers to plant flowers in front of their facilities to attract customers have gone to waste. Some said they had also hoped the flowers would ward off the hawkers. However, the situation is even worse as hawkers have turned the same flower beds into dumpsites. A spot check by The Standard yesterday revealed filthy streets. Garbage was all over the place, even in the middle of the road.
TOP TWEETS
@Eye_on_Somalia : #goobjoog Somalia to host IGAD heads of state meeting this month: Somalia will host IGAD heads of st…http://bit.ly/2csb5pr #somalia
@article19UN : New @UNHumanRights report underscores why#HRC33 must address #FreeExpression in #Somalia and Safety of Journalists: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/
@Eye_on_Somalia : Club foundation donate £1m to fund pitches in London, Jordan and Somalia: The Arsenal Foun…http://bit.ly/2c5LaFX #somalia
@willswanson : Increasing no. of reports this year of foreign/US boots on the ground in #Somalia
@DrumChronicles : #Somalia #Toratorow Drone fired 2 missiles at Al Shabaab controlled town after fighting with govt forces which lasted for about an hour
@Eye_on_Somalia : #goobjoog President signs into law Political Parties Bill: The President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mo…http://bit.ly/2bR4QwE #somalia
@garsoornews : #Somalia president HE Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to host #IGAD heads of states summit next week in#Mogadishu – FM.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
SRSG Michael Keating addresses journalists during the release of a UN report on the right of freedom of expression in Mogadishu, Somalia
Photo: UNSOM