September 8, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Foreign Envoys In Shuttle Diplomacy To Defuse Political Tension
08 September – Source : Goobjoog News – 182 Words
Foreign ambassadors to Somalia are trying to negotiate a deal between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Members of Parliament, who are seeking the impeach him. In an effort to avoid the derailment of political progress in the country, the envoys have been holding meetings with the speaker and other stakeholders.The latest meeting was between Swedish ambassador to Somalia Makail Lindval and parliament speaker Prof. Mohamed Osman Jawari.The envoy conveyed his concerns over the impeachment motion against the president and asked the speaker to intervene.“Sweden would like to voice the concerns raised by international community regarding the impeachment matter,” said ambassador Lindval.
But the speaker said Somalia has constitutional organs to deal with such matters and things would take its course, but he thanked the ambassador for raising concerns and appreciated his views. British ambassador MS Harriet Mathews has previously met with the speaker as other diplomatic corps in the country warned against putting the country into political crises.Some 93 MPs have tabled impeachment motion in the parliament and accusing the President of grossly violating the constitution.
Key Headlines
- Foreign Envoys In Shuttle Diplomacy To Defuse Political Tension (Goobjoog News)
- Hiran Governor Tours Baladweyn Hospital (Goobjoog News )
- Uneasy Calm Returns To Garbahaarey As Kaliil Finally Allowed Entry Into Town. (Wacaal Media )
- Galmudug Council Of Ministers Approve State’s 2015 budget (Goobjoog News)
- Two Wounded In Fierce Fighting Near Hudur Town (Shabelle News)
- Al-Shabab Occupies Important City In Somalia (Prensa Latina)
- To Leave KDF In Somalia Or Not? That Is The Question But All Agree On The Terror Threat (East African)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Hiran Governor Tours Baladweyn Hospital
08 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 173 Words
Abdifatah Hassan Afrah has toured the main hospital in Baladweyne, with the purpose of assessing and supervising operations in the institution.The governor inspected all the wards and sections of the hospital including the under stocked pharmacy with almost all the shelves standing empty.Abdifatah said he was alarmed by the level of neglect and medical needs there and has appealed for help.
“Today I visited the general hospital of Baladweyne, this is the biggest in Central Regions at large. I came here because I received complaints from members of the public and the important thing to note is that we have a problem here, including shortage of medical supplies. And when I inspected the facility I found that the pharmacy had no medical stock,” he said. He vowed to do more in providing basic services in the region despite the economic hardships facing the government. Having service delivery, including health care in Somalia is a farfetched dream for many locals.Baladweyne and most of the towns have been facing acute shortage of medical supplies since the MSF withdrew from Somalia.
Uneasy Calm Returns To Garbahaarey As Kaliil Finally Allowed Entry Into Town.
08 September – Source: Wacaal Media – 98 Words
Former Gedo regional commissioner Mohamed Abdi Kaliil has at last made his way to Garbahaarey town after shuttle diplomacy by local elders yielded fruits. Local elders convinced current town administrator Nur Mohamed Buraale to allow his former colleague entry into the town. Buraale at first barred Kaliil from setting foot into the town leading to a standoff that culminated in the latter camping outside the town with forces allied to him. Efforts to find a lasting solutions is currently underway in the town as elders try to convince the two administrators to bury the hatchet.
Galmudug Council Of Ministers Approve State’s 2015 budget
08 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 105 Words
Cabinet members of Galmudug State in Somalia have passed the 2015 budget of the state estimated to be $4,600,000.According to a statement from the regional government, the budget would be used for salaries, government expenditure, offices and travel costs.The Cabinet welcomed the State Finance Minister Hon. Ali Saed Omar’s presentation of the budget.Chaired by the Justice Minister, Hon Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali, and attended by some 32 ministers, the executive has passed the budget, which will be submitted to the regional assembly for approval. The recently formed state has no formal income generation sources and has to start from scratch in budgeting.
Two Wounded In Fierce Fighting Near Hudur Town
08 September – Source: Shabelle News – 139 Words
At least two people have reportedly been confirmed wounded in heavy fighting between government troops supported by African Union peacekeepers and Al-Shabaab militants near Hudur town.The battle erupted in Moragabey area, just 30km away from Hudur town, capital of Bakol region after Al-Shabaab insurgents staged attacks on bases manned by the coalition forces. Mohamed Moalim, Hudur district commissioner told Shabelle Media that government troops along with AMISOM troops inflicted heavy losses upon militants during the skirmishes.Mr. Moalim added that at least two civilian people were wounded in the clashes.
The situation is calm and things have returned back to normal as local residents try to get back to their daily lifestyles, according to Mo’alim. The Al-Shabaab was driven out from several strategic towns in military offensive, which started in south and central regions of Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Al-Shabab Occupies Important City In Somalia
08 September – Source: Prensa Latina – 143 Words
The Islamist group al-Shabab occupied the city of Buqda in central Somalia, confirmed today the newspaper Mogadishu Times.The African Union Mission in Somalia, formed by soldiers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti with Somali army, withdrew its troops 48 hours ago from Buqda, one of the most important economic centers of Hiran.During the past weekend al-Shabab also occupied the towns of El Saliindi and Kuntuwarey, Shabelle region. These towns are located near strategic roads linking the Somali coastal areas with the capital, the source informed. Al-Shabab, -official name: Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, Islamic Youth Movement-, was formed in Somalia in 1991, after the fall of the regime of Mohamed Siad Barre.This group aims to create an Islamic emirate based on the strictest interpretation of Sharia or Islamic law and in February 2012 announced its alliance with the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“In terms of general support for the continued presence of the KDF in Somalia, the country appears almost evenly split, with just a modest majority favouring this policy,” the report by Ipsos says,”
To Leave KDF In Somalia Or Not? That Is The Question But All Agree On The Terror Threat
07 September – Source: The East African – 430 Words
While Kenyans unanimously agree that Al Shabaab remains a threat to the country’s security, they do not agree on the continued deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia.A new poll by Ipsos shows that only 38 per cent believe the war in Somalia will lead to the military defeat of the terrorist group.
Even though 57 per cent of Kenyans still support the deployment, 49 per cent say KDF, whose mission is to pacify the country and keep Al Shabaab militants from the Kenyan border, will not unify the war-torn country.In late 2011, the Kenyan military received overwhelming public support when it crossed into Somalia in hot pursuit of Al Shabaab militants following a wave of small scale attacks in the country’s north and the Coastal region. However, as a result of the incursion, Kenya has suffered many retaliatory attacks, leading to a drop in public support for the mission and questions on whether the operation is failing.The most brutal attack happened in April, when a group of militants, led by a former law student of the University of Nairobi, killed 148 people, the majority of them students at the Garissa University College.
TOP TWEETS
@Goobjoognews:#Somalia Galmudug cabinet approves 2015 budget amounting a little more of $4million @HarunMaruf@abshiraxmad @dtomno @xasanmmc @adan_seed
@SomaliaNewsroom :#Somalia‘s President to headline London event in late September http://www.li.com/events/
@Goobjoognews :#Somalia Foreign envoys in a shuttle diplomacy to defuse political tensionhttp://goobjoog.com/english/?
@LegalActionWW :LAW launches a short film on addressing#sexualviolence in #Somalia. Supported by @UNFPA@UNDPSomalia @UNHCRSom http://bit.ly/1KYcKQw
@NaleyeAbdi: International Literacy Day (8th September 2015), marked in #Garowe. Puntland. #Somalia.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A fruit vendor delivering bananas in Wadajir district. Photo: AMISOM.