September 8, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
UK Minister For Middle East And Africa; Minister For The Armed Forces Co-host Somalia Security Event
08 September – Source: Hiiraan Online – 419 Words
Tobias Ellwood, UK’s Minister for the Middle East and Africa, and Mike Penning, the Minister for the Armed Forces, co-hosted a high level security event in London on Wednesday. The event brought together defence ministers from around the world to discuss and coordinate peacebuilding efforts in Somalia.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, in attendance were defence ministers and senior officials from Ethiopia, Kenya, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, US, Director-General of EU Military Staff, and the UN Special Representative for Somalia. The press release did not mention if Somali Minister for Defense, Abdulkadir Sheikh Dini, was present at the security event.
Mr. Ellwood said that international cooperation and coordination will be vital to improving the security situation in Somalia. “Key to this is a unified approach by the international community. Both security donors and troop contributors must be aligned to meet the huge challenge of security sector reform in Somalia.” He said after the event, “I am very pleased with the progress we made today alongside our international partners.”
The Minister for Africa also said that he worries the political progress made in Somalia may be lost if there is a lack of security. He said the Somali security forces must work closely with AMISOM troops as they shoulder more of the weight in securing Somalia’s stability. “It is essential that Somalia’s security forces develop swiftly, work closely and effectively with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and start to take on greater responsibility for Somalia’s stability.”
Both Ellwood and Penning thanked AMISOM for their role in securing Somalia’s stability until Somali security forces are fully operational. Mike Penning said “All our soldiers have committed themselves selflessly in the quest for a better Somalia, with some from our international partners having paid the ultimate sacrifice. The unified approach we have demonstrated must now be matched with Somali commitment to rapid security sector reform and we stand ready to help with that process in the coming months.”
The British Government has been behind several high profile meetings and conferences regarding the security and development in Somalia including the London conference in 2012. It also is the only European country to maintain an Embassy in Somalia
Although Somalia has made significant progress since ousting Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab from the capital in August 2011, attacks by the rebel group have become more bloody and frequent in recent months as the group attempts to disrupt the parliamentary and presidential elections.
Key Headlines
- UK Minister For Middle East And Africa; Minister For The Armed Forces Co-host Somalia Security Event(Hiiraan Online)
- Unidentified Warship Destroys Boats Kills People Near Kuda Island Of Somalia (Goobjoog News)
- Kenya Arrests Ugandan Citizen For Al-Shabaab Links (Shabelle News)
- Delayed Democracy: 12 Things You Need To Know About The Somalia Elections (New African)
- My Life’s In Danger Over Khat Ban Claims Munya (Standard Digital)
- Who Wants To Be President Of Somalia? (Newsweek)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Unidentified Warship Destroys Boats, Kills People Near Kuda Island Of Somalia
08 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 140 Words
Two people were killed and nine others wounded when an unidentified warship fired at boats transporting fishermen near Kuda Island of Jubaland state of Somalia on Wednesday night, Jubaland State Information Minister, Abdinor Ali Adan said while briefing the media. However, an eyewitness stated the fishing boats were being used by Jubaland state forces when the attack occurred.
The minister refuted the statement and said fishermen were on the boats and not their forces. The minister added that they consider the attack to be an action of aggression against the nation’s sovereignty. No comments have been made by any of the International navy forces who patrol the coast of Somalia.
Kenya Arrests Ugandan Citizen For Al-Shabaab Links
08 September – Source: Shabelle News – 134 Words
Kenyan police said they had arrested a Uganda national over terrorism links in the coastal town of Kwale. Police said the suspect, Mwandego Mohamed, was among Al-Shabaab returnees planning terrorist attacks in the country. Stephen Muli, Kwale Head of Directorate of Criminal Investigation, said a grenade, a detonator code, electrical detonator and cast booster have been recovered.
The intensified crackdown against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Kenya recently is believed to lead to a decline of terror attacks in the country. Police have blamed Al-Shabaab returnees from south coast for planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the country. The majority of the returnees were opposing the government’s anti-radicalization programs. “Most of them are yet to denounce the group. We are monitoring the operations to avert any terrorist attacks in the region,” Muli said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Delayed Democracy: 12 Things You Need To Know About The Somalia Elections
08 September – Source: New African – 2,166 Words
The 275-member parliament is up for grabs, and a new 54-member Upper House will be constituted. Together, the two houses will elect the president. The Somali president has always been elected indirectly, including in the 1964 and 1967 elections and the transitional processes since 2000. The president appoints a prime minister who sets up a cabinet.
The current parliament’s term ends on 20 August 2016, and the president’s on 10 September 2016. However, preparations will not be completed by August or September. Observers are expecting a few months’ slippage, although anything longer could lead to political unrest and constitutional dilemmas that could threaten to undo the last 12 years of Somalia’s painstaking political progress.
Aside from the incumbent, Somali presidential contenders rarely openly declare their candidacy until a few weeks before the date of the election. There are no real political parties and so each contender appeals directly to parliamentarians (with all the implications that entails).
The box overleaf has a rundown of current and past office-holder political heavyweights who have either publicly declared they will seek the presidency or whom observers speculate will run. Nevertheless, a political track record is no guarantee – the current president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was a civil society figure with no political background who yet managed to snatch the top seat from the incumbent last time.
My Life’s In Danger Over Khat Ban, Claims Munya
08 September – Source: Standard Digital – 300 Words
Meru Governor Peter Munya has expressed fears for his life following the ban on miraa to Somalia. The Council of Governors chairman Wednesday said he was aware of plans to “silence” him for being vocal on the miraa issue. Mr Munya said he was aware of miraa business cartels “that include murderers who are not afraid of carrying out their heinous acts,” who were now targeting him.
“The cartels have started targeting me with lots of propaganda concerning the market. It is a really worrying situation,” he said, adding, “I am being accused of being a hindrance in the marketing of miraa. How can I work against my people?” Munya, who has been accused of breaching protocol by engaging the autonomous Somaliland in the volatile Somalia republic, blamed his political opponents for waging a smear campaign against him.
“We know there are people who are not happy and want to make political capital by mudslinging and spreading propaganda,” he said. The governor claimed that former prominent Meru politician Ntai wa Nkuraru was killed over the miraa issue, and he would not want the same to happen to him He claimed there was a calculated move by his opponents to malign his name by claiming he was a hindrance in the marketing of the stimulant in the export market.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Under Mohamud’s leadership, Somalia has gradually began reintegrating into the international community, establishing and developing ties with the United States and European Union among others.”
Who Wants To Be President Of Somalia?
07 September – Source: Newsweek – 715
As far as presidential positions go, Somalia must rank as one of the toughest in the world. The Horn of Africa country has been mired in conflict, poverty and Islamist insurgency over the past two decades. Somalia only established its first federal government in 2012 after more than 20 years of political vacuum, following the toppling of Siad Barre in 1991.
Barre’s demise resulted in a protracted civil war that aided the evolution of Al-Shabaab, a militant group with ties to Al-Qaeda, which continues to plague the country despite more than 20,000 African Union troops being deployed to defeat the islamist insurgents. Somalia also has one of the weakest economies in the world, ranking 152 out of 195 countries in terms of national GDP in 2015.
Nevertheless, scores of candidates are expected to vie for the presidency when Somalia holds a presidential election in October, preceded by senatorial and parliamentary polls. Newsweek considers some of the key candidates hoping to lead Somalia out of turmoil.
Elected in 2012 to lead Somalia’s first proper government in two decades, Mohamud is standing for re-election in the October ballot, in which MPs will vote for their preferred presidential candidate. A former peace activist who has remained in Somalia throughout the civil war, Mohamud leads the Peace and Development Party, which he has attempted to put above the clan rivalries that dog Somali politics.
Under Mohamud’s leadership, Somalia has gradually began reintegrating into the international community, establishing and developing ties with the United States and European Union among others. But Al-Shabaab has continued to terrorize the country, intensifying its attacks in 2016 and attacking government officials and civilians, as well as military targets.
TOP TWEETS
@Daudoo: For 3rd consecutive day, no #Khat drug leaf delivered from #Kenya to #Mogadishu. Most Somalis happy, Few khat lovers frustrated. #Somalia
@zaiddahir : Kenya interfering with sovereignty of Somalia? Yes that is clear. #Somalia
@Vatescorp : #Somalia: Somalia forces repel #AlShabaabattack in Qoryoley, L. Shabelle
@ADirshe : #Somalia – Now we are in election mode, the culture of mistrust is promoted yet again by politicians when we desperately need unity. Say NO
@Eye_on_Somalia : #hiiraan AMISOM troops hailed for their role in Somalia: AMISOM Force Commander Lt. Gen. Osman Noor … http://bit.ly/2c0z7vM #somalia
@UNSomalia : Congratulations 4 the launch of the website,@Doorashada2016! Visit 4 info about #Somalia 2016 electoral process: http://www.doorashada2016.so
@US2SOMALIA : #Somalia: A FRAGILE STATE WITH GREAT POTENTIAL FOR AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION https://agrf.org/articles/
@Ahmedsiyat : The Debate on whether Sharia Law should be implemented in #Somalia is misplaced & premature Get the right environment & let people choose
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somalia and Sudan sign cooperation agreement on Education sector. Sudan will extend Masters & PhDs scholarships.
Photo: @engyarisow