By: Mohamed A. Hussein

Somali president nominated new prime minister Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed after the previous prime minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Sacid was ousted by the parliament over what they considered lack of performance and corruption, but it was widely known the real reason behind the impeachment of the prime minister Sacid was conflict between him and the president.

It was reported that the disagreement between the president and the prime Minster was based on over the selection of the new ministers after one year of corruption and mismanagement and lack of accomplishing the goal set for the begging of the year. 

Somali people were very disappointed because the conflict between the top leaders of the government continued after the Somali government was finally recognized by international community and after the president himself declared that the days of the president and prime Minister fighting is over soon after he was elected.

New prime Minister was approved overwhelmingly by the parliament and so far most of the political analysts and Somali people in general are waiting the government Prime Minister Abdiwali will form before they conclude whether he will lead or not. The answer to that question depends on whether he will nominate some of the previous ministers whom everyone knows are the president’s close friend who were basically responsible for the failure of the previous government.

 
If this government is about to succeed, the consensus is that new Prime Minister Abdiwali is expected to nominate capable ministers, show leadership and implement constitution; all three activities were what previous government accused to be lacking.

First Prime Minister Abdiwali should nominate capable ministers independently. These ministers should not be included any of the previous ministers who were responsible of the failure of the previous government. It was reported that most of those ministers were selected by the president and list of their names was handed to the previous Prime Minister Sacid to work with. 

As result, after one year later, ex-prime minister Sacid realized that most of ministers were loyal to president instead of him. It was reported the day when the conflict between president and prime minister came to light, only three ministers showed in the weekly meeting held by the prime minister while the rest of the ministers were in villa Somalia with the president planning how to oust their boss.

Some analyst already pointed out that president is determined to include some of his friends from previous list into the new cabinets and that is why some critics already pointed out, instead of working on selecting capable ministers for time being, new prime minister is busy working on with previous ministers by visiting Mogadishu seaports and attending event for opening high school in Mogadishu while president is preparing the list of the ministers. 

If some of those ministers return to the scene, then the perception would be that this new Prime Minister Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed was given the list of the ministers he should work with by the president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and he may end up in the same situation ex-prime minister Sacid found himself a year later.  

Second, new prime minister must show a leadership as soon as his government is approved by the parliament. The previous government was accused that the president was doing the prime minister’s task while the prime minister was acting like a mayor of Mogadishu. There was one time when even the mayor of Mogadishu  and the president were attending London conference with international community to discuss how Somalia would move forward while the prime minister stayed behind to attend ceremony held in Mogadishu where it suited by the mayor to attend.

It is all known that the president and prime minister’s task is declared in the constitution and there is no confusion. People who know the new prime minister so far stated that he is a man who has quality of leadership, but like ex-prime minister Ali Gedi said in an interview that he has not deal with Abdiwali as being prime minister yet, but as far as he knows he get that leadership quality. This meaning that knowing the president who likes to act like prime minister, it is doubt full that Abdiwali Ahmed Mohamed will be free to act independently.

Third, the new prime minister should implement the constitution as agreed upon year ago when the transitional government was ended.  As soon as transition government was ended, it was reported that the constitution was changed by the president’s group and the words were exchange via media by Somali government and other states which accused that government is trying to centralize the power into Mogadishu.

Right now the whole constitution is in confusion for example, the provisional constitution declares that any two states or more can form a state being part of the federal government. The previous governments with the leadership of the president wasted over one year breaking up jubaland administration, then agreeing to an interim administration consist of three states while the speaker of the parliament urged his home land Baydhabo to form regional administration consist of six states including the three already the government recognized as interim administration of jubba.

In order to avoid Such a confusion, the government should hold reconciliation meeting where all the stakeholders attend to discuss how to proceed forming emerging states in order to building states from the bottom up. Somali people cannot afford wasting another three years of confusion where everyone interpret the constitution the way suits them.

Somali people have seen the leadership of the president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for the one year he was running the government as he was the prime minister and the failure as result of that leadership. The only hope of this government to Success depends on the new prime minister, Abdiwali Ahmed Mohamed how he select capable ministers, show leadership skill those who know him said he bosses and clarify constitution and implement it as agreed upon. Within few weeks, Somali people would know whether they are moving forward or returning to the square one.

By: Mohamed A. Hussein

   Mohabdhus@aol.com

27 December 2013

An explosion at a tea shop on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has killed at least 8 people, as many as six of them government soldiers.

The Somali defense ministry says Friday’s blast was caused by an improvised explosive device.

Media reports say a senior military officer and several of his bodyguards were among those killed, though it is not clear if he was the target.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts, but al-Shabab militants periodically carry out bomb attacks in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab once controlled most of the Somali capital, but the group was driven out of Mogadishu and other major Somali cities by an African Union-led peacekeeping force.

The al-Qaida-linked group is still considered a threat. In September, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an assault on a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, that killed more than 60 people.

Source: VOA

26 December 2013

An independent United Nations expert today urged the Somali Government to finalize and carry out a human rights roadmap endorsed by the cabinet in August.

Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia Shamsul Bari said in a news release that the roadmap defines the Government’s responsibilities and sets goals to be achieved in a short period of time.

“Finalizing it would demonstrate a sincere commitment by Government to rebuild the foundation and structures of human rights in Somalia,” he stated.

Mr. Bari called on the country’s new Prime Minister, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, and the international community to seize the opportunity to build a new Somalia where “the rule of law and the respect of human rights for all Somalis would be the norm.”

The roadmap, an initiative proposed by Mr. Bari to the Somali authorities, is based on key human rights themes, each containing its own action plan to be implemented by ministries, and sets out a post-transition strategy running until 2015.

Stressing that the roadmap offers “a unique opportunity” for the advancement of human rights in Somalia, Mr. Bari advised the Government to consult with regional administrations and civil society organizations throughout the country to finalize it.

Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

 UN News

By Abdullahi Kulane
December 24, 2013
Somalia turmoil has taken deep root. The current trend of fragile governing structure, corruption, lack of reliable justice system among many other challenges will reverse the progress made thus far by the government. These daunting challenges could take the future of the state into abyss. With honesty political will and skillful structuring system, the country could turn around.
As it’s noticeable on his resume, I am sure the newly appointed Prime minister has the length of experience and educational attainment. Given the weak institutions he inherits, a sort of Neo-patrimonialism in which there is no objective administrative structures and clear cut separation, these are few ideas which should curb much of the fraud, waste, and corruption and promote justice and reconciliation.
Competent Judicial system
The judicial system in Somalia is dysfunctional. The justice system needs complete overhaul. All levels of judicial system must be restored, the lower court, higher court, and court of appeal. The justice system is important player in the government’s checks and balance, for the security of the country, and the safety and well-being of the society. Without effective judicial system, higher level political corruption as well as lower level favoritism exists and will likely be the norm.
Clearly, as we learned from the past conflicts between the former presidents and prime ministers, which created public furor, and at times, dug out suspicions and revitalized divisions among government branches, similar incidents is likely ahead. These conflicts are merely causes of unclear constitutional interpretation and lack of distinct roles. Over the years, the ever-growing scandal has exposed unsavory and sometimes illegal and sleaze from the political coterie both from the prime minister’s sides and of the president.
The creation of Supreme Court in which five, seven, or nine experienced and competent judges are named by the executive branch and confirmed by the parliament will enhance integrity of our constitution, keep the government in the constitutional framework and protect the citizens from government’s power abuses. These justices will interpret the constitution. Therefore, I will recommend the creation of constitutional Supreme Court.
Reconciliation Commission
The government should set up reconciliation commission which will consist of judges and civil society leaders. These commissioners will have the ability to travel around the country with the aim of fostering dialogue, and learning the atrocities committed during the long civil war which engulfed the country and make recommendation to the president. The history of what happened, what went wrong is important to deter similar incidents in the future.
In addition, the commission must conduct active listening, make arbitration, document concessions, and oversee restitutions. Their mandate should be the crimes happened in the civil war era committed with the intent of furthering political cause by an individual or group. Different criminal intents should be for normal court proceedings. The commission will differentiate interests from issues. Interest –based problem solving will work better to reconcile the interests of various groups in the country to obtain a mutually-satisfactory solution. What seem to be intractable conflicts can turn out to be manageable clashes. The reconciliation is not difficult as most of the conflicts in Somalia are not value difference caused with the exception of Alshabab phenomenon. The efforts should be to carry out restorative justice, designed not to punish the wrong-doers, but rather to restore the victims and the relationship to the way they were before the offence.
Corruption
There are many forms of corruption practices in Somalia’s institutions. These corruption practices could cripple the government functions, revive inter-clan conflicts, and deepen the mistrust currently evident within the society. It also may drain out funding and will likely to turn off donors generosities. To eliminate corruption or to reduce it, I would suggest these ideas:
Reliable Financial Institution
Many of us went through hundreds of pages of report put together by UN Monitoring Group. The report detailed when corruption incidents happened, how it happened, who did it, and sometimes had clear facts on many of the allegations made in the report. So far, the government did not harness the financial integrity, but instead continued towards the status quo. According to Transparency International, Somalia is listed as the most corrupted government in the world. Few months ago, the governor of Somalia’s central bank, Astur, resigned. In the resignation letter, the former governor alleged the causes of the resignation to organized tycoons who threatened her. This notorious group pressured the governor to accept corruption. Furthermore, the governor assailed the president for not intervening when it mattered.
The international community, the donors, as well as the citizens of the state are closely watching the financial integrity and your approach to that sector. There is patronage, clientelism, privatization of state owned properties to political allied businesses. Very soon, the elite cartel will take deep root with an ugly form of even controlling State institution with financial means.
Currently, the only sources of income for the government is the seaport and airport, while the government is streamlining other means of resource mobilization and taxation, the money generated from these points should be collected and managed carefully. The donor funding should be directed to the key government programs. For instance, security, infrastructure, and government institutions should be priorities.
Wealth Declaration Policy
The cabinet ministers and the directors of government agents should declare their wealthy before taking oath of office. This simple gesture will be first step to restoring public confidence and keeping them in check
Accountability Mechanism
There must be accountability mechanism in place for all government branches. Government audit branch must be created and the parliament must grant them with enough powers to investigate and prosecute those who participate in waste, fraud, or corruption of public resources.
National Tax Agent
National Tax Agent should be created with powers to collect and enforce tax codes and laws. Perhaps, the parliament needs to develop tax code suggested by your office or the finance minster. The tax code should clearly state the taxes which federal government should collect. At this time, there are no tax codes adapted. Whatever government collects is unlawful and unless there is a fair tax code adapted by the parliament, it can be challenged in a court of law.
Monetary Reserve Board
The board will create monetary policies, print money, and will look into overall health of the economy and make policies that guide the banking systems. The parliament can only create such an agent with the president’s suggestion when you recommend to him.
Government Contract Policy
The government must have contract policy which is fair for all. All government branches should follow the guidelines of this policy. If necessary, special agent under the prime Minister or President’s office should be created. Fair, open, and transparent bidding process for all government contracts will prevent corruption. It will eliminate nepotism, and streamline good governing structure and trustable institutions.
In nutshell, Mr. Prime Minister, your new administration should take different approach, build up the justice system, encourage reconciliation, and strengthen the government institutions to limit corruption. These simple ideas could frame your policies. We are all closely watching the development in the country and will be delighted to see better Somalia in the near future.
*************
Abdullahi Kulane is a blogger based in St.Cloud, Minnesota.

Monday, 23 December 2013
Press Release: IFRC

Nairobi, 22 December 2013 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an emergency appeal of 2.4 million Swiss Francs to assist 23,100 people affected by a tropical cyclone that hit Puntland State in Somalia on 10 November 2013.

Heavy rainfall and flash floods followed the tropical cyclone, and caused loss of human lives and the massive destruction of assets including livestock and fishing boats. Settlements and infrastructure including service centres, roads, schools, as well as communication and electrical installations were not spared from damage.

The most affected areas include Dangorayo, Bandar Beyla, Garowe and Eyl districts. Other areas affected include the coastal villages in Bari Region including Hafun, Iskushuban, Bargal, Quandala and Alula districts.

The Government estimated that nearly 300 people lost their lives in the cyclone. The Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry estimates that 4,000 – 5,000 households have lost 60 to 70% of their livestock. Many water sources were flooded and became unserviceable or contaminated, leading to shortage of safe drinking water. The affected population, including children and the elderly, have become susceptible to diarrhoea, malaria, upper respiratory and skin infection due to exposure.

“Recurrent disasters and crisis have deepened the vulnerabilities of the Somali population, and stretched their coping mechanisms to the limit”, said Mr. Ahmed Adam Gizo, IFRC’s country representative in Somalia. “The cyclical disaster such as droughts, floods and epidemics, stresses the need for disaster preparedness and risk reduction programming to enhance the community resilience and strengthening the Somali Red Crescent Society’s disaster management capacity,”

The IFRC operation targets 3,300 households in Bari and Nugal regions and last for nine months. Focus will be on providing shelter for 964 households whose homes were completely destroyed, delivery of health services for all through mobile clinics, as well as livelihoods support for households that lost all their livestock. All affected households will be targeted with hygiene interventions to prevent waterborne diseases.

“According to our assessments 142,380 people in Nungal and Bari regions were affected by the cyclone with 8,525 households being worst hit. 1,485 households have lost all their livestock, impacting severely on their livelihoods. 40 people died and 95 sustained injuries in the two regions,” said Dr. Ahmed M. Hassan, President of the Somali Red Crescent Society.

Nomadic pastoralist communities in two affected regions will be targeted for increased access to safe water.

“Vulnerable groups including female headed households, child headed households, persons with disabilities and pregnant and lactating women will receive special attention in the relief operation,” added Dr. Hassan.

The Somali Red Crescent Society is coordinating its activities with the government and other humanitarian agencies.

ENDS

Dozens of families have been moved out of the ruined building

A project has been launched in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, to rebuild the country’s national library. Dozens of displaced families had been sheltering inside the building which has been badly damaged by decades of conflict. The project director, Zainab Hassan, told the BBC that thousands of students currently had no access to books.

Work on the new complex is expected to be finished in six months’ time at a cost of $1m (£600,000).

The money is coming from the Somali government as well as business people and civil society.

This is what the new building should look like

Already 20,000 books have been donated from the United States and around 60,000 are expected to come from Arab nations. Ms Hassan said she hopes the library will teach people to love reading. She admitted that a large proportion of Somalia’s culture and history is oral and has not been documented.

The building should restore Somalia’s history for future generations,” she said, adding that there was a need for knowledge among Somalis. Al-Shabab militants have been driven out of Somalia’s major towns, such as Mogadishu and the port of Kismayo, by a UN-mandated African Union force of some 18,000 soldiers.

Since then, many Somalis living in the diaspora have returned to help in the reconstruction of Mogadishu. However the militants have carried out intermittent attacks and suicide bombings on the capital in recent months and still control large parts of southern Somalia.

However the militants have carried out intermittent attacks and suicide bombings on the capital in recent months and still control large parts of southern Somalia

Source: BBC News

December 19, 2013:

Two American  business owners show how private investment is key in the global fight against poverty.

By Curtis S. Chin

FORTUNE — The names of the Somalis who work at the Aran Guest House in Mogadishu — one of the few in the city with security robust enough for overnight stays for international visitors — may well be little remembered by diplomats, aid workers, and the occasional businesspeople who pass through here.

And that’s unfortunate because their simple stories of employment as drivers, guards, cooks, waiters, and cleaning staff offer up a lesson for policymakers focused on how best to grow economies and address persistent poverty, whether in Africa or in Asia. Increasingly, the private sector, encompassing brave entrepreneurs as well as established, deep-pocketed corporations, can play a critical role in fighting poverty, and it can be done in a way that is quite frankly good for business — and far more sustainable than aid packages subject to donor fatigue and annual budget cuts.

That was certainly the story I heard when I had the chance to sit down with Alisha Ryu and David Snelson, the two American business pioneers behind the Mogadishu guesthouse and security firm, which employs nearly 40 Somali men and women, and by a conservative estimate, indirectly supports another 400 extended family members.

Ryu, a former combat journalist, and Snelson, a retired U.S. Army warrant officer, have been living and running their business in Mogadishu full-time since 2011. They were in the news recently for digging up and returning to the United States the remains of a helicopter shot down and made famous in the book and blockbuster Hollywood film Blackhawk Down. Both recount the American military raid to capture a Somali warlord in Mogadishu, which sparked a deadly battle that killed hundreds of Somalis and 19 Americans 20 years ago this October.

MORE: Nelson Mandela and the evolution of great leaders

Sadly, that battle was just one of many tragedies that has engulfed this restless, Horn of Africa nation. Since then, Somalia has been ravaged by clan warfare, and feared worldwide as a breeding ground for pirates and al-Shabaab militants. Al-Shabaab again captured global headlines with a terrorist attack on a landmark shopping mall in Kenya this September, killing more than 65 people.

Clearly, investing in Somalia is not for the fainthearted. The World Bank 2014 Doing Business report — the latest annual assessment of the ease of doing business in economies around the world — once again skips Somalia entirely. Lawlessness in many parts of the country and a general inability to gather reliable data are undoubtedly two factors why Somalia continues to be absent in the report.

But Ryu says she and Snelson took a calculated risk in opening a business in Somalia because they both had spent many years working in the country and knew the opportunities and the pitfalls well in advance.

“It was, and still is, our hope that by showing it is possible to do business in Somalia in a smart, knowledgeable way, others will follow our example,” Ryu says.

Both Ryu and Snelson note that whether in Asia, Africa, or the U.S., it will be small businesses and entrepreneurs — regardless of nationality — who will drive long-term change and job creation. “Business investments that can make money and simultaneously empower communities at the grassroots level are key to economic growth and the reduction of poverty-related violence in Somalia and everywhere else in the world,” Snelson says.

MORE: Bringing financial inclusion to the Horn of Africa

That is not to say that government cannot play a contributing and enabling role. In June, for example, the United States announced “Power Africa,” an initiative focused on increasing electricity access in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Companies such as General Electric (GE) and Symbion Power will reportedly complement the $7 billion initiative with an additional $9 billion in commitments.

Beyond electricity and other crucial infrastructure investments, however, much of Africa also needs a sustained commitment to battle corruption and cronyism.

For nearly four years, I served as the U.S. Ambassador to and board member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) — an international financial institution focused on poverty reduction and infrastructure investments, much like its sister institution the African Development Bank — and there too, Ryu and Snelson’s message would have great relevance.

While development banks and aid agencies can provide incremental help, it is good governance and a strong rule of law that are critical to businesses and essential to drive long-term growth. Easier said, though, than done.

Time will tell if the efforts of people like Ryu and Snelson, and others, will be sustainable, particularly in the face of seemingly ever-worsening news out of Somalia.

One clear lesson from my time in both the corporate and diplomatic worlds is that the private sector must be a critical partner if we are to sustainably lift people out of poverty. Yet, too often, inept bureaucracy, poor or poorly enforced regulation, interventions by government and endemic corruption get in the way. These challenges of the “little bric” may well be a longer-term constraint to growth and one of the biggest impediments to building better lives for people everywhere, including in the most fragile and conflict-affected states in Africa and Asia.

Few may have the nerve, or the heart, to do what Ryu and Snelson are trying to do in Somalia — building a business that can turn a profit while promoting economic growth. But by creating jobs for three dozen Somalis who would otherwise be prey for pirates and religious extremists, perhaps they offer a bit of hope and an example that a small business can have an impact, regardless of how long or how fleeting, even in the most troubled places in this world.

Curtis S. Chin served as U.S. Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush (2007-2010). He is a managing director with advisory firm RiverPeak Group, LLC, and a board member of World Education Services and Community & Family Services International.

• Somali men carry the body of a Syrian doctor for transport to Madina hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013. A Somali official says suspected al-Qaida-linked militants have ambushed a convoy carrying doctors near Somali capital, killing six people, three of them foreigners. Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior Somali police commander, said Wednesday the convoy came under attack in a semi-forested area outside Mogadishu, while on their way to give medical assistance to patients at a hospital. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Mogadishu: Fighters in Somalia shot dead three Syrian doctors and their three Somali colleagues on Wednesday as they travelled to a hospital outside the capital Mogadishu, an AFP reporter said.
Their bullet-riddled bodies were carried into Mogadishu’s Madina hospital after the attack on road leading from the capital to Afgoye, a town some 30km northwest of the capital.
Doctors at the hospital said the foreigners killed were Syrians. “We do not know the motive behind the attack. This has shocked us and made us very sad. It is very unfortunate to see our colleagues being murdered for unknown reasons,” said Abdul Rahman Mohammad Fiqi, the director of the hospital where the doctors worked.
“The Syrian doctors fled their homeland because of the civil war and came to us voluntarily to help and work with us as doctors,” said Fiqi.
One Syrian doctor was also wounded in the attack, which took place as the group travelled down the road towards Afgoye, a former stronghold of the Al Qaida-linked Al Shabab insurgents, before they were driven from the town in May 2012.
However, a senior Al Shabab official said they did not carry out the attack, although their fighters have often carried out shootings, bombings and suicide commando raids against government and international targets, including aid workers.
The region is awash with guns and multiple armed men and militia forces operate in the area, one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers.
Somalia has been riven by civil war since the collapse of the central government in 1991.
The Al Shabab have been driven out of Somalia’s major towns by a UN-mandated African Union force (Amisom).
However the Al Shabab still controls large swathes of southern Somalia as well as pockets of Puntland.
On Monday, a new chief of the AU force took over command, vowing he would lead the 17,700-strong force in a fresh offensive against the Al Shabab, with over 4,000 reinforcements expected.
With extra troops, “Amisom will be able to expand its area of responsibilities to liberate other locations, which are currently in the hands of Al Shabab,” said new commander Silas Ntigurirwa, a Burundian general.
Al Shabab claimed responsibility for an bloody attack in September on a shopping mall in Nairobi in retaliation for Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia.
Last week, 13 people were killed in four attacks in Kenya during week-long celebrations to mark the country’s 50th anniversary of independence.
Source: Gulf News

MOGADISHU, Somalia—The top United States State Department official for Africa is urging Somalia’s government to do more to protect its most vulnerable people, especially women, and to respect the rule of law.

Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is visiting Somalia, said in a statement Saturday that Somalia’s long-term stability “requires more than just a security response to the threats posed by terrorists.”

The statement said the U.S. wants to see a Somali government that can protect its people.

Somalia’s government controls only small parts of the country and struggles to provide security and battle corruption, although there are signs of political progress following years of turmoil.

Somali lawmakers recently voted to oust the prime minister and his Cabinet, action seen by some as signaling the growth of Somalia’s institutions.

Source: AP