AMISOM Magazine Issue 17, September - November 2015

www.amisom-au.org | Issue 17 | September–November 2015

Optimism

Against Terror AMISOM MAGAZINE

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Message

SRCC

From the

Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia (SRCC), Ambassador Maman Sidikou

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elcome to yet another issue of the AMISOM magazine, rich with optimism and hope, as the third quarter of the year draws to a close.

I cannot underestimate the spirit of resilience of the Somali people, shown through activities that have debunked several myths, to the chagrin of the enemy, who is increasingly frustrated, by the steady progress the country is making. The past few months have been a mixed bag, but most importantly, we have recorded significant achievements.

Indeed, evidence of Somalia rising, was apparent during the quarter.

Somalia hosted its biggest international forum ever, in the capital Mogadishu, with thirty-two delegations, mostly international guests, at a High Level Partnership Forum, convened to evaluate progress the country has made

in the security and political fronts.

This meeting agreed on timelines for key developments, if the country is to achieve set targets.

AMISOM launched a hugely successful military offensive against the Al Shabaab, driving the terrorists out of their last strongholds in Gedo, Jubba, Bay and Bakool regions. The operation is continuing until their space is completely constricted. With our partners and the Somali security institutions, we have enhanced to better confront the enemy.

In a desperate move to remain relevant though, the Al Shabaab have continued with their asymmetric warfare on soft targets and ambushes on our troops. I salute our soldiers, Somalis and those from our member states, who put their lives at risk daily to keep Somalis safe from these criminals. I stand in solidarity with the Federal Government of Somalia and especially the people of

“We are entering a critical phase, when the country must demonstrate the ability to turn complex situations into workable plans. The world is waiting with expectation to see Somalia continue to rise in 2016.�

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Somalia, who have shown the greatest fortitude in times of adversity.

We are entering a critical phase, when the country must demonstrate the ability to turn complex situations into workable plans. The world is waiting with expectation, to see Somalia continue to rise in 2016. We will work with the Somali Government and people to adopt the constitution, enact relevant and applicable legislations to build effective public and security institutions, integrate regional and national troops and shepherd the country through a legitimate electoral process next year.

As AMISOM, we are resolute in our support to the Federal Government and the people of Somalia. Our optimism is founded on the immense progress the country has made in many spheres to date and an innate belief that Somalis will not allow the country to return to a path of destruction.

Contents

Ugandan soldiers under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), mount a parade in Mogadishu, Somalia on August 24, 2015 — AU UN IST Photo/ IIyas Ahmed

Design & Layout: Noel Lumbama Photography: AU/UN IST Newsroom | thenewsroom@auunist.org Email: amisommediacentre@gmail.com P.O. Box 20182 – 00200, Nairobi, Kenya Phone: +254 202 713 755 /56 /58 Fax: +254 202 713 766 Publisher: AMISOM Public Information Unit

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Message From The SRCC

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In the News

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The Building Blocks

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Spotlight on Janaale

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Thirty-Two Delegations

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Operation Jubba Corridor

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Citizens’ Perception: Putting the Numbers To It

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Key Research Findings

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Eye On Politics

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Obama Addresses The African Union

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A Hopeful President

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The Diaspora Factor

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Meet and Greet

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AMANI AFRICA II: Africa’s Standby Force

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Inspire Somalia

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Focus On Policing

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Neighbourhood ‘Sheriff’

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Literary Festival

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I Am My Father’s Son

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Preaching Peace Through Art

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World Cup Qualifiers AMISOM MAGAZINE

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IN THE

NEWS

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July 2015:

Somalis turned up in their thousands all around the country to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Somalia attaining self-rule as a unified country on 1 July 1960. In a ceremony preceded by song and dance, the Somali flag was raised at the stroke of midnight in regions across Somalia including Baidoa, Belet Weyn and Kismayo.

Addressing a crowd that thronged Fisha Governo in Mogadishu’s Hamarweyne district to witness the flag-

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hoisting ceremony, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud urged Somalis to shed the baggage of the past and rewrite Somalia’s history.

“I want to agree that we recognise Independence Day as the day of revival, rebirth and reconciliation of the Somali people,” said the President.

July 2015:

Former Minister of Interior and Security in the Federal Government of Somalia, Abdikarim Hussein Guled was elected President of Galmudug State. He won definitive elections held in Adado by garnering 49 votes against his closest challenger Ahmed Moalim Fiqi who received 40 votes. Guled was sworn into office on 23 July.

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July 2015:

A three-day gender workshop aimed at integrating women in the mainstream was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 7th to 9th July, with a call to stakeholders to root for the removal of all barriers negatively impacting on women’s equal participation in public life. The workshop organized by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and ACCORD, reviewed the existing policies on gender mainstreaming for both AMISOM

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and the Federal government of Somalia, and called for commitment to action by all stakeholders, to change the status quo. A series of gender mainstreaming workshops have taken place in the quarter, within and outside Somalia.

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July 2015:

Eid celebrations were marked in pomp in Somalia. The country raptured into days of festivities following the sighting of the moon that technically brought to an end Ramadan, the month-long fasting season in the Islamic calendar.

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July 2015:

AMISOM troops and Somali National Army (SNA) liberated Baardheere town in Gedo region from AlShabaab militants. The victory by SNA and AMISOM troops from Kenya Defence Force (KDF) and Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) brought an end to AlShabaab’s 8-year rule in this agricultural town.

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July 2015:

Diinsoor, another agriculturally rich town in the Bay region and a strategic region for the militants was liberated by the SNA with support from AMISOM troops. This was the last stronghold of Al-Shabaab in the region.

Residents of Diinsoor broke into ululation, song and dance as they welcomed the troops to the town. The militants had ruled residents with an iron fist for more than eight years.

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July 2015:

Thirty-two delegations consisting of Somalia’s international partners converged on Mogadishu for a two-day High-Level Partnership Forum to discuss Somalia’s progress especially on the security and political fronts. Partners attending the forum conceded that additional resources were needed to effectively skill and equip Somalia’s security forces. The African Union (AU) Special Representative to Somalia Ambassador Maman Sidikou said the funding would ensure delivery of a victory plan for the Federal Government as it forges ahead with its stabilization efforts. Ambassador Sidikou co-chaired a session on security on the first day of the conference, together with Somali Minister of Defence Hon. Ali Dini.

“I was co-chairing the security session with the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Internal Security

and essentially our session has focused on the victory plan to really build up the Somali National army, including training, including mentoring and of course taking care of 10,900 soldiers, plus 3000 for Puntland. The good thing about this is that all partners ultimately agreed that you don’t plan in a vacuum. You have to actually provide resources to feel the funding gaps that we have and to ensure that we work towards an exit of AMISOM, because at the end of the day that’s the name of the game,” said Ambassador Sidikou.

9 Interim South West administration (ISWA) launched the process of the formation of the regional assembly for the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions in Baidoa. The conference was officially opened by ISWA President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan and attended by federal government representatives as well as representatives from IGAD,

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United Nations and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). ISWA President asked leaders to expedite the process of selection of regional assembly members, while at the same time ensuing fair representation.

He said, “Today, we converge here to start the process of selecting regional assembly members. I ask the traditional elders to immediately begin the selection process bearing in mind inclusivity and fair representation of women, youth and minority groups. I believe the traditional elders can deliver on this task in the next 30 days after which they will embark on swearing in the assembly members.”

August 2015:

Somalia joined the rest of the world to mark International Youth Day, whose theme was youth and civic engagement.

During celebrations held in the capital Mogadishu, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud said the youth have a critical role to play in rebuilding the country and is challenging them to take advantage of existing resources to empower themselves.

“Young people are the backbone of the new government of Somalia. Every development we realized was pioneered by

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August 2015:

the youth. If previously people believed that young people took part in the destruction of the country, today they have a golden opportunity to contribute to the reconstruction and the restoration of the dignity and honour of the country in the international community,” the President said.

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August 2015:

AMISOM and Somalia National Security Forces (SNSF) held a conference on August 15th in Mogadishu, attended by over fifty delegates drawn from AMISOM and security forces from the

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Federal Government of Somalia.

The conference was co-chaired

by AMISOM Force Commander Lt Gen. Jonathan Rono and the immediate former Somalia Chief of Defence Forces, Maj Gen Dahir Elmi. The aim of the conference was to enhance coordination and information sharing between AMISOM and Somalia’s security forces.

August 2015:

The African Union Mission in Somalia with key partners and representatives of the Federal Government of Somalia met in Nairobi, Kenya to brainstorm on the Concept of Operations (CONOPS), that will guide the mission’s operations in the next year.

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August 2015:

Mogadishu held its first ever International Book Fair to celebrate books, literature and the revival of human expression in Somali society.

The Fair hoped to expose the youth

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to international and Somali literature.

This will grow a new generation of literate and creative individuals keen to contribute towards the development of the Somali community.

August 2015:

Kenya Defence Force Army Commander Lieutenant General Leonard Ngondi visited AMISOM KDF troops serving in Kismayo.

The Army Commander commended the troops serving in Somalia for the sacrifices they are making to ensure terrorism is defeated and peace is restored in Somalia. He also lauded the Kenya Defence Force under AMISOM for their role in the liberation of Baardheere and Taraka in July 2015 and Kuday Island in March 2015.

“I urge you to exercise the highest level of professionalism and service discipline as you exercise your

mandate in Somalia, under the Umbrella of AMISOM. I applaud the good work that you have done so far, despite the challenges and risks that you face,” he said.

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TheBuilding

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he joint Military Operations Coordination Committee (MOCC) and the African Union Police Strategic Support Group (PSSG) for AU peace support operations convened its 16th meeting in Addis Ababa, on 01 September 2015. The meeting, chaired by the AU Commissioner for Peace Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, was attended by Chiefs of Defense Staff (CDS) and Chiefs of Police of Troop and Police Contributing Countries (Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone) and the Federal Government of Somalia. Representatives of partner countries and institutions (European Union, Inter-Governmental Authority

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Blocks

on Development, United Kingdom, United States of America, United Nations) also participated in the meeting.

The MOCC/PSSG considered the Report of the Ad-hoc Committee of Experts, which had undertaken an assessment from 10 to 18 August 2015 on the enhancement of AMISOM operations. The key recommendations of the committee of experts included the need for adherence to the AMISOM chain of command, increased mobility, force protection as well as an increased UNSOA support package compatible to AMISOM operational requirements.

The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the situation in Somalia, as well as make decisions on the findings and recommendations of the Ad-hoc Committee of Experts.

The meeting further presented an opportunity to deliberate on progress in the development of the revised AMISOM Concept of Operations (CONOPs). The participants noted the tremendous progress made by AMISOM in degrading Al Shabaab capabilities.

The MOCC/PSSG appreciated the role played by Troop and Police Contributing Countries in support of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) towards the achievement of the political process in Somalia, as well as the support provided to AMISOM by the UN through UNSOA.

Spotlight on

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Janaale

Force Commander Lt. Gen. Jonathan Rono interacts with troops in Janaale

n September 5th, AMISOM Force Commander Lt. Gen. Jonathan Rono visited troops in the frontline at Janaale base, in the Lower Shabelle region. His visit followed an ambush on the camp by Al Shabaab on September 1st. General Rono described the troops’ response to the attack by the militants as impressive and commended their resilience in the fight for peace in Somalia.

“I want to pass my condolences to our dear colleagues, the brave soldiers whom we lost and wish quick recovery to those injured. Personally I came to condole with you and to encourage those who are still on the ground and I must say I was very impressed with what you did. I think the soldiers fought well and I must commend them,” Lt. General Rono told the troops.

He said the callous attacks will not deter AMISOM from fulfilling its mandate, to support the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somali people in restoring lasting peace.

The Force Commander further cautioned against Al Shabaab propaganda.

He said the militants continue to spread lies meant to depict the situation in a negative light. He cited the Janaale bridge, which the militants claimed had been blown away, but is still operational and is being used by both the area residents and the military.

Two days earlier, on September 3rd, Uganda’s Chief of Defense Forces Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala visited the

Uganda Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Katumba Wamala speaks to troops in Janaale

troops in Janaale to commend their gallantry in their fight against Al Shabaab terrorists.

“My visit was prompted by what happened here in Janaale, where we are now, where our base was attacked by the Al Shabaab using a vehicle borne Improvised Explosive Device, to breach the defence of the camp. I came one, to assess how the situation is and to get a clear picture on what happened, and also establish whether there were any flaws in terms of the response. I am convinced that the boys put up a good fight,” said Gen. Wamala.

General Katumba was guided on a tour of the Janaale base by the AMISOM Ugandan Contingent Commander Brig.

Gen. Sam Kavuma and briefed by the troops on the ground.

General Wamala added, “I just want to give assurance to our partners and also to the other soldiers that all is under control and definitely nothing much to worry about.

Our hearts go out to the gallant soldiers who lost their lives as they were executing this noble task of defending and protecting civilians in this country against the bad fellows,” he added.

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Thirty-Two Delegations

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total of thirty-two delegations converged on Mogadishu on 29 July 2015 for a two-day High-Level Partnership Forum and aimed at taking stock of progress made in the Somali new Deal Compact, especially on the political and security fronts. The forum aimed to agree on priorities for the remaining period of 2015, in the framework of the New Deal Somali Compact. Leaders of the Interim South West Administration (ISWA) and Galmudug Interim Administration participated in the forum.

International partners attending the forum - convened for the first time in Somalia - conceded that additional resources were required to effectively skill and equip Somalia’s security forces.

The African Union (AU) Special Representative for Somalia and Head of AMISOM Ambassador Maman Sidikou said the funding would ensure delivery of a “victory plan” for the Federal Government, as it forges ahead with its stabilization plans.

Ambassador Sidikou co-chaired the session on Security on the first day of the forum, together with Somali Minister of Defence Hon. Ali Dini.

“I was co chairing the security session with the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Internal Security and essentially our session has focused on the victory plan to really build up the Somali National Army, including training, including mentoring and of course taking care of 10,900 soldiers, 10

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plus 3000 for Puntland. The good thing about this, is that all partners ultimately agreed that you don’t plan in a vacuum.

You have to actually provide resources to fuel the funding gaps that we have and to ensure that we work towards an exit of AMISOM, because at the end of the day that’s the name of the game,” said Ambassador Sidikou.

Ambassador Sidikou described the meeting as a demonstration that Somalia had made big strides in securing the country. “First of all, I am happy it happened here in Mogadishu.

It says something about our work to secure the place and also to build

confidence in our partners to come here and meet us,” he said.

The forum was co-hosted by the President of the Federal Government of Somalia, HE Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Nicholas Kay. Making his remarks at the official opening of the high-level forum, President Mohamoud noted that the country had made tremendous strides in the areas of security, states formation, the constitutional review process and the setting up of key institutions ahead of the 2016 elections. He said the

country must remain cognizant of the challenges that lay ahead and steps that must be taken to address them.

“From the Government’s perspective, we are clear that great and grave issues confront us still. We must form the remaining interim regional administrations; we must ensure a strong, relevant constitution that is clear and applicable to all and that safeguards the rights of all Somalis. We must ensure an electoral process is in place to ensure the safe, irrefutable and democratic transition of power in 2016; we must ensure that the processes and systems that signal good governance

are linked up from the centre to the regional states and witnessed by all across Somalia. We must ensure that laws that help guide our progress and our functions are in place and applied,” he emphasized.

President Mohamoud also expressed the commitment of his government to ensuring broad participation and inclusive politics. He lauded the role played by the African Union Mission in Somalia in the restoration of peace.

“I acknowledge the commitment and sacrifice of our Somali defence institutions and grieve the loss of our soldiers and security staff who have died in the pursuit of peace. We acknowledge the contribution that our AMISOM colleagues have made and the casualties they have suffered. We must never forget that these meetings, the discussions we have, the plans we make are for one purpose only, to ensure a better future for all Somalis. We have no other ambition,” said the President.

Somalia is about to go through a national consultation process to determine the mode of transfer of power in 2016. The president stressed that, “members appointed through the process must satisfy clear, agreed criteria” and be accountable to the people of Somalia.

He explained: ”These ideals will be best secured by an election that allows every eligible citizen the chance to directly elect their own representative.

That will not be possible in 2016.

Let me be clear, the goal posts have not changed; one person one vote is undeniably the best option for future transfers of political power in Somalia.”

The Communique At A Glance: l We commit and support all new and

emerging administrations to build their much-needed governance institutions.

l We underline the need to ensure

progress in the constitutional review process in order to establish a permanent Constitution for a federal and united Somalia.

l We recognize the need to build a

professional and accountable SNA and police service, able to address the needs of the Somali people.

We welcome the initial draft of the Heegan Plan and look forward to its finalization by October 2015 and it’s prompt implementation thereafter.

l We commend the ongoing

integration of regional forces and recognize the support of the AU and IGAD in this process. We urge the completion of this process across Somalia, taking cognizance of discipline and professionalism of the Somali National Forces and recalling the importance of ensuring its fiscal sustainability.

l We commend and honour the SNA

and AMISOM efforts in the fight against Al-Shabaab. We reaffirm the need to focus the joint SNA/ AMISOM operations toward enemy elimination, ultimately contributing to their defeat, while ensuring that operations are conducted in compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights, in particular in regards to protection of civilians.

l We commend the Federal

Government for accelerating activities and planning for a sustainable economic recovery.

l We are encouraged by the effort

made by the FGS in consultation with the interim Regional Administrations to initiate work on a long-term development framework (Vision 2035).

l We commend the work done by

FGS and partners including civil society in fostering stabilization in areas recovered from Al-Shabaab.

l We recognize the continuing

humanitarian crisis, including in recently liberated areas and its impact on the Somalia people and commend the principle humanitarian action in response.

l We reaffirm the important role of

women in peace and state-building and commit to increase their participation in the political, social and economic spheres.

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Operation

Jubba Corridor Baardheere Liberation

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aardheere town, liberated by the Somali National Army and troops of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on 22 July 2015, is teeming with activity after years of subdued life under the Al-Shabaab.

The town, situated in the Gedo region, is an important agricultural centre

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that lives up to it’s name: Baar meaning “palm tree” and Dheere meaning “tall”, a reference to the ubiquitous palm trees that have grown expansively in the area.

River banks are lined by beautiful palm trees, as are the farms of this town.

It lies at an intersection of major roads that link Somalia to Elwak and Mandera

in Kenya, and link Kismayo, Baidoa, Barawe and Diinsoor within Somalia.

The town is known as the centre of Islamic scholarship, as it is for agricultural production. The climate is ideally suited for year-round crop production and boasts farms of sorghum, corn, onions, beans, sesame plants, tobacco, and fruits such as bananas, watermelon, oranges, papayas, and mangoes.

Entry and exit to and from the town is through an imposing metallic bridge, the Baardheere Bridge, built over the giant Jubba River, which is a yearlong source of water in the region.

It is at this bridge that the battle for Baardheere was won when AMISOM troops came calling and Al-Shabaab experienced a humiliating defeat.

“The bridge was a strategic utility for Al Shabaab, they used the bridge to cross over from the other part of town and go east into the regions around Gedo and the Kenyan border towns of Wajir, El-Waq and Mandera. So this is a major crossing point for Al-Shabaab. Controlling the bridge controls Al-Shabaab movements in Baardheere,” said Colonel Abdirashid, AMISOM KDF Battalion C ​ ommander.

From Baardheere the terror group controlled food production and collected tax from farming communities to sustain their operations. They controlled human and motorized traffic at the bridge, turning it into a toll station and a prime source of funds for terrorism activities.

Before its liberation in July, AlShabaab operated in Baardheere and neighbouring Diinsoor for over eight years. The militants controlled the lives of locals including their movement, methodically killing them in the guise of maintenance of law and order and slowly strangulating their economy.

This chokehold on the two towns meant they always had the ability to resurrect

whenever FGS and AMISOM troops destroyed their capabilities elsewhere.

“Initially when we came over, the locals here were a little bit apprehensive because of the long rule from the AlShabaab, they were 50-50 in accepting us but now they have seen the profits of us coming over here. Right now, there is a lot of activity going on in town.

We have a marketplace that is bubbling with activities, we have a livestock market that is going on, we have small entrepreneurship businesses that are coming up and for the first time maybe in around eight years, locals are able to access television and radios, something that was not there when Al-Shabaab

were in control here,” adds Colonel Abdirashid, AMISOM KDF Battalion ​Commander in Baardheere.

Baardheere is now back in the hands of the Federal Government of Somalia. Residents who had fled the ruthless Al-Shabaab rule have started flowing back to their abandoned homes, farms and livestock.

The Baardheere District Commissioner Abdullahi Nur Hassan said, “The populations were under the siege of Al-Shabaab, so they are very happy that the soldiers captured this area. They are doing their own business freely. No one is interfering in their affairs, but we are targeting the enemies hiding inside them and this issue is being done by the police.”

A resident of Baardheere Mahmoud Ismail Hashi agrees, “There was a lot of problems coming from Al-Shabaab. There were no Aid agencies here, no good life and the people were suffering. From now, the situation is gradually becoming stable, though there is big change still. The population is happy, they have freedom but they need emergency aid.”

Residents here are slowly picking up the pieces, tilling their land in readiness for the rains and restocking abandoned shops, while the Federal Government starts to reestablish government institutions in earnest, and enhance the rule of law.

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Diinsoor Liberation It is early morning in Baidoa, one of Somalia’s biggest food baskets, situated some 256 kilometres northwest of the capital Mogadishu. A group of journalists are getting ready to board a flight to Diinsoor, one of the towns liberated in July by the Somali National Army and AMISOM troops from the Ethiopia National Defence Forces (ENDF).

Diinsoor was captured by AMISOM ENDF on 24 July 2015, two days after the liberation of Baardheere town. The trip to Diinsoor is a fact-finding one, to gauge the mood in the town after the ouster of the militants.

It takes one hour from Baidoa by air to get to Diinsoor. At the airstrip in Diinsoor, we are met by AMISOM troops.

A quick briefing takes place and then we board the armoured military vehicles for a seven-minute drive into town.

On arrival, the seemingly sleepy town comes to life. Residents quickly converge at the town’s square, women and girls lining up the road on one side; elderly men and youth lining up on the opposite side of the road.

And as we walk through the main street, the town comes alive with ululation, clapping, dancing and singing. For the first time in several years, there is evidence of

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vivacity and joy in the faces of Diinsoor residents. Sounds of laughter rent the air, as residents mingle freely with the troops, shaking hands and commending them for taking over the town, which had been under Al-Shabaab rule for more than 8 years. The women shed tears of joy as they tell of the ordeal they underwent in the hands of the militants.

Shukri Imam Abdullahi, a resident of the town, cannot hide his excitement. “AlShabaab fined my brother with 800,000 ($40) for he was consuming tobacco which they had banned. So I begged that money from the people of Diinsoor to save my brother. In Al-Shabaab reign there was no freedom whatsoever. They will interfere with your personal freedom; they used to instruct us to have socks, have veils, there were a lot of do’s and don’ts here all the time … We were fed up with Al-Shabaab,” he says.

Diinsoor was a lifeline for the AlShabaab, as it was one of the remaining strategic places where they grabbed their financial proceeds. It was also the place where they planned most of their atrocities.

Diinsoor District Commissioner Ibrahim Mohamed Noor explains, “Diinsoor was the main headquarters of Al-Shabaab. It was where they masterminded attacks on Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia; it was where they got

finances and the garage nearby here is where they used to prepare the explosives.

This district is very strategic for the ISWA administration and Al-Shabaab knows it. Residents here will tell you how they slaughtered human beings from every corner of Somalia in this town. Now that brutality is over and there are no more explosives or financial collection for their evil actions.”

A quick survey of the town reveals a halt in essential social services during the Al-Shabaab reign. An example is Diinsoor Hospital, now a pale shadow of its former self. The derelict hospital building since the liberation of the town has started minimal operations, but there are no drugs available. The hospital’s pharmacy is empty, with a few boxes of expired drugs scattered on the floor. But thanks to partners, relief supplies started arriving in the town in August. The government has been working tirelessly to ensure a return to the provision of basic social services.

Like Baardheere, which was captured by a combined military force of AMISOM troops from the Kenya Defence Force (KDF) and Ethiopia National Defence Force (ENDF), Diinsoor was liberated without a huge military confrontation with the militants.

The militants could not take the firepower from the troops. Many of them retreated when the troops approached the town.

“We captured Baardheere in the morning around 8.00 am. No force entered Baardheere before us. We also captured Diinsoor at 8.00 am, it was announced by the media. The enemy did all it could to stop us before they ran away. Because these places are strategic positions, it was not expected that they would leave easily. After this, we will continue fighting Al-Shabaab and also, if it is necessary, by adding nonAMISOM forces. So we can use any force we have to destroy Al-Shabaab. Future operations will be well analysed and planned. We shall engage them by surprise attack using our forces mentioned. This operation will continue in all the three regions of Bakool,” said Col. Yemane Gabre Mikael, AMISOM Sector 3 Contingent Commander.

Citizens’ Perception: Putting The Numbers To It

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hree-quarters of Somalis are optimistic about the country’s future, according to a baseline survey undertaken by market research leader IPSOS, on citizen’s perception on peace and stabilization initiatives in Somalia.

The survey carried out from December to February 2015 found out, that 72-pecent of Somalis believe they hold the solution to their destiny.

“This optimism shows that Somalis are willing to take responsibility of the country’s future and is attributed to a lot of things that are going right in the country, including on-going political activities that will lead to elections in 2016,” explained Mr. Samuel Muthoka, a Director with IPSOS, during a media presentation of the findings in Mogadishu.

The survey is also positive about the intervention of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with over 65-percent of Somalis showing support for AMISOM. 68-percent of respondents interviewed credit improved education, ease of doing business; freedom to use and own land; and the competence of the Somali National Army, to the presence of AMISOM peacekeepers. However, the survey shows that only half the population supports AMISOM’s continued stay in Somalia. But, the findings also show that 60-percent of Somalis are positive that AMISOM will enable the country to stabilize.

There is also significant recognition of the work of the United Nations in Somalia in enhancing the lives of ordinary Somalis, with nearly half of the population agreeing that the humanitarian situation in the country is improving. Regions in need of urgent help include those recently liberated after years under Al-Shabaab rule.

“Years of isolation have been devastating. There is need to scale up humanitarian assistance,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Somalia (DSRSG) Peter de Clercq, after a recent tour of some of the areas.

In terms of security, the survey shows Al-Shabaab is considered the biggest threat in all regions. However, at least 68-percent of the population does not support the terror organization, while only 8-percent show support. Irrespective of this perceived threat, a significant number, 74-percent, felt their local neighbourhoods are generally safe.

“As AMISOM, we are encouraged to know that majority of Somalis feel generally safe in their localities. The Somali National Army has been instrumental is securing regions liberated from the Al-Shabaab. Our aim is to continue with joint military operations against the few remaining militants and their supporters, until they are subdued”, said AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Kipkemoi Rono.

The baseline survey was carried out in four regions namely; Mogadishu, Baidoa, Belet Weyne and Kismayo, with random household sampling as the methodology.

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Key Research Findings

SOURCE: IPSOS

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SOURCE: IPSOS

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Eye On Politics ISWA Regional Assembly Formation Process

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he Interim South West Administration (ISWA) has started the process of forming a regional assembly for the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions with a conference to discuss the selection of members.

The President of the Interim South West Administration Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, officially opened the conference held in Baidoa on 9th August. Traditional elders drawn from all regions of ISWA came together in Baidoa to begin the process of selecting members, review and adopt a draft constitution, confirm the cabinet, approve the administration’s legislation and budget.“I ask the traditional elders to immediately begin the selection process bearing in mind inclusivity and fair representation of women, youth and minority groups,” said the ISWA leader.

Galmudug State Elects President In a critical step to create a regional government for the central regions, a former minister of interior and security Abdikarim Hussein Guled was elected president Galmudug State in 4th July.

Guled won in a holy contested presidential election in Adado town in Galgadud region. He garnered 49 out of the 89 votes cast. Speaking after he was confirmed winner, the newly elect president promised to tackle insecurity in the region and foster relationships with the neighbouring regional administrations in order to strength the security. Ali Asir Ga’al had days earlier been elected speaker of the Galmudug parliament.

Madobe re-elected President Interim Jubba Adminsitration held Presidential elections on August 15th.

Ahmed Mohamed Islam ‘Madobe’ won the elections held in the seaside town of Kismayo, by a landslide. Madobe was sworn into office by Jubbaland Assembly Speaker, in the presence of international and regional observers including IGAD envoy to Somalia, Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Afey.

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NIEC promises a credible electoral process Somalia’s National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) is pledging to deliver its mandate with credibility and fairness. Members of the commission held a media briefing in Mogadishu in August, where they committed to deliver their work in a transparent manner. “We have concluded training for our commission team, to develop ourselves as a functioning institution before we start our duty. In the training we learned a lot of different experiences. Former Chairperson of the South African Electoral Commission Dr. Brigalia Bam, shared with us her 14 years’ experience. We benefited a lot from the workshop and will put into practice the knowledge acquired, so that we serve this nation in a better way,” said Halima Ismail Ibrahim, the Chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission.

Obama

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Addresses The African Union

he President Of the United States Barack Obama made his first visit to Kenya and Ethiopia as serving US President in July. His historic visit also featured meetings with African leaders. He became the first US President to address the African Union. In his speech to the 54-nation body, he urged African leaders to uphold democratic ideals and fight corruption. He was also resolute on good governance as he was on poverty eradication, youth and women empowerment, conflict resolution and an end to violent extremism. Here are some of the extracts of his speech to the African Union on July 28.

“It is a great honor to be the first President of the United States to address the African Union (applause). I am grateful for this opportunity to speak to the representatives of more than 1 billion people of the great African continent…” “…When I first came to sub Saharan Africa as a President, I said that Africa doesn’t need strong men, it needs strong institutions (applause). And, one of those institutions is the African Union. Here, you can come together with a shared commitment to human dignity and development. Here, your 54 nations pursue a common vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa. As Africa changes, I call on the world to change its approach to Africa (applause).” “…I believe Africa’s rise is not just important for Africa, it is important to the entire world.

We will not be able to meet the challenges of our time, from ensuring a strong global economy, to phasing down violent extremism, to combating climate change, to ending hunger and extreme poverty, without the voices and contributions of 1 billion Africans (applause).”

“Even with Africa’s impressive progress, we must acknowledge that many of these gains rest on a fragile foundation. Alongside new wealth, hundreds of thousands of Africans still endure extreme poverty. Alongside hi tech hubs of innovation, many Africans are crowded in shanty towns without power or running water; level of poverty that is an assault on human dignity.”

“Moreover, as the youngest and the fastest growing continent, Africa’s population in the coming decades will double to some 2 billion people, and many of them will be young, under 18. Now, on one end this could bring tremendous opportunities as these young Africans harness new technologies and ignite new growth and reforms. Economists will tell you that, countries, regions, continents

grow faster with younger populations. It’s a demographic age and advantage, but only if those young people are being trained. We need only to look at the Middle East and North Africa to see that large numbers of young people with no jobs and stifled voices, can fuel instability and disorder. I suggest to you, that the most urgent task facing Africa today and for decades ahead, is to create opportunity for this next generation (applause).” “…The recent development conference here in Addis, African leadership helped forge a new global compact for financing that fuels development and under the AU’s leadership, the voice of a united Africa will help shape the world’s next set of development goals. And you pursuing a vision of the future that you want for Africa.” “…I believe Africa’s progress will also depend on democracy. Because Africans like people everywhere deserve the dignity of being in control of their own lives (applause). We all know what the ingredients of real democracy are; include free and fair elections, but also freedom of speech and the press; freedom of assembly. These rights are universal, they are written into African constitutions (applause). The African charter on human and peoples’ rights declares that every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity inherent in a human being… I have to proclaim, democracy is not just formal elections (applause). When journalists are put behind bars for doing their jobs, or activists are threatened when government crack down on civil society, then you may have democracy in name but not in substance (applause). And I am convinced that nations cannot realize the full promise of independence, until they fully protect the rights of their people.”

‘Africa’s progress will also depend on security and peace, because an essential part of human dignity is being safe…In Angola, Mozambique, Liberia, Sierra Leonne, we’ve seen conflicts end and countries work to rebuild. But from Somalia, to Nigeria to Mali and Tunisia, terrorists continue to target innocent civilians. Many of these groups claim the banner of religion, but hundreds of millions of African Muslims know that Islam means peace. We must call groups like al Qaeda, ISIL, Al Shabaab, Boko Haram, we must call them what they are, murderers (applause).”

“In the face of threats, Africa and the African Union has shown leadership. Because of the AU force in Somalia, Al Shabaab controls less

territory and the Somali government is growing strong. In Central Africa, the AU led mission continues to degrade the Lord’s Resistance Army. In the Lake Chad basin, forces from several nations with the backing of the AU are fighting to end Boko Haram senseless brutality.

And today we salute all those who serve to protect the innocent, including so many brave African peacekeepers. As Africa stands against terror and conflict, I want you to know the United States stands with you. With training and support we are helping African forces grow stronger. The United States is supporting AU’s efforts to strengthen peacekeeping, and we are working with countries in the region to deal with emerging crises, with African peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership. The world must do more to help as well.”

“Our fights against terror groups for example will never be won if we fail to address legitimate grievances that terrorists may try to exploit. If we don’t build trust with all communities, if we don’t uphold the rule of law; there’s a saying and I believe its true, if we sacrifice liberty in the name of security, we risk losing both (applause).

The same serious and purpose is needed to end the conflicts.”

“In Central African Republic, the spirit of dialogue recently shown by ordinary citizens must be matched by leaders, committed to inclusive elections and a peaceful transition. In Mali, the conference of peace agreement must be fulfilled. And leaders in Sudan must know their nations will never truly thrive as long as they wage war against their own people. The world will not forget about Darfur. In South Sudan, the joy of independence is descended into the spiral of violence. I was there at the United Nations, when we held up South Sudan as the promise of a new beginning…”

“And finally Africa’s progress will depend on upholding the human rights of all people, for if each of us it to be treated with dignity, each of us must be sure to also extend that same dignity to others.”

“The single best indicator of whether a nation will succeed is how it treats its women (applause). When women have healthcare and women have education, families are stronger, communities are more prosperous, children do better in school, nations are more prosperous (applause)…If you want your country to grow and succeed, you have to empower women and if you want to empower more women, America will be your partner.”

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next half? So, transitioning to full democracy is the other principle. Any process, any type of election that can help us to transition to full democracy, but if we can get full democracy, that’s well and good, if we cannot make full democracy we have to move forward so that next time we can enjoy the full democracy. So based on these two principles we will make programs and implement Vision 2016.

A Hopeful President

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omali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud says the country is making a comeback. In a Q&A session, he speaks candidly about how far Somalia has come, the political situation, the country’s capability to hold national elections in 2016 and the state of the economy.

Q: 2015 is significant for Somalia because the country is looking to open a new page in 2016.

Share with us your thoughts about the progress the country has made to date.

A: I must say the difficult area in Somalia was politics. How politics can progress in Somalia. Civil war ended long time ago.

The insecurity due to anarchy has already subsided. We have one security issue, which is fighting against Al Shabaab. It was the decision of the government to establish interim administrations while on the other hand building a legal framework for the federation.

The interim administration has emerged; the Somali government has facilitated bringing people together, making reconciliation happen and opening the dialogue space for discussing formation of the administrations. I am very glad most of the country now has politicians, leaders that are not national, leaders that are sub-national entity of the state. The remaining ones are getting shape, so that was a very difficult process, very time consuming, but the Somali people and the government have learnt from that process. Today we have established interim administrations and others are being established.

Q: What progress have you made on the constitutional review process and the constitution of the Independent Electoral Review Commission?

A: Vision 2016, which is the end of the term of this current government, has three tracks. One is the review of the constitution, Two, is the formation of boundaries and federation commission which will determine the boundaries of the regional states and the democratization which is the electoral system, followed by other legislation like the Political Party Law, Electoral Management System 20

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and others. Already the laws establishing the commissions have been passed by parliament, the cabinet has selected commissioners, now it is parliament to endorse the commissioners. The Constitution Review Commission has already been passed and it is already functioning. But the Boundaries and Federation Commission and the Electoral Commission will be passed in the next few weeks. The Constitution Review Commission is already working; the parliament oversight committee has handed over four chapters of the constitution to the Constitution Review Commission to do their work. So, the Constitution Review Commission, the parliament oversight committee and the Ministry of Constitution are working together to deliver the permanent Constitution of Somalia.

Q: Would you say Somalia will definitely hold elections come 2016?

A: This is a tricky question. It all depends on the definition of elections we have in our mind. I will not rule out but I will say, it might be difficult for Somalia to have one person, one vote, and ballot boxes all over the country that might be difficult. But, in Vision 2016 we set two principles and we are going to develop policies and procedures and programs on the basis of these principles. One is, we have a parliament right now, and this parliament is based on the nomination of 135 elders from all Somali clans and sub clans. That is the basis of legitimacy of our parliament right now, because the legislators have not been elected through universal suffrage. This parliament assumes the responsibility of any normal parliament and it is functioning. Now, what we are saying is that in the next parliament, can we enhance the legitimacy, can we make more citizens participate in the parliamentary elections, to allow it much broader legitimacy than the current one. That’s one principle, enhancing the legitimacy of the current parliament. The other principle is, if Somalia today cannot reach full democracy, can we transition to full democracy?

There is space in between, from where we are right now, to full democracy. So can we jump half the way and then the next time we jump the

Q: I know that you are experiencing challenges with the state formations. How are you handling the challenges arising from the federalization process?

A: It is not easy; there are a lot of challenges. One of the challenges is, our people have been in conflict for a long time. Our institutional memory for a functioning State institution is very limited. Those who can remember 25 years ago or who were running institutions 25 years ago have retired. Young people manage most of our institutions with no experience in running state institutions.

We have been in conflict for a long time so we are carrying the baggage of the past. We have a lot of scars. This is the kind of environment we are operating in. But, so far, so good, we are moving in the right direction. One of the tools that we are using is the recently established forum for national leaders, which I chair with interim administration Presidents.

We discuss about the national issues, cross cutting issues that affect all member states at the national level. Once the interim administration parliaments are formed, we are going to establish similar platforms for the speakers, led and chaired by the Speaker of the Federal Parliament. The Prime Minister has worked with extensively on linking the federal ministries their counterparts in the regional states. The Minister of Health working with the ministers of health of the federal units.

Same for Sports, Finance, Security, so we have established a set of networks to deliberate on national issues and build relationship between the Centre and the periphery, so that we can harmoniously move forward.

Q: In general, what challenges are you facing in the pursuit of Vision 2016?

A: The challenges are too many and the list is endless. Recently, I had a side meeting with the Heads of State of the Troop Contributing Countries in Johannesburg, South Africa. The subject of our discussion was mainly AMISOM, and how it can best support Somali government in a timeframe that is acceptable for the political progress to happen on the ground. The Heads of State of the Troop Contributing Countries agreed with me on the necessity of AMISOM troops to do certain things. The main aim was to accelerate the pace of liberation. This is because soon the interim administrations will go down with the federal governments to establish the local administrations at the district level. So, those remaining districts have to be liberated. Number two; accessibility of these states, they have to be accessible and reachable by both humanitarian, Somali Government, Civil Society, International Community because a lot of movement is involved in the implementation of Vision 2016. The third is the issue of management of the Forces, improving

Command and Control and relationships in the sectors, which is purely military. I think they got the point and all of them were very positive.

They appreciate the efforts of the Somali Government in trying to build a political base for the future of Somalia.

These are the main challenges. On top of that, we need a very large number of people to be involved in the implementation of the electoral system. With this difficult environment, mobilizing a large number of people to do the work is in itself challenging.

The other is the issue of resources.

Implementation of Vision 2016 needs a lot of resources, a lot of knowhow. So all these are just some of the challenges that exist, including putting in place the remaining legal framework. As Somalia, we have our part to do, and our international partners have also theirs to do. Finalizing the legal environment is the responsibility of Somali government and parliament, mobilizing society and making them understand what’s coming next is the responsibility of the Somali government.

Providing a secure environment is another responsibility of the Somali government, but in terms of technical knowhow, support for technical knowhow, support for funding and support for security, all these have some international responsibility. The challenges are many but these are the key ones.

There are a number of challenges affecting the Somali economy, particularly at the lowest level. The international pressure on remittances is one of them because Somalia receives more than $1.5billion in remittances per year. The flow of remittances has been restricted and that is proving to be an economic challenge to the country.

The scarcity of a currency, the Somali shilling, is a problem. This has made our economy dollarized and this is putting some restraints on the economy. Lack of infrastructure is another one, because movement of goods to different sections, accessibility to farming areas, accessibility to major markets, accessibility to export areas, these are restrictions for economic improvement in Somalia. But even with all these difficulties in place, the economy is improving. Last year alone, Somalia exported 5 million heads of livestock; the largest in recent times and it is one of the largest exporters of livestock, hides and skin, marine etc. So the country is gradually coming back despite all the challenges.

Q: What must Somalia do to clear the $5 billion debt and qualify for an economic stimulus programme?

A: There are international procedures in arrears clearance. The issue of clearing the arrears itself is not difficult but what is difficult is how to make the country eligible to undergo that process. Our challenge is how to make Somalia fit in that category of arrears clearance. The challenge in Somalia is building institutions, putting in place necessary frameworks, improving transparency, the accountability of the institutions and putting the correct systems in place. Now the challenge is bringing back systems to a country that has been without systems for a long time. We are improving and the international community is witnessing this and certifying Somalia’s progress even though we have not reached the final destination.

Q: Let’s turn to the economy; how is it performing?

A: The economy of Somalia has been an informal economy for a long time. Economic institutions have been weak and this is the time we are re-establishing those institutions. We have serious public finance reform ongoing in the country. The banking system, everything else is improving. For the first time in 25 years, 2014 was the first time IMF produced an economic performance report on Somalia, in terms of balance of payments and how the economy is picking up. The indicators were not bad, they were very encouraging; Somalia is making a lot of exports, agricultural products Q: What is your message to world, especially for export. In order for Somalia to have access to to those who think Somalia has no hope of redeeming its image? facilities for economic development, Somalia is A: The message is Somalia is a very rich working with the International Monetary Fund country, in terms of all indicators. And there for arrears clearance. There is almost $5 billion of arrears that Somali owes its donors. Unless is a lot of opportunity. Every sector here in we clear those arrears, Somalia cannot access international financing from institutions. We are working with the Somalia Factfile International Monetary  Estimated population is 10 million Fund to address this  A third of the population need food aid issue. Somalia has now closed the assessment  GDP: $5.7 billion chapter and we have  External debt is at 93% of GDP moved forward to  Remittances account for one-fifth of the GDP the monitoring stage  Country’s 2015 budget was $239.9m – IMF now. IMF has already published on its website a report on Somalia. That report shows the progress we have made in the economic sector, reforms sector and the challenges we are facing.

Notable Facts  Somalia has more money transfer firms than banks  The economy is highly dollarised  Big exporter of livestock to the Middle East  The third largest exporter of bananas in Africa

Somalia is an opportunity. With federalism, the country is becoming more market oriented.

This country is full of resources and what we are trying to convince investors is that first come first serve. Those who come at this difficult time will have privileges and preferential treatment compared to those who will come when Somalia is stable. There are a lot of people who plan to come in the tourist, mining, marine industry, in the service industry. A lot of private hospitals, private universities, and schools are mushrooming here in Somalia. In the meantime we are building a regime that supports investment e.g. the Investment Law, Somali Petroleum and Minerals Law, you name it, we are building the necessary regimes for attracting investment. So we are building our public finance on one hand and building the legal framework for investment, we are securing the land and every other day, opportunities available in Somalia are becoming more and more clearer and attractive to investors. There are a set of international conferences for investment in Somalia which we are planning this year. We may have two conferences within the year. There is very good dialogue between Somalia and potential investors.

Q: Your parting shot A: Somalia is now 55 years old, but practically and literary we can say we are 30 years old because the past 25 years was not good for the country’s independence. My message to my people and to the world is that we are engaged and vigorously working to bring back the Somali people back to Somalia to rebuild this country. We believe that it is the Somalis themselves who can rebuild this country. The world can play a supportive role, which they have played. I am very glad that the international community as a whole has played a major role here in Somalia. Of course millions of people have been saved because of international support and intervention and up till now the international community is still here to support Somalia. But that is their role, supportive role, and the real role of rebuilding this country, lies on the shoulders of Somalis.

I would like to tell my fellow countrymen and women, those who are outside Somalia, to come back and work here. Yes the environment is difficult, there are a lot of challenges on the ground, but even then, this is the only country that we have. Those who are inside Somalia including the politicians, I say we don’t have the leisure to play around, we need to focus on priority areas, priority legislations, priority projects and programmes that would bring back Somalia. We should not waste our time with issues and cultures and practices that we have used in the past 25 years and that has put Somalia where it is today. We need to be very tolerant, we need to be very hard working, we need to be very open to dialogue and we need to be forgiving. Only then can we build the Somalia we dream about.

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The Diaspora Factor Somalis in Sweden discuss the Citizenship Bill

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n the month of August, the Federal Government of Somalia embarked on consultations with Somalis living in Europe over the draft Citizenship Bill that will soon become law.

The objectives of the diaspora engagements being spearheaded by the Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs and facilitated by AMISOM, is to share and explain the contents of the proposed new law to Somalis living outside the

country and receive feedback. The bill addresses issues regarding dual citizenship among others.

In Malmo and Stockholm, a delegation from the Federal Government of Somalia, led by the Federal Minister of State, Interior and Federalism Mr. Abdirashid Xidig told the gatherings, that other than the diaspora, consultations will also be held back home, to gather views that will be incorporated in the proposed new law.

“We cannot go into elections without a citizenship law, without knowing who is a citizen, who is foreigner, what are the legal issues pertaining to their status and other important issues; for example, if a Somali citizen is married to a non-Somali citizen, what is the status of such individuals. So this is a very important law for Somalia,” said State Minister Xidig.

The diaspora community in Sweden welcomed the consultations, noting that there are key issues pertaining to citizenship that need to be addressed.

Abdulkadir Mohamed who lives in Malmo city had some important questions he needed answers for. “There are people, Somalis, original Somalis who live abroad and they want to be able to live in their country Somalia. Are they citizens or not?, these questions must be clarified somehow,” he asked.

After the consultations, many who attended the discussions said their questions answered satisfactorily and their concerns addressed. Ayan Abdi noted, “Am very satisfied with this meeting. It’s the first of its kind. Some of the issues discussed included the definition of who is Somali by nationality. The issue has now been clarified.”

exist. Currently, nearly half the Somali population lives abroad in different countries. In that regard it is important to consult with them before we forward the bill to the Federal Parliament,” said the Minister.

A member of parliament for Feltham and Heston who attended the meeting as a friend of the Somalis, Seema Malhotra added her voice to the discussions. “The strong bond between

the Somali community abroad and those at home still remains. I see that in my constituency every day. This is about saying we know we need to rebuild the future and in doing that, we need the participation of Somalis at home and abroad to make that happen, to sustain the peace,” she said.

AMISOM is providing logistical and technical support to make these consultations happen.

Somalis in the UK scrutinize the proposed new law

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fter Sweden, London in the United Kingdom was the next stop in the first leg of the diaspora consultations.

Speaking at a meeting with Somalis living in the United Kingdom, in Southall, Middlesex, the Federal Minister of State, Interior and Federalism Mr. Abdirashid Xidig emphasized the importance of receiving views from the vast numbers of Somalis living in the diaspora.

“This law is very important in the current situation, because the country is going into elections. The last general election was held in 1960, since then a lot has changed. In 1960, we did not have the Somali diaspora; that term did not 22

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Meet and Greet O

n August 6th 2015, the AU Special Representative for Somalia and Head of AMISOM Ambassador Maman Sidikou had an informal ‘meet-and-greet’ session with editors and journalists based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The pressures of his office notwithstanding, Ambassador Sidikou interacted with over 30 journalists, over breakfast. For the journalists, the get together gave them an opportunity to get insights about the African Union Mission in Somalia and the war against terror.

For Ambassador Sidikou, it was an opportunity to get to know the journalists better, listen to their perspectives on Somalia and answer some of their pressing questions about terrorism, the military operations and the reconstruction efforts in the horn of Africa country.

He told the journalists in part, “…I have read reports that many of you have written about Somalia and the activities being undertaken by AMISOM and I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you in person and interact with you. I am privileged to be part of this journey, aimed at restoring peace and stability in Somalia. I am eager to hear what your views are, about the work we are doing to secure and rebuild the country. It is a challenging task but we are making steady progress. As I speak to you, Somalia is on the verge of opening a completely new chapter. Normalcy has returned to many places, and the security, political and economic landscape has greatly improved.”

And he assured them, “Those of you who haven’t been to Somalia may have a completely different perspective of the country, owing to media reports. I assure you that the country is not as dangerous as many say it is.”

At the end of extremely engaging discussions with the journalists, Ambassador Sidikou honoured requests for Oneon-One interviews with several local and international media outlets.

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AMANI AFRICA II:

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Africa’s Standby Force

n the first week of July, AMANI AFRICA II, which means ‘Peace In Africa’ in the swahili language, went a notch higher in its plans to launch an African Standby Force (ASF).

The core planning team of ASF convened a rare three day meeting between some of the biggest minds in the media industry in Africa, the African Union and United Nations officials, military commanders and strategic communications practitioners.

The aim of the meeting held in Pretoria, South Africa from 6-8 July 2015, was to discuss and debate the role of the media and the effectiveness of strategic communications in building capacities for the African Standby Force.

At the meeting, the media was discussed in the context of an upcoming military exercise by the Standby Force that will be held later in the year, in South Africa.

Convenors acknowledged that the media is a double edged sword, that can either deepen rifts, or bring about positive change, in societies experiencing conflict or political upheavals. Harnessing the power of the media was seen as a key priority for the African Standby Force as it would be, for any other international peacekeeping or peace enforcement intervention.

The ASF will consist of standby arrangements within the continent’s five sub-regions, consisting of military, police and civilian components, who will be on standby in their countries of origin and ready for swift deployment.

The training exercise will evaluate the readiness of the Standby Force and it’s ability to respond to ensuing conflicts.

With the conclusion of the military exercise expected in November 2015, the Standby Force will have reached full compliance, with an operational capacity that would allow for rapid intervention during conflict situations, and, unhampered by political and instrumental burdens.

The Pretoria discussions were hinged on new notions of state sovereignty and human security, with thought provoking scenarios on how the media can embrace conflict sensitive reporting. For example, the need for media to release information necessary to create a better understanding

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and; how the media gives opportunity for conflicts to fester, making solutions harder.

Burundi which is currently in the eye of a storm due to disputed presidential term limits provided fodder for discussion. The meeting also examined African leadership and interrogated why they can sometimes provide cosmetic solutions to the continent’s political challenges instead of addressing underlying problems.

The difficulty of responding rapidly to changing circumstances with limited resources was raised by many participants, including the Director of Information and Communication at the African Union Commission, Mrs. Habiba El Mejri Scheikh. She challenged the

participants to suggest and develop means to overcome this.

Speakers at the meeting were high level officials who offered an overview of the African Peace and Security Architecture, and of the African Standby Force.

They included the Senior Political Officer at the African Union Commission Simon Badza, the Communications Officer at the AU Peace and Security Department Lulit Kebede, Col. Mamadou Mbaye, from the AMANI AFRICA II Core Planning Team and, the Chief of Information Support Management Section (ISMS), at the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA), Ms. Anne Mugisha Bwomezi.

Ms. Bwomezi was invited to the Pretoria meeting to showcase what has demonstrably been a successful model of strategic communications and media relations capability implemented in Somalia, known as the Information Support Team (IST). The Information Support Team is a United Nations contracted capability that provides comprehensive communications support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Ms. Bwomezi’s presentation provided an important perspective on how the African Standby Force could effectively and efficiently deploy strategic communications capacity to key missions and areas of activity.

With at least eight years of experience in Somalia, the IST has encountered and dealt with a number of new challenges faced by media and communications practitioners in the 21st Century conflict. This, in the wake of unpredictable and changing security challenges which continually restrict freedom of movement and access, and the rapidly changing media consumption patterns.

In a well articulated presentation to the meeting, Ms. Bwomezi also spoke about deliberate attacks by militants on telecommunications infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt operations and hamper distribution of key messaging through such platforms.

The risks and opportunities associated with social media were raised by a number of participants, including as a cost-effective way to communicate with a pan-African audience. The example of Somalia, where terrorists use social media adeptly to spread misinformation and fear was highlighted by a number of participants, as was the work of the IST in combating these messages with humanising and positive social media and traditional media efforts.

As Ms Bwomezi told a breakout session on strategic communications during military operations, “organisations don’t tweet – people tweet.” She called for multilateral agencies like the United Nations and the African Union to relax some of their control when it came to the use of social media by staff.

Inspire Somalia

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fricans must surely wonder what they can do to help the Somalis recover their country from desperation.

Here’s an idea for you, one that is working.

Somalia is well on the way to recovery.

Slowly but surely, the country is stabilising.

There is a huge need in this onceprosperous country for new businesses.

As a people, Somalis are natural business people, hard working and entrepreneurial.

In the recovering Somalia, there is a lack of funds, as in most places in Africa, for budding entrepreneurs.

For a dose of optimism, a local TV station aired a television series called Inspire Somalia, produced on a limited budget.

It runs along the lines of the UK program Dragon’s Den in which contestants pitch ideas to business leaders to raise capital. In the UK it is serious capital; in Somalia $1,000 is awarded on each of six shows for the best potential entrepreneur.

Three competitors per show, four judges. One winner each show. With the $1,000 prize per show comes mentoring for the winner.

Here’s the thing: the show was a runaway success in Somalia, yet filming all six episodes cost only $130k. Compared to the cost of advertising in newspapers, television or magazines, that’s for nothing.

For that invested amount, viewers get six 45-minute shows, new talent in Somalia is discovered, and new business is highlighted. Most importantly, the show actually does something for Somalia instead of bemoaning the fate of the Horn of Africa nation.

The first two episodes broadcast snapped up 80,000 YouTube views. The Facebook page grew by over 1,000 a week.

One of the production staff was tickled pink to hear two people arguing on a bus in Mogadishu about who was the best judge in the show. It was a talking point, people loved it.

One of the four judges is Mohamed Mahamoud Sheik Ali, aged only 27. His story is a fascinating one.

He was born in Rome, because, he says, his father was an airline pilot for Somalia Airlines, which 27 years ago was one of the biggest and most successful airlines in Africa. His mother used her free tickets to go to Rome to have her babies. He did his BA in Business Administration in Malaysia, then an MBA, then worked in Tanzania and Dubai.

“When I came home to Mogadishu on holiday, my father told me he was going to

A screen shot of the Inspire Somalia show

Nairobi to take clothes to be dry cleaned.

All the way to Nairobi? An hour’s flight? I asked why, and he said that was the nearest dry cleaner. At the time, able Somalis took their clothes to Nairobi to be dry-cleaned.

“I decided then and there to open a dry cleaning business,” he says.

That was August 2011, while he was on a two-week holiday to visit his parents in Mogadishu. He resigned from his job on air operations for private jets in Dubai, started building ‘Premier Dry Cleaners’ in February 2012 in Mogadishu, and opened doors on June 8 (his birthday) to great fanfare. He has not looked back since. To date he operated the only commercial dry cleaner in town.

“Running the business is not so difficult. Building the place and getting materials was very difficult. I had to import machinery and everything from Dubai, hangers even for the clothes. Now it is easy,” he says, with a big smile. He has since opened other businesses as well; a florist and a nursery.

“They’re not doing so well,” he says, “Somalis don’t want to spend money on flowers or plants,” he adds. But business was “really good” over Valentine’s Day, and over Ramadan, and he is now selling special flowers, chemically treated to last a whole year.

So what motivated him to start a florist business in Somalia? He says he started the business because he saw the President entertain foreign presidents in a room that had been decorated with plastic flowers.

This made him angry. Somalia was better than shiny plastic flowers he thought, and so he decided to do something about it.

His nursery in downtown Mogadishu is little more than a small house with a garden, but from it he runs a good business. He is building a “mega-nursery” where people can go to have coffee, a meal, read newspapers and have their children entertained on swings.

On Inspire Somalia judges awarded prizes to a young man who wanted to be a bee-keeper, to a shoes, belts and bags maker, a would-be real estate agent, a baker, chicken farmer, fertilizer seller.

Beekeeper Abdigani Husein Adun says he will use his prize money to fly to Ethiopia to learn about the honey business there, because they are good at it. He currently produces about 50 liters of honey every three months but wants to do much more than that.

The guy who wants to start a real Estate business, Faisal Ahmed, wants to rent houses to people as property in Mogadishu is now “more expensive than in Manhattan” according to his estimates.

Frankly, all these budding entrepreneurs are themselves inspiring, each one with a story and a business plan.

These aspirational stories should inspire more people with what is happening in Somalia, where the country is being taken back from terror groups like Al-Shabaab.

It is a magnificent effort. All Africa should be proud of it. Seven African countries are contributing troops and police to get Somalia safe again.

New research shows 74 percent of Somalis now feel safe in Somalia. The country is well on the way to stability, business confidence in returning, new diplomatic ties are being forged, and embassies are opening up from the EU and Italy to Turkey and several African countries.

Of course capital is cowardly and money is scared as everyone knows, but some decent capital is entering the country – in April, MasterCard came in for the first time when a second international bank opened doors in Mogadishu.

Somalia is not a small country, it is the size of Texas in the USA, and so it is not easy to stabilize.

When readers and viewers are constantly told how friendly forces are victorious in the fighting against AlShabaab, the audience does not recall who is winning. People just remember “there is fighting in Somalia,” the message is still fighting and war.

Inspire Somalia is different. It is inspiring. It is about winning in life, the big battlefield. It is practical. It is in Somali, but you can get the flavor even if you don’t speak the language.

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Focus onPolicing

Vetting, Absorbing & Training Somali police

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n July, the Somali Police Force (SPF) embarked on a new phase of vetting and recruitment exercise of police officers. The recruitment aimed at absorbing into the police force at least 200 policemen and women, is expected to boost the numbers of the existing force to a level where police-civilian ratio is manageable.

The police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), who is helping in the vetting exercise, will train the recruits into professional and efficient officers, responsive to the needs of the public. “Today is very important to us as a support unit in AMISOM as the reform and restructuring department because we are vetting 200 Somali police officers who are already in training but we want to ascertain and affirm that they are actually ready to be police officers. We are targeting 40 police officers for today and the exercise is really elaborate and very effective to meet with international standards because these are the new breed of police officers who are going to take over the reins

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of policing in Somalia,� said Chief Superintendent of Police, Theophilus Ssenesi from Sierra Leone.

At least 40 recruits who emerged successful joined General Kaahiye Police Academy based in Mogadishu, for a six months course.

Policing in newly liberated areas

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n mid August, 138 station commanders from the Somali Police Force underwent a refresher course prepared jointly by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the United Nations. After the short course, the officers were deployed to districts recently liberated from the Al Shabaab.

Somali Federal Minister of State for Internal Security Da’ud Abdikarim Omar said expectations were high in the recovered areas thus the need to maintain law and order.

“The people in those areas were subjected to severe cruelty and pressure from Al Shabaab. The Somali people in those districts need help. The most important support is to maintain peace and security in those areas,” he said Omar.

Separately in August, a different group underwent a two-week course at the General Kahiye Police Academy in Mogadishu. The 150 police officers will be deployed in Mahas, Tiyeeglow and Kurtunwarey among others.

The two week training was launched by the Minister of Internal Security Abdirisak Omar Mohamed who emphasized the importance of discipline and education in the police force in regards to service delivery.

“The community will work and collaborate with you when you behave in a good manner, respect and show that you are one

of them. When you do that, they will work with you,” stressed the minister.

The training was conducted by the AMISOM Police component.

Capacity building for ISWA Police

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MISOM Police Chief Anand Pillay promised to boost capacity of police in the South West region by training 600 Somali police officers in phases.

Pillay made the commitment during a visit to Baidoa, where he met with the Bay Regional Police Commissioner Colonel Mahad Abdirahman and the Minister for Disarmament and Rehabilitation of Militias, Hassan Hussein Mohamed.

Pillay further said the current recruitment exercise will absorb at least 200 new police officers, whom he added would boost the capacity of the police serving in the south west region as well.

The new Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Alalo was introduced to the Bay Regional team. She expressed satisfaction with the on going partnerships and emphasized on the need to further assistance to the local police, especially in training.

“We thank the regional government for allowing AMISOM to be here to help in peacebuilding and reconstruction. We are here to follow up on some of the support we thought we would be giving to Somali Police Force especially in terms of training. We have been vetting and we really want to train about 200 new recruits. We train SPF specifically to ensure that there is law enforcement, there is investigation of cases and specifically to prevent crime and that is the basics of police work,” said

Alalo.

She added to say that AMISOM Police foray into newly recovered areas and set up police posts.

The Bay Regional Police Commissioner Col. Mahad Abdirahman suggested that police posts be established in Tiyeeglow, Rabdhuure, Huddur and Kurtunwaarey.

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Visiting Minneapolis Police Chief shares policing tips

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inneapolis Metro Transit Police Chief Mr. John Harrington visited Somalia to learn and share policing experiences with the Somali Police Force (SPF) and the police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Harrington held a meeting with the AMISOM Police Commissioner Anand Pillay at the AMISOM Police Headquarters, where the two discussed how they can use their unique experiences to address common service delivery and insecurity challenges between Minneapolis and Mogadishu.

Speaking to the media after a meeting with Pillay, Harrington said he hoped his visit to Somalia would result in closer ties between the two countries. The visiting Police Chief noted that shared experiences was important in understanding how to manage complex situations, especially now that intelligence reports show increasing cases of young Somalis in America and other countries trying to join terrorist organizations.

Minneapolis which is the largest city in the state of Minnesota, is inhabited by the biggest Somali community in the United States of America.

“I was encouraged to make the visit to Mogadishu and Somalia to get a better understanding of the community and meet with the local police to discuss community policing and how we approach policing in the twin cities and hopefully I can learn

from their experiences here how I can best police my community and hopefully I can provide some insights on what has worked for us,” said Harrington.

AMISOM Police Commissioner said, “He also wanted to know what we are doing in terms of our mandate which is basically institutional as well as the individual capacity development as well as providing operational support to Somali Police Force. We touched on efforts that would help us establish policing in Somalia. Our training activities, mentoring as well as support we provide in assisting Somali police build confidence.”

Sierra Leonean Police Officers Exit Somalia

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ierra Leonean police officers departed Somalia at the end of July after two years of service and almost a year after their military colleagues left the country. A ceremony to bid them farewell was held in Mogadishu and presided over

by AMISOM Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Alalo.

The Deputy Police Commissioner who represented the Head of Mission commended the officers for the resilience during their 24 months of tour of duty in Somalia.

“The work that you undertook has greatly impacted on this country.

The vast impact may not be evident today but your contribution to the recovery of this country will not be forgotten. Tackling key issues such observing the rights of suspects and conducting trainings on how they should be interrogated are some of the key roles you performed,” said the Deputy Police Chief.

The Sierra Leone Police Commander Superintendent Senesse Theophillus said, “We have offered our best to our 28

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brothers in the Somali Police Force. It was great to be here and we will cherish the experience acquired while serving under AMISOM mandate. I wish this country well. I also thank AMISOM commanders for their continued support throughout our time in this mission” said the commander.

AU Special Representative bids farewell to Ugandan Police

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n August 1st, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia (SRCC), Ambassador Maman Sidikou in August, presided over a medal awards ceremony for 138 police officers from the Ugandan Formed Police Unit who had concluded a one-year tour of duty in Somalia.

During their tour of duty in Somalia, the police supported and mentored the Somali Police Force to enforce the basic rule of law principles including community policing, counter-terrorism and public order management using non-combat defence tactics. Other principles included provision of security and explosives disposal.

Ambassador Sidikou, said he was impressed by the level of professionalism exhibited by the police officers. “It is at a ceremony such as this, that I personally feel especially proud and honoured to be part of the mission. It’s a moment when one would say to you without hesitation that you have demonstrated through your work, exemplary discipline mentioned earlier, bravery, dignity, mentorship, teamwork and compassion.”

Sidikou added that it was rewarding to see the officers excel on duty without infringing on the values of the Somali people, the African Union and Uganda.

The outgoing contingent commander, Senior Superintendent of Police Samuel Bamuzibire said, “We registered a lot of achievements but here to mention a few. We recovered military hardware, SMGs, pistols, bombs, grenades, PKs and ammunition.

Military uniforms and SNA wares were recovered during our cordon and search operations. Others recoveries included radio

communication equipment, motor vehicles, motorcycles, mobile phones, counterfeit Somali money, and forged tax receipts. Many suspects and terrorists were netted during the cordon and search exercise and all these people were handed over to NISA for further management.”

AMISOM Police Commissioner Anand Pillay thanked the police officers. He “At times I have called on members to perform duties out of their line and functions and they did not hesitate to perform. I will give an example of the doctor and his team. We used them to do vetting and the selection process of the Somali Police. That was completely out of their line but they did not refuse to do so. Thank you for that.”

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Neighbourhood

‘Sheriff’

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t may be mind-boggling to think about keeping the city of Mogadishu safe from terrorists who lurk in every corner, waiting to hit their next target. But pressure is worse for those who routinely gather intelligence on Al-Shabaab and their sympathizers, many of whom blend with the rest of the city dwellers.

However, one man in Mogadishu is willing to be his brothers’ keeper.

Abdikani Mohamed Hadi is resolute on ridding the capital of terrorist cells, by working collaboratively with others to solve the challenges of insecurity.

Hadi works with the Benadir Regional Administration in Mogadishu and runs a community neighbourhood watch in several districts within the city. Under this programme, 10 houses are clustered together and placed under the watch of one person, who monitors all activities happening in these houses and reports back to the authorities.

“We have got different levels within the community neighbourhood system whereby it starts with the bottom line of 10 houses, a steering committee person is in charge of the 10 houses and every 15 houses comprise of a neighbourhood. Every area of over 200 houses becomes a sector and from every 4 sectors which is almost 800 to 1000 houses becomes a division and every 4 divisions become a suburb and every 4 suburbs becomes a district.”

As the director of the neighbourhood watch, Hadi’s work requires resilience and personal sacrifice. He is well aware, that the work, which gives him so much purpose, also poses a threat to his life.

In an incident at his home on 8th July 2015, Hadi survived an explosion after an improvised explosive device planted under his car

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detonated.

“My car was detonated with a bomb and exploded and luckily I had just parked like one hour and a half ago in that area and I went to my house and I stayed longer and that’s why maybe they were targeting and waiting for me and thank God it never happened and it never got me, but it doesn’t mean that we have to give up, that we have to be afraid and say that because it has happened we have become a target of explosions not even a gun bullet which is something bigger.”

It was not the first time he had been targeted by Al-Shabaab, but the threat to his life has not deterred him from his work.

“This makes us take more precaution, to say that now we are more targeted, then we must be conscious about it. But it doesn’t stop our work. We will do it as much as we can. We will enhance work we are doing because of our guts. We believe this is the only thing that can calm the whole of Mogadishu,” he maintains.

A trained pilot, Hadi worked in South Africa with a Non Governmental Organization before returning to Somalia in 2012. He formed the Banaadir Neighbourhood Watch in August 2014 and since it’s inception, the programme has redefined community policing in a city where Al- Shabaab cells still thrive and militants blend into the community, making it difficult for security agents to flush them out.

“We have seen tangible results come out which I cannot give to the media, but the security, information that is coming out of it is so tangible,” adds Hadi.

The Somali police and the military, with the help of partners do carry out impromptu cordon and search operations to flush out the militants from their hideouts, but often with mixed results.

However, what is proving more effective is the use of residents to gather useful intelligence information. Hadi says the programme has also promoted social cohesion among its beneficiaries and inculcated in them the spirit of giving. Neighbours often pull together resources to feed needy families in their locality or contribute money to pay fees for needy students.

“So that shows how sympathy is within the community and helping one another in terms of social issues, in terms of education level, how many children are going to school, how many children do not go to school. There was a report and parents were saying they could not afford to teach their children and pay their school fees and asking for help. We got involved and tried to help. So in other wards, it’s an issue that covers every part of life within the community, although majorly it plays a role in maintaining security.”

Although still not widely practiced, this model of community policing may be the answer to Somalia’s complex security challenges, of dealing with the ‘invisible’ enemy, living side by side with other Somalis both in the urban and rural settings.

Literary

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n 26th August, Somalia achieved another first. The capital city Mogadishu hosted the country’s first International Book Fair that saw people from all walks of life with fervour for literature, throng the seaside city.

Experienced and budding Somali writers, poets and artists from all over the world attended the three-day book fair to showcase their work. But it was also a fair aimed at turning Somalia into a writing haven and promoting the reading culture in a deeply oral country.

“We have brought together speakers, authors, writers, intellectuals and poets from all around the world. We have also tried to give a platform to home grown talent. So you have young writers, we have up and coming poets we have all kinds of talents that is kind of hidden away in the country. Even in this city, for example, there is a sixteen year-old boy who is here with us today who has written six books.

He has never left Mogadishu, has never had anyone to appreciate him, has never had platform like this one to say hey I am sixteen, my talent, my mind my ambition is far bigger than the number 16,” said the event organizer Mohamed Sheikh Ali Ahmed Diini.

Sixteen year-old Abukar Abdullahi Mohamed stole the show at the literary festival with his six books. Although in his teenage, he was described by organisers of the fair as a “literary maestro”. Born and raised in Mogadishu, Abukar has great ambitions. He wants to have a positive impact on his country through literature.

“I have written about six books. If I tell you the names of the books, the one I am holding is called Hor Umariya Noolasha (The development of life), Ceelkii Cilmiga

(The well of Knowledge), Caruurtaan Dayacan Cidee Baa u Maqan (Who are the lost children waiting for), Xulkii Xikmada (Collection of wisdom) and Tus Maal (Show wealth). I am now writing two books namely kasma Barahaaga (The knowledge of your teacher) and Dhalinyaro Dhulkooda Kahayaameeyso (Youth migrating from their country). The motivation for my writing is to challenge the notion that be raised in Somalia cannot write. The question I am being asked all the time is whether Abukar has been bred in the diaspora. I have never been out of the country and I was bred in the country and my aim is to promote the Somali language,” said a beaming Abukar.

Somali female author Sucdi Dahir Diriye has published her first book titled Waad Guuleeysan Kartaa (You can win or succeed). She says the journey to having her book published was marked with great trials, editing being the biggest challenge. The motivational book is now on the shelves of many school libraries and government institutions.

She said, “I am attending this event with my book Waad Guuleeysan Kartaa that I published this year. This is my first book but it will not be my last. It is a

book that talks about the lives of people especially the youngsters. I intended to encourage the young generation that are migrating from the country, having lost hope of securing education or future prospects. It is a book that can lead youngsters into achieving their goals and to understand the road to success, what obstacles they must encounter and tips on how to overcome them.”

Her sentiments mirror those of the organizer and founder of the book fair Mohamed Sheikh Ali Ahmed Diini who emphasizes the importance of the fair. “It is known to be a platform for everyone who loves the culture of reading, writing books and literature. We want to celebrate books. We want to celebrate literature.

We want celebrate reading. We want to celebrate knowledge. We want celebrate intellectual debates and discussions. We want to be able to bring up so many of our young brothers and sisters who have so much in their hearts and minds, who probably don’t have a place to come to.”

Attending the fair on its second day was Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud who said writing and reading was the surest way to preserve and learn the country. “We cannot progress if we don’t read the mistakes of Mohamed Siad Barre, Sayid Mohamed and mine,” said the President.

More than 30 writers converged on the festival, where three thousand books were on display. The event succeeded in connecting local writers with their counterparts from outside Somalia to promote exchange of ideas. The organizers say the Mogadishu International Book Fair will be an annual event, where Somalis and other book lovers can gather and celebrate books, culture and inspire many to embrace reading and writing.

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I Am My Father’s Son

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year-old Warrant Officer II Mohamed Amin is a soldier with the Somali National Army (SNA), who embodies the long enduring historical links between Uganda and Somalia.

Mohamed is Somali, although he undeniably has Ugandan roots. His father was Uganda’s former President Idi Amin Dada, and he has a striking resemblance to the man who ruled Uganda between 1970 and 1979. His 78-year-old mother, Khadija Aden Ibrahim Mohamed married Amin Dada in the early 1970s.

“When I was growing up, I did not know who my father was. But mum used to tell us that we belonged to the Idi Amin family.

She said that she married him, but he was no longer in power,” says Mohamed when asked about life with his father.

According to Mohamed, his father was never at home during his entire childhood.

In the absence of his father, Mohamed and his sister were brought up by his uncles, his mother’s siblings. “Mum has not told us much and as a child, there are boundaries of conversation that I cannot cross; but people always tell me that I look like my father,” Mohamed adds.

His striking resemblance to his late father has been a handicap in some places. “People always tell me – both Ugandans and Somalis – that I look like Ugandans. One day I went to Villa Somalia (the Presidential Palace) and soldiers asked me for my passport, but I was in the SNA uniform and I spoke Somali and they apologized,” he says.

So how did it happen that the former Ugandan leader married a Somali woman and bore children, but few outside Somalia know about it?

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Mohamed says his father was a close associate of the then Somali ruler Siad Barre. In the 1970s, Amin Dada regularly visited Somalia and was fond of the rustic settings of Beletweyne. He would often stay at the Lamagalaan (military camp) and enjoyed an occasional swim in River Shabelle.

It was during his sojourns there in 1971, that the senior Amin met Khadija and later consummated their relationship with a traditional Muslim wedding.

The senior Amin bore two children with Khadija. Fatuma, Mohamed’s elder sister who now lives in the United Kingdom, was born in 1972. Two years later, in 1974, Mohamed was born.

Although his sister lives abroad, she visits Somalia frequently to nurse their ailing mother, who now lives in the south central town of Baidoa; this, as Mohamed takes time out to serve his country in the military.

At his guard post at Mogadishu’s national stadium, Mohamed works alongside the AMISOM Ugandan contingent, as an interpreter. Since Al-Shabaab was driven out of Mogadishu, troops have occupied the stadium captured from the enemy in a fierce battle in 2009.

Once a symbol of Somalia’s dominance in continental sports, the stadium’s facilities including a gymnasium, swimming pools, basketball courts and soccer pitch, lie in ruin, covered with overgrown bushes.

Ironically, it is Mohamed’s father who helped construct the Mogadishu stadium where his son is currently stationed.

Mohamed’s interaction with the Ugandan troops is full of familiarity. After all, his father was Ugandan, although he grew up in Somalia and knew little about his father.

Mohamed’s pet topic with his Ugandan colleagues is his father. He knows Amin Dada was presided over a not so popular reign in Uganda that ended in a mutiny and

his overthrow from power in 1979.

But like the saying goes, blood is thicker than water and no one likes one of their own admonished irrespective of the kind of relationship they had. Yet Mohamed has no control over the unpalatable remarks that are often made about his father.

“When it comes to Somalia they praise him as a hero and a good African leader.

But many Tanzanians and Ugandans I have met feel differently about him. I don’t have a problem because I am me, and my father was who he was. He was human who could do bad and good. No one gets happy with the condemnation of their father but you have to be tolerant when something is said,” he says.

A father of eight children, Mohamed understands the importance of being a good role model. He is grateful to the friendly relationship he has inculcated with his Ugandan counterparts. “Ugandan soldiers respect me and I feel I belong with them.

One day my son was wounded by a stray bullet and they treated him at the AMISOM hospital,” he recalls.

Mohamed visited Uganda for the first time in 2008. He had travelled to the country for a non-commissioned officers’ training in Bihanga town, Western Uganda.

“I went there to see the land of my father.

I never disclosed to the people who I was. It is the land of my father and I longed to see it, but did not tell people I was Amin’s son,” he says.

His views about AMISOM are full is positivity. He is happy about AMISOM’s contribution to the progress in Somalia, to the restoration of effective rule of law after two decades of conflict. He explains, “We are what we are because of what AMISOM has done for us. I lost out on education because of the civil war. I would prefer democracy for Somalia. I don’t want this to happen to my children.”

His father died in exile in Saudi Arabia in August 2003. Mohamed recalls that his family mourned for a week following his father’s demise. He adds to say that when his father was still alive, his mother used to visit him in Saudi Arabia, but with time, her mother’s frequent travels to the Arab country ceased.

The memories he has of his father have been painted in his mind through the stories he was told by his mother. Mohamed says all the family photographs of his father got lost during the war.

His strongest link to his father now is his Ugandan family although he has never met them. But, he yearns to meet them but is hopeful that some day they will cross paths.

“If I had a good line and contacts with them, I would have talked to them. I need that window open for contacts. There is nothing pressing me to do so because I am happy to be a Somali. Both ways I will accept,” he says.

Preaching Peace Through Art

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ocated in Wadajir District in the capital Mogadishu, is a selfeffacing structure, an art studio housed inside the Centre for Research and Dialogue.

The garage space in the two-storey building is Aden Farah Aden’s haven, where his creative juices flow. He spends a lot of his time here, painting. He is a 46-year old Somali artist, whose passion for art has now taken an educative role, tackling issues in the society in which lives.

Aden Farah was painting and drawing cartoons for several newspapers in Mogadishu before the civil war broke out in 1991. But then, things changed fast, and being artsy became a taboo in Somalia, as the practice was perceived to be Western.

Faced with a choice between painting and drawing cartoons and saving his life, he decided to put his dream temporarily on hold and flee from the city. He retreated to his country farm in Afgoye, a rich agricultural town, about 30 kilometres in the southwest of Mogadishu.

Farah stayed in Afgoye until peace returned to Mogadishu, following the intervention of the African Union troops.

Today, he pursues his dream with zeal, and is happy to be in an environment where he is able to freely work and do what he loves to do – paint.

His owns a basic art studio, a few boards, tins of paint of different colors and few brushes. A couple of paintings hang on the wall but many more others are wrapped and piled in a corner. Each with a story to it and all of them bear a message about Somalia.

If you think paintings are professionally done, wait till he reveals what materials he uses to produce these highly attractive pieces of art. Due to its scarcity, Farah does not use conventional paint to draw his art, he uses normal paint used to paint houses, but the results of his work is outstanding.

One of the paintings on the wall of his studio is that of a woman struggling to free herself from someone who has a tight grip on her. Farah interprets the message behind this painting; “The women of Somalia have suffered immensely and rape is one of the tools that have been used against them. This shows their struggle for freedom, for peace,” he explains.

He tackles political issues through his paintings as well, and is very bold with his depiction of the political atmosphere in the country. In another painting, he has drawn a sheep with the skin of a wolf and a chicken around it.

“When the politicians come, they are meek and humble like the lamb in the painting. Once they earn our trust, they turn into wolves. The chicken symbolizes us, the public, we are always gullible, just as the chicken trusts the master that will eventually eat it”, explains Farah.

In yet another painting is a huge monster lying on the Somali flag. He explains what this vicious looking creature symbolizes. “Somalia is blessed with natural resources. These can build our country if used well but if we abuse them, they will consume our country just like that monster attacking the Somali national flag”, he says.

His paintings are a reflection of different aspects of life in Somalia, from the social to the political aspects. Through his paintings, he also honors Somalis who have contributed to peace in the country.

Some of his paintings deal with the tough issues, such as the suffering of the people as a result of the prolonged conflict. In another, he paints himself crying, a deeply personal story, relating to the war and destruction of his country due to inter clan fighting and terrorism. But this was before the AU troops and the government army drove away the Al-Shabaab militants from major towns and with stakeholders started arbitrating disagreements among clans.

“I left the city because of fighting. When I went to the countryside, I witnessed warring factions set vast gardens on fire.

I knew the farms had nothing to do with the war and the people burning them also needed their produce,” he says.

He is confident about the approach he has taken to tackle some of the societal issues and strongly believes he has a role to play in promoting peace through art.

For Farah, the quest for peace is an ongoing exercise. He appeals to his fellow countrymen to use whatever tools at their disposal to ensure Somalia enjoys lasting peace.

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World Cup

Qualifiers S

omalia’s national soccer team has began preparations for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.

The Ocean Stars are shifting their training camp to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, in preparation for their first qualifiers match against the Niger on October 9.

The winner in the two-leg match between Niger and Somalia, will advance to round two and face Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions.

The Somali Football Federation (SFF) has hired Ugandan soccer coaches Livingstone Mbabazi and James Magala to train the Ocean Stars.

James Magala, who is the assistant coach for the national team says the training in Ethiopia will provide the Somali national team with an opportunity to play a number of friendly matches with several Ethiopian clubs and the Ethiopian national team.

“There is no country willing to come here (Somalia). That’s why we want to go to Ethiopia to have international friendlies, so that they can get the experience before Niger. I think after those games, they will gain something before we go to the game,” says Magala.

The President of the Somali Football Federation (SFF) Abdiqani Said Arab hopes to woo foreign-based players of Somali descent playing in soccer leagues in the Netherlands, England, Germany, Turkey and Kuwait to join the national team.

Abdiqani believes that moving the training camp to Addis Ababa one month before the world cup qualifiers begin will enable players adapt to other weather conditions. He explains, “We have managed to arrange for the team to go to Ethiopia where they will stay for one month. This is to enable them adapt to the weather and the stadium and get motivated by playing in a place different from their home as other national teams do. They will stay for one month in Ethiopia and use the country’s facilities. The Ethiopians have accepted and we will face Niger god-willing, on October 9; and the return leg will be in Niamey on October 13.”

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The Captain of the Somalia national team Hassan Ali Roble “Babay” is confident that the team will perform well in its first qualifiers match. “We want to bring back something to make the people at home happy. If we win, it will be for us as Somalia. We will get a name, dignity and we need to beat Niger, Cameroon and make history,” he said.

The President of the Somali Football Federation Abdiqani Said Arab says this is not the first time Somalia is participating in the world cup qualifiers. “The last preparations we participated

in were for the Brazil World Cup qualifiers. We did not prepare adequately at the time because the country was not calm like it is today and we did not have a stadium like we have today,” he said.

Also this year, Somalia participated in the qualifying round for the Confederation of African Football’s Under-23 championships. Somalia’s home leg against Rwanda was played in neighbouring Djibouti. Although the match ended in 1:1 draw, Somalia was knocked out on the away goal rule, having lost the first leg in Kigali.

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