Weekly Press Conference on the Progress of the Somali Government

Parliament’s vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister

The Minister of Information begun by speaking on the parliament’s vote of no confidence: “ The Parliament on Saturday 6th December has ended political crisis that paralyzed the government for sometime by voting out the Prime Minister and his cabinet. Following a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister, the parliament voted and 153 MPs voted yes for the motion, and 80 MPs voted no, while 2 MPs abstained. H.E. Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, the Prime Minister accepted the decision of the parliament. Also the President of Somalia, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed the decision and praised the good work of the Prime Minister and his ministers during last year. Nick Kay, UN Special Envoy to Somalia welcomed the decision of the parliament and the UN Security Council issued statement on 10 December 2014 and stressed the importance of implementing vision 2016 plans.”

The progress of the New Terminal building at Mogadishu Airport

The Minister of Information spoke on the progress of the new terminal building at Mogadishu airport: “On 9th December 2014, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of Somalia visited the new terminal building at Mogadishu airport in order to assess the progress made so far. Deputy Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation and officials from Favori Company were also present during the President’s visit. Officials from Favori provided an update of the progress and stated that within two months the new terminal will be in service. The new terminal is modern and it is international standard. Somali President stated that he was pleased to see the hard work has been put on to the building of the new terminal and hoped that the new terminal will be very beneficial to citizens as it has modern facilities. The Federal Government of Somalia has been prioritizing the development of infrastructures of the country with a view to increase revenue collection and to provide services to the people.”

Germany’s Award to Elman Peace & Human Rights

The Minister of Information spoke on the award that was given to Elman: “The Director of Elman Peace & Human Rights, Ms Fartun Abdisalam Haji Aden was given an award by the Government of Germany for her courageous work on peace & Human Rights advocacy in Somalia. Officials of the Government of Germany attended the ceremony as well as MPs, politicians, civil society group including Doctors Association. Elman was a well known in Somalia for his peace & human rights activists, as he used to assist disadvantaged young people by providing vocational and mechanical training courses. Elman’s famous slogan to young people was “Take pen and throw away guns”. Fartun set up Elman Peace & Human Rights in order to continue the legacy of her late husband, Elman. The ceremony was presented films and photos to show the excellent work of Elman Peace & Human Rights. Asli Ahmed Mohamud, the Chairperson of Somali Diaspora in Germany spoke at the event and encouraged Fartun to continue her excellent work. The Chairperson of the SPD Kurt Party officially gave the Germany 2014 award to Fartun Abdisalam Haji Adan.”

The capacity building of Somali National Army (SNA)

The Minister of Information spoke on the capacity building of SNA: “H.E. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud, the Minister of Defense led a delegation that visited Tayeglow district on 8th December 2014. The aim of the visit was to officially close a 4 months long training of 400 soldiers in Tayeglow and to encourage soldiers to maintain a high level of professionalism. This training was part of the Ministry of Defense’s plan of integration to all militia groups into the SNA. These 400 well-trained soldiers will now be officially part of the SNA. The Minister praised them for their hard work and emphasized the importance of discipline and commitment in order to win the war against terrorists in Somalia. The Minister also stated that the Federal Government is committed to continue the war against terrorists and soldiers need to serve public. The Minister during his stay in Tayeglow district in Bakol region met with local authorities and traditional elders and he assured them that the Federal government will support them and soldiers in order to bring peace and stability in Somalia.”

Senior Al-Shabaab member’s arrest

The Minister of Information spoke on the arrest of senior Al-Shabaab member: “Security forces announced on 9th December in Mogadishu the hand-over of Hassan Hanafi Haji, a well known senior Al-Shabaab member who was responsible for the killing of Somali journalists. The Federal Government of Somalia requested Kenya government to hand-over Hassan Hanif Haji in order for him to face justice in Somalia, where he committed a number of killings. Somali security forces have helped the capture of Hassan Hanafi Haji who was hiding in Nairobi. Mohamed Yusuf Osman, the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Security said that Hassan Hanafi Haji is detained until his investigation is over, in which case he will appear to court. The spokesperson added that Hasan Hanafi Haji was responsible for the killing of a number of journalists including Mahad Ahmed Elmi, Sheikh Nur Mohamed Abkey, Said Tahlil, Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe and others. Somali journalists are demanding Hassan Hanafi to face justice in order to stop impunity in Somalia.”

The Importance of Human Rights

The Minister of Information spoke on the importance of human rights: “Hon Khadija Mohamed Dirie, the Minister for Women & Human Rights Development organized an event in Mogadishu to raise public awareness on the importance of human rights. The event was facilitated by the United Nations in celebration of the International Human Rights Day on 10 December. The Chief of Justice of Somalia also attended the event. The Minister highlighted the importance of human rights and presented plans and progress of what the Ministry has been doing to ensure human rights of every citizen. Hon Dirie stated that each country’s progress is dependent on how its citizens are free from any human rights violations. Somalia is now moving away from chaos, therefore, it is the best time to raise public awareness on human rights issues and how every citizen can take part the process.”

The building of staff capacity at the Ministry of finance

The Minister of Information spoke on the building of staff capacity at the Ministry of Finance: “H.E. Hussein Abdi Halane, the Minister of Finance of Somalia on 10 December 2014 attended the closing ceremony of a seminar on good governance to the staff of the ministry of finance. The aim of the seminar was to increase the staff’s ability to fulfill their crucial roles and responsibilities in a manner that is professional and accountable. H.E. Abdullahi Mohamed Nur, the State Minister of the Ministry of Finance was also present at the ceremony. The Minister of Finance stressed the importance of staff to improve their knowledge and skills in order to implement good governance, transparency and accountability of their work, which is necessary to building the confidence of the people. The minister also stated that the ministry plans to increase revenue collections, and to set a realistic and comprehensive budget for the nation which has elements of monitoring and evaluation in it.”

Somali Media Development

The Minister of Information finally spoke on the development of media: “I attended the Global Communications Expo in Abu Dhabi between 9th to 11th December 2014 organized by Hedayah Centre. I presented to the summit the progress that we are continually making in Somalia and in particular on ways that we are dealing with countering narratives of terrorists and how we are promoting peace and stability in Somalia. The aim of the conference was to devise strategies and plans to overcome challenges and to have better narratives to confront terrorist’ narratives. I also shared with them our plans to raise public awareness to our young people and programs that we run. Also other countries presented their plans and strategies such as the UK, US, Pakistan, UAE, Indonesia and other countries and organizations. The Federal Government is committed to helping young people to overcome all the challenges faces and to empower them so that they can make valuable contributions to the society.”