PRESS REVIEW Th January, 24 2018
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EUTM-S PIO – PRESS REVIEW th January, 24 2018 DAVOS: PM Khayre discusses debt relief with IMF Managing Director Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre met with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Tuesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. According to a press release distributed after their meeting, Lagarde and Prime Minister Khayre discussed the IMF’s support for Somalia, especially through two Staff- Monitored Programs and extensive technical assistance. Somalia is among the largest recipients of IMF technical assistance. "The underlying economic conditions in Somalia remain difficult, but the authorities are making strong efforts to rebuild their country. Somalia’s debt relief is a priority for the IMF and every effort is being made to accelerate the process within established procedures." Lagarde reiterated the Fund’s continued active engagement with Somalia, including to reach the point that enables it to receive debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative. She tweeted "I had a very constructive meeting with Somali PM Hassan Ali Khayre in Davos today. Somalia’s debt relief is a priority for the IMF and every effort is being made to accelerate the process within established procedures." Khayre also tweeted "We exchanged views on the way forward for our country's endeavor to get a debt rel ief." In May, the IMF reached an finalized agreement on its second staff-monitored programme with Somalia after discussions initiated at the London Conference on Somalia. Somalia's latest fiscal budget is in line with the financial reforms the government committed to when it entered into the agreement. Mohammed Elhage, who leads the IMF’s Somalia work, said the introduction of sales and corporate income taxes for telecommunications and the removal of income tax exemption for lawmakers are some of the stipulations of the programme. The IMF says Somalia’s external debt is about $5.2 billion and that Somalia has not made a service or amortization payment since the onset of the civil war more than 25 years ago. The IMF forecasts that the Somali economy will grow this year and in 2019 after severe drought and security issues cut growth in 2017. The fund said the economy was forecast to expand by 2.5 percent in 2018 and 3 percent in 2019, while inflation was seen falling to the range of 2.0 to 2.5 percent in the same period. They pegged Somalia's economic growth at 1.8 percent last year -- lower than its February 2017 forecast of 2.5 percent -- compared with 2.4 percent in 2016. https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2018/Jan/146395/davos_pm_khayre_discusses_debt_relief_with_imf_managing_director.as px Blast near Mogadishu kills 4, including child Four people have been killed and six others wounded in a remote- controlled improvised explosive device explosion near the Somali capital on Tuesday, officials and witnesses said. Three government soldiers and a seven-year-old-boy were killed after the explosion hit a military vehicle at K-13, a suburb near Mogadishu, witnesses said. District commissioner Kahda Mohamed Ismail Abdullahi told VOA Somali that the three soldiers were in the vehicle targeted in the explosion. “The child was about seven years old; he was bystander walking on the side of the road,” Abdullahi said. The injured include soldiers as well as civilians, he said. The explosion occurred just before 2 p.m. local time in one of the suburbs predominantly inhabited by internally displaced people along the Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor. Al-Shabab militants claimed responsibility for the explosion and said it killed an officer. Al-Shabab relies heavily on IEDs, including remote-controlled, magnetic, vehicle-borne and under-vehicle devices, to target government soldiers, African Union troops and civilians. https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2018/Jan/146397/blast_near_mogadishu_kills_4_including_child.aspx Federal and HirShabelle state justice ministries to sign judicial agreement A delegate led by the federal justice minister Advocate Hassan Hussein Haji today reached Jowhar, Hirshabelle State to sign an agreement on judicial system with his state counterpart. Speaking to the media on the purpose of their visit, permanent secretary in the federal justice ministry Dr. Ismail Jimale noted the long road taken to attain a countrywide justice system. “We came here to sign on a continuous agenda from 2016 on the general importance of the kind of judicial system we shall apply as Somali people for the near and far future. It’s a legal document that will require further amendments. We accepted to use a federal system unlike our past centralized one. We need to devolve justice to the grassroots” said Dr. Jima. The delegate was received by the state ministers including justice, interior and governor of Middle Shabelle among other local senior officials. http://goobjoog.com/english/federal-and-hirshabelle-state-justice-ministries-to-sign-judicial-agreement/ President Farmaajo places the ground breaking stone for port facility in Hobyo Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo today laid the foundation stone for the construction of a port facility in Hobyo, a historic coastal town in Galmudug State. President Farmaajo was accompanied in launching the project by Galmudug State leader Ahmed Gelle Haaf, top state and federal government officials who are escorting the federal president in his tour of the region. Later President Farmaajo addressed the local seaside residents who converged in large numbers to witness the historic visit of a Somali leader, first of its kind for nearly four decades. Earlier in the day he passed Adado town where he has also launched the construction of an airport and declared the town to be the seat of the State Assembly which has been acting as the interim state capital for more than 3 years. President Farmaajo is expected to wind his up his journey in the coming days following an official visit in Puntland and Galmudug States two weeks ago on a trip he code named the ‘reconciliation trip’. http://goobjoog.com/english/president-farmaajo-places-the-ground-breaking-stone-for-port-facility-in-hobyo/ El Barde local admin receives medical supply from area MPs The local administration of El Barde district, Bakool region lst week received a medical supply which was donated by the federal MPs hailing from the area. Local Commissioner Abdirisak Ibrahim Omar confirmed the health provision adding the federal MPs also interacted with the local people and listened to their demands after travelling to the area by flight. “This past week we had a delegate of MPs who were elected from our locations led by MP Gelle, former minister of posts & Telecommunication, flew into the town and brought a medical supply donation and proceed to Yeet and other locations and met with the local people to get first hand information on their needs which are prevalent in these areas and are still around with us” said Commissioner Omar. On the major issues that the residents proposed to the federal lawmakers were drinking water and health. “Water and health are two major things that our locals need. They also raised with the lawmakers of negligence on the area by their former counterparts and the MPs pledged to abate the situation by informing them to raise the matter wi th the federal government and humanitarian organizations” noted Omar. This is in sharp contrast to an investigation carried out by Goobjoog News in mid July 2017 which established that 91% of the lawmakers failed to appear in their respective constituencie s despite orders to do so as instructed by rules of procedure of both Houses. http://goobjoog.com/english/el-barde-local-admin-receives-medical-supply-from-area-mps/ The Media has ignored its role against fighting Alshabab says Djiboutian President The media has been accused of not actively playing its role by not depicting Alshabab as militant group according to Djibouti president Ismail Omar Gueleh. Briefing the Media, he noted the role the local Press has taken to neglect over what their counterparts in western countries have termed it as a terror group giving upper hand to Alshabab fighters by depicting them positively to circulate their photos when they are fully armed with impeccable military uniform while showing Somali government forces as ill- equipped. “One is shown photos of Alshabab being dressed in new uniforms while Somali government forces are lacking ammunitions for their guns. The media that we have among our midst must work in similarity with their western counterparts” said president Gueleh. President Gueleh pointed out the local media is not terming Alshabab fighters of what they are by calling spade a spade which he said prompts confusion and fear among the local people. “When the local media is reporting, they say Alshabab fighters and not the terrorist which indicate lagging behind on their role fighting against them triggering confusion and fear on the public” he added. De cember 2011 Djibouti military forces became the third country to join Amisom peace keeping forces in Somalia and are currently stationed in Beledwene town, Hiran region in HirShabelle State. http://goobjoog.com/english/the-media-has-ignored-its-role-against-fighting-alshabab-says-djiboutian-president/ Germany Contributes EUR 25.6 Million Towards Urban Resilience in Somalia The German Government announced its commitment of EUR 23.4 million to support infrastructure work in Somalia. Channeled through the World Bank's Multi Partner Fund (MPF) the contribution will strengthen municipal planning and implementation capacity to improve access to basic infrastructure. "Germany joins the MPF at a critical and exciting juncture,” said Marius Rauh, Head of Development Cooperation: "Investments in infrastructure through municipalities will not only contribute to generating growth in urban areas and improving the living conditions for Somali citizens, but will also support local governments in planning and managing more resilient cities.” In addition, an amount of Euro 1.2 was committed to support necessary preparatory studies.