A Bulletin of the Global Centre for Policy and Strategy
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A Week in the Horn January 16 2014 Ethiopia and Italy Strengthen Cooperation a Digital Diplomacy Conference Held in Addis
A Week in the Horn January 16 2014 Ethiopia and Italy strengthen cooperation A digital diplomacy conference held in Addis Ababa Patriarch of Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Mathias visits Egypt IGAD Council of Ministers meeting in Mogadishu Somalia’s Prime Minister nominates his new cabinet Consultation in Khartoum to support IGAD South Sudan mediation…. ….and Dr Tedros meets President al-Bashir and China’s Foreign Minister in Khartoum Ethio-Djibouti infrastructural integration projects progressing well British MPs condemn human rights abuse and forced labor in Eritrea News in Brief Ethiopia Italy's Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, arrived in Addis Ababa for an official visit to Ethiopia (January 14, 2014). Dr. Tedros Adhanom and Paolo Gentiloni held discussions focusing on ways to promote trade, investment and strengthen partnership in regional peace and security matters. Ethiopia and Italy also signed a cooperation agreement involving three development programs – worth a total of 16.1 million euros.(See Article) Ethiopian Roads Authority signed agreement with Ethiopia Road Construction Corporation for the construction of a high way connecting Gamebela and Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional States with South Sudan. The 927 million birr project is expected to be completed within 2 years and five months. Japan and Ethiopia are holding the 15th Round of the Policy Dialogue on Industrial Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 12 to 17 January 2015. Professor Kenichi Ohno and Professor Izumi Ohno, from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), have led the Dialogue since June 2009. Dr.Tedros Adhanom met with high level US delegation led by John Podesta, Counselor of President Obama .Their discussion focused on the upcoming Conference on Finance for Development which will be held in Addis Ababa. -
Public Sector Contracts and Concessions: the FGC and the Confidential Assessments Second Bi-Annual Report
Somalia -- Financial Governance Committee -- October 31, 2015 Public Sector Contracts and Concessions: the FGC and the Confidential Assessments Second Bi-Annual Report A. Summary and Recommendations a. The last public FGC report on contracts and concessions was dated January 8, 2015 (the January 8 report). b. After a period of inactivity coinciding with the change in Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the past 2-3 months has seen a measurable improvement in cooperation between the Federal Government line ministries and the FGC. A significant number of FGC Confidential Assessments are now being used as a basis for Federal Government action. Getting to this point has been slower and less consistent across Ministries than desirable, but comments made by a variety of Federal Government interlocutors suggest that FGC reviews of contracts and concessions are now, for the most part, taken seriously. There are important exceptions to this trend, however. The respective line ministries have remained unresponsive to the FGC's review of the Soma Oil and Gas Exploration Ltd concession (Soma), and have failed to respond consistently or to communicate clearly on the FGC's review of the Somalia FishGuard Ltd concession (FishGuard). These were two of the most controversial concessions reviewed in 2014, and have important implications for Federal- Regional relations. It should be noted that Parliament has recently recognized and endorsed the role played by the FGC in reviewing contracts and concessions, and has supported the FGC's recommendations for these two agreements (paragraph 22). c. The FGC has provided Confidential Assessments or commentary on all the contracts it has so far received, and can now put more effort into helping ministries follow up on FGC recommendations. -
Somalia Risk Assessment 2014 INSCT MIDDLE EAST and NORTH AFRICA INITIATIVE
INSCT MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA INITIATIVE INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM Somalia Risk Assessment 2014 INSCT MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA INITIATIVE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report, developed from open-source information including congressional and federal reports, academic articles, news media accounts, and NGO papers— concerns one of the most developmentally deficient and war-torn countries in the world. The name “Somalia” and the phrase “failed state” unfortunately have become synonymous. Since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Said Barre and the resulting civil war, successive incarnations of a Somali government have time and again attempted to rise above the seemingly perpetual instability and begin exerting state control. Since 2012, when an internationally supported government was installed in Mogadishu (the US recognized the government in January 2013), Somalia has taken baby steps toward restoring stability and security in parts of the country. The presence of forces from neighboring counties, such as Kenya and Ethiopia (as part of an African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)), has brought a measure of stability to regions in the country’s south that were until recently controlled by non-state militias, FIGURE 1: Map of Somalia and Region (University of Texas). mainly the militant Islamic organization and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab. But despite recent AMISOM battlefield gains and encouraging signs of increasing government capacity, the central government still controls only a portion of Mogadishu and almost no other territory in the rest of the country. And even these gains are precarious. This report will examine four topics that provide a cross-section of national security issues in Somalia: ! Defense Capabilities—Including Somalia’s attempts to re-build its national military, partnerships with friendly and donor nations, and the US military posture in East Africa. -
25082 AMISOM Review 3 Dec
State of the Union Why Africa is committed to Somalia By President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda ganda welcomed the African Union’s decision in late July to international terrorism. As terror networks are put under pressure in commit more peacekeepers to AMISOM, the AU peacekeep- the Middle East, they are increasingly looking to exploit the opportuni- Uing mission in Somalia. Coming barely a week after Somali ties presented by the instability in the Horn of Africa. Foreign extrem- insurgents murdered 76 people in Uganda, the announcement dem- ists are already in Somalia, spreading their warped interpretation of onstrated the African continent’s refusal to be intimidated by terror- religion. Just as the world came to regret leaving Afghanistan to its ists. In the days and weeks following the AU pledge we saw armed own fate in the 1990s, it would be a historic mistake to expect the opposition groups unleash yet more violence in Mogadishu as well. war-weary Somali people to tame this global menace on their own. Africa’s resolve is only strengthened in the face of such atrocities. We The support of the international community remains critical to win- will defeat those in Somalia who would keep a fellow African country ning this fight. An expanded mission will require additional resources. from a future of stability and prosperity. It is our hope that our allies in this common endeavor, in the West and Somali citizens are the most committed of all to this project. For elsewhere in the world, will continue to hold up their end of the bar- the last decade, they have gain by providing the been engaged in a peace means to train, equip, process to try and reverse and deploy our bol- their country’s descent stered AMISOM force. -
February 24, 2014
A Week in the Horn 24.1.2014 News in Brief South Sudan: Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities and Release of Detainees Prime Minister Hailemariam visits the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros visits Burkina Faso after his visit to Ghana last week AU agenda 2063: the focus of the African Union’s First Ministerial Retreat…. AU Summit and ten years of focus on agriculture Somalia’s new Cabinet, the Jubba Administration, and AMISOM expands….. …. and talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Government of Somaliland Bringing Eritrea “in from the cold” needs real policy changes by Eritrea’s government News in brief African Union The 22nd AU Summit opened this week with the meeting of the Permanent Representative Committees and the AU gender summit (January 21-23). The meetings of the Executive Council and the Assembly will take place next week (See article) A Ministerial Retreat for the Executive Council of the African Union is being held January 24- 26, in Bahr Dar, capital of the Amhara Regional State. The theme of the Retreat is: “Defining Agenda 2063: Towards a peaceful, Integrated and Prosperous Africa.” (See article) The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Dr Nkozasana Dlamini Zuma, paid a one day official visit to Juba, South Sudan on Monday (January 20), meeting President Salva Kiir, as well as the detainees. Ethiopia Prime Minister Hailemariam arrived for an official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday (January 19). He held talks with Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, and also attended the World Future Energy Summit held in Abu Dhabi on Monday. -
November 21, 2014
A Week in the Horn 21.11.2014 News in brief The High Level Ministerial Partnership Forum on Somalia in Copenhagen… …while efforts to resolve the differences between Somalia’s President and Prime Minister continue Bilateral meetings and Diaspora engagement for Dr. Tedros in Copenhagen The Second Ethio-French Business Forum held in Paris The contribution of Pulses, Oil Seeds and Spices to Ethiopia’s economy Tri-lateral experts meeting on sustainable use of the Dawa River UNHCR highlights a sharp increase in the numbers of Eritrean refugees “Ethio-Eritrean People-to-People Relationship for Peace” Conference News in brief Africa and the African Union The Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, held under the theme of „Industrial Development: Cross-Perspectives from Africa and China‟, concluded on Wednesday (November 19) with African and Chinese officials calling for a deepening of their partnership. The Conference, co-hosted by Ethiopia, the AU Commission, the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China and UNDP, identified key areas for joint initiatives to reduce poverty. The Powering Africa Summit, bringing together government officials, international energy partners and other stakeholders to discuss enhancement of the energy sector opened in Addis Ababa on Thursday (November 20). Among those attending were Ethiopia‟s Minister of Water Irrigation and Energy, Alemayehu Tegenu, and State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Yinager Dessie. A five-day seminar and research conference on African Aviation began in Addis Ababa Monday (November 17) to discuss ways to strengthen an enabling environment for secure air transport services in Africa and increase air transport coordination by African countries. -
Foreign State Influence and Somalia's 2017 Presidential Election
ȲȲǯȱŗŞ Foreign State Influence and Somalia’s 2017 Presidential Election: An Analysis Brendon J. Cannon I. Introduction Somalia’s 2017 presidential election was billed as an opportunity for hope in a country that has not had a viable government able to broad- cast power across the country for over 25 years. Though it was far from the one person, one vote election initially promised – reportedly on account of the parlous security situation - it did produce unexpected and (to some) welcome results.1 The victory of Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known popularly as “Farmajo”, was welcomed with danc- ing and demonstrations of pleasure from the streets of Mogadishu’s to Jijiga in neighboring Ethiopia and Garissa in next-door Kenya. Farma- jo’s populist rhetoric, sprinkled with anti-Ethiopian invective and promises for jobs and peace in Somalia resonated with a number of Somali citizens. Yet Somalia’s election results also demonstrated struc- tural factors that are potentially less welcome – factors that Farmajo and his allies appear to have been influenced by and were able to exploit. First, Somalia’s recent election, particularly the run-up to the election finally held in February 2017 (after multiple postponements), demonstrated the number of foreign actors with a stake in Somalia’s future is growing and changing as is the amount of foreign influence and its limits in Somali politics. Second, the election showed just how reviled and discredited the previous presidential administration of Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud had become. Third, the results display the amount of foreign influence in Somali domestic politics and there- fore the limits of Farmajo’s (or any other SFG president’s) mandate, to 20 ȱ ǯȱ include the ability to chart a truly independent policy agenda.