On
Somalia, After UNSC Cites "A
Number" Killed, ICP Asks UK
Whether 59 or 8, Doesn't Know
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
April 5 – Amid widely
differing casualty figures for
the Al-Shabab attack on the
Ugandan AMISOM base in Somalia
- the UN Security Council now
says vaguely, "a number" of
soldiers were killed -- Inner
City Press on April 3 asked UN
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric,
video here,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: in Somalia,
there are widely differing
figures of how many of the
AMISOM [African Union Mission
to Somalia] peacekeepers were
killed in the Al Shabaab
attack. Uganda says it's
more… four. Now they say
eight. Some people say
59. Given that there is
this UNSOS [United Nations
Support Office in Somalia]
that I asked about yesterday,
what is the figure?
Spokesman: "I don't
have, I don't have an
independent figure from our
end to report." Why not?On
April 4, the UN Security
Council issued a press
statement beginning, "The
members of the Security
Council condemned in the
strongest terms the terrorist
attack of 1 April 2018
perpetrated by Al-Shabaab
against the Ugandan contingent
of the African Union Mission
in Somalia (AMISOM) in Lower
Shabelle in Somalia in which a
number of soldiers were killed
and injured. The members of
the Security Council expressed
their deep sympathy and
condolences to the families of
the victims, as well as to the
people and Government of
Uganda. The members of
the Security Council wished a
speedy recovery to those
injured." A number? So
on April 5 Inner City Press
asked the Council penholder on
Somalia, Karen Pierce of the
UK, "on yesterday’s press
statement on Somalia where you
are the penholder, it said a
number of troops were killed
but there are wildly different
numbers. Uganda says 8 and
some people on the ground say
up to 59. Is the Security
Council aware of how many of
the ANISOM troops were killed
in Somalia for the statement
that issued yesterday?" Pierce
replied, "I am afraid I can’t
corroborate the numbers at
this moment on Somalia but as
soon as we have something I am
sure the UN will share it with
press corps know." But the UN
hasn't said anything. Isn't
UNSOS, about which Inner City
Press has previously asked
without answer, involved?
We'll have more on this. Back
on January 26 after an attack
on a UN compound in Mogadishu
Inner City Press asked UN
Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq
about it, from the UN
transcript: Inner City Press:
There's some reports of an
attack on an UN compound in…
in… in Mogadishu and the death
of an international staff
member from Uganda. Are
you aware of that? Can
you confirm it? Deputy
Spokesman: No, we don't
have confirmation. We'll
try to see whether there's
anything to those reports."
This was published by the UN
later in day, after the UN has
sent this to Inner City Press:
"In regards to your question
on an attack in Mogadishu, we
can confirm that a fatal
shooting of a UNICEF
contractor took place today in
Mogadishu, Somalia early this
afternoon. An investigation is
underway, and UNICEF staff are
safe. Our thoughts are with
the family of the man who was
killed." Yes, rest in peace.
But why isn't the UN being
louder about this attack, days
after a UN Staff Union report
about the increase of attacks
on the UN? After Somali
minister Abass Abdullahi
Sheikh Siraj was shot and
killed by the bodyguards of
the country's Auditor-General,
apparently in a case of
mistaken identity, Inner City
Press asked the spokesman for
UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres, Stephane Dujarric,
if Guterres or the UN had any
comment. Dujarric said it
seemed to be an assassination.
On May 11, Inner City Press
asked again, from the transcript:
Inner City Press: I saw that
the Secretary-General at the
Somali conference describe the
death as Abass Siraji as
tragic and unfortunate. I
asked about it at the time,
and you said it seemed like an
assassination. Is that
no longer the view of the UN?
Spokesman: I'll… I think
whatever the Secretary-General
says overrides whatever I may
say. That's a rule.
Inner City Press: And I just
want to understand, when you
say that his speech to UNA-UK
was off the cuff, it seems
like… I mean, it was a
speech. UN News Centre
reported on it, so, like,
what's the problem with
releasing it? I don’t
understand.
Spokesman: It's not that
we're not releasing it.
It's just no transcript's been
done. We're going to
release the video, and I think
the video is as strong as the
spoken word.
From the
earlier UN's transcript: Inner
City Press: does the UN system
have a statement on the
killing of Somali Government
minister Abass Siraji, a
31-year-old Government
minister killed by the
[inaudible]?
Spokesman Dujarric: We
obviously condemn what appears
to be an assassination of this
minister and send our
condolences to his family and
to the Government of Somalia.
Inner City Press: Are
you… Because some people are
saying he was shot by mistake.
And I’m wondering, does the UN
have any role in security…?
Spokesman: I have no… a
role in providing his
security? No.
Inner
City Press:
No, no, in training, in this
case, the bodyguards of the
auditor general.
Spokesman: Not that I’m
aware of.
The UN Has
said nothing since, five hours
later. Back on January 26 when
the International Monetary
Fund's deputy spokesperson
William Murray took questions
at the IMF's biweekly media
briefing on January 26, Inner
City Press asked him about
Somalia and the UN, as well as
Mozambique and Ghana.
Inner City
Press asked: "The UN's envoy
to Somalia Michael Keating
recently said in New York that
the IMF is urging the
government in Mogadishu to
raise revenue, by means of a
tax on 'ICT' or telecom/mobile
phones. Is that accurate?
Please explain the IMF's
position."
After the
briefing, at which Inner City
Press' Mozambique question was
answered, an IMF spokesperson
provided this on Somalia:
“Somalia has one
of the lowest revenue to GDP
ratios in the world.
Increasing revenue
mobilization, from a low tax
base, is critical to Somalia’s
economic and social
development goals. To that
end, the authorities and IMF
staff reached an understanding
on the need to collect higher
nominal revenues in 2017
compared to those in
2016. The ultimate goal
is to progressively restore,
over time, revenue to GDP to a
level comparable to peer
countries.
In 2017, the authorities plan
to start implementing a more
formal tax system, which is
projected to increase tax
revenues from about 1.4
percent of GDP in 2016 to 2.0
percent of GDP in 2017. A
critical element of these
revenue measures -- based on
current law which the
authorities will start
implementing -- is revenue
from the telecom sector, about
$24.5 million in total in
2017. This is up from the
negotiated tax of $5.0 million
agreed for 2016. The
projection comprises of about
$12–14 million from taxes on
corporate profits and $10–12
million from sales taxes.
Additional revenue collection
from the telecom sector could
be achieved but will require
significant improvements in
revenue administration and tax
collection, while improving
security for telecom
operators.”
***
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