December 5, 2018 | Morning Headlines.
Somali Journalist Badly Hurt In Car Bomb Blast, Police Say
04 December – Source: Washington Post – 129 Words
A Somali police officer says a journalist has been seriously wounded in a car bomb blast in Mogadishu. Capt. Mohamed Hussein says Ismail Sheikh Khalif, also a media rights activist, was hurt Tuesday when the bomb concealed in his car was detonated remotely in Waberi district.
A former radio colleague says Khalif has substantial blood loss and is being treated at a local hospital. The colleague spoke on condition of anonymity for safety concerns. There is no immediate claim of responsibility.
Somalia is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists says 59 have been killed since 1992, soon after civil war erupted in the Horn of Africa nation. Somali journalists frequently receive threats but police rarely investigate them or adequately protect reporters.
Key Headlines
- Somali Journalist Badly Hurt In Car Bomb Blast Police Say (Washington Post)
- Somali Spy Agency Arrests Al-Shabaab Bomb Expert (Halbeeg News)
- A Dozen Detained In A Massive Security Sweep In Baidoa City (Radio Shabelle)
- Somalia Calls On Al-Shabaab To Renounce Violence (Halbeeg News)
- Soldiers Receive Operational Medals For Work In Somalia (Forces Net Work)
- Somali Women In Sanag Ban Menfolk From Chewing Narcotic Leaf Khat (Radio Ergo)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Spy Agency Arrests Al-Shabaab Bomb Expert
04 December – Source: Halbeeg News – 101 Words
Somali National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) said, its forces arrested Al-Shabaab operative following a security operation in the capital city, Mogadishu. In a Twitter posted, the agency said the suspect was Al-Shabaab bomb expert.
According to the agency, the Al-Shabaab suspect was plotting a bomb attack on civilian targets, in the capital. The agency said no civilian was killed or injured during the arrest of the suspected Al-Shabaab explosive expert. The move comes amid Somali military backed by AMISOM forces intensified operations against Al-Shabaab fighters in Southern Somalia. Al-Shabaab controls several towns and villages in the south and central of Somalia.
A Dozen Detained In A Massive Security Sweep In Baidoa City
04 December – Source: Radio Shabelle – 129 Words
At least ten people were reported to have been arrested, in a massive security operation by Southwest State police, in connection with a bomb attack in the region’s capital, Baidoa. Local residents said the sweep was carried out in parts of the city, targeting houses suspected to hide Al-Shabaab sleeper cells.
The arrest came after a grenade attack on a house in Baidoa left regional MP wounded on Monday afternoon. The attack happened amid rising tension in the State. The region is heading to the polls on December 19th, to elect next president after former resigned last month, in unprecedented move ahead of the presidential election. Several candidates including former Al-Shabaab deputy leader Mukhtar Robow are vying for the top seat in Southwest state in the upcoming polls.
Somalia Calls On Al-Shabaab To Renounce Violence
04 December – Source: Halbeeg News – 163 Words
Somali government on Tuesday urged Al-Shabaab to join the peace process and rebuilding of the country. Al-Shabaab fighters have been fighting Somali government since 2008, when the group was formed. Speaking to the media, Somali Chief Army, Dahir Adan Elmi called on the group to renounce violence and bombings against the public. “We are urging Al-Shabaab to stop fighting because their fight will only cause the deaths of Somali people,” said Mr. Dahir.
He said, the civilians fall victim of the attacks carried out by the group. The remarks of Mr. Elmi, comes barely a week after Al Shabaab gunmen killed over 20 people, in two separate attacks in South and Central Somalia. The group’s gunmen and a suicide car bomber struck a religious centre in Galkayo town on November 26th, killing a cleric and at least 14 of his followers. In a separate attack in Mogadishu, seven people died when a car bomb exploded in front of shops in the Wadajir district.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Soldiers Receive Operational Medals For Work In Somalia
04 December – Source: Forces Net Work – 219 Words
Four soldiers from 32 Engineer Regiment have received operational medals for their role on Operation Catan in Somalia. The operation saw the Regiment train troops from the UN and the African Union Mission, known as AMISOM, over a six-and-a-half-month tour. It was the first time anyone from 32 Engineer Regiment had been deployed to the country.
One recipient, Sergeant Nicholas Shinner, who described the tour as his “most interesting” deployment, said: “I was involved with Force Protection, upgrade of infrastructure around Mogadishu and I actually got to see these things get designed and installed during my time there. Staff Sergeant Lee Barrett, who also received the award, said: “On the ground itself, (there is) a lot of interesting work out there. “A lot of very low-level combat engineering work that needed being done for the UN, something the UN weren’t ready to do themselves and they used to rely on us.
“Working with AMISOM as well was both challenging and very, very rewarding. “You could take guys who had zero combat engineer knowledge and within a very short period of time, we could bring them up to a very acceptable level. 2018 has been a busy year for the Catterick-based Regiment. Next year, 32 soldiers from the Regiment are set to be deployed to Kenya, Belize and South Sudan.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Abdifatah, now a father of four, admitted that his chewing habit had made him neglect his family. I earn 150 dollars a month and much of that I used to spend on chewing khat. My wife had been struggling to support the family, he said.”
Somali Women In Sanag Ban Menfolk From Chewing Narcotic Leaf Khat
04 December – Source: Radio Ergo – 498 Words
A campaign led by wives and mothers in a small village in northern Somalia’s Sanag region has led to a ban on the ubiquitously popular leafy stimulant khat. A group of 60 self-organised women in Dharkeyn village, 30 kilometers southeast of Hingalol town, have forced the disappearance of khat from the local markets. The group’s leader, Hodan Ali Guleid, a mother of 12, told Radio Ergo that khat had been destroying families. “Khat is a key contributor to broken families and has led to fathers failing to take up the responsibility of supporting their families,” she said.
Hodan said khat had also ruined the economy of the village of 600 families, which is struggling to recover from years of clan clashes and the effects of the harsh drought. “Khat is a waste of money. The consumers of the leaf divert the hard-earned cash meant for the family budget to buy khat,” explained Hodan, whose husband had been using khat. Since the ban took effect two months ago, he has stopped the habit.
The campaign to ban the drug was endorsed by the village elders and religious leaders and won the support of the youth. Dharkeyn’s chief, Ali Salah, said the khat ban has already dramatically reduced the number of children dropping out of school. “Prior to the ban Dharkeyn primary school had an enrolment of 80 students, but now there are about 200 children. This is because parents are now taking up their roles and paying to send their children to school,” the chief said.
The village elders unanimously agreed to impose fixed fines on traders and consumers caught in defiance of the ban. “There is a customary law endorsed by the elders that fines violators of the ban. The consumer found guilty will be fined $100 while the trader who violates the ban will pay $200,” the chief said.