May 13, 2015 | Morning Headlines
NISA Forces Launch Manhunt Operation In Mogadishu
12 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 207 Words
National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) forces have launched manhunt operations in some of the suburbs of Mogadishu after gunmen shot and wounded Somali immigration department officer on Monday. Reports indicate that operations which kicked off at midnight had given many families hours of sleeplessness after they were ordered to open their doors as the operations were door to door inspection. Among the areas the security forces inspected are Taleh, African-Village and Al-Baraka where several suspects were apprehended.The Spokesman for ministry of National Security, Mohamed Yussuf who spoke to the media said that operations were intended to hunt down criminal elements who committed several assassination attacks in the city.
“The inspections were meant to crack down areas which the government suspected of being hideouts for perpetrators who carried out attacks in Mogadishu including latest attacks against one of Somali immigration department officers who sustained minor injuries” he said. The spokesman called upon the residents of Mogadishu to collaborate with the government soldiers and give tips to the government about any imminent security threats. Al-Shabaab claimed the responsibility for attack against Abdullahi Mohamed Osoble, an immigration department officer, who was wounded in a drive-by shooting in Mogadishu’s Hodan district.
Key Headlines
- NISA Forces Launch Manhunt Operation In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Female Journalist Survives Assassination Attempt In Mogadishu (Wacaal Media)
- Inflation Exacerbates Somali Town’s Economic Hardship (Radio Danan)
- Anti Al-Shabaab Conference Opens In Puntland (Horseed Media)
- Puntland Army Chief: Puntland Strong Enough To Tackle Al-Shabaab (RBC Radio)
- Meeting On Evacuation Plans For Somali Refugees In Yemen Held In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Three Al-Shabaab Recruits Plead Guilty To US Terror Charges (Associated Press)
- Somali Foreign Minister Thanks Malta Italy For Saving Migrants’ Lives (Times of Malta)
- Al-Shabaab Militants Nabbed In Major Swoop In Mogadishu (Xinhua News)
- Reach Of ISIS Confounds A Minnesota College Campus (Wall Street Journal)
- Commentary On The Visit Of US Secretary Of State John Kerry To Somalia (Hiiraan Online)
- Fresh Eyes: Amaal Said’s Portraits Of Belonging (Africa Is A Country)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Female Journalist Survives Assassination Attempt In Mogadishu
12 May – Source: Wacaal Media – 91 Words
A former journalist with Radio Barkulan in Mogadishu Ms. Nimo Hassan Abdi survived an attempt on her life today by unknown gunmen. Speaking in an interview with Radio Kulmiye, Nimo confirmed she was attacked by masked gunmen but escaped unhurt. Several journalists were previously killed in the city and if the latest incident is anything to go by, the situation has not changed despite assurances by the government. Security agencies have launched investigations into the matter. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Inflation Exacerbates Somali Town’s Economic Hardship
12 May – Source: Radio Danan – 190 Words
The commissioner for Qansahdhere town in southern Somalia said his town feels the impact of inflation which has exacerbated the economic hardship for many. Food prices have soared in the past few weeks as results of a siege by Al-Shabaab militants who blocked food from reaching the town. Speaking to Radio Danan, Mr. Adan Abdi accused Al-Shabab of causing humanitarian catastrophe in the town with average residents unable to buy basic food. He said residents are not capable of purchasing necessities, aggravating the living conditions in the already poor town.
The inflation has angered a wide section of the Somali public who blame the government for the financial crisis. They hope that the government will address this issue immediately. Authorities in Somalia however say they are developing a strategy to fight the inflation that has gripped the country. Most recently,Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called on the international community to help provide food to the most vulnerable. Analysts say that the government in Mogadishu lacks financial regulation. Inflation has affected the whole nation. Somalis are calling on the federal government to solve the problem once and for all.
Anti Al-Shabaab Conference Opens In Puntland
12 May – Source: Horseed Media – 254 Words
Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland opened an anti-terrorism conference on Tuesday with the attendance of high ranking administration officials, clerics, intellectuals, security officers, local elders and representatives from civil society groups.The conference, opened by the Vice President of Puntland Mr Abdulhakim Amey, is aimed at forming a joint strategy to defeat the militant group al-Shabaab, which has recently increased its attacks in the relatively stable region. Addressing the opening ceremony of the conference, the regional Vice President said that it is time for an action plan to be presented against extremism, stressing the need for a “joint approach” to uproot al-Shabaab.
”Fighting against terrorism is a responsibility for all people, not only the government. We are determined to defeat the terrorists from our region,” he said. One of the participants of the conference underlined the root cause of terrorism, saying that poverty, discrimination and humiliation are the reasons behind the growth of terrorism which is used by evil people to reach their inhuman goals. The battle between Puntland and al-Shabaab militants started in 2010 in the Tora Bora-like mountain ranges of Galgala, dozens from both sides have died since, and hundreds of families have been displaced. In October last year, Puntland forces managed to recapture the key militant stronghold in the Galgala area. Last month, a suicide-bomber attacked a UNICEF van killing at least 7 staff members including four foreign nationals. Puntland has long accused neighbouring breakaway region of Somaliland for arming and providing safe havens for the militants.
Puntland Army Chief: Puntland Strong Enough To Tackle Al-Shabaab
12 May – Source: RBC Radio – 156 Word
Puntland, Somalia’s relatively stable autonomous region in the north, has criticized a statement from the United Nations on the AMISOM mandate’s potential extension into the region, RBC Reports. Speaking during the anti Al-Shabaab three-day conference which opened in Garowe on Tuesday, Puntland’s army chief Saed Dhere rebutted the United Nations statement, saying Puntland is strong enough to tackle the militants. Saed Dhere announced that the autonomous region has protected itself from insecurity and Al-shabab for close to two decades, and is capable of curbing the influx of militants into the northeast. The United Nations special envoy to Somalia recently described the possible extension of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) into Puntland to support local forces in the fight against Al-Shabaab. Addressing the anti-terror conference, the Puntland Parliamentary Speaker Saed Hassan Shire also criticised UN Envoy Nick Kay’s suggestion, saying that Puntland is strong and capable enough to protect its territory from any threat whether that is Al-shabab or another threat.
Meeting On Evacuation Plans For Somali Refugees In Yemen Held In Mogadishu
12 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 234 Words
A meeting organized by the Somali Prime Minister’s office on the issue of Somali refugees in Yemen was held in Mogadishu on Tuesday. The Somali Islamic Scholars Association, the Somali National Refugee Agency, Somali civil society organisations, the Somali National Women’s Association, traders, officials from Goobjoog News, and many others were among the participants of the meeting. The aim of the gathering was to discuss the way forward on the Somali refugee crises in Yemen.The Deputy Minister of the Interior Ministry, Haji Ali Sheikh, said that the United Arabic Emirates (UAE) is ready to support the process to evacuate Somali refugees in Yemen.“ [The] International Organization for Migration will also contribute the airlifting efforts and the first flight is scheduled to kick-off in the first days of next week,” he added.
The Somali Consular to Yemen who was also at the meeting warned of imminent malnutrition and starvation among Somali refugees in Yemen. Goobjoog News Director Hasan Mahmoudd Mohammed highlighted the important role of local radio stations and the media in general when it comes to reporting the crises Somalis in Yemen are facing, adding that Goobjoog will continue its coverage on the matter as long as it is addressed correctly.The participants agreed to establish an independent committee for handling the crises Somalis in Yemen are facing. Somalis around the world have been pressuring the government to help Somalis trapped in Yemen get to safety.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Three Al-Shabaab Recruits Plead Guilty To US Terror Charges
12 May – Source: Associated Press – 363 Words
Three men pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges they were members of the al-Qaeda offshoot that has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Africa, including one on an upscale Kenyan shopping mall. Ali Yasin Ahmed, Madhi Hashi and Mohamed Yusuf, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to support terrorism, had been scheduled to go on trial early next month. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn had described the defendants as “dangerous and influential” members of al-Shabab who were trained to be part of an elite unit of suicide bombers. The men had “substantial knowledge regarding an al-Shabab research and development department that was developing chemical weapons for use,” the government wrote in court papers.
U.S. authorities say the men were captured in Africa last year while traveling to Yemen to team up with al-Shabab there. They originally pleaded not guilty in a sealed proceeding to charges they supported terrorism. All three men are from Somalia, authorities said. Ahmed and Yusuf are citizens of Sweden. According to news reports, Hashi was stripped of his British citizenship before he was brought to the United States. The charges allege that from 2008 to 2012, the men traveled to Somalia to receive weapons and explosives training from al-Shabab and were “deployed in combat operations” there. Government papers filed this year cited conversations intercepted by authorities in Sweden as evidence against the men. In 2008, Ahmed and Yusuf “discussed … their intention to travel to Somalia for the purpose of joining al-Shabab and dying as martyrs,” the papers say. In another conversation, Ahmed said he was an associate of a suicide bomber who killed two dozen people, including three government ministers, at a hotel gathering in Mogadishu in 2009.
Somali Foreign Minister Thanks Malta, Italy, For Saving Migrants’ Lives
12 May- Source: Times of Malta – 310 Words
Somali Foreign Affairs Minister Abdusalam Omer thanked Malta and Italy today for having, “without fanfare” saved the lives of Somali migrants escaping extremism and economic problems.He was speaking at the Doha Forum which is being attended by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. The Forum is discussing the political situation, trade and development in the Middle East, the Arab countries and the world. The Somali minister said the young in his country were facing a situation of hopelessness. The government was working tirelessly to solve the problem, but “it’s like we’re trying to fly and fix a plane, but at the same time we’re running out of fuel and trying to land,” he said.
Al-Shabaab Militants Nabbed In Major Swoop In Mogadishu
12 May – Source – Xinhua News – 201 Words
Somalia security agencies on Tuesday launched a massive security operation in Mogadishu to flush out militant group Al-Shabaab elements who were hiding in some city estates, police authorities have said. The joint operation between Somali security forces and African Union backed force, AMISOM police operation started Tuesday morning and nabbed a dozen suspected militants in what police say was based on intelligence of possible attacks in the city. Security ministry spokesman Mohamed Yusuf said intelligence reports indicate that some Al-Shabaab militants had sneaked into the city and were residing in some estates in preparation for attacks.
“We have intelligence reports showing that Al-Shabaab fighters had entered the city and were hiding in some of the estates in the city. We cannot take chances but go after them before they cause any fatalities,” Yusuf said. Yusuf said security agencies will work effortlessly to ensure the city is safe, thanking residents for their cooperation and information sharing. The operation came a day after a senior immigration official was attacked and injured in a drive-by-shooting in Hodan district in Mogadishu which Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility. Al-Shabaab spokesman Abu Muscab said they will continue targeting government officials.
Reach Of ISIS Confounds A Minnesota College Campus
12 May – Source: Wall Street Journal – 796 Words
They finished high school, attended college and worked to help their families. Compared with many young men in the impoverished refugee community here, the six Somali-Americans charged recently with conspiring to join the militant group Islamic State were high achievers. That is why the allegations involving young men who hadn’t exhibited radical tendencies confounded friends, educators and law enforcement. And the puzzle is particularly hard to answer at Minnesota Community & Technical College, a two-year school on the edge of downtown where five of them had studied. “They were good boys who went to school, and were involved with the community and their families,” said Omar Mohamud, a 19-year-old who said he grew up with several of them. “I never imagined them putting themselves in this situation.” Mr. Mohamud came to the U.S. from Somalia, a mostly Muslim African nation, when he was 2 and is studying business management at the college.
On April 23, a Minneapolis federal judge ordered Adnan Farah, Guled Omar, Hanad Musse and Zacharia Abdurahman detained until their trial. Two other Minneapolis men charged by federal authorities, Mohamed Farah and Abdurahman Daud, were arrested in San Diego, allegedly en route to Syria through Mexico. Each of the six men, who range in age from 19 to 21 years old, could face a 15-year prison term. At this modern campus, which puts many in this city’s large Somali-American population on the path to the middle class, students and faculty are searching for answers. Of particular concern is the apparent disconnect between the men’s past and present, and why joining Islamic State, widely known as ISIS, holds such appeal. “If a few young people in Minnesota have an idea that life with ISIS is better than life in Minnesota, then that is on us, that is our collective failure,” said Matthew Palombo, a philosophy and global-studies professor who serves as an adviser to the campus’s Muslim Student Association.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“It’s definitely what drew me to photography in the first place. It was the homelessness I felt. I took the picture and I rooted myself somewhere. I photograph because I’m frightened of forgetting people, places and how I feel. What connects me to the people I photograph is how we’re still trying to figure out where and what home is. There was a sense of guilt for a long time about the feeling of displacement. My parents had left their home because they wanted to give me a safe one.”
Fresh Eyes: Amaal Said’s Portraits Of Belonging
11 May – Source: Africa Is A Country – 2,153 Words
“Images”, as the Chilean visual artist Alfredo Jaar has said, “are not innocent.” From their creation, to their distribution to their interpretation, images are conveyors of power and influence. While traditional media channels have been consolidated in the hands of a few, the rise of the Internet has offered people unprecedented means to access and publish visual content. As a more inclusive image-delivery outlet, the web has offered diverse, creative visions a place to thrive, visions which had previously been rendered nearly invisible by parochial corporate media architecture. Developing her work in this new cultural wave is the photographer/poet Amaal Said. Born in Denmark to Somali parents and having came of age in London where she now lives, Said has created space in the digital landscape to offer humanizing photographs and poems of people in her community, frequently young people of the diaspora who are far too often under- or misrepresented.
One only has to do a Google image search for the words “beauty” or “immigration” to see the dominant narratives Western audiences are usually subjected to. In contrast, through her deeply intimate portraits, Said captures lives in plain sight (including her own), and in so doing, expands her viewers’ very understanding of beauty, belonging, migration and youth through perceived similarities and differences. Just as photographic film was not originally designed to capture the details of darker skin and had to be recalibrated, so too must our minds be recalibrated with an enhanced sense of visual and cultural literacy. In the same vein, Dorothea Lange once said, “The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera.” In these troubled cultural times, this is precisely why Said’s counter-narratives are so powerful and necessary. Africa is a Country spoke to Amaal Said to learn more about her creative vision.
AIAC: Your photographs are remarkable in how they challenge and evolve notions of beauty in mainstream Western media by featuring intimate portraits of melanin-rich young people – with piercings, in headscarves and with natural hair. What experiences inform and shape the content of your photographs?
Amaal Said: I try my hardest to keep close to beauty. I grew up in a neighbourhood referred to as a ghetto in Odense, Denmark. I went back two years ago and all I can remember is how many shades of green I saw. I wish I had captured more of it. My own memories of Odense are at odds with what I read about it and hear from family. It’s always been a beautiful place to me, which doesn’t mean that a lot of sadness and tragedy didn’t happen there, it just means that both elements can exist at the same time. I’ve spent most of my life in London and I’ve had the pleasure of being in communities with other artists who are doing really important work in the world. I never felt alone in that case. Negative opinions of the countries we came from and the communities we lived in existed. I was in classrooms with other children who claimed that people that looked like me were dirty immigrants who stole jobs and cheated the system. I feel like I spent a lot of time at secondary school fighting people’s opinions. And I’m not in those particular classrooms anymore, but I’m still trying to combat those negative portrayals. I never saw the documenting I did as particularly hard work. I asked to take people’s pictures because I found them beautiful, because I recognised myself in them. I realise now how important the work is and how necessary it is to push against the images that do not represent us in our best light.
“It is time for the international community to respond to the realities and needs of the Somali people and leave aside foreign driven social and political transformation and piecemeal reforms that stifle local ownership, leadership, facilitate deception and political demagoguery, and promote prolonged presence of foreign forces now increasingly resented by the local population and leaders.”
Commentary On The Visit Of US Secretary Of State John Kerry To Somalia
10 May – Source: Hiiraan Online – 1358 Words
|The total shutdown of the busiest “Elite Refuge Area” between Villa Somalia and Mogadishu Airport for security reasons inhibited the appreciation and celebration of the historical visit of US Secretary of State, John Kerry, to Mogadishu, Somalia on May 5 2015. The Somali public did not have the opportunity to debate and express their opinion about the importance and expected contribution of the visit publicly acknowledged after the departure of the US delegation. It is confirmed that the federal government of Somalia (FGS) received confirmation of the Secretary’s arrival hours before landing in Mogadishu. A Senior State Department official joked that the Somali government expected him as the head of the delegation.
The joint meeting of federal and regional Presidents, the Prime Minister, and three ministers with the US Secretary of State John Kerry at Mogadishu airport raised constitutional and diplomatic questions and reinforced the perception on Federal Government’s waning leadership role and international respect as a representative of the Somali State. Conspicuously absent from the meeting was the speaker of the federal parliament, the legislative institution primarily in charge of government oversight and the tasks of Vision 2016 ( Constitutional Review, Federation Process, and Political Election in 2016). The Secretary left Mogadishu without joint press conference with Somali leaders but delivered powerful message addressed directly to the people hoping to walk downtown Mogadishu on his next trip (hopefully before 2017). Few pictures of the visit show federal ministers sitting behind the presidents of regional administrations and the designated Somali Ambassador to Kenya sitting behind the US Secretary of State.