May 22, 2015 | Morning Headlines
‘Jubba River Offensive’ To Liberate Al-Shabaab Held Areas In Jubaland
21 May – Source: Garowe Online – 168 Words
Somalia’s Jubaland administration has announced a fresh military offensive dubbed Webbiga-Jubba [or Jubba River] in a bid to liberate areas remaining under the control of Al-Shabaab militants, Garowe Online reports. Jubaland Vice President Gen. Abdullahi Sheikh Ismael (Fartaag) told the media that Jubaland forces along with African Union peacekeepers will start thrusting into Al-Shabaab-controlled territories in the region. “Jubaland forces will no longer be in Bulogadud, they will go ahead with the decisive operation of ‘Jubba River’ to capture areas under Al-Shabaab control,” said Gen. Fartaag.Fartaag didn’t set a date for the anti-militant push.
However the remarks follow a visit to Bulogadud frontline by Federal Government of Somalia’s Minister for Defence Gen. Abdullahi Sheikh Ismael Fartaag. Meanwhile in the southern port city of Kismayo, unidentified assailants have gunned down prominent clan elder Mohamud Hassan Dhogor in Farjano neighborhood. Dhogor was among a group of traditional elders who selected the newly formed 75-member regional assembly.
Key Headlines
- ‘Jubba River Offensive’ To Liberate Al-Shabaab Held Areas In Jubaland (Garowe Online)
- Suspected Militants Kill Puntland Security Commander (Garowe Online)
- Parliament Chartered Ship Carrying Refugees Docks At Berbera Port (Goobjoog News)
- Civil Servants And Armed Forces To Donate To Yemen Refugees (Goobjoog News)
- Somaliland Forces Withdraw from Taleex (RBC Radio)
- Kenyan Mosque In Garissa Briefly Taken By Al-Shabaab (BBC News)
- British Man Charged With Trying To Join Al- Shabaab in Somalia (Associated Press)
- Somalia Listed As Worst Country For Maternal Health (Voice of America)
- UAE People & Politics: The Ongoing Campaign To Save Somalia (The National)
- Somalia: Why Opposition Unity Is A Choice (RBC Radio)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Suspected Militants Kill Puntland Security Commander
21 May – Source: Garowe Online – 180 Words
Suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen have shot and killed security commander in the Gulf of Aden port city of Bossaso, marking the second official to be gunned down in May in the latest of string of planned assassinations, Garowe Online reports. Witnesses told GO that assailants armed with pistols approached the senior commander with Puntland Security Force (PSF) near Sahalka tower, shooting him in the upper part of his body. Security forces were unable to track the attackers who right away fled from the scene of crime. Three weeks ago, on the same spot, Bosaaso port security unit soldiers were targeted in explosion that left a civilian bystander dead. On May 3, another security commander identified as Mohamed Ahmed Dhere was killed at Halwo Banadir junction. Nobody claimed credit for the planned assassinations but Puntland Defence Forces (PDFs) are battling Al-Shabaab militants on battlegrounds along Golis Mountain Ranges and in Galgala. Bosaaso, Puntland’s most populous city has become more volatile, with key installations and checkpoints being targeted with raids and grenade attacks.
Parliament Chartered Ship Carrying Refugees Docks At Berbera Port
21 May – Source- Goobjoog News – 101 Words
A passenger ship chartered by the Somali Federal Parliament to help evacuate Somali refugees stranded in Yemen has docked at Berbera Harbor, under the Somaliland administration. According to former MP, Mohamed Hassan Daryel, who is parliament advisor, the ship was carrying at least a thousand families, including women and children. The government has undertaken efforts to evacuate its citizens in Yemen, but this has yet to yield significant fruits. The government has managed to evacuate very small number of people compared to refugees living Yemen.
Civil Servants And Armed Forces To Donate To Yemen Refugees
21 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 112 Words
Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamoud has yesterday announced that the government would deduct a percentage from the salaries of civil servants and armed forces to help Somali refugees fleeing from Yemen crises. He was speaking to the members of Refugee Rescue Committee yesterday in a meeting to streamline the civil society efforts with that of the government.The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharma’arke.The chairman of Refugee Rescue Committee Sheik Nour Barud Gurhan spoke about their efforts to raise funds for the refugees, including media campaign spearheaded by Goobjoog FM.
Somaliland Forces Withdraw from Taleex
21 May – Source: RBC Radio- 175 Words
Somaliland forces have withdrawn from Taleex, a historic district in the disputed region of Sool on Wednesday afternoon, resident said, RBC reports. The self declared independent administration military forces have pulled out of the town which they have entered close to week back to bring ease to deadly clan clashes between two local armed tribal militias.Taleex lies in the heart of Sool province, a region that’s disputed by Somaliland and Puntland, and has witnessed on-and off clashes between the two administrations and local clan militias as well.
Local resident have confirmed to Raxanreeb Online that the forces vacated their bases in the town due to unknown reasons while clan conflict remains unsolved. The move comes amid Puntland has increased its military presence in the region and began mobilizing its martial hardware and personnel near the town of Taleex. Puntland claims to own Sool and Sanaag region along with the breakaway Somaliland, and vows to recapture the state capital of Sool region which they lost control to the neighboring administration in eight years ago
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan Mosque In Garissa Briefly Taken By Al-Shabaab
21 May – Source : BBC News – 250 Words
Militants from the Islamist group Al-Shabaab briefly took over a mosque in northern Kenya, local leaders say. The jihadists are said to have addressed the congregation for two hours before escaping into a forest.They criticised Kenyan authorities and warned people not to pass intelligence to the security forces.The mosque is in Garissa county, 240km (150 miles) from Garissa town, where Al-Shabaab last month killed at least 148 people at a university.
Police commander Caleb Matoke told The Standard newspaper that 25 fighters were involved. He said he believed they were sent by Mohamed Kuno, the man Kenyan authorities have accused of being behind the Garissa University college attack.
British Man Charged With Trying To Join Al- Shabaab In Somalia
21 May – Source: Associated Press – 120 Words
A British man has been charged with making plans to travel to Somalia to link up with Islamic extremists there. Trevor Mulindwa of south London was charged Thursday with preparing to join the Al-Shabaab group responsible for a string of terrorist attacks in Africa.
The 20-year-old is scheduled to answer the charges Friday in Westminster Magistrates Court. Britain has seen a rising number of terrorist-related arrests in the last year with many Britons traveling to Syria to join the Islamic State group there. Security officials say Britons who have linked up with terrorist groups and then return to Britain pose a threat
Somalia Listed As Worst Country For Maternal Health
20 May – Source: Voice of America – 438 Words
The British aid group Save the Children ranks Somalia as the worst country on Earth for being a mother. The ranking is based on statistics for maternal health, child mortality, education and women’s income in Somalia. Nearly 25 years of instability has seen Somalia’s health institutions collapse but the government and international partners hope to soon change this narrative. Fadumo Abdulkadir lost her child shortly before birth. She is among the millions of women in Somalia who remain at great risk during childbirth.
In its latest report, “State of World Mothers,” the aid group Save The Children has ranked Somalia at the bottom among the countries surveyed. According to the United Nations Children’s Agency UNICEF, maternal mortality rates for Somalia are among the highest in the world. One out of every ten Somali children dies before seeing its first birthday. Somalia’s Deputy Minister of Health, Osman Mohamed Abdi, said the government hopes to change the situation.
“Somalia is among the worst countries in the world for a mother. But the Ministry of Health with support from international partners like UNFPA will work hard to ensure that help is delivered to Somali mothers at the regional, district and village level,” said Abdi.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“DP World, the Dubai-based global ports operator, is part of the UAE’s outreach programme for Somalia and it has plans to develop three ports in the country to help boost its faltering economy.nSecurity is a key requirement when it comes to building a port, so DP World has had to work closely with the UAE’s security and foreign policy arms.This collaboration is pivotal as the Al Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al-Shabaab still represents a clear and present danger not only to Somalia but also to Kenya, where Mombasa is a major UAE economic partner.Several thousand UAE Armed Forces are involved in organising, training and equipping various Somalia factions to help them not only with counter-terrorism operations but also in fulfilling general policing functions”
UAE People & Politics: The Ongoing Campaign To Save Somalia
21 May – Source: The National – 742 Words
The UAE’s campaign to rescue Somalia from its plight of humanitarian disaster, piracy and terrorism at the hands of Al-Shabaab is an ongoing but major objective. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development and UAE port operators have been involved for five years in trying to make the failed east African state a functioning member of the regional community.
The Armed Forces, and specifically the Navy, has been working to develop a Somali coastguard that will protect the country’s fishermen and also foreign tankers from the threat of piracy. Last year, the Armed Forces donated battle wagons and other equipment to Somali National Security and Intelligence Agency plus training programmes for Somali Special Operation forces for specific counter-terrorism missions.
“Because the world is governed by the “iron law” of human destiny, the law of causality is real in Somalia–that the three-year rule of Damjadid won’t lead us to democratic elections. That is why those in the opposition must disregard the call for an election in 2016 and devise a plan to showcase their relevance. They have to show the public that they have the capacity to midwife a peaceful transition by uniting their means against the ruling group.”
Somalia: Why Opposition Unity Is A Choice
21 May – Source: RBC Radio – 1,002 Words
Opposition politics is the cream of any governance system, particularly when all honor the statues and the constitution of the land. No matter their position on the continuum, all are bound to respect the supreme voice. But when back-door deals and constituency-fooling overwhelm the daily business of government, the most appealing promises fall flat. That is why above-the-law politicians should never be entrusted with Somalia’s fragile situation, and that a gigantic opposition to checkmate them is highly necessary.
Let me begin by saying that there is nothing wrong with being in the opposition. In fact, a willful and constructive opposition politics can sustain a meaningful reality check on the ruling party. This is so because those on duty are always prone to be susceptible to blind-spot politics where they are unable to gauge their progress and give in to group-think dynamics. We should therefore salute those in the opposition if they want to keep the country intact.
However, opposition elements in Somalia have failed to read the situation in the country correctly. Obsessed with power and donor money themselves, their instrument for reading the mood of the nation is dysfunctional. Their ability to test what works and what doesn’t is tainted with tribal differences and religious traps. That is why they couldn’t interpret the moves of Damjadid. In the interest of argument, below are but couple of issues that require the attention of those power aspirants in the opposition.