July 16, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

AMISOM And SNA Close In Al-Shabaab-Held Town Of Baardheere

15 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 180 Words
AMISOM troops from Kenya and Somali National Army have recovered an important supply route for Al-Shabaab near the agricultural town of Bardhere. Reliable sources tell Goobjoog that the troops have recovered Tarako location, 50 km west to Bardhere, which has effectively opened a new front to Al-Shabaab who is facing raging tides of military offences from Ethiopian troops. Some three thousand troops from Ethiopia have reportedly crossed into Gedo this week and have been advancing to the Al-Shabaab held strategic town of Bardhere. Al-Shabaab has reportedly deployed more fire power to the town as residents fled the city in search of safety. Tarako location links Bardhere to Elwaq district at the Kenyan border and is said to be important supply route for Al-Shabaab. Just hours before this development, we reported that a convoy of Kenyan military forces has been hit with explosion at the Dhamas location, but it’s not clear if this movement has anything to do with the recovery of the supply route.

Key Headlines

AMISOM And SNA Close In Al-Shabaab-Held Town Of Baardheere (Goobjoog News)
Kenya To Suspend Somalia Flights During Obama’s Stay (Wacaal Media)
Despite Sticking Points Trilateral Meeting Reopens In Puntland (Garowe Online)
Malnutrition Rises In Juba Regions (Radio Ergo)
Kenyan Military Convoy Hit By Explosion In Gedo (Goobjoog News)
Somalia Leader Meets Swedish Prime Minister EU Commissioner (Garowe Online)
Beledweyne Hospital Starts Charging For Services (Radio Ergo)
KDF Kills Seven Al-Shabaab Militants In Somalia (The Star)
Somalia’s Post-conflict Banana Harvest Revival (Al Jazeera)
Two Somali Youths Held For Forgery In Hyderabad (Business Standard)
10500 Refugees Arrive In Yemen By Sea Since Start Of Conflict: UNHCR (Xinhua)
Congressional Somalia Caucus Brings Little Reason To Celebrate (Star Tribune)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Kenya To Suspend Somalia Flights During Obama’s Stay

15 July – Source: Wacaal Media – 118 Words

The Kenyan government has announced that all flights to and from Somalia will be halted during US President Barack Obama’s stay in the country. In a press briefing, State House Comptroller Manoah Esipisu said that no Somali flights will be accepted at Wilson airport as well as the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport citing security concerns. Obama is expected in Nairobi on the 25th of this month where he is expected to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit to be held in the city. It is the first time a sitting US president visits Kenya as well as Obama’s first to his father’s birth country since he took office. The US has been putting in place security measures in Kenya ahead of Obama’s visit.

Despite Sticking Points, Trilateral Meeting Reopens In Puntland

15 July – Source: Garowe Online – 180 Words

A trilateral meeting between Somali Federal Government, Puntland and Jubaland has reopened on Wednesday morning despite major disagreements, Garowe Online reports. Somalia Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke who arrived in the state capital, Garowe on Monday is backing a mediation plan to mend ties with Puntlad and Jubaland. Sources close to the Prime Minister told Garowe Online that the preceding gathering on Tuesday ended in disagreement after Sharmarke asked Puntland to recognize Galmudug and all national commissions. The negotiating Puntland committee rebuffed the suggestion, saying Galmudug’s formation was in violation of Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC) which only stipulates that only two or more regions may merge to form a federal member state. Officials argue that Galmudug would open the gate to more phantom states that serve personal interests above the constitution. On Sunday, Puntland parliament called ‘Galmudug’ illegal and all national commissions set up without prior consultations with Puntland ‘Null and Void’. On June 6, Jubaland broke off relations with Mogadishu over the passing of controversial vote of no-confidence against Jubba regional assembly.

Malnutrition Rises In Juba Regions

15 June – Source: Radio Ergo – 189 Words

Widespread food shortage in farming areas in the Juba regions has led to high levels of malnutrition among children. Around 200 malnourished children were admitted to Kismayo general hospital for treatment in the first 10 days of July. The children came from districts and villages in Lower and Middle Juba regions including Jamame, Afmadow, Badhadhe, Kabsuma, Jilib and Sakow. These farming areas have no health facilities. Some patients travelled for days to Kismayo seeking treatment. Khadija Moallim Abdulle, a farmer from Jilib, came to Kismayo from 120 kms away with her sick three year-old daughter. The child had diarrhoea and vomiting and signs of malnutrition. Dr Mohamed Bashir, the head of the malnutrition ward, said the increased cases of malnutrition in the two regions came after a generally poor harvest in the last three months. Food reserves had already been low because of successive poor harvests. In June, 167 children were discharged from the hospital after receiving nutritional therapy treatment. Another 120 children suffering from malnutrition are still undergoing treatment. The hospital is supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Kenyan Military Convoy Hit By Explosion In Gedo

15 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 132 Words

A convoy of Kenyan military personnel has been hit by an explosion as it passed through Dhamas location near Kenya-Somalia border in Gedo, sources say. Sources in the region told Goobjoog News that the explosion was caused by a roadside mine. It is still unknown who been planted the mine. The explosion has reportedly caused unknown casualties on Kenyan troops and Kenyan helicopters arrived at the scene to ferry the injured for medical treatment. Kenyan troops, which are under AMISOM have been engaging with Al-shabaab militants in Gedo region. Militants have made cross-border raids against Kenya. No one has claimed responsibility but Al-Shabaab has in the past set landmines targeting Somali National Army and the African Union backed force, AMISOM troops.

Somalia Leader Meets Swedish Prime Minister, European Union Commissioner

15 July – Source: Garowe Online – 173 Words

Federal Government of Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has met Swedish Prime Minister Kjell Stefan Löfvén on the sidelines of International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Garowe Online reports. Mohamud and Löfvén discussed Sweden-sponsored development programmes in Somalia and strengthening of bilateral relations. Somalia President praised Sweden for its pivotal role in the country’s economic recovery. President Mohamud also received European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica. “We thank European Union for various supports it extends to Somalia. After we transcended from the state of emergency, we request support for economic infrastructure development, rebuilding of army and creation of income-generating activities,” Somalia President told EU official. On his side, Mimica stressed that EU will consider Somalia’s priorities in reconstruction, political development and security. Mohamud was being accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Abdisalan Omar Hadliye and Petroleum Minister Mohamed Mukhtar Ibrahim. In his address at Addis Ababa conference, Somalia leader highlighted the importance of remittances and infrastructure in a country emerging from conflict.

Beledweyne Hospital Starts Charging For Services

15 July – Source: Radio Ergo – 297 Words

The main public hospital in Beledweyne has started charging patients for services due to financial constraints. Patients say they cannot afford to pay the charges. The hospital previously provided free services to the local population. Most are poor, many are IDPs in local camps, and some come from far off pastoralist areas of Hiiraan because they are unable to afford private hospitals. Halima Hussein Gedi, a diabetic, travelled from her village about 100 km from Beletweyne seeking treatment for an infected wound. One week after she arrived she was still waiting for medication. The hospital had no medicine in stock, she said, and she could not afford to go elsewhere. “I knew the hospital used to offer free services because I was served here before. For now though, all patients have to buy prescribed medicine from private outlets outside the hospital, but I cannot afford to do that,” Halima told Radio Ergo’s local reporter.

Laboratory services and maternity services are now available at set charges. Amal Abdirahman, acting head of the mother and child health centre, said many families were turning away when they realized maternity services were no longer free. Standard maternity services cost $20, while a caesarean section costs $100. “There are risks these women when returned home in labour may develop complications at home as they may not get hygienic and professional services,” Amal said. The hospital director Dr Ahmed Khalif said the charges would enable the facility to remain open by meeting its overhead costs and paying staff salaries and bills. The hospital used to be supported through supplies of medicines from the International Medical Corps (IMC). The agency also paid staff salaries and utility bills. IMC cut back its support in January, Dr Ahmed Khalif said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

KDF Kills Seven Al-Shabaab Militants In Somalia

15 July – Source: The Star – 184 Words

Seven al Shabaab fighters were killed in a gunfight with the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia’s Lagolei area in Elade, Gedo. One KDF soldier lost his during the incident. KDF said the militants had planted an Improvised Explosive Device which was run over by a vehicle carrying soldiers before the firefight ensued. “The troops were on routine duties in the environs of Elade when their vehicle was hit by an IED laid by Al Shabaab terrorists. The soldiers pursued the terrorists and in the ensuing firefight , seven Al Shabaab terrorists were killed, eight AK 47 rifles , two grenades and assorted ammunition were seized. KDF lost a soldier while another was injuired and is receiving necessary medical attention,” Col Dadiv Obonyo, the KDF military spokesman said today. He said that there has been increased al Shabaab activity following sustained pressure by AMISOM troops in Somalia particularly following the deployment of Ethiopian troops in Bay Bakool region. This he said has forced al Shabaab to flee West into Gedo and South toward Lower Shabelle. Obonyo said KDF will continue pursuing the terrorists until they are pacified.

Somalia’s Post-conflict Banana Harvest Revival

15 July – Source: Al Jazeera – 882 Words

Early morning showers fade into the distance as thick rain clouds give way to the piercing rays of a tropical sun, revealing wet, dark brown fertile soil. About 30 people emerge from the shades of full grown mango trees, woven baskets made of dried banana leaves in one hand and a sharp Panga – a machete – in the other. They are farmers attending to a large banana plantation in Somalia’s farming capital of Afgoye, a riverside town some 30km south of the country’s seaside capital Mogadishu. Holding a measuring ruler in his hand, Ahmedey Abduqadir leads the group of mainly female farmers through the muddy canals that snake through the plantation, to the far end of the farm where the fruit of the right size and shape are to be harvested.

He takes his time placing the ruler on selected fruit in the bunch of low hanging bananas, checking that they are of the right size before chopping them off and placing them in the baskets to be transported to a waiting vehicle. The mood is upbeat and banter flows back and forth as they negotiate their way through the endless canals with banana loaded baskets on their backs. “I cut bananas for one to three vehicles every morning and we send them to the city. We are very busy,” Ahmedey Abduqadir told Al Jazeera, his feet covered ankle deep in the mud. He has been a farmer for more than twenty years. “Things are much better than before. Before because of the conflict there were not many jobs here but now many of us work almost every day,” Abduqadir added, as his colleagues cheered in the background. Demand for the fruit has never been higher in the last two decades. Abduqadir, along with more than hundred other people, has found employment on this farm where they all work six days a week supplying Mogadishu’s dining tables. Before the country’s bloody civil war, which toppled the central government in 1991, Somalia’s banana industry was the continent’s biggest. But it was destroyed because the warring sides not only looted the enterprises that processed and exported the fruit, but made farming on the banks of River Shabelle and Juba – Somalia’s two main rivers – too risky.

Two Somali Youths Held For Forgery In Hyderabad

15 June – Source: Business Standard – 204 Words
Two Somali nationals were today arrested on the charges of forging residential permits and other documents for foreigners staying in India and cheating, police said. Abdirahman Abukar Haji Osman and the prime accused, Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, were apprehended from Humayunnagar for allegedly making fake visa entry, extension visa, passports and other documents, they said. Police had a tip-off that some Somalis are creating fake and false residential permits and stay visas for needy foreigners and using them as originals.Police also seized incriminating material including several duplicate rubber stamps and seal from the accused duo.

According to police, Abdi Rahmaan Ibrahim (25) was staying illegally in India. “He reports to be a refugee. He is not holding a passport or legal permit to stay in India. He states that he came to India in December 2009 and moving freely between Delhi and Hyderabad,” a release from Hyderabad Police stated. Another accused Abdirahman Abukar Haji Osman (22) is a student of MBA (second year). He came to Hyderabad in October 2009, as per the release. Both the accused became friends and started providing fake residential permits to the needy foreigners whose permit has expired, for huge money.

10,500 Refugees Arrive In Yemen By Sea Since Start Of Conflict: UNHCR

15 July – Source: Xinhua – 309 Words

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported Tuesday that some 10,500 new sea arrivals have been in reported in Yemen since the conflict started on March 26, and that over 37,000 refugees and migrants had braved the crossing so far this year. UNHCR indicated that though most of the refugees originated from Ethiopia, Somalis and other nationalities were also reported to have arrived on Yemeni soil. According to reports, many of the refugees were tricked by smugglers who mislead them into believing that the Yemeni conflict was over and that the situation in the country was safe.

Yemen, which is home to some 250,000 refugees, mostly Somalis, has seen much of its refugee population flee the urban centers where they were based to move to Kharaz camp and towns in southern parts of the country. “Many refugees are now trying to self-evacuate by taking boats back to Somalia or Djibouti, or to move towards Saudi Arabia to seek refuge there,” UNHCR Yemen Representative Johannes van der Klaauw explained, highlighting the challenge of monitoring and providing assistance to the dispersing refugees. Since the escalation of the conflict, UNHCR indicated that over 51,000 people have fled Yemen for Djibouti, Somalia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

Together with partners, the UN Refugee Agency is also dealing with the rising numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) who have fled their homes because of the crisis which has claimed the lives of 1,670 civilians and injured a further 3,829 between March 26 and July 13 this year. Figures show that the number of internally displaced Yemenis has now reached 1,267,590, with the largest concentration of IDPs located in Hajjah (298,788), Al Dhale (227,414) and Aden (184,100). According to experts, four out of every give Yemenis are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“Ellison and Emmer are veteran politicians who know how to harvest voter emotions. The formation of a Congressional Somalia Caucus provided both with a nice public relations bump, thanks to heavy media coverage in their districts. It created the perception of doing something on behalf of Minnesota’s Somali community without any tangible deliverables.”

Congressional Somalia Caucus Brings Little Reason To Celebrate

15 July – Source: Star Tribune – 723 Words

Minnesota Congressmen Keith Ellison, a Democrat representing the 5th District (which includes Minneapolis), and Tom Emmer, a Republican representing the 6th District (which includes St. Cloud), have formed a Congressional Somalia Caucus in Washington. Their joint statement read: “The purpose of the Somalia Caucus is to advocate for peace and stability in Somalia by ensuring the United States is providing sufficient and meaningful assistance so that democracy, good governance, and prosperity prevail over terrorism in Somalia.” The goal of helping Somalia is admirable. But let’s be honest: The likelihood of the Congressional Somalia Caucus delivering is very low. Congress has nearly 700 caucuses. Many of these caucuses have few members and have sponsored little in the way of meaningful legislation.

Minnesota’s other congressmen and -woman have showed little enthusiasm for the Congressional Somalia Caucus so far. When I reached out to other congressional offices for comment responses ranged from no comment to unaware. Responses from Minnesota’s two senators were similar to those from the house. Senator Al Franken’s office issued a general statement of support. There was no comment by Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office.
One reason for the muted response could be that the press release was designed for voters back in the district rather than members of congress.

The joint statement from Ellison and Emmer read, in part: “for us, and the constituents we represent, Somalia is not a far off foreign policy issue, it’s a matter of domestic policy and national security.” Statements like this are easily dismissed in Washington but have emotional appeal back in Minnesota’s large Somali community. Ellison and Emmer are veteran politicians who know how to harvest voter emotions. The formation of a Congressional Somalia Caucus provided both with a nice public relations bump, thanks to heavy media coverage in their districts. It created the perception of doing something on behalf of Minnesota’s Somali community without any tangible deliverables. For Minnesota’s Somali community, however, the move has more of a symbolic quality, which re-enforces attachment to Somalia politics. What’s really needed are steps to integrate the community into mainstream Minnesota politics.