October 1, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Al-Shabaab Kills Two Men In Somali National Army Uniform At Roadblock
30 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 307 Words
At least two men dressed in Somali National Army have been killed in the outskirt of Afgooye town after suspected Al-Shabaab fighters attacked roadblock. Several Al-Shabaab fighters have staged attack on illegal roadblock which prompted fighting that has led Al-Shabaab ran over the position and took over the control the checkpoint for hours. Reports say the gunmen in SNA uniform disappeared into the thick forest in outskirt of Afgooye town. The administration of Afgooye did not comment on the incident. Drivers operating in Afgoye and its environs have been expressing concern over illegal roadblocks that have been mounted in areas between Mareeray and Afgoye towns in southern Somalia. Some of the drivers operating the road connecting the two towns told Goobjoog News that they always spend a lot of money on illegal roadblocks to save their lives.
“We have lots of problem with these illegal checkpoints in Lower Shabelle region because we cannot afford the amount of money we are forced to pay,” said one of the drivers. Drivers have complained repeatedly about the illegal roadblocks that have been setup by the militias. One of the bus drivers, who asked to remain anonymous in fear of reprisal attacks from the militias, told Goobjoog that information saying the checkpoint was ran over by Al-Shabaab fighters will be relief to the drivers for a while because they will use that way peacefully. Armed men with SNA uniform set up roadblocks to embezzle cash from drivers who constantly use the busy main highway connecting the Lower Shabelle region. According to local sources, more than 10 roadblocks have been setup between two towns in the Lower Shabelle region. The federal government carried out several operations to remove the illegal roadblocks set by the men dressed in military uniform but no change was so far felt according to the owners and the drivers.
Key Headlines
- Al-Shabaab Kills Two Men In Somali National Army Uniform At Roadblock (Goobjoog News)
- Hargeisa Court Orders Release Of Detained Artists (Wacaal Media)
- Protests Disputes Overshadow Bossaso Mayoral Election (Garowe Online)
- Fire Guts Down Properties In Mogadishu’s Hodan District (Goobjoog News)
- Finland Freezes Asylum Decisions For Iraq Somalia Refugees (Middle East Online)
- IFJ welcomes UN Independent Expert’s Report Over Press Freedom’s Violations In Somalia (IFJ)
- Minnesota Leads The Nation In Would-Be ISIL Terrorists From U.S. Report Finds (Star Tribune)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Hargeisa Court Orders Release Of Detained Artists
30 September – Source: Wacaal Media – 106 Words
A court in Hargeisa has ordered the immediate release of a group of artists that were recently arrested by the Somaliland administration. The group of four musicians from the band – Horn of Africa Stars were in detention since Sunday after they held a concert in Mogadishu. Judge Ahmed Dalmar Ismail said the police failed to produce any evidence of wrong doing by the artists and therefore their continued detention was against the constitution of the breakaway republic which has not been recognized internationally. Police accused the stars of wrapping themselves with the National flag of Somalia, a move they said undermined the sovereignty of Somaliland.
Protests, Disputes Overshadow Bossaso Mayoral Election
30 September – Source: Garowe Online – 179 Words
Violent protests hit Bossaso port city as city councilors have elected new-comer, Yasin Mire Mohamud as new mayor in an overwhelming vote on Wednesday, Garowe Online reports. On Tuesday, swearing-in ceremony held for new Bossaso city council members had cast a shadow over the mayoral election process after key contender, Omar Sidik relinquished his run for the post on the grounds of interferences by Puntland government. Speaking at a luncheon at Ga’ayte Hotel, clan elders accused President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali’s administration of meddling in the selection and election process.
Councilors raised their hands to pick Mohamud with twenty eight votes, in move that angered electoral district clans in comparison to the indirect ballot boxes that brought Garowe and Qardo mayors to office in mid-August and late September respectively. Puntland Security Minister Abdi Hirsi Ali (Qarjab) said, the overt vote has not been proposed by vetting and conflict resolution committee. Security forces are trying to contain angry crowds that took to the streets to protest against the outcome of contest. Protesters are said to have set fire to tyres.
Fire Guts Down Properties In Mogadishu’s Hodan District
30 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 131 Words
Fire outbreak in Hodan district has destroyed many building including houses, stalls and stores, shops, restaurants and properties of immense value. The outbreak of the fire near Benadir Junction has started atnoon from the kitchen of a restaurant and finally it has spread to all other business centres around it. Clouds of smoke are seen coming from the restaurant where the fire outbreak started. The blazed place is so close to the residential houses, stalls and stores and fortunately the spread of the fire was restricted by the locals and fire fighters. “The fire started in the restaurant unknowingly and it destroyed shops and the other business, we do not exactly know the cause of the fire but gas cylinder near fire is suspected to have caused it” said witness.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Finland Freezes Asylum Decisions For Iraq, Somalia Refugees
30 September – Source: Middle East Online – 283 Words
Finland on Wednesday temporarily froze its decisions on Iraqi and Somali asylum claims, to assess whether more applicants could be sent back home following a surge in arrivals from the two restive countries. “The Finnish Immigration Service freezes its decision-making on Iraqi and Somali asylum claims for the time being. This is due to the ongoing assessment of the security situation in Iraq and Somalia,” the service in charge of handling the applications said in a statement.
Finland has seen a dramatic rise in the number of mostly Iraqi and Somali asylum seekers, and the Immigration Service implied it planned to adopt a tougher line in the assessment of their applications. “Our preliminary data on, for example, the decision practices in other EU states confirms our impression that the guidelines are to be made stricter,” it wrote. The review could lead Finland to consider that security has improved enough in southern and central Somalia and central parts of Iraq for them to be considered safe places to live.
“Now it has already emerged that asylum seekers who come from, for example, Baghdad and surrounding regions and from Mogadishu are not granted protection automatically in other EU countries,” it justified. The suspension of the asylum decisions is expected to last some weeks. The agency said it was necessary to assure “the pending applications from Iraqi and Somali nationals can be treated equally and according to the same guidelines”. Since mid-September, Finland has stepped up migrant controls on its northern border with Sweden, where most migrants cross into the country. Over 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland so far this year, a more than fourfold increase on the 2014 tally of 3,650.
IFJ welcomes UN Independent Expert’s Report Over Press Freedom’s Violations In Somalia
30 September – Source: International Federation Of Journalists – 473 Words
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Somali affiliate, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), have today welcomed the report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Mr. Bahame Nyanduga, at the 30th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. In a statement to the Council, the two organisations said that they shared the concerns raised in the report over endless attacks on journalists and violations of press freedom in the country.
“My report addresses the grim situation faced by journalists, media workers, media houses and owners,” said the independent expert. “I received numerous reports of intimidation, arrests and prosecution of journalists on account of their professional work. Journalists have been killed for reporting on the conflict. In some cases media houses were closed down and media equipment confiscated or destroyed. A media law adopted by the cabinet of the Federal Government and sent to parliament proposes to introduce hefty fines. It establishes a media council that is fully controlled by the government. These draconian provisions in the media law bill, unless revised by parliament, are likely to threaten the existence of the free media and journalism profession.”
According to NUSOJ, four journalists were killed in this year in Mogadishu & Baidoa, 9 journalists were arrested and three media houses were closed down, while 2 other news media organisations were banned from operating in southeast (Jubaland) and northeast (Puntland). Journalists are gagged and persecuted under Somalia’s old and draconian penal code because of their media work, NUSOJ added. The IFJ and the NUSOJ blamed the authorities in Somalia, including the Federal Government, for the attacks, threats against journalists as well as the repressive and hostile environment for press freedom. In a statement delivered during the Interactive Dialogue on the report, the IFJ and NUSOJ urged the UN Human Rights Council to press Somalian government for steps to ensure the safety of journalists.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“I worry about the stigma and the prospect of our community being marginalized. But in the end, it’s up to us as Somali-Americans to really change our image. And as Minnesotans, we need to be asking what can we do to put these kinds of people into our mainstream here instead of over there.”
Minnesota Leads The Nation In Would-Be ISIL Terrorists From U.S., Report Finds
29 September – Source: Star Tribune – 1185 Words
Minnesota leads the nation in the number of people who have left or sought to leave the country to fight with terrorists aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria, according to a scathing congressional report that says the U.S. and western countries have failed to disrupt the flow of combatants to the Middle East.Released Tuesday by the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, the report specifically cites two Somali-American Minnesotans who joined or tried to join ISIL, highlighting its online recruiting success through peer-to-peer recruiting that relies on social media and sophisticated online messaging techniques.Young fighters from at least 19 states have tried to join terrorists in Syria since the start of that country’s civil war in 2011. Minnesota recruits made up 26 percent of the sample of 58 cases reviewed by the committee’s bipartisan task force. California and New York had the second most recruits, with each state making up 12 percent, according to findings.“This report is alarming and it’s really very worrisome,” said Sadik Warfa, deputy director of the Global Somali Diaspora based in Minneapolis. “I worry about the stigma and the prospect of our community being marginalized. But in the end, it’s up to us as Somali-Americans to really change our image. And as Minnesotans, we need to be asking what can we do to put these kinds of people into our mainstream here instead of over there.”
More than 250 Americans have attempted or succeeded in reaching Syria and Iraq to fight with terrorist groups, intelligence officials estimate. “We have largely failed to stop Americans from traveling overseas to join jihadists,” the task force declared. “A handful of suspects were stopped in other countries, but it appears the majority — 85 percent — still managed to evade American law enforcement on its way to the conflict zone.”