December 17, 2015 | Morning Headlines
EC Announces $327Mln Plan To Address Migration Causes In Somali Peninsula
16 December – Source: Sputnik News – 291 Words
The European Commission announced on Wednesday a 16-point action plan worth almost 300 million euros ($327 million) to address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement in the Horn of Africa, the EU executive body said in a statement. The plan includes pillar-action points aimed at addressing migration in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) in general, as well as particular actions and recommendations for particular states.
The plan includes efforts to create employment opportunities and better living conditions in specific areas of Ethiopia, facilitate the return of refugees, who are currently hosted in the region and in Europe, to stable areas of Somalia, improve the reintegration of South Sudanese refugees in host communities of Uganda or create favorable conditions for their return, and support the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan and the return of internally displaced persons.
One of the overall objectives of the action plan is to promote sustainable voluntary return and reintegration by building national capacities. The project aims to investigate and prosecute cases of human trafficking and smuggling and improve border management, as well as developing policies and legislative frameworks The new plan also recommends the improvement of the recruitment framework for migrant labor. To this end, governments, social partners and other stakeholders should efficiently manage recruitment within the overall labor migration process.
Key Headlines
- EC Announces $327Mln Plan To Address Migration Causes In Somali Peninsula (Sputnik News)
- Six SNA Officers Injured In Afgoye Blast (Wacaal Media)
- Reconciliation Conference For Galmudug And Puntland Started In Bandiiradley (Goobjoog News)
- Residents Of Galkayo Hold Anti 4.5 Demonstrations (Wacaal Media)
- Police On Alert Over Potential Al-Shabaab Attack In Turkey (Today’s Zaman)
- Ottawa Police Officers Raise Money To Run School In Somalia (580 CFRA)
- Kenya Extends Security Operation To Flush Out Militants In Forest (Xinhua)
- Saudi Arabia Announces 34-state Islamic Military Alliance Against Terrorism (Reuters)
- Jihad Recruitment In Minnesota A Case Study After San Bernardino (worldchurch.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Six SNA Officers Injured In Afgoye Blast
16 Wednesday – Source: Wacaal Media – 57 Words
Six members of the Somali National Army were injured today in a blast that happened in the outskirts of Afgooye town, Lower Shabelle region. An eye witness confirmed to Wacaal media the incident happened at Adan Seeraar farm, 1 km from Afgoyee. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack by the time of going to press.
Reconciliation Conference For Galmudug And Puntland Started In Bandiiradley
16 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 190 Words
Reconciliation conference for Galmudug and Puntland has kicked off in Bandiiradley town on Wednesday. Delegates from conflicted sides, elders and mediation team have converged in the town. Mudug Governor, Abdirashid Hashi Arte has officially opened the meeting urging the participants to commit their time to iron out all the differences. “Hopefully this meeting will be fruitful, I am pleased with the way the mediation team convened the negotiation meeting to discuss the matter. Hope you will discuss everything deeply” he said.
2nd of this month, Puntland and Galmudug signed a peace deal after three days of negotiations following the killing of about 30 people and displacement of thousands of others. The deal which was witnessed by negotiation teams led by the Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid alongside Jubbaland leader Ahmed Madobe and South West State counterpart Sharrif Hassan set out a four point framework to avert further bloodshed in Galkayo. The leaders agreed on unconditional ceasefire and withdrawal of forces from both sides creating a buffer zone. In addition, both sides agreed to pave way for the return of displaced people which the UN agency, OCHA estimates at 40,000.
Residents Of Galkayo Hold Anti 4.5 Demonstrations
16 December – Source: Wacaal Media – 102 Words
Demonstrations against the tribal based method famously known as 4.5 was today held in Galkayo as local residents voiced their support for the position of Puntland which seeks district or geographical representations. The residents waved anti 4.5 placard slogans. They were later joined by members of the district and regional administrations of Galkayo and Mudug respectively. The protesters said they will not accept the country to be taken aback with 4.5 which is a tribal based formula that was used to bring to power the current Federal Government. They urged leaders to respect views of the local people.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Police On Alert Over Potential Al-Shabaab Attack In Turkey
16 December – Source: Today’s Zaman – 340 Words
The National Police Department has issued a warning to all 81 provinces of Turkey to be on guard against potential attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab terrorist group. According to a report in the Milliyet dailyon Wednesday, the National Police Department warned all the police departments in the country that an al-Shabaab member codenamed “Bihaari” may have been assigned to carry out bomb attacks in Turkey. The police stated that Bihaari has been to İstanbul in the past with the help of Hussein Abdilaziz Abdiriza, an official from the Somali government. Bihaari is said to be in Syria currently and has plans to move to Turkey, the police reportedly said.
The police statement also exposed other potential suspects who might participate in terrorist attacks in Turkey. An Al-Shabaab member identified only as D.X., who was trained by the group to prepare explosives, is currently studying in Turkey, the police said. Another potential Al-Shabaab member believed to be involved in planning a possible attack in Turkey is Ahmed Ibraahim Barlex, who also was educated in Turkey, according to the report.
On Jan. 22 Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a car bomb that was detonated in front of a hotel in Mogadishu, where a Turkish delegation was meeting a day before President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was to arrive. Following the January attack, the spokesperson for al-Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Raage, named Turkey as one of its targets. “NATO is the biggest enemy of Muslims and Turkey is a part of it. NATO is a union of Christians. NATO uses Turkey as a hammer to smash Muslims,” said Raage.
Ottawa Police Officers Raise Money To Run School In Somalia
16 December – Source: 580 CFRA – 144 Words
A group of Ottawa Police officers are raising money to help run a school in Somalia. The school was built in 2012, from the fundraising efforts of Const. Moe Elmi, a community policing officer in the Herongate area, who dreamed of creating a brighter future for kids in his native country. Const. JP Vincelette said now they’re pitching in to keep the Somali Hope Academy running. “There’s always more to be done and now it’s growing and there’s 300 children that are being educated there, but there’s way more than 300 children that need that kind of help in Somalia,” said Vincelette. “There’s always going to be a need for support for all these children that need education.” Officers in the east district are collecting donations among each other for the effort. The goal is to help build a new well for the school.
Kenya Extends Security Operation To Flush Out Militants In Forest
16 December – Source: Xinhua – 611 Words
Kenyan authorities have indefinitely extended a security operation to flush out Somali militants from the vast forest in the coastal town of Lamu due to renewed terror threats. A Gazette notice on the extension has already been released by the Ministry of Interior amid reports that the Islamist insurgents still pose a threat as events in Mandera County in northeast Kenya attest. Regional police commander Francis Wanjohi said on Wednesdaysecurity officers have been mobilized, as tension remains over fears of eminent attacks from militants from Somalia who are believed to be still in the vast forest planning further attacks.
Wanjohi said they have enhanced vigilance to deal by Al-Shabaab affiliate group Jeysh Ayman blamed for recent terror attacks in the coastal region. The police believe the insurgents are hiding in Boni forest which is between northern region and coast. Wanjohi said patrols along the Kenya-Somalia border have been enhanced to deal with al Shabaab threats in the region.
“We are aware of the Al-Shabaab threats along the Kenya Somalia border, and we established buffer zone to prevent them from crossing over,” Wanjohi said. An estimated 3,000 people living near the forest were forced to leave so that the operation could go ahead. The forest borders the Indian Ocean and extends to the Somalia border. It is believed that some of the militants have been using it in launching attacks in places like Mpeketoni where more than 60 people were killed in June and July 2014.
Saudi Arabia Announces 34-state Islamic Military Alliance Against Terrorism
15 December – Source: Reuters – 581 Words
A new Saudi-led Islamic alliance to fight terrorism will share information and train, equip and provide forces if necessary for the fight against Islamic State militants, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia announced earlier on Tuesday the formation of a 34-nation Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism, a move welcomed by the United States which has been urging a greater regional involvement in the campaign against the militants who control swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. “Nothing is off the table,” al-Jubeir said when asked whether the initiative could include troops on the ground. ”
It depends on the requests that come, it depends on the need and it depends on the willingness of countries to provide the support necessary,” he told a news briefing in Paris. A statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA said the new coalition would have a joint operations center based in Riyadh to “coordinate and support military operations”. The states it listed as joining the new coalition included Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and several African nations. The list did not include Shi’ite Muslim Iran, the arch rival of Sunni Saudi Arabia for influence across the Arab world. Tehran and Riyadh are ranged on opposite sides in proxy conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Jaylani Hussein, head of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said those arrested for ISIS ties differ than past radicals who had joined the conflict in East Africa. Those who signed up with Al-Shabaab were mostly estranged from the community or in trouble with the law, Hussein said. These youths, on the other hand, come from well-integrated families.”
Jihad Recruitment In Minnesota, A Case Study After San Bernardino
16 December – Source: worldcrunch.com – 680 Words
Inside, the mix of spices and colorful clothing evoke a taste of Africa. Outside, the snow and cold quickly bring you back to the reality that is the northern United States in December. The Karmell Mall in Minneapolis is one of the first malls founded by Somali residents, who have since found refuge and economic security in successive waves of immigration to the northern U.S. state of Minnesota.
But just a few blocks away, Fartun Weli, a Somali-American who runs a local women’s support association, is looking down at the latest news updates on her smartphone from another, more immediate reality: the shock brought on by the deadly shooting this month in San Bernardino, California, carried out by radicalized Muslims. Weli says the reverberations for her community have their own unique mix. “We, Somali are simultaneously immigrants, Black and Muslim,” she says, readjusting her veil. “In Fox News’ world, that’s a lot.” The stakes have been raised further still since Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed a total ban on Muslims entering the U.S..
In Minneapolis, the Somali community had already been struggling to recover from another recent jolt: the FBI arrest in April of six young Somali-Americans about to set off for Syria. A decade earlier, dozens of youth had already joined the jihadist Al-Shabaab militia in a Somalia consumed by civil war. Following the arrests, in a column published in the daily Minneapolis Star Tribune, former Senator Norm Coleman used the state’s nickname, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” to refer to Minnesota the “Land of 10,000 terrorists,” calling for a harsher crackdown.