September 29, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Hundreds Demonstrate Against US Suspected Air Raid In Galmudug State of Somalia
28 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 164 Words
Hundreds of residents on Wednesday went to the streets to protest against air raid carried out by an alleged US gunship helicopter on Tuesday night in the outskirt of Galkayo town of central Somalia. The irate residents gathered at the center of the town chanting anti American expressions and burning down American flag as they called on Galmudug regional state to respond what they termed as an aggression.
At least 14 soldiers from Galmudug state were killed Wednesday night and nine others injured in what sources say it was an alleged helicopter gunship fire from US forces in central Somalia sparking bitter exchanges between Puntland and Galmudug The attack took Place at Jeehdin Village, 14 km to the east of Galkacyo. Pictures from attacked site showed at least two painted Galmudug state military vehicles destroyed and riddled with machine gun bullets.
Key Headlines
- Hundreds Demonstrate Against US Suspected Air Raid In Galmudug State of Somalia (Goobjoog News)
- Galmudug And Puntland Trade Accusations As 14 Soldiers Are Killed In US Airstrike (Goobjoog News)
- UN Condemns Murder Of Radio Shabelle Journalist (Shabelle News)
- Japan Navy Steps Up War On Somalia Piracy With Base In Djibouti (The East African)
- US Accused Of Killing 22 In Misdirected Somalia Airstrike (Reuters)
- With 66% Unemployment Mogadishu Somalia Is The World’s Most Fragile City (Business Insider)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Galmudug And Puntland Trade Accusations As 14 Soldiers Are Killed In US Airstrike
28 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 324 Words
At least 14 soldiers from Interim Galmudug Regional State were killed on Wednesday night and nine others injured in what sources allegedly said it was helicopter gunship fire from US forces in central Somalia sparking bitter exchanges between Puntland and Galmudug. Mudug Deputy Governor Ahmed Mohamed Shire whose region is under Galmudug confirmed the attack and accused Puntland of giving false information to US forces to hit the soldiers who were in their military base. “Puntland officials directed US planes to destroy our military base in Jehdin villages killing 14 and wounding nine others,” Shire told Goobjoog News.
A soldier who survived the attack told Goobjoog News that at least 9 pickup vehicles full of soldiers and military planes attacked them. “At the beginning we sighted military vehicles approaching our direction; we started our cars and tried to withdraw, but we are attacked from air. They used against us same cruise missile which killed Adan Hashi Araw Alshabab top commander who was killed by US airstrike In Dhusamareb town of Galgaduud region in 2007” said Duran Said Elmi. Pictures from the scene show destroyed military vehicles covered with blood stains. Sources told Goobjoog News correspondent in the area the nature of the damage could point to helicopter gunships though the US has largely been deploying drone strikes against Al-Shabaab.
But Puntland has refuted the claims noting the shelling was targeting Al-Shabaab base in the region. Abdinasir Bedel Khalif a media liaison officer for Puntland state in Mudug region said the attack was aimed at Al-Shabaab militants, a case corroborated by a Puntland police colonel Abdullahi Nur. “Puntland security forces launched a planned attack last night. We killed over a dozen militants and destroyed their vehicles,” Colonel Abdullahi Nur told Reuters. There were no immediate comment from the US regarding the airstrike. The US has been working with Somali elite forces in bombing Al-Shabaab bases and eliminating their figureheads with major operations in southern Somalia.
UN Condemns Murder Of Radio Shabelle Journalist
28 September – Source: Shabelle News – 222 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia Michael Keating strongly condemns the murder of the Radio Shabelle journalist Abdiaziz Mohamed Ali in the Somali capital yesterday by two unknown gunmen. The perpetrators have not yet been identified. A highly regarded reporter and producer, Mr. Ali became the second Somali journalist to meet a violent death this year. A total of 31 Somali journalists have been murdered since August 2012, according to the UNSOM Human Rights and Protection Group. “Mr. Ali was an inquisitive, experienced and resourceful journalist who regularly covered press conferences offered by the international community in Mogadishu,” said Mr. Keating. “His death represents a great loss to the country’s journalistic community, and we extend our thoughts and condolences to Mr. Ali’s friends and family.”
Earlier this month, UNSOM and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report on the right to freedom of expression that described Somalia as “a dangerous operating environment” that has especially affected journalists and media workers. In 2015, Somalia was ranked as the worst country on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Global Impunity Index list, which documents the lack of accountability for crimes against journalists and media workers worldwide. UNSOM calls on Somali authorities to spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Japan Navy Steps Up War On Somalia Piracy With Base In Djibouti
28 September – Source: The East African – 396 Words
Japan in collaboration with the international community is intensifying war on piracy to enable safe transportation of cargo and passengers in the Indian Ocean.Japanese ambassador to Kenya Toshitsugu Uesawa said his government has set up a defence force base in Djibouti in a bid to maintain surveillance off Somalia Coast to contain piracy. Due to increased surveillance, he said attacks had in recent years dropped drastically in the key shipping route that had been hit hard leading to increase in global shipping costs a few years back.“Our major goal is to secure the sea so that ships can safely transport passengers and goods to various ports on the African continent,” he said. Mr Uesawa was confident the maritime industry in Africa could register significant growth if pirate attacks are brought to an end.
He also reaffirmed the Japanese government’s commitment to fostering relations between the Japanese and the Kenya navy to make the Indian Ocean safe for sea transport.Speaking at the Port of Mombasa on Monday, he said the two countries would continue to work hand in hand on peace initiatives and development.Apart from piracy, the envoy said his country was also involved in peacekeeping missions in Africa for stability to be achieved in countries such as South Sudan.
US Accused Of Killing 22 In Misdirected Somalia Airstrike
28 September- Source: Reuters – 292 Words
An air strike in northern Somalia left as many as 22 soldiers dead overnight, local officials said on Wednesday, and one region said the United States had been duped into attacking its troops.Galmudug’s Security Minister Osman Issa said 22 of his region’s soldiers had been killed in the strike, adding that the rival neighbouring region of Puntland had requested it on the pretext that the men were Al-Shabaab Islamist militants.”Puntland misinformed the United States and thus our forces were bombed,” he told Reuters. A U.S. Defense Department official told Reuters Washington had conducted “a self-defense air strike” against al Shabaab.”The air strike was called in after Somali troops faced fire from militants,” the official said. No evidence had been seen that the attack killed civilians or anyone other than al Shabaab militants, the official added.
A Puntland police officer said the attack had killed “more than a dozen” members of al Shabaab, which is waging an insurgency against Somalia’s Western-backed government and regional authorities.Galmudug and Puntland regions have often clashed over territory.The United States has launched many air strikes in Somalia, usually against Al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab denied that it had any fighters in the area of the latest incident. “We neither have a base nor forces in Galkayo area,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, told Reuters.Protesters in Galmudug’s capital Galkayo burned U.S. flags and images of President Barack Obama in protest, witnesses said. Shops closed because of the demonstrations.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Like other fragile countries, Somalia is plagued by a near-constant threat of violence, high population growth, and rampant unemployment. When tensions escalate to such a lethal degree, Muggah’s research has found, societies’ entire systems are vulnerable to collapse.”
With 66% Unemployment, Mogadishu, Somalia Is The World’s Most Fragile City
28 September – Source: Business Insider – 434 Words
Earlier this year, global security expert Robert Muggah released a report that outlined the most “fragile” cities in the world — basically, cities that were flirting with economic or physical collapse. Muggah ranked fragility based on a scale of 0-4, with 0 being rock-solid and 4 being extremely fragile. In total, 66 cities scored a 3 or higher and 160 scored a 2.7 or higher. But only one city scored a 4: Mogadishu, Somalia. The story behind Mogadishu’s fragility is really the story of Somalia’s fragility as a whole. Out of the 20 most fragile cities in Muggah’s analysis, which took into account environmental risks (e.g. flooding, earthquakes, etc.), terrorism rates, and economic insecurity, the 3 most fragile cities are all in Somalia, Mogadishu, Kismaayo, and Merca. (It also contains the 14th most fragile city, Hargeysa.)
Like other fragile countries, Somalia is plagued by a near-constant threat of violence, high population growth, and rampant unemployment. When tensions escalate to such a lethal degree, Muggah’s research has found, societies’ entire systems are vulnerable to collapse. That’s what makes them fragile. Fragile cities don’t offer equality, safety, access to affordable health care, or adequate resources during environmental disasters. When Huggah performed his analysis, Somalia’s most fragile cities all had unemployment rates of 66%. For women between 14-29 years old, the rate is 74%.
Muggah has clarified that “all cities are fragile to some degree, but Mogadishu is a special case. The Somali capital has been a hotbed of terror for the better part of a decade, as the Al-Shabaab terror group continues to carry out targeted killings and public executions. According to a 2015 report released by Human Rights Watch, the Somali government has largely been complicit in many of these crimes, often responding to protests with sweeping violence and property destruction without any legal mandate to do so.
The HRW report states that “the Somali government continued to rely on its military court to administer justice for a broad range of crimes not within its jurisdiction in proceedings that fall short of international fair trial standards,” including the execution of 15 people in 2014, 13 of whom were not part of Somali terror groups.
If Somalia’s most fragile cities are to gain stability over the next decade, Muggah says they need help in several distinct areas, including public security, public services, and effective, well-equipped leadership. As with all vulnerable cities, Muggah says the goal is to uplift Somalis themselves.
“They are exceptionally talented business people,” he explains. “Providing opportunities for credit, enabling small business, facilitating remittances, and encouraging diaspora returnees are all essential.”