December 8, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somalia Recaptures Town From IS-Linked Fighters; 34 Dead
07 December – Source: Associated Press – 123 Words
A Somali official says security forces have recaptured a port town from Islamic State-linked fighters in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland.Yusuf Mohamed, the governor of Puntland’s commercial hub of Bossaso, says 30 militants and four soldiers were killed during the operation Wednesday to recapture Qandala.Residents confirmed that troops entered the town after fighters retreated into nearby villages.The seizure of Qandala in October had been the first victory for the Islamic State-linked fighters, who are expanding the areas under their control amid a rivalry with the homegrown al-Shabab extremist group.The fighters broke away from al-Shabab and declared allegiance to ISIS last year.Al-Shabab sees the splinter group as a threat to its operations in the long-chaotic Horn of Africa nation.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Recaptures Town From IS-Linked Fighter; 34 Dead (Associated Press)
- Galmudug Trucks Water To Drought-Stricken Areas (Goobjoog News)
- Supreme Court Institutes New Court System In Jubbaland (Radio Dalsan)
- Puntland To Show Off Qandala Operations Successes (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Youth Express Satisfaction With The Ongoing Electoral Process (UNSOM)
- Uganda Sends 2745 Troops To Somalia (New Vision)
- Mogadishu Job Fairs Open Opportunities for Graduates (Radio Ergo)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Galmudug Trucks Water To Drought-Stricken Areas
07 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 202 Words
The regional state in central Somalia, Galmudug has started trucking water to drought-stricken districts in Mudug and Galgaduud regions. Galmudug minister for humanitarian affairs, Shire Hirsi said the target areas were all districts and the villages under these two regions..He said they delivered ten water boozers which will be used to deliver water to areas hit by the drought. “We started trucking last week and we did it because we see the plight of the displaced every day,” Dayib said. “For now we are addressing the most pressing problem, and that is water.”
Acute water crisis has hit some villages in several regions following a drought that has shrunk pasture and water resources in the regions. The water pans, boreholes and other sources of water have dried up in rural areas and livestock herders have been moving to the regions seeking water. Thousands of Somalis have fled the countryside in search of food and water, trekking for days under scorching sun toward camps in major towns.
Pastoralist families are facing a serious shortage of water and pastures after several water points dried up the last few months as a result of dry spell that has hit in almost all Somali regions.
Supreme Court Institutes New Court System In Jubbaland
07 December – Source: Radio Dalsan – 86 Words
The Chairman of the Supreme Court of Somalia, Ibrahim Idle Saleban, and the Attorney General, Dr Ahmed Ali Dahir, recently visited Kismayo, the capital of Jubbaland state in an effort to take the justice department offices and courts to the region.The Supreme Court Chairman and the Attorney General met with representatives of the Jubbaland Court’s Authority from both regional and district levels and confirmed that they will begin the process of implementing the new courts system in Jubbaland before progressing to the other Regional states.
Puntland To Show Off Qandala Operations Successes
07 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 101 Words
The Puntland government has organised a media trip to areas near ancient port city of Qandala following its triumph over ISIS allied militia in the area. The journalists are supposed to cover Puntland military successes against the ISIS militias that captured the coastal town of Qandala a month ago.
Reporters are gathering in port city of Bosaso on their way to the frontline.Puntland forces have surrounded the town and expected to enter the town this morning.
Puntland forces have killed 33 ISIS fighters and seized other military gear during an offensive aimed to liberate the town, according Puntland military officials.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Youth Express Satisfaction With The Ongoing Electoral Process
08 December – Source: UNSOM – 512 Words
Thirty-two-year-old Ibrahim Dahir Hussein was one of the Somali youth who had lost hope in the country’s politics. He was tired of hearing old politicians repeat that youth are the future leaders, yet no action was being taken to include young people in the affairs of the country. However, Mr. Hussein’s views began to change after seeing efforts made by the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) to encourage youth to participate in politics ahead of the 2016 electoral process. “Initially we had only elders taking part in politics but now we are involved. They (youthful MPs) can bring positive change,” says the Simad University student.
Mr. Hussein says he could not hide his joy whenever youthful MPs defeated their ageing competitors to emerge winners.“I hope that they (the youth) will bring real change because they are fresh, educated and not tainted with clan differences. I am happy and have great expectations of them,” he adds.In fact, the 2016 electoral model requires that elders also choose women and youth as delegates responsible for electing members of the House of the People. Abdirisak Omar Ahmed, a law student at Simad University, concurs that this requirement has helped increase youth participation in the electoral process, unlike in the past. Mr. Ahmed, who is also the President of the University Guild, believes the involvement of youth in political affairs will help bring peace and stability to the country. “My desire is to see the restoration of the rule of law and this is what is happening now. The extension of the Electoral College to other regions is good for the stability of the country. The difference between 2012 and the current process is in its inclusiveness,” Mr. Ahmed observes.
Uganda Sends 2,745 Troops To Somalia
07 December- Source: New Vision , Uganda -338 Words
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) has commissioned 2,745 new soldiers to Somalia to replace an equal number of fighters who have been recalled from the battlefield after serving for one year.The first batch of 80 soldiers left Entebbe Airport on Monday morning aboard a Boeing 737 managed by Ocean Airlines Company and landed at the Adan Abdulle International Airport at about 07.30hrs, East African time
The UPDF deputy spokesman, Major Henry Obbo, said more troops were scheduled to join their colleagues in the war-torn country in an exercise that will take a week or more, depending on the air situation and other factors. The new group is code-named UGABAG XX and replaces UGABAG XVII. The soldiers serve on a rotation basis under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) alongside troops from other African states.Their key role is to secure Somalia from militant group Al-Shabab. Captain Telesphor Turyamumanya, the spokesperson of the Uganda contingent in Somalia, said the “battle-ready” Ugandan troops arrived safely and were received by the outgoing Uganda contingent commander Brigadier Sam Okiding together with UGABAG XVII commander Col Bob Priscily Ojik.The same plane brought back a similar number of soldiers.
Okiding congratulated the outgoing troops for a “job well done” and urged them to maintain the discipline and patience they had exhibited during “the hard times”. The returning soldiers received certificates of recognition from Col. Ojik who thanked them for the “invaluable” contribution as members of AMISOM military component to the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia for one year.
OPINION , CULTURE & ANALYSIS
“I got this job when I needed it the most and to be honest it has changed the living standards of my family tremendously,”
Mogadishu Job Fairs Open Opportunities for Graduates
06 December – Source: Radio Ergo – 471 Words
Career fairs organised by local groups in Mogadishu have begun opening job opportunities for local university graduates, especially women, many of whom had been unemployed for several years.The latest event on 10-11 November run by Fursad Fund, a trust supported by Somali benefactors, attracted around 1,900 graduates and students from local universities. Ismail Farah Mohamed, head of job creation at Fursad Fund, said 190 of the young people were employed after the fair.
An earlier careers fair run by local NGO Iftin on 30 October drew 262 young people, with 50 female and 50 male graduates finding jobs.
The fairs connect graduate or student job seekers to employers, who have submitted details of vacancies to be filled. The fairs offer an opportunity for the employers to meet and interview candidates and to recruit.
Samira Abdi Hassan, 26, got her first job since graduating in business management from Simad University in 2013 at a careers fair for women held in Mogadishu in March 2015.“I got this job when I needed it the most and to be honest it has changed the living standards of my family tremendously,” said Samira. She is working in the marketing department of a local construction company, SETAC. Samira is able to help her mother, a fruit vendor in Madina market, by paying high school fees of $15 a month for each of her three younger siblings.Abdikadir Maalim Mohamed, head of Iftin’s Fursad project, said 774 female graduates from universities in Banadir, Puntland, Galmudug, Jubbaland, South West, and Hirshabelle attended the careers fair last year. Around 200 got jobs in businesses, telecommunications companies, local media, hospitals and other centres mostly in Mogadishu.