June 28, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Landmine Kills Eight In Northeast Kenya – Police
27 June – Source : Reuters – 179 Words
Four police officers and four civilians were killed on Tuesday after their truck hit a landmine on a road near Kenya’s border with Somalia, police officials said, in the second such attack this month. Another four police officers and one civilian died in a blast in northeast Kenya on June 16, while at least eight police officers were killed in two roadside bombings a month earlier. Somalia’s militant Islamist al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the May attacks. “Four police officers and four children have been killed in an IED explosion in Lamu (county),” police spokesman Charles Owino said of Tuesday’s blast, without giving further details.
Another security official in the area told Reuters the truck they were travelling in had run over a landmine in Kiunga, a town close to the border. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Al-Shabaab, which is fighting to overthrow Somalia’s government and impose its own harsh interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, has said it will continue to attack Kenya unless it withdraws its troops from an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Landmine Kills Eight In Northeast Kenya – Police (Reuters)
- Heavy Clashes Erupts In Southern Somalia (Garowe Online)
- Somalia Says Media Law Is Set For Cabinet Approval (Xinhua)
- UNHCR Repatriates Over 67000 Somali Refugees From Kenya (Xinhua)
- From Dubai To Somalia With Love
NATIONAL MEDIA
Heavy Clashes Erupts In Southern Somalia
27 June – Source : Garowe Online – 170 Words
A fierce gun battle has sparked between Somali government forces and Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle. The commander of Somali National Army (SNA), General Abdulahi Ali, said the clashes occurred after Somali army forces and allied African Union Peacekeeping troops in Somalia (AMISOM) attacked rebel-held areas in Lower Shabelle. Ali Said the allied forces encountered stiff resistance from the militants in Mirtaqwo and Afarta villages.
Residents also reported that the two sides clashed in Ali Folay village near Janale, however, the causalities behind the clashes are not yet announced. U.S. forces are believed to be supporting the Somali army and AMISOM forces in the offensive against rebel-held areas at the eastern parts of the region. Somali President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed Farmajo early this year vowed to wipe out Al-Shabaab group from their remaining pockets in south and central regions of Somalia. Al-Shabaab militants group is fighting western-backed Somali government, security forces and AMISOM troops in a bid to overthrow the government.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Says Media Law Is Set For Cabinet Approval
27 June – Source : Xinhua – 374 Words
The Somali government said on Tuesday that it has reviewed contentious media law which media practitioners say has harsh restrictions which could put many journalists out of a job. Minister of Information,Abdirahman Omar Osman said the media law which was reviewed following consultations with media stakeholders is now ready for cabinet approval. “The media law will hugely help the media industry in the country to be regulated and it will protect the freedom of expression as enshrined in chapter 18 of our provisional constitution,” Osman said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.
He said his ministry consulted all key stakeholders in the media sector of the country for their input, feedback and comments to the review of the Media Law. When he took office early this year, the minister undertook to review the contentious laws following concerns raised by media practitioners in the country.”We now have a fully reviewed Media Law, that is international standard and has gone under a rigorous consultation which we are now very confident that the revised Media Law is acceptable to all segments of the society as it reflects the wishes of Somali journalists,” Osman said. “As I promised to Somali journalists when I took office, we have now reached stage where we have done consultations to the review of the Media Law and now ready to forward to the cabinet for their consideration to debate, discuss and approve it so that it will be forward to the parliament for their consideration as well,” Osman said.
UNHCR Repatriates Over 67,000 Somali Refugees From Kenya
27 June- Source:Xinhua – 315 Words
The UN refugee agency said Tuesday it has repatriated some 67,778 Somali refugees from Kenya since the voluntary return exercise begun in December 2014. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its bi-weekly Update released in Nairobi that some 66, 238 refugees were supported to return to their home in Somalia from the Dadaab refugee camp in northeast Kenya. “During the period under review (June 1-15), 703 refugees Somali refugees were assisted to return voluntarily to Somalia by flight,” UNHCR said, adding that some 26,924 were supported from Dadaab in 2017 alone. The UN refugee agency said road convoys to Somalia remained suspended due to heavy rains in some parts of Somalia rendering roads impassable. “UNHCR Somalia and its partners are closely monitoring the situation and will alert us once road movements can resume. In the meantime, flights to Mogadishu and Kismayo currently facilitate the voluntary return of those willing to travel by air,” it said.
According to UNHCR, of those who were supported to voluntarily return this year, 87.2 percent went to Kismayo, 8.0 percent to Mogadishu, 4.0 percent to Baidoa, 0.6 percent to Luuq and 0.1 percent to Afmadow. “There has been reduction in the number of persons repatriated for the last four weeks under review. This reduction could be attributed to the ongoing drought, the cholera outbreak and the recent heavy rains in Somalia,” UNHCR said.
More than two million Somalis have been displaced in one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises that have now entered its third decade.An estimated 1.1 million people are internally displaced (IDPs) within Somalia and nearly 900,000 are refugees in the region.Experts say continuing political and security stabilization progress in Somalia, along with growing pressures in hosting countries, makes this a critical moment to renew efforts to find durable solutions for Somali refugees.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“A few years ago, I watched a movie based on the war in Somalia which showed its horrible impact on the people. This has been on my mind since and I have been wanting to do something to help the situation, but did not have an idea how to reach them. When I saw Ajala and Red Crescent do this initiative, I grabbed the opportunity to contribute with my painting,”
From Dubai To Somalia With Love
27 June – Source: Khaleej Times – 567 Words
Around 23 UAE artists joined hands for a charity art exhibition here in Dubai titled ‘DXB to Somaal’.
The artists, who are part of The Ajala Project, have donated their artwork to be sold at The Workshop Gallery and artwork proceeds will be donated to Emirates Red Crescent’s ‘For Your Sake Somalia’ campaign. This exhibition, organised by Dubai-based social enterprise The Ajala Project, was held in partnership with the ‘Every Dirham Counts’ campaign to support the Emirates Red Crescent that is aiming to raise Dh500 million to help the Somalian people who are suffering from drought.
Sadhana, a 17-year-old artist whose painting got sold on the first night of the exhibition, has been working at a school in Ethiopia since she was 13. She built her own art centre there to teach art therapy to young children. She visits this centre every year. “Having worked so closely in Africa for the past few years, I have seen the effects of extreme hunger up close. I believe the best way to help is to spread awareness, educate and empower and that’s why I am taking part in this exhibition.”
The artworks displayed included unique works ranging from mixed media, water colours, acrylics, and oils. Proceeds from the sales of each painting were donated to Emirates Red Crescent to support their charity drive for Somalia to help families living with extreme famine and drought. Narmeen Naser, co-founder of The Ajala Project said: “The Ajala Project is a platform we created in 2016 and we currently represent over 200 local and international emerging artists, who create artwork to give back and support communities in need. The artist’s creations are sold through our platform, community events and our corporate partnerships. This campaign has already received significant interest from members, with over 100 artists submitting pieces within a few days of announcing our partnership. We have shortlisted 23 unique pieces and hope we can raise donations to help those who are suffering in Somalia.”
For more information, please contact;
Email: amisommediacentre@gmail.com or amisommediacentre@africa-
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