August 15, 2017 | Morning Headlines
HirShabelle State President Ali Abdullahi Osoble Ousted
14 August- Source: Goobjoog News – 192 Words
HirShabelle President Ali Abdullahi Osoble has been relieved of his duties as state president following an impeachment motion by the state assembly on Monday afternoon. The legislators in a majority vote of 68 votes sent home the embattled leader barely a day after 13 of his ministers quit and joined the impeachment campaign. Only two MPs voted against the motion while six abstained.
Effectively, Deputy President, Ali Abdullahi Hussein was announced acting President by House deputy speaker, Anaab Ahmed Isse. Osoble came into office October 17 following an election victory in which he garnered 61 votes while his closest contender Mohamed Abdi Waare managed 36 votes. He had run ins with the state assembly in the past few months and a fall out with his ministers sealed his fate yesterday.
The lawmakers had in the motion accused Osoble of violating the state constitution, failing to consult them in key decisions and abuse of office. They noted since the state was formed last year, there had been no meaningful economic developments.Osoble announced a 52 member cabinet February 20 among them three female . HirShabelle State was formed in October last year bringing together Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions.
Key Headlines
- HirShabelle State President Ali Abdullahi Osoble Ousted (Goobjoog News)
- Car Bomb Kills Taxi Driver Near Mogadishu Airport (Somali Update)
- Puntland Dismisses Allegations Of Printing Fake Money (Goobjoog News)
- Deputy PM Admits Challenges Facing Reconciliation Efforts (Somali Update)
- Somali Refugee Arrested Over Pirate Attack On Italian Oil Tanker In 2011 (Telegram)
- Role Of The Family And Head Teachers Against Curbing Extremism In Students (Goobjoog News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Car Bomb Kills Taxi Driver Near Mogadishu Airport
14 August – Source: Somali Update – 217 Words
At least one person was killed after a bomb attached to his vehicle went off near Mogadishu Airport on Monday, security officer and eyewitnesses said. The huge blast, which the eyewitnesses said was attached to the Toyota vehicle exploded as the car drove between the airport gate and the popular Jazeera Hotel around 1.45pm local time killing the driver alone.”I was outside the parking lot of the airport when I heard the huge blast and then saw a smoke from the direction of Hotel Jazeera.
When I ran towards there, I saw a dead man lying in the exploded car.” Abdullahi Mohamud Salad, a taxi driver at the scene told Somali Update. Said Bashir Yare, one of the police officers in charge of the security at a nearby checkpoint confirmed that there were no other casualties and despite security forces blocking the main road for close to half an hour, the operation of the airport remained normal.
Only vehicles of government officials and accredited civilians are allowed to access the main road to the heavily-fortified airport compound which also hosts numerous offices of the United Nations and western embassies. “Only the taxi driver who was familiar in this area died. The airport situation was normal.” he said. No group claimed the responsibility of the blast.
Puntland Dismisses Allegations Of Printing Fake Money
14 August – Source: Goobjoog.com – 137 Words
Puntland authorities have denied media reports that it operates machines that produce fake Somali currency. Speaking to Goobjoog News, Puntland’s new Minister for Information, Abdi Hirsi Ali Qarjab said the rumors were spread by people who are opposed to his administration. He said there are no currency printing machines in Puntland as security agencies who continue to be fully aware of the movement in the region won’t allow such practices.
Commenting on the inflation and rejection of use of the local currency in parts of Puntland, Minister Qarjab said they met with the local business owners in a bid to resolve the crisis, warning anyone who refuses the use of the currency. Forged banknotes said to have been produced in Puntland have made its way in many regions in the country leading to inflation and economic crisis.
Deputy PM Admits Challenges Facing Reconciliation Efforts
14 August – Source: Somali Update – 231 Words
Somali Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled has admitted that there were considerable challenges facing the government’s efforts to carry a nationwide reconciliation and to pave the way for a peaceful post-conflict Somalia. Speaking at inter-governmental meeting on Monday in which the Interior Ministry presented a survey from participants of a recent consultative conference on reconciliation, Mr. Guled said the government has learnt from the challenges enough to undertake the tasks ahead. “During the era of conflict in our country, we have had enough lessons to learn which opened our eyes.” he told the participants of the Monday’s conference who were mainly government ministers and officials.
In the presentation, Interior Minister, Federal and Reconciliation Affairs Abdi Farah Juha highlighted the need for policy review to meet the existing obstacles to an inclusive reconciliation. Marginalized groups’ rights and the need for justice and fair play for those feeling their rights are infringed were among the points highlighted. Somalia has had endless reconciliation conferences during the past two decades and unfortunately ended without effective local impact which many analysts attributed to authorities lacking to put justice and equal rights before reconciliation. On his side, Deputy Premier noted the government’s willingness to addressing the critical points underlined as he also appealed for public backing. “To find a viable solution for the problems within Somali people, we also need support from the people.” he added.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Refugee Arrested Over Pirate Attack On Italian Oil Tanker In 2011
14 August – Source: Telegram – 297 Words
Italian police have arrested a 24-year-old Somali asylum seeker on charges of being one of a gang of jihadist pirates who seized an Italian oil tanker in the Persian Gulf in 2011. The tanker and its crew were held hostage for 10 months until a reported $11 million ransom was paid. Mohammed Farah was caught by Carabinieri special force police officers after he applied for asylum as a refugee in the Sicilian town of Caltanissetta, police said. Officers used fingerprint records to identify him as one of 50 alleged pirates who stormed the Savina Caylyn tanker on February 8, 2011, using rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons.
The ransom was reportedly paid to Al-Shabaab, a Somali terrorist gang, after the crew of five Italians and 17 Indians were tortured and mistreated during their 10-month ordeal. Police found fingerprints on the tanker after its release and determined they did not belong to any of the crew. Meanwhile, the Italian government yesterday welcomed Libya’s decision to stop foreign vessels entering a stretch of water off its coast and enforce its own search and rescue zone as a response to the migrant crisis that has engulfed Europe.
The comments from Angelino Alfano, the Italian foreign minister, came as Save the Children and Sea Eye, the non-governmental organisations (NGOs), joined Médecins Sans Frontières in suspending operations in the area. Mr Alfano told La Stampa newspaper that the Libyan government was “ready to put in place a search and rescue zone in its waters, work with Europe and invest in its coastguards.” But Save the Children said it regretted having to suspend its operations in the Mediterranean, while German aid group Sea Eye said it was with “a heavy heart” that it made its decision after Libya’s “explicit threat against the private NGOs”.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“If the general political landscape of the country is not stable enough and the families struggling with daily bread, it will be hard to tackle this issue well. We need everybody to play their role and abandon this feeling of impartiality by some people. Unfortunately only few discuss this matter”
Role Of The Family And Head Teachers Against Curbing Extremism In Students
14 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 353 Words
Some prominent Somali Islamic scholars pinpointed the necessity of families head and school head teachers to play important role in averting the problem extremism among students in the country. The scholars were speaking at a forum for exchanging Islamic knowledge organized by Irshad Centre for Conceptualization and attended by several Somali Islamic scholars. Speaking in the event Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Salad the head of Somalia religious leader expressed the desire for families to be vigilant on the activities of their children.
He also encouraged the schools to educate them with good Islamic knowledge in order to avert fanatical tendency. “If the general political landscape of the country is not stable enough and the families struggling with daily bread, it will be hard to tackle this issue well. We need everybody to play their role and abandon this feeling of impartiality by some people. Unfortunately only few discuss this matter” said Sheik Salad.
According to Sheikh Salad the right arenas that this topic to be discussed are really depicting ignorance of the matter especially the schools and the mass media are in neutral mode except government media while the rest are avoiding the subject completely. This tendencies need to change and more airtime should be given to counter issues that relate to extremist.
The director of Irshad centre for conceptualization Abdirahman Sahal who is also among the Somali scholars cited his organization’s readiness to carry out such debate especially on religion matters for the Somali community. He also touched on the susceptibility of the youth to extremism due to their limited understanding and delicate minds thus the need for families and schools to step in to avoid this issue. “The curriculums have to the springboard of Islamic religion; the students need to be taught Islamic history like how and when Islam arrived in Somalia and how their forefathers propagated the religion across many regions in the continent” said Director Sahal. Generally the scholars stressed on the high need to teach students on the crucial elements of Islamic religion in order not to be influenced by external issues that will lead them to fanatical activities.