August 21, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Egypt’s Sisi Assures Somali Counterpart Of Cairo’s Support For Somalia
20 August – Source: Ahram Online – 280 Words
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed Egypt’s support for Somalia at a meeting with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Sunday in Cairo, a presidential statement read. This is the first time El-Sisi has received his Somali counterpart since he was elected in February 2017. El-Sisi hailed the “distinguished and historical relations between Egypt and Somalia, stressing Egypt’s intention to continue to provide all support to Somalia during the next phase to build and consolidate the institutions of the state, especially the Somali National Army.”
El-Sisi added that the two countries will continue cooperation in programmes and courses organised by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD), and promised an increase in scholarships offered by Egypt. The EAPD, established in mid-2014, focuses on transferring technical knowledge and humanitarian assistance, organising training courses and workshops, as well as contributing in funding and in mobilising funds for development projects.
The Egyptian president also expressed Cairo’s interest in following up on the consolidation of the various aspects of bilateral cooperation with Somalia, particularly in the economic and trade fields and in fishing and animal farming. The Somali president praised Egypt’s historic role in supporting Somalia during various stages. Farmajo also welcomed strengthening economic and trade relations, saying there are opportunities to develop cooperation in many sectors.
Key Headlines
- Egypt’s Sisi Assures Somali Counterpart Of Cairo’s Support For Somalia (Ahram Online)
- Military Operation Kicks Off After Militants Attacked Base In Afgoye (Somali Update)
- HirShabelle Speaker Welcomes Federal Government Decision (Jowhar.com)
- Turkish Volunteers In Africa To Help Carry Out Renovation Projects (Daily Sabah)
- Kenya To Flush Militants Out Of Area Near Somali Border (Anadolu Agency)
- Empowering Africa’s Humanitarians (Jordan Times)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Military Operation Kicks Off After Militants Attacked Base In Afgoye
21 August – Source: Somali Update – 185 Words
Somali military force backed by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have started on Mondaymorning heavy operation in Afgoye town, in Lower Shabelle, about 30KM from Mogadishu after Al-Shabaab militants attacked military base overnight. Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard during midnight attack, one local man said. The residents said they heard gunfire coming from a military base the direction of the small bridge in Afgoye.
According to a military source in Afgoye, they suspect the militant fighters crossed from the river before they attacked the base manned by AMISOM soldiers. It was not clear if there were casualties from both sides. Residents reported on Monday that the Somali and AMISOM forces blocked roads as they started search operation following last night’s attack.
The attack comes a day after joint forces from Somalia security forces and AMISOM backed by U.S. Special Forces liberated Barire, about 60 Km northwest of Mogadishu following days of fierce gunfight from Al-Shabaab. After capturing the small town, Somali Military Spokesman, Abdullahi Iman Ainte said the joint forces were clearing the roads from possible landmines planted by Al-Shabaab.
HirShabelle Speaker Welcomes Federal Government Decision
21 August – Source: Jowhar.com – 108 Words
The Speaker of the HirShabelle State Assembly, Shiekh Osman Bare has welcomed the Federal Government of Somalia’s decision to support the move by the regional MPs to oust Ali Abdullahi Osoble from office. He said he welcomes the decision by the Council of Ministers that approved the vote of no confidence motion against the ousted President.
“I am very happy with the decision and I thank the Federal Government of Somalia for supporting the step taken by the HirShabelle State Assembly,” said the Speaker. He added that the regional assembly will start the preparations for the election and that that the assembly will elect a president within 30 days.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Turkish Volunteers In Africa To Help Carry Out Renovation Projects
21 August – Source: Daily Sabah – 270 Words
A group of Turkish volunteers who arrived in Somalia as part of an initiative by the Turkish development agency have started renovating an orphanage and school, reports said Sunday. Consisting of 200 students, the 2017 Africa Experience Sharing Program led by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) will allow volunteers to visit numerous African countries, including Tunisia, Libya, Somalia, Kenya, Algeria, Chad, Sudan, Niger and Ghana from Aug. 5 to 30.
As part of the program, seven students arrived in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu and visited the Turkish Embassy, the Turkish military training base, a civil aviation school, and the offices of Turkish Airlines, TIKA and the Turkish Maarif Foundation. The volunteer students from different universities in Turkey also participated in repair works of the Al Haramain orphanage in the capital Mogadishu. The orphanage will also serve as a school for 800 Somali children.
Usame Targal, a second-year law student from Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, told Anadolu Agency that they had painted 200 benches and tables in the school. “We have learned a new culture and customs through this exchange program […] We have established a bridge between the two continents,” he said. The students will participate in social, cultural and humanitarian activities and renovate schools, orphanages, libraries and places of worship as predetermined by TIKA and local NGOs in the visiting countries.
Kenya To Flush Militants Out Of Area Near Somali Border
20 August – Source: Anadolu Agency – 209 Words
The Kenyan military on Sunday told residents who live close to Boni forest along the Kenyan coast to vacate the area within 48 hours in preparation for a heavy bombardment planned to wipe out al-Shabaab militants hiding within. The order was delivered on Sunday by the head of Operation Linda Boni mission (Swahili for Operation Protect Boni) Joseph Kanyiri. He urged the herders, who are most likely to frequent the area, to stay away from the forest.
“We would like to caution herders to stay away from the forest, the Boni forest is part of our operation, we don’t want anyone to get caught in the bombing of al-Shabaab hideouts that is imminent, we are giving them 48 hours to vacate with their animals,” he said in a news conference in the coastal city of Mombasa.
The warning comes in the wake of numerous al-Shabaab attacks in the area which, in the last two month, have claimed the lives of at least 20 police officers. All the attacks involved roadside bombs. Al-Shabaab militants have also beheaded at least 10 people from villages in the area during the same period. The latest, in which three people were killed, happened on Friday. The Boni forest lies near the porous Kenya-Somalia border.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“In Somalia, for example, the Somali Red Crescent Society has established dozens of mobile health clinics capable of serving some of the country’s most vulnerable populations. The Red Crescent, which operates in areas of instability and violence that are often off limits to government health services, has helped reduce the severity of malnutrition and cholera emergencies,”
Empowering Africa’s Humanitarians
20 August – Source: Jordan – 779 Words
The scale of human suffering currently engulfing drought-stricken Somalia is almost indescribable. It is difficult to find words to convey the devastation and misery gripping the country, now in the midst of a prolonged period of record-low rainfall. I watched emaciated herds of livestock drop, lifeless, into the dust and was present when people’s futures evaporated in front of their eyes. But if words cannot do justice to the magnitude of the crisis, they can guide the world’s response. And in that regard, let me be unequivocal: unless the international community overhauls its approach to delivering aid in Africa, the cycle of suffering will continue. Somalia’s current catastrophe is not unique. Millions of Africans, in more than a dozen countries, are facing similar struggles, as failed harvests and persistent conflict fuel severe food insecurity.
By some estimates, East African farmers have lost up to 60 per cent of their livestock their main source of income in the first half of 2017. In the face of such overwhelming hardship, I am more angry than sad. The world should be angry, too. So many proud and dignified people have been stripped of their livelihoods and forced to rely on one tiny meal a day, or nothing at all. Worse, these tragedies were avoidable; we knew these crises were coming.
Drought and hunger are slow-motion calamities that, with adequate planning and sufficient resources, can be averted. But time and time again, humanitarian assistance in Africa has come up short, as it did in Somalia in 2011 and 2012; in Niger in 2005; and in Ethiopia during the 1980s. Then, as now, food insecurity was predicted long before the first hunger pangs were felt. But the warnings did not yield an effective global response.
As a medical doctor, I am acutely aware of how hunger, malnutrition, cholera and other drought-related illnesses affect Africans, especially young children and nursing and expectant mothers. The effects of hunger on physical and mental health can be irreversible, and often keep people locked in a lifetime of poverty. We must alter this trajectory, before the next crisis strikes, by converting anger into action. For starters, the aid community must be smarter about how it solicits and allocates resources like food and funding.
Humanitarian organisations like mine have always operated with limited human and financial resources, and have been expected to do more with less. But is not it time we do more with more? The United Nations estimates that Somalia, Nigeria, Yemen and South Sudan will need a combined $6.3 billion this year to avoid widespread famine. So far, with half the year gone, only about a third of this sum has been raised. Moreover, and perhaps most important, international aid organisations must rethink how and with whom they work. More emphasis needs to be placed on building lasting solutions, and that means working more closely with local partners on the ground. This is not a new idea, but it is a solution that has not yet stuck.
Local actors are best positioned to reach the most vulnerable and marginalised members of any community. Strong local actors are critical to sustaining services long after multinational aid agencies have turned their attention elsewhere. What local constituents need is the resources and capacity to take the lead. Unfortunately, at the moment, only a fraction of international emergency funding goes directly to local agencies. Worse, there is little dedicated support available for helping local organisations grow and mature.
TOP TWEETS
@M_Farmaajo: Important to examine, reflect and learn from our history. Learnt much from former president H.E Abdiqasim Salaad Hassan
@TheVillaSomalia: #Somalia & #Egypt are historical partners with a modern vision for common progress and prosperity.#EgyptStateVisit
@HodanTV: Pitched story ideas to major network on #Somalia. They did the idea & never hired us. This is why I started@IntegrationTV #Entrepreneur
@AbdulBillowAli: #Turkey fulfills wish of #Ghanaian villager dreaming of Hajj.Thank you @RT_Erdogan.This is why#Somalia loves Turkeyhttp://www.anews.com.tr/
@IlwadElman: Get it girl! #WHD17 Girls in #Somalia are learning to become electricians bc a woman’s job is anything she chooses it 2 be!@ElmanPeaceHRC
@AbdiBarud: Extremists, tribalists, secessionists are given so much room in the #Somalia public discourse. NEED voices of reason and rational debates
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IMAGE OF THE DAY
His Excellency President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo is received by his Egyptian counterpart, Abdi Fatah Al Sisi.
Photo: MudaneFarmaajo.