October 19, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Thousands March In Somalia After Attack That Killed More Than 300
18 October – Source: The Guardian – 812 Words
Thousands of Somalis have demonstrated against those behind the bombing that killed more than 300 people at the weekend, defying police who opened fire to keep them away from the site of the attack. Wearing red headbands, the crowd of mostly young men and women marched through Mogadishu amid tight security. They answered a call to unity by the mayor, Thabit Abdi, who said: “We must liberate this city, which is awash with graves.” The attack in the heart of Mogadishu on Saturday has been blamed on Al-Shabaab, the local violent Islamist group, and was one of the most lethal terrorist operations anywhere in the world in recent years.
The Somali capital has suffered scores of bombings over recent years but not on this scale. “We are demonstrating against the terrorists that massacred our people. We entered the road by force,” said Halima Abdullahi, who lost six of her relatives in the attacks. Mohamed Salad, a university student, called on God to punish those responsible for the bombing.The true death toll in the attack will probably never be known. The government buried at least 160 of those killed because they could not be identified after the blast.
In the town of Dusamareb in central Somalia, residents also marched for several hours and clerics called for the war against the militants to be stepped up. The president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, pledged to rid Somalia of al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaida, after taking power in February in an election seen as a key milestone on the battered east African country’s gradual return to stability and prosperity. The bombing, which involved two vehicles, is a major setback to the government, underlining its inability to guarantee security even in the capital. Both vehicles detonated before reaching their intended target, which investigators believe was the heavily defended compound where the United Nations, embassies and forces from the African Union are based.
Key Headlines
- Thousands March In Somalia After Attack That Killed More Than 300 (The Guardian)
- We Will Respond Decisively President Farmaajo Warns Al-Shabaab (Goobjoog News)
- Western Union Arrives In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia Praises ‘Genuine Brother’ Turkey For Quick Response To Bombs (Reuters)
- Somalis Angry Over Government’s Failure To Prevent Deadliest Blast (Al Jazeera)
- A Lifeline For Millions In Somalia Money Remittance Industry Seeks More Support (VOA)
NATIONAL MEDIA
We Will Respond Decisively, President Farmaajo Warns Al-Shabaab
18 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 335 Words
We will hit back and this time decisively for what you have inflicted on our people, President Mohamed Farmaajo said Wednesday sending a stern warning to the militant group Al-Shabaab over the Saturday terror attack that has now claimed over 300 lives. In a defiant message to the group, President Farmaajo said time was up for the group calling for unity among Somalis. Addressing thousands of Mogadishu residents in Konis Stadium, President Farmaajo said his government will avenge the Saturday attack. “This attack reminds us that we did not respond accordingly in the past. This time around, we will respond decisively.”
President Farmaajo called on the youth to stand up and defend their country noting time had come for them to be counted also for a good course of the country. “It’s time for our youth to stand for our country. I remind you of our youth of the past among the SYL; they are in our history books,” the president said.
Somali Youth League (SYL) was a team of young people who came up together in mid 1940s to champion for the country’s independent and subsequently led the country to independence in 1960. “Stand up for your mothers, your sisters and brothers and defend your religion.” Uniting against Al-Shabaab is not optional. We can only win the war against them if we stand united. If we do not respond effectively they will continue with these attacks.” The president sent an emotional appeal to Somalis to unite and forge a common struggle against violent extremism. “Let us turn this disaster into unity and strength.”
Addressing the crowds in marking the end of the three days national mourning, the president announced the government had set aside $14 million for civilian defense. He thanked responders for their relief efforts. “I thank our national army, the youth and foreign countries for your support and solidarity.” The president was accompanied by Prime Minister Hassan Khaire, Upper House Speaker Abdi Hashi and Turkish ambassador to Somalia Olga Bekar among others.
Western Union Arrives In Mogadishu
18 October – Source: Hiiraan Online – 102 Words
The Western Union Company has for the first time launched services in Somalia to render services similar to that provided by Somali remittance agencies. It has opened two money transfer offices in the capital Mogadishu, where people can collect and send money to their relatives around the world.
One of the branches has been opened along the key Maka Al Mukarrama road, while the second branch has been set up at Hawa Tako monument area in Hamarweyne district. Recipients and money senders are required to present their ID cards to send or receive money. The Western Union already had branches in Somaliland.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Praises ‘Genuine Brother’ Turkey For Quick Response To Bombs
18 October – Source: Reuters – 532 Words
Turkey’s swift response to Somalia’s deadliest truck bombing drew praise from survivors and officials who called Ankara their “only genuine” international partner, an implicit challenge to that Western backers that spend billions on security. Within 48 hours of the huge twin explosions that hit Mogadishu on Saturday, a Turkish air ambulance had landed in the battle-scarred capital and picked up dozens of wounded Somalis to transport them to Turkey for free medical treatment.
Its health minister also pitched up with surgeons who set to work at once in hospitals alongside Somali doctors and nurses. Ankara has invested heavily in Somalia over the past five years, with one eye on rich economic pickings should stability ever return and the other on burnishing President Tayyip Erdogan’s image of Turkey as a global promoter of compassionate Islam. “Turkey is the best friend to Somalia and they were the first supporter to us after the blast,” said Abdiasis Ahmed, a jobless university graduate who said four friends had been airlifted out, one with a broken back.
At least 300 people were killed in the blasts and more than 400 injured. Although Islamist al Shabaab militants were pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011, Saturday’s attack – which al Shabaab has not claimed – shows the dangers still facing the capital. Many Somalis contrasted Ankara’s response with that of the European Union, which has a naval force including combat ships equipped with emergency medical systems off Mogadishu’s shore to deter piracy, but which did not take in casualties.
Somalis Angry Over Government’s Failure To Prevent Deadliest Blast
18 October – Source: Al Jazeera – Video- 2:37 Minutes
Police in Somalia have opened fire on a crowd of people protesting against those behind a massive bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu. More than 300 people were killed in two bombings on Saturday and hundreds of others injured. People are also angry at the government for not doing enough to protect them. Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow reports from Mogadishu.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The industry received a high-profile boost last month as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated $1 million using the remittance firm Dahabshiil, along with mobile phone companies Somtel and eDahab, with the money transferred “live” to 1,000 families suffering the drought in Somalia.”
A Lifeline For Millions In Somalia, Money Remittance Industry Seeks More Support
18 October – Source: VOA – 386 Words
Every month, Fatma Ahmed sends $200 of the earnings she makes in London to her family in Somalia. “It’s for daily life. For rent, for buying grocery things, to live over there. Because actually in Somalia, that much we do not have,” she said. Remittances from overseas diaspora constitute a vital part of the economy of many developing nations, none more so than Somalia, where the inflows add up to more than foreign aid and investment combined. However, analysts warn that the industry is poorly understood by regulators and banks, putting the welfare of millions of people at risk.
The two million Somalis living overseas send an estimated $1.3 billion back home every year. With no formal banking system in Somalia, most of the diaspora use remittance services. Technology makes that possible, says Abdirashid Duale, CEO of Dahabshiil, one of Africa’s biggest remittance services. “Now, it is so instant, where we have the latest technology, with the internet, secure channels that we can use to send money back home,” Duale said. “Or we use mobiles … smartphones, technology where it will help us to deliver money quickly, but less costly. Technology is supporting us also with the compliance issue.”
Remittance companies rely on global banks to route the money, and those banks must comply with regulations on money laundering and the financing of crime and terrorism. Citing those concerns, many banks have chosen to withdraw from the market. Such a move is unnecessary, says remittance industry expert Laura Hammond of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. “Very often, it is not based on any kind of empirical evidence that shows that money is going into the wrong hands,” Hammond said. “The fear is just there is a conflict in Somalia, there’s the al-Shabab movement. And so there is a problem in a sense, a real precarious nature of the Somali remittance industry.”
The industry received a high-profile boost last month as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated $1 million using the remittance firm Dahabshiil, along with mobile phone companies Somtel and eDahab, with the money transferred “live” to 1,000 families suffering the drought in Somalia. The technology is moving fast. However, the cooperation of the global banking system remains key, and the remittance industry wants regulators to do more to support this lifeline.