January 10, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Government Forces With AMISOM Captured Several Locations From Al-Shabaab Says SNA Regional Commander
09 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 221 Words
Somali National Army(SNA) with AMISOM troops captured several locations from Al-Shabaab fighters which are located along the way between the Beledweyne, Matabaan and Mahaas towns following security operations initiated yesterday in HirShabelle state. Commander of the 5th Section of the 27th battalion, Brigadier General Tabane Ahmed Guraray who is stationed in Beledweyne town, Hiran region, HirShabelle state today briefed the media on the confrontation with Al-Shabaab fighters and their subsequent capture of the locations.
“Security operations started between Beledweyne, Mahaas and Mataan towns, mountainous roads where the enemy attempted to block the roads between these towns, bringing hardship upon the people and taxing them. We started the operation yesterday. The fight is going on and we have captured several locations from them like Inaad, Eelow, Afar Irdood.
On casualties, he mentioned that there were no injuries or deaths on the joint forces though the operation is still ongoing. “We have not yet seen a formidable force up to now and no casualties on our side so far. The operation is under way and it will not stop” said Commander Guraray. The security operation is jointly conducted by the SNA based in Hiran and Amisom Sector 4 aiming “to secure roads blocked by Al-Shabaab fighters and to eliminate them from the region and the entire country. The operation is going smoothly.”
Key Headlines
- Government Forces With AMISOM Captured Several Locations From Al-Shabaab Says SNA Regional Commander (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Military Court To Open New Office In Galkayo (Shabelle Media)
- Relief As Mayor Thabit Resettles 1000 Homeless Internally Displaced Person (Radio Dalsan)
- Troop Build-up Creates Tension In Sool Region (Garowe Online)
- Turkey Provides Education To Somali Refugee Children (Anadolu Agency)
- Families Face Heightened Risk After Evictions And Destruction Of IDP Settlements In Mogadishu Somalia (Reliefweb)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Military Court To Open New Office In Galkayo
09 January – Source: Shabelle Media – 85 Words
Somali military court has announced a plan to launch a new office in the divided Galkayo town, the regional capital of Mudug province. Hassan Ali Nur Shuute, the chairman of the first degree court of the military tribunal has made the announcement and he added that the aim is to expand to the rule of law to the country. Galkayo has been hit by recurrent clashes between Puntland and Galmudug forces in the past two decades as both sides are in deadlock over the city’s control.
Relief As Mayor Thabit Resettles 1000 Homeless Internally Displaced Person
09 January – Source: Radio Dalsan – 167 Words
More than one thousand Internally Displaced Persons rendered homeless aft er the destruction of their settlement in the K13 area of Somali capital Mogadishu have been resettled. The Banaadir Regional Administration put up more than 500 temporary shelters to cater for the displaced families at a newly acquired land in the Kahda area .
Mogadishu Mayor who is also the Governor of Banaadir region Mr. Thabit Abdi Mohamed was present at the new site on the outskirt of the city where he presented the families with essential goods including blankets and foodstuff to start new life. Mayor Mohamed said the regional administration will in the future seek to purchase land for each of the IDPs. The IDPs were displaced on new year eve when bulldozers brought down their makeshift settlement at K13 was destroyed following a court order. The land in question had been disputed at the Banaadir regional court. Most of the families fled the farming regions of Bay and Bakool during the 2011 famine and 2017 drought.
Troop Build-up Creates Tension In Sool Region
09 January – Source: Garowe Online – 330 Words
Somalia’s northeastern semi-autonomous region of Puntland has started building up its Defence forces near Tukaraq town in Sool region, a day after the city was captured by Somaliland troops. Tension has been rising in the disputed region since Monday as both sides are dispatching “combat-ready” troops to the areas near Tukaraq, about 86Km west of Garowe, Puntland state capital.
Nugal Governor Omar Abdullahi Faraweyne has announced that Puntland has suspended all public transport vehicles from or going to Somaliland as a result of the renewed tension and current troop build-up. Faraweyne stated the main highway between Las Anod and Garowe will remain closed until further notice and is only permitted for Puntland Defense Force [PDF] units and government motorcades. The Puntland government blamed the self-declared republic of Somaliland for launching an offensive on its territory to disrupt the historic visit of Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo to the region.
In a statement released by the state Presidency on Monday, January 8, Puntland has vowed to respond “in the severest ways possible” to the Somaliland invasion of Tukaraq town. Somaliland’s Minister of Information Abdirahman Abdullahi Farah (Guri-Barwaqo) told reporters in Hargeisa city on Monday that his administration stands firm to defend any attack from Puntland. Farah has, on the other hand, accused Somali Federal Government of triggering the current hostilities after sending its planning Minister Gamal Mohamed Hassan to the region last week.
The Federal Minister, along with a high-level delegation from Puntland, visited Badhan town in Sanaag region on a mission aimed at how federal government services can be extended to the region and getting first-hand information on the situation of the local people. The Minster’s unannounced visit angered by Somaliland as he became the highest Somali Federal official to visit the region since the collapse of the central government in 1991. Sool and Sanaag regions in northern Somalia have been contested regions between Somaliland and Puntland for more than a decade as the two administrations are fighting over control.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Turkey Provides Education To Somali Refugee Children
09 January – Source: Anadolu Agency – 288 Words
Turkey-based aid agencies will provide education to more than 250 orphaned Somali children living in Kenya’s north eastern town of Dabaab. Turkish Deniz Feneri Association in collaboration with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has opened Aysel and Serif Findikkaya Orphanage and Integrated Primary School for the children, who were orphaned while fleeing volatile situations in war-ravaged Somalia.
Most of the children were orphaned at an early stage when their parents left Somalia to seek refuge in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee complex. Dadaab camp, located in northern Kenya’s Garissa Country, is home to over 400,000 refugees, mostly Somalis.”Now we have a bed to sleep on, we have education, food and water, something that we are not used to have. I am thankful that our lives will change,” said a 12-year-old Hamid Mohammed, who is a beneficiary of the Turkish donation.
According to a UNICEF and 2012 Kenya Aids indicator survey, there were 2.6 million orphans in 2012 in the East African country.Emre Yuksek, the Nairobi coordinator for TIKA, said: “Despite the crucial role that education plays for disadvantaged communities, it is ignored by aid donors and governments. The impact of this is devastating.” He said Turkey would like to establish and encourage similar institutions like the Aysel and Serif Findikkaya Integrated Primary School in Africa.
Mehmet Cengiz, the director general of the Deniz Feneri Association, said the school and orphanage will host 256 students. Cengiz said 180 of total 256 children will be boarding students. “May this facility be a home to thousands of orphans and children who are deprived of formal education.” Mehmet Findikkaya, who is the main donor to the construction of the school, promised that the children will get free education.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The ongoing drought and conflicts in Somalia continue to displace people. In 2017 alone, over one million people were displaced, living in IDP settlements across the country. As the drought is not over yet, we are likely to see more people moving to IDP settlements in search of life saving humanitarian support,”
Families Face Heightened Risk After Evictions And Destruction Of IDP Settlements In Mogadishu, Somalia
09 January – Source: Reliefweb – 639 Words
The Somalia NGO Consortium strongly condemns the recent forced evictions and large-scale destruction of settlements for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) that took place on December 29th and 30th 2017. Over 21 IDP settlements, housing over 5807 households, in KM 13 on the outskirts of Mogadishu were destroyed. Aid organizations and witnesses reportedly observed armed forces arriving early Friday morning with bulldozers and large vehicles, demolishing shelters, schools and other humanitarian assets intended for those recovering from drought and conflict related emergencies. The evictions were done with no prior consultations, and numerous requests by the community for time to collect their belongings and to safely vacate were not granted.
Families were not provided with adequate notification and compensation; though viable relocation or local integration options are required by International Law. Under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) (Article 11, and general comment 7) evictions require substantive justification, due process and consultations with communities on alternative accommodations prior to evictions taking place.
The destruction has left thousands of already vulnerable populations and their families homeless, without access to health, water, food and community infrastructures such as latrines and schools. The destruction included schools, learning centers and materials—leaving children not only homeless but also with no hope to access any form of education. These communities, who are displaced as a result of drought, are now faced with further vulnerabilities and risks including disease outbreak, exploitation and abuse.
According to OCHA reports, there are at least: 21 internally displaced settlements, 4 emergency schools, 1 Gender based Violence Center, 1 feeding center, 3 community centers, 353 small scale businesses mainly operated by IDP women, 170 emergency latrines, 26 water points, 9 Quranic schools and many critical humanitarian assets that have been destroyed at the hand of unconfirmed government security authorities. These attacks represent potential Human Rights violations, not to mention disregard for domestic laws and policies regarding lawful evictions and the protection of Housing and Property rights.
These forced eviction are also likely to violate the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, also known as ‘The Kampala Convention’, which was signed by Somalia in 2009 and clearly commits States to ‘refrain from, prohibit and prevent arbitrary displacement of populations’, as well as ‘Respect and ensure respect and protection of the human rights of internally displaced persons, including humane treatment, non-discrimination, equality and equal protection of law’.