June 1, 2018 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Somalia And Djibouti Sign New Agreements

31 May – Source: Mareeg News – 129 Words

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Ambassador. Ahmed Isse Awad, held bilateral talks with his Djiboutian counterpart, Mr. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf on Thursday.

The joint talks between Somalia and Djibouti’s top diplomats focused on strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in both nations “as well as deepening understanding on regional and international issues”. The two ministers also signed several agreements, including one on security to establish a framework for promoting constructive cooperation between the two countries and “its brotherly people”..

The Somali delegation, headed by the Foreign Minister, composed of Members of Parliament and diplomats, who paid a courtesy visit to the President of Djibouti, Mr. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, and also visited the headquarters of the Parliament and the Diplomatic Institute.

Key Headlines

Somalia And Djibouti Sign New Agreements (Mareeg News)
Stabilization Forces Detain Several Army Imposters in Mogadishu (Halbeeg News)
Youth Leader Shot Dead In Mogadishu (Radio Dalsan)
Two Kenyan Al-Shabaab Fighters Executed For Spying For KDF (The Star)
This Somali Agri-tech Startup Has Built A Global Customer Base (Disrupt Africa)
AMISOM’s Hard-Earned Lessons In Somalia (Africacentre.org)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Stabilization Forces Detain Several Army Imposters in Mogadishu

31 May – Source: Halbeeg News – 170 Words

Mogadishu Stabilization Forces have arrested several army imposters in Mogadishu city. In an operation launched on Wednesday night, the forces nabbed eleven people, who are suspected to have been carrying out crimes in Dharkenley district. Speaking to the media, Mogadishu Deputy Governor, Mohamed Abdullahi Tulah, said the forces arrested the suspects after intensive security in Dharkeynley district.

The official noted the suspects had been terrorizing residents in the area: “The suspects were paraded at Dharkenley Police Station, and among them are individuals who were clad in army uniform,” said Tulah. The Deputy Governor said the suspects will be arraigned in court after investigations into their cases are concluded. Tulah commended the forces for their efforts to stabilize the security situation in Mogadishu.

”I applaud the commitment of the Stabilization Forces to restore peace in Mogadishu. We urge you to double your efforts and continue with operations to eliminate elements who are a threat to peace,” said the official. The forces recovered several weapons following a security operation in Warta-Nabada District.

Youth Leader Shot Dead In Mogadishu

31 May – Source: Radio Dalsan – 83 Words

Unknown gunmen on Thursday evening shot dead a youth activist leader in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, in rising incidents of assassinations that have been reported since the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

The deceased, identified as Mr. Abdiweli Ahmed Mohamed, is the Chairman of the Warta Nabadda district Youth Group. The gunmen fled from the scene after the shooting. No group has since claimed responsibility for the killing of Mr. Mohamed. At least 13 people have been shot dead in Mogadishu alone since the start of Ramadan.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Two Kenyan Al-Shabaab Fighters Executed For Spying For KDF

31 May – Source: The Star – 252 Words

Al Shabaab terror group on Monday executed two Kenyans it accused of spying for Somali and Kenyan intelligence services. Shukri Ali, 22, who hails from Garissa, and Farah Godane from Lamu were executed by dagger-wielding militants in the presence of the locals in Fino town, Lower Shabelle region.

The executions are mainly by firing squad, throat slitting and stoning. The militants often force locals to gather and witness the brutal executions to discourage anyone who may think of betraying their cause.A source further confirmed that later that evening, five other Kenyans and two Tanzanians were tortured in the same camp over allegations of ISIS connections.

The source added that the tortured group was found reading online content that the leader of the camp said was related to ISIS. Ailing Al Shabaab leader Abu Ubeidha released an audio message on May 20 reaffirming the group’s allegiance to Al Qaeda.Analysts believe that by torturing the foreign fighters, the leader was sending a message of reassurance to the militant leader of his loyalty him. The foreign Al-Shabaab fighters, mainly from Kenya, have witnessed rampant executions by the group who accuse them of being moles. So far, more than 20 Kenyans have been killed over such accusations.

This Somali Agri-tech Startup Has Built A Global Customer Base

30 May – Source: Disrupt Africa – 417 Words

Somalian agri-tech startup Ari.farm has bootstrapped its way to acquiring customers from 35 countries across the world by enabling anyone to become a livestock trader. Launched at the end of 2016, Ari.farm is an online platform that enables users to buy, own and sell livestock online, while the animals themselves are taken care of at its two farms in Somalia, where it is creating jobs and a market for nomads.

Each week the startup’s team in Somalia reports local livestock prices on its app, with users then able to digitally purchase any animals they want, such as goats, sheep and camels. The team handles the physical purchase of the animals from nomads, moves them to its farms, and takes care of them. Users can follow local livestock prices on the app, and can decide to sell their animals if the prices increase. If they do decide to sell, the Ari.farm team does it on their behalf in the local market, and users are paid via the app. The startup also sells milk from camels, with online owners accessing a share of these revenues every quarter.

“When I started the company my mission was to create jobs for nomads in Somalia,” Ari.farm founder Mohamed Jimale told Disrupt Africa. “Livestock is already big in Somalia and it is the only assets that nomads have. So it was obvious to me that this was where we could make a real impact.” Jimale realised crowd-farming via technology could improve what is a very traditional industry, and allow anyone with a smartphone to participate.

And participate they have done. Ari.farm has built up a customer base from 35 countries on five continents, including a host of European nations and countries such as South Korea, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “The interest in this project has been amazing,” said Jimale.
All of this has been achieved by bootstrapping, with Ari.farm not having spent any money on marketing. “We have been able to cover our costs through our own operations,” Jimale said. “We currently have farming operations in Somalia and we are planning to expand to Kenya this year.” Ari.farm makes money in two ways, firstly through commissions earned when it sells animals on behalf of users.

OPINION ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“Today, AMISOM deploys about 70 civilian peacekeepers at the community level to serve as a link with the local population. They undertake a range of activities, including political affairs, gender mainstreaming, public information dissemination, counter propaganda, legislative reform, and security sector reform.”

AMISOM’s Hard-Earned Lessons In Somalia

31 May – Source: Africacenter.org 1816 Words

In 2017, Somalia held parliamentary and presidential elections in a relatively stable atmosphere. The African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), which has been deployed to Somalia since 2007, has been a key factor in realizing this milestone. Nonetheless, Al-Shabaab, the militant Islamist group that has been destabilizing Somalia, remains a serious threat. The Africa Center for Strategic Studies spoke to Simon Mulongo, the Deputy Special Representative of the Commission Chairperson to Somalia (D/SRCC) at the African Union Commission based in Mogadishu to gain a perspective on the state of the mission.

What are some key lessons that AMISOM has learned over the course of the last decade?

Although AMISOM is often called a peacekeeping or peace enforcement mission, in fact, AMISOM is a combat mission fighting a terrorist insurgency in Somalia. When it first deployed to Somalia in 2007, Islamist militants controlled most of Somalia and large swaths of the capital, Mogadishu. AMISOM’s first task was to push al Shabaab out of the capital and create conditions in which the Transitional Federal Government could operate.It initially used a traditional peacekeeping approach: staying encamped, conducting limited patrols, and returning fire only when fired upon. This model was quickly abandoned when Al- Shabaab began launching attacks on the AMISOM encampments.

In 2011, AMISOM began an operation that dislodged Al-Shabaab from Mogadishu’s central business district and flushed them out of the country’s main supply routes and regional centers. By 2017, Al-Shabaab had been expelled from most of its strongholds in southern Somalia. Along the way, AMISOM troops took significant casualties. The deadliest attack occurred in 2016, when as many as 140 AU troops were killed in a single assault.

AMISOM’s gains in the field could never have been realized if it had continued to rely on the traditional peacekeeping template. Ours is probably the deadliest mission of its kind anywhere in the world, and our troops and civilians have had to adapt, through trial and error, to the unique challenges of the Somalia context.

We Initially, we expected AMISOM to eventually transition to a hybrid UN/AU mission or a full UN mission, following the model of the African Mission in Darfur, Burundi, and others. This could not happen in Somalia because the environment has remained extremely fluid. Across Africa, peacekeepers are increasingly being deployed to highly fragile political and security environments, and the main challenge will be to adapt existing doctrines to reflect this reality. AMISOM’s experience offers valuable lessons in this regard.