July 6, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Fighting Between Somalia’s Al-Shabaab And Clan Militias Leaves 17 Dead
05 July – Source: Reuters – 311 Words
At least 17 people have been killed in fighting between militants from Somalia’s Al-Shabaab group and clan militias in the country’s central semi-autonomous region of Galmudug, residents and the group told Reuters on Thursday. Somali state-run Radio Muqdisho reported on its website on Thursday that the fighting in the Haradheere area, which started on Wednesday, had been triggered by alleged Al-Shabaab conscription of teenagers into their ranks.
Al-Shabaab has controlled the port district for years but has repeatedly clashed with local clan militias over a range of disputes. “Al-Shabaab asked for teenagers to be recruited,” the radio reported. A tax called zakat being imposed by al Shabaab had also stoked anger among the residents and militias, it added. Residents in the area told Reuters a total of nine militia members and Al-Shabaab fighters had been killed in the fighting. “We attacked Al-Shabaab and … then, Al-Shabaab got many militants as reinforcement from various regions. We fought and fought till we ran out of bullets,” a local elder, Farah Ahmed, told Reuters by phone from the Haradheere area on Thursday. Somalia has been convulsed by lawlessness and violence since 1991 when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled.
Al-Shabaab is fighting to dislodge the western-backed central government and African Union-mandated peacekeeping force AMISOM which, defends it, and install its own government based on its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman told Reuters they had fought the militias because they were armed by neighboring Ethiopia. They had killed 15 members of the militias, he said. “Ethiopia wants Hobyo port and so it is using clan militias to capture the road to Hobyo port town,” he said. Hobyo port is about 260 kilometers northeast of Haradheere. Musab said Al-Shabaab had taken all weapons from the militias during the attack.
https://www.reuters.com/
Key Headlines
- Fighting Between Somalia’s Al-Shabaab And Clan Militias Leaves 17 Dead (Reuters)
- Somali President Attends Forum Of China-Africa Cooperation In Djibouti (Halbeeg News)
- Beledweyne Town Hit By Poor Sanitation Following Floods (Goobjoog News)
- AMISOM Police Launches Construction Of A New Police Station In Kismayo (AMISOM)
- US Teen To Meet Somali President After Quran Recitation Win (Daily Mail)
- EU Slams UAE Retaliatory Acts Against Somalia Over Gulf Crisis (Aljazeera)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali President Attends Forum Of China-Africa Cooperation In Djibouti
05 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 220 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is among the African Heads of State attending the China-Africa international free trade event in Djibouti. The Somali leader arrived in Djibouti Thursday and attended the official opening session of the meeting. Presidents of Sudan, Djibouti, Rwanda, Ethiopian Prime Minister and Chairman of African Union, Moussa Faki of Chad, were also in attendance.
Upon arrival at the airport, President Farmajo and members of his entourage were received by Djibouti Prime Minister, Abdikadir Kamil Mohamed, and diplomats at Somalia’s Embassy in Djibouti. The three days summit (July 5 to 7) will focus on implementation of free economic zone, investment and strengthening economic infrastructure and other issues of great importance to Africa and China.
In his brief speech at the event, President Farmajo said the idea of establishing a free trade zone demonstrates Djibouti’s readiness to join other nations in boosting the economy of the region. China-Africa strategic partnership has been steadily strengthened by good progress made through cooperation between the two sides. China’s investment in Africa has grown steadily and extended to more sectors. The direct investment made by Chinese companies in Africa totaled US$ 1 billion last year. President Farmajo was accompanied on the trip by the ministers of Foreign affairs, Finance, Commerce and Industries, the State Minister for Defence, among other senior government officials.
Beledweyne Town Hit By Poor Sanitation Following Floods
05 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 176 Words
Beledweyne town, the capital of Hiiraan, is currently experiencing major flash waste following a recent wave of floods that hit the city. The main roads of the district have been blocked by a lot of waste swept by the flood waters.
The Mayor of Beledweyne town, Ali Abdirahman Sandheere. and members of the city’s administration inspected the sanitation of some parts of the town to assess the damage caused by the flooding. Sandheere promised to embark on rehabilitation of the general hygiene of the town soon with a view to improving living standards and restoring Beledweyne’s beauty. “We will concentrate on clearing the roads, removing rubbish, and restoring the city’s beauty because it is now dark and we want to make it shine again,” said the Mayor.
The poor sanitation of the town has also had a negative effect on the health of the town’s large population. Beledweyne, which sits about 335 km north of Mogadishu, has recently been the scene of devastating flooding after the Shabelle River burst its banks due to heavy rainfalls.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Police Launches Construction Of A New Police Station In Kismayo
05 July – Source: AMISOM – 342 Words
AMISOM Police is constructing a new police station in Kismayo, the administrative capital of Jubbaland state, to bring policing services closer to the people. The new structure is being constructed in Dalhiska, in Kismayo’s Farjana district, and is expected to be completed before the end of the year. “We identified this police station for construction two years ago and we have lived to this promise,” Ernest Martin Abilu, the AMISOM Police Coordinating Officer for Jubbaland state, said during the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone.
The function, held on Wednesday, was also attended by Jubbaland Police Commissioner Ahmednasir Guled Hassan and the Mayor of Kismayo, Mohamed Ibrahim Yusuf, among other Jubbaland officials. Mr. Abilu noted that the commencement of construction of the police station, funded by the police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), follows the completion of the tendering process, which culminated in the awarding of the contract to a local company.
Mr. Abilu urged the residents to put the facility into good use, saying the police station will help improve security in the area. “We wish to see this police station put to the best use, to serve the people and give them security. To look after them and make their lives easier, including the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons),” Mr. Abilu stated. AMISOM Police has been constructing new police stations and renovating others in Mogadishu and the federal states as part of its capacity building efforts aimed at strengthening the Somali Police Force (SPF) to enable it discharge its duties of maintaining law and order effectively.
US Teen To Meet Somali President After Quran Recitation Win
05 July – Source: Daily Mail – 143 Words
A Minnesota teenager who became the first American to win a prestigious Quran recitation contest will travel to Somalia to meet the country’s President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. The 17-year-old, Ahmed Burhan Mohamed, has become a local celebrity since winning the Dubai International Holy Quran award last month. He beat out more than 100 other contestants from around the world.
The Star Tribune reports Mohamed will travel to Somalia this week at the invitation of the East African country’s president, who wishes to meet and congratulate the teen. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States. Mohamed received a perfect score on his proper pronunciation, voice and style as he recited random verses of the Quran from memory. The Quran has more than 6,000 verses and spans more than 600 pages. He received a trophy and a cash prize worth about $68,000.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Somalia’s position amid the crisis has been a delicate one, the country is highly dependent on trade from Saudi Arabia – it’s top export partner, and imports many UAE products.”
EU Slams UAE Retaliatory Acts Against Somalia Over Gulf Crisis
06 July – Source: Aljazeera – 449 Words
The European Parliament has condemned the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying the country was taking retaliatory actions against Somalia for the latter’s neutral position on the Gulf crisis. In a resolution passed on Wednesday, the Belgium-based parliament said that Somalia has “sought to remain neutral” on the ongoing Gulf crisis, but was in turn “deprived of regular budgetary support payments by Saudi Arabia and the UAE”.
“In terms of the wider confrontation between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, on the one hand, and Qatar, on the other, the Federal Government of Somalia has sought to remain neutral; whereas, in retaliation, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have ceased their regular budgetary support payments to Somalia, which further weakens the government’s ability to pay the security forces,” the resolution reads.
The European Parliament statement urged “the UAE to cease forthwith all acts of destabilisation in Somalia and respect Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The dispute between Qatar on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain on the other, has been ongoing since June 5, 2017, when the latter countries announced they were cutting ties with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade. The Arab countries accuse Doha of supporting “terrorism” and “extremist groups” – charges Qatar strongly denies.
Somalia has had an unstable security situation for decades. An al-Qaeda-linked group, Al-Shabaab, is fighting to overthrow Somalia’s Western-backed central government and establish its own rule based on its interpretation of Islamic law in the Horn of Africa country. The group used to control most parts of the country, but since 2010, its fighters have been removed from most major towns and cities, though continue to carry out deadly attacks.
While there have been recent political disagreements between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi, Somalia, unlike many other African countries, declined to choose sides in the Gulf crisis and instead called for dialogue to end the rift. Somalia’s position amid the crisis has been a delicate one, the country is highly dependent on trade from Saudi Arabia – it’s top export partner, and imports many UAE products.