September 3, 2018 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Mogadishu Suicide Bombing Kills Children And Soldiers

02 September – Source: Deutsche Welle – 263 Words

At least six people have been killed in a car bombing at a local government office in Somalia’s capital. Militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the blast, which also destroyed a mosque and an Islamic school. A suicide car bombing killed at least six people, including two children, outside a district headquarters in central Mogadishu on Sunday. Authorities said the attacker detonated his explosive-laden vehicle after security forces stopped him at a checkpoint at the gate of the Hawlwadag local government office.

A spokesman for the mayor’s office said the three soldiers who stopped the car died instantly, along with three civilians. Fourteen people, including the deputy district commissioner, were critically injured. Many of the victims were students at a nearby Islamic school that collapsed in the blast. A mosque and the local government headquarters were also brought down. Officials warned the death toll could rise. Al-Shabaab claims attack

Islamist extremist group Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the explosion. “We are behind the suicide attack,” Al-Shabaab’s military operations spokesman said. “We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting. We killed 10 people so far. We shall give details later.” Al-Shabaab frequently stages attacks in the capital in an attempt to topple the internationally backed government. In October last year, the militant group carried out a truck bombing that killed more than 500 people. In 2007, a 20,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force was deployed to Somalia under a UN mandate to bolster the government. Somali troops are meant to take over responsibility for the country’s security in the coming years.

Key Headlines

Mogadishu Suicide Bombing Kills Children And Soldiers (Deutsche Welle)
Somali President Holds Talks With Ethiopian PM In Beijing (Shabelle Media)
Some Of The Regional Leaders Arrive In Kismayu For Inter-state Conference (Halbeeg News)
Hiiraan Regional Administration Calls For Peace In The Region (Goobjoog News)
AMISOM Puts A Smile On The Faces Of Cleft Lip Patients In Kismayo (AMISOM)
1.5 million people still face acute food security Crisis or worse in Somalia (Relief Web)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Somali President Holds Talks With Ethiopian PM In Beijing

02 September – Source: Shabelle Media – 147 Words

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday met Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in Beijing, China. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral, regional and global issues as well as on security cooperation: “Economic cooperation and integration in the Horn of Africa is key to more investment opportunities and paves the way for a more secure, connected and safer region,” said Villa Somalia in a Twitter post.

President Farmaajo arrived in Beijing, China on August 30 to attend the 7th Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The meeting will be held on 3-4 September. Ahead of the summit, he has been conducting bilateral meetings with various African leaders and Chinese officials. Farmaajo also held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing today. The meeting re-affirmed the strong relationship and future cooperation between Somalia and China

Some Of The Regional Leaders Arrive In Kismayo For Inter-state Conference

02 September – Source: Halbeeg News – 113 Words

The leaders of Puntland, Hirshabelle and Galmudug states have arrived in Kismayo town for the Forum of Inter-State council Cooperation. Jubbaland authorities and lawmakers have received Presidents of Galmudug, Hirshabelle and Puntland states, Ahmed Duale Gelle, Abdiweli Ali Gaas and Mohamed Abdi Waare respectively at Kismayo Airport.

Upon arrival, the leaders told the media they had arrived in Kismayo to attend a conference hosted by Jubbaland state. The security in Kismayo Town has been tightened as hundreds of soldiers were deployed in the town. According to the Jubbaland authorities, the conference scheduled to be held tomorrow. The leaders are expected to discuss issues touching on interests of Somalia and the federal member states.

Hiiraan Regional Administration Calls For Peace In The Region

02 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 118 Words

The Hiiraan regional administration has called for peace following recent clan clashes in the outskirts of Beledweyne town. The governor of the region, Abdullahi Ahmed Maalin Sufurow and other official visited the outskirts of Beledweyne yesterday and met with the locals in the area to discuss peace and security. Sufurow urged the local communities to maintain peaceful co-existence in order to realize peace and stability.

“We have been doing a lot of work for a long time to foster peace among the different clans and we hope our efforts will finally bear fruits,” said Sufurow. Hiiraan has been experiencing tensions between clans in the region, but the local leaders have made great efforts to calm down the tensions.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

AMISOM Puts A Smile On The Faces Of Cleft Lip Patients In Kismayo

02 September – Source: AMISOM – 497 Words

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is offering free corrective surgery to individuals with cleft lip and palate deformities in Kismayo. The two-week medical camp, being held at Kismayo General Hospital, plans to benefit more than 100 patients in Jubbaland state. AMISOM doctors are conducting the surgeries in partnership with the international cleft lip charity, Smile Train, and Washington-based Company, Bancroft Global Development. Cleft lip and palate is a condition that occurs when a baby’s lip or mouth does not form fully during pregnancy. It can either be a small or large opening that goes through the lip to the nose, making feeding and speaking difficult.

Speaking in Kismayo, the team leader, Dr. Col. James Kiyengo,said the medical camp will benefit both children and adults. “We are going to do cleft palate surgery and also train doctors at Kismayo General Hospital on how to do the operation,” Dr. Kiyengo explained, adding that the team has enough equipment and drugs to conduct the surgeries and thanked various stakeholders for the support.

He expressed hope that the medical camp will reduce the pain and stigma suffered by people with the deformity in Somalia. “Cleft lips are a problem because the child cannot play with other children, he cannot go to school, he is not comfortable with neighbours and when he grows up he can’t marry or get married,” Dr. Kiyengo said, adding that the exercise is expected to help address some of the challenges faced by residents with cleft lip problems.

The free medical camp is a blessing to the patients given the high cost of treatment and lack of specialists capable of handling the disorder in Somalia. Cleft lip and palate entails two or three operations and normally involves a group of medical specialists, among them, speech therapist, psychologist, dentists and odontologist working together to ensure the surgery is successful.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“Food access among pastoralists in many areas improved in the first half of 2018 due to increased terms of trade between livestock and cereals. However, the adverse impacts of the 2016-2017 severe drought persist”

1.5 million people still face acute food security Crisis or worse in Somalia

02 September – Source: Reliefweb – 1,246 Words

Despite improvements, there are pressing humanitarian needs in Somalia according to findings from the post-Gu seasonal assessment conducted across Somalia in June and July 2018. Assessment results indicate food security has continued to improve due to average to above average rainfall between April and June that contributed to seasonal improvements to food and income sources and market conditions and the positive impacts of sustained and large-scale humanitarian assistance.

Forecast average to above average Deyr (October-December 2018) rains, off-season harvest and favorable market conditions are expected to contribute to further improvements in the overall foods security condition between now and December 2018. However, acute food insecurity is prevalent among populations who lost most of their animals and who became destitute during the 2016-2017 severe drought, those affected by flooding in April and May 2018 and others who were affected by large-scale and protracted displacement due to a combination of conflict and natural hazards.

These population groups are expected to face large food consumption gaps and need humanitarian assistance to prevent further deterioration of their food security and nutrition situation. This seasonal assessment was jointly led by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSNAU, a project managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET, a project funded by USAID) and carried out with the active participation of Government institutions and other partners.

The 2018 Gu rains started early or on time and amounts were average to above average in most areas and slightly below average to near average in the northeast. Low-lying areas along Shabelle and Juba rivers and other depressed areas were affected by river and flash floods. 2018 Gu is the wettest season in nearly two decades; favorable rainfall during the 2018 Gu season has helped end drought conditions that persisted since 2016 Gu.