November 12, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Death Toll Rises In Mogadishu Blasts
11 November – Source: VOA – 426 Words
The death toll from Friday’s car bomb blasts in Somalia’s capital has climbed to 52, according to admission records from five hospitals. Somali security officials who responded to the attack say four militants entered the Sahafi Hotel and went to the roof, firing on people down below. They said the security forces eventually killed the assailants and rescued dozens of people from hotel rooms.
The militant group al-Shabab, which has waged an insurgency for more than 10 years claimed responsibility. The blasts, which occurred within minutes of each other, targeted Mogadishu’s Sahafi Hotel and its surroundings. The hotel is near the headquarters of the Somali Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
Doctors and administrators of the five hospitals in the city that mainly treat the victims of gunshots and explosions — Medina, Darul Shifa, Erdogan, also known as the Digfer, Kalkaal and Somalia Sudanese Hospital — put the death toll at 52 and say 106 are wounded. Members of the United Nations Security Council said in a statement that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.” It added that “acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.”
Doctor Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital, the biggest emergency care facility in the city, told VOA that 63 blast victims had been admitted. “We received 63 victims. Thirty-two were brought wounded, but three of them died in the hospital and the 31 others were already dead and we transferred them to the morgue,” he said.
Key Headlines
- Death Toll Rises In Mogadishu Blasts (VOA)
- Somali National Economic Council Meets In Mogadishu (Halbeeg News)
- Mogadishu Mayor Attends Islamic World Mayors Summit In Djibouti ( Radio Shabelle)
- UN Security Council Condemns Terrorist Attack In Which Dozens Were Killed Or Injured (UN News)
- Leaders Of Ethiopia Eritrea And Somalia Pledge To Work Towards Regional Integration (Xinhua)
- Everyone Wants A Piece Of The Horn Of Africa’s Ports (OZY.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali National Economic Council Meets In Mogadishu
11 November – Source: Halbeeg News – 190 Words
Somali National Economic Council today held a meeting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. In a statement, Prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said the council discussed on progressive reforms being undertaken and the need to connect the transformation to change perceptions. According to the statement, the meeting which is attended by the council of ministers, was chaired by the Premier.
The move comes barely two weeks after the Cabinet approved $340,060,149 for next year’s budget, as submitted by the Ministry for Finance. According to the Finance Minister, Abdirahman Duale Beyle, the figure represents a 24 per cent rise from last year’s $274.6 million budget. The Minister noted that most of the budget would be financed through local tax:“I pay my gratitude to the people of Somalia for helping the government’s tax collection in order to achieve self-sufficiency,” said the Minister.
The government expects $189.9m (55.8%) from internal sources, while it anticipates $124.6m (44.2%) from the donor community. Somalia’s economy is projected to grow by an average of between 3.5 and 4.5 percent annually in 2019-2022, according to the World Bank.
Mogadishu Mayor Attends Islamic World Mayors Summit In Djibouti
11 November – Source: Radio Shabelle – 190 Words
Mayors of cities from Muslim countries across the world have congregated in Djibouti for a summit which kicked off on Sunday. Mayors from at least 40 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, are participating in a conference hosted by the government of Djibouti. .
The conference will be focusing on avenues of collaboration with a view to ensure close networking ties within the international community. Among the participating mayors at the conference is Mogadishu’s Abdirahman Omar Osman, who arrived in Djibouti late Saturday. He was received by Djibouti government officials at the airport before being escorted to a hotel where he will reside during the summit period.Mr. Osman is accompanied by officials from Mogadishu’s local government department.
Last year’s conference was hosted in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad. Djibouti was named the hosts of this year’s event by the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). ISESCO, which is associated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), launched the initiative for annual meeting of mayors from Islamic nations.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Security Council Condemns Terrorist Attack In Which Dozens Were Killed Or Injured
11 November – Source: UN News – 371 Words
The members of the United Nations Security Council, on Saturday, condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Friday’s car bomb attack in Somalia, in which dozens of innocent women, children and men were killed or injured, and reiterated that any acts of terrorism are “criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed”.
The attack took place in the capital, Mogadishu, near the Sahafi Hotel on Friday afternoon, where three explosions were followed by gunfire, all believed to be orchestrated by the jihadist group, Al-Shabab. So far, authorities have reported that at least 20 people have been killed, and 17 wounded. In its years-long fight against the UN and internationally-backed Somali Government, the group has been targeting places where officials and security forces are likely to frequent, such as the Sahafi Hotel.
The members of the Security Council commended the swift response of Somalia’s security and first responders and reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes “one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”. Underlying the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, they urged all States, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard, in accordance with obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.
The members of the UN body reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law – including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law – threats to global peace and security caused by terrorist attacks. Paying tribute to all Somali and international actors working to bring peace and stability in Somalia, the members of the Council reiterated their determination to support peace, stability and development in Somalia, stressing that neither this nor any other terrorist attack would weaken that determination.
They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of Somalia and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres had also condemned the attack and reaffirmed the United Nations’ solidarity with the people of Somalia.
Leaders Of Ethiopia, Eritrea, And Somalia Pledge To Work Towards Regional Integration
11 November – Source: Xinhua – 295 Words
The leaders of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia have pledged to work towards the integration of the Horn of Africa region, according to a joint statement released by the three leaders on Saturday. In a press statement, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, said they would work towards the historic transformation of the Horn of Africa region towards peace and integration.
The three leaders issued the joint statement at the end of a two-day meeting they had in the northern Ethiopia city of Bahir Dar, the second meeting the trio had in two months. “The three leaders reviewed developments and achievements since the signing of Asmara joint declaration on friendship and comprehensive cooperation in September and noted with satisfaction the tangible and positive outcomes already registered and agreed to consolidate their mutual solidarity and support in addressing challenges that they face individually and collectively,” said the statement. “The three leaders also welcomed the impending lifting of all sanctions against Eritrea and underscored their conviction the lifting of the sanctions would reaffirm their commitment to an inclusive regional peace and cooperation,” it further said.
Eritrea has been subjected to a UN arms embargo since 2009, after UN experts accused Eritrea of providing political, financial and logistical support to armed groups opposing the central government in Somalia. Eritrea has denied the accusations. The UN Security Council is expected to meet next week to review the sanctions. Eritrea hopes the sanctions will be lifted. Ethiopia and Somalia have supported the possible lifting of the sanctions on Eritrea. The meeting of the three leaders comes amidst widespread optimism in the Horn of Africa region that it would move from a chronically unstable region to one of political cooperation and economic integration.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“As well as Ethiopia, the Horn includes Eritrea, Somalia and Somaliland, plus Djibouti, making it home to roughly 160 million people. Battle for influence is not only regional: Virtually all of the sea trade between Asia and Europe passes along the Red Sea on its way to or from the Suez Canal.”
Everyone Wants A Piece Of The Horn Of Africa’s Ports
11 November – Source: OZY.com – 825 Words
This February, the small African nation of Djibouti took control of the Red Sea container port of Doraleh from DP World, completing what it considers the final act in a lengthy wrangle with the Dubai-based ports operator. Djibouti has accused the international ports company, which had operated Doraleh since 2006, of deliberately underusing the facilities in favor of other terminals along the Red Sea.
“It is obvious they want to control the whole sea transport from Singapore to the Suez Canal,” says Aboubaker Omar Hadi, chairman of Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority. He adds that DP World also operated Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia and Berbera in the unrecognized state of Somaliland.
In July, Djibouti started the first phase of a $3.5 billion free trade zone in which China Merchants Group and Dalian Port Authority hold a stake, a development that DP World says violates its 30-year exclusive concession. The Dubai company has vigorously contested Djibouti’s version of events, pointing to a ruling by the London Court of International Arbitration — dismissed as “inconsequential” by Djibouti — that DP World’s contract cannot be revoked.
“We will take every action to protect the rights of the shareholders,” says Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, DP World chairman and CEO. “The action actually has hurt Africa as a whole. Anyone that builds a port or an infrastructure project and goes to borrow money, the banks will ask for more interest because the possibility of takeover by government becomes real.” The tussle over Doraleh is a microcosm of a much larger struggle for influence on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that has sucked in not only Gulf and Middle Eastern powers but also the likes of China, the U.S. and France.
Those three countries, together with Japan and Saudi Arabia, have military bases in Djibouti, ostensibly for fighting near-endemic piracy — most of it off the Somali coast. The proximity of these major powers, particularly China, in tiny Djibouti adds another dimension to what is already a multifaceted battle for the military as well as economic clout in the region. Some argue that there need to be as many as 10 ports serving the Horn of Africa, which is dominated by Ethiopia, a landlocked, fast-growing country of 105 million people whose economy has expanded more than tenfold over the past 15 years to some $80 billion.