April 17, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Tension Runs High In Qoryooley District
17 April – Source : Shabelle News – 106 Words
Tension ran high in the town of Qoryooley district in Lower Shabelle region on Mondaymorning after five Al shabaab militants were released from the police station. Dozens of security officers have been deployed to the town to fight the area Police chief, accused of freeing the Al shabaab members from the jail over undisclosed reasons. Heavily armed forces loyal to the deputy district commissioner of Qoryooley were reported to have wrested control of the police station, to prevent further release of Al-Shabaab prisoners. Local residents have expressed fear over the escalating tension in the town, which lies about 120Km south-west of Somali capital Mogadishu.
Key Headlines
- Tension Runs High In Qoryoley District (Shabelle News)
- Lawmaker Claims Was Locked Out In House Committee Elections (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland President Criticises Turkish Aid Model In Somalia (Jowhar.com)
- PM Hassan Kheyre Promises Government Will Invest In Agricultural Sector(Goobjoog News)
- US Strikes ‘Kill More Than 100 Shabaab Terrorists’ In Somalia (Daily Nation)
- Awqaf Donates Dh1m To Somalia Aid Campaign (The National UAE)
- In Women’s Basketball Woodbury Coach Sees Hope For Somalia (The News & Observer)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Lawmaker Claims Was Locked Out In House Committee Elections
17 April – Source : Goobjoog News – 168 Words
A lawmaker who was contesting for chairmanship of the Parliamentary Finance and Trade subcommittee has accused fellow MPs of sabotage and denial of rights to participate in the elections for the post. Mohamed Nurani Bakar told Goobjoog News the subcommittee denied him the right to present his candidature and cast a vote for the post after the elections were delayed. “The elections were scheduled for Sunday at 3.30pm but when we gathered we were informed it had been pushed to the following day. But when I left the venue at 4.00pm, the elections went on and my rival was elected,” said Bakar.
The lawmaker accused his colleagues of betrayal and dishonesty adding he will not accept the results. “I am asking the secretary general of parliament to cancel the poll and call a fresh exercise,” said Bakar. House secretary general Abdikarim Buh could not be reached for comment. The Lower House which will be off for recess until April 27 is currently constituting the various business committees.
Puntland President Criticises Turkish Aid Model In Somalia
17 April- Source : Jowhar.com – 93 Words
The President of Puntland, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has criticised the Turkish government for concentrating it aid initiatives in Mogadishu and it environs. The Puntland President said the Turkish government is a friendly government of Somalia but said they have made mistakes by fully focussing on Mogadishu while ignoring the other parts of Somalia.He said Somalia is a federal government and therefore Somalia needs aid from the other countries to be fully spread across the regions. He argues that the Turks do not understand the federal model that has been adopted by Somalia.
PM, Hassan Kheyre Promises Government Will Invest In Agricultural Sector
17 April – Source : Goobjoog News – 119 Words
The Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Kheyre has said his government will introduce new measure aimed at improving the agricultural sector of the country. He said the government will also construct several water catchment areas for use during the dry spells to avert the severe effect of long dry seasons. “ In order to prepare and prevent the return of the recurrent droughts in the country , the government will create projects that will enhance the agricultural productivity of the country,” said the PM. On the other hand, the Premier who commented on the drought response said the Somali people have demonstrated that they can help each other adding that the drought response showed the return of confidence among the Somali public.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
US Strikes ‘Kill More Than 100 Shabaab Terrorists’ In Somalia
17 April – Source : Daily Nation – 396 Words
US aircraft attacked southern Somalia on Saturday morning, killing more than 100 Al-Shabaab militants, including 20 commanders, residents and officials have said.Witnesses said the planes targeted the militants’ hideouts in War Gaduud and El-Adde where many Kenyan soldiers were killed by the terrorists in January 2016. Among senior Shabaab commanders killed in the dawn attack that also destroyed two Vehicles Bound Explosive Devices at War Gaduud were Abdirahman Fillow and Abdirahman Ben Dutie. Dutie was from Marehan rer Dalal section.“Yesterday (Friday) night at War Gaduud and El-Adde, US airstrikes killed 20 Al-Shabaab commanders, among them Abdirahman Fillow and about 85 militants,” said a security official who declined to be named.“The strike happened at 2am and the siege continues.”
Residents in El-Adde reported hearing explosions just after midnight on Friday.“There was heavy bombing on an Al-Shabaab base near El-Adde Town but we don’t know the number of casualties. We heard sounds of jets and then explosions,” a resident said.The bombardment came after US military officials said soldiers had been deployed to Somalia to train and equip the national and African Union forces fighting the terrorists.The team is carrying out a train-and-equip mission that is expected to last through the end of September, according to American officials.
The US soldiers will join the small number of special operations forces already in Somalia providing counterterrorism support to local forces.America maintains a small unit of about 50 troops in the country, mainly to advise and assist Somalia and Amisom soldiers. When called in, their helicopters, drones and manned aircraft are available for quick response.President Donald Trump in March granted additional powers to US Africa Command to conduct counterterrorism strikes against the terrorists.
Awqaf Donates Dh1m To Somalia Aid Campaign
16 April – Source : The National, UAE – 145 Words
Awqaf, the Islamic affairs and endowments authority, has donated Dh1 million to Emirates Red Crescent’s ‘For You Somalia’ campaign, as part of the organisation’s relief efforts abroad. The campaign was launched in response to a looming famine that has left an estimated 360,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition.A public fundraising campaign will be launched later this week and the charity hopes to distribute up to Dh500 million in aid.
The drive comes as the UAE marks 2017 as ‘#Year of Giving’ and adds to the UAE’s recent classification as the world’s most generous donor aid, said Dr Mohammed Matar Al Kaabi, Awqaf Chairman, who presented the cheque to Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al-Falahi, Emirates Red Crescent’s secretary-general.Last week, Emirates Red Crescent said food, water, medicine and other necessities will be shipped to Somalia help people there survive their third famine in 25 years.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The Somali comeback, however, never got off the ground. Osman, a team organizer and four North American players including Osman’s daughter, Hindi Abdi arrived without delay for the games in Cairo, Egypt. But eight teammates and the head coach never completed the trip. They got stuck at the airport in Dubai for three days and then flew back to Somalia.”
In Women’s Basketball, Woodbury Coach Sees Hope For Somalia
17 April – Source : The News & Observer – 689 Words
While playing professional basketball in Somalia in the 1980s, Fartun Osman and her teammates wore tight shorts and no hair covering. “Nobody was judging us because we had a government that was stable and protecting us,” she told the Pioneer Press.Osman, now 40 and living in Woodbury, returned to her home country in December to coach in a tournament that signaled the defiant rebirth of Somali women’s basketball decades after its civil war began.
Amid death threats from Al-Shabaab terrorists and denunciations from moderate clerics, teenage girls and young women in long pants and hijabs played under the protection of armed soldiers on rooftops. “Every time we stepped on the court, it was scary for us,” said Osman, a youth sports coach and physical education teacher at the St. Paul charter school Higher Ground Academy. The tournament featured four players each from Minnesota and Canada alongside players from several regions of Somalia. Somalia’s best and four players from the diaspora then were selected for a larger stage in March.
For the first time in 26 years, Somalia was sending a team to an international tournament in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Women’s Basketball World Cup and the 2020 Olympics. The Somali comeback, however, never got off the ground. Osman, a team organizer and four North American players including Osman’s daughter, Hindi Abdi arrived without delay for the games in Cairo, Egypt. But eight teammates and the head coach never completed the trip. They got stuck at the airport in Dubai for three days and then flew back to Somalia.
Osman was willing to suit up to fill out the starting lineup but was told she’d need more than five to play. After raising money for the trip and receiving no pay, Osman and her team were forced to forfeit, settling for some scrimmages before returning home.”It was really sad,” she said. “After you do all that, they can’t play. It’s hard for us.” Osman thinks the airport problems were related to President Donald Trump’s ban on travel to the U.S. from Somalia and five other Muslim-majority nations.
TOP TWEETS
@UNSomalia: Police officer Amino Ali Hiirey a fierce champion of women and girls’ rights in #Somalia. Here’s her story: http://bit.ly/2oOpdl7
@cgtnafrica : Somalia’s president welcomes China’s new ambassador to the country #AfricaLive
@Voiceof9jathugs: Attention shifts to Somalia in bid to protect maritime trade https://goo.gl/fb/wOxVOm #news #slideshow
@HarunMaruf : The story of a former unaccompanied child refugee who became a barrister in U.K. @hm_hashi. (Inspirational stuff)
@UNHCREthiopia :+4,700 new arrivals from #Somalia since 1 January 2017. Somali #refugees continue to escape #conflict and food insecurity.#WithRefugees
@SSG_Somalia:3 days certified training course on #Budget execution for FGS ministries staff concluded in Mogadishu.#Somalia @USAIDSomalia @MofSomalia
@golfyare:Newly #CAF President Ahmed arrives in #Mogadishu, #Somalia for the first time since his election
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo addressing the media at Villa Somali following the conclusion of a meeting with regional leaders state
Photo : Radio Muqdisho