April 19, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Somali Forces Recover 5 Villages In Southern Somalia
18 April – Source: Xinhua – 179 Words
Somali forces on Wednesday took control of five villages in Middle Shabelle regions in southern Somalia which had been under al-Shabab rule, military officials have said. Ali Alasow, a commander based in the Middle Shabelle region, told journalists the forces recovered five villages under al-Shabab control following a military operation. “Our forces conducted a massive operation to the liberate areas under the terrorists,” said Alasow. “Five villages are now under put control including Qordhere, Qorah Madobe, Waraxley, War-Cise and Qab-duco,” the commander said.
Alasow added the forces are still continuing with the operation to ensure all the militants are flushed out of the areas they still have control on. The forces did not encounter much resistance from the militants, a resident told Xinhua. “When the al-Shabab heard the forces were heading to the village, they withdrew immediately,” Aweys Abdi, a resident told Xinhua. The capture of the villages added to several others regained in the recent by joint Somali and African Union forces operations and is gradually reducing the militant group’s hold of the regions in the southern Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Somali Forces Recover 5 Villages In Southern Somalia (Xinhua)
- Somali Parliament To Hold Election Of Speaker At The End Of The Month (Halbeeg News)
- AMISOM Awards Ugandan Troops For Distinguished Service (Shabelle News)
- Somali President Praises Cairo’s Support For Mogadishu (Ahram Online)
- AU Urges World To Help Somalia Develop Capacity To Tackle Terror Threats (Xinhua)
- Qatar Crisis Washes Up On Somalia’s Shores (The National)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Parliament To Hold Election Of Speaker At The End Of The Month
18 April – Source: Halbeeg News – 277 Words
Somali Lawmakers are expected to elect new Lower House Speaker in the forthcoming, as the lobbies and campaigns have gained momentum. Various campaign meetings have been taking place in different hotels in Somali capital. According to reliable sources, privy to the preparation said, the election of the speaker will be held at the end this Month.
So far three candidates have publicly declared their bid to contest for the speakership of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament. Former Parliament speaker, Sheikh Adan Modobe, Somali Minister for Defense and Minister of Energy and Water, Salim Aliow Ibrow have announced their candidatures on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
In accordance with the Standing Orders of Lower House Parliament, the speaker should be elected after fifteen days from the exit date of the immediate former Speaker. Mohamed Osman Jawari, who has been occupying the office since post transitional government, has resigned from the office last week after weeks of political turmoil over efforts by dozens of MPs to have him impeached.
The tussle sparked political tension in the capital and led to UN, AU, IGAD, international community to call for dialogue. Announcing his decision to resign, Mr. Jawari said, he had sacrificed his ambitions following advice from various people. “I considered the advice from people and took one word which is “one of us has to give up”, and that is the decision I made and tomorrow which is 11th of April, I will be back to Parliament for the resignation.” He added he would however continue with his legislative roles as an MP. Mr. Jawari served as minister during the reign of former President Mohamed Siad Barre.
AMISOM Awards Ugandan Troops For Distinguished Service
18 April – Source: Shabelle News – 396 Words
The African Union Peace Keeping Mission in Somalia has hailed Ugandan troops for their distinguished service towards peace in the country. The troops belonging to Battle Group No 21 were on Tuesday awarded medals and certificates in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The combatants who completed their tour of duty on Tuesday, after securing Mogadishu and neighbouring regions are bound to return home.
During their stay in Somalia, they participated in many operations, ranging from combat operations against the Al-Shabaab to securing the Main Supply Routes to allow easy access of vehicles carrying humanitarian relief aid. Major Gen Salvator Harushimana, the AMISOM Deputy Force Commander in charge of Support and Logistics, commended the troops for their sacrifice and reiterated the commitment of the African Union (AU) towards ensuring a stable Somalia.
“They [have] performed their duties with dedication and a high level of professionalism; they did not only represent Uganda well but also made the African continent proud,” Gen Harushimana said. Uganda’s Deputy Ambassador to Somalia, Maj Gen Nathan Mugisha, who was the chief guest at the medal awards ceremony, called for more investment in social amenities which he said are critical for the population to supplement efforts by the military to stabilise the country. General Mugisha also called for enhanced good governance, justice and rule of law as well as humanitarian support in liberated areas to enable a total return to normalcy.
“I would like to thank our friendly forces, with whom we have been fighting here trying to bring peace to Somalia but also the Somali National Army with whom we have really struggled, we encourage them to maintain the spirit,” Gen. Mugisha said. The UPDF Contingent Commander in Somalia, Brig Paul Lokech, said that the outgoing troops were a dedicated force, committed to securing the Horn of Africa.
He thanked the force for withstanding pressure from the international media and sceptics. “When we were coming here in 2007, we were told by the Western media that this mission would fail on arrival; but it is 10 years today and we are still moving forward, carrying the flag of the African mission, and carrying the flag of Uganda,” Brig Lokech said. Brig. Lokech also paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the different combat points. “To all our comrades who died in combat, they died for a purpose and we shall never, ever forget them,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali President Praises Cairo’s Support For Mogadishu
18 April – Source: Ahram Online – 220 Words
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from his Somali counterpart President Mohamed Abdullahi in which he praised Cairo’s support for Mogadishu’s efforts to restore order and stability in the country, El-Sisi’s office said in a statement.
The two leaders discussed recent developments in Somalia as well as the Somali government’s efforts to restore stability in the war-torn country, where the central government in Mogadishu has for years been battling an insurgency by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group. Al-Shabaab has carried out numerous terror attacks in the capital and in other parts of Somalia, leaving hundreds dead or injured.
Egypt has regularly sent Somalia humanitarian assistance and medical supplies in response to the country’s droughts and terrorist attacks. During the phone conversation, El-Sisi stressed “Egypt’s continued support for the unity of Somalia, expressing Egypt’s keenness to continue to enhance various aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”
The Egyptian president also said Egypt will continue to provide “technical support to the people of Somalia and back them in their efforts to build the institutions of their country and to establish security and stability,” the statement said. The Somali president said the two countries will continue their ongoing cooperation to combat terrorism. Abdullahi visited Cairo last August in a trip during which he discussed with El-Sisi mutual ties and cooperation.
AU Urges World To Help Somalia Develop Capacity To Tackle Terror Threats
18 April – Source: Xinhua – 348 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Wednesday called on the international community to help Somalia develop capacity to tackle the potent threats in the country. Senior AMISOM officials including security officials who ended their fourth Bi-annual Counter IED Conference in Mogadishu reached agreement on measures to tackle effectively the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that present a major threat to the country’s stabilization process. “The conference resolved among others to encourage the use of forensics and intensify training of personnel to help counter the threat posed by IEDs,” participants said in a joint statement issued by the AU mission.
The conference acknowledged that the indiscriminate use of IEDs by al-Shabab militants posed a major risk to the realization of sustainable peace and stability in the Horn of Africa country and emphasized efforts that will decisively tackle the problem. The AU mission-backed conference brought together key stakeholders who included senior officials from Somali security institutions, AMISOM and international partners. Francisco Madeira, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, lauded the partners for their continued support and commitment to capacitating AMISOM personnel on how to deal with the threat of IEDs to security forces and the civilian populations.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Somalia’s geopolitical importance and internal fragility has unwittingly sucked it into a regional dispute, jeopardizing vital aid and investment. It is a lesson for volatile nations across the Horn and beyond.”
Qatar Crisis Washes Up On Somalia’s Shores
18 April – Source: The National – 624 Words
It was 1991 when Somali President Siad Barre was ousted, catapulting the country into disarray and prompting emboldened warlords to cleave the country apart. Although an internationally-backed government was established in 2012 following interventions by Ethiopia and the African Union, the country remains fractured – bedevilled by humanitarian crises and a protracted struggle against Al Shabab militants.
In practice, the authority of the central government does not extend far beyond the capital, Mogadishu. It is within this context that Somalia’s recent row with the UAE should be dissected. Ten months have passed since the Arab quartet of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. Hugely reliant on foreign investment and aid, Somalia has imported the crisis.
On April 8, amid rising tension, Somali security forces stormed a UAE jet at Mogadishu airport, seizing $9.6 million (Dh35.3 million) in cash destined for the Puntland Maritime Police Force, an anti-piracy unit of the Somali army backed since 2014 by the Emirates. In response to the breach of diplomatic protocol, the UAE abruptly ended its military training programme in Somalia. Sheikh Zayed hospital in Mogadishu suspended operations.
Immediately thereafter, Qatar donated 30 buses and two cranes to Mogadishu regional officials. “That is not coincidental,” said Rashid Abdi, Horn of Africa project director at the International Crisis Group (ICG). The gesture is emblematic of international pressures weighing on Somalia, thanks to pre-existing relationships and its proximity to the Gulf. Turkey operates a military base of epic proportions in Mogadishu, whose lucrative port is run by Al Bayrak, a Turkish corporation. Ankara was an early investor in Somalia, though analysts say popular support for Turkey’s presence is dwindling.
Turkey’s ally, Qatar, whose airline immediately used Somali airspace when the boycott began last year, has sought to involve itself in Somali politics, according to Faisal Roble, a leading Somalia expert. Saudi Arabia, which imports 80 per cent of Somalia’s livestock, donated $50m in 2016 after Mogadishu severed ties with Iran. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed visited Riyadh less than a fortnight after his inauguration last year for his first official trip.
Meanwhile, the UAE, which has been training and paying the salaries of 2,407 Somali troops, is most active in the autonomous region of Puntland, whose government yesterday appealed to the Emirates to remain engaged. “There is a common understanding that Puntland doesn’t get the support it requires from the government,” said Mr Abdi. But the involvement of international players “has driven a wedge between Mogadishu and the different regional states,” he added.