April 5, 2018 | Morning Headlines

AMISOM Intervenes In Somalia’s Political Stand-Off

04 April – Source: Hiiraan Online – 438 Words

The political stand-off in Mogadishu surrounding Jawari’s impeachment reached a crescendo on Wednesday afternoon after, AMISOM troops have intervened with the security of Parliament. AMISOM troops were seen escorting House Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari and the 2nd Deputy Speaker Mahad Awad, from the Parliament building after a raucous session nearly ended in armed confrontation.

Mr. Jawari and Mr. Awad met with Brigadier Paul Lokech, who heads the Ugandan contingent of AMISOM and a handful of MPs in Villa Hargeisa for a meeting on security. Mr. Lockech has said that, AMISOM will tighten security measures in and around Parliament until a full resolution is reached in the parliamentary motion. Mr. Lokech said, during the meeting that he left the frontlines battle with Al-Shabaab, to mediate in the conflict in the political stalemate that has stalled the peacebuilding mission.

“Honourable Members of Parliament, you really know that we are here because there is an issue going on…, the issue between Legislative and the arm of government which is Executive”. He reminded the lawmakers and House Speakers, that their duty is to the Somali people. He also said “Somalia is bigger than all of us, you must put the interest of Somalis’ first.” The meeting comes hours after, security officials accused Jawari of “violating” parliamentary procedures by arriving with private armed guards.

In a press conference, the Commander of Police, General Bashir Abdi Mohamed said, that Speaker Jawari arrived with his own private “army” and entered Parliament. He said that they were his personal bodyguards, and his actions were intended to be a direct provocation. Mr. Bashir said, that he ordered security officers not to open fire, saying it was a “moral obligation” to ensure that no lives were lost.

The proponents of the motion have accused Speaker Jawari of intentionally hijacking the session, with hired goons to avoid impeachment. Many of them have said that the police had refused to allow them inside the building. General Bashir said, that they were left outside for their own personal safety. SNA special forces, as well as members of the Presidential Guard, were called to secure the parliament and, protect the lawmakers who were told to stay outside.

The Pro-Jawari campaign has said that the guards were necessary since parliament police officers were dismissed last month, and replaced with people believed to be President Farmaajo and Prime Minister Khaire. Supporters of the no-confidence motion said the police had refused to let them inside the building. It is highly unlikely vote against the speaker will still be held on Wednesday, some MPs have hinted that the motion will be tabled on Saturday, April 7th.

Key Headlines

• AMISOM Intervenes In Somalia’s Political Stand-Off (Hiiraan Online)
• Hirshabele State To Speed Up The Fight Against Al-Shabaab (Halbeeg News)
• Legendary Somali Vocalist Sahra Ahmed Jama Passes Away In Hargeisa (Hiiraan Online)
• EU Continues To Support Women And Children Affected By Prolonged Drought In Somalia (KMAUpdates)
• From Refugee Camp Young Somali Lands Spot At Princeton (VOA)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Hirshabele State To Speed Up The Fight Against Al-Shabaab

04 April – Source: Halbeeg News  – 220 Words

A delegation led by Hirshabelle President Mohamed Abdi Ware, has arrived in Beledweyne, the headquarters of Hiiraan region. The President’s delegation which include ministers of Interior and Finance and MPs from Hirshabelle Assembly, was received by officials from Hiiraan administration, AMISOM and members of civil society organizations at the airport.

President Ware, held talks with Hiiraan administration, intellectuals and elders on his government’s plan to form new forces for the state. He said the forces are intended to fight against Al-Shabaab and recapture towns and villages controlled by the group. “The first phase of the operation was won, good result was achieved, as you know, the operation conducted in some parts of Hiiraan region, therefore I wish, the second phase which is [aimed] to reopen the road linking Beledweyne to Bula-burde will be launched, before the beginning of the Ramadan,” said President Ware.

The President’s comes a day after Somali forces backed by AMISOM troops recaptured several villages along Mahas-Beledweyne road. Last week, hundreds of Somali forces led by Hiiraan Governor, Mr. Ali Jeyte Osman, engaged in heavy fighting with Al-Shabaab, where the government forces recovered weapons, a vehicle and medical supplies from Al-Shabaab. The forces have stepped up operations against Al-Shabaab in Hiiraan, Middle and Lower Shabelle regions since February, when Somali President declared new offensives against the group.

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Legendary Somali Vocalist Sahra Ahmed Jama Passes Away In Hargeisa

04 April – Source: Hiiraan Online – 170 Words

Legendary Somali singer Ms. Sahra Ahmed Jama has passed away in Hargeisa after, a bout with an undisclosed illness, according to her family and the Somali government. Her family told media that the legendary singer was hospitalized in the days leading to her death. She was 62 years old.

Somali’s will remember Ms. Sahra Ahmed Jama as the voice behind such memorable songs such as “Sir maqabe”, “Manaxow”, and “Hogo Tusaale”.  Ms. Sahra Ahmed Jama began her illustrious career as a singer in 1969, at just 13 years of age and quickly rose to become one of the most prominent singers in Somalia’s golden age of music.

She toured the world alongside other legendary singers such as Ms. Maryam Mursal and Mr. Ahmed Naji Sa’aad, as a leading member in Waaberi – a Somali musical supergroup that was established by, the Somali government as part of the National Theatre of Somalia. Since her retirement from music, she lived a relatively quiet life in Hargeisa where she resided up until her death.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

EU Continues To Support Women And Children Affected By Prolonged Drought In Somalia

04 April – Source: KMAUpdates – 495 Words

The European Union, through the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department, has provided €3 million euro toward UNICEF’s humanitarian response for children and women caught in Somalia’s prolonged drought. After several failed rainy seasons and a massive loss of crops, livestock and livelihoods, on 2 February 2017, a pre-famine alert was issued for Somalia by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator. With early, scaled-up response led by the authorities and supported by the international community, famine was successfully averted. However, some 5.4 million people continue to require humanitarian assistance, including 2.8 million children.

“The crisis triggered measles and cholera outbreaks, affecting 20,000 and 78,000 people, respectively, the majority of them children. Over 3 million children, out of a total of 4.9 million, were out of school by the end of the year, and gender-based violence against women and children has been on the rise.” said UNICEF The new grant enables UNICEF to provide lifesaving treatment for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, procure emergency water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies to help communities prevent disease outbreaks, assist children and women affected by gender-based violence and unaccompanied and separated children and ensure children displaced by drought have safe and protected learning spaces to continue their education.

As one of the major donors for UNICEF Somalia, the EU has made a significant contribution to the survival and well being of Somali women and children over the years. In 2017, EU humanitarian funding enabled UNICEF to reach some 43,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with lifesaving treatment, and 11,000 patients, most of them children, with treatment for acute watery diarrhoea/cholera. “The EU and its humanitarian partners contributed to preventing famine in 2017; thousands of Somali children were spared a senseless death,” said Christos Stylianides, the European Union’s Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

He adds that it is clear many Somali families are still very fragile due to relentless succession of droughts and displacement. However, through our renewed partnership with UNICEF, the EU remains committed to helping the children and women most impacted by these crises. “We would like to express our deep appreciation to the European Union and the people of its Member States. Their generous contribution is allowing UNICEF to support thousands of children and their families caught in the midst of a prolonged drought,” said Leila Pakkala, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

Ms. Leila says that the funding is timely and catalytic. It will specifically help us to provide 12,500 children with lifesaving treatment for severe acute malnutrition, and a quarter of a million people with emergency WASH supplies. With yet another forecast for a poor rainy season, the situation remains grave. “This is the time for all partners to urgently work together to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable children and families in Somalia, so that we save lives now and continue to help build resilience.” adds Leila

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“The words I write may travel all around the world, but I am confined to the refugee camp where I was born. I can’t move freely in Kenya; I need a permit to leave Dadaab. My whole life, it seems, I’ve been living the American dream. I just don’t know how much longer I can bear to live it outside of America.”

From Refugee Camp, Young Somali Lands Spot At Princeton

04 April – Source: VOA – 805 Words

Last August, Asad Hussein boarded the back of a truck in Dadaab, Kenya, sitting with other passengers among sacks of beans being transported to Somalia’s capital. The truck headed east across the desert over the Somali border and deep into territory controlled by al-Shabab, the violent extremist group, on its way to Mogadishu. The 700-kilometer trip, which Hussein wrote about in The New York Times,represented a chance for him to see where his father grew up. Now, he’s preparing for a new journey after being accepted by one of the world’s most prestigious universities.

The 22-year-old refugee plans to join the class of 2022 at Princeton University, in the eastern U.S. state of New Jersey. Hussein was born in Dadaab, one of the world’s largest refugee camps, in 1996. His parents and older sister had fled the war in Somalia five years earlier in search of a new life. Dadaab was meant to be temporary, but it became home.

Hussein’s sister, Maryan, immigrated to the United States in 2005 with her husband and son. Only 11 years laterdid the siblings reunite, when Maryan returned to Dadaab on a visit that Hussein also wrote about in The Times. “The life in Dadaab is basically stranded,” Hussein told VOA’s Somali service in a phone interview Monday, after tweeting about his admission a couple of days ago. “You are not allowed to work or to do anything just as a refugee, and the word ‘refugee’ comes with so many restrictions.”

Despite those limitations, Hussein said, people were determined to make lives for themselves. They had escaped war, and they were bound to keep fighting. The key, people told Hussein, was education. “I was always told that, you know, ‘You need to go to school and do something,’ and things like that. And that’s my childhood.”

The sprawling Dadaab camp’s infrastructure includes schools. Hussein said he finished high school in 2014, “and for three years I have been trying to get into university.” Meanwhile, Princeton – which admitted just 6.4 percent of all applicants for its current freshman class – has been among some U.S. colleges and universities trying to diversify their student bodies. That includes welcoming academic high achievers who, like Hussein, may not have the financial means independently.

Hussein said he’s been offered a full scholarship to Princeton, which estimates that tuition, room, board and fees will total $70,010 for the next academic year. In the university’s 2021 graduating class, 13 percent are international students – with representation from 11 African nations. Founded in 1746, “Princeton has depended since its inception, and depends today, on the talent and contributions of newcomers to this country,” its president, Christopher L. Eisgruber, wrote last month in an annual letter to the campus community. Last week, Princeton joined 30 other colleges and universities in challenging the Trump administration’s proclamation to restrict immigration from several Muslim-majority countries. The university filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to support the state of Hawaii’s challenge, it said in a news release.