August 17, 2018 | Morning Headlines

AMISOM Starts Vacating Mogadishu Stadium

16 August – Source: Halbeeg News –  244 Words

The first batch of AMISOM forces have vacated Mogadishu Stadium, which is the biggest sporting facility in the county, the mission confirmed. The continental forces have been occupying the stadium since 2011, when Al-Shabaab militants were pushed out of the city.

Head of AMISOM mission, Ambassador Francisco Madeira said, he is pleased that the premises will be handed over to the Somali government. “One of the first deliverables of AMISOM’s Transition Plan, is to vacate the Mogadishu Stadium. I have been briefed by AMISOM Engineers, on the progress made,” Ambassador Madeira said in a Twitter post, “I am very encouraged to hear that we are ahead of schedule to return the stadium to the people of Somalia.”

The development comes less than a month, after Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire called on AU forces to vacate Mogadishu Stadium. Somali Sports associations have on several occasion, called on AMISOM to vacate the facility, which had been paralysed since 1991 when the central government collapsed.

The various groups fighting in the country’s during the civil war have always occupied the stadium. After the fall of the government led by late Mohamed Siad Barre 1990, Mogadishu Stadium was occupied by US peacekeepers. More than a decade after US forces withdrew from Somalia, Ethiopian forces took over the facility and had been occupying until 2009. The stadium was subsequently occupied by Al-Shabaab, which used it for a training base before the group was forced out of the capital.

 

Key Headlines

• AMISOM Starts Vacating Mogadishu Stadium (Halbeeg News)
• Schools Clinics Businesses Reopen In El-Afweyne After Nine Months Of Strife In Sanaag (Radio Ergo)
• Families displaced After Al-Shabaab Divert Water From River Shabelle To Flood Villages (Halbeeg News)
• RA International Shares Advance As It Lands Contract With UN In Somalia (Proactive Investors)
• Can Education Really Reduce Armed Group Recruitment? (Relief Web)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Schools, Clinics, Businesses Reopen In El-Afweyn After Nine Months Of Strife In Sanaag

16 August – Source: Radio Ergo – 382 Words

Students in El-Afweyn have resumed their studies after their education was interrupted for nine months by inter-clan conflict, in Sanaag region, that led to the closure of all schools and health centres. A committee of elders from both clans, as well as ministers from the Somaliland administration, politicians and other leaders worked for 18 days, seeking to reach an agreement to end the conflict. A peace deal was reached at the beginning of August, enabling families displaced by the conflict to return.

So far, around half of the 5,000 families who fled have returned. The rest remain uncertain about safety and 1,500 students are back in classroom. But only five of the 14 schools have reopened, as the rest were being used as military camps for Somaliland forces. According to the chief of El-Afweyn, Abdirahim Yusuf, another 3,100 students are yet to come back to the area, to resume their studies.  He noted that many of the schools have suffered significant damage as a result of the conflict. Mohamed Farah Omar’s two sons aged 9 and 12, were due to move up to Standard Four in August, but have been forced to remain behind. However, Mr. Omar said he is happy to see his children back in class despite the uncertainty in the area.

Mr. Omar and his family of seven,  returned home on 3 August from Erigavo, 90 kilometers away, where they had fled to live-in with relatives. The hospital and, three Mother and Child health centres (MCHs) have also reopened. Dr. Nasir Abdirahman Mohamed, coordinator of the Ministry of Health in El-Afweyn, said all the medical workers in the area left when the conflict erupted. Four doctors and 32 nurses have now returned to resume work and the three MCHs were restocked on 7 August.

Dr. Nasir said within a week of reopening, 240 people had visited the health centres.  More supplies are needed to cope with demand. Businesses and markets in the areas have also begun to open up again. Sahra Ahmed, a mother in El-Afweyn running a small stall, told Radio Ergo that during the conflict she could not earn a living at all. She described the past nine months as like living in a limbo without food, health and education services for the children.

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Families Displaced After Al-Shabaab Divert Water From River Shabelle To Flood Villages

16 August – Source: Halbeeg News – 215 Words

Al-Shabaab fighters have been accused of diverting water from River Shabelle to villages under Qoryoley district, displacing hundreds of families. The local authorities in Qoryoley district said, the fighters loyal to Al-Shabaab diverted, the water from the river to flood the areas, compelling the local residents to flee their homes.

Qoryoley Mayor, Said Ali Ibrahim Hassan, who spoke to BBC Somali Service said, the villages have been inundated with heavy floods after the group formed man-made tributaries. “We are in planting season, people were farming when Al-Shabaab diverted the flow of the river water, this is not the normal floods, which occurred naturally but, it is one that came as a result of the action of Al-Shabaab,” Mr. Hassan said.

The allegations levelled against Al-Shabaab comes amid Somali forces backed by AMISOM intensified operations against the group in Lower Shabelle region. It is not the first time Al-Shabaab fighters were accused of diverting water from a river. In June, the group reportedly diverted the water from Jubba river, forcing many families to flee from the villages along the river.

Days later, heavily armed Al-Shabaab fighters stormed the base housing a combined force of Somalis, Kenyans, and Americans. The raid which prompted fierce fighting that lasted for hour claimed lives dozens of combatants from both sides.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

RA International Shares Advance As It Land Contract With UN In Somalia

16 August – Source: Proactive Investors –  218 Words

RA Group shares advanced on Thursday as it secured a new five-year contract for two camps in Somalia. The company, which provides services to remote locations, has been contracted for electrical works and construction of power infrastructure at the United Nations Support Office (UNSOS) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) camps.

It will deliver a full end-to-end managed service for the construction of power infrastructure, including the installation of UN-provided generators and fuel tanks, as well as distribution services. Work is due to start this autumn and the total contract value is anticipated over US$30mln.

“We are delighted to have secured this long-term contract for the construction of power houses in Somalia,” said Soraya Narfeldt, chief executive RA International. “RA International has managed and completed power house projects effectively in the past and it demonstrates great confidence in our capabilities that we have been re-selected as the preferred provider by UNSOS and AMISOM for construction and support services for this project.”

Narfeldt added: “We very much look forward to building on our relationship with the UNSOS and AMISOM over the years ahead. “The board remains committed to the next phase of our development as we look to capitalise on the exciting opportunities within our sector.” RA shares gained 5p or 6.4% to trade at 83p.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“The study also found that coupling education with civic engagement opportunities meant that young people were nearly 65 per cent less likely to support violence. More than 1,200 youth ages 15 to 24 years old were interviewed for the study in Somalia’s South Central and Puntland regions.”

Can Education Really Reduce Armed Group Recruitment?

14 August – Source: Relief Web – 554 Words

Somalia has experienced civil war for almost 30 years, and with over 70 percent of its population is under 30 years of age, youth and youth education appear to be the key to a peaceful future in the country. A new study has revealed that increasing access to high school education in war zones could help diminish support for armed groups.

Research from the global organization Mercy Corps showed that young people in conflict-affected areas of Somalia who have access to secondary education are almost half as likely to support violent groups than those not in school. “We found in general that the provision of secondary education by itself reduced the likelihood of young people supporting political violence by roughly 48 per cent,” said Mercy Corps senior researcher Beza Tesfaye.

The study also found that coupling education with civic engagement opportunities meant that young people were nearly 65 per cent less likely to support violence. More than 1,200 youth ages 15 to 24 years old were interviewed for the study in Somalia’s South Central and Puntland regions. “We didn’t want to bias the findings by focusing on areas that were safe, you know, just staying in one part of the country, so it was challenging to be able to go out especially to rural areas,” said Tesfaye. “We were able to go out to a few communities that had previously been under the control of Al-Shabaab a few years earlier.”

Mercy Corps’ report measured the impact of a Somali Youth Learners Initiative, a multi-year program funded USAID that improved access and quality of education for more than 100,000 young people through construction and rehabilitation of schools and improved teacher training. The program also created community-engagement opportunities through student clubs and youth-led community-improvement initiatives.

Crisis and conflict negatively affects the education of upwards of 80 million children worldwide, according to USAID. “We also know that the longer they’re out of school the less likely they are to go back,” said Nina Papadopoulos, Team Lead for Education in Crisis and Conflict in USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment. “So not only is school necessary for these kids’ continued education,” said Papadopoulos, “but it also provides them with important emotional, physical and cognitive protection while their world and family are in chaos.”