August 19, 2015 | Morning Headlines
United Nations, AMISOM, IGAD, EU and UK Congratulate Ahmed Madobe On Presidential Elections
18 August – Source: Radio Bar- Kulan – 256 Words
The United Nations, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom congratulated Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam “Madobe” on his election as the President of the Interim Jubba Administration (IJA) on 15 August.“We congratulate Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam “Madobe” on being elected President of the Interim Jubba Administration by the Jubba Regional Assembly. We commend H.E. Madobe’s commitment to work earnestly with the committee formed by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke to address the composition of the IJA Regional Assembly and we encourage him to take steps to resolve this issue at the earliest in an inclusive manner,” said Somalia’s international partners in a joint press statement.
They welcomed Ahmed Madobe’s support for the outcomes of the High Level Partnership Forum as well as for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2232 (2015).They encouraged him, the IJA and the Federal Government of Somalia to work closely with other Somali stakeholders to hold constructive dialogue on the state formation process and the electoral process for 2016. In the press statement, they commended the IJA for their commitment to work in close coordination and collaboration with the Somali National Army and AMISOM to liberate the remaining territories under the IJA’s administration from Al-Shabaab and extend state authority.The international partners promised to continue efforts to mobilise resources through existing mechanisms with a view to supporting the delivery of basic services to the population of these areas and building the capacity of the IJA.
Key Headlines
- United Nations AMISOM IGAD EU and UK Congratulate Ahmed Madobe On Presidential Elections(Radio Bar- Kulan)
- Somalia President Keen To Appear In Parliament Amid Political Uncertainty (Garowe Online)
- Mogadishu Central Jail Gets First Skills Training Centre (Goobjoog News)
- A Somali Woman In The UK Will Likely Have More Children Than Average UK Born Woman (Somali Current)
- Malnourished Children Being Treated In Bardhere (Radio Ergo)
- Man Who ‘Confessed’ To Be Al-Shabaab Member Remanded Pending Investigations (Standard Digital)
- Group Of 50 Al-Shabaab Militants Preaching To Basuba Villagers (Coastweek/Xinhua)
- Why Running Is A Huge Challenge For Somali Women (Fittish)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia President Keen To Appear In Parliament Amid Political Uncertainty
18 August – Source: Garowe Online – 174 Words
Federal Government of Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has requested to appear before the 275-seat-chamber in the wake of impeachment motion. As the country is plunging deeper into political uncertainty, Mohamud wants to react to the constitutional violation and corruption claims highlighted in a motion seeking to send him packing. On August 12, Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Sheikh Osman (Jawari) and his deputies received the no confidence motion in the president, the second in two years after the first motion blaming him for poor leadership unraveled last year. Some MPs rebuffed president’s address to the parliament, demanding him to instead engage in question-and-answer session in the parliament. Mohamud’s ties to the donors have been shaky after the allegations of pervasive corruption surfaced in late 2013. The fresh impeachment motion spurred political struggle as the president is trying to woo backers of the bold challenge. Lawmakers in Somalia’s often fickle parliament voted two Prime Ministers-Abdi Farah Shirdon and Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed- out of office on the grounds of constitutional row with Somalia’s-now-embattled president.
Mogadishu Central Jail Gets First Skills Training Centre
18 August – Source: Goobjoog News- 75 Words
Somalia’s Minister of Justice Abdullahi Ahmed Jamac has today opened the first skills training centre in Mogadishu’s Central Jail which houses hundreds of inmates.The centre would train the prisoners with skills like tailoring, welding and carpentry, so that when they are released from prison, these skills would be useful for them to re-establish normal life.Somalia Custodial Chief General Bashir Mohamed Jamac hailed the move as historic and very important in rehabilitating the convicted criminals.
A Somali Woman In The UK Will Likely Have More Children Than Average UK Born Woman
18 August – Source: Somali Current – 193 Words
Somalis in the United Kingdom (UK) have the prospect of having larger families than the average UK citizen, it has emerged. According to a statistics released by the European statistics agency Eurostat, a woman of Somali origin has 1.19 children in relative to a UK-born woman who has 1.79 children. The data found that the UK is now home to more families containing four or more children than at any time since the early 1970s. The average Afghan-born woman living in the UK has 4.25 children and the average Pakistani woman will have 3.82.
UKIP Deputy Leader, Paul Nuttal, said that the population landscape of the UK was changing to some degree through immigration. “What’s important is that people who decide to have large families do not expect the state to pick up the tab. “Families planning on more children than that should not therefore expect taxpayers to pick up the bill for them.” He continued, “We also have to recognise the effect this will have on local school spaces and of course the NHS. More people mean more need for provision – and it’s vital we address that.”
Malnourished Children Being Treated In Bardhere
18 August – Source: Radio Ergo – 183 Words
Women and children from the countryside around Bardhere are trickling into the town seeking treatment for malnutrition and other diseases. Prolonged food shortages have taken a toll on the mainly farming population. Most local people were not able to plant or harvest over the past two years because of rain failure and conflict. The district hospital reopened shortly after Al-Shabaab forces were driven out of Bardhere in July, having held the town since 2008.
Since then it has admitted 240 people with malnutrition including 120 children from the rural areas surrounding Bardhere. Dr Mohamed Hussein, hospital director, said nutritional therapy for children and pregnant mothers was currently the only functioning ward. The hospital is being assisted by the Red Crescent. Some of the patients were also suffering from other illnesses such as measles and diarrhea and were receiving food and medicines. Hawa Adan, a mother of six, brought three of her children to the hospital. “Their condition is now improving, they are being given nutritious foods and medicine,” said Hawo, adding that she was happy with the reopening of the health facility.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Man Who ‘Confessed’ To Be Al-Shabaab Member Remanded Pending Investigations
18 August – Source: Standard Digital – 296 Words
A man of Somali origin who allegedly confessed to be a member of Al-Shabaab, has been remanded by a Nairobi court to allow police complete investigations. Abdirahaman Salat Mahamud appeared before Milimani Chief Magistrate Daniel Ogembo yesterday, where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of terrorism-related charges. Mahamud was arrested by Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) detectives on August 5 in Eastleigh and later grilled at ATPU headquarters. Mr Ogembo directed Mahamud to be remanded at Industrial Area Prison until next week on Monday, pending the hearing of his case on September 18. “The court is not in a position to make a ruling on bond at this stage owing to the nature of the offences the accused is facing. The request can be canvassed at the trial court where he will be free to revisit the issue of bail,” Ogembo said. Prosecutor Andrew Momanyi, through a Somali interpreter, told the court that Mahamud confessed to be a member of the terrorist group on August 6 at Eastleigh Estate in Nairobi. The suspect faced a second count of being illegally in the country.
Group Of 50 Al-Shabaab Militants Preaching To Basuba Villagers
18 August – Source : Coastweek/Xinhua 383 Words
Kenyan authorities said on Sunday they have enhanced security in the coastal town of Lamu after Somali militants stormed a village and “preached” to the terrified villagers on Saturday.Regional Police Commander Robert Kitur confirmed that a group of 50 ‘Al-Shabaab’ insurgents were spotted in Basuba village near Kenya-Somalia border, before ordering villagers from their houses and preached to them. Kitur said that they had received information from members of public about the presence of the ‘Al-Shabaab’ members in the area on Saturday but said the crackdown is already underway for the insurgents who vanished in the vast Boni forest.”We have the reports of ‘Al-Shabaab’ members who lectured villagers for hours before vanishing to the nearby vast Boni forest.”We have heightened security to deal with them,” Kitur told Xinhua on Sunday. He said the locals were able to identify at least two foreigners in the group who were masked and heavily armed while preaching.Kitur said the group is believed to be behind the recent Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks targeting police and military vehicles within Basuba area.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Though Somalis have settled in Minnesota since the early 1990s, and by now many are second-generation Americans, Fadumo doesn’t see attitudes toward women’s running changing any time soon. “I’d be surprised,” she said. “It’s not normal yet. That’s my thing—let’s break the cycle, let’s tell them, Hey, it’s ok. It’s a good thing—why don’t you be part of a positive thing?”
Why Running Is A Huge Challenge For Somali Women
18 August – Source: Fittish- 819 Words
In June of 2013, Fadumo ran a half-marathon. Despite warm temperatures, she ran in a head scarf, long-sleeve shirt, pants and a knee-length skirt over the pants. Fadumo is Somali, and like 99 percent of Somalis, she is Muslim. She effused about how fit and healthy she felt, how proud for making it the whole 13.1 miles, and how the feat made her feel like a true citizen of Minneapolis, rather than just a member of the Somali community there, the largest in the U.S. “This sounds racist, but I thought running marathons was for white people,” she laughed. “Fit, healthy white people. At first, I thought, you’re not one of them; you can’t run. Now I am a runner. I feel amazing about myself.”
Running the half-marathon was didactic, as much a personal goal as it was to show other Somali women they could be active within the parameters of Islam. To this end, Fadumo was extra careful about where and when she trained, and what she wore while running, but it wasn’t enough.“People, on Facebook, say running is not very Islamic,” she said. “They say it’s not Islamic for women to be running or to be talking about working out. They haven’t seen that growing up, and don’t know how to keep their religion and do sports. I wanted to show [other Somali women] if they cannot wear pants alone, they can wear a skirt too. But even with skirt and pants, people still had objections. I know I did my best to show it’s possible to stay appropriate for my culture and still run,”