August 19, 2016 | Morning Headlines
One Killed, Four Injured In Mogadishu Car Blast: Police
18 August – Source: Xinhua News – 99 Words
At least one person was killed and four others injured in a car explosion in Mogadishu on Thursday night, police have confirmed. Elmi Abdi,a police officer at the scene, told Xinhua the incident happened at a junction at Sinai area, north of Mogadishu, when police stopped a car which suddenly exploded.
“A woman has been killed and four others injured. The police tried to stop a car at a junction but it blew up,” said Abdi. An eyewitness told Xinhua that there was a huge explosion at the scene as people headed to their homes some minutes past eight.
Key Headlines
- One Killed Four Injured In Mogadishu Car Blast: Police (Xinhua News)
- President Asks Election Commission To Work For Candidates Equally (Shabelle News)
- Election Commission Registers Political Parties (Shabelle News)
- Hiiraan Middle Shabelle Inter-regional State Formation Impasse Enters New ‘Crisis’ Phase (Hiiraan Online)
- Visiting Uganda Senior Commander Commends AMISOM Soldiers For Helping Secure Somalia (AMISOM)
- Trump Visit To Minnesota Gets Cold Shoulder From Somalis (Associated Press)
- For 3 Days Books Replace Blasts In Somali Capital (VOA)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Asks Election Commission To Work For Candidates Equally
18 August – Source: Shabelle News – 126 Words
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has urged the independent election commission to equally serve candidates who are vying for the presidency.
In a statement, Mohamud, who is also a candidate for country’s top seat, called for unity and collaboration in accomplishing the electoral process expected to take place later this year. The President urged security forces to secure the country during the exercise and guard against any disruptions from the Al-Shabaab militant group.
Last week, President Mohamud asked the AMISOM security forces secure the forthcoming electoral process. AMISOM responded by giving an assurance that it had a duty to help Somalia hold a peaceful and successful exercise that will culminate in the election of a new President on October 30.
Election Commission Registers Political Parties
18 August – Source: Shabelle News – 125 Words
The Independent Electoral Commission of Somalia began registration of political parties on Thursday as the nation prepares for this year’s electoral process. The chairperson of the commission, Halimo Ismail Ibrahim (Halimo Yarey), said they were now ready to receive political parties’ applications.
Halimo Yarey added that Somalia was heading towards multiparty elections in 2020, where the country will undertake in the first democratic election in decades: “During the first two years of the next Somali government, all lawmakers will join in the political parties to prepare for multi-party elections in 2020,” she said.
In February 11, 2015, Somali Parliament passed national electoral commission bill, paving the way for the first national elections to be held in the country in more than 40 years.
Hiiraan, Middle Shabelle Inter-regional State Formation Impasse Enters New ‘Crisis’ Phase
18 August – Source: Hiiraan Online – 351 Words
Somali government-led efforts aimed at ending the protracted political stalemate in negotiations for the formation of the proposed interregional state for Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions have again hit a dead end. This is after Middle Shabelle elders pushed back last ditch effort to select t the proposed state’s congress before the presidential election.
The development has dealt a blow to the government’s push in breaking the standoff, which could mar the country’s upcoming electoral plans. Somali government recently announced that the horn of Africa nation would hold presidential elections on October 30.
Speaking to the reporters at a meeting in Jowhar town, the region’s provincial capital, elders accused the government of attempting to play a political ‘game’ with them in an attempt to trick their members into agreeing to a ‘vague’ political path.
Elders in the neighboring Hiiraan region have previously boycotted the state formation conference, held in Jowhar, the regional capital of Middle Shabelle region, owing to unmet promises by the President. Despite facing arrays of criticism, Somali government has promised to ensure a ‘fair’ and ‘comprehensive process”, in its formation efforts of an all-inclusive regional state.
The Mogadishu-based government, which aims to complete the implementation of the federalism process across the country before the presidential polls in October, has signaled its willingness to convince elders to return to the negotiating table.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Visiting Uganda Senior Commander Commends AMISOM Soldiers For Helping Secure Somalia
18 August – Source: AMISOM – 482 Words
The Commander of the Uganda Special Forces, Maj Gen. Muhoozi Kaneirugaba, has commended the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for supporting Somali security forces in fighting Al-Shabaab militants in the country.
Gen. Kaneirugaba particularly singled out Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) soldiers for praise, saying their courage and dedication has enabled AMISOM execute its mandate of stabilizing Somalia. He made the remarks during a meeting with senior AMISOM officers held at the Uganda contingent headquarters in Mogadishu, yesterday.
He urged AMISOM to help the Somali government hold a successful electoral process scheduled before the end of the year. Recently the Federal Indirect Electoral Independent Team (FIEIT) released an electoral process timetable, which will culminate in the election of a new president on October 30, this year.
‘’We need to ensure a safe election period for the people of Somalia in the coming polls and it is high time we evaluated our readiness,’’ Gen. Kaneirugaba observed. The Ugandan Commander, who is visiting Somalia, is expected to hold security talks with senior AMISOM officials and representatives of the Federal Government of Somalia.
Gen Kaneirugaba reminded the Ugandan soldiers of the need to understand the history and aspirations of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) and urged them to build on the army’s success, while serving in Somalia. He commended the progress made in Somalia, in the recent past, which, he observed, was possible due to collaboration between AMISOM forces and the Somali national security forces.
Commenting on Al-Shabaab’s retreat from major towns, Gen Kaneirugaba hailed Ugandan troops for the role they played in pushing the militants out of Mogadishu and urged them to continue collaborating with other security forces in liberating Somalia from terrorists. The Uganda Battle Group 18 Commander, Col. Ronald Bigirwa, who represented the Uganda Contingent Commander, Brig. Sam Okiding, briefed Gen. Kaneirugaba on the current security situation in Somalia, which he noted had improved.
Trump Visit To Minnesota Gets Cold Shoulder From Somalis
18 August – Source: Associated Press – 131 Words
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s visit to Minnesota on Friday is getting the cold shoulder from the state’s Somali community. They’re upset because Trump targeted the Somali communities in Maine and Minnesota during a speech in Maine this month.
Trump said the U.S. does a poor job of vetting refugees, which he says raises concerns in Minnesota, straining its safety net and creating potential recruiting targets for Islamic terror groups. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations plans a news conference Friday to condemn Trump’s statements.
CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein says Trump’s “anti-Muslim and anti-Somali rhetoric” is sowing divisions and impacting the lives of ordinary Muslims and Somali-Americans. Trump is coming to Minnesota for a private fundraiser in Minneapolis. The time and venue have not been publicized.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“At the end of the first day of the book fair, the participants were relieved it passed peacefully. Without question, Mogadishu will need many more initiatives like the fair to fully shake off the dark days.”
For 3 Days, Books Replace Blasts In Somali Capital
18 August – Source: Voice of America – 470 Words
The capital of Somalia is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, but this week fear of blasts has been overcome by a love for books. Organizers say about 2,000 people turned out on the first day of the Mogadishu Book Fair to meet authors and examine hundreds of titles on display. The three-day event runs through Friday.
The book fair shows a different side of a city trying to emerge from decades of unrest, destruction and waves of deadly attacks by Al-Shabaab militants. Mohamed Dini, the founder of the book fair, said the goal of the event is to help rebuild the nation.
“Books and knowledge will be central pillars to the new Somalia we want to see,” he told VOA’s Somali Service. “Books and pens will have to replace the chaos, screaming and guns.” Somalis took to social media to hail the event as a “positive development” and “images you won’t see in mainstream media.”
Organizers said they were surprised by the huge turnout. The majority of the attendees were young people, between the ages of 15 and 35. Some came for the experience, but most were buying books written in Somali, Arabic and English, including books about late South African President Nelson Mandela and the late co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs.
Abdinur Mohamed, another one of the organizers, said he was overwhelmed by what he has heard from one of the participating writers, a woman who came from Somaliland: “She said to me, ‘Mogadishu Book Fair broke barriers erected by politicians,’” he said. He was referring to Naima Qorane, author of a new book titled “Qoys ilaa Qaran” or “From Family to Nation.” Her book discusses the importance of families in nation-building.