NATIONAL MEDIA
Jubaland Leader Presides Over Security Meeting In Kismayo
2 August – Source: Jubaland TV – 133 Words
Jubaland leader, Ahmed Mohamed Islan on Friday morning presided over a security meeting in Kismayo following the assassination of a traditional elder on Wednesday night in the city. Ahmed Madobe was briefed on the overall security in Kismayo and the region by the heads of the police, intelligence agency and Darwish forces commanders.
The Jubaland leader encouraged them to bolster the security of the town and instructed them to apprehend the perpetrators of recent acts of insecurity in the town.
He commended the security chiefs and their men for dedicating their lives to protecting the security and safety of the people of Jubaland.
Ahmed Madobe, the commander-in-chief of the state’s armed forces, urged the public to support and collaborate closely with the security forces as they carried out their duties to secure Kismayo.
2 August – Source: Garowe Online – 154 Words
Authorities in Puntland on 1 August celebrated the 21st anniversary since the formation of the regional state in 1998. Celebrations to mark the day were held in Garowe’s Barhadda square under very tight security. Celebrations were also held in other cities in Puntland. But the Garowe event was the most vibrant as it has been graced by President Said Abdullahi Deni and senior federal government officials including Lower House Speaker, Mohamed Mursal, deputy Senate Speaker, Abshir Ahmed amongst others.
Hundreds of security forces also partook in the celebrations exhibiting a parade at the square. Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, sent a message of congratulations to the people and government of Puntland on the occasion of the region’s founding day.
Puntland is relatively peaceful since it has avoided the clan conflicts that has affected other parts of the country, although it still faces security challenges from the militant groups Al-Shabaab and Pro-Islamic State group.
2 August – Source: Halbeeg – 203 Words
The first annual Baidoa exhibition has kicked off in the interim Southwest State administrative capital on Thursday. The three-day event, organized by the Baidoa library and museum, will showcase local arts, culture, books and local farm produce. Various Somali authors and cultural experts have been invited to debate, over the next two days, the challenges as well as opportunities of advancing Somali arts and culture mainly from the Maay dialect speaking population in Southwest State.
The leader of Southwest state, Abdiasis Hassan Mohamed, famously known as Lafta Gareen who officially opened the event pledged to support the revival of arts and culture during his administration. President Lafta Gareen who thanked the organizers for the historic event promised to provide space and funding for a modern arts and cultural centre to be established in Baidoa.
Senior officials from the federal government of Somalia including the Minister for Water and Energy, Fowzia Mohamed Sheikh, Deputy Minister for Information, Adan Issak and Somalia’s ambassador to European Union graced the occasion.
On their side, the organizing team vowed to continue their efforts in advocating for the recognition of rich arts and cultural aspects of the Somali nation, though focusing mainly on the communities living in Southwest State.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
1 August – Source: Anadolu – 169 Words
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared three days of mourning to honor the late mayor of Somali capital Mogadishu who died in a terrorist attack, state media reported. He also ordered the national flag to fly at half-staff. Abdirahman Omar Osman, better known as Eng. Yariisow, died at a hospital in Doha, Qatar after suffering serious wounds in a bombing at his office last week claimed by al-Shabaab.
He was airlifted from Mogadishu and taken to Doha. The Turkish diplomatic mission in Somalia described the late mayor of Mogadishu as a “brilliant son” of Somalia and offered condolences to the Somali people.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“He was a reformer and led by example. It was not unusual to receive a phone call from him at 2am in the morning asking about work,” Mohamed, who first met Abdirahman in London in 2007, said.”
2 August – Source: Al Jazeera- 806 Words
His name was Abdirahman Omar Osman but, to Somalis, the mayor of Mogadishu was simply known as “injineer yariisow”, meaning “the small engineer” due to his slight stature and civil engineering training. The 53-year-old’s soft voice and easy-going personality belied his place in the country’s politics – the mayor of the capital arguably holds the third most significant post in Somalia, behind only that of the president and prime minister.
Abdirahman was seriously wounded in a suicide blast in his office last week while chairing a security meeting. At least six people, including three Mogadishu district commissioners, died in the attack that was claimed by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked armed group fighting to overthrow Somalia’s government. The married father of seven succumbed to his wounds at a hospital in Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Friday, two weeks before his 54th birthday.
Abdirahman was an unusual figure in Somalia’s cutthroat political scene that typically sees officials serving under just one administration before falling out of favour. Abdirahman served under three different presidents either as a government minister or a spokesman. “He was a unifying figure in a divided country,” Mohamed Ahmed Cantoobo, director general of social affairs at Mogadishu City Hall, told Al Jazeera. “He was a peace-lover and treated everyone as an equal, no matter their title or place in society. That made many people want to be associated with him.” Cantoobo, a former district commissioner of the city’s Hodan area, added.
In one of his last public speeches in the seaside city, Abdirahman called on Somalis everywhere to embrace peace and forgive each other. “If someone has done you wrong, forgive him or her. Let us all forgive each other,” he told a gathering in late June. “I am here before you to say I have forgiven everyone that has done anything to me. I likewise hope that anyone that I have done anything to can forgive me,” he added.
As official tributes poured in following his death, close friends and colleagues described him as a humble, hard-working man of few words and many actions. “He was a reformer and led by example. It was not unusual to receive a phone call from him at 2am in the morning asking about work,” Mohamed, who first met Abdirahman in London in 2007, said. A former councillor in the United Kingdom’s capital, Abdirahman decided to return to Somalia and in 2008 was named chief of staff in the prime minister’s office. A decade later, after holding various government roles, including the post of information minister and treasurer, Abdirahman was appointed mayor of the capital in January 2018……….. |
