NATIONAL MEDIA
23 August – Source: SONNA – 819 Words
The IGAD Council of Ministers convened a consultation meeting of the Parties to the R-ARCSS on the 21st August 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the chairmanship of H.E. Gedu Andargachew, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the IGAD Council of Ministers.
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After listening to the presentation by the IGAD Executive Secretary on the IBC report, the statement of the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan, reports of the Secretary of the NPTC, Interim Chairperson of R-JMEC; and Chairperson of CTSAMVM; The Council, in consultation with the Parties to the R-ARCSS and stakeholders: 1. Appreciates that the ceasefire is holding and as a result, South Sudan has experienced relative peace, and in this regard calls for the cantonment process to be expedited to ensure the continued holding of the ceasefire in South Sudan; 2. Commends the Parties to the R-ARCSS for the important work they are doing in the various institutions and mechanisms of the Agreement; 3. Welcomes the conducive environment the Government has created for the implementation of the R-ARCSS; 4. Recognizes and commends representatives of the opposition parties for moving back and working from Juba; 5. Takes note of the progress made in the implementation of the R-ARCSS; 6. Appreciates the cordial and constructive manner with which the Parties conducted the consultation meeting; 7. Commits to engage their respective Heads of State and Government to directly engage H.E. President Salva Kiir to disburse the balance of the pledged USD 100 million; 8. Urges the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to be transparent and put in place accountability mechanisms in the use of funds for the implementation of the Peace Agreement; 9. Recommends to the IGAD Heads of State and Government to convene face-to-face meeting of the top leadership of the Parties to discuss and resolve outstanding issues; 10. Further recommends to the Heads of State and Government to hold an Ordinary Summit of IGAD in mid-September 2019 to deliberate on and decide, among others, the status of Dr. Riek Machar; 11. Resolves that at least 50% of the 83,000 necessary unified forces should be cantoned and barracked, trained and deployed before the end of September 2019; 12. Welcomes the adoption of the Terms of Reference of the DDR Commission by the Parties and stakeholders, and the subsequent nomination of candidates by all except the TGoNU and in this regard decides that the reconstitution of the DDR Commission should be completed by the end of August 2019; 13. Urges the Parties to continue dialoguing and consulting on the issue of the number and boundaries of states with a view to find a common solution, and report on the same to the next IGAD Ordinary Summit in mid-September; 14. Congratulates the Republic of Sudan on the power-sharing deal signed between the Transitional Military Council and the umbrella group Alliance for Freedom and Change that paves the way for a transition to a civilian-led government; 15. Also congratulates the Republic of Kenya on being nominated Africa’s candidate for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 20212022, and commends Djibouti for graciously conceding the results; 16. Decides to remain seized of the matters.
23 August – Source: Hiiraan Online – 206 Words
The world-renowned basketball champion and president of the 2019 NBA Champions Toronto Raptors Masai Ujiri, alongside some of the finest coaches, landed in Mogadishu Thursday to lead a girls’ basketball training session. Ujiri, who has been on an African tour, led a coaches from the Giants of Africa team in training 50 girls who are under the tutelage of the Elman Peace Centre. The director of programmes at Elman Peace Centre Ilwad Elman who hosted the team said in a tweet the visit by Ujiri and his team was an inspiration to the young women basketballers in Somali to be the finest. “So much joy, laughter and real motivation today among these girls to train to be the very best one day,” said Ilwad who is a Somali Canadian. The visiting delegation donated training kits to Elman Peace Centre as part of their vision to cultivate the future of basketball in Somalia. Elman Peace is a leading organization in Somalia changing the face and narrative of Somalia to the world. When the world reports on bombs and attacks in Somalia, Elman Peace shows the world that there is more to the story, that hope exists and opportunity for a brighter future begins with investments in youth.
22 August – Source: Somaliaffairs – 351 Words
Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) strongly condemns the harassment and the brief arrest of two television journalists by the Puntland police in Galkayo on Thursday morning 22 August 2019. Around 8.35am local time, armed police stopped at gunpoint a car transporting journalists Burhan Mohamed Abdi, a correspondent for the state-owned Puntland TV and Abdiweli Jama Cagarane, a reporter for SBC TV and briefly arrested them. Both journalists were held at Miir police station in Galkayo for two and a half hours before they were released.
At the time of their arrest, the journalists were returning from an assignment covering a police hand-over ceremony at the regional police commissioner’s office. “We were called to cover the hand-over ceremony inside the police commissioner’s office. As we were leaving the police headquarters, armed police from Miir police station came and stopped our car at gunpoint. Then he ordered our arrest,” journalist Burhan Mohamed Abdi of Puntland TV told Somali Journalists Syndicate after his release.
Journalist Said Abdullahi who helped the release of the two journalists also told Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) that the police commander who ordered the arrest had threatened that he will push for further charges against the journalists. “The police did not question the two journalists and they did not provide any explanation about this illegal arrest,” journalist Said Abdullahi told Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) “We heard the commander threatening that he will arrest the journalists even after they were released with orders from senior police officials.” “It is unfortunate that police officers are becoming more aggressive toward journalists on assignment,” Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the Secretary-General of Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said “We call authorities in Galkayo to investigate this harassment by the police officers and provide an explanation for the arrest of Burhan Mohamed Abdi and Abdiweli Jama Cagarane.”
Arrests, intimidations and threats by state security forces against journalists had been on the rise across Somalia putting yet more dangerous on journalists and media workers’ operations. On July 29, 2019, Nugal Regional Court in Garowe released freelance journalist Mohamed Said Yusuf after spending 16 days in jail over publishing the critical interview.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
23 August – Source: Addis Ababa – 431 Words
Five zones of Somali region of Ethiopia, Somalia/Somaliland and Puntland from the WHO Africa and Eastern Mediterranean regions respectively jointly launched the synchronized cross border polio vaccination campaign where the Somali region alone targets to reach over half a million (586, 511) children whose age are 0-59 months from the five high-risk zones namely Fafan, Jarar, Dollo, Erar and Nogob. The overall synchronized target areas involved in Somalia and Ethiopia are Puntland and all regions in Somaliland except one and five zones of Somali region respectively. This made the total target population of 1.6 million (Somalia 1.1 M & Ethiopia 586,511).
Mr Abdirazak Seid, Honorable Advisor for the Somali Regional President Office, Dr. Jahwar Yusuf, Deputy Head of Somali Regional Health Bureau, Mr. Abdihakim Sheik Hassen, Chief Administrator of Fafan Zone, Mukhtar Abib, Mayor of Togowajale City Administration, Sheik Ahmed Abi, the religious leader, and Garad Kulmiye, clan leader and Goodwill Ambassador of Immunization for Somali region and partners from WHO, UNICEF, CORE Group, Rotary and save the children were in attendance.
Speaking during the launching event, “Mr. Christopher Alexander, from the WHO Regional Office and Coordinator for the GPEI Horn of Africa Office stated that “This synchronized effort is an important activity and really a milestone since it is the first time that the two regions of WHO (AFRO & EMRO) come together to fight the disease. We must make sure no child is unvaccinated. We need to show the commitment that we showed here in the joint launching in the ground to make sure that every community of every child must be vaccinated. Remember the vaccine is a right for a child. We have no reason to let any child paralyzed because of polio. The vaccine is available, we are committed, so let us reach every child where the child is.”…….
21 August – Source: UN News – Video: 11:37
The Somali people have demonstrated “heroism and resilience” in the face of ongoing insecurity caused by “senseless terrorist attacks”; that’s according to the UN’s most senior representative in the Horn of Africa country. James Swan, who is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia was speaking at UN Headquarters in New York, ahead of briefing the Security Council on Wednesday. Somalia continues to be affected by insecurity caused by terrorist organizations like al-Shabaab. It also struggles regularly with drought and is chronically underdeveloped. Mr. Swan arrived in Somalia just two months ago, so Daniel Dickinson began by asking him for his first impressions.
21 August – Source: UNFPA – 721 Words
Somali young people are employing body mapping in their quest to play an active role in peace-building as a resource for ending conflicts and sensitive cultural issues nonviolently, transforming relationships and building an environment and new capacities required for new engagement and creating new ground for intergenerational dialogue. The initiative is being carried out under the peacebuilding fund project being managed by UNFPA Somalia and 10 female and male youth from Galkayo, Somalia has since finished body mapping exercise. Body mapping is a creative tool that brings together bodily experience and visual artistic expression. In its basic form, it involves painting a life-size representation of one’s body onto a large surface then using vibrant colours, pictures, symbols and words to represent experiences lived through the body and showing the path that one has taken through life. Body mapping allows young people to voice out their challenges and grievances and raise their potential of inclusion in state and peacebuilding processes through various expressive means.
Theatre
Young people in Garowe are using interactive theatre to promote awareness on HIV/AIDS.UNFPA Somalia supports the Y-PEER programme, a peer-to-peer youth network, that uses a combination of experiential learning methods, edutainment, social media and new technologies to convey reproductive health information.
Basketball
Female basketball players in the Puntland State of Somalia continue to raise their voices in support of the campaign towards ending child marriage with financial support from UNFPA Somalia. Basketball for females is a new phenomenon in Somalia as sports for women in the country has been considered a taboo and culturally insensitive since the civil war in 1991. Somalia’s prolonged civil war resulted into a shattered sports infrastructure but also created a difficult environment for female sports and lack of acceptance by certain religious groups who argue that sports is immodest and that Islam does not allow women to play sports or to wear shirts and pants………
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“According to the camp chairman, Abdirisack Abdi Allin, people can define their own priorities and use the cash to plan ahead. “This money has given hope to many people in this camp,” Abdirisack said. “There are families in the camp who have now stopped sending their children to do casual jobs and sent them to school. Before this, the IDPs and their children used to struggle to get food, but now many more children are attending school.”
22 August – Source: Radio Ergo – 635 Words
As part of an ongoing series on IDP camps in Somalia, Radio Ergo’s local reporter in Bossaso visited a camp where cash assistance is making a big difference to families using it to invest in business and education.
Halima Bile Ali is working hard to move her family out of a shabby displacement camp into the town of Bossaso, in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region. She hopes that her fledgeling small business, set up using cash grants, will give them a new future. “Business is the only way to improve the living standards of the people,” said Halima, a mother of 11 children, who fled to Puntland from clashes in her native Hiran region in 2001. “I am selling meat, vegetables and firewood. I started this business with the cash allowance I saved over two months.”
Halima’s family is among 180 families living in Mingis-B IDP camp in Bossaso, who have been receiving monthly cash assistance from the UN’s World Food programme (WFP). Using the $85 she received in May and the $85 in June, Halima has invested in her business as well as her children’s education. She decided to tell her eldest son to stop going out to work as a shoe-shiner and enrolled him in school for the first time. “I was advised by the neighbours to take the boy to school. Now I can at least get the daily bread for the family, so there is no need sending him to provide food for us,” she told Radio Ergo. “I earn between $20 and $30 from the sales from my business. Previously, my first-born used to cater for the school fees of the other children but now, with the support of my husband, I can afford to pay all the school fees for my children,” said Halima. Halima’s husband works as a porter at Bossaso port. They pay $25 a month in school fees for their five school-age children. Cash is proving to be popular among the recipients in this camp and seems to be having a positive impact on education enrolment among children.
According to the camp chairman, Abdirisack Abdi Allin, people can define their own priorities and use the cash to plan ahead. “This money has given hope to many people in this camp,” Abdirisack said. “There are families in the camp who have now stopped sending their children to do casual jobs and sent them to school. Before this, the IDPs and their children used to struggle to get food, but now many more children are attending school.” Mingis-B camp, with a population of 800 families, lacks most basic amenities. There is no well so people have to go to fetch water from nearby neighbourhoods. There is also no health facility……. |
