August 24, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somalia, AU Forces Kill 8 Al-Shabaab Militants
23 August – Source: Xinhua News – 130 Words
The Somali army, alongside the African Union troops, killed at least eight Al-Shabaab militants in the south-central Bay region on Tuesday.
Regional minister for militia rehabilitation in Southwest State, Hussein Hassan Mohamed, told reporters that a senior Al-Shabaab official was among those killed in the operation in Qansax-Dheere location, south of Baidoa town.
“They (the militants) attempted to make resistance, but we overpowered them and killed eight of the terrorists including a senior official whose name is Hassan Ganey,” Hassan said, adding the joint forces suffered no casualties.
The operation came a day after Al-Shabaab militants killed three government soldiers in an ambush in an area close to Baidoa town, the administrative capital of Southwest State. Based in southern Somalia, the Al-Shabaab Islamist group carries out periodic attacks in the country.
Key Headlines
- Somalia AU Forces Kill 8 Al-Shabaab Militants (Xinhua News)
- Kenya Seeks US Support To Transform AMISOM Into UN Mission (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia AU Troops ‘Regain Ground’ From Al-Shabaab (Shabelle News)
- Education Minister Asks Universities To Set Admission Standards (Goobjoog News)
- AU Mission Vows To Deter Al-Shabaab From Disrupting Somalia Polls (Xinhua News)
- Jubaland Minister Says Kenyans Were Involved In Mogadishu Hotel Attack (Daily Nation)
- SRSG Keating Holds Discussions With Senior Jubbaland Officials (UNSOM)
- These Young Somalis Are Creating Their Own Traditions In The Midwest (Refinery29)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya Seeks US Support To Transform AMISOM Into UN Mission
23 August – Source: Goobjoog – 390 Words
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Amina Mohamed has called on the US to support Africa’s bid to transform AMISOM into a UN mission. She at the same time asked for more financial support to the force, which is facing cash crunch following the European Union’s 20 percent budget slash in February this year.
Speaking during a media conference with Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, Mohamed said the troops contributing countries had strongly voiced their position to the UN Security Council since the region was not capable of supporting the force.
“We made our pitch to the UN with the Security Council members to encourage them to allow for the funding of the AMISOM troops. And we did that because, as you know, the budget of AMISOM has been cut by 20 percent. And the region was not going to come in and contribute both resources and boots on the ground. And therefore we talked to the Security Council,” said Mohamed.
“So Secretary Kerry, we’ll also continue encouraging you to support that effort, because we truly need the resources,” said Mohamed. The Kenyan Cabinet Secretary said AMISOM was not a regional but an international engagement.
Kerry said his country was committed to supporting AMISOM while at the same time maintaining support for the Somali people and the government as they strive to protect their citizens, strengthen their institutions, and participate in a landmark electoral process.
“We also discussed with regional ministers the need for enhanced information sharing, training of security agencies and countering radical ideology, said Kerry.
Last week, the AMISOM chief, Ambassador Francisco Madeira expressed dismay as the the slow pace at which the UN was moving to enable the force acquire force multipliers despite raising the issue with the Security Council a number of times. Madeira said the failure to get the enablers was negatively impacting on AMISOM’s fight against Al-Shabaab militants.
Somalia, AU Troops ‘Regain Ground’ From Al-Shabaab
23 August – Source: Shabelle News – 138 Words
Somali troops backed by African Union soldiers on Tuesday recaptured new positions near Beledweyne, the regional capital of Hiiraan following joint military operations. The allied troops gained full control of Luuq Jelow, Baar and among others without engaging warfare with Al-Shabaab fighters, who left the areas upon the army’s advance.
Confirming the take-over, Col Mohamed Omar who is the commander of Somali military forces in the region, said they were currently in ‘full control’ of the grounds. Al-Shabaab militants did not comment on the fall of the villages or the claim by the Somali military. There was no independent source however to verify the capture of the areas near Beledweyne. In the past few months, Somali and AMISOM troops advanced on areas under the control of Al Shabaab in Hiiraan region of central Somalia.
Education Minister Asks Universities To Set Admission Standards
23 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 210 Words
Higher Education Minister Abdulkadir Hashi has called on universities in the country to come up with admission standards to ensure the quality of graduates meets world standards.
Hashi said it was impractical for universities to operate without standards by allowing everyone admission without considering their academic qualifications: “Universities have to set standards for admission. You cannot admit everyone just because they need to get a university degree.”
The Minister also questioned the criteria universities used in awarding students marks, a system he says ensures every student passes exams. The Minister’s remarks come amid concerns that most universities operate just to attain commercial ends without caring about the caliber of graduates they churn out to the market. The lack of a national policy on higher education has also significantly contributed to this problem. There is a relatively high number of universities today in the country, some which hardly meet basic requirements of a university.
Somalia has only one public university, which re-opened in 2014 after a 25 year absence since it closed after the collapse of government in 1991. Hashi also appealed to universities to consider developing a quota system for scholarships to students from poor backgrounds. The Minister was speaking during a meeting in Mogadishu, which brought together heads of 40 universities in the country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AU Mission Vows To Deter Al-Shabaab From Disrupting Somalia Polls
23 August – Source: Xinhua News – 208 Words
A senior African Union (AU) official in Somalia said Tuesday that the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) would work with Somali security forces to deter Al-Shabaab militants from disrupting the country’s upcoming elections.
Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia, Lydia Wanyoto, made the remarks at a planning meeting for the elections. Somalia has formed a security taskforce to help secure the electoral process slated for September and October. AMISOM will be represented in the task force.
“With the task force in place, we will now be able to know what to do and how to move, to ensure that we deliver on elections security, which is one of our key deliverables,” Wanyoto said. Somalia is scheduled to hold a limited franchise election, in which ordinary citizens do not participate. A UN-sponsored election team recently announced a presidential vote on Oct. 30 and parliamentary elections from Sept. 24 to Oct. 10.
AMISOM Force Commander, Osman Noor Soubagleh, said the meeting would facilitate the planning, preparation and coordination of security efforts and cross-section operations directed at degrading the Al-Shabaab Islamist group, which stages periodic attacks in the country. AMISOM commanders are attending the four-day meeting and will be joined by their counterparts of the Somali army.
Jubaland Minister Says Kenyans Were Involved In Mogadishu Hotel Attack
23 August – Source: Daily Nation – 706 Words
Kenya on Tuesday received a boost in the war against Al-Shabaab after Jubaland’s newly elected government pledged support to provide local authorities with vital security information. Jubaland delegation led by its Security Minister Abdirashid Hassan Abdinoor met with Mandera County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia to discuss how to secure the Kenya-Somalia border.
During the meeting, the Jubaland minister said three Kenyans were responsible for the recent major attacks in Mogadishu that have left tens of people dead. Mr Abdinoor said: “We have Kenyans who have planned successful attacks in Somalia including Yussuf Abdi and Issack Gola and their ill mission can be felt in both countries.”
He also said the recent hotel bombing in Mogadishu was perpetrated by a Kenyan from Mandera identified as Issack Ibrahim Dyati: “Terrorists are not only from Somalia but from all over,” he said. A bomb attack at Nasa Hablod hotel in Mogadishu on July 26 killed at least 15 people and left another 20 wounded.
A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vehicle at the hotel’s gate allowing more fighters make their way inside the building. Mr Abdinoor said Dyati planned the attack and that the two other Kenyans Yusuf Abdi and Issack Gola were leading terror activities in Somalia. The minister said the common enemy between the Kenyan and Somali authorities were people crossing the country from Kenya to join Al-Shabaab.
Mr Abdinoor was accompanied by Gedo Governor Mohamed Muhumed Mohamed, Jubaland Livestock Minister Mohamednoor Bule, and deputy Minister for Security Mohamed Abdi Kalil. The minister called for cooperation between Kenya and Somalia in fighting terrorism, adding that the former should be considerate while securing the border. Kenya has since announced construction of a wall along its border with Somalia that has received opposition from Somalia.
“Since Somalia has no weaponry power in fighting terror, we shall give you information and expect that you act on it so that we can revive our collapsed economy,” the minister said, adding that his country appreciated Kenya’s efforts to stabilize the Horn of Africa nation.
SRSG Keating Holds Discussions With Senior Jubbaland Officials
22 August – Source: UNSOM – 314 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Michael Keating, held discussions with the top leadership of Jubbaland administration on security and socioeconomic development issues and the forthcoming electoral process during a two-day visit to Kismaayo.
Mr. Keating met with the President of Jubbaland, Sheikh Ahmed Islam ‘Madobe’ and officials of his government as well as representatives of the Jubbaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Speaking after the meeting, President Madobe described the discussions as cordial and fruitful. “The main issues we talked about were security of Somalia and also the socioeconomic development of the country. It was agreed that the priority is to direct more effort to security other than politics,” Jubbaland President Madobe said.
The SRSG commended the leadership of Jubbaland for the transformation much of the region has undergone in recent years since al-Shabaab militants were driven out of Kismaayo: “I want to congratulate the President and the Government of Jubbaland. Less than four years ago, Kismaayo was liberated from Al-Shabaab and there has been so much progress since then,” the SRSG noted.
In his meeting with representatives of the Jubbaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Keating discussed the role business can play in bringing prosperity and stability to Jubbaland and Somalia: “We focused very much on the need for strong institutions, for better security, for young people who are trained so that they can get jobs and the role of business in generating jobs and opportunities as well as some of the obstacles that we are facing,” Mr Keating added.
Jubbaland Minister of Trade and Industries, Fariid Jama Saleban, welcomed the SRSG’s visit as a boost for the socioeconomic development agenda for Jubbaland.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Despite negative national attention about recruitment to terrorist organizations, including Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State group, the Somali community is revitalized. They are poets, musicians, athletes, and mentors — young men and women creating their own traditions” — Alex Potter is a freelance photographer and writer.
These Young Somalis Are Creating Their Own Traditions In The Midwest
23 August – Source: Refinery29 – 397 Words
Since the start of the civil war in Somalia in the early 1990s, hundreds of thousands of Somalis have decided to flee the violence and uncertainty back home. Many of these refugees have been settled into bordering and western nations, becoming part of the ever-growing Somali diaspora.
One of the largest communities in the United States is in my home state of Minnesota. An estimated 25,000 Somalis live in the Midwestern state, according to census figures.That makes Minnesota home to about 1 in 3 people of Somali ancestry living in the United States today. Many of those Somalis live in and around Minnesota, the midsize city of 400,000.
Soon after graduating college in 2011, I started photographing the city’s refugee population. I studied in a small suburb, and after moving to Minneapolis, I wanted to get to know my neighbors. I soon heard about Ka Joog, a local Somali youth leadership organization. I started attending its events, including a road race, spoken word and poetry readings, and performances at Somali Independence Day.
Along the way, I got to know a number of young women and men stepping up as voices for change in their communities. The result of my project was an in-progress story examining a group of Somali-American youth, coming of age in Minnesota.
It had been more than a decade since the first Somali refugees arrived in Minnesota. Many of them were children at the time, and are now faced with the task of balancing tradition and transformation, heritage and a new identity.
As the situation in Somalia continues to improve, I have also watched a number of the youth I met going back to Somalia, taking their skills and enthusiasm to build a new and better home as entrepreneurs, restaurant owners, musicians, and young politicians.