NATIONAL MEDIA
27 August – Source: Halbeeg – 160 Words
Suspected US drones have bombed al-Shabaab bases in several towns of southern Somalia amid infantry operations against the group’s fighters intensified. According to Somali military officials, the airstrikes which have been taking place for the last 48 hours happened in Jilib, Sakow, Buale, Salagle towns which are controlled by al-Shabaab. The officials confirmed existence casualties on the base saying the exact damage on the group is under assessment. The US military has not yet commented on the strike series on al-Shabaab bases in Jubba regions. U.S. drone strikes have targeted a number of key al-Shabaab commanders, including former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane who was killed on September 1, 2014. Al-Shabaab uses parts of southern and central Somalia to plot and carries out attacks against areas under the control of Somali government targeting on civilians, Somali forces and African Union Mission in Somalia. Somali and African Union peacekeeping forces have also intensified military operations against the group in south and central Somalia.
26 August – Source: Somaliaffairs – 168 Words
The Governor of the militant group Al-Shabaab in Jubbaland region spoke about the outcome of elections in Jubbaland state. Sheikh Mohamed Abu Abdallah, the Al-Shabaab leader in Jubaland, spoke for the first time about the three ‘elected presidents’ in Kismayo. In an interview with Al-Shabaab’s radio Andalus, he stated that his group would fight against all those who claimed to be leaders of Jubbaland administration. “There are up to three men in Kismayo each of whom is claiming to be Jubbaland’s president. They are led by the Kenya government candidate Ahmed Madobe,” said the Al-Shabaab Governor, Sheikh Mohamed Abu Abdallah. Members of the Jubaland regional parliament on 22 August controversially elected Ahmed Madobe as the new president of the Jubaland state for the next four years. Two opposition candidates have also declared themselves president of Jubaland state. The Interior Ministry of the Federal Government has rejected the two different election results in Kismayo. Al-Shabaab controls swathes of territory and several major towns in Jubaland region of southern Somalia.
26 August – Source: Halbeeg – 237 Words
Somali Federal parliament leaders have held talks with the president of Djibouti president on Sunday night. Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman and Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, the speakers of Lower and Upper of Somalia respectively have discussed with the president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Gelleh on a wide range of issues affecting both countries. Among the issues discussed the bilateral relations of the countries, cooperation and the security of Somalia. The leader of Djibouti, who invited both Speakers of the parliament, has pledged Somali government’s efforts to rebuild the country and restore peace and stability. Both speakers also met the speaker of Djibouti parliament, Mohamed Ali Mohamed on Monday morning. The leaders talked about the means to enhance the cooperation of Somali and Djibouti parliaments.
The development comes barely a week after Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo visited Djibouti to hold talks with his Djibouti counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh. The two leaders talked about Djibouti’s bid to secure non-permanent membership of the Security Council. Somalia had pledged to support its sister country to compete in Kenya over the seat. Nairobi garnered 37 votes against Djibouti’s 13 in the second round of voting in which 51 of the 55 AU member states were present. But Djibouti Permanent Representative to the UN and Ambassador to the US Mohamed Siad Doualeh has confirmed that his county will not quit the race for a non-permanent membership slot at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
26 August – Source: Goobjoog – 98 Words
Parliamentary constitutional committee’s forum for both federal and state opened in Garowe today. The 3-day forum will discuss the review for the provisional constitution on chapters 10-15 prepared by federal constitutional committees. It’s the 4th gathering by the constitutional council as they are expected to reach a permanent solution for these chapters of the constitution. The committee had before completed up to chapter 10 of the constitution which was submitted to the federal parliament. Once the constitution is clinched, it will set for the federal and state governments to agree on issues that are confined to political understandings.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
26 August – Source: US Mission in Somalia – 332 Words
For the fourth year in a row, the United States Government-sponsored the Mogadishu Book Fair (MBF) in support of the Somali-driven campaign for literacy and learning. The three-day event, held from August 21-23 at the Sahal terminal, attracted thousands of participants each day. Somali talent, both local and diaspora, awed the audience with readings and discussions. Highlighting these sessions included Somali-American Yasmin Mohamud (author of ‘Nomad Diaries’); Canadian-Somali Hassan Santur (author of ‘Youth of God’); and children’s storybook writer British-Somali Zainab Dahir (author of ‘Ma Dhergaa Dhurwaa,’ roughly translated to ‘a hyena is never satisfied’). USAID mounted a storytelling tent where children watched traditional Somalia stories come to life.
In a closing reception on Saturday, August 24, the United States Mission through USAID, UNICEF, and high-level officials celebrated the Fair’s successes and heard authentic Somali voices. Two youth writers, Qasim Fiqi and Shamso A. Warsame received awards as part of the 2019 MBF Somali Youth Writers Competition. Brian Neubert, Chargé d’Affaires for the U.S. Mission to Somalia, said, “What is striking about the MBF is that the MBF audience is young and part of a generation that has never known anything but conflict. The United States Government supports Somali-led initiatives, like the MBF, launched by and for this generation to define themselves beyond conflict – to debate, collaborate and sustain Somalia’s new narrative and identity.”
The United States Government recognizes that Somalia’s peace and prosperity depends on a literate and engaged citizenry. The Mogadishu Book Fair is helping to create a culture of reading in Somalia by inspiring the next generation of readers, writers and storytellers. Later this year, USAID will launch a new $50 million education project to support the Federal Government of Somalia to extend quality learning to out-of-school children and youth who have been persistently left behind. The 2019 Mogadishu Book Fair is dedicated to Hodan Nalayeh and Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman “Engineer” Yarisow, the late Mayor of Mogadishu, who advocated for Somali culture, arts and literacy.
26 August -Source: IOM – Somalia – 574 Words
It is estimated that there are around 323,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) currently in Baidoa, Bay region of Somalia. Drought has been one of the primary causes of displacement. With no water, there is a severe shortage of crops and livestock, leading to loss of livelihoods or even starvation. The International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) team interviewed Faduma upon her arrival to Baidoa.
Faduma comes from Tubay village in Bakool region and is a mother of six children. The family has spent their lives as pastoralists who herd animals and tend to small rain-fed farms. Faduma says she has suffered from hunger and now has a malnourished child. After their last cow died, everyone in the family knew that the children would be next to perish if they stayed. The family was determined to survive so they left Tubay village and walked for 90 kilometres to reach Baidoa town in search for assistance. Every day new people migrate to Baidoa in the hope of easing their suffering; however, many families have no idea about the reality of what is waiting for them upon arrival. In many cases, they get stranded in a camp with no food, water or any humanitarian assistance. “If help doesn’t come soon, we will be burying people because there is no way we can survive,” Faduma says, explaining their situation……
25 August – Source: The East African – 347 Word
The European Commission is mobilising $55.9 million for emergency humanitarian funding to help people hit by drought in four countries in the Horn of Africa. The biggest portion of humanitarian aid package goes to Somalia as $27.9 million will support drought-affected communities, Ethiopia receives $22.3 million, Kenya $3.3 million and Uganda $2.2 million to fight famine. It is estimated that 13 million people need emergency food assistance due to drought caused by two consecutive poor rainy seasons. The $55.9 million will assist humanitarian agencies to scale up action in hardest-hit areas.
The emergency funding makes total European Union humanitarian aid to the region $410 million since 2018. This year’s rainy season in the Horn of Africa was among the top three driest on record. The ongoing drought comes just one year after the end of a major drought in 2016-2017. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Mr Christos Stylianides said the European Commission is stepping up support for the people affected by the prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa. “I have seen first-hand how much climate extremes are affecting this part of Africa. Our funding will help extend humanitarian assistance in the affected areas, helping communities ward off the risk of famine,” he said…….
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“According to the UN report, the illegal vessels steal $300 million worth of seafood from Somalia’s coastline each year and this led to a reduced catch, unemployment and environmental degradation.”
25 August – Source: Hiiraan Online – 1105 Words
Somalia’s coast became home to illegal fishing and toxic wastes. It’s difficult to expose every illegal maritime activity in Somalia waters but I would like to shed some light on the lucid theft and toxic wastes which foreigners dump on Somalia’s seashore time and again. Somalia is not the only nation-state on this planet that is a victim to the illegal fishing and waste dumping, but for certain we are more vulnerable to these threats and we inherit the vilest aftermath. To put it in a nutshell, Illegal fishing is inherently a global phenomenon as sea-food has become one of the most traded food products around the globe. The countries most vulnerable to illegal fishing are those with weak governance system and insufficient capacity to patrol their waters.
Somalia has the longest coast in Africa with a coastline of 3,300 kilometres long and home to fertile patch for tuna, sardines and mackerel, and other lucrative species of seafood, including lobsters and sharks. Somalia’s rule of law and enforcement became weaker after the disintegration of the country into clan-based fiefdoms and this long coast turned into “free-for-all’’. Taking advantage of a lack of central government in Somalia, Illegal fishers from the world corners moved to Somalia water territories to exploit and steal the marine resources of Somalia. What’s more, mercenaries from the industrial world dump toxic and nuclear waste in Somalia’s shore.
The foreigner trawlers armed with latest munitions so they aggressively deny fishers to get access to the sea and this prevents resident fishers from fishing in areas where the foreign trawlers are operating, and the locals are less likely to identify the nationalities of these thieves since they fly spurious flags to lead them astray. Moreover, the trawlers endanger the lives of the fishers and destroy their equipment. The small-scale fishers are physically and economically victims of these foreigner trawlers. Undoubtedly, the main impelling force that inspired pirates to emerge was illegal fishing. The illegal trawlers use prohibited fishing methods like drifts, dynamiting, breaking coral reefs and this results in lots of dead fish to float near the shores.
Before the second emergence of Somali pirates, I spent a couple of months of summer vacation in a village which lies on the Indian Ocean. In fact, during the night-time, I used to see lots of ships arriving at the near-seashore and resembles a big-beautiful city on the sea with many lights. Shortly after the emergence of pirates, let-alone the cargo ships en route to the world, illegal trawlers have distanced. But now, as fishermen tell, the trawlers who have licenses from state members of Somalia operate in the near-shore and they deliberately destroy fishing nets and practice a massive trawling even in the day-time. Hassan Ali Hersi, a small-scale fisherman said in an interview with Aljazeera English “fishing is not profitable as it used to be if we want to make any good catch we have to go long distances and illegal fishing boats are often destroy our nets’’…….. |
