NATIONAL MEDIA
26 August – Source: Halbeeg – 226 Words
Security forces have arrested elders in Hiraan region over alleged meeting with al-Shabaab. In a statement, Somali national army officials confirmed the arrest of a number of elders saying they be brought before the justice. “Some of the elders were arrested while some are at large, they will be prosecuted over having a meeting with terror group which is against the Constitution because they supported group,” Mohamed Abdikadir, a military official at SNA court in Hiraan region. Abdikadir did not disclose the number of the elders arrested in connection with the alleged meeting. The official vowed that SNA and agencies to step up operations to hunt down al-Shabaab and its sympathizers in the region. “It is possible to accept that the traditional who take part in the selection of the parliament to hold a meeting with al-Shabaab and pledged support for terror groups,” he stated.
Last July, al-Shabaab had ordered all the elders and delegates to choose the members of Somalia’s federal legislative to register themselves with the group within 45 days. According to the group’s radio, over 150 elders had complied with the order issued and accepted to stop working with the government. The elders are reportedly from Hirshabelle, Galmudug, Jubaland and Southwest states. Federal Somali government and state officials have repeatedly warned the hundreds of elders and delegates to disregard the orders by al-Shabaab.
26 August – Source: Somaliaffairs – 129 Words
Elders in Dhusamareb town yesterday welcomed the Galmdug reconciliation committee and delegates who came to attend the Galmudug peace conference. Ugas Abdi Dahir Ugas Nur, who spoke during a lunch for the committee members and delegates in Dusamareb town, said the gathering was a welcoming, sharing experience and encouraging the Galmudug communities to work for development. Ugas Abdullahi Ugas Hashi Ugas Faraadde, who also spoke at the conference, thanked Dhusamareb elders for their warm welcome and urged the Galmudug people to take advantage of the golden opportunity they were given to work together to strengthen their unity. The deputy chairman of the Galmudug reconciliation committee, Abdi Mohamed Jama (Abdi Wayel), who also thanked the delegates, announced that the Galmudug reconciliation conference would be opened in the next 48 hours.
26 August – Source: Somaliaffairs – 132 Words
The president of the Somali regional state of Jubbaland, Ahmed Mohamed Islam aka Ahmed Madobe, has begun talks with some opposition politicians who were against his re-election as he received two former presidential candidates last night at the presidential palace in Kismayo. President Madobe met Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim Shakul and politician Abdikarim Abdirahman Khalif. Ahmed Madobe listened from the two their views on how to move forward after the elections and strengthen the unity and security of Jubbaland. President Madobe promised to open the doors for all people who oppose his administration in order to achieve diversity and reconciliation in Jubbaland state. Meanwhile, there are ongoing efforts led by elders and politicians to bring together Ahmed Madobe and opposition presidential candidates in a bid to resolve the political crisis in the region.
26 August – Source: SONNA – 167 Words
The president of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, and his delegation have travelled to Tokyo, Japan ahead of the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) which is set to start in Yokohama on Wednesday. The conference, which runs from 28th to 30th September 2019, is attended by African nations and Japan, representatives from the UN and AU, investors and experts on the future of bilateral relations, exploring the opportunities of technology, promoting cooperation in security, migration, skills development, job creation, promotion of human rights, democracy, economic development and investment of areas of mutual benefit to Africa and Japan. The delegation from the Somali Federal Government led by the President. While in Yokohama, the host city of the conference, the delegation will hold side-meetings with their counterparts attending the conference. The President’s delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Ahmed Isse Awad, Minister of Finance Abdirahman Duale Bayle and Chief of Staff of Presidency Nur Dirie Hersi (Fuursade).
26 August – Source: Garowe Online – 149 Words
The newly formed Puntland Electoral Commission has on Sunday, 25th August elected Guled Salah Bare as new chairman during an election held in Garowe, the state’s capital, Garowe Online reports. The nine-member transitional polls agency picked Jama Hersi Farah as the deputy chairman while former BBC Somali service journalist, Abdinur Sheikh Mohamed becomes the spokesman. The new Puntland Electoral Commission was sworn in last week in the presence of President Said Abdullahi Deni, who appointed five of them, while the other four were elected by the parliament. The new chairman previously served as Minister of Environment in Puntland’s last government. Bare is currently is the Director of SIDRA, a research and policy analysis Think Tank based in Garowe. Bare is expected to announce his resignation from SIDRA leadership, as he accepts the honour of leading the electoral body charged with overseeing the implementation of the electioneering process of Puntland.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
26 August – Source: Kampala Post – 329 Words
The Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has congratulated the newly appointed Somali Army Commander. General Odowaa Yusuf Raage was appointed by the Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed after the 32-year-old received training from among other countries, Uganda. “Congratulations to Ugandan trained General Odowaa Yusuf Raage the new Commander of the Somali National Army (SNA). At 32 years old he is now the youngest Chief of Defence Forces in the region. Our prayers and good wishes to you General and our brothers and sisters in Somalia,” Lt Gen Kainerugaa tweeted on Tuesday.
The new Somali army boss attended military training in Uganda for one year where he underwent studies in VIP protection before he later became an instructor to new Somali recruits sent to Uganda. His appointment makes him the youngest Somali commander in the military at the age of 32, having been born in 1987. Between 2002-2005 he attended his secondary education in Mogadishu after which he joined the army in 2007. In 2009, he went to Sudan for further training. A year later he returned home as a one-star general and attended a 45-day seminar at Haama dhowr school in Mogadishu, according to to the Mogadishu based Radio Dalsan. He later became the deputy leader of the Villa Somalia Protection Unit, later rising to be the leader of the unit. According to Radio Dalsan, the new Somali army chief also received training in Turkey……
25 August – Source: Buffalo News – 507 Words
Michael Caputo, Republican strategist, radio talk show host, Senate Intelligence Committee witness, is taking on a new role – foreign lobbyist. And his first client is Somalia. Caputo, the East Aurora public relations expert with close ties to President Trump, will represent a country plagued by terrorism, corruption and famine and that sees the United States as a big part of the solution. “It helps that he has a good relationship with the administration,” said Abukar Dahir Osman, Somalia’s Ambassador to the United Nations. “We also think he can help us navigate the issues.”
For Caputo, who has served many roles over the years, this is his first stint as a lobbyist. He represents the Somali Embassy in Washington, D.C., and his longtime relationship with President Mohamed A. Mohamed helped get him the job. It’s a friendship that began in Western New York – Mohamed came here as an asylum-seeker and eventually gained U.S. citizenship – and took root when Mohamed became involved in local Republican politics. He also earned a degree from the University at Buffalo and eventually settled on Grand Island.
Born in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu, Mohamed returned to his homeland to run for president in 2016 and won. He was picked by the nation’s Parliament from a pool of 20 candidates, including the incumbent president. “I’m honoured to be doing this,” Caputo said of the appointment. “I also feel compelled to do it.”
Caputo thinks the U.S. can do a lot more to help stabilize Somalia. He says he and Trump see eye to eye on what’s best for the East African country. Already known for systemic corruption and frequent droughts and famines, Somalia is facing a newer challenge – an ongoing dispute with al-Shabab, a terrorist group known for suicide bombings. In July, one of those attacks killed the mayor of Mogadishu and six others. “Somalia is in a critical transition,” Ambassador Osman said, “and the United States is a very important partner, especially in the area of security.”…….
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Part of the process involved sitting down and recording the recipes. He said for Abdi, recreating these recipes at the restaurant helps her preserve the cuisine and traditions of Somalia. “A lot of that stuff might get lost because it was an only oral tradition and if she doesn’t get that written down, it could just go away,” Bilecki said.”
26 August – Source: Daily Orange – 563 Words
Sangabo Abdi’s dream was to open her own restaurant, and With Love, a local restaurant, is making that happen. Located on North Salina Street, With Love brings in a new entrepreneur-in-residence every six months, giving chefs the opportunity to showcase different cuisines to the community. Earlier this month, With Love transitioned its menu. The restaurant now serves Somali food made by Abdi, the new entrepreneur-in-residence. “I love cooking because where I grew up, we always cook… for our family, relatives, visitors, all of our neighbours as they come to visit us,” Abdi said.
Program manager Joseph Bilecki, who’s worked in the foodservice industry for 35 years, said that his experience working with Abdi is a unique one, as most chefs typically bring in their own cookbook recipes. But with Abdi growing up in Somalia, the recipes she learned were passed down orally. Part of the process involved sitting down and recording the recipes. He said for Abdi, recreating these recipes at the restaurant helps her preserve the cuisine and traditions of Somalia. “A lot of that stuff might get lost because it was an only oral tradition and if she doesn’t get that written down, it could just go away,” Bilecki said.
When With Love introduces a new cuisine to its community, the restaurant aims to expose customers to try new cuisines while maintaining a comfortable atmosphere. Bilecki said that in the Somali dishes featured at With Love, the spices tell a story of Abdi’s heritage. With Somalia being a former colony of Italy, many of the dishes are pasta-based, something people may be surprised by when flavours like cumin, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon are also commonplace, he said. Featured in the new menu is Baasto – a dish that mirrors the Italian Bolognese but differs in containing spices and flavours that define Somali cuisine, rather than the traditional Italian herbs of basil and oregano, Bilecki said. Other dishes served in the restaurant consist of four starters and five main dishes. The five main dishes include Oodkac Muqmad which is braised goat with onions, garlic and Mom’s rice along with Baasto, an angel hair pasta paired with ground beef, onions, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes, according to the With Love website…….. |
