NATIONAL MEDIA
29 August – Source: Halbeeg – 179 Words
African Development Bank (ADB) has pledged to launch projects to reconstruct roads in Somalia following an agreement with the Somali government. Abdullahi Sheikh Ali, the Deputy Finance Minister signed the deal on behalf of Somalia. The bank will facilitate the funds meant to run the construction exercise. Officials from the Bank and the Somali minister for Water and Energy, Fowzia Mohamed Sheikh also jointly signed water supply project scheduled to launch in Kismayo and Baidoa town of southern Somalia. The signing representatives of the Federal Government of Somalia, the Federal Member States, the Bank, and the EU were present at the ceremony.
The move comes barely four months after the Italian Government signed an agreement for an additional €1 million contribution to the Multi-Partner Somalia Infrastructure Fund through African Development Bank. The Fund is one of the financing windows under the Somalia Development and Reconstruction Facility of the New Deal Compact for Somalia. It was meant to aim at supporting and accelerating Somalia’s inclusive and sustainable economic recovery, peace and state-building, through rehabilitation and development of the country’s infrastructure.
29 August – Source: Halbeeg – 216 Words
The UN Security Council has rejected Kenya-backed resolution to list Somali based armed group on 1267 on Wednesday. United States, France, Belgium, Germany, Kuwait, and Poland rejected the Kenyan government’s move at the assembly. Somalia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Abukar Dahir Osman commended council members for rejecting what he termed as unjustified move. “Commend Council members for rejecting the unjustified listing of AS to 1267.” Ambassador Dahir said after the decision.
UN security council has instead urged Kenyan Government to implement existing Security Council resolution 751 targeting al-Shabaab including the ban of illegal charcoal trade in which is the lifeline of the group to finance its operations in the region. Aid agencies have earlier warned that if approved the move would have “criminalized humanitarian aid” at a time when 18% of Somalis face the risk of severe hunger.
Kenya believed that if the United Nations formally classifies Somali militia group, Al-Shabaab as a terrorist group, then there would be more action on combating the extremists. Leading non-governmental organizations and former US top officials wrote to US Secretary of state, Mike Pompeo last week calling for Washington to reject Nairobi move arguing that if approved the decision will have a catastrophic impact on the lives of people living in areas controlled by the armed group in Somalia.
28 August – Source: Radio Dalsan – 253 Words
Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ) condemns its strongest possible terms to last Sunday’s incident on 25th August 2019 in Mogadishu in which Dalsan Media vehicle was sprayed by bullets reportedly by security details in a convoy escorting Internal Security Minister of Federal Government of Somalia Mohamed Abukar Islow Duale. Lives of the staff in the vehicle were put at risk by the reckless behaviour of Minister’s Islow’s security escorts.
FESOJ has contacted each of the staff involved and our preliminary results indicate that the staff involved are all safe but experiencing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the ordeal experienced at the hands of the trigger-happy security officers. FESOJ demands the government to investigate the unfortunate incident in Mogadishu. “Since the last Sunday of 25th of August we have been tracking to get information on how things happened, we have not yet found out how the incident happened and what went wrong and so on, so, FESOJ strongly condemns this act and see as intimidation by media workers” Abadir Abdulkadir Elmi President of FESOJ said.
It is worrying that the government is yet to issue a statement over the incident and promises by Minister Islow to at least renovate the vehicle involved has not been heeded to. Secretary-General of the Federation of Somali Journalists FESOJ Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu said “the incident raises many questions. Was this a move to silence a particular media house? All these can only be answered if the government launches a proper investigation.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
28 August – Source: UNSOM – Words
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Adam Abdelmoula of Sudan (as well as a national of the United States) as his Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, where he will also serve as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). He will succeed George Conway of Canada who served as Acting Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator since April 2019 and to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service in Somalia.
Currently Director of the United Nations Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Divisions at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Mr. Abdelmoula brings over thirty years of experience in development, rule of law, human rights, and security. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq, and from 2010 to 2013 as Resident Coordinator in Kuwait and Syria.
In his earlier career, Mr. Abdelmoula served as the Chief of the Middle East and North Africa Section in OHCHR and held various assignments with the United Nations in Liberia, Iraq and Somalia. Mr. Abdelmoula holds an LL.B. in Common Law and Islamic Law from the University of Khartoum, an LL.M. in International Law from Harvard Law School, and a PhD in Public International Law from Georgetown University.
28 August – Source: Finn Church World – 1067 World
With the support of FCA, psychotherapist Rowda Olad works in grassroots-level mental health care and participates in the reconciliation work in Somalia. ”In Somalia, people talk of invisible wounds, dhaawac yada qarsoon,” says psychotherapist Rowda Olad and describes how shocked she was to see the state of the entire nation’s mental health when she arrived in Somalia in 2016. ”A young boy was driving the moped taxi, tuktuk, at breakneck speed through central Mogadishu. I asked him to slow down. ’You’re going to get us killed!’ I yelled from the back seat. ’What does it matter if we die,’ the boy replied.” ”I was extremely shocked.” Rowda says she immediately noticed that especially young men were not only fearless but also very angry. But in fact, almost everybody in Somalia seemed to be suffering from psychological traumas caused by the civil war and the violence, or from post-traumatic symptoms resulting from them. ”There is a lot of crime, as well as disregard for other people’s possessions or lives. Whenever there was an explosion in Mogadishu, people rushed to see what had happened, whereas the natural reaction would be to run away.” ”A person who is not afraid is not psychologically healthy,” says Rowda. “Seeing mutilated humans and bodies of victims of explosions is traumatising, especially to children.”
She witnessed and recorded all this during the first year after she and her family moved back to Somalia in 2016. Psychological trauma changes a person’s worldview and behaviour. In Somalia, aggressive behaviour can be seen often in everyday situations. ”Even during high-level political meetings, people may lose their temper at the drop of a hat.” As a refugee in the United States Rowda, who was born in Mogadishu, has her share of war trauma. The civil war began when she was seven years old. Her siblings and other relatives scattered all over the world. With her uncle’s family, Rowda fled to the state of Ohio in the United States. She went to school and studied, but once she graduated from high school, she could not decide straight away what she wanted to do when she grew up. So, she volunteered to do social work with AmeriCorps. She helped Muslim immigrants, the Somali diaspora, young and old alike – and saw and experienced lots of things that could only be explained by the people’s backgrounds. She started a volunteer group for young Somali women and became interested in studying to be a psychologist and psychotherapist. She also became fascinated with facets of Somali culture; what causes things? Why do we do this or think like this?…..
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
28 August – Source: Radio Ergo – 393 World
Residents of Jowar-bile suburb in the southern Somali town of Jowhar have been accessing free medical services for the last eight months thanks to an initiative by young medical graduates in the town. Thirteen doctors have joined hands to set up Hantiwadag mother and child health care centre, serving families in the suburbs. Halimo Gasey, 21, who lives in Jowhar-bile, delivered her second born baby girl at the centre and was very pleased with the service she received compared to her previous traumatic experience of childbirth. “As I lay on the bed I thought the doctors would use blades! I was telling myself, you’ll be operated on. but I delivered the baby easily,” Halimo said. Her first birth went on for three days and was assisted by a traditional midwife. Halimo said she was not given any medication only tea and milk for the pain. Halima and her family fled Jarirow village, 50km from Jowhar, after they lost 150 goats and five cattle to the drought two years ago. They settled in Jowar-bile, which now hosts 1,200 families mostly displaced pastoralists.
Fatuma Ali Hassan delivered at Hantiwadag three months ago. She would not have been able to afford a private hospital. “We are relieved to have this service here. They also give vaccinations and distribute mosquito nets,” explained the mother of five, who came from Bulo-barako village, 35 km outside Jowhar after their livestock died. Sahro Hassan Ali, one of the two midwives, said they were conducting awareness campaigns to encourage women to deliver at the centre rather than at home. She said most patients came during the evening and night, as there were transport and security issues affecting the area. According to Sahro, the hospital refers patients they cannot handle to bigger hospitals for treatment. “We help the patients in an emergency with transport in the centre’s van. We do not have ultrasound machines but much of the other equipment we need is here,” she said.
Mohamed Abdi Ali, the director of Hantiwadag, said they have treated 12,160 patients in the last eight months. “The centre treats 40 to 45 patients a day. The staff at the centre all work voluntarily. We do not receive any funding but we have received some training and medical supplies from Hirshabelle health ministry. We manage the centre from our own pockets,” he said. |
