NATIONAL MEDIA
28 August – Source: Garowe Online – 280 Words
Authorities in Somalia’s Jubaland’ State say they have arrested an alleged mastermind of a deadly militant attack on a hotel in the southern port city of Kismayo last month, Garowe Online reports. Kismayo mayor, Ibrahim Mohamed Yusuf [Timo Jilic], told the VOA’s weekly investigative Dossier program that the suspect has been apprehended by the state security personnel in the city following an operation.
Yusuf added that the man has leaked classified information to security agencies during the ongoing interrogations, including that the car used for the As-asey Hotel attack was prepared inside the town, 500 km south of Mogadishu. The assault began on the night of 12 July 2019 when a suicide car bomb destroyed the entrance gate at the Hotel, allowing at least four gunmen to enter the property. The siege continued for fourteen hours. At least 26 people, among them a prominent Somali Canadian social media activist, Hodan Nalayeh, and her husband, several tribal leaders, and a regional presidential aspirant were killed in the fatal attack.
The Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabaab took responsibility for the attack, via a statement which said the attack targeted Jubaland ministers, federal and regional lawmakers and candidates staying at the hotel. The hotel raid took place days prior to the August 22 Jubaland state presidential election. The group which lost large swathes of territory in the past 7 years to Somali and AU troops regularly targets hotels in Mogadishu, often using similar methods as the July 12 attack on Kismayo hotel. In light of the recent terrorist attack, security has since then changed in Kismayo with police put on high alert, a move aimed at preventing possible attacks depending almost entirely on intelligence.
28 August – Source: Halbeeg – 218 Words
The Investment Promotion Office [SOMINVEST] at the Ministry of Planning, -Investment and Economic Development conducted a National Investment Promotion Strategy and Foreign Investor Protection Framework validation workshop with the Federal and Federal Member States representatives on Wednesday. Representatives from Federal Ministries of; Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Energy, Labor, Finance, Posts and Telecommunications, Public Works, Central Bank of Somalia and the Federal Member States; Puntland, Jubbaland, Southwest, Benadir Regional Administration, Hirshabeelle and Galmudug were present. Participants have endorsed both the National Investment Promotion Strategy and Foreign Investor Protection Framework. “Validation of National Investment Promotion Strategy and Foreign Investor Protection Framework by investment stakeholders forms the basis for the attraction and retention of high-quality foreign investment to Somalia, once the cabinet approves. This will, in turn, boost Somalia’s economic growth” Said Hassan Farah, Director of SOMINVEST……
28 August – Source: Radio Dalsan – 286 Words
The United Nations says humanitarian situation in Somalia remains fragile due to the impact of the prolonged 2016-2017 drought, poor 2018 Deyr rains (Oct-Dec), unusually hot and dry conditions during the 2019 Jilaal season, and erratic and abnormal performance of 2019 Gu rains (Apr-Jun). UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said climatic shocks, combined with other persistent drivers of needs such as armed conflict, protracted and continued displacement, have left millions of Somalis in need of assistance. The resources available for response in 2019 remain limited. The Humanitarian Response Plan has (HRP) so far mobilized only US$487 million or 45 per cent of the $1.08 billion required, with an additional $118 million received for activities outside of the appeal. The Drought Impact Response Plan (DIRP), jointly launched by the Federal Government of Somalia and humanitarian partners, requested $686 million for the urgent scale-up of response in the last seven months of the year to prevent further deterioration.,,,,,,
27 August – Source: Somaliland Standard – 88 Words
Heavy rain in Hargeisa claimed 3 lives, leaving a trail of destruction across the capital on Tuesday. According to Hargeisa regional governor has confirmed that at least 9 people have sustained injuries due to heavy rain. Billboards in the streets fall damaging vehicles in the capital. The rain has caused buildings to collapse as well as shanties. Some of Hargeisa villages have experienced power outage after electricity poles have collapsed due to the heavy rain accompanied by strong winds. Rescue operations underway in Hargeisa according to Fire Fighters.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
27 August – Source: AFP – 782 Words
Kenya is urging the UN to list Al-Shabaab under the same sanctions as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, but foreign donors say the move could leave millions in drought-stricken Somalia without aid. The proposed listing — which could take effect as soon as Thursday — comes at a critical time in Somalia, where 2.2 million people, or nearly 18 per cent of the population, face the risk of severe hunger. Al-Shabaab is already targeted under broader sanctions imposed by the United Nations on Somalia, which is heavily aid-dependent after three decades of conflict and economic ruin.
Right now, UN agencies and humanitarian organisations are exempt from these sanctions, which enables them to deliver urgent aid without prosecution when they venture into territory controlled by Al-Shabaab. But Kenya wants to tighten the screws on the jihadist group after several deadly attacks on its soil, and the sanctions regime it proposes would remove that safeguard. “A measure like this will have the effect of criminalising humanitarian aid,” Eric Schwartz, president of Refugees International, told AFP. “Any measure that would impact the current provision of aid would have extremely serious and substantial implications.” If no member state objects before August 29 the Al-Shabaab listing under Security Council resolution 1267 will take immediate effect. Hundreds of millions of aid dollars for Somalia will then be thrown into doubt. In some cases, foreign donors said they may need to freeze payments for up to a year as they consider how to comply with the new sanctions, said an aid source in New York liaising with the UN on the issue.
Grey area
“We would be operating in a huge grey area. As humanitarian actors, we would have this huge dilemma of carrying on providing aid, or we stop altogether,” the official working for a large global charity told AFP on condition of anonymity. Another concern is that banks, fearing repercussions, could limit financial services to humanitarian agencies working in Somalia — a process known as “de-risking” that makes it difficult to transfer money and fund programmes. The looming deadline has sparked a flurry of lobbying at Security Council headquarters in New York.
Earlier this month, 20 former ambassadors, national security and humanitarian officials wrote to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and USAID administrator Mark Green urging them to reject the Kenyan proposal. Their decision “could either help sustain critical and life-saving relief to Somalia or exacerbate the dire humanitarian situation and puts hundreds of thousands if not millions of people at grave risk”, the August 7 letter warned. “They (humanitarian groups) have worked carefully to develop systems to reach people while limiting aid diversion” to Al-Shabaab, it added. Exemptions from sanctions are extremely rare, the International Peace Institute pointed out in a June paper……
27 August – Source: North Eastern News – 289 Words
Thursday, August 22, the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce hosted their monthly Coffee on the Corridor event, this time at the Somali Mall. Located on the southwest corner of Independence Avenue and Olive Street, the mall is home to 12 businesses, including clothing stores, cellphone services, coffee shop, meat and food mart, and jewellery store. Attendees were able to try chai tea lattes from the Hamar Weyne Coffee Shop as well as mandazi, a form of fried bread that originates on the Swahili Coast. Another popular item available at the coffee shop are samosas, a triangular fried bread pocket that has various types of meat filling, mixed with spiced potatoes, peas, onions, or lentils. Jawahir Weyrah, the owner of the Ayser Jewelry Store inside the shopping centre, displayed the wide array of jewellery, scarves, perfume, and clothing her store offers. “The gold is from Somalia, the Middle East, and all of Africa,” she said. “It is designed in Somalia, South Arabia, Kuwait, and Dubai.”
Bobbi Baker-Hughes, CEO of the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, said the business owners were thankful to have the event hosted at their facilities. “We have had so much opportunity here to share the Somali culture,” she said. “They have thanked us and invited us to come back as often as anyone would like.” The Northeast Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their annual International Marketplace Taste and Tour on Saturday, September 14. The tour will begin at the American Sons of Columbus Hall, located at 2415 Independence Avenue at 1 pm. Attendees will visit five restaurants and three coffee stations spanning five continents in the Northeast. The next Coffee on the Corridor event will be Thursday, October 26 at 10 a.m.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Basketball has been a breath of fresh air there,” Ujiri said. “It’s about what sports can bring you: happiness, peace, bringing people together, working together. For us, that was our message. How can we spread this and create that platform for more opportunity for youth? That’s the message we’re trying to spread.”
27 August – Source: Sports Centre Canada – 972 Words
Masai Ujiri could see it in the proud posture of the young female players. It was written in their wide smiles. The Toronto Raptors president was in Mogadishu last week for the last stop on his annual Giants of Africa tour — and first visit to Somalia in the organization’s 16 years. “We have to preach equality on the continent and all over the world,” Ujiri said. “There’s as much talent in girls as there is in boys. They have to be given the opportunity too. At the end of the day, you see them walking taller, which was very important for us to continue on this journey.” Ujiri has barely paused to take a breath since the Raptors won the NBA championship in June. There was free agency and the departure of superstar Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers.
A major chunk of his time has been devoted to Giants of Africa, which has been his passion project since 2003 and continues to expand its footprint across the continent. The tour added Somalia and South Sudan to the schedule this summer, two countries still staggering under the impact of brutal civil wars. Islamic extremism in Somalia had forbidden females to watch sports let alone participate in them. Women’s sports is still a contentious issue there. The sight of young girls shooting hoops and kicking balls is unusual. The resurgence of female athletes has been in itself a symbol of defiance.
The 50 girls at the Giants of Africa camp in Mogadishu played in hijabs. It was held at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center, which is co-run by Ilwad Elman, a Somali-Canadian. Her father Elman Ali Ahmen, assassinated in 1996, was a renowned peace activist who was responsible for the “Drop the gun, pick up the pen” campaign, a movement to rehabilitate young soldiers through education. Elman has introduced sports to girls and women at the centre, which includes an outdoor court, as a way to empower them in their everyday lives. “Basketball has been a breath of fresh air there,” Ujiri said. “It’s about what sports can bring you: happiness, peace, bringing people together, working together. For us, that was our message. How can we spread this and create that platform for more opportunity for youth? That’s the message we’re trying to spread.”…… |
