August 5, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Janale District Commissioner Killed In Raid

04 August- Source: Garowe Online – 114 Words

At least three Al Shabaab attackers shot and killed the commissioner of Lower Shabelle regional district of Janale in raid on his residence overnight on Monday according to officials, Garowe Online reports. Late Abdulkadir Ibrahim Sheikh Ali was killed along with two bodyguards after militants armed with machine guns launched the pre-planned attack on his house. Somali government forces and African Union peacekeepers reached the scene of the attack shortly. Attackers are believed to have managed to flee right away. Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group claimed credit for the deadly assault. Somali militant group has lost a string of strategic towns in central and southern Somalia in intense military campaign by allied forces.

Key Headlines

Hobyo Fishermen Issued ID Cards Differentiating Them From Pirates (Goobjoog News)
Janale District Commissioner Killed In Raid (Garowe Online)
Police Ramp Up Security Measures In Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
Jubbaland Electoral Commission Elects Chairperson (Wacaal Media)
President Uhuru Receives Credentials From The New Somali Ambassador To Kenya (Somali Current)
Deputy UN Envoy Visits Refugee Camp In Puntland (Horseed Media)
July Drone Report: Casualties Spike in Afghanistan Strikes Increase in Somalia (Newsweek)
Somalia Where 95% Of Girls Undergo Female Genital Mutilation May Soon Ban Practice (Huffington Post)
UNHCR: Almost 3000 Yemeni Refugees Resorted To Somalia (Diplomat News Network)
IMF Executive Board Concludes 2015 Article IV Consultation With Somalia (African Brains)

PRESS STATEMENT:

AMISOM Takes Note Of Allegations Against Its Troops In Marka And Remains Committed To Addressing These Charges

04 August – Source: AMISOM – 370 Words

Mogadishu, 4 August 2015 – The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has noted with serious concern allegations relating to civilian deaths, made against its troops in Marka, Lower Shabelle Region.

In the past two weeks, AMISOM has intensified operations in Lower Shabelle as part of the general offensive being conducted across South Central Somalia. During the same period, our troops’ supply convoys have come under recurrent attacks by Al Shabaab. During these, in self defence, troops have proportionately responded to such attacks. Nevertheless AMISOM regards any loss of innocent lives as tragic and we take all reports of such incidents seriously.

Following this recurring situation, AMISOM held a meeting with community elders during which measures to enhance security in the area and the need to foster better relations were discussed. There was a request from some elders for troops to be withdrawn from a particular deployment which provides a critical link and access between Marka and Mogadishu. The request was considered carefully, but denied given the security implications both for Marka and Mogadishu.

There have been a number of calls for investigation into the alleged killing of civilians in Marka, which the leadership of AMISOM has noted and respects. Considering our commitment to upholding our human rights’ obligations in the conduct of our operations, in response to the rash of allegations coming out of Marka, and in line with laid down administrative procedures, the officer in charge of the troop detachment in Marka has been recalled for questioning as a prelude to a possible further investigation.

Meanwhile, AMISOM would like to reiterate our appeal to all Somalis to continue to support AMISOM and the Somali authorities as well as the security institutions by exposing those Al Shabaab elements that are now disguised as civilians in their communities so that they do not succeed in perpetrating harm against the population. On our part, AMISOM will continue to take precautions to prevent civilian casualties in the conduct of our operations against the Al Shabaab. AMISOM will work closely with the Federal Government and the Interim South West Administration in resolving the Marka security issues.

NATIONAL MEDIA

Hobyo Fishermen Issued ID cards Differentiating Them From Pirates

04 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 294 Words

Hobyo fishermen have been issued identification cards as fishermen and fishing licences. Galmudug Administration collaborating with FAO has undertaken initiatives to issues ID cards to the fishermen in a bid to recognize and differentiate them from pirates who hijack ships using international waters. Abdikadir Qalab-xoor, former Galmudug state minister for fisheries said that these ID cards will play a very important role in the efforts to fight against pirates. Abdiwahid Mohamed Hirsi speaking on behalf of FAO said that the fishermen will carry out their fishing without fear of falling in the hands of ships from NATO’s Standing Naval Maritime Group which conduct anti-piracy work and escorting merchant ships, including some carrying food aid for Somalia.

Many countries have deployed warships in the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast to fight rampant pirates, after their ships were hijacked or escaped pirate attacks in the region.Things also become more complicated due to the changing nature of how ships arm themselves. While semiautomatic weapons used to be a telltale sign of pirates, now virtually every ship has them. As a result, it can create confusion for armed guards — they could make a fatal mistake if they shoot too quickly, while at the same time, hesitation can mean losing the chance to prevent violence with warning shots or flares. The decline in Somali piracy is the result of a concerted policing effort by the world’s navies, including India’s. Meanwhile, Hobyo fishermen were seriously complaining about foreign vessels which chase them and pour hot water on their boats. Local Fishermen have continuously complained about foreign trawlers who are fishing illegally and dumping waste. Some fishermen have gone missing while others are tortured by the trawlers who at times spray boiling water from cannons.

Police Ramp Up Security Measures In Mogadishu

04 August – Source: Shabelle Media – 117 Words

Somalia police soldiers are planning to ramp up security measures in Mogadishu’s Dharkenley district, in a bid to thwart terror attacks by Al-Shabab fighters, police officials said. Police chief for Dharkenley District, Abdullahi Siyaad Ali told Shabelle Media that its soldiers were conducting security operations which were intended to ensure the overall security in the area. “Insecurity cases may have been happened in the district it is our responsibility for confirm the security,” Mr. Siyad Ali said in an interview with Shabelle Media in Mogadishu. Somalia police soldiers have been carrying out security measures which are meant to secure the area during which soldiers seized dozens of suspects thought to belong to Al-Shabab militants.

Jubbaland Electoral Commission Elects Chairperson

04 August – Source: Wacaal Media – 116 Words

The newly constituted electoral commission of Jubbaland has elected Halima Mohamed Abdulle as its Chairwoman in a hotly contested election in Kismayu. Halima, who hails from the same clan as the head of State of Ahmed Madoobe was the only female member of the commission. The commission is expected to oversee the state’s presidential elections slated for August 2015 as Ahmed Madoobe’s Interim term comes to an end this August as per the Addis Ababa accord. Jubbaland State is comprised of the Lower and Middle Jubba regions as well as Gedo. Al-Shabaab militants still control large swathes of the Middle Shabelle region. Most residents of Gedo region are opposed to the Interim Jubbaland Administration.

President Uhuru Receives Credentials From The New Somali Ambassador To Kenya

04 August – Source: Somali Current – 243 Words

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta Tuesday received credentials from six incoming envoys among them Somalia’s Gamal (Jamal) Mohamed Hassan who wore a traditional Somali attire to the occasion. Jamal, who replaced Amb. Mohamed Ali Americo, noted that Somalia was ready to partner with Kenya in security and regional development. Amb. Gamal said the collaborative effort of Kenya and Somalia in the fight against terrorism is critical not only for the security of the two countries but also for the East African region and globally.

The new ambassador thanked President Uhuru for accepting his appointment, saying he was ready to foster more support and co-operation between Somalis and Kenyans. Gamal’s presentation of his credentials to Uhuru comes a week after Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud received the credentials from Kenya’s High Commissioner to the country Lucas Kyonze Tumbo. Gamal was among the envoys President Hassan Sheikh Mahamoud appointed in April this year to different countries. Jamal served at the US Embassy in Kenya on Somali affairs before his appointment to head the Somali embassy in Kenya.

Deputy UN Envoy Visits Refugee Camp In Puntland

04 August – Source: Horseed Media – 166 Words

Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) Peter de Clercq arrived today in the Somalia’s autonomous region of Puntland. In his first visit to the region since his recent appointment, he was welcomed in the port city of Bossaso by officials from the Puntland government and International Aid agencies. During his tour, Mr. de Clercq who is also heads the UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP) visited a refugee camp to monitor the living conditions in the camp which is hosting Somali returnees and other foreign nationals who have fled the war in Yemen. Most of them are women, children, people with disabilities and patients. Later on, the UN Deputy Envoy met Puntland’s minister of Interior and Bari region officials. According to sources, talks mainly concerned the humanitarian and socio-economic challenges in the state. An estimated 26, 000 refugees have arrived in the port town of Bossaso since 1st of April when the conflict erupted in the impoverished middle-eastern country of Yemen.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

July Drone Report: Casualties Spike in Afghanistan, Strikes Increase in Somalia

04 August – Source: Newsweek – 485 Words

American drone strikes killed hundreds of people in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia in July, according to a report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a London-based nonprofit. The TBIJ produces monthly reports about highly secretive U.S. drone operations around the globe as part of its goal to provide the public “with the knowledge and facts about the way in which important institutions in our society operate, so that they can be fully informed citizens.”

Somalia:

Over the course of a few days in the latter half of the month, six U.S. strikes took place, an “unprecedented frequency of attacks,” according to the TBIJ. One of those strikes killed at least two people, while the death toll from the other five strikes remains unreported. Somali and U.S. officials told The Associated Press that a senior commander and other Al-Shabab militants were among those killed in one of the strikes. The Los Angeles Times reports that the influx of strikes indicates a shift in U.S. policy toward directly aiding African peacekeepers in their fight against the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabab. “Up until now, we’ve focused strikes on high-value targets,” an unnamed U.S. military official told the Times. “These strikes were launched to defend forces on the ground.” Patrick Barnes, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Africa Command, said the strikes were conducted “in defense of [African Union Mission to Somalia] forces under imminent threat of attack.”

Somalia, Where 95% Of Girls Undergo Female Genital Mutilation, May Soon Ban Practice

04 August – Source: Huffington Post – 519 Words

Somalia has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world, but the country may soon bring that figure down to zero. Currently, about 95 percent of girls in Somalia between the ages of 4 and 11 undergo FGM, according to UNICEF. Set on shielding girls from the harmful procedure, the country’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Human Rights announced that it will introduce a law that will ban FGM altogether, Somali news outlet Horseed Media reported. “Time has come for us to eradicate this bad practice and protect the rights of girls and women in our country,’’ Sahra Mohammed Ali Samatar, minister of Women Affairs, said at a recent conference. Amran Mahamood, who has made a living for 15 years by circumcising young girls, sits next to a girl on February 19, 2014 in Hargeysa. Four years ago, she gave it up after a religious leader convinced her the rite was not required by Islamic law. FGM, a practice that involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for no medical benefit, was officially banned by the UN in 2012, but the procedure is still widely practiced.

That same year, Somalia indicated it would ban the practice, but activists say this latest measure is more “concrete,” Brendan Wynne, of advocacy group Equality Now, told HuffPost in an email. Across the globe, more than 125 million girls and women have been subjected to FGM, according to WHO. In addition to facing such health risks as hemorrhage, bacterial infection, infertility and recurring urinary tract infections, girls are often cut with razors or knives without any anesthetic. “I was just 7 years old when I was cut,” Leyla Hussein, a British woman who is originally from Somalia, told WHO. “The first thing I heard was my sister screaming. Then it was my turn. Four women held me down while they cut my clitoris. I felt every single cut. The pain was so intense -– I blacked out.” Samatar’s announcement comes on the heels of President Barack Obama’s Africa tour where he pushed for women’s rights and the outlawing of misogynist practices.

While speaking in Kenya, Obama called on the country to stop cutting its girls, among other damaging traditions. “There’s no reason that young girls should suffer genital mutilation, there’s no place in a civilised society for the early or forced marriage of children,” Obama told a crowd of 4,500 people. “These traditions may go back centuries; they have no place in the 21st century.” While it’s challenging to combat centuries-old traditions, other African nations have already demonstrated that eliminating the procedure is possible. In May, as one of his final acts as president, Goodluck Jonathan banned the procedure in Nigeria, the Guardian reported. It was a particularly impressive feat considering that Nigeria accounts for about quarter of all FGM cases worldwide. “This is fantastic news and a landmark moment,” UK international development secretary Justine Greening told the Guardian. “We are now one step closer to ending this harmful practice.”

UNHCR: Almost 3,000 Yemeni Refugees Resorted To Somalia

04 August – Source: Diplomat News Network – 728 Words

Accordance to a press release ( summary by UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards ), Almost 100,000 people have fled Yemen since conflict erupted there in late March but UNHCR’s regional response to this outflow is just one fifth funded. In Somalia, where over 28,000 people have arrived, just five percent of the required funding has been received. While many of these people have not sought help as refugees, around 54,000 have registered with UNHCR and government authorities for assistance of various kinds. With funding also low for operations inside Yemen, UNHCR is concerned that delivery of assistance there, as well as to refugees fleeing the country, will be at risk without additional funding soon.

Somalia:

With the arrival in Bossaso, Puntland on 30 July of a boat carrying over 2,500 individuals (2,197 Somalis, 337 Yemenis and 9 others), total arrivals from Yemen to Somalia in July was almost 10,000 people (9,864). This is the highest monthly arrival figure to date; the previous high was in May, when 8,683 arrivals were recorded. As of 30 July, over 28,000 individuals (25,429 Somalis, 2,726 Yemenis, and 205 other third country nationals) have arrived in Somalia since March 26th.

The majority have been arriving in Bossaso (65 percent) and Berbera, Somaliland (34%). UNHCR and partners provide assistance to returnees to Somalia, including onward transportation to areas of origin or return. Almost 7,000 Somalis have returned to South Central regions (5,000 in Mogadishu), some joining settlements for internally displaced people there. More heIp is needed to ensure basic services and livelihoods and strengthen registration and verification and reception capacity at the main ports, particularly as outflows of Somali nationals are expected to continue. The Somalia Response Plan for the Yemen Crisis launched in June remains seriously underfunded. UNHCR and partners have received only 5 per cent of the US$ 64 million needed.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“The formal financial sector consists of the central bank, six banks with provisional licenses, and nine licensed money transfer firms. The sector is small and nascent while there is reportedly a large informal sector. The central bank of Somalia (CBS) faces challenges in building financial sector supervision due to technical and human resource constraints. The economy is predominantly dollarized and cash is scarce, particularly in lower denominations. Somali banknotes are not readily available, creating problems for the poorest.”

IMF Executive Board Concludes 2015 Article IV Consultation With Somalia

04 August – Source: African Brains – 1, 177 Words

On July 27, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Somalia. Since 1991, Somalis have suffered greatly from civil war. The economy deteriorated as the physical infrastructure was destroyed. In addition to the loss of lives, the war worsened the population’s living conditions, now among the lowest in the world. Even though the political and security situations remain challenging, Somalia has made tremendous progress since resuming relations with the IMF on April 12, 2013. The IMF has been actively involved in providing technical assistance and policy advice in its key areas of expertise, which laid the groundwork for this Consultation. While Somalia has been welcomed back as an active member of the Fund, it remains ineligible for financial assistance pending the clearance of its longstanding arrears. Arrears clearance will be an important part of normalizing relations with the international community and establishing a roadmap to debt sustainability.

As a result of the civil war, all Somali state institutions are severely impaired. Improving governance in key state institutions is critical for progress on economic reconstruction and development. The federal government, working with the international community, has taken steps to improve governance based on the rule of law and the application of international good practices for fiscal and financial operations. IMF technical assistance is largely devoted to enhancing governance in the ministry of finance and the central bank. Rebuilding critical infrastructure and delivering basic social and economic services will be crucial for the new government to gain the trust of the Somali people, advance the process of national reconciliation, and to extend federal government authority over all parts of the country.

Economic activity is estimated to have expanded by 3.7 percent in 2014, driven by growth in agriculture, construction, and telecommunications. Consumer price inflation was 1.3 percent. For 2015, real growth is projected at 2.7 and inflation should remain subdued at about 4 percent. With modest progress on the security front and an absence of drought, medium-term annual growth should be about 5 percent. Nevertheless, growth will remain inadequate to redress poverty and gender disparities. Budget preparation and implementation is fraught with difficulty due to deficiencies in revenue mobilization and expenditure pressures that exceed available resources. The budget consists largely of salary and security expenditures contained by strict cash rationing. Deficits have been financed mostly through arrears accumulation. Similarly, the 2015 budget was prepared on a zero cash balance basis with optimistic revenue forecasts and weak commitment control, leading the federal government to ration cash and incur arrears to the defense forces, civil servants, and suppliers. On July 19, an extraordinary session of the Cabinet, chaired by the President, approved and sent to Parliament a revised budget for 2015.