December 15, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Unknown Gunmen Kill Two Aid Workers In Somalia: Police

14 December – Source: Xinhua – 204 Words

Unknown gunmen on Monday killed a female staff of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) along with another employee working for a local NGO in Mogadishu.Mahdi Abdulle, a police officer, said Amina Mohamed Nor, a UNHCR employee and a NGO worker were killed near Makka Al-Mukarrama road in the centre of Mogadishu.
Abdulle said the gunmen fired at Mohammed’s car, adding that she died on the spot, as well as another NGO worker whose identity was not established.”Of course the enemies of peace have carried out this terrorist act which caused the death of those who serve the people, we will bring them to justice someday,” Abdulle said.
The officer noted that the gunmen who carried out the heinous act managed to escape and are still at large. Witnesses said that they heard several gunshots at the scene.”We heard gunfire and before we could ask what had happened, we saw two aid workers who were killed,” local resident Macow Sabriye told Xinhua.
Sabriye said the police arrived at the scene to investigate the incident. No one has claimed responsibility for that attack.Usually, Mogadishu is witnessing assassinations against government officials and journalists in addition to aid workers for international organizations.

Key Headlines

Unknown Gunmen Kill Two Aid Workers In Somalia: Police
Absenteeism In Parliament Could Ruin Parliament’s Work
Materials And Equipment For The Construction Of Garowe Airport Arrive In Boosaso (Villa Puntland)
Suspect At Large After Being Charged With Arson In Somali Restaurant Blaze (Talking Points Memo)
Kenya’s Interior Boss Nkaiserry Assures Trade Meeting Delegates Of Safety (Daily Nation )
The Success Story of CEEBLA Crisis Line (AMISOM)
Dispatches: Don’t Forget Somalia’s Civilians (Human Rights Watch)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Absenteeism In Parliament Could Ruin Parliament’s Work

14 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 326 Words

After several times of grappling with quorum, the Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed Omar Jawari has now threatened to take unspecified disciplinary action against Members of Parliament who do not attend plenary sessions. The Speaker has now devised new means of netting the victims: “We have introduced a new way of taking roll call in Parliament. MPs will now register with the clerk and this system will help us detect those who attend and those who skip the sessions,” Jawari said.
“Some legislators are always absent but the parliamentary leadership is never made aware of their absence yet the law requires written permission. We will simply implement the law as these clerks will help us to write down the names of the violators,” he added. The snail pace performance of parliament dates backs to 2012, when it was formed as the fourth parliament since the Somali central government was deposed. Many had hoped that the current parliament would perform better since most of the MPs are educated.

“I have noted with great concern the issue of non-attendance. Many MPs do not attend and if they do, they leave before the plenary session is over and some come to Parliament only to remain in their offices,” lamented Jawari. Owing to absenteeism the productivity of the House is low. Bills are not passed in time and the situation is worse considering that there is a backlog of reports from 2015 that have to be debated upon and concluded. However, many MPs,blame the Speaker for failing to take action against absent colleagues as that hinders the work of Parliament: “If an MP does not want to attend the plenary sessions, then we should continue in their absence with action being taken against the absent MPs later,” proposed an MP, Mr Abdiwahab.

Materials And Equipment For The Construction Of Garowe Airport Arrive In Boosaso

14 December – Source: Villa Puntland – 136 Words

Construction work at Garowe Airport is set to begin soon after a ship carrying materials and equipment for the project docked at Boosaso airport. The project will be implemented by a Turkish firm that undertook similar task in Mogadishu and Djibouti Ilhaan Khaagayi, an official of the implementing firm, thanked the Puntland government for granted the contract and gave a commitment to deliver quality work.

The arrival of the equipment comes at a time when construction works at the Bosaso airport are at an advanced stage with officials saying it could be ready as early as next week.Upgrade of the two airports will give Puntland two world class airports. The projects will boost trade and tourism in the state as both airports will now have the capacity to handle more flights and passengers.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Suspect At Large After Being Charged With Arson In Somali Restaurant Blaze

14 December – Source: Talking Points Memo – 110 Words

Police were seeking a suspect who was charged with arson Friday in connection with a fire that left a Somali restaurant in Grand Forks, North Dakota badly damaged. The suspect, 25-year-old Matthew Gust, remained at large on Monday, James McCarthy, the assistant state attorney prosecuting the case, told TPM by email. TheThursday morning blaze did about $90,000 in damage to Juba Coffee & Restaurant. No one was injured. Authorities already had been investigating a possible hate crime at the restaurant, where Nazi symbols and “go home” messages were painted on the building’s exterior just days before the fire. McCarthy declined further comment on the case, citing a pending investigation.

Kenya’s Interior Boss Nkaiserry Assures Trade Meeting Delegates Of Safety

14 December – Source: Daily Nation – 245 Words

There will be adequate security during the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference that begins Tuesdayin Nairobi, Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Joseph Nkaissery has on Monday. He told the more than 6,000 delegates attending the five-day conference not to worry about their safety during their stay. He said Kenya recently hosted US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis among other key foreign leaders without any security lapses.

“We have also hosted the Prime Minister of Italy, China and many other dignitaries. These successful events continue to bolster domestic and international confidence in Kenya,” said the CS. He was addressing journalists at Kenyatta International Convention Centre where the forum will be held: “Kenya is well prepared for any threats and visitors should feel at home. Our tourism industry is recovering steadily and investor confidence in Kenya is soaring,” he said.

At the same time, motorists in Nairobi were forced to use alternative routes after six roads were closed because of the conference. The roads closed include Harambee Avenue, City Hall Way, Parliament Road, Taifa Road and sections of Wabera Street and Kaunda Street. Kenya Police Spokesman Charles Owino said the roads would be opened to traffic after 6pm on Friday. Armed police were deployed on the roads to divert motorists. “We have done this to ensure safety of delegates attending the conference: “Although terrorism is an international problem, our proximity to Somalia where Al-Shabaab is based puts us in an awkward position,” said Mr Owino.

The Success Story of CEEBLA Crisis Line

11 December – Source: AMISOM – Video: 8:40 Minutes

The African Union Commission (AUC) through African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has supported a project on the prevention and response to sexual violence in Somalia. This is to mitigate the high rate of sexual violence in Mogadishu and its outskirts; by providing the necessary response to victims of SEA and SGBV. The AUC project also provides response mechanisms to the cases reported through CEEBLA Crisis Line in order to assist victims of SEA/SGBV with the necessary referrals within a short period of time.This documentary depicts the success story of CEEBLA Crisis Line as a mechanism for reporting and responding to SEA/SGBV.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“In response to the recent fighting, Somali leaders and international officials flocked to Galkayo to urge the warring parties to negotiate an end to the fighting. But people involved in the negotiations told us that civilian casualties were not discussed. While getting the warring parties around a table is important, no one should lose sight of what should be central to Somalia’s state-building effort: making sure that civilians are protected by those in control.” — Laetitia -Bader, HRW Researcher, Africa Division

Dispatches: Don’t Forget Somalia’s Civilians

14 December – Source: Human Rights Watch – 410 Words

People in the contested central Somalia town of Galkayo are paying a heavy price as their leaders faced off again on December 3, 2015, in the third spate of heavy fighting between Puntland and Galmudug forces since late November. The Puntland administration controls the north of Galkayo, and the newly formed Galmudug interim administration controls the south.

Given that Galkayo is small and the fighting forces made no effort to keep out of populated areas, the cost to civilians was inevitably high. And yet, as the armed conflict between the Islamist armed group Al-Shabab, and the government and African Union forces continues in many parts of Somalia, and all eyes are on the 2016 political process, the violence and misery wrought on Somalis living in contested towns like Galkayo gets little attention.

The casualty count is not clear, but medical officials say at least 9 civilians were killed. Dozens more people, including women and children, have been injured, leaving the town’s three main medical centers overwhelmed. One source told Human Rights Watch that on November 28, three people died when a private ambulance carrying two injured fighters was hit, killing the two plus another passenger, and wounding the medical staff and driver.

Warring forces also destroyed civilian housing and property. One student on his way to the university when the fighting first broke out on November 22 told us that “the bullets were reaching everywhere.” Witness and media reports say that both sides have used heavy weaponry indiscriminately. The fighting in Galkayo has led to a mass exodus: according to the United Nations, 90,000 people have been displaced, including communities already living in displacement camps. Residents left behind described Galkayo as a “ghost town.”