February 13, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Bomb Kills 2 Children In Central Somali Village
12 February – Source: VOA – 280 Words
Two children were killed and two were seriously wounded Monday after ordnance detonated in a central Somali village, witnesses said. Two boys, ages 14 and 9, died “when an explosive device [that] one of them was playing with exploded in an open field near their home,” Abdi Jama, the boys’ uncle, told VOA’s Somali Service. He said two girls – one a 4-year-old, the other 18 months – were seriously injured.
The incident occurred in the El Lahelay village near DhusaMareeb in the Galgaduud region, about 480 kilometers or 300 miles north of Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu. Recent armed conflict between government forces and al-Shabab militants in the area has left unexploded ordnance (UXO) around rural villages, Jama said.
After two decades of internal conflict, “Somalia is significantly contaminated with mines” and explosive remnants of war (ERW), such as grenades, artillery shells, mortar and bombs, the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor reported in December. The Monitor is a civil society-based initiative that promotes the cleanup of the deadly devices.
From January through August of last year, 34 people were killed or maimed by mines and explosive remnants of war, according to a United Nations report that cited the Somalia Information Management System for Mine Action. Of those, 27 – almost four out of five – were children. For instance, one child died and 17 people were injured when a grenade went off at an IDP camp in Somalia’s Sool region last July. Children have been killed, blinded or otherwise maimed while playing with unexploded ordnance or munitions left behind on battlefields. Abdullahi Hassan, a former Somali National Army colonel, said children can be attracted to the colorful, unusual devices.
Key Headlines
- Bomb Kills 2 Children In Central Somali Village (VOA)
- 2 Explosive Laden Vehicles Destroyed Near Afgoye (Radio Dalsan)
- Somalia: Int’l community Hails Outcome Of Mogadishu Meeting (Garowe Online)
- Somali Forces Destroy Al-shabaab Radio Station In Lower Shabelle Region (Hiiraan Online)
- UAE Ambassador Somali Minister of Commerce Discuss Bolstering Trade Relations (Emirates News Agency)
- Somalia Given Green Light To Respond In Border Case (Daily Nation)
- Stories Pour From ‘A Crack In The Sky’ At St. Paul’s History Theatre (The Star Tribune)
NATIONAL MEDIA
2 Explosive Laden Vehicles Destroyed Near Afgoye
13 February – Source: Radio Dalsan – 203 Words
The Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday destroyed two vehicles carrying IEDs in Mubarak village near Lower Shebelle’s Afgoye town. Speaking to the government media in Mubarak village, SNA Commander Abdullahi Ali Anod said that the two vehicles that were thought to be directed to Mogadishu were destroyed by the SNA.
“Two ready vehicles with IEDs were destroyed in that operation. The vehicles were ready to take off maybe to the capital city,” said Commander Anod. The Commander added that the military recovered different types of IEDs, ammunition, military uniforms and other tools.
“A store full of different types of IEDs was found. The two vehicles were destroyed in Mubarak today in the morning by the military. The other things will also be burnt down today. A lot of ammunition, military uniform, sandbags used for defence and a large quantity of fuel were also recovered. And the enemy suffered a big loss,” added the Commander.
The US-backed SNA launched an operation on Al-Shabaab controlled areas near Afgoye on Monday capturing Mubarak and Awdegle villages from the Al-Qaeda linked fighters in Somalia. Alshabaab through an affiliated website said that they defended themselves from the Somali army and what they called “friends of Somali government”.
Somalia: Int’l community Hails Outcome Of Mogadishu Meeting
13 February – Source: Garowe Online – 176 Words
The United Nations, African Union, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Ethiopia, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States welcomed the decisions taken at the meeting of Somalia’s National Security Council (NSC) from 6-10 February 2018.
The NSC addressed fundamental issues such as responsibilities for security, the electoral model, review of the constitution and resource and revenue sharing, including fisheries. The partners recognized these as important, positive steps and urged the country’s leaders to move forward with implementation so that Somalis benefit from these agreements.
The partners also welcomed the decisions reached on security and agreed that accelerated efforts to count, assess and reorganize police forces in the Federal Member States on a federal basis, as set out in the structures in the National Security Architecture and the New Policing Model, will be of utmost importance. “It is very encouraging that the NSC addressed fundamental issues such as responsibilities for security, the electoral model and resource and revenue sharing.” “The challenge now is implementation, so that Somalis benefit from these agreements.”
Somali Forces Destroy Al-shabaab Radio Station In Lower Shabelle Region
13 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 197 Words
Al-Shabaab owned radio station was on Monday destroyed during an operation in Lower Shabelle region, military official confirmed Tuesday. Somali government had last week vowed to intensify offensives against Al-Shabaab, a year after President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo promised to get rid of the group during his election campaign for presidency.
SNA force commander, General, Abdullahi Ali Anod said Monday’s raid involved Somali army and destroyed Radio Andalus. “A well coordinated operation against Al-Shabaab was carried out yesterday in Lower Shabelle, the forces destroyed Radio Andalus which was Al-Shabaab broadcaster and other bases,” Anod. The move comes barely five days after president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo announced new air and ground offensives against Al-Shabaab.
Speaking to BBC Somali Service last week, Farmaajo said his administration will collaborate US government in the plans to execute new airstrikes against the group. “We are planning to start new offensives against Alshabaab. We have discussed with US government over the plans of airstrikes against the group. We also talked about means to reduce collateral damages during US air raid against,” said president farmajo. Al-shabaab which wants to overthrow Somali government still controls a large swath land of remotes areas in central and South.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UAE Ambassador, Somali Minister Of Commerce Discuss Bolstering Trade Relations
13 February – Source: Emirates News Agency – 186 Words
Mohammed Ahmed Othman, UAE Ambassador to Somalia, yesterday (Monday) met with Mohamed Abdi Hayir, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Somalia, at the UAE Embassy in Mogadishu. The two officials discussed bilateral relations and ways to further develop them in various fields, especially in the economic sector. They also reviewed ways of enhancing trade cooperation between the two countries.
The UAE Ambassador congratulated the Somali Minister on assuming his new position and wished him success in his new duties. The Somali Minister, in turn, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the UAE for its continuous support to Somalia in the development, economic and humanitarian fields, pointing to the deep trade relations between the two countries.
He also praised the positive role of the UAE in supporting and strengthening the Somali economy, saying that the UAE is Somalia’s primary trading partner and main outlet to the rest of the world. They also discussed ways to open new horizons in trade and economic cooperation between the two countries in investment and trade, especially in livestock, agriculture, energy, infrastructure and air transport and increase the volume of trade exchange.
Somalia Given Green Light To Respond In Border Case
13 February – Source: Daily Nation – 399 Words
The International Court of Justice has allowed Somalia to file a response to a case in which it has sued Kenya over a maritime border. The move kick-starts a fresh round of arguments, which could determine the final flow of the border.
The court Monday announced that Somalia should respond to Kenya’s claim that the current flow of the border should remain intact by June 18, after which Kenya will have another six months to poke holes in the response. “The court issued this decision taking into account the views of the parties and the circumstances of the case. The subsequent procedure has been reserved for further decision,” said a statement from the court’s registry.
On February 2 this year, presiding judge Ronny Abraham accepted Kenya’s plea to file a second round of arguments, which Nairobi said would take longer to prepare. This means the two countries will have another opportunity to argue before the court. Somalia sued Kenya in August 2014, saying the border between the two countries should extend diagonally into the sea, south of Kiunga and not eastwards as it is today. But Kenya has argued that this may also affect its sea border with Tanzania. The current border has existed largely as a result of Presidential Proclamation of 1979.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
This is an impressive debut for actor Ahmed, himself a Somali-American. On opening night, he grew in the role in front of our eyes, becoming more confident and interacting more naturally with the cast of experienced professionals around him as he handled his copious lines.
Stories Pour From ‘A Crack In The Sky’ At St. Paul’s History Theatre
12 February – Source: The Star Tribune – 499 Words
It would be tempting to focus mostly on the stagecraft of “A Crack in the Sky,” the often absorbing and humorous play about a young man’s journey from rural Somalia to urban America that premiered Saturday at the History Theatre in St. Paul.
But to dwell on its fetching acting ensemble or the inventive elements of director Faye Price’s production would miss something more significant. A rare, well-crafted work about a Somali-American immigrant, “Sky” offers authentic insight into a member of a community we know mainly from news stories about war, famine and terrorism — themes that are mostly muted here.
Using a mix of storytelling and dramatic re-creation, Price and her capable cast invest us in the tenacity, travails and dreams of Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, who coscripted this rangy autobiographical work with playwright Harrison David Rivers.
“Sky” tells us about a financially poor but culturally rich new American who gets an education and, improbably, becomes a writer. Ahmed (played by M. Hajji Ahmed, making his professional debut) gets help along the way from two university professors who feed his imagination as well as his literal hunger. As Ahmed tells us in Somali and English, his village is not on any map. He leaves home at age 9 to live with relatives elsewhere in Somalia, working as a tailor and a photographer. Later, he travels to the Arabian Peninsula for work.
Finally, a cousin with military authority helps him land a visa to America, a place where he has no family or means to make a living. Ahmed finds refuge in books by Maya Angelou (warm and wise Ashawnti Sakina Ford) and Malcolm X (stately JuCoby Johnson). These two figures are present to him as conversationalists in the play, as are the voices of Owl (Mikell Sapp) and Camel (Tracey Maloney), figures of wisdom and long-distance endurance from back home.
This is an impressive debut for actor Ahmed, himself a Somali-American. On opening night, he grew in the role in front of our eyes, becoming more confident and interacting more naturally with the cast of experienced professionals around him as he handled his copious lines.
He is well supported by the ensemble. As the two professors, Maloney projects kindness and empathy while Rich Remedios is big-hearted. Maloney also brings wit to the folktale-hatched Camel. Sapp finds humor in Owl, too, offsetting his other character, a stern, unkind Ethiopian roommate. Actor Rex Isom Jr. also is admirable in three small roles.
The design team, including Joel Sass (set), Dee Skogen (artwork) and Michael Wangen (lights), uses abstract African landscapes and art to reinforce themes in the work without resorting to stereotype. Besides its success as a stage vehicle, “A Crack in the Sky” provides a refutation of claims being made about African immigrants. By dint of hard work and intellectual ambition — with the encouragement of some ordinary angels — one man is making his mark in the world while also affirming American ideals. That’s something to write home about.
TOP TWEETS
@Goobjoognews: HORN OF Africa facing another drought as La Niña approaches, scientists warn –
@Goobjoognews: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY lauds Somalia’s efforts to fast track security and political reforms
@mpfsomalia: Multi Partner Fund Retweeted Dr Abdirahman Beileh. Today’s workshop, organised by @MofSomalia and@SomaliPM, convenes the technical people behind the@mpfsomalia supported “Surge Support”. Job creation and public works for #Somalia‘s citizens @ICRC_Africa 40m40 minutes ago In #Somalia, radio enjoys a higher reach compared to other forms of media. This is why we work with the Somali Red Crescent Society and local radio to promote hygiene and safety in Somali communities. #WorldRadioDayhttps://www.icrc.org/en/
@DalsanFM: US Demands Somaliland Release Detained Poet and Author – http://radiodalsan.com/en/us-
@HarunMaruf: A delegation sent by the Somali govt are in Tripoli to help anyone willing to be returned to Somalia. The delegation include Somali Amb to the EU Dr Ali Said Faqi and Commissioner of Refugees and IDPs Ahmed-Dahir Abdikarim Nur. They’re at the Somali Embassy in Tripoli, Libya.
@Goobjoognews:#Somali senate house resource committee applauded the resource-sharing agreement between the federal government and member states reached in the recent Somali National Security meeting from 6th-10th February in#Mogadishu.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The mayor of Mogadishu Abdirahman Omar Osman with other government officials taking part in a cleanup exercise.
Photo: @engyarisow