January 12, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Cholera Kills 10 Somalis In World’s Largest Refugee Camp – UN
11 January – Source: Agence France Presse – 143 Words
At least 10 people have died and over 1,000 fallen sick with cholera in an outbreak among Somali refugees in the world’s largest refugee camp in Kenya, UN officials have said. The outbreak began in November in the Dadaab camp complex in northeastern Kenya, home to some 350,000 Somali refugees, said Osman Yussuf Ahmed, from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
Aid workers say they are working to stop the outbreak spreading: “The most important thing is hygiene,” Ahmed said, describing how aid workers were spraying chlorine across the camp and distributing soap. “We are not leaving anything to chance.” Cholera is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea, and the outbreak has been exacerbated by weeks of heavy rains in Kenya. The refugees in Dadaab have come to Kenya in waves since 1991, propelled by civil war and famine.
Key Headlines
- Cholera Kills 10 Somalis In World’s Largest Refugee Camp – UN (Agence France Presse)
- Forum On Somalia 2016 Fails To Kick Off (Somali Current)
- Somaliland Leader Bashes Federal Government On Saudi-Iran Rift (Garowe Online)
- Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Outside Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- Puntland’s European Diaspora Welcomes Completion Of Key Development Projects (Wacaal Media)
- British War Heroes Jailed For Protecting Ships From Somali Pirates (Daily Star)
- Woman Fighting To Get Security Clearance Reinstated After Losing Airline Job (The Huffington Post)
- The End Of A Storybook Romance – Somalia-born Iman And David Bowie (Mail & Guardian)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Forum On Somalia 2016 Fails To Kick Off
11 January – Source: Somali Current – 233 Words
The much anticipated talks to discuss the electoral process ahead of this year’s polls failed to kick off on Mondayafter top personalities in the Federal Government and representatives of other equally important organs failed to turn up. In an interview with a local radio station, the Minister for Interior, Mohamed Warsame Darwish, said the forum could not begin in the absence of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Mohamed Osman Jowari. He communicated, however, that the forum will proceed on Tuesday.
President Hassan has in the past week traversed the administration of Puntland, launching various projects including the reopening of the now refurbished Bosaso airport. Meanwhile in Kismayo, where the forum was to take place, leaders and government officials were engaged in talks on the sidelines of the forum over the official agenda of the event. The port city will also host delegations from the two administrations of Galmudug and Puntland. Somalia is expected to hold elections this year after expiry of the term of the current government. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected in 2012 after the interim government led by Sheikh Sheikh Ahmed left office.
Somaliland Leader Bashes Federal Government On Saudi-Iran Rift
11 January – Source: Garowe Online – 299 Words
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Siilaanyo) has accused the Mogadishu-based Federal Government of interference in the affairs of his government. He made the allegations on Monday during his annual presidential address to Somaliland Parliament and the House of Elders. During his address to the two key chambers, President Siilaanyo focussed on the dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government, currency crisis, strengthening of good governance, judiciary independence, among other issues.
He claimed the Somalia Federal Government had meddled in his region’s affairs by orchestrating threats against the existence of Somaliland. On bilateral talks with Mogadishu, Siilaanyo once again reiterated his government’s objection to unity efforts, adding they will never be part of federated Somalia: “We are ready to speed up dialogue between Somalia and Somaliland. We call for wider talks with cherry-picked countries present as observers. On the other hand, we welcome international community’s [ongoing] efforts of bringing about lasting peace in Somalia and putting a strong government in place by 2016.”
Speaking on the diplomatic rift between Sunni power Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, President Siilaanyo strongly condemned what he described as Tehran’s destabilizing tendencies in the Middle East and the Gulf of Aden: “We condemn the filthy move in which Saudi embassy in Tehran was ransacked. [Embassy attack] runs counter to diplomatic conventions and international norms, and Somaliland is against Iran’s destabilizing agendas in the Mideast and the Red Sea. We [also] stand by Arab League in their firm stance against [Iran],” he added.
The Somaliland President further noted that he achieved success in judicial matters and governance during his tenure in office. The separatist region is set to hold general elections in early 2017 after long-running intra-party disputes. Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia declared its independence from the rest of the country in 1991 but it is yet to receive recognition from the international community.
Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Outside Mogadishu
11 January – Source: Shabelle News – 106 Words
A bomb exploded outside Mogadishu killing at least two people and wounding two others, police and witnesses said.The explosion went off near an orphanage center area in Afgooye town, situated just about 30Km south of Somalia’s capital, witnesses told Shabelle Media. The victims who lost their lives in the blast, included Sheikh Abukar , a well-known businessman, police said. There was no immediate communication on the perpetrators of the crime from sources both in government and the Al Shabaab militant group.
Puntland’s European Diaspora Welcomes Completion Of Key Development Projects
11 January – Source: Wacaal Media – 91 Words
The association of Puntland State’s European Diaspora has welcomed completion of key development projects spearheaded in the state by President Dr. Abdiweli Ali Gas. Head of the association, Mohamed Abdulle Farah, said the group welcomes the development projects initiated by President Gas over the last two years he has been in office, including the recently launched Bosaso international airport. Farah observed that lack of international airports was an obstacle to their travels back home. But beginning this year, he said all this will change as residents in the Diaspora will return home in large numbers, both as tourists and investors.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
British War Heroes Jailed For Protecting Ships From Somali Pirates
11 January – Source: Daily Star – 261 Words
The group of British pirate hunters were working as mercenaries for US company AdvanFort to protect ships from Somali pirates when they were arrested for entering Indian waters in October 2013. Their ship, the MV Seaman Guard Ohio, had a crew of 35, was detained and weapons were found.
In the following months the charges were dropped, but the Indian authorities appealed against the decision and the men were detained. The authorities have now won their case and a judge has sentenced them to five years in jail today. Paul Towers, a former British soldier among those convicted, claims the weapons on board their ship were properly registered.
Among those jailed are Nick Dunn, from Ashington, Ray Tindall from Chester, Paul Towers, from Yorkshire, John Armstrong, from Wigton, Cumbria, Billy Irving, from Connel, Argyll, and Nicholas Simpson, from Catterick, North Yorkshire. The sentencing of Nick Dunn, 29, a veteran from Iraq and Afghanistan, has provoked an outcry on social media.
Gary Robson wrote: “Disgrace. Five years. The British Government needs to get this sorted.” A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Our staff in India and the UK have been in close contact with all six men since their arrest to provide support to them and their families, including attending court.
Woman Fighting To Get Security Clearance Reinstated After Losing Airline Job
11 January – Source: The Huffington Post – 148 Words
A Somali-Canadian woman is asking a judge in Toronto to reinstate the security clearance she needs for work with an airline. Ayaan Farah, 31, says Ottawa unfairly revoked her Transportation Security Clearance a year ago, leading to her firing from her full-time job of eight years. Her lawyer tells Federal Court that the government has never provided proper justification for its decision.
Ottawa says it took the action based on RCMP reports that Farah had associated with three criminals. However, the government has never told her who they are, citing privacy reasons, nor did they interview her, family members or the people she allegedly associated with. Her lawyer calls that unfair, noting she was never given a hearing where she could answer the allegations.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Sometimes described as “Somalia’s most famous export”, Iman was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1955 to decidedly progressive parents.The couple’s marriage has been scandal-free and characterised by an extremely upbeat public profile. It seemed to have been something of a storybook romance”.
The End Of A Storybook Romance – Somalia-born Iman And David Bowie
11 January – Source: Mail & Guardian – 436 Words
A sad announcement has rocked the entertainment industry and music lovers across the world, that the pop Picasso, David Bowie, has died after a “courageous” 18-month battle with cancer. He was 69 years old. Bowie did it all – he was a legendary singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter, and actor. His hits include Let’s Dance, Space Oddity, Starman, Modern Love, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel, Rebel and Life on Mars. He was also well known for creating his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
One aspect of his life that also saw him stand out was his marriage – this year would’ve marked 24 years that he was married to Somali model Iman Abdulmajid and with whom he has a daughter – Alexandria Jones. A marriage this long is a true rarity in the world of fame. Sometimes described as “Somalia’s most famous export” Iman was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1955 to decidedly progressive parents.
Iman’s father was a diplomat stationed in Tanzania, and under the law he could have had multiple wives, but chose to keep just one. The parents agreed that their daughter should be sent to a private Catholic school for girls, which was considered more progressive than the standard Islamic education available to young females in the 1960s. There, Iman thrived.
She went on to attend the University of Nairobi – where she studied political science – and in the 1970s and 1980s she was one of the most sought-after fashion models. In the 1990s she became a successful business executive with her own line of cosmetics. Iman’s match with Bowie may seem unexpected – but considering her upbringing – the unconventionality of it seemed to match what her parents had hoped for.
In an interview with the The Independent, Bowie described how it was love at first sight for him when he met Iman. But for Iman it took some time as she wasn’t ready for a relationship yet, especially with an entertainer – but Bowie wooed her. He eventually proposed to Iman under the Pont Neuf bridge, serenading her with his version of Doris Day’s “April In Paris”.