January 18, 2018 | Morning Headlines

Southwest State Nabs Five Al-Shabaab Suspects In Security Operation In Bay Region

17 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 186 Words

The government of Southwest state said on Tuesday evening it had arrested five Al-Shabaab suspects at Manaas village just 45 kilometers  away from Baidoa. Suspects were nabbed in a joint security operation carried out by  Southwest state forces and Somali military on the heel of Daynuunay attack in the morning by Al-Shabaab militants.

The spokesman of Southwest state, Nuradiin Yussuf Abukar said Southwest state would continue the operations to clear the group from the towns and villages under its administration. “These militants were arrested in an operation intended to annihilate the militants the regions of Southwest state, the operation was jointly conducted by our forces and the military of the federal government,” Abukar.

He noted that suspects were undergoing interrogation and would be arraigned in court soon. “We strongly believe they are Al-Shabaab. They are currently being interrogated and will be arraigned in court soon,” the spokesman affirmed. Al-Shabaab militants are fighting to overthrow Somalia’s internationally backed government. In this week alone, the group three attacks on SNA bases in Baat, Lower and Middle Shabelle regions including Daynuunay, Afgooye and in the outskirt of Jowhar town.

Key Headlines

• Southwest State Nabs Five Al-Shabaab Suspects In Security Operation In Bay Region (Hiiraan Online)
• Somali Government Will Play Big Role in Managing Foreign Humanitarian Fund (Goobjoog News)
• UN Pleads For Sh160 Billion To Avert Famine In Somalia (The Daily)
• Somali Teenager Sets Her Hopes High For The Future (UNHCR)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Government Will Play Big Role in Managing Foreign Humanitarian Fund

17 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 397 Words

The enormous role the Somali government will play in managing the donor fund from the international community during its implementation on humanitarian activities in the country through a government ministry was today highlighted in a meeting titled Humanitarian Plans for 2018 held in Mogadishu. Speaking to reporters, shortly after the meeting, Deputy Minister for Planning, Investment and Economic Development  Mr. Elmi Omar Aisane described the role the federal government will perform through the special ministry dedicated to humanitarian affairs in Somalia. “Somali government will play a big role since it has created a humanitarian ministry, that will prioritize the general problem in the country.

Before, we never heard high government officials attending such meeting like the Prime Minister did today. It was largely attended by people working in the humanitarian field. Last year, the UN and the international community were working with us on plans to reach out to 3 million people. The huge part of the money will be donated by the international community to the concerned UN humanitarian” said deputy minister Ainte.

The 2018 humanitarian plan included preplanning for the impending drought, forecast in the course of the year with huge amount expected from the donor community, to lessen the impact of the drought on the local people. “This year we have impending drought and other humanitarian problems, $ 1.6 billion fund program has been presented for working on humanitarian activities in the country” said Ainte.

The Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management ministry which was recently instituted by the nascent incumbent administration, will mostly carry out activities normally implemented by UN humanitarian agencies. “The new ministry created by Khaire administration will be working on humanitarian activities especially on recurring  drought, alleviating hunger and other national problems.”

Ainte expressed optimism that in due course, Somalia will stand on its two feet and regain full economic freedom through agriculture.“We hope in the near future not to rely on humanitarian  handouts by boosting farming outputs.” Accountability has severely marred the donor fund in a negative way, to which the deputy minister assured everyone that they will carry out their activities openly irrespective of the affected region across the country. “We shall exercise transparency and display to the public how much we received, and what we will cover in which region. The fund will be for Somalia. Every region that has drought and hunger will be attended to.”

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

UN Pleads For Sh160 Billion To Avert Famine In Somalia

17 January – Source: Daily Nation – 219 Words

The United Nations has said Sh160 billion is needed to respond to severe drought that has been ravaging Somalia since January last year. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) 5.4 million people in Somalia are in dire need of food, medical assistance and shelter, in the case of internally displaced persons.

Speaking during the launch of the Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan at the Amisom offices in Mogadishu, the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia Hassan Khayre asked the international community and donor agencies for their help in dealing with the drought and to avert a potential famine in the country. He also urged the agencies to move to Mogadishu to offer assistance from the ground.

According to Mr. Kharye, a lot of the donations came from Somalis themselves and he urged for a long term solution to be developed to ensure that the country attains food security and general stability. This year’s rains are expected to fail resulting in drought and may lead to famine. According to Peter de Clercq, the UNOCHA humanitarian coordinator, Sh130 billion was to avert famine last year and he is confident that the amount required will be raised this year.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“My dream is to be a flight attendant,” says Manaal, who will never forget the elation of her first flight – to safety. “I want to be able to travel, see Paris and have butterflies in my stomach. I want to see the entire world.”

Somali Teenager Sets Her Hopes High For The Future

17 January – Source: UNHCR – 437 Words

War shattered 14-year-old Manaal’s dreams for the future. Now safe in the Netherlands, with new friends, her spirits are soaring once more. “I have only been in an airplane once and that is when we arrived here from Somalia,” says Manaal, who fled the country with her family. “In the airplane, I felt butterflies in my stomach the whole time. I saw a movie about a stewardess and she looked so pretty and smart that I decided I want to become a stewardess as well.”

Twenty-eight long years of conflict have left Somalia reeling. The peaceful canals and cafes of Amsterdam, where Manaal found safety in 2014 , have offered the youngster a refuge she could barely have imagined. Manaal is one of 12 refugee and asylum-seeking children living in Europe who star in a new project that lets their imagination run free. Titled The Dream Diaries, the project sees the young refugees and asylum-seekers reveal their hopes and dreams from the safety of their new homes in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

The series was produced by Humans of Amsterdam photographer Debra Barraud, her colleague Benjamin Heertje, Dutch graphic designer Annegien Schilling, filmmaker Kris Pouw and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. In it, Manaal dreams of becoming an air stewardess. A portrait shows her sitting on the wing of an airplane, soaring through a picturesque evening sky.

After 5 long years of separation from her father, who was the first to flee to Europe in a desperate bid to find a better life for his family, air travel means more to Manaal than most. “When we arrived at the airport, I finally saw my dad again,” she tells The Dream Diaries team. “So I ran up to him and hugged him really tight.” “When children flee their home countries, they leave everything behind, except their hopes and dreams,” says co-creator Debra Barraud, whose Humans of Amsterdam photography project has over 400,000 Facebook followers. “Through the project we saw the strength of these children and how with the right support they can achieve anything.”