January 25, 2017 | Morning Headlines

Speaker Jawari Takes Over Somalia As The Acting President Ahead Of President Elections

24 January – Source : Radio Dalsan – 161 Words

The newly elected Speaker of the Somali Parliament Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari  has assumed all the powers of the President of  Somalia, Radio Dalsan has  confirmed. On Tuesday Jawari met with the top military officers led by Somalia National Army  boss  Major General  Mohamed Adan , NISA boss  and the Police Commissioner in  a protocol  confirming that orders now come from him and not Hassan Sheikh Mohamud the incumbent President.

In accordance with the federal constitution Mohamud  powers have now been reduced to  technically being  a candidate  in the elections which is set for later this month. Jawari later held a meeting with his senate counterpart Abdi Hashi confirming both the Lower and Upper House had ascent the transfer of power. Jawari is now in charge of the Somalia military among other duties. This is not the first time he has assumed  powers of the president of Somalia. Jawari briefly served acting President in August 2012 while Parliament elected a new leader.

Key Headlines

• Speaker Jawari Takes Over Somalia As The Acting President Ahead Of President Elections (Radio Dalsan)
• Jubbaland AU Forces Capture Badhadhe In Southern Somalia (Goobjoog News)
• Puntland Ministry For Women Vows To Seek Justice For Rape Victims (Goobjoog News
• AU Call For Deployment Of 4000 Additional Troops In Somalia (All East Africa)
• Fleeing Civil War A Somali Performance Artist Finds Refuge In Minnesota

NATIONAL MEDIA

Jubbaland, AU Forces Capture Badhadhe In Southern Somalia

24 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 149 Words

Forces of Southern regional state, Jubbaland backed by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops, on Tuesday captured Al-Shabaab stronghold town of Badhadhe in Lower Jubba region. The joint forces launched dawn attacked on the town which is situated about 160 kilometers from Kismaayo.
Witnesses confirmed the takeover of the town, saying Al-Shabaab fighters fled ahead of government and AU troops assault before day break. “Al-Shabaab fighters fled the town before allied forces moved in and the troops are now conducting security operations to clear the town.”said a resident in Badhadhe.

The official said the operations against Al-Shabaab will continue until they are cleared out of the region. The Somali army and the AU forces often carry out military operations in the south and central Somalia to flush out Al-Shabaab fighters. Al-Shabaab is fighting to overthrow Somalia’s Western-backed government, which has support of 22,000-strong AMISOM force.

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Puntland Ministry For Women Vows To Seek Justice For Rape Victims

24 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 195 Words

Women Affairs Ministry of Somalia’s Northern regional State, Puntland has vowed to seek justice for the victims raped by a group of men early last month in Galdogob town. Anisa Abdikadir Mumin, Puntland Minister for Women Affairs who visited the victims at Galkaayo Hospital said that medical evidence will support charges of sexual violence, signaling hope that the two raped could finally get justice. “We want justice for the girls so that this never happens again. We call upon the traditional elders to take part attempts to prosecute the attackers,” said Mumin.

Mumin said Puntland government will never accept criminals to terrorize citizens with apparent impunity. “My ministry as well as the government will put more efforts to bring those perpetrators to the justice. We don’t want to accept injustice,” said the minister. The move comes barely a week after authorities in Galdogob town arrested five men accused of raping two girls. A campaign aims to get those responsible brought to book was launched. The Campaigners have also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help the girl and her family who have had to flee their home “for fear of being ostracized”.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

AU Call For Deployment Of 4,000 Additional Troops In Somalia

24 January  – Source : All East Africa – 383 Words

The Military Operations Coordination Committee (MOCC) for the African Union Mission in Somalia AMISOM, in its 22nd meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday called for deployment of 4,000 additional troops in Somalia. The meeting emphasized the urgency for the UN and the international community to support additional forces of up to 4,000 troops in the provision of rations, fuel, and medical, for a limited duration, to allow for the conduct of offensive operations, as a catalyst for AMISOM imminent draw-down from Somalia.

In the meantime, the MOCC agreed that the AU Commission should convene a planning meeting, which will be hosted by Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, not later than the first week of February 2017, to finalize the operational plan for the conduct of expanded offensive operations. The MOCC further agreed that all troop contributing countries shall sign the addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding between the AU and TCCs, as an essential requirement to facilitate the payment of troop allowances for the period from January to September 2016. At the same time, the MOCC called on the AU, UN and the international community to address AMISOM funding challenges.

The MOCC also called on the AU Commission to elevate the issue of AMISOM funding gap to the upcoming AU Summit, in order for Summit to provide guidance on the way forward. According to a press release issued by AU, the MOCC reiterated the need for the continued and enhanced support to the Somalia National Army especially in preparation for the envisaged expanded offensive operations. Chiefs of Defense Staff of AMISOM troop contributing countries (Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda) or their designated representatives attended the meeting, chaired by the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smaïl Chergui.

OPINION, CULTURE & ANALYSIS

“Like my grandmother, I walk a lot; I notice a lot. I memorize through my soles; I anchor carefully. Displacement exists in gentrified places: in the glass windows of highrises that used to be community spaces. Uninvited ethnic food smells from restaurants sweep you to a summer breeze on a blistering Tuesday in January. Few will ever admit that immigrants kept the city’s lights on in dark economic times.”

Fleeing Civil War, A Somali Performance Artist Finds Refuge In Minnesota

24 January – Source: The Creator Project – 521 Words

Strong women propel themselves with just gravity. My grandmother never said it, she lived it. She lived through the Somali Civil War in 1991. She farmed on drought-ridden land. She raised and lived to see her great-grandchildren. She kept walking. She never gave up. My family left Somalia in search of a better life. Now, I live in Minneapolis, a land of 10,000 lakes, but I see Minneapolis as a land of 10,000 hijabis. Fifteen years and counting, you’d swear I just moved in. The Midwest has a way of keeping you out-casted. Like my grandmother, I walk a lot; I notice a lot. I memorize through my soles; I anchor carefully. Displacement exists in gentrified places: in the glass windows of highrises that used to be community spaces. Uninvited ethnic food smells from restaurants sweep you to a summer breeze on a blistering Tuesday in January. Few will ever admit that immigrants kept the city’s lights on in dark economic times.

I explore the city through public transportation. The METRO Blue Line train took me to my first job at The Mall of America, where I witnessed the first community-led protest in 2015 for Jamar Clark’s death at the hands of the police. I see immigrants who started from the bottom and now own their own halal markets. I see the Halimas wearing bright-yellow skirts, conjuring the sun even when the newly-renovated U.S. Bank Stadium distorts the city’s view. People of color have unwavering resilience and perseverance. I was going to be an elementary school teacher, but I accidentally discovered art along the way. I found my calling in life. I tell stories for work and for passion. A multimedia artist dancing between many art genres, I mix and weave multi-generational stories and amplify diverse perspectives. I used my childhood experience to create my first play, How To Have Fun in a Civil War, which amplifies the resilience of children in traumatic and tragic times. Hosted by the Children’s Theatre Company, I experienced my first sold-out shows. I became the first Somali female artist to perform at the Minnesota State Fair in 2015. Nothing is more powerful than holding the pen that will write your story.