July 17, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Ahlu-Sunna Fighters To Launch Attacks In Garbaharey Town Against Al-Shabaab

16 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 183 Words

The moderate Islamist group Ahlu-Sunna Waljama’a has vowed to step up its offensive against the militant group Al-Shabaab in Gedo region. The chairman of the group in Gedo region, Shariif Sahardiid Aadan who spoke exclusively to Goobjoog News said that the group’s fighters will launch increased attacks in Garbaharey town which is under the control of Al-Shabaab ever since it dislodged the government soldiers from the town. “Somali National Army (SNA), Ahlu-Sunna fighters and African peace-keeping mission (AMISOM) troops are heading to Garbaharey town to liberate Somali people from Al-Shabab. The troops will attack the town from different directions, we wish to liberate the town in forthcoming days,” Shariif Sahardiid Aadan said.

Some three thousand troops from Ethiopia this week crossed to Gedo and have been advancing on the Al-Shabaab held strategic town of Baardheere. Alshabab has reportedly deployed more fire power in the town as residents flee the city to safer places fearing an imminent clash. The claims by Ahlu-Sunna Waljama’a comes hours after the government claimed responsibility for the drone strike that killed two Al-Shabaab commanders, Ismail Jabhad and Ismael Dhere.

Key Headlines

Somali Government Claims Responsibility Over Drone Strike In Gedo (Goobjoog News)
Combined Forces Of Jubbaland and AMISOM Capture Tarako Ahead Of Expected Liberation Of Baardheere (Wacaal Media)
Somalia: Talks In Puntland End In Failure (Garowe Online)
Puntland President Extends Amnesty To Over Hundred Convicts In Prison (RBC Radio)
Germany Ends Atlanta Operation Off the Coast of Somalia (Shabelle News)
Ahlu-Sunna Fighters To Launch Attacks In Garbaharey Town Against Al-Shabaab (Goobjoog News)
Children Die In Guriel Diarrhoea Outbreak (Radio Ergo)
UPDF to Deploy Choppers in Somalia (The Monitor Uganda)
Somaliland Losing Youth To Lure Of Europe (IRIN)
Tale Of Two Kenyan Refugee Camps Raises Concerns Of Prejudice (The Christian Science Monitor)
12 Trailblazing Women From The Horn Of Africa (okayafrica.com)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Government Claims Responsibility Over Drone Strike In Gedo

16 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 247 Words

The government of Somalia has claimed responsibility for the Wednesday night drone strike which killed two senior Al-Shabaab commanders, State radio Radio Moqdisho reports. Without delving into any details on the story, the government said its drones had hit a vehicle which Ismail Jabhad and Ismael Dhere were traveling in in Baardheere town, Gedo region. This is the second drone attack the government has claimed responsibility over after another one last month. The government early this year said it was acquiring drones from friendly foreign countries to boost its war on terror. The news item on the State run radio says that 12 other Al-Shabaab fighters were also killed in the attack. Kenyan government had earlier claimed the Garissa University attack mastermind Mohamed Mohamud Gamadhere was among those killed by has since retracted the statement noting that Gamadhere was not among them.

“The 2am drone strike killed over 30 terrorists including one Jamaa Adhere but he is isn’t the Gamadahere of Garissa varsity attack,” said the Interior ministry spokesman in his twitter account. The strikes follow yesterday’s military movements in Baardheere involving Somali National Army, SNA and Kenya Defence Forces, KDF which military sources said were aimed at closing in on the Al-Shabaab controlled town. Military sources exclusively told Goobjoog News yesterday SNA and KDF forces under the African Union backed forced AMISOM were on the verge of launching an offensive against Al-Shabaab bases in Baardheere town which has been a major stronghold of the militant group.

Combined Forces Of Jubbaland and AMISOM Capture Tarako Ahead Of Expected Liberation Of Baardheere

16 July – Source: Wacaal Media – 72 Words

News reaching us indicate that the combined forces of Jubbaland and AMISOM this morning took over Tarako town, 50KM west of Baardheere district, Gedo region. The forces left Faafahduun last night and the captured town in the impending liberation of Baardheere district. It is big morale booster for the forces ahead of the expected offensive on Baardheere which was the last major town remaining in the hands of Al-Shabaab militants.

Talks In Puntland End In Failure

16 July – Source: Garowe Online – 209 Words

A trilateral meeting that brought together Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and leaders of Puntland and Jubaland ended in failure after parties stuck to their positions, Garowe Online has learned. Puntland categorically insisted that the formation of Galmudug was in violation of Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC) which stipulates ‘two or more regions may merge to form federal member state’. Prime Minister Sharmarke also asked both Puntland and Jubaland to recognize all national commissions, notably Independent National Electoral Board and Boundary and Federation commission, a move that triggered constitutional debate over the mandatory prior consultation before commissions are set up.

Jubaland’s ties to Mogadishu-based federal government have remained suspended since June 6, when session marred in disputes and delays voted in favor of controversial motion against Jubba regional assembly. Meanwhile, the northeastern state of Puntland protested unilateral inclusion of Mudug in regional constitution approved by Adado delegates last month. “If Galmudug is recognized in breach of the constitution, then you will expect faint regions and unprecedented national fragmentation,” analyst told Garowe Online. Prime Minister Sharmarke Monday arrived in Puntland to ease constitutional dispute and mend ties with Garowe and Kismayo. The failure to agree on a deal may be jeopardizing the country’s timetable towards election by 2016.

Puntland President Extends Amnesty To Over Hundred Convicts In Prison

16 July – Source: RBC Radio – 121 Words
As the holy Month of Ramadan draws to close, Puntland government has freed dozens of convicted inmates, RBC Reports. At least 40 convicts had been set free from the main jail in Garowe. the administrative capital of Puntland, after President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas extended amnesty. The President of Puntland has issued amnesty to prisoners who has been convicted of various crimes before the administration’s justice ministry has set them free. “You are not freed to repeat harming the public but to take advantage of this amnesty” said Puntland’s justice ministry while speaking at event held for the release of the inmates. The president has extended amnesty to a total of hundred and twenty convicted prisoner serving in jails across Puntland.

Germany Ends Atlanta Operation Off The Coast Of Somalia

16 July – Source: Shabelle News – 167 Words

The German Maritime Patrol P3C-Orion aircraft completed a three month deployment with Operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia. The Orion aircraft played a crucial role in the success of the European Union’s counter-piracy operation by acting as the ‘eyes in the sky’ to provide timely intelligence about patterns of life and any potential pirate activity along the Somali coastline and far out to sea. With an air patrol and search area one and half times the size of Europe, the German aircraft and its crew flew more than 250 operational flying hours, averaging nine hours per flight. The commanding officer of the P-3C Task Group, Commander Borman, praised the commitment from the German crew “I am very proud of my team. As well as our highly-experienced crews who fly and operate the aircraft, the technicians who maintain the aircraft on the ground have shown outstanding commitment in what have been extreme climatic conditions and a relentless workload.”

Children Die In Guriel Diarrhoea Outbreak

16 July – Source: Radio Ergo – 132 Words

An outbreak of diarrhoeal infection has been reported in several villages in the area between Guriel in Galgadud and Mataban in Hiran. Three children under five died in Boob-dheere, 40 km from the nearest health facility in Guriel, according to local elder Dahir Mohamed Guled. Hassan Mohamed, a nurse at Istarlin hospital in Guriel, said eight infected children were admitted on Wednesday after being brought from Boob-dheere and Shalaqbeen villages. Hassan said the diarrhoeal disease appeared to be spreading to nearby villages where people had no access to clean water and drank from available surface water pans. The disease outbreak is linked to the current dry spell in the affected areas, which has caused a shortage of safe drinking water, according to Radio Ergo’s Guriel reporter.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

UPDF to Deploy Choppers in Somalia

16 July – Source: The Monitor, Uganda – 233 Words

Kampala — The army is planning to deploy choppers in Somalia to reinforce military operations against Somali insurgents who have heightened attacks against military and civilian population in Mogadishu in the last three weeks. This will be the first time Ugandan military helicopters are being deployed in Somalia after the first attempt in 2013 disastrously ended with three out of four choppers crashing in Kenya on their way to Mogadishu, killing seven soldiers. The army spokesperson, Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, told Daily Monitor yesterday that the “air assets” would make mobility of Ugandan soldiers deployed in central and south east of Somalia easier.

“I can only confirm to you that we are in the process of deploying air assets to support our military operations in Somalia,” he said. Earlier, the African Union Commissioner for peace and security, Mr Smail Chergui, had told journalists during the meeting of eastern African intelligence and security chiefs in Kampala that AU was negotiating with Uganda to deploy the choppers. “When al-Shabaab is attacked, they run away and escape because we don’t have helicopters. It has been difficult to follow them. But hopefully, with Uganda, we shall have helicopters,” Mr Chergui said. He said the UN would pay a reimbursement fee to Uganda for the wear and tear of the helicopters. “The money is available. We are waiting for Uganda to deploy.

Somaliland Losing Youth To Lure Of Europe

16 July – Source: IRIN – 1, 168 Words

Mohamed Hossien Geeldoon never questioned putting his life in the hands of smugglers who promised to covertly transport him from his home in Somaliland in the Horn of Africa to Europe. “You would never try to go legally as a Somali; it’s impossible,” said Geeldoon, now 27. “But once you have the idea of migration in your head, it doesn’t go away.” The then 21-year-old was convinced that making it to Europe was his best chance of getting a higher education and bettering his future. But after a two-year long odyssey mired with multiple failed attempts to cross the Mediterranean and great personal and financial costs to him and his family, he was back where he started. He is a reminder that migrants were throwing themselves at the mercy of the Mediterranean long before the number of attempted crossings reached the levels we are seeing today – with nearly 160,000 sea arrivals so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

As the European Union continues to engage in deeply divisive talks about how to deal with the influx to its shores, Somaliland – a self-declared state internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia – is having its own conversation about why so many of its young people are risking everything to reach Europe. Policymakers in this region of 3.5 million people, where youth unemployment sits at between 60 and 70 percent, are struggling to come up with ways to convince would-be migrants that the often hollow promise of a better life in Europe is blinding them to the perils of getting there. Somaliland’s immigration commissioner Maxamed Cali Yuusuf says as many as 300 people, predominantly young men, leave Somaliland each month. They rely on a sophisticated network of smugglers to take them through Ethiopia, Sudan and Libya, with Europe as the promised destination.

Lanky and always sharply dressed with plastic-rimmed glasses framing his thin face, Geeldoon wants to serve as a cautionary tale for others. He visits schools across the country to share some of the harrowing details of his attempted journey to Europe. There is no shortage to choose from. At one point, after his smuggler abandoned him and his fellow travellers in the Sahara desert in Sudan, Geeldoon walked for 12 days before reaching the Libyan border. Fifteen of the 32 people in his group did not survive the desert trek. Other incidents included witnessing a smuggler near the Libyan border beat a pregnant woman because her family had not paid a ransom demand, and watching a man jump from an overcrowded boat that had been at sea in the Mediterranean for three days after he thought he saw land. But the disillusionment with life in Somaliland that so many young men and women feel is difficult to overcome. Research has consistently found that migrants are usually well-informed about the dangers that lie ahead, but view the expected benefits of reaching their destination as worth the risk.

Tale Of Two Kenyan Refugee Camps Raises Concerns Of Prejudice

16 July – Source: The Christian Science Monitor – 946 Words

When plans for a new refugee camp in Kenya’s northwest were announced last month, human rights activists here bristled. The new camp, Kalobeyei, was welcome news: It will be built as an extension of another camp to accommodate the influx of South Sudanese refugees. But it comes amid Kenya’s continuous threats to close Dadaab camp – a 24-year-old compound that has become world’s largest refugee settlement and is predominantly home to Somali refugees. The decision has ignited concerns both about discrimination against Somali refugees and Kenya’s overall refugee policy. “Both South Sudan and Somalia are wracked by conflict and abuses, but Kenya’s generous and commendable welcoming of South Sudanese refugees starkly contrasts with some officials’ threats to force Somali refugees back home against their will,” says Gerry Simpson of the Human Rights Watch Refugee Program.Dadaab’s sprawling four-camp complex has a population of 330,000 people – if it were a city, it would be Kenya’s 4th largest. The Somali refugees who live there either fled the breakout of civil war in Somalia in 1991 or trickled in as the country became a failed state.

But the Kenyan government has complained that the camp is now a recruitment center for the Somalia-based Al Shabab militant group. With the rise of attacks from the Al Qaeda-linked terror group, calls have increased to close the camp – reaching a fever pitch after 148 students were killed in the Garissa University attack in eastern Kenya in April. Until last year, Kenya played host to the largest number of refugees in Africa, a title now claimed by neighboring Ethiopia. Kenya is often praised for its open-door policy to refugees from other conflict-ridden East African countries, but that perception is changing. “I think the priority of the government is wrong. It cannot keep threatening to close one camp, while opening another for a group of refugees. That is not good. It should treat all refugees equally,” says Sheikh Abdullahi Salat, the chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslim (SUPKEM) in Garissa County, where Dadaab is based.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“The project arose from a question of where the “carefree Somali girls” were being portrayed. They most often self-identify as Muslim and African, yet are rarely ever represented in both arenas, says Sumaya. Within their communities and households, they basically run things, but are usually behind the scenes. They are in the unique position of being black, Somali, Muslim, women, and diasporic (North American, European, etc) in communities that don’t fully accept, acknowledge, and encourage all of those facets of their being.”

12 Trailblazing Women From The Horn Of Africa

16 July – Source: okayafrica.ocm – 670 Words

Hana Mire
United Arab Emirates-based independent Somali filmmaker Hana Mire is the director and producer of the forthcoming documentary Rajada Dalka. She’s enrolled in film production courses at New York Film Academy in Abu Dhabi, and has previously directed and produced short documentaries and narratives. In 2013, she won an award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival for her mini-doc, Silent Art.

Rajada Dalka is a feature documentary that incarnates the strong will and devotion of the Somali Women National Basketball Team amid an ongoing conflict. The idea for the film came about as Mire was watching TV and heard that Somalia’s national women’s basketball team had placed fourth at the 2011 Arab Games in Qatar. The film is slated for a 2016 release.

Sada Mire
As executive director of Horn Heritage Organization, and one of the only known current archeologists in the region, Mire has made international headlines with her findings of ancient caves, sites, and rock art, including the 5,000-year-old Dhambalin rock art site and the 10,000-year-old Laas Geel cave art site in Somaliland.