July 18, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
New Battle Group From Uganda Deploys In Somalia
18 July – Source: AMISOM – 284 Words
The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) has deployed a new battle group to serve under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The new battle group, dubbed UGABAG XIX, replaces another battled group, UGABAG XVI, which has completed a one-year tour of duty in Somalia. Uganda is one of the troop-contributing countries in Somalia, with over 6,700 military personnel, serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia, alongside Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. The battle group, under Colonel Anthony Mbuusi Lukwago landed in Mogadishu on Sunday morning and will deploy in Lower Shabelle region.
“UGABAG XIX is equally good. They are going to take up the challenge. And of course they expect attacks as usual from Al-Shabaab. But this is a seasoned battle group,” Uganda contingent commander Brig. Sam Okiding said. “It has very good battalions. And we are confident they are going to add those achievements that were registered by Battle Group XVI,” he added.
Brig . Okiding saluted the out-going battle group for achieving milestones against Al Shabaab. The Battle Group Commander, Colonel Anthony Mbuusi Lukwago was optimistic about their stay in Somalia.
“I can say we are well-prepared for the situation in Mogadishu or the mission as such because we have received adequate training. We are thoroughly prepared. We were well-prepared by our trainers back home in Ssingo. And I think I have the best force so far. We believe we are going to make it just because others have done it. This mission is doable. We can do it and we think we can do it better than others because we have received sufficient training and we are well-prepared,” he stated.
Key Headlines
- New Battle Group From Uganda Deploys In Somalia (AMISOM)
- Somali Legendary Singer Passes Away (Goobjoog News)
- The Award I Won Is An Honor For All Somali Women Says Fadumo Dayib (Goobjoog News)
- The Departure Of Nile Organization Will Not Affect Ongoing Projects – Somali Government (Jowhar.com)
- SUPKEM Wants Refugees Handled With Dignity (Hivi Sasa)
- Somali Police Force Launches Community Policing Song (AMISOM)
- Voter Registration Begins In Sanaag Region (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland And Somaliland Forces Clash In Sanaag (Shabelle News)
- Somalia New Law Seeking To Empower Women Facing Stiff Opposition (CCTV)
- New Generation New Hope (Wardheer News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Voter Registration Begins In Sanaag Region
18 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 134 Words
The breakaway northern Somalia region of Somaliland has officially began to register voters in Sanaag region ahead of presidential elections in the region which held previous elections. The electoral commission deployed all the necessary equipment to registration centre in the town. They also revealed that they had designated 200 centers for the registration of the residents in the town.
Residents living in the region who are all eligible to vote will be enlisted to vote in the forthcoming presidential elections. Somaliland has earlier announced that it will hold presidential elections in 2016, amid political uncertainty over the current presidential controversial term extension last year which sparked protests and counter-accusations by the government and opposition parties.
Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia has declared a unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991.
Puntland And Somaliland Forces Clash In Sanaag
18 July – Source: Shabelle News – 103 Words
Fierce fighting between Somaliland and Puntland forces broke out early on Monday morning in Sanaag, a disputed region in northern Somalia, reports said. Reports say that the warfare between the two sides started at Booda-adde area, which is located near Baran town in Sanaag region.
The two sides (Puntland and Somaliland) are reportedly using heavy weapons in the skirmish which reports indicate causing heavy casualties on civilians. The situation remains tense and both sides are said to be amassing reinforcement troops on either side of the village of the disputed region. The fighting erupted after Somaliland began to register voters in the region.
Somali Legendary Singer Passes Away
18 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 91 Words
Popular and legendary Somali singer, Shey Mire Da’ar has died at a hospital in the breakaway Somaliland after a long illness, the late Da’ar’s brother confirmed to the media on Monday.
His brother A’abi ,also a singer has confirmed to BBC Somali service that the late Da’ar was ailing at the hospital for the past several weeks. Da’ar was born in 1969. He had started his debut as a singer in his hometown Erigavo in the 1980s before moving to Bosaso. He recently participated in the Somali festival in London.
The Award I Won Is An Honor For All Somali Women, Says Fadumo Dayib
18 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 292 Words
Female Presidential Candidate Fadumo Dayib was feted last week with the African Woman of the Year Award for what the awarding institution described as having distinguished herself in contribution towards the growth and development of Africa. Dayib said the award was a recognition of Somalia and particularly the Somalia women for their tireless contribution in rebuilding the country despite odds occasioned by years of civil war and destruction.
“I received the award not as an individual but on behalf of Somalia and particularly Somali women and also as a pan-Africanist,” Dayib told Goobjoog News. Dayib said the award also serves to bring world attention to Somalia and challenges the long-held view of the country as failed and ridden with war. “Such an award challenges the norm; it signals change in Somalia and brings us closer to the rest of Africa,” she observed.
Asked if she expected to win the award, Dayib said it was a surprise and a show of honour given the many other women who have done exemplary work in the continent. “I was humbled to be given such a coveted award particularly because I was competing with other women who have been doing remarkable work in various stations, some I admire and respect,” she quipped.
The African Achievers Award organisers note in their website their focus is to motivate all African leaders including the future leaders through recognizing the persons and organisations that have contributed remarkably to the development of Africa. “Through these methods we hope to build bridges across the gaps that exist in our society today, which has fueled the problem of inequality and underdevelopment in our societies,” they note. The awards ceremony was held in Abuja Nigeria and its the sixth since its inception in 2011.
The Departure Of Nile Organization Will Not Affect Ongoing Projects – Somali Government
18 July – Source: Jowhar.com – 108 Words
Somali government has defended its decision to suspend Nile Organization’s major development activities in Somalia, at the request of the Turkish government. Somali Minister of Interior and Federal Affairs, Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein (Odawaa), said that the departure of the Nile organization, which runs a host of educational and health projects in the country, including the prestigious Nile Academy – formerly Mogadishu Polytechnic Institute, Beder School – formerly Banadir Secondary, and Deva Hospital in Mogadishu, will have no significant ramifications whatsoever.
Speaking to the Washington-based VOA Somali Service, Mr. Odawaa assured the public that all Nile run activities will not be interrupted, without divulging the government’s alternative interventions. The Somali cabinet gave the Turkish organization a 17-day notice to cease its operations in Somalia, following formal request from Ankara, which alleged Nile-affiliated elements to have been involved in the recent coup attempt in Turkey.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
SUPKEM Wants Refugees Handled With Dignity
18 July – Source: Hivi Sasa – 145 Words
Supkem chairperson, Abdullahi Salat has urged the Kenyan government to handle the Somalia refugees with dignity. Salat noted that they had fled their country due to war and insecurity.
Speaking in Garissa town, the Supkem chair stated that as religious leaders, their mandate was to ensure that people are equally treated with dignity and fairness.
“The government authorities should treat these Somali refugees with dignity. They are human beings just like Kenyans or other citizens from other nations,” he stated.
Salat also urged the repatriation committee to fully involve local residents and consult with them in the repatriation of the over 300,000 Somali citizens from the Dadaab camps noting that such a move would ensure the exercise gets to move smoothly. The Kenyan government effected the repatriation process on 1st July, with the process expected to last for six months.
Somali Police Force Launches Community Policing Song
17 July – Source: AMISOM – 251 Words
A community policing song, aimed at rallying security conscious neighborhoods in Somalia has been launched. The song, whose launch in the capital Mogadishu on Sunday evening was presided over by Somali Prime Minister H.E Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, marshals peace loving Somalis to take keen interest and responsibility for their safety and security.
“The community policing song aims to integrate the public with the Somali Police. AMISOM has played a crucial role in the preparation of the song. The Police exist to serve the community, but if the police and the community don’t work together, there is no reliable security,” the Somali Police Commissioner Major General Mohamud Sheikh Hassan Hamud said. The lyrics of the song are a composition of encouraging messages that support police-public partnerships.
“We have 14 officers who have recently graduated and we are very pleased to have these officers here with us today” said the Police Commissioner, as he introduced police officers who will among other duties oversee community policing projects. Having successfully completed an intensive policing course, the officers were awarded certificates of achievement by the Prime Minister.
AMISOM Police Commissioner Anand Pillay attended the launch of the community policing song. Others were senior officials from the Somali Police Force and the Federal Government of Somalia. The Somali Police Force with assistance from the police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia is spearheading community policing projects in Mogadishu’s 15 districts, Jubbaland and the Interim South West Administration.
Somalia New Law Seeking To Empower Women Facing Stiff Opposition
16 July – Source: CCTV – Video: 2:46 Minutes
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
They bring new voice, new spirit, and new hope. They are young, risk takers, and poised to give birth to a better future. They inspire us. They make our hearts smile. They are giving us new hope. They give selflessly. They are generous with their time and energy. They are ready and set to be part of homegrown solutions to reconstruction. They are kind and compassionate.
New Generation, New Hope
18 July – Source: Wardheer News – 659 Words
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars” Khalil Gibran.
Change is in the air! No, it is not the vibrancy of rebuilding a country – nor the new buildings, roads, hospitals, schools, and start-ups. It is not the dynamism of creative business class bringing new ideas and innovations. It is not even the political male elites scrambling for power, as we get closer to elections. It is not the coalition of political parties pushing the limits to make space for dissent in a quickly changing political game of newly emerging democratic systems.
It is not about the resourceful, organized, and powerful women’s movement trying to subvert a political system that keeps finding new ways to disenfranchise them. All of these are taking place and they are bringing needed social and political transformations.
The change I am referring to is rather the energy of a new generation. They bring new voice, new spirit, and new hope. They are young, risk takers, and poised to give birth to a better future. They inspire us. They make our hearts smile. They are giving us new hope. They give selflessly. They are generous with their time and energy. They are ready and set to be part of homegrown solutions to reconstruction.
They are kind and compassionate. They are fearless and fierce. They makegumaysiga nervous. Cadowgu ma jecla! Eebboow noo badbaadi. They were born in Mogadishu, Hargeysa, Garowe, Djibouti, Nairobi, Abu Dhabi, Minnesota, London, Toronto, and Ottawa, Wellington, and New York. They are coming back. Some never left. They have degrees from Somali National University, Hargeisa University, Puntland State University, and Amoud University.
Some graduated from universities in Malaysia, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda, Kenya, United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, United States, Germany, and Canada. They learn languages in Morocco, Cairo, Khartoum, Istanbul, Rome, Paris, and Montreal. They work in Mogadishu, Hargeysa, Garowe, Djibouti, Nairobi, London, Helsinki, Oslo, Minnesota, Toronto, and Ottawa. Nairobi is their “play city”. They live in hotels. They work in their homes. Their offices are their homes.
TOP TWEETS
@fqdayib: My interview with @Goobjoog on the African Woman of the year award. It’s an honor bestowed on#Somalia & #Somalis. http://goobjoog.com/english/
@Abdi_AlSheikh: Somalia Shuts Schools Linked to Turkish Cleric After Failed Coup – Bloomberg http://dlvr.it/LqQ465 #Somalia
@rayrrobyn: #africa Al Shabaab Retakes Amara Area From Galmudug Forces: http://allafrica.com/stories/
@Goobjoognews: Somalia to acquire first warships since the fall of government in 1991: http://goobjoog.com/english/?
@omabha: Somalia Police released two arrested journalists on bail – Raxanreeb Online http://dlvr.it/LqQl5H #Somalia
@SomaliaNewsroom: Ex-Gedo gov Mohamed Abdi Khalil is now #Jubaland state minister for security. Madobe trying to make up for axing him. #Somalia https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
@SomaliaNewsroom: Jubaland president Ahmed Madobe has named Mohamed “Dheere” as the new governor of Gedo region to replace Ahmed Bulle Mohamed. #Somalia
ahmed_qays: Popular #Somali singer-songwriter Abdullahi Mire Da’ar better known as Shey Mire dies in #Hargeisa after long illness, @BBCSomali reports.
@SomaliaNewsroom: Really great to see football teams from around #Somalia compete against each other. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Uganda deploys a new battle group in Somalia to serve under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)
PHOTO: AMISOM