July 25, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Two Killed In Al-Shabaab Attack On SNA Military Base In Middle Shabelle
25 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 180 Words
At least two people were killed on Sunday night when Al Shabaab fighters attacked Somali National Army military base in Middle Shabelle region, in the latest raid targeting Government soldiers deployed outside Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, local administration and residents said.
The group attacked the military base at Adale town, located some 180 kilometers north of Mogadishu prompting hours of fighting between the sides, according to Ali Abdule, deputy district commissioner: “Al-Shabaab attacked the town last night, after hours of fighting, the SNA defended the town by warding off Al-Shabaab fighters,” said Abdulle.
Abdulle said the fighting claimed lives of people and wounded several others.Residents in the area close to the base said the attack began when a bomb exploded near the base, after which gunmen fought their way into the base:“There was a huge blast and then the heavy exchange of gunfire started,” said Ali Osman, a nearby resident.
On the other hand, Al-Shabaab claimed the responsibility for the attack on the military base.“Mujahideen fighters stormed the base and killed several soldiers,” the Shabaab said through their media mouthpiece.
Key Headlines
- Two Killed In Al-Shabaab Attack On SNA Military Base In Middle Shabelle (Goobjoog News)
- Road Closure Marks The Launch Of ‘Somali Week’ In Canada (Hiiraan Online)
- Puntland State TV Presenters Strike Over Unpaid Salaries (Garowe Online)
- Newly Deployed Police Officers From Kenya Fully Induct Into AMISOM (AMISOM)
- Somaliland Book Festival Aims To Promote Culture Preserve Language (VOA)
- City’s Somali Community Embraces New Child Care Standards ( Charlotte Observer)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Road Closure Marks The Launch Of ‘Somali Week’ In Canada
24 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 400 words
Dixon road, a main artery of Etobicoke was blocked off on Saturday afternoon to commemorate the beginning of ‘Somali Week ‘, the first time a major road was closed to celebrate the event since its inception. The event which is held annually by the Toronto Development Association of Youth (TODAY) was held at Dixon Park in Etobicoke.
The launch event was attended by officials representing both the Somali and Canadian government and is a celebration of Somali culture. ‘Somali Week’ includes a soccer tournament fielding teams from Europe and North America. The games begin tomorrow at Centennial Park.
Several high profile government officials attended the event including Speaker of the Somali Parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari; the first Somali Canadian Member of Parliament Ahmed Hussen, MP for York South Weston; Borys Wrzesnewskyj, MP for Etobicoke Centre; former city councilor for Etobicoke North, Doug Ford. All of whom took a moment to address the crowd. Ali Mohamed Ali who is vying for a seat on TDSB leadership as a trustee in Etobicoke North was also present.
Borys Wrzesnewsky told the crowd a heart wrenching story about the struggle and poverty he witnessed firsthand in Somalia, the thought of a little girl that he met still lingers in his mind as he wonders what became of her. He pledged that with the Liberal Party back as the governing party of Canada, he will try to put together a donor conference to assist Somalia and assured Somali Canadians of his continued support.
Doug Ford, who is no longer a city councilor, attended the event saying that the “Somali community has supported my family for 25 years, I wanted to come by and show my support for the community. Michael Ford, the nephew of Rob and Doug Ford was in attendance ahead of Monday’s by-election where he hopes to win Rob Ford’s former council seat.
The keynote speaker, Mohamed Osman Jawari addressed an enthusiastic crowd telling them Somali Canadians should be proud that they have achieved a remarkable feat by electing one of their own to the Canadian Parliament. He added that there is more to be done to integrate Somalis into Canadian society and have more representation in Canadian institutions.‘Somali Week’ was first held in Toronto back in the early 90’s by a group of Somali sportsmen who fled the civil war, including Somali soccer players Mukhtar Ute, Antar Jenyo and many others.
Puntland State TV Presenters Strike Over Unpaid Salaries
24 July – Source: Garowe Online – 171 Words
Journalists at Puntland State Television (PLTV) have staged a damaging strike to protest non salary payments and incompetent management, Garowe Online reports. On Saturday, the State TV suspended news programs regularly presented from dusk through 10:00 PM in the evening after journalists refused to show up owing to a pay dispute.
The presenters went on strike to protest over government’s failure to address their complaints regarding overdue entitlements and lack of monthly salaries. The move comes in the context of frosty relations between the media and Puntland Information Ministry. Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali recently drew ire of players in the media industry for naming Jamal Arab Yusuf as Director-General. Yusuf has yet to take over after his clan expressed outrage at what they described ‘politically motivated’ post that could block outspoken Federal Member of Parliament Abdi Barre Yusuf Jibril from being elected to the country’s 275-seat-chamber of parliament again. Puntland State TV has over the last two years been grappling with allegations of embezzlement blamed on a corrupt and inept management.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Newly Deployed Police Officers From Kenya Fully Induct Into AMISOM
25 July – Source: AMISOM – 350 Words
A group of ten Kenyan police officers newly deployed in Somalia as Individual Police Officers (IPOs) has completed a one-week induction course aimed at educating them on the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The officers have been undertaking the induction course in Mogadishu since Monday last week, to orient them with the Mission’s objectives.Speaking at the end of the course, on Sunday, AMISOM Police Chief of Staff, Rex Dundun, who represented the AMISOM Police Commissioner, urged the officers to prepare themselves for the tasks ahead, especially for the forthcoming elections.
“You are coming in at a time when the police component is actually scaling down due to rotations and at the same time, we are preparing for the forthcoming elections which make the tasks before you herculean. I am sure that you will be able to cope, with the training that you have got and the prospect we have seen in you,” Mr. Dundun said.
AMISOM Police Coordinator of Training, Francis Aryee, echoed Dundun’s sentiments. He emphasized the importance of the induction training, saying it would prepare them for the major tasks relating to law and order and the implementation of the Concept of Operations.
Somaliland Book Festival Aims To Promote Culture, Preserve Language
24 July – Source: Voice of America – 546 Words
A weeklong festival of books, culture and literature kicked off Saturday in Hargeisa, the capital of the internationally unrecognized breakaway republic of Somaliland.
Authors, artists and scholars from around the world are attending this little-known but significant Hargeisa International Book Fair. Now in its ninth year, the event attracts representatives from 12 countries, including Nigeria, Germany, Britain, Ghana, Italy, France and South Africa.
Somalia’s civil war and former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre’s brutal war with Somaliland in the 1980s took a toll on the region’s cultural centers: “This has diminished arts and productivity. Composing plays and finding spaces where youth can showcase their art and skill did not grow,” said Ayan Mohamoud, managing director of Kayd Arts and Culture, the organization that coordinates the book fair.
The Hargeisa book fair invites authors and artists from African countries every year to learn about Somalia. Ghana is this year’s guest country. Previous years’ guest countries include Nigeria and Malawi. Mohamoud said the idea behind inviting other countries is to help Somalis learn about other African countries.
“Somalis have little knowledge about Africa,” she told VOA. “We believe inviting the scholars from these countries, be it Ghana or Kenya, will shape the views of their people toward the Somalis in their countries.” This year’s theme is leadership and creativity, and the role literature plays in good leadership.
“Ghana is a country where there has been no civil war, it’s a good example for Africa, it had a good leader, and it’s a good example for the theme,” Mohamoud said. The event also brings together Somali authors regardless of political beliefs. “The biggest part [of the festival] is showcasing books and creativity of the Somalis,” Mohamoud said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Voices of Tomorrow also has helped the state understand Somali culture and make adjustments. For example, Somali women don’t sit cross-legged with their students on the floor and it’s considered rude for children to make direct eye contact with their elders.”
City’s Somali Community Embraces New Child Care Standards
23 July – Source: Charlotte Observer – 1,575 Words
When Somali refugees began arriving in the Seattle area in the 1980s, many of the women created small businesses that tapped their culture’s passion for raising children, and provided them a way to support their families in a new land far from the wars of East Africa.
In those days, they could easily get state licenses to open home-based child care businesses as long as they offered safe places for children, reported The Seattle Times. Then in 2012, the state launched an ambitious effort to improve the quality of teaching in preschool and child care centers big and small, based on decades of brain research showing children need much more than babysitting to thrive intellectually and emotionally.
But the new requirements made many in the East African community fear the state wanted to shut them down. And the state was worried, too, that many home-based centers would close, making low-cost child care even less available to immigrants who need it the most, and depriving families of their livelihoods.
That started to happen a few years ago as one East African provider after another closed rather than attempt to meet the state’s new expectations. But thanks to the efforts of a few young child care professionals raised in the East African community, the trend has reversed.
As of May, 94 percent of the 243 Somali-speaking child care providers in King County had signed up to become part of the state’s effort, called Early Achievers. That’s way above the county average of 78 percent (which includes preschool centers) and even exceeds centers run by native English speakers.
In King County, where almost one in five children eligible for government-subsidized care is Somali, that’s an important step: “If you don’t have a solution that addresses Somali kids, you don’t have a solution,” said Ross Hunter, director of the state’s Department of Early Learning, in a new report that features Washington’s preschool program.
TOP TWEETS
@amisomsomalia:High-level team from #AMISOM visits Burundi troops in Jowhar. http://goo.gl/zoX6Mz #Somalia
@Banaadirpost:#Ethiopia troops vacates 3 mil bases in#Somalia‘s Bakool. Rabdhure, Burdhuhule & Garasweyne.All taken by #AlShabaab
@ccasomalia:#Somalia join us this afternoon to discuss youth participation in politics and representation in leadership positions#SomaliYouthMatters.
@lasoco:Somalia: Soldier Jailed for Selfie With the President –http://AllAfrica.com http://j.mp/2a3Tm6V #Somalia
@Hamza_Africa:A fire lit by a sinful man burns a sinless man (Dab munaafaq shiday mu’min baa ku gubta) – Somali proverb.#Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A family awaits repatriation to Somalia.
Photo: @UNHCR_Kenya