NATIONAL MEDIA
25 July – Source: Halbeeg – 202 Words
Somali government has appointed a committee work on facilitation of getting treatment for the victims injured in Wednesday’s Mogadishu municipal premises attack. In a statement, Somali deputy prime minister, Mahdi Mohamed Guleid has assigned the 13 member committee to extend emergency support to the victims. The committee comprises of Ministers and officials from Mogadishu local government. The government also plans to airlift some of the victims who got critically injured abroad for further treatment.
According to the government officials, the government of Qatar is today expected to send a plane to Mogadishu to ferry victims to Doha. Among those expected to be airlifted is Mogadishu Mayor, Abdirahman Osman Omar who sustained serious injuries during the blast. The attack which claimed the lives of several officials was condemned by the Somali government and the international community.
In a separate statement, UN and AU deplored heinous attack saying the blast is which not only demonstrates a violent disregard for the sanctity of human life but also targets Somalis working to improve the lives of their fellow Somalis in the Mogadishu-Banaadir region. The attack was claimed by al-Shabaab saying it was well-coordinated attack planned to target UN envoy who meeting with the mayor hours ago.
25 July – Source: Halbeeg – 158 Words
The victims who were critically injured in Wednesday’s suicide bombing in Mogadishu will be airlifted to Qatar for medical treatment on Thursday. Speaking to the media, the Deputy Governor of Banadir, Mohamed Abdullahi Tuleh, said several people, including Mogadishu Mayor, Abdirahman Osman Omar, will be lifted to abroad for further treatment. A plane dispatched by the government of Qatar will land shortly and is expected to take the injured to Doha for treatment,” he said. The plane will be accompanied by staff from Qatari Health ministry including medical team specialized in emergency service. A suspected suicide bomber on Wednesday blew herself up within Mogadishu municipal premises during a meeting. The blast killed six people including district commissioners, directors, and local government officials. Several others, among them Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman, were injured in the explosion. The attack was claimed by al-Shabaab saying it was well-coordinated attack planned to target UN envoy who meeting with the mayor hours ago.
24 July – Source: Radio Shabelle – 98 Words
Somali National Army chief General Dahir Aden Elmi, along with top military commanders are in Milano after receiving an invitation from his Italian counterpart Enzo Vecchiarelli. Elmi and Vecchiarelli discussed a range of issues related to the military cooperation between Somalia and Italy and agreed to extend the training mission for Somali troops. Italy is among several EU countries helping the Somali government in the rebuilding of the country’s national army and the fight against the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab. The two countries share historic relations back to Italy’s colony in southern regions of Somalia in the early 19th century.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
25 July – Source: Anadolu Agency – 150 Words
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry condemned a suicide bombing Wednesday in the office of the mayor of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. “We are deeply saddened that Mr. Abdirahman Omar Osman — the governor of Benadir (Region) and mayor of Mogadishu — was wounded while several people lost their lives as a result of a terror attack perpetrated today in his office,” the ministry said in a statement. It said Turkey strongly condemns the heinous attack and conveys well-wishes and condolences to the people and government of Somalia. “We wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and wish a speedy recovery to Mr. Abdirahman Omar Osman,” it added. A female suicide bomber blew herself up in the mayor’s office, killing two officials and badly wounding Osman. The attack came an hour after the mayor met with senior officials from the Somalia-based UN office, including the UN envoy to Somalia, according to Mogadishu administration sources.
24 July – Source: UNESCO – 156 Words
The Director-General of UNESCO has denounced the extremists’ attack on a hotel in Kismayo, southern Somalia, that claimed 26 lives, including those of journalists Mohamed Sahal Omar and Hodan Nalayeh on 12 July. “I condemn the violence that killed Hodan Nalayeh and Mohamed Sahal Omar,” said the Director-General. “There can be no justification for the killing of civilians, including journalists who play an essential role in upholding informed democratic choices and rule of law.” Hodan Nalayeh had recently founded the Integration TV YouTube channel which sought to present positive stories about Somalia. Mohamed Sahal Omar was a reporter for SBC TV in Kismayo. Both died in an Al-Sahab extremists’ attack on a hotel where elders and local politicians were meeting. UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Halima Adan, Deputy Director with Oxfam partner organization, Save Somali Women and Children, said: ” we are face-to-face with this crisis every day and scraping together all possible resources to ensure the best possible response. This means maximizing direct funding to local humanitarians, embedded in communities and who are nearly always the first responders in any crisis. Without enough funds and the right kind of support, our hands are tied.”
25 July – Source: Oxfam – 567 Words
More than 15 million people are in need of aid as drought hits parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia again. Yet lessons from the devastating droughts of 2011 and 2017 are being ignored, putting lives at risk, warned Oxfam today. The international agency is calling on governments to support the aid effort which is currently just over a third funded, making it difficult to help all those who need it and prevent an even greater humanitarian crisis. Consecutive poor rains have destroyed crops and the means to earn a living, and eroded people’s ability to cope leaving 7.6 million people across the three countries in severe hunger. The crisis is compounded as millions of people have been forced to flee their homes in the region due to conflict and the effects of drought.
Lessons learned from the 2011 famine, which killed over 260,000 people, helped avert a famine in 2017 with large scale, swift funding ensuring an effective humanitarian response. Millions of people are still recovering from the 2017 drought, which left them even more vulnerable to the impact of the current drought. However, at the same stage two years ago the humanitarian response was three-quarters funded.
Lydia Zigomo, Oxfam’s Regional Director for the Horn of Africa, said:”We learned from the collective failures of the 2011 famine that we must respond swiftly and decisively to save lives. But the international commitment to ensure that it never happens again is turning to complacency. Once again it is the poorest and most vulnerable who are bearing the brunt. “We cannot wait until images of malnourished people and dead animals fill our television screens.. We need to act now to avert disaster.”
The serious international shortfalls contrast with a more proactive response from the governments of the three countries: the Kenyan government is leading its drought response with minimal international funding; Ethiopia is paying nearly half the bill of all humanitarian activities in the country; Somalia has also significantly improved security and humanitarian access. But each country must expand these efforts and without more international support they will not be able to avert a greater crisis.
Halima Adan, Deputy Director with Oxfam partner organization, Save Somali Women and Children, said: “We are face-to-face with this crisis every day and scraping together all possible resources to ensure the best possible response. This means maximizing direct funding to local humanitarians, embedded in communities and who are nearly always the first responders in any crisis. Without enough funds and the right kind of support, our hands are tied.” Jama, a Somali displaced since the drought two years ago, fears an even worse outcome this time around: “We lost all of our livestock in 2017. If there are no solutions and the situation doesn’t improve, we will lose everyone here. I’m afraid of losing people.”
A climate crisis spiralling out of control has made drought the new norm in the region and is a reflection of global inequalities where vulnerable communities, who have done least to create the climate crisis, face its most devastating impacts. The immediate humanitarian response must be matched with genuine commitment to addressing systemic causes of the crisis. Oxfam and its partners are currently helping hundreds of thousands of people with life-saving support in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia by providing clean water and rapid flexible cash assistance, matched with longer-term support to build stronger, more resilient communities. |
