July 27, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Somali Military Court Sentences ISIS Linked Man Life Imprisonment
26 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 228 Words
An Islamic State man who pleaded guilty to be a member of the group has been handed a life imprisonment sentence. The Islamic State has been recruiting members within its ranks in the region, although experts say the scale of its force is unclear.
Jama’a Hussein Hassan confessed to being a member of the Islamic State and confessed his role in staging several attacks within and without the capital city of Mogadishu. Liban Ali Yarow , the Chairman of the military court, said Hassan had confessed to being part of Islamic State fighters and had fought alongside the group’s soldiers in Puntland state.
“After all the court hearings and presentation of pieces of evidence, the court sentences Jama’a Hussein Hassan to life imprisonment,” declared Yarow: “He may appeal against the sentence within 30 days otherwise the ruling will be carried out.” Hassan was arrested by the security forces in Afgooye town as he planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the roadside.
The pro-Islamic State faction in northeastern Somalia is led by Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin, a former Al-Shabaab cleric, who pledged his allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2015. In 2016, the U.S. State Department designated Mumin as a global terrorist. Since the emergence of the IS faction in October 2015, the group has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in Puntland and southern Somalia
Key Headlines
- Somali Military Court Sentences ISIS Linked Man Life Imprisonment (Halbeeg News)
- Somali TV Cameraman Killed In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- Military Officer Arrested For Impersonating Somalia Army Chief Gen.Gorood (Radio Dalsan)
- Kenyan Police Officer Killed 2 Injured In Al-Shabab Attack (Xinhua)
- Broken Promises Force Al-Shabaab Recruits To Return Home (The Star)
- Horn Of Africa: Impact Of Early Warning Early Action – Protecting Pastoralist Livelihoods Ahead Of Drought (Reliefweb)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali TV Cameraman Killed In Mogadishu
26 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 222 Words
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has condemned the murder of a Somali journalist in Mogadishu on Thursday, the latest in a series of attacks against media practitioners in Somalia. Abdirizak Kasim Iimaan was killed at 3:10 PM, when a policeman at a checkpoint near Peace Garden shot twice in the direction of the journalist in the neighbourhood of Hamar Jajab neighborhood. He was pronounced dead few minutes after being shot.
Abdirizak was attached to the London based SBS TV as cameraman cum technician. SBS TV Director in Mogadishu Mohamud Dhakane Nur confirmed the death of Abdirizak, noting that he was riding on a Bajaj taxi when he was shot dead: “We are at Madina hospital where the body of Abdirizak has been brought. We do not know yet why he was killed,” Mohamud added.
“On behalf of NUSOJ, we strongly condemn the assassination of cameraman Abdirizak Kasim Iimaan and we urge the Somali security agencies to launch urgent investigations into this shocking murder,” said Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, the NUSOJ General Secretary.
Abdirizak becomes the first journalist to be killed in Somalia this year, while on duty. The safety of journalists seemed to have improved during the first half of the year, but the latest incident is a major setback with regard to the safety of journalists operating in Somalia.
Military Officer Arrested For Impersonating Somalia Army Chief Gen.Gorood
26 July – Source: Radio Dalsan – 128 Words
A military officer of the Somalia National Army (SNA) was on Thursday arrested for allegedly impersonating the Army Chief, Abdiweli Jama Gorod. The officer said to be of the rank of a Colonel, has been identified only as Yassin and is based in Gedo region where he commands 53 soldiers. A military official however told Radio Dalsan that the officer had since moved to Mogadishu.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating a trail of correspondence that Colonel Yassin is said to have conducted with a number of foreign contacts masquerading as Gen.Gorod. According to a military source, Colonel Yassin had been living in North America before his recruitment to the SNA. This is indeed the first reported incident of an officer impersonating the Somalia Army Chief.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan Police Officer Killed, 2 Injured In Al-Shabab Attack
26 July – Source: Xinhua – 247 Words
At least one police officer was killed and two others sustained serious injuries while another three are missing after a vehicle they were travelling in was ambushed by al-Shabab militants in the coastal Lamu county on Thursday, police said.
Coast Regional Police Commander Noah Mwivanda confirmed the incident in Milihoi area, which paralyzed transport in the region. There were six police officers in the vehicle, he said. Mwivanda said Somali militants ambushed the police officers who were returning to their camp in Mpeketoni after regular patrols in al-Shabab-prone areas.
He said the ambush prompted a fierce gunfight with insurgents, who later vanished into the forest. “Our officers have been injured and might need referrals,” he told Xinhua by phone. The police commander said two officers have been hospitalized while the search for the other three is ongoing.
A Kenya Red Cross official who requested anonymity said that the attack has paralyzed operations along Garsen-Lamu Road. All public service vehicles from Mombasa to Lamu are stuck at Mkunubi area while commuter buses from Lamu have been barred from leaving. Hundreds of passengers were stranded on the road as security forces engage the militants in heavy shootout.
Al-Shabab militants have changed tactics and resorted to using improvised explosive devices to carry out attacks in parts of the coastal and northeastern regions, according to police. The militant group is believed to have fighters operating in the area’s Boni forest that has poor communication network and terrains, slowing down police operations.
Broken Promises Force Al-Shabaab Recruits To Return Home
26 July – The Star – 512 Words
Large numbers of youth who had been radicalised and tricked into joining the Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia are now returning home to Kenya in droves. The majority cited poor living conditions, mistreatment and lack of remuneration as reasons for the fallout.
“It is unfortunate the miserable conditions that made me leave home are the same conditions I have to live through everyday,” Omar, a returnee from Lamu County said. Omar was recruited by his maternal uncle, a madrassa teacher in Hindi, Lamu County The uncle was their breadwinner after their father disappeared from home without a trace.
After completing Standard 8 in 2014, Omar’s uncle told his mother he would get a job for his nephew for him take care of his five siblings. The mother was not suspicious since his uncle lived a comfortable life. She never inquired about the job nor the location he was going. Like Omar, most of the returnees said low quality of life and social exclusion are some of the reasons they had joined the group.
To their surprise, they found themselves living in the same conditions they had fled from when they joined the terror group. Sheikh Abdul from Panda Nguo said the conditions were worse than at home: “I know we are poor back home, but it is better to return, or die than live in those conditions. At home, I had never stayed for three days without food or a week without showering, but that it was something normal for the militants,” Abdul said.
None of the returnees have any financial or material gain to show for their time with the terrorists, contrary to the promises they were given. Their hope for financial benefit was severely dampened by measly earnings. Unlike Omar and Abdul, Rama Mohammed from Mombasa did not join Al-Shabaab because of poverty but his was an ideological pursuit.
Al-Shabaab supports a policy of looting and pillaging the local population in the environment they live in. The proceeds are a reserve for leaders and leftovers are given to the local Somali born fighters. This leaves the foreign fighters desperate and frustrated.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“By treating over 1 million animals belonging to nearly 180,000 people in the worst hit areas of Somaliland and Puntland, FAO’s interventions helped herders save over $40 million, and the milk was enough to nourish 80,000 vulnerable mothers and children”.
Horn Of Africa: Impact Of Early Warning Early Action – Protecting Pastoralist Livelihoods Ahead Of Drought
26 July – Source: Reliefweb – 686 Words
Intervening early in countries predicted to be hit by natural disasters can prevent threats from becoming humanitarian emergencies, or can mitigate their impacts, according to a new report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today.
For every $1 FAO spent on early livestock interventions in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in early 2017, as herders braced for another harsh drought, each family saw benefits worth up to $9 due to less animals dying of hunger and disease, and producing up to three times more milk. Herders were also able to better safeguard their future as losing their animals would be like losing their life savings; it would fuel a dangerous spiral of poverty and the reliance on much more expensive emergency assistance.
Investing in early interventions is key as natural disasters are on the rise In the Horn of Africa, weather has become more and more unpredictable. One drought follows another, robbing poor communities of their limited possessions, and leaving them increasingly more vulnerable. Globally, natural disasters strike nearly five times more often than four decades ago.
“Investing in early interventions is not only humane and smart, it is also cost effective. Protecting livelihoods before disasters strike means greater resilience to future shocks, and less pressure on strained humanitarian resources,” said Dominique Burgeon, Director of FAO’s Emergency and Rehabilitation Division, Strategic Programme on Resilience.
“Acting early is crucial and possible, and it is also the responsible thing to do. There is mounting evidence that the earlier we respond, the greater the capacity of communities to cope,” added Burgeon. Early 2017, when rains failed again, FAO quickly mobilized to come to the aid of thousands of most-at risk herders.
FAO’s early interventions focused on: distributing highly nutritious emergency feed for key breeding animals; providing veterinary services to keep animals alive and healthy; rehabilitating water points and installing water tanks; and delivering training on livestock best practices and management of livestock markets to government officers.
At the peak of the drought, herds assisted by FAO were not only surviving, but were strong and producing three times the usual amount of milk. Families who received assistance reported that their animals were in much better health and condition.
In Somalia, it cost about $0.4 to provide veterinary treatment to a goat, and $40 to buy a new one. These activities also helped kick-start a large-scale and effective famine-prevention programme. Overall, FAO assisted more than 7 million Somalis.