NATIONAL MEDIA
31 July – Source: Halbeeg – 186 Words
Somali Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, on Tuesday paid a visit to the newly integrated forces in military camps in Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of Galmudug State. PM Khaire said his government is tirelessly working towards the rebuilding of the armed forces in the country in order to strengthen peace and security across the country.
He pledged the renovation of the national army base in Galmudug as well as the training and equipment of the brigade to spearhead liberation operation against the armed group Al-Shabaab in the remaining areas under their control. PM Khaire reiterated his calls for the newly recruited members into the armed forces to closely work together to foster unity and patriotism among the communities living in the area.
Hassan Khaire spent the past one month in Galmudug state in a bid to focus on peace building and reconciliation efforts in the region, a move praised by the members of the international community in Somalia. Galmudug is expected to conduct regional leadership elections in forthcoming months after an expected reconciliation conference to resolve the differences between the warring communities living in the state, takes place.
31 July – Source: Halbeeg – 186 Words
Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador, Ahmed Isse Awad, received the Dutch Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mr. Frans Makken in Mogadishu on Tuesday. The two officials discussed enhancing bilateral relations and means of cooperation in the areas of security, justice, immigration and education sectors.
The meeting, which also discussed several other agendas of common interest between the two friendly countries, was attended by the National Security Adviser to the Somali Presidency, Mr. Abdisaid Muse Ali, Director of the Department of America and Europe for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Abdidahir Abdirahman Abdi and other senior officials, including a representative from the Somali Immigration and Naturalization Directorate.
Somali government is working closely with its European Union partners in a bid to ease travel restrictions for its citizens. Netherlands recently joined EU states that recognized Somali passport holders, mainly diplomatic and service travel documents on May this year. A few months ago, Belgium announced that they also officially recognized Somalia’s diplomatic and service passport. Norway’s Embassy in Kenya said last year that diplomatic service and ordinary passports of Somalia have been recognized by Oslo.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
31 July – Source: Daily Nation – 309 Words
Kenya plans to formally ask the United Nations to designate Somali militant group al-Shabaab as a terrorist group. The move is aimed at ensuring more attention is focused on combating the extremists. Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau said Kenya will submit a proposal to have the UN Security Council list the Shabaab as a terrorist organisation under an expanded bid to end extremist groups in the world.
“We will formally be submitting a request, seeking UAE’s support in listing al-Shabaab under UN Resolution 1267. This is important to bring the global efforts in tackling the group,” he said in Nairobi, after meeting a delegation of United Arab Emirates officials where they signed a series of bilateral agreements and agreed to finalise a security agreement soon. “It has caused serious havoc, not just on Kenya but the region and the world in general. It is important that all global efforts now come together to combat this,” added Mr Kamau.
Under Resolution 1267 of 1999, or subsequent and related decisions, the UN Security Council targeted terror or militant groups like the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and ISIS and their leaders such as Osama bin Laden, sanctioning the groups and those associated with them. The Al-Shabaab, which pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in 2010—although a splinter group later sided with ISIS recently—has not been classified as a terror group by the UN, despite efforts by the African Union, and even the UN itself in combating Al-Qaeda and ISIS or their affiliates.
It categorised groups or persons for sanctions if they participate in financing, plan, facilitate, prepare or perpetrate activities for, in the name of or in support of Al-Qaeda, ISIL or their associates. Officially, under the UN, terrorism is seen as a global threat but only Al-Qaeda and ISIL are listed are terror groups. Previous bids to have the Somalia-based Islamic insurgency listed was opposed by the US and the UK over fears Nairobi would want to be delisted as a participant in the Somalia-Eritrea sanctions regime. Kenya’s troops are part of the 22,000-strong African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) forces. Amisom was established in 2007 and includes troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda deployed in south and central Somalia.
30 July – Source: Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) – 309 Words
The two- week Justified Accord 2019 field training will reinforce the commitment of AMISOM to tackle terrorism in Somalia, Coordinator of the training and Deputy Commanding General of United States Army Africa and Southern European Task Force Lapthe Flora said. In his closing remark, Brigadier General Lapthe Flora said the training has helped the trainees to effectively discharge their duty of fighting against terrorism in Somalia.
Justified Accord Training not only helps to improve the readiness of the peacekeepers to fight terrorism under the umbrella of AMISOM, but also to fulfill peace keeping missions of AU and UN, he added. According to him, the training has created a favorable environment for building professional friendship among the trainees since they conducted the training as a united individual through overcoming language barriers and cultural diversity, which is the heart of team work.
Brigadier General Flora urged the trainees to apply the knowledge they obtained in the training and replicate them into the operational tactics in AMISOM and facilitate the exit of AMISOM from Somalia. Ethiopian Peace Support Training Center Head, Brigadier General Habtamu Tilahu said on his part the training would help to overcome the current complicated security problem.
The training that the participant had will have important role in enhancing the peace process in Somalia, he added. Ethiopia has a long standing commitment to peacekeeping mission and it has been playing its part in maintaining peace and security in East Africa and beyond. Ethiopia hosted Justified Accord 2019 training for the second time, the first was in 2017. Ethiopia National Defense Force, United States military, and other partner nations conducted the Justified Accord Training program for two weeks starting July 15, 2019. Alongside Ethiopia and United States, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Djibouti, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda, United Kingdom and other civil international organizations participated on the training.
31 July – Source: Trio Sana – 386 Words
Trio Sana, a health and wellness company based in the United Kingdom, partners with farmers in Somaliland, also known as the “Land of Frankincense”. The farmers in Somaliland harvest the frankincense that Trio Sana uses to make its organic supplement that will soon be available in the United States. But the defining element with this partnership is that it is a win-win for both parties. Instead of taking advantage of the rural farmers in Somaliland, Trio Sana has set up a partnership to make sure the workers receive a fair price for their hard work. The community also benefits from a community fund Trio Sana set up.
In 2018, the two co-founders of Trio Sana traveled to the Sanaag region of Somaliland to meet and talk directly with the people in the harvesting communities. Together, Trio Sana and the farmers developed a plan that would benefit both parties. “We are helping them use the best farming practices to ensure the long-term sustainability of the frankincense crop,” said Peter Cobain, co-founder of Trio Sana. “We also made sure the communities receive a fair price for the resin they harvest.”
In addition, Trio Sana sets aside funds from its profits for a community foundation that is run by people living there under the leadership of their sultan. Cobain said Trio Sana is working toward earning a “Fair for Life” accreditation, which would ensure that responsible supply chains are maintained and corporate social responsibility is upheld.
Fairforlife.org states that it “promotes an approach of Fair Trade that allows all producers and workers who are at a socio-economic disadvantage to access a wide range of social and economic benefits.” In addition to bringing Certified NOP Organic Frankincense Boswellia Carterii from Somaliland to the United States, Trio Sana will roll-out later this year two other supplements to the American consumer:
Kollagenix-Sports, which was developed by using Trio Sana’s Natural Nutrient Combination Therapy (NNCT) technique. This process combined marine collagen with the three vital nutrients for the joints and muscles to work synergistically together. Kollagenix-R, which also employs NNCT, uses marine collagen and combines it with all 13 anti-aging vitamins. “We are partners with the farmers in Somaliland. We want them to succeed and benefit from our success. Without them, we could not develop our high-quality frankincense essential oil,” Cobain said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Like many Mogadishu residents who have become inured to violence, Hassan dismisses the city’s frequent bombings and shoot-outs, describing them as an “inconvenience” that can mess up her delivery schedules.”
30 July – Source: AFP – 795 Words
Every time young fashion designer Hawa Adan Hassan makes a new gown for a paying customer, she also makes her dreams come true. “My whole life, fashion design was a dream,” says the 23-year-old university student, who last year began running a cottage business out of her family’s home in Hamarweyne, the historic heart of Somalia’s coastal capital Mogadishu. For Hassan, it began with art, when she found herself drawn to sketching clothes rather than the animals and landscapes preferred by her peers. Then she set to work on tailoring to turn her images into reality. “I realised this could be my field of expertise,” she says.
For decades, war and upheaval left ordinary Somalis focussed on the daily matters of life, death and survival. Bombings by Al-Shabaab jihadists still dog Mogadishu today. But a creeping cosmopolitanism is challenging entrenched conservative attitudes and many Somalis are undaunted by wanting a look that stands out. Somalia’s clothing stores traditionally adhere to a simple formula: imported garments for the well-to-do, locally-made clothes for the rest. But Hassan and others are starting to alter that picture with locally-designed, handmade attire for the high end of the market.
In such a nascent industry, Hassan is, by necessity, self-taught. “I used to watch fashion design shows on TV, and every time I watched one, I tried to grasp the ideas by drawing what I saw,” she says. Her favourite was “Project Runway”, a US-made reality programme fronted by German model Heidi Klum. “When I started I had no-one as a role model. It is just something I dreamed up,” she says, adding that she now finds inspiration in the likes of Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab. In her home studio, Hassan sketches and inks new designs of abaya gowns and hijab headscarves, in a variety of black or bright colours, tight and loose fittings, with plain or embroidered finishes. Fashion has also become a family affair, with Hassan’s father — a tailor by trade — and older sister helping cut and sew the clothes.
Visitors to the workshop can hear children playing in nearby rooms and cooking smells waft in from the kitchen. Her elder brother has been an investor, helping to buy sewing machines and other equipment. Now the business is taking off, she says. “In the beginning, it was my father, elder sister and brother who helped me start but now I’m self-reliant and can make a living out of my work,” she says proudly. Like many Mogadishu residents who have become inured to violence, Hassan dismisses the city’s frequent bombings and shoot-outs, describing them as an “inconvenience” that can mess up her delivery schedules. Muna Mohamed Abdulahi, another start-up fashion designer, is on a mission to encourage local people to take pride in products made in Somalia.
“Some people come to my shop and, when they realise that these clothes are designed and made locally, they run away because they have a negative impression about locally-made clothes,” says the 24-year-old. Like Hassan, Abdulahi is self-taught — “I was my own role model,” she says — and insists she is more than just a tailor aping the work of others. “A designer creates clothes with a story, but a tailor makes it without thinking, they just duplicate,” Abdulahi says. |
