June 2, 2017 | Morning Headlines

4 Al-Shabaab Fighters Killed In Southern Somalia

01 June – Source : Xinhua – 158 Words

Four Al-Shabaab fighters were killed on Thursday in a joint security operation by the Somali National Army (SNA) and the African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops in southern Somalia. Jubaland State force commander in the area Gabobe Hassan Barre told the state-owned Radio Mogadishu that the joint forces targeted several areas during the operations, which was still underway. “Jubaland state forces and AMISOM carried out operations at Abdi-dhore, Had-weyne and several neighborhoods west of Kismayo town this morning. We killed four Al-Shabaab fighters at Abdi-dhore location while fighting between the militants and joint forces happened at Hadweyne location,” Barre said.

He did not comment on the number of casualties on their side. AMISOM force Spokesperson Wilson Rono confirmed to Xinhua by phone about the fresh operations and military developments against Al-Shabaab militants near Kismayo town, which is 500 km south of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab militants did not comment on the latest military progress by the allied troops in southern Somalia.

Key Headlines

• 4 Al-Shabaab Fighters Killed In Southern Somalia (Xinhua)
• Prime Minister Meets With Somali Women (Garowe Online)
• AMISOM And Somali Police Hold Awareness Campaign Against Sexual And Gender-Based Violence In Internally Displaced Camps (AMISOM)
• KSRelief Distributes 596340 Iftar Meals In Somalia (Arab News)
• Foreign Interventions In Somalia (Somali Update)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Prime Minister Meets With Somali Women

31 May – Source : Garowe Online – 204 Words

Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre on Wednesday met with Somali women at the Ministry of Women and Human Rights and discussed with them about their role and how they can support the government. Some of the women present at that meeting pledged to fully support and work with the government. Prime Minister Khayre stated that the Somali women are the backbone of the Somali society and have carried the brunt of the burden, and should therefore lead and encourage the public to help them understand the importance of the government.

He pointed out the role of Somali women to help rebuild the country and bring back the honor of the nation. He thanked the Somali for all their sacrifices they have endured during the civil war era. He said the government is aware of the problems facing women including rape and other abuses and promised to address these problems. “I would encourage Somali women to organize and get prepared to take part in rebuilding the nation and inspire the public to support the government,” he told them. This meeting is part of several meetings that the Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre had with different ministerial departments for consultation in order to support his government.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

AMISOM And Somali Police Hold Awareness Campaign Against Sexual And Gender-Based Violence In Internally Displaced Camps

01 June – Source : AMISOM – 422 Words

Police from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and their counterparts from the Somali Police Force (SPF) have concluded a two-day awareness campaign on sexual and gender-based violence in the internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps in Baidoa, the administrative capital of the South West State. The officers drawn from the gender and protection units held sensitization meetings in the camps based in the regional capital, owing to concerns of an increase in sexual violence.

South West state is hosting one of the highest number of IDPs, who have deserted their homes in search of food and water, as a result of the prevailing drought. “We face challenges when female victims of torture and rape come to us,” Farhiyo Ahmed Mohamed, a Gender Officer with the Somali Police Force said. She expressed concern that traditional beliefs jeopardized efforts to find justice for victims of sexual violence, as such efforts were impeded by clan leaders who prefer traditional justice mechanisms, to settle disputes. “The elders want to resolve the cases traditionally. Yet we want to take cases to court so that victims can get legal redress,” she explained.

The AMISOM Protection Officer Ms. Gloria Jaase, decried the living conditions in the internally displaced people’s camps.  She pointed out as a major concern, the lack of basic amenities such as shelter, water and sanitation. “We visited different places in order to get information on the protection of women and girls,” said Ms. Jaase. The delegation from AMISOM and Somali Police met with different partners to find ways of resolving the challenges facing women and girls in the camps.

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KSRelief Distributes 596,340 Iftar Meals In Somalia

01 June – Source : Arab News – 151 Words

The King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief) has launched a project to distribute 596,340 iftar meals in Somalia, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The project aims to alleviate the suffering of the Somali people due to successive droughts, the SPA said. KSRelief has begun the distribution of iftar meals in all parts of Somalia, starting with Puntland. It plans to distribute 18,978 meals daily during the holy month of Ramadan in the most needy areas of Somalia, in cooperation with the development office of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the capital Mogadishu.

KSRelief has also embarked on the distribution of iftar meals in the town of Sittwe in Rakhine State, Myanmar. It recently signed two projects with Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) to provide iftar meals in Syria and Myanmar to benefit more than 184,000 and 112,000 beneficiaries, respectively, during Ramadan.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“Historically Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world,( North Atlantic Books: 1992) and according to most scholars, (Charnan, Simon (1990) it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuran Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate, the Warsangali Sultanate, the Sultanate of the Geledi and the Majeerteen Sultanate.”

Foreign Interventions In Somalia

01 June – Source : Somali Update – 2265 Words

Occupying 3,000 kilometers of coastal territory where the Red Sea flows into the Indian Ocean, Somalia forms the ‘Horn’ of East Africa. It is a country of arid plains which rise to mountains in the north. Traditionally, the Somali are a nomadic people whose subsistence relies on the herding of goats, cattle, sheep and camels. Arable cultivation, however, can be found in a fertile region located between the country’s two permanent rivers, the Jubba and the Shebelle (Alex Thomson, 2004). Somalia has an estimated population of around 12.3 million.

Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis, who have historically inhabited the northern part of the country. Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the southern regions. The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic, both of which belong to the Afro-asiatic family. All people in the country are Muslim, with the majority being Sunni. Historically Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world,( North Atlantic Books: 1992) and according to most scholars, (Charnan, Simon (1990) it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt.

During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuran Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate, the Warsangali Sultanate, the Sultanate of the Geledi and the Majeerteen Sultanate. European interest in Somalia develops after 1839, when the British begin to use Aden, on the south coast of Arabia, as a coaling station for ships on the route to India. The British garrison requires meat. The easiest local source is the Somali coast. France and Italy, requiring similar coaling facilities for their own ships, establish stations in the northern Somali regions. The French develop Djibouti. The Italians are a little further up the coast at Aseb, in Eritrea.

In the intervening years the most dramatic upheaval occurs in British Somaliland, where the uprising led by Sayed Mohamed Abdulla Hassan (known to the British at the time as the Mad Mullah) takes two decades to suppress. In the interior, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan’s Dervish State successfully repulsed the British Empire four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal region, but the Dervishes were finally defeated in 1920 by British airpower.

As a result of Fascism, World War II and struggle for independence a new era of conflict begins in Somalia in 1923 with the arrival in the Italian colony of the first governor appointed by Mussolini, newly in power as Italy’s fascist dictator, A vigorous policy is adopted to develop and extend Italian imperial interests, culminating in the defeat and annexation of Ethiopia in 1936. By 1940 the British have withdrawn from their colony, while French Somaliland claims neutrality in keeping with the policy of the Vichy government. However, in 1941 British forces recover the whole area from the Italians, Meanwhile French Somaliland is being blockaded by the allies. In 1942 the local administration changes allegiance and throws in its lot with the Free French.