June 22, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Bodyguard Kills Intelligence Boss In Jowhar
21 June – Source: Shabelle News – 104 Words
A Somali security guard shot and killed his boss, who was the Intelligence chief of middle Shabelle region in Jowhar city on Tuesday night. Abdiweli Ibrahim Mohamed was shot dead in his office at the Intelligence headquarters in Jowhar by his bodyguard, according to the sources.
The deputy of the slain intelligence boss, Muse Afweyne, was wounded in the shooting and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Somali security forces immediately arrived at the scene and captured the bodyguard. He has been taken to custody. The motive behind the murder remains unclear.
Key Headlines
- Bodyguard Kills Intelligence Boss In Jowhar (Shabelle News)
- Former Somali Minister For Planning Declares His 2016 Presidential Bid (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland International Diplomats Discuss Electoral Process (Garowe Online)
- 24 Hours Rain ‘Quenches Thirst’ Of Residents In Some Areas In Puntland (Goobjoog News)
- KDF Train With Americans To Build Special Rescue Unit (Daily Nation)
- Somalis Hope Compassion Guides Judge In ISIS Sentencing (Minnesota Public Radio News)
- WFP Denies Storing Or Distributing Expired Food In Somalia (Radio Ergo)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Former Somali Minister For Planning Declares His 2016 Presidential Bid
21 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 261 Words
Former Minister for Planning and International Cooperation, Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame has declared that he will run for Somalia’s presidency in the forthcoming elections, thereby joining a crowded field of candidates seeking to unseat President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
“I hereby declare that I am a candidate for the position of Somalia’s President. I want to bring changes and lead this country towards peace and prosperity,” said Warsme while addressing the public at an event held at Jazeera Place Hotel in the capital city of Mogadishu.
Warsame pointed out that the current leadership had not achieved much with regard to building a national army that would have protected the sovereignty of Somalia: “The current leadership has failed to provide political leadership, national vision and political stability”.
He pledged that if elected he would fight against the rampant corruption and would immediately work to improve the current judicial system of the country: “Judiciary is a base for good governance and if the President has acknowledged the failure, I don’t understand why he is seeking reelection.” Warsame served as an MP in the former government led former President Shariif Sheikh Ahmed.
Puntland, International Diplomats Discuss Electoral Process
21 June – Source: Garowe Online – 250 Words
Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC) members held a meeting with donors supporting the state’s democratization process on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports.
The discussion facilitated via a video link focused on how best the Democratization Programme Steering Committee could help Puntland design an action plan for 2019 elections. It also touched on possible challenges and insights into recommendations offered by stakeholders.
A group of diplomats representing the European Union and the embassies of US, UK, Germany and Finland joined the meeting on the donor community side. In attendance were also presidential aide Dek Suleiman as well as representatives from Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC), Interpeace, and Puntland Non-State Actors Association(PUNSAA).
The two sides exchanged views on essential technical and financial support for a transparent process to begin in 2017. TPEC Chairman Ahmed Mohamed Ali (Kismayo) discussed democratization process, delving at length the pressing critical stages and proposals made to the Local Council Elections and Political Association Acts. .
Puntland seeks to strengthen institutional framework for Electoral Board whose members were jointly named by President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and Parliament Speaker Ahmed Ali Hashi in February. TPEC was formally launched at a well-organized event that attracted members of diplomatic community in Garowe on May 11.
24 Hours Rain ‘Quenches Thirst’ Of Residents In Some Areas In Puntland
21 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 118 Words
Residents of drought-stricken areas in Puntland have expressed joy and hope after receiving a substantial amount of rain falls for the last 24 hours. Several areas in Sanaag and Nugal regions that had been hit by water shortage experienced continuous hours of downpour.
The chairperson of Sanaag farmers’ cooperative, Mohamud Ahmed who spoke to Goobjoog News said residents were now fetching water from ponds and shallow places in the area: “Residents now feel relieved after the area received torrential rains. People who used trek for long distances to fetch water are now having a break”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
KDF Train With Americans To Build Special Rescue Unit
21 June – Source: Daily Nation – 323 Words
Kenyan and American troops on Tuesday began joint training aimed at building an elite unit for rescuing soldiers stranded in battle. More than 200 troops will undergo the training under the guidance of US Africa Command.
The exercise was launched by Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo at Laikipia Air Base, outside Nanyuki Town in Laikipia County: “This is a unique exercise in which we hope to learn from the experience of our brothers and sisters from the US, who possess extensive familiarity with scenarios that call for a personnel recovery or search and rescue in combat zones,” said Ms Omamo.
Established under the Kenya Air Force, the unit will operate behind enemy lines to ensure no soldier is left behind in the battlefield, especially during the ongoing war against Al Shabaab terrorists in Somalia. Such situations arise in the event of capture or a pilot self-ejects from a fighter jet or is inadvertently lost in enemy territory: “The main aim of this combat and rescue training is to prepare our personnel to enhance their skills in the event they face a situation calling for a rescue mission to recover friendly forces from enemy territory,” said the Air Force Commander, Maj-Gen Samuel Thuita.
Air Force pilots will also be trained on survival tactics and how to evade enemies for the period one is lost in enemy territory. Ugandan troops are also attending as observers, because they are allies in the war against Al-Shabaab in Somalia under the auspices of the African Union mission. The operation is codenamed ‘Linda Rhino’. KDF was deployed to fight Al Shabaab militants in Somalia in October 2011.
Somalis Hope Compassion Guides Judge In ISIS Sentencing
21 June – Source: Minnesota Public radio News – 222 Words
They may turn out to be the most scrutinized judicial sentences in Minnesota history. Federal Judge Michael Davis is currently weighing the fate of nine young Somali-American Minnesotans who’ve either pleaded guilty or been convicted of crimes tied to trying to join the ISIS terror group. No sentencing date has been set, but Davis’ decisions could reverberate across the world and observers say he faces a tough task.
That’s true especially in the judgments against three who were found guilty recently of multiple terror-related crimes, including conspiracy to murder abroad. Those men face life in prison.Davis has expressed interest in prison programs intended to de-radicalize people who’ve been lured by ISIS propaganda and some of the men who pleaded guilty have already been evaluated to see if they qualify. But it’s unclear how many Davis might send on that path.
“I suspect that for Judge Davis, this will be one of the hardest sentencings he has had to do,” said Thomas Heffelfinger, a former U.S. attorney for Minnesota. The trial remains an open wound in the Somali community. Some Somali-American leaders say they hope Davis will show compassion given comments by some of the defendants that they never really intended to travel to Syria to fight with ISIS and that their secretly recorded remarks were little more than youthful boasts.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The pictures appear to show food that was seized last month, which may have been stored outdoors where it was exposed to sunlight and rain and prompting a sharp deterioration in its condition. However, the food was not in WFP’s possession during this time.” – WFP spokesperson, Laila Ali
WFP Denies Storing Or Distributing Expired Food In Somalia
21 June – Source: Radio Ergo – 753 Words
Media reports last week have shown Somali officials at Mogadishu airport authority impounding sacks of expired maize and lentils that they claim were destined for distribution in Somalia by the World Food Programme (WFP). WFP has denied distributing or storing in its custody any expired food and says it is investigating the episode.
Radio Ergo interviewed WFP spokesperson Laila Ali and asked her first what the organization had to say about the allegations. The interview is transcribed below:
WFP: The World Food Programme wishes to clarify information regarding the seizure of food in Mogadishu on Monday 13 June. WFP has been working closely with local authorities to clear up and resolve this unfortunate misunderstanding. The badly damaged food displayed at the airport this week had not been in WFP’s possession since mid-May.
In May and June, authorities have seized relatively small amounts WFP food at the Mogadishu airport following anonymous and incorrect reports that it had expired. At the time of its confiscation, none of the food in question had passed its expiration date, and none of it showed any signs of damage or rot. However, since it was removed from WFP custody, the condition of some of the food seized in May appears to have deteriorated badly during the month, probably due to exposure to torrential rain and sunlight.
Ergo: Where exactly was the food seized? Was it about to be loaded for airlift? How long had it been stored there?
WFP: Food was seized at the airport twice – once in mid-May and once in mid-June. Both times, it was in good condition and not expired at the time it left WFP’s custody. We believe that the badly damaged and inedible food shown at the airport was from the consignment confiscated in mid-May. It appears to have deteriorated badly, probably due to exposure to rainwater and sunlight, but was not in WFP’s possession since mid-May so we are not able to confirm the conditions under which it has been stored. We would never distribute food in that condition.
Ergo: The local authority has said the food is rotten and unfit for human consumption. Is that true?
WFP: The food was in good condition when it was in WFP’s possession. It is clear that some of the food seized in mid-May has deteriorated badly since then, but this food was not under WFP’s possession since mid-May. WFP would never distribute food that is damaged or past its expiration date. The well-being of people we serve is a top priority and we take every possible measure to see that the food we distribute meets the highest standards of quality and safety.