June 25, 2018 | Morning Headlines
AMISOM Says Working Closely With Somali Forces To Degrade Al-Shabaab
23 June – Source: Xinhua – 172 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) dismissed media reports that its troops are not working closely with Somali forces to degrade extremist group Al-Shabaab. The AU mission said the reports claiming that AMISOM troops are not fully committed to work together with Somali Security Forces to defeat and downgrade the militants are not true.
The AU mission said its peacekeeping force is collaborating with the Somali security forces to build capacity and bring stability in the Horn of Africa nation by setting up governance structures in areas AMISOM had liberate. “AMISOM reiterates its commitment to support the government eliminate Al-Shabaab and continue building capacity of the Somali Security Forces to ensure that all gains achieved so far are well secured and consolidated by the Federal Government of Somalia,” AMISOM said in a statement.
The pan African troops are expected to relinquish the security of the key towns to the Somali forces, through a conditions based transition plan, to allow them to take the lead responsibility as part of the planned exit.
Key Headlines
- AMISOM Says Working Closely With Somali Forces To Degrade Al-Shabaab (Xinhua)
- SNA Recaptures Village from Al-Shabaab Fighters (Halbeeg News)
- Somaliland Ready To Resolve The Clashes In Tukaraq (Goobjoog News)
- AMISOM Shines The Spotlight On Sexual And Gender-Based Violence In Somalia (AMISOM)
- Somalia Exports Fish After 30-year Break (The East African)
- New Somali Exhibit Shows 4000 Years Of History And Daily Life — In Somalia and Minnesota (Saint Cloud Times)
NATIONAL MEDIA
SNA Recaptures Village from Al-Shabaab Fighters
24 June – Source: Halbeeg News – 186 Words
Somali National Army (SNA) on Sunday recaptured a village in the Lower Jubba region as the military intensified attacks against Al-Shabaab fighters in Southern Somalia. Heavy armed forces of Somalia National Army (SNA) have seized Bundada-Arare village without resistance from Al-Shabaab fighters.
Col. Noah Khalif told the media that operations were still underway to liberate more areas under Al-Shabaab control in the region. “Forces from Jubbaland and SNA jointly carried out an operation against Al-Shabab in the region and recaptured Bundada-Arare village, a key location,” Khalil said. “There was no resistance from the militants who fled the area, our forces are making some developments at the moment,” he added.
The attack comes barely two days after Jubbaland authorities and AMISOM officials jointly agreed to ramp up operations against Al-Shabaab in Jubbaland regions. Al-Shabaab which wants to overthrow Somali government has been fighting SNA and AMISOM forces since 2007 when AU deployed its troops in Somalia. Despite losing many major towns to Somali government forces, the group controlled a large swath of remote areas. Al-Shabaab carries out hit and run attacks on military bases in the country.
Somaliland Ready To Resolve The Clashes In Tukaraq
24 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 211 Words
The breakaway state of Somaliland said their administration is prepared to resolve the clashes between the forces of Somaliland and Puntland in Tukaraq town, sool region. Somaliland information minister, Abdirahman Abdullahi Farah in a statement underlined the commitment of Somaliland to end the clashes in the region through dialogue and understanding.
In a statement, Somaliland Information Minister has termed the remarks of Puntland President as aggressive saying the sentiment of the leader incites new offensives. “I would like to remind Puntland that Somaliland is always ready for peaceful dialogue so as to end the clashes between Somaliland and Puntland [ in Tukaraq].” Farah said.
Fighting between Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region and breakaway Somaliland in Tukaraq town has killed dozens of soldiers and wounded scores. Somali president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo called for immediate and unconditional end of the fighting in Tukaraq in Sool region. He urged the elders, religious leaders, civil society and women to lead in peace building process in the region.
Somalia’s international partners expressed concerns over the latest armed clashes that were taking place in Tukaraq area of Sool region between Puntland and Somaliland and called for an immediate ceasefire. The international partners urged the sides to bring an immediate halt to the fighting, start dialogue to resolve the dispute.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Shines The Spotlight On Sexual And Gender-Based Violence In Somalia
24 June – Source: AMISOM – 263 Words
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is taking concrete steps to tackle Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Somalia. The Mission’s gender unit plans to train additional Somali police officers to help fight increased cases of sexual violence against women.
The Reforms, Restructuring and Development Coordinator with AMISOM Mr. Maxwell Chikunguru, said the Mission is also encouraging gender mainstreaming in all government structures. “Stand up tall as AMISOM ambassadors in seeing that gender is effectively and efficiently mainstreamed in all government structures and systems in Somalia,” said Chikunguru, who addressed a group of gender officers at the close of a three-day workshop on sexual and gender based violence, held in Mogadishu, to review the SGBV response framework.
The workshop discussed the Sexual Offences Bill, and AMISOM’s role in eliminating SGBV. “In the conflict countries, SGBV is used as a weapon of war. They (criminals) take advantage of women,” said Inspector Rachel Malambo, AMISOM Police Gender Coordinator, who noted that defilement cases were still rampant in Somalia, because the country was recovering from conflict.
A participant Ahmadou Kanneh, a police officer from Sierra Leone who is based in Baidoa, the administrative capital of South West State, explained how they encourage their Somali counterparts to refer SGBV cases to the legal courts, instead of using the traditional justice system, which passes lenient sentences on sexual offenders. “We usually advise SPF that there are certain cases which are very serious like SGBV; those are cases of human rights violations. We tell them that when such cases come to them, they should not compromise them,” Kanneh said.
Somalia Exports Fish After 30-year Break
22 June – Source: The East African – 102 Words
For the first time in 30 years Somalia has begun exporting fish to neighbouring Kenya, thanks in part to a reduction in the level of piracy off the Somali coast. The civil war in Somalia has prevented many businesses from developing, but fish traders in the port of Kismayo say they are now able to export thanks to better refrigeration at a new processing factory.
Kingfish and tuna are the most popular. In recent years Kenya has increased its imports of fish from China as the country’s supply, from the coast as well as Lake Victoria, has been unable to match demand.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“There is a lot of mystery around the Somali people and their culture,” said Amal Mohamed, “Now people will feel more welcome to come and ask questions.”
New Somali Exhibit Shows 4,000 Years Of History And Daily Life — In Somalia and Minnesota
23 June – Source: Saint Cloud Times – 648 Words
Luqman Mohamed grew up hearing his grandfather’s stories of the nomadic life in Somalia, of family members loading their possessions onto the backs of camels and moving frequently in search of water. “The camel is an important symbol in my family,” said Mohamed, a student at Metropolitan State University. But like many young Somalis in Minnesota, he hadn’t seen much to reflect that heritage as photos and family relics were scarce, left behind or destroyed in the journey to the United States.
Now those stories are coming into focus through photos, artifacts and even a full-sized nomadic home at the Minnesota History Center’s “Somalis + Minnesota” exhibit, which was to open Saturday. It’s the first long-term exhibit about the East African nation’s culture, heritage and diaspora at the state’s history museum.
The historic photos of the people and the landscape are the most moving, said Mohamed, an intern hired by the Minnesota Historical Society to help recruit volunteers for the exhibit. “I am amazed,” Mohamed said. “The second generation born here is not aware of all this history.”
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States — 57,000 people, according to the census, though the actual number is believed to be much higher. “With Somali people in almost every sector of Minnesota’s workforce, now is the time to celebrate the strength and resilience of the Somali people and to help build bridges in understanding what it means to be an immigrant,” said Steve Elliott, the historical society director and CEO in a statement.
The 2,400-square-foot exhibit was designed in partnership with The Somali Museum of Minnesota and features poetry, photography, oral histories and murals by local Somali artists. Osman Ali, the Somali Museum’s executive director, helped procure many of the exhibit’s more dramatic artifacts directly from Somalia, including the nomadic dwelling called an aqal Soomaali and a loom used to weave cotton threads into vibrant, striped cloth.
“We are pleased that thousands of visitors to the Minnesota Historical Society will come and look at the exhibit and know about our culture and heritage,” Ali said. The exhibit focuses on culture and daily life of the Somali people and is designed for a broad audience: Somalis with memories of their homeland, their American-born children and Minnesotans who are intrigued by their neighbors’ history and culture.