June 6, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Al-Shabaab Claims Bomb Attack On Somali Police Station
05 June – Source: Reuters – 156 words
A bomb planted in a police station killed at least one policeman in Somalia’s southern port city of Kismayu on Monday, and militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility. “A policeman died and several others were injured after a bomb blast. We are investigating the cause of the blast,” Hassan Nur, a policeman, told Reuters by phone.
Al-Shabaab said the toll was higher. “We planted a bomb inside a police station in Kismayo. We killed four policemen and wounded 27 others,” its military operations spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab said. Al-Shabaab lost control of Kismayo in 2012, depriving it of a key source of funds. It had ruled most of south-central Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of the capital Mogadishu by African Union troops. Despite the loss of territory, al Shabaab still carries out major gun and bomb attacks, and often claims casualty numbers that conflict with those given by government officials.
Key Headlines
- Al -Shabaab Claims Bomb Attack On Somali Police Station (Reuters)
- Two Dead Five Wounded In Inter-clan Clash In Somalia (Shabelle News)
- Even If Criminals Run To America They Will Be Apprehended Says Newly Elected Galmudug President (Goobjoog News)
- New Burundian Battalion Arrives In Somalia (Somalia)
- China Provides Over 2800-Tonne Food Aid To Drought-hit Somalia (Global Times)
- I Must Survive For My Children To Survive (Care International)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Two Dead, Five Wounded In Inter-clan Clash In Somalia
05 June – Source: Shabelle News – 136 words
At least two people were killed, and more than five others wounded in a heavy inter-clan fighting at a small rural settlement near Galkayo, the regional capital of Mudug province. Residents said the Fighting broke out between two sub-clans over grazing pasture and water at Saaho village, about 90Km away from Galkayo city, the regional capital of Mudug region.
The battle forced hundreds of families to be displaced from their houses in the village due to the escalating clan violence. Puntland accused clan militia from Galmudug of attacking the area. Galmudug state is yet to release its own statement, in relation to the Puntland accusation. Local elders were reported to have began an effort to de-escalate the tension, and bring an end to the fight which comes days after Galmudug and Puntland signed peace deal in Adado.
Even If Criminals Run To America, They Will Be Apprehended, Says Newly Elected Galmudug President
05 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 145 Words
Galmudug President Ahmed Du’ale Haaf said his administration will arrest any criminal who commits a crime in Galmudug no matter where they hide. Speaking to people of Abudwak, where he paid his first visit since he was elected, President Haaf urged residents of Abudwak to work in restoring peace, promoting peaceful co-existence and good governance. He requested the area residents to help his new administration curb crime in the region.
“We need peace in Abudwak since it is one of the worst affected towns by the civil war in the country, let us open a new chapter from today by helping the administration apprehend all criminals even if they run to Ethiopia or America, or join Al-Shabaab group,” President Haaf said. He pledged that his administration will soon begin a reconciliation process in Abudwak and will also extend it to Ahlu-Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) group.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
New Burundian Battalion Arrives In Somalia
05 June – Source : AMISOM – 366 Words
The Burundi National Defence Forces (BNDF) has deployed a new battle group to serve under the African Union Mission in Somalia. The arrival, Monday, completes the deployment of battalion 43, headed by Maj. Chartier Nyandwi, which takes over from battalion 37 that has completed tour of duty. The group was received at the Mogadishu International Airport by the Sector Five Commander of the BNDF, Brig. Gen. Venuste Nduwayo, and the commander of the outgoing battalion, Maj. Adolphe Kaguruka.
Speaking at the Airport, Brig. Gen. Nduwayo saluted the outgoing battalion for a job well done, noting that the troops had played a key role in liberating parts of Somalia, the recent one being Murtiigo. “The battalion that is rotating out has executed its mandate very well. The troops have exhibited discipline and always observed the rules of engagement. They have done very well and I take this opportunity to congratulate them. I hope that they will continue with the same spirit back home,” Brig. Gen. Nduwayo observed.
The Sector Five Commander added that the outgoing battalion had been instrumental in implementing Operation Antelope, whose objective is to open up and secure main supply routes, particularly in the resource-rich HirShabelle state. Maj. Nyandwi, the Commander of the incoming battalion was enthusiastic and expressed optimism his team will deliver and help the Mission achieve its mandate of stabilizing Somalia.
China Provides Over 2,800-Tonne Food Aid To Drought-hit Somalia
05 June – Source: Global Times – 162 words
The first vessel carrying rice departed Shanghai on Monday, part of China’s emergency food aid for drought-stricken Somalia. The 2,821.75 tonne-rice, loaded in two ships, will be given to 223,500 Somali people as their provisions for four months, according to the China office of World Food Programme (WFP). The rice is among the 2-billion-yuan (300-million-US-dollar) emergency food aid plan announced by China for Belt and Road countries at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation last month.
WFP China Representative Qu Sixi said the Belt and Road Initiative would help countries to “help each other” eradicate poverty and hunger. “WFP is extremely grateful to the Chinese government for its longstanding commitment to addressing urgent humanitarian needs to vulnerable people on the brink of famine,” he said. Half of the Somali population, including 363,000 acutely malnourished children aged under five, need urgent assistance as its drought intensifies, especially in southern and northeastern parts of the country, according to WFP.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The children have been going to the centre every week for the past 6 weeks, and Abdi is looking and feeling healthy again. Nasteexo feels relief that her children are getting better, but she still worries how she will provide for them and keep them from getting sick again. “I can’t even provide shelter for my children. We are staying with another family for now, but that cannot continue for long,” she said.”
“I Must Survive For My Children To Survive”
05 June – Source: Care – 409 words
When the drought came, it took away her family’s lifeline: the livestock that provided food, milk and income. Nearly all the family’s 100 goats died. Nasteexo’s family had no food or money and most alarmingly, they could not find water. Nasteexo has a total of seven children with one on the way. Two of her children are from a previous marriage. After the drought took their livelihood, Nasteexo’s current husband said he could not afford to care for all the children, particularly the children who were not his. Nasteexo could not just let her children die, so she took her four-year-old daughter and the two youngest sons and traveled to the nearest town of Bossaso (in Puntland, northern Somalia). Here, she hoped to find food and clean water for her and her children before it was too late. When they arrived in Bosaso, her youngest son, Abdi, was very sick. He was already suffering from malnutrition and then started having diarrhoea. Nasteexo took him to a nutrition centre for women and children run by CARE. Here she was able to get emergency nutrition treatment for Abdi and her four-year-old daughter Yasmin, who was also sick.
CARE health workers first weighed Abdi, measured his height and then the circumference of his arm, which would tell them the level his malnutrition. Anything under 11cm is considered severely malnourished. Abdi’s arm measured at under 10. Next, the health worker gave little Abdi a sample of Plumpy nut to test his appetite. Plumpy nut is a peanut-based nutritional supplement used to treat severely malnourished children. If he was too sick to consume the Plumpy nut, they would then refer him to the hospital for advanced malnutrition treatment.
Luckily, Abdi was healthy enough that he still had an appetite for the Plumpy Nut, so the health workers sent Nasteexo home with week’s supply for both Abdi and Yasmin, with directions to come back to the centre weekly to monitor the children’s progress and get another week’s supply of the Plumpy Nut. The children have been going to the centre every week for the past 6 weeks, and Abdi is looking and feeling healthy again. Nasteexo feels relief that her children are getting better, but she still worries how she will provide for them and keep them from getting sick again. “I can’t even provide shelter for my children. We are staying with another family for now, but that cannot continue for long,” she said.