March 24, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Somalia’s President Appeals For Famine Assistance
23 March – Source: VOA News – 456 Words
Somalia’s new president appealed to the international community Thursday to help his nation avert an approaching famine. “Almost half of my people are facing acute food shortages and about 15 percent are facing famine,” President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, told the U.N. Security Council. “I am truly saddened by this situation, as the Somali people are proud, generous, hardworking and truly resilient,” he said via a video link from Nairobi. “They would have been the last to ask for assistance if they could somehow find a way to survive and beat their reality.”
The president, who took office last month, said people walk for hours in search of food and water. Many livestock have died during a severe drought, taking both sustenance and livelihoods away from the population. Cholera is also on the rise and the rainy season is approaching. Somalia knows too well the consequences of drought and famine; more than 260,000 people died in the last famine, which hit the country in 2011. Currently more than 6 million people need assistance, and an international appeal for $825 million is only 30 percent funded.
Farmajo noted that this time Somalia is equipped with a government willing to step up to deal with the situation. He noted that the prime minister named his Cabinet on Tuesday, and he said he was optimistic that the parliament would support it so work could begin to tackle the drought. The food crisis is not the nascent government’s only challenge. “Achieving sustainable peace requires more than physical security,” the president cautioned. “We must invest in education, jobs and skills to overcome the many challenges Somalia faces.” He said this would be critical in efforts to stem radicalization by extremists.
Key Headlines
- Somalia’s President Appeals For Famine Assistance (VOA News)
- Somaliland Teacher Arrested For Impersonating President Silaanyo (Radio Dalsan)
- Kenya Somalia Agree On Measures To Boost Bilateral Ties (Xinhua)
- Somalia: A Moment Of Hope Amid Tragedy Says UN Envoy (UN News Centre)
- Islamic State Group Routed In Somalia’s Puntland President Says (Bloomberg)
- Kenya Somalia Vow To Step Up War Against Terrorism (Xinhua)
- A 24-member Delegation From The AU Peace And Security Council Delegation Arrives In Somalia On An Assessment Mission (AMISOM)
- With A Game Of Basketball Girls Dribble Round Extremism In Somalia (News Deeply)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland Teacher Arrested For Impersonating President Silanyo
23 March – Source: Radio Dalsan – 139 Words
A man said to be a teacher in Hargeisa has been arrested by Somaliland police for impersonating President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, police have confirmed. The Hargeisa Police Chief said in a press conference on Thursday that the man had registered himself using the full names of President Silaanyo. The teacher is registered in the E-Dahab money transfer system as Ahmed Mohammud Mohamed Silanyo. Police got access of his E Dahab details after he sent money via mobile phone.
Social media has gone buzz with the story. He is still been interrogated by police as he awaits to be taken to a court to answer charges of impersonification. According to the police, the teacher’s real name is different from what he registered with the money transfer system. He is said to have been impersonating the President for 5 years.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya, Somalia Agree On Measures To Boost Bilateral Ties
23 March – Source: Xinhua – 388 Words
Kenya and Somalia on Thursday announced a raft of measures aimed at boosting trade and easing movements of people, goods and services. Addressing a joint news conference after holding talks in Nairobi, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed resolved to open two border posts in Dobley-Liboi and Mandera-Bulahawa. Kenyatta said the two countries also agreed to revitalize their engagement in all areas of mutual interests within the context of a reactivated joint commission of cooperation.
“We also agreed to meet regularly to monitor the progress of our bilateral relations,” Kenyatta said, terming President Mohamed’s visit a fresh start to the two countries’ close ties. Both Kenyatta and Mohammed directed their countries’ security teams to meet immediately and agree on modalities of re-launching direct flights between Nairobi and Mogadishu within two weeks. Kenyatta also said forthwith there would be no visa requirement for diplomatic and service passport holders between the two countries.
The two leaders also discussed Somalia’s refugees issue with a view to help them return and rebuild their nation, a conversation that will continue at a regional special summit on Durable Solutions for Somalia Refugees that Kenya will host on Saturday. Kenyatta said Kenya would establish a technical training institute for youths currently in refugee camps and its environs to enhance technical skills necessary for their rehabilitation upon return. “If Somalia prospers, so does Kenya. If Somalia is peaceful, so is Kenya. It is up to us, then, to do all we can to help each other secure these goods for our people,” Kenyatta said.
Somalia: A Moment Of Hope Amid Tragedy, Says UN Envoy
23 March – Source: UN News Centre – 443 Words
Noting that Somalia faces a number of “daunting difficulties” after decades of conflict, a senior United Nations official today highlighted that there is also a new momentum in the country for fresh political engagement amongst its people with the recent electoral process. “The new Government and Parliament now have an opportunity to use the goodwill to reboot efforts to build a functional and inclusive Federal State,” Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia and the head of the UN Mission in the country (UNSOM), told the UN Security Council.
The results of the electoral process, accepted as legitimate by all stakeholders, as well as a smooth and peaceful transfer of power, also made efforts to respond to the ongoing drought and the looming spectre of famine much easier, he noted. “Somalis, including politicians, business people, civil society and members of the diaspora, are taking responsibility for [the] response, distinguishing Somalia from other countries facing humanitarian catastrophe,” added Mr. Keating.
In his briefing, the UN official pointed out that eliminating the scourge of terrorism in the country remained another pressing issue and said that a multi-pronged approach, embedded in a political strategy, was needed to degrade and dismantle the Al-Shabaab militant group. He also noted that building a trusted security apparatus that are acceptable to all Somalis is essential and added that doing so also offered a major opportunity to build and consolidate the Federal State. “[This] needs to be approached as such, not just as a military undertaking,” he noted.
He also spoke about the need to advance the constitutional process and to strengthen conflict resolution efforts through the inclusion of all sections of society, including women, youth, minorities and business, in the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Work was also need to improve the human rights situation in the country, said Mr. Keating. “I am particularly concerned about attacks on journalists and the increase in sexual violence against internally-displaced women and members of minority clans,” he said, underlining the need to strengthen the human rights protection capacity in the country as well as fully implementing the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy.
Islamic State Group Routed In Somalia’s Puntland, President Says
23 March – Source: Bloomberg – 461 Words
An Islamic State faction in Somalia’s Puntland region numbers a maximum of 300 fighters and doesn’t pose a serious threat after its militants were driven out of a port town last year, President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said. The Islamist fighters are “scattered in the mountains” after being “kicked out” of Qandala by security forces in early December, Puntland’s leader said Tuesday in an interview in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The numbers of militants “vary from 100 to 200 to 300 — they’re not a threat to us,” Ali said.
Puntland, which became semi-autonomous in 1998, is situated on the Gulf of Aden, near the entrance to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels. While al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, has waged an insurgency in Somalia for the past decade, Islamic State has been trying to make inroads. A United Nations group that monitors Somalia said in October that the Islamic State group, which it called a “new rival faction” of al-Shabaab, had “at most a few dozen fighters” when its leader Sheikh Abdulqader Mu’min swore allegiance to the self-proclaimed caliphate a year earlier. Mu’min had been an imam in London until returning to Somalia in 2010, according to the UN report.
The U.S. State Department on Aug. 31 declared Mu’min a “specially designated global terrorist” and placed him under financial sanctions. It said he “expanded his cell” of Islamic State supporters “by kidnapping young boys aged 10 to 15, indoctrinating them, and forcing them to take up militant activity.” Al-Shabaab itself has waged a campaign to purge Islamic State supporters within its own ranks. Islamic State’s seizure of Qandala in October was the first time the group has occupied a major settlement in Somalia. The town is in Puntland’s Bari region, about 80 kilometers (49.7 miles) east of the commercial capital, Bosaso. The Puntland Intelligence Agency said in November there was “reason to believe” the PIA’s weak institutions and the “bold move” by the Islamic State faction might be related. The militant group’s expansion in Bari “is a threat to global maritime trade routes along the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait,” the agency said in a statement.
Kenya, Somalia Vow To Step Up War Against Terrorism
23 March – Source: Xinhua – 141 Words
Kenyan and Somali leaders Thursday vowed to scale up war against terrorism by dealing ruthlessly with Al-Shabaab militants, who have been increasing terror attacks in the two countries. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed agreed that the fight against Al-Shabaab must continue until they are no longer a threat. “Al-Shabaab remains ready to kill innocent people in both Kenya and Somalia,” Kenyatta told journalists after holding bilateral talks with the Somali leader in Nairobi.
Kenyan soldiers who are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have been battling the militant group in southern Somalia since 2011 when they launched cross-border operations over abduction of foreigners and frequent terror attacks on Kenyan soil. President Mohamed, on his part, has lauded Kenya for the prominent role it has played in the fight against Al-Shabaab through the AMISOM.
A 24-member Delegation From The AU Peace And Security Council Delegation Arrives In Somalia On An Assessment Mission
23 March – Source: AMISOM – 599 Words
A delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council arrived in Somalia today, to assess the level of progress made in the defence and security institutions, especially efforts to build a formidable national army, capable of securing the whole country. Ambassador Ntshinga Ndumiso, the Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council is leading the 24-member delegation. He said their consultations would focus on “efforts to build national defence and security institutions”, which he explained would ultimately have the primary responsibility of maintaining peace and security in Somalia,”
At a meeting with the Prime Minister for Somalia H.E Hassan Ali Kheyre, shortly after arrival in the capital, Mogadishu, Amb, Ndumiso said the consultations with various stakeholders would be extensive and would be able to guide African Union’s future activities in Somalia. “The area we are interested in is the transparency, coordination and complementary efforts among all partners who are providing capacity building support to the Somali National Army,” he told the Prime Minister and other senior government leaders, during a meeting held at Villa Somalia – the presidential palace.
“The need for state authority and control in all areas liberated by Al Shabaab, the challenges facing the AU Mission in Somalia and the next steps required to defeat Al Shabaab and bring about security”. The delegation also met with Speaker of Parliament Prof. Mohamed Osman Jawari and diplomats accredited to Somalia, from Troop Contribution Countries to AMISOM. The Prime Minister agreed with the delegation that the national army needed strengthening, for it to satisfactorily provide peace and security in the country. He said the new government had set itself a target of two-years to achieve its priority goals, of which security takes precedence.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“It is difficult for the community to accept us playing, but you need to force your way. Most of the girls you see here are probably sneaking out of the house to come and play.”
With A Game Of Basketball, Girls Dribble Round Extremism In Somalia
22 March – Source: News Deeply – 1,180 Words
Her name is Mulki Noor Mudey, but she introduces herself simply as Coach. Standing at the side of Mogadishu’s dilapidated basketball and handball stadium, her bright blue “Hagen” team jersey shimmering under the unrelenting Somali sun, it’s hard to imagine her as anything but an athlete. Only a few months ago, Mudey had stood in that same spot, teeming with nerves. It was the Somali women’s handball championship game. With only four minutes to go and the stadium’s seats packed with spectators, the score was tied. “When the game is happening, you’re so nervous and so anxious,” she says. “And as a coach, there’s only so much you can do.”
A slow 60 seconds passed. Then another. With two minutes left, a Hagen player scored, winning the championship game. Thirty years ago, women playing sports at the Wiish Stadium was nothing remarkable. But over the past 26 years, Somalia has experienced a brutal civil war and the emergence of an extremist Islamic insurgency, both of which reversed women’s rights across the country. Today, as relative peace returns to the capital, the resurgence of female athletes is itself a symbol of defiance. Since the appointment of the first special advisor to the United Nations secretary-general on sport for development and peace in 2001, sports have been recognized internationally as a means of peace building and reconciliation. In Somalia, basketball has been used to defuse clan rivalries and revive gender equality in the aftermath of the civil war.
But the country’s female athletes also play a role in the ongoing battle to delegitimize the claim by al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked terrorist organization born out of the rubble of Somalia’s civil war, that it offers a viable alternative to the federal government. On the crumbling concrete court in Mogadishu, the simple act of young women shooting hoops dilutes al-Shabab’s attempts to spread its extremist ideology, influencing the attitudes of the young men in the stands – potential recruiting targets for the terror group – in the process. “Somali women, we have always been powerful,” says Ridwan Abdullahi Ali, her bright green headscarf draped over her Hagen T-shirt. “Our playing basketball is making people talk in our society about girls’ roles and how we can do these things, like physical things, that the boys are doing.”
Ali began playing handball and then basketball when she was 20, after she passed by the stadium and saw her neighbor, Fatuma Ahmed Warsame, a respected basketball player among young people in Mogadishu, playing with her team. After sitting down to watch their practice, Ali came back the next day, and the next, until Warsame convinced her to pick up the ball and join them. “That day I just carried the ball with me. You need to dribble it, but I ran with it instead and people were laughing, telling me I couldn’t just run with it,” Ali says, smiling and bouncing a slightly deflated basketball expertly between her legs.