March 28, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Galmudug Forces Seize Suspected Al-Shabaab Boat
27 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 227 Words
Galmudug forces confiscated a boat carrying suspected Al-Shabaab militants off the coast of Somalia’s Mudug region as Galmudug continues its fight against Al-Shabaab fighters in the region. Galmudug Information Minister, Mohamud Adan Osman said that the Galmudug forces had captured suspected Al-Shabaab boat on Saturday. “Our forces while on patrol seized a boat in the area of Mudug along Indian Ocean coast,” said Osman while addressing reporters in Adado town. Galmudug has not confirmed the number of Al-Shabaab fighters onboard. On Thursday fighting erupted between Galmudug forces and Al-Shabaab fighters in some parts of Mudug region.
Galmudug President Abdikarim Hussein Guled said Friday that, sixty Al-Shabaab fighters had been killed and 38 others captured by Galmudug forces in two day fighting in Mudug region. “The enemy has lost 60 militants and 38 others were captured. We took all their weapons, and I am thanking the people of Galmudug who played a vital role in helping the state forces and refused to allow the enemy to set up a safe haven in this region,” said President Guled. Al Shabaab has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia by AMISOM and Somali army offensives but the group still controls some rural areas and often launches guerrilla style assaults and bomb attacks. Experts say pressure from the southern and central Somalia is pushing Al-Shabaab towards the northern part of Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Galmudug Forces Seize Suspected Al-Shabaab Boat (Goobjoog News)
- Former Somali Health Minister Dies In India (Hiiraan Online)
- Gunmen Kill NISA Soldier In Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- State Formation Gridlock Eased As Elders In Beletweyne Agree To Attend The Conference In Jowhar(Goobjoog News)
- Premier Bank Partners With Visa Inc To Accelerate Electronic Payments In Somalia (Hiiraan Online)
- United Nations Extends AMISOM Mandate By A Year As EU Cut Funding (Gulf News/AFP)
- Somali Forces Kill 60 Al-Shabaab Militants In Somalia (Xinhua)
- BBC Radio Drama Gave Tips For Illegal Migrants In Somalia (Breitbart.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Former Somali Health Minister Dies In India
27 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 203 Words
The former Somali health minister has died at a hospital in New Delhi at the age of 65, following month of battle with liver infections, government announced on Friday. Dr. Aden Haji Ibrahim has been in a coma in a hospital in the Somali capital for months before he was flown to India for further medical treatments on early March.
Having worked as the health minister from 2010 to 2012, Mr. Ibrahim had led various health campaigns including welfare for mentally ill patients, anti FGM campaigns and women’s health in the horn of Africa nation which has been without functioning government since 1991. Mourning his death Saturday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud described him as a ‘dedicated’ and ‘humble’ leader, and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family and the nation as a whole.
Somalia’s prime minister also conveyed his condolences to the family and the nation in general for the death of Mr. Ibrahim, noting that he played a major role in the steady recovery of Somalia which is emerging from decades of war. In the meantime, hundreds of Somalis took to the social media Saturday, calling Mr. Ibrahim’s death as a ‘painful loss’ and said they’ll have very fond memories of him.
Gunmen Kill NISA Soldier In Mogadishu
27 March – Source: Shabelle News – 115
A soldier serving with the Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security agency (NISA) has been shot dead by unknown gunmen in Mogadishu on Sunday, police said. Confirming the incident, Hodan District Police Chief Col Hussein Sheikh Mohamed said the NISA soldier was gunned down after the assailants attacked him at his house in Taleh village. His wife was wounded in the attack. Security forces have reached the scene and launched an investigation into the murder, but no arrests have been made for far. The motive and identity of the killers are yet to be established, however Al-Shabaab has in the past carried out such attacks targeting NISA soldiers and AMISOM troops in Mogadishu.
State Formation Gridlock Eased As Elders In Beletweyne Agree To Attend The Conference In Jowhar
27 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 152 Words
Elders in Beletywene have agreed to attend the state formation conference in Jowhar following intense negotiations led by President Mohamud, Goobjoog News correspondent in the town reports. The agreement unlocks the close to two months deadlock which saw the collapse of the Hiiraan/Middle Shabelle state formation conference in the administrative capital of Middle Shabelle region, Jowhar. The negotiations turned uglySaturday when protests against the president broke out leading to injury of three people when presidential guards opened fire on protesters.
The Federal Government will facilitate the conference but allow the regions leeway on key decision making selection of delegates. Our correspondent says the elders have also agreed to further negotiate with sections of the elders who are still opposed to a compromise on the state formation process. The Jowhar state formation conference collapsed in January and negotiations have been ongoing to broker an agreement since than.
Premier Bank Partners With Visa Inc To Accelerate Electronic Payments In Somalia
27 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 346 Words
Somalis will no longer need to carry cash when travelling into and outside the country, thanks to partnership between Premier Bank and global technology company Visa Inc. The partnership, which the two say is part of a wider strategic arrangement to strengthen formal banking in Somalia will accelerate the growth of electronic payments in Somalia and boost trade. In a statement Saturday, Premier Bank and Visa Inc said Visa card holders in Somalia will be able to use Premier Bank ATM outlets which number around six in Mogadishu.
Premier Bank Managing Director Mahat Mohamed Ahmed said the partnership will not only enhance electronic payments in Somalia but also promote financial inclusion.“This partnership is bound to accelerate the growth of electronic payment in Somalia and ensure as many Somalia as possible are brought into the formal system,” said Ahmed.
Visa card holders will now enjoy services such as cash withdrawals and balance enquiries in addition to payments for goods and services from merchants that accept Visa across Somalia.Formal banking is still significantly low in Somalia with many depending on informal payment and money transfer options popularly referred to as hawalas. Remittances contribute over $1 billion to Somalia’s economy annually, which is over 35% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
Visa Inc Southern and East Africa General Manager Jabu Basopo said the introduction of Visa services in Somalia will bolster electronic commerce and help to build sustainable financial institutions. “We are delighted to partner with Premier Bank as our first client in Somalia. Visa continues to be at the forefront to help build sustainable financial institutions and inclusive systems. We hope this partnership will encourage eletronification of commerce in Somalia,” said Jabu Basopo.
Speaking to the media in Kenya Friday, Ahmed said the bank has also signed an agreement with a local telco to introduce mobile banking in the second quarter of the year. He said Premier bank was the first bank in Somalia to undergo the cashless revolution being witnessed in many other parts of the world. Premier Bank partnered with MasterCard last year.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Pirates On Trial In France For Fatal Hijacking
27 March – Source: Gulf News/AFP – 575 Words
Seven suspected Somali pirates are due in court in Paris on Tuesday over the hijacking of a French yacht that left the owner dead and his wife facing a hellish kidnapping ordeal. Christian and Evelyne Colombo had sold everything to make their dream voyage around the world. But around lunchtime on Sept. 8, 2011, naval authorities received a distress signal from their “Tribal Kat” catamaran.
They had left the port of Aden in Yemen five days earlier and were heading for Oman, a journey that took them through notoriously pirate-infested waters. A German frigate found the boat several hours later. There were bullet holes in the deck and a pool of blood with a pair of glasses floating in it. No one was onboard. Two days later, a Spanish warship located the skiff suspected to belong to the pirates. They tried to approach but turned away when the attackers dragged Evelyne Colombo into view, a gun to her head.
The Spanish military prepared a raid and attacked a few hours later, leaving two pirates dead and the remaining seven arrested. Evelyne Colombo told her rescuers that her husband’s body had been dumped into the sea. It was never found. She had spent a nightmarish 48 hours in the hands of the pirates, kept under a tarpaulin, drenched by waves and in constant fear of death.
Somali Forces Kill 60 Al-Shabaab Militants In Somalia
27 March – Source: Xinhua – 208 Words
Somali local forces killed 60 Al-Shabaab militants and arrested 38 others in central Somalia, the President of Galmudug troops Abdikarim Hussein Guled said on Saturday. Guled said the Al-Shabaab militants have suffered a big blow in the hands of Galmudug forces and vowed to sustain the onslaught until the militants are eliminated from the entire state of Galmudug.
“The enemy has lost 60 militants and 38 others were captured. We took all their weapons, and I am thanking the people of Galmudug who played a vital role of helping the state forces and refused to allow the enemy to set up a safe haven in this region,” Guled said in a statement. He said the areas in which Al-Shabaab was confronted and defeated include Dinoda, Jiray, Bali-Hawd and Galhagoog, noting that Galmudug forces have severely defeated Al-Shabaab in the recent fight in the state of Galmudug.
Al-Shabaab militants have earlier suffered a heavy defeat in Puntland region, and later on fled to Galmudug with the aim to carry out their brutal acts against the civilians. Guled called on the people of Galmudug to continue to take part in the wider military operation against Al-Shabaab across the country, despite the victory of flushing them out from the Galmudug territory.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen told the Mail on Sunday: “If the BBC have been involved in a UK Government-backed programme which has in some way encouraged emigration to the UK and Europe from Africa, that would be seen as highly inappropriate with the current migrant crisis.”
BBC Radio Drama Gave Tips For Illegal Migrants In Somalia
27 March – Source: Breitbart.com – 444 Words
A BBC department that produced a radio drama giving practical tips to would-be migrants on how to cross from Somalia to Europe received nearly £90 million of British tax payers’ money. The drama, broadcast to Somalia and Kenya at the height of the migrant crisis, featured one character advising a woman to travel only with small luggage to make the illegal crossing easier. Another character is later advised that “this current time is the best opportunity to reach Europe”.
The drama is produced by BBC Media Action, the broadcaster’s charitable arm, which is funded by the British government’s foreign aid budget. Titled ‘A Better Life than Today’, it follows the fortunes of a group of Somali youths and has more than two million listeners on BBC Radio Somali. Although some characters do warn against illegal immigration, a constant theme of the drama is the longing for a better, more prosperous life in Europe.
In one episode, a woman asks a friend: “So what do the women who make the journey… look like?” Her friend responds: “They carry large suitcases! I would advise you to carry a small bag with a few items… If you have long hair, cut it shorter. You won’t have anywhere to brush it… whatever is difficult will end up being easy.” The would-be migrant responds: “What am I scared of? I, too, must go there.” A man later tells a young woman: ‘This current time is the best opportunity to reach Europe… when the seas are calm. All in all, migration can change your life.’