May 2, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somali Troops Carry Out Swoop In Marka After Bomb Attack
01 May – Source: Shabelle News- 121 Words
Somali government troops have launched a security operation on Sunday, in the southern coastal town of Marka, following a grenade bomb attack on army base.The city’s situation has been tense as the Somali army soldiers were seen on main streets and villages, searching for the culprits who carried out the attack, according to residents.“Following the grenade blast on the SNA base, the soldiers have opened fire to every directions, but there were no reports of any casualties on civilians,” said a resident, speaking on condition of anonymity.Marka, a key port town in southern Somalia, around 110 Km southwest of Mogadishu was hit by clan violence over the past three years as the city remains under Somali government control.
Key Headlines
- Somali Troops Carry Out Swoop In Marka After Bomb Attack (Shabelle News)
- Puntland President Receives High Level Delegation In Bossaso (Garowe Online)
- For Somali Villagers Battling Militants Requires No Mighty Army But Sacrifice (Hiiraan Online)
- Galmudug Leader In Jijiga For Talks Over Somalia-Ethiopia Border Clashes (Garowe Online)
- Islamist Group Al-Shabaab Kills 15 Soldiers: Somali Military (Reuters)
- Mogadishu Airport Increases Security (AMISOM)
- Rising Malnutrition Is Overwhelming Nutrition Centre (ICRC)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Puntland President Receives High Level Delegation In Bossaso
01 May – Source:Garowe Online- 164 Words
Somalia’s Puntland President, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has received Italian and IGAD High Level delegations in Bossaso port city on Sunday, Garowe Online reports.
The delegation led by The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Ambassador Mahboub Maalim and Italy’s Ambassador to Somalia, Fabrizio Marcelli have arrived to join Puntland leaders for the launch of second phase of Bossaso airport reconstruction on Monday. President Ali thanked international partners for their support during a joint press conference with Italian envoy at Bossaso presidential palace. The two later in the day inaugurated a 2.3km paved road funded by the Italian government
Puntland President stressed the need for improved economic infrastructure that he said would contribute to strengthened serenity, a day after his return from a visit to Saudi Arabia.Puntland is seeking investment from Arab tycoons in infrastructure sector.The Italian Ambassador commended Puntland for the functioning governance and stability. Italy has funded flagship Bossaso airport project whose second phase will be kick-started tomorrow.
For Somali Villagers, Battling Militants Requires No Mighty Army, But Sacrifice
01 May – Source: Hiiraan Online – 350 Words
Brandishing his AK-47, Mumin Elmi, a 65 years-old herder and his men are on a tough mission: expelling the feared Al Shabab fighters whom they blamed for robbery and cold-blood murders against their people from their villages, a goal which despite challenges showed early success.
Their story is one of few instances in which disgruntled villagers turned on militants without outside assistance, saying that they are tired of endless restrictions and punishments the group imposed on once-peaceful villages.“We had to take up arms against them (Al Shabaab) because they started robbing us of the few animals that survived the droughts and killing our people.” the orange-bearded man said sitting among his men with rifles slung over their shoulders in a village in Hiiraan region.
Mr. Elmi said that his local militia dubbed ‘Mawisley’ which translates to “men who wear lungi”, – a sarong-like garment wrapped around the waist and extending to the ankles, often worn by Somali men – has so far driven Al Shabab off two villages – Mahas and Moqokori, two areas where government and African Union troops were fighting for years to reach.
Lacking ammunition, vehicles and proper military hardware, the new militiamen often use domestic animals including camel to transport their wounded to hospitals in remote towns.“You can understand that taking up a gun would never have been an option for me at this age, but they beheaded my son, and I have since decided to fight them, no matter the risks involved.” He said, calling his mission a ‘self-defence’.
Residents in the two villages recaptured by the new armed militia said that local militia’s control brought stability and saved them from daily taxations Al Shabab once imposed on them, along with restrictions on their movements.Al Shabaab militant group often collects millions of dollars in zakat, or alms, in areas that it controls in the central and southern Somalia, however, residents often accuse the group of forcefully taking their livestock for the annual zakat.“Facing such enemies requires sacrifice, not only a big military power – we are determined to keep our people safe.” He said.
Facing mounting challenges, including attacks by militants and lack of equipment, the armed villagers say that they would move to liberate new towns. “We need an urgent support to keep the momentum.” Mr. Elmi appealing to Somali government and Somali diaspora communities around the world.
Galmudug Leader In Jijiga For Talks Over Somalia-Ethiopia Border Clashes
01 May – Source: Garowe Online – 234 Words
Interim Galmudug Administration (IGA) President Abdikarin Hussein Guled on Saturday arrived in Jigjiga, the capital of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia, for key talks regarding a joint solution to recent hostility in border areas, Garowe Online reports.
Somali Regional State President Abdi Mohamud Omar and visiting Jubaland Leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) welcomed Guled to Jigjiga. At least ten people were killed after Liyuu Police, paramilitary units from the Somali Regional State. clashed with armed pastoralists in Daadheer vicinity last month.
Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State blamed militiamen with links to Al Shabaab for the responsibility, allegations were rejected by Galmudug Information Minister Tar Dhuled.
Jubaland President Madobe is said to be mediating in the dispute between Galmudug and Ethiopian authorities in Jijiga.
President Omar overnight hosted dinner for Somalia delegation that also included Federal Government of Somalia’s (FGS) Minister for Posts and Telecommunication, Mohamed Jama Mursal, who praised the region for the massive progress it registered over the years in various fronts.
Speaking in Jijiga, Galmudug leader said, he hopes to reach a deal with Ethiopian Somali officials over the deadly incident during the visit. On his side, Ethiopian Somali Regional State President reiterated that they are ready to battle Al Shabaab militants whom he called “thugs” fighting for power in the name of religion.
Ethiopian troops were officially integrated into African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in January, 2014 as part of ongoing stabilization operations in central and southern Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Islamist Group Al-Shabaab Kills 15 Soldiers: Somali Military
01 May – Source: Reuters – 301 Words
Al Shabaab insurgents killed 15 Somali soldiers and retook a town northeast of the capital Mogadishu on Sunday, just one day after it had fallen to government forces, the military said.The Islamist group, which wants to topple Somalia’s Western-backed government, said it had killed 32 soldiers in the assault. It was not possible to verify independently the death toll. Al-Shabaab has inflated casualty figures in the past.Captain Nur Ali said the attack had taken place early on Sunday morning in the town of Runirgood, about 180 km to the north east of Mogadishu.”Al-Shabaab used a suicide car bomb to penetrate a military base. It exploded and then fierce fighting followed. At least 15 soldiers died,” Major Abdullahi Omar, a second army officer, told Reuters from the region by phone.
The soldiers (at the base) were few and there were no AMISOM or other military nearby for reinforcement. We killed more than 10 militants in fighting on Saturday and Sunday,” Omar added. AMISOM is the African Union peacekeeping mission.
Residents of Runirgood said they had seen dead bodies of both al Shabaab and government soldiers in the town.Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, said its fighters had killed 32 soldiers and captured three vehicles.”It was a fierce battle and thank Allah, we recaptured the town,” he told Reuters.
Mogadishu Airport Increases Security
01 May – Source: AMISOM- 318 Words
Authorities at Somalia’s Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu have begun implementing stringent measures to improve safety and security in the wake of a botched airline attack early this year.They include round-the-clock security surveillance system, physical checkpoints, electronic detection systems and rigorous passenger luggage and cargo screening, the airport’s General Manager in charge of Security and Administration, Gen. Abdi Ashkir Jama said in a recent interview.He said sniffer dogs will also be used and firearms completely banned within airport premises.
The measures are aimed at boosting public confidence following the scare.Sonkor Jama Gelle, a frequent traveler between Nairobi and Mogadishu, is impressed with recent security measures.“In the last month, I have observed a lot of improvements, especially new technology”, Gelle said.“This is my first time in Somalia and I was impressed with the measures that have been put in place. I feel completely secure here after going through the rigorous checks,” Ms Hanan, another passenger from Toronto, said.
A botched attempt to bring down a Daallo Airlines airbus on February 3 caused Turkish airlines, a key international flyer, to stop its flights to and from Somalia.In the incident, a suicide bomber who managed to smuggle an explosive device in his laptop on board a Djibouti bound airplane, detonated it, blowing a hole in the side of the airline as it took off.The force of the explosion ejected the bomber from the plane. His body was found near the district of Bal’ad, about 30 kilometres from the capital.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“According to a 2016 humanitarian needs overview report, acute malnutrition rates in internally displaced settlements like Timiro’s are frequently above the emergency threshold of 15 percent.This is why these stabilization centres are needed. When patients are discharged, their care givers are provided with nutritional advice and supplementary foods such as a peanut-based paste called Plumpy’nut to help their children stay healthy,”
Rising Malnutrition Is Overwhelming Nutrition Centre
29 April – Source: ICRC- 650 Words
Four-year-old Osman came to the Kismayo Stabilization Centre earlier this year. Suffering from Kwashiorkor, a nutritional disorder caused by lack of protein, he developed a flaky rash all over his body giving his skin a rusty look.Osman’s family lives in a flood-prone area along Juba River that is known to suffer from a disruption in food security. But with help from the stabilization centre, he has responded positively to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.Osman is just one of 300,000 children in Somalia who are suffering from malnutrition, with close to 60,000 under the age of five years in critical condition and in need of urgent therapeutic feeding. The southern Somalia port city of Kismayo is home to the only feeding centre in the region, and is currently overwhelmed by the sheer number of children in need of its nutritional therapeutic feeding program.
The Kismayo Stabilization Centre has seen an influx in cases of malnutrition, sometimes treating up to 150 children in its 90-bed capacity facility. In January and February alone, 386 children were admitted to the centre, forcing Bashir Mohamed, the centre’s general supervisor, to convert some of the offices into wards.”We began by converting the isolation ward to a normal ward and now we had to make room in some offices to deal with the high admissions,” said Mohamed. “Also, children are accompanied by the parents or caregivers who will stay with them for the duration of the treatment.”
ICRC begun supporting the Kismayo Stabilization Centre in 2014, and another in Baidoa, Bay region, which opened in May 2015. However three similar centers in the region closed down in recent years causing the increase in patients in the remaining centres.
Like Osman, Abdi Ibrahim was diagnosed with Kwashiorkor at the stabilization centre. But the two-year old is also suffering from anemia and a lack of appetite. He must be fed through a nasal tube.What makes Abdi’s case worse is the fact that he is actually overweight due to oedema, a condition characterized by swelling of the body due to fluid retention. He arrived at the stabilization centre weighing 7 kilograms, which is one kilogram overweight, but the nurses expect his weight to come down soon.