May 5, 2016 | Morning Headlines

Somali President Sacks Chief Justice Over Corruption

04 May – Source: Radio Dalsan – 136 Words

The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia has relieved chief justice Aydid Ilka Hanaf of his duties on Wednesday.Lawyer Dr. Ibrahim Idle Suleyman from Hargeysa will fill the position with immediate effect according to Villa Somalia constitutional adviser Omar Dhagey.Dhagey added that corruption allegation complaints from the members of the public and age factor are the main reasons why the President has taken the decision to relieve Ilkahanaf of his duties.

The 85 year old is remembered for his controversial rulings on the disbanding of National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) recently.Somalia has no strong judicial system due to the two decades of civil war in the country.

Key Headlines

• Somali President Sacks Chief Justice Over Corruption (Radio Dalsan)
• Livestock Prices Go Down As Drought Ravages Jubaland (Goobjoog News)
• Al-Shabaab Demotes Lower Shabelle Representative (Radio Dalsan)
• At Least 1 Policeman Killed 4 Others Injured In Blast In Somalia (Xinhua)
• RAF Provides Fresh Aid For Somalia (The Peninsula)
• Foiled Kenya Anthrax Plot Hints At Islamic State’s Scramble For Africa (Foreign Policy)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Livestock Prices Go Down As Drought Ravages Jubaland

05 May – Source:Goobjoog News – 196 Words

Livestock prices across markets in Jubbaland towns have dramatically declined largely due to the drought that hit many parts of the country, Jubbaland minister for livestock said on Wednesday. Livestock is the mainstay of the Somali economy, contributing 40 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Abduladiif Abdullahi Warsame, minister for livestock said the drought caused many deaths in domestic animals and it hit the economy of the region. “All the markets have been closed due to the lack of animals. People used to sell a goat for two million Somali shillings before, but the price has been going down since the drought began” said Warsame.

Warsame said that pastoral communities in the most severely affected areas had lost over half of their sheep and goats. He said that many pastoralist families are desperate for money to survive during this time of drought, they have being trying to sell off some of their animals. Livestock farming is the largest contributor to Somali livelihoods with over 65% of the population engaged in the industry: “Somali people are largely pastoralists and depend on livestock for their livelihood, livestock is a not a new thing in this country.

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Al-Shabaab Demotes Lower Shabelle Representative

04 May – Source: Radio Dalsan – 72 Words

Armed group Al-Shabaab has demoted Lower Shabelle representative.According to reports by VOA Somali,  the demotion of Sheikh Mohamed Abu Abdalla follows peace agreement by Somali tribes that live in the Lower Shabelle region sometime back. Reports said one of the tribes that was not satisfied with the agreement presided over by  Sheikh Abdalla complained to Al-Shabaab and thus his demotion followed.No comment from armed group regarding the reports of the demotion.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

At Least 1 Policeman Killed, 4 Others Injured In Blast In Somalia

04 May – Source: Xinhua – 168 Words
At least one policeman was killed and four others injured in a grenade attack at livestock market in Afgoye town in lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia, officials said on Wednesday.Information Minister for Southwest State in Somalia, Ugas Hassan confirmed the incident, saying there was only one death and four injuries.”The attack occurred at a very busy livestock market in Afgoye town, where a policeman was killed, two other policemen and two civilians were injured in a grenade attack,” Hassan said.

He said the security officers later opened fire on the attackers and thereafter arrested the suspects.The eyewitness told Xinhua the grenade attack happened at a time when the police were collecting levy in the market which is usually very busy on Wednesdays as nomads bring cattle and goats for sale.No group has claimed the responsibility of the attack in Afgoye so far. This is the second deadly attack that has taken place at livestock market in Afgoye town in less than a month.

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RAF Provides Fresh Aid For Somalia

05 May – Source: The Peninsula – 245 Words

Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Service (RAF) has provided emergency relief for 1,900 families in six Northern Somali areas of Oodl, Salel Coast, Gebeily, Mrdodi, Jih and Hood, benefiting over 10,000 people.

RAF said in a statement yesterday that it focused on the six areas due to the urgent need for emergency aid since severe droughts have hit the country since 2011.Food baskets including rice, oil, sugar, flour and dates for at least three months were distributed to the families to alleviate their suffering, especially the most vulnerable categories, such as children, mothers and the elderly facing acute shortage of food.

Somalia’s Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs has called on relief organisations to provide urgent aid for those affected by famine and drought in the north and northeast of the country which are witnessing a wave of drought and famine leading to livestock deaths, malnutrition and severe food shortages.The United Nations has warned of a return of famine and drought in northern Somalia after the scarce monsoon rains over the past years have led to drought, damaging  crops and killing livestock. The humanitarian situation is difficult with high grain prices and the scarcity of drinking water in many areas has stopped the primary economic activity in these areas which depend on farming and grazing during seasonal rains.Northern Somalia is hit hard, with some 385,000 people in dire need of food aid, according to the UN.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“Little is known about the Islamic State’s activities in Kenya, but the foiled plot comes less than two months after Kenyan police arrested four people on suspicion of attempting to travel to Libya to join the Islamic State. Authorities say that at least 20 Kenyans have done so already, increasing the possibility that the extremist group could eventually establish a foothold in Kenya.,”

Foiled Kenya Anthrax Plot Hints At Islamic State’s Scramble For Africa

04 May – Source: Foreign Policy – 1047 Words

Kenyan authorities claim to have foiled a “large-scale” biological terrorist plot by militants linked to the Islamic State (IS), raising fears that the Iraq- and Syria-based group may be extending its influence in Africa.Police arrested Mohammed Abdi Ali, a medical intern at the Wote District Hospital in southeastern Kenya, on Fridayand a court has since authorized his detention for 30 days while investigators complete their work, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said in a statement released Tuesday.
Ali’s wife was reportedly taken into custody in neighboring Uganda, along with another suspected accomplice.

Two other medical interns have been identified as suspected co-conspirators and are thought to have gone into hiding.“The suspects were planning large scale attacks akin to the Westgate Mall attack with the intention of killing innocent Kenyans,” Boinnet said, referring to the 2013 attack by the Somali militant group al-Shabab that claimed at least 67 lives. He added that the terrorist network “has links to” the Islamic State and “planned to unleash a biological attack in Kenya using anthrax.”He did not name the specific group that was allegedly behind the plot.

Kenya has faced a surge in terrorist attacks since it invaded Somalia in 2011, a move it claimed would help contain the Shabab threat but which provoked a deadly backlash instead. The Somali militant group has since recruited hundreds of Kenyans and vowed to continue pummeling its southern neighbor until the Kenyan military withdraws. There were 45 terrorist attacks in Kenya last year, according to data compiled by the U.K. consultancy Verisk Maplecroft — down from 94 in 2014, but still substantially higher than pre-2011 figures.