November 2, 2016 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Puntland And Galmudug Ink Peace Pact In Abu Dhabi

01 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 171 Words

Puntland and Galmudug have struck a deal to end hostilities in Galkaayo which has costed many lives and displaced thousands of people, a source from Abu Dhabi confirms. Sky News Arabic reports the two regions have agreed to a peace deal under the auspices of the United Arab Emirates leadership.The Emirates has said it will stand by Somalia to ensure peace and stability is restored in the country.Puntland’s Abdiweli Gaas, Galmudug’s Abdikarin Guled and newly elected President of Hirshabelle state, Ali Abdullahi Osoble have been in the UAE for close to a week now. It was not immediately clear if the agenda of the meeting was specifically confined to the peace talks.

Sources intimate political talks also featured in the meeting as the country gears for the election of a new president. The UAE has been actively involved in supporting regional administrations in Somalia to build their security forces.UAE has in the recent past supplied police and military vehicles to Puntland, Somaliland and Jubbaland and the Federal Government.

Key Headlines

Puntland And Galmudug Ink Peace Pact In Abu Dhabi (Goobjoog News)
Jubaland Says It Readied Anti-Al-Shabaab Offensive (Shabelle News)
Somali President Opens National Air Forces Station After Reconstruction (SONNA)
Puntland Starts Registration Of Candidates For The Lower House (AMISOM)
Japan To Scale Back Anti-piracy Operations Off Somalia (IHS Jane)
Somalia Remains The Global Capital Of Unsolved Murders Of Journalists (Quartz Africa)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Jubaland Says It Readied Anti-Al-Shabaab Offensive

01 November – Source: Shabelle News – 127 Words

Jubbaland state declared on Tuesday, it will launched a major assault on fewer bastions remaining under the control of Al-Shabaab militants in Jubba and Gedo regions.Mohamed Abdi Kaliil, the state security minister for Jubbaland said the region’s forces, along with AMISOM troops will push Al-Shabaab out of their last pockets.

The minister said Jubbaland officials have agreed to unleash an anti-militant push and vowed to cleanse large chunks of Al-Shabaab militants in southern Somalia.“Jubbaland has readied fresh troops in preparation for the anti-al shabaab offensive that will be launched very soon,” Mr Kalil told Radio Shabelle over the phone.The state minister for security of Jubbaland has added the offensive will be kicked off very soon after they made ready strong forces following long-dragging plan.

Somali President Opens National Air Forces Station After Reconstruction

01 November – Source: SONNA – 95 Words

President of the Federal Republic of Somalia,. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has on Tuesday opened national Air forces’ headquarter which was recently reconstructed after more than two decades, SONNA reported. The Somali Air forces’ station here in Mogadishu was established in 1920- until 1930’s.Former chief of staff for Somali Air forces, and chiefs from police, security, military, and custodial copses attended the opening the ceremony to this station, in attendance with foreign diplomats according to SONNA reporters at the occasion.President Hassan urged army commanders to document v the histories of all Somali National Armies.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Puntland Starts Registration Of Candidates For The Lower House

01 November – Source: AMISOM – 205 Words

The regional State-level Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (SIEIT), in Puntland have announced the onset of registration of candidates for the Lower House. SIEIT chairman for Puntland Mr. Khalif Aw Ali confirmed that members of the electoral colleges had also been summoned to prepare for the election of the first 12 members of the lower house.

“The registration of the candidates for the lower house has begun today. We have also called in the delegates of the first phase of electoral colleges who will elect members of the lower house. We have asked for the completion of the delegates for election of 12 seats,” Mr. Aw Ali said. The announcement by Puntland came as the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) was due to make an assessment tour of electoral sites in Garowe.

FIEIT has already visited Kismaayo and Baidoa, where they expressed satisfaction with the preparations. “The visit is part of a series of other visits, which we will make to Garowe, Adado and Jowhar in the coming days to take stock of how the preparations for the 2016 electoral process are going on and to decide when the elections will start,” Mr. Omar Mohamed Abdulle, the Chairman of the Federal Indirect Implementation Team, said.

Japan To Scale Back Anti-piracy Operations Off Somalia

01 November – Source: IHS Jane – 100 Words

The number of Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers taking part in anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean off Somalia is to be cut from two to one, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo said in a 1 November press release.

An MoD official told IHS Jane’s that one of the destroyers will return to Japan in December.Tokyo has deployed two destroyers and two Kawasaki/Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to the region since 2009 to protect merchant ships.Japan said it is now able to reduce its presence in the area due to decreasing cases of piracy.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“Even so, the report notes some progress. The share of countries in the rankings that have convicted the killers of journalists doubled in the past year. “

Somalia Remains The Global Capital Of Unsolved Murders Of Journalists

01 November – Source: Quartz Africa – 212 Words

With militant group Al-Shabaab waging war and the government suppressing press freedom, being a journalist in Somalia is a difficult, and even life-threatening, job. The Committee to Project Journalists’ 2016 Global Impunity Index“spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free.” For the second straight year, Somalia is ranked as the worst country in the index.The annual ranking is based on the number of unsolved murders (cases with no convictions) over a 10-year period as a share of a country’s population. It defines murder as “a deliberate attack against a specific journalist in relation to the victim’s work,” and excludes cases where journalists are killed in combat, street protests, or while covering other dangerous events.

Somali journalists have mostly been targeted by militant sect Al-Shabaab, with 24 unsolved murders over the past decade. In addition to Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria are the other African countries that rank high in the index as dangerous places to be a reporter.
The index only features countries with more than five unsolved murders, which is 13 in the latest edition (it was 14 the year before). However, data compiled from these 13 countries “account for 80% of the unsolved murders that took place worldwide” over the past decade, the committee says.