NATIONAL MEDIA
2 November – Source: Halbeeg – 161 Words
Three Al-Shabaab suspects, namely Abdikariim Mohamed Mohamud Hussein, Abdiqani Ali Mohamud Ali and Ali Muhudin Abshir were charged in a military court in Mogadishu on Sunday for being members of Al-Shabaab and planting IEDs targeting government and AMISOM vehicles in Mogadishu. The first and second suspects were specifically charged for planting of up to nine improvised explosive devices (IEDs) targeting government and AMISOM forces while the third suspect charged for storing the IEDs while pretending to be a tailor in a clothes shop.
Abdikarim Mohamed Mohamud Hussein and Abdiqani Ali Mohamud Ali were arrested in the Livestock Market in the outskirts of Mogadishu on 29 June 2019, while Ali Muhudiin Abshir was arrested 6 July 2019 by the security forces. During the trial, the defendants were allowed to respond to allegations made by the office of the Special Army Forces. Abdikarim Mohamed Mohamud Hussein was previously arrested while training on making car bombs in Middle Shabelle region. He joined Al-Shabaab in 2016.
2 November – Source: Goobjoog – 135 Words
Abdi Mohamed Sabriye, the Minister of Interior and Federalism, held a conference with the elders and members of the community in Guri’el town. Ministry of Interior of the Federal Government of Somalia called on Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama’a (ASWJ) to stop its current activities, which minister Sabriye described as a setback for the progress of Galmudug state and the community living in the region.
Speaking out that Ahlu Sunna is blocking the formation of a new Galmudug state and that it is not the way forward of Ahlu Sunna whereby that behaviour is a setback; however, je warned Ahlu Sunna against the failure of the Galmudug state formation process. Minister Sabriye said the government of Somalia will work towards a good way of Ahlu Sunna and the state government of the Galmudug and resolve any concerns.
2 November – Source: Halbeeg – 119 Words
Minister for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Mohamed Abdi Mareye reshuffled state-owned media directors on Sunday. The changes affected Radio Mogadishu, Somali National TV and the Somali National News Agency (SONNA). A letter from the Minister’s office appointed Yahye Ali Farah as the new director of the state-owned Radio Mogadishu, Farah Salah Dharar is also the new director of SNTV, whereas Ali Abdulkadir will take the helm at the national news agency SONNA.
Other appointments include Mohamed Hassan Barrow, director of management and finance at the national theater, Ahmed Farah Mohamed, director of the national archives and Mulki Ibrahim Mohamed as the director of management. The Minister for Information directed all the new directors to assume responsibilities with immediate effect.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
2 November – Source: Daily Nation – 615 Words
A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier on Saturday made surprise visit to his family in Lanet, Nakuru, from Somalia where he has been serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia. Mr Joseph Aringo, 33, who left the country in January, unexpectedly showed up at his Lanet home on the outskirts of Nakuru town. The soldier was received by his wife, sister in law and his three children. But the surprise homecoming was well planned and executed with military precision. Mr Nicky Omolo, a close family friend, informed Mr Aringo’s family that they would be having a special guest. The family did not know that Mr Aringo had communicated with Mr Omolo about his visit. Not even Mr Omolo’s wife Judy Achieng’ knew the special guest they were expecting. “It was one of my biggest surprises,” said Ms Achieng’.
Mr Aringo’s wife Pauline Awuor was lost for word. “I least expected the guest to be my husband, I knew he was in Somalia. He had not informed me that he would be coming, I missed him. Taking care of the children alone in his absence has not been easy, I thank God for keeping him safe,” said Ms Awuor. She added: “When I saw him in the living room I screamed, I thought I was dreaming, it is nice to see him safe.” Mr Aringo’s sister-in-law Becky described the reunion as the best surprise of her life. Their second born son Michael Sheaitiel, 7, who aspires to be a soldier like his father said: “When my dad removed his dark glasses I could not believe it was him.” Mr Aringo, who was overjoyed to surprise his family, is glad to be back home and spend time with them. The soldier, who is a born again Christian and a pastor at Kings Outreach Church, is on a two-week vacation…..
2 November – Source: Kenyan News Agency – 522 Words
Lamu County Commissioner Macharia Irungu has revealed that the national government plans to officially re-open the five Schools in Boni forest, Lamu East that were closed for security reason four years ago. This is in the wake of improved security to quash terror threats within the Boni which had rendered learning within the area impossible. The five affected schools include Basuba, Milimani, Mararani, Mangai and Kiangwe that have remained closed since 2014 following guerrilla attacks by suspected Al-Shabaab militants.
Speaking to KNA in Lamu Friday , the county commissioner reiterated that it is in the county’s best interest that the national government ensures that the five schools re-open, in a bid to alleviate the suffering of students who have to live far or walk long distances to access the available schools for learning. He noted that the affected pupils had been taken up in Mokowe Arid Boarding School and Kiunga day primary school both of which have posed challenges for the affected students and their parents. “You find that the affected students who board in Mokowe arid are forced to stay away from their parents for a whole term due to logistical challenges and also Kiunga Day Primary is about 15 kilometres far from the villages where these children may be coming from,” Macharia said, adding that the inconvenience that it causes makes learning all the more difficult making the quality of education in the Boni area poor……
2 November – Source: MN CBS – 268 Words
Over 270,000 families are displaced as floodwaters rise in Somalia. The flooding has been deadly, which has communities wanting to help here at home in Minnesota. Saturday night, dozens gathered for a fundraiser in a South Minneapolis ballroom to raise money for the flood victims. “Twenty people confirmed dead and more still are missing,” said Hassan Jama, the executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, who also helped organize this fundraising event. “We have been organizing the last three days different events and raising funds to help the needy people in that region.”
Minnesota has the largest population of Somali-Americans in the U.S. Many who attended this fundraising event have loved ones who are in Somalia right now caught in this devastation. “We have family that is still missing. We don’t even know if they’re alive,” said Habiba Mohamed. “My family and my kids are there right now,” said Sabraa Halane. They say the main needs are for food, medicine, mosquito nets, and clean water. Besides the rising water, the biggest threat is waterborne diseases. It cost $25 to get in the door Saturday night, and most people were giving even more. “At least we’re wishing to raise $20,000 to $30,000,” said Jama. More rain is expected in Somalia in the days ahead, so this effort is far from over. “They can save lives if they support the needy ones that live in that region,” said Jama. Somali-Americans who call Minnesota home say they hope more Minnesotans are called to give. People can donate via GoFundMe or Haro USA, a tax-deductible nonprofit.
2 November – Source: Ethiopian Government – 386 Words
The number of Somali refugees who fled extended drought and conflict and entered to Ethiopia this year has increased by seven-folds, the Agency for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) said. ARRA Public Relation Head, Yasin Aliey told ENA that Ethiopia has received some 7,800 Somali refugees in 2019, a number seven times greater than the previous year. Frequent and extended drought and conflict are amongst the main reasons to forced Somalis to leave their country, he added. “It [data] shows an increase in a number of Somalis refugees entered to Ethiopia from 1101 in 2018 to 7831 in 2019. The influence of Al-Shabab in southern Somalia in one hand and the frequent drought in the other hand are the basic causes to influx Somalia refugees to Ethiopia this year,” Yasin elaborated. He pointed out that currently over 263,000 Somali refugees are being hosted in refugee camps in Ethiopia.
The agency, pursuant to the country’s open-door policy for refugees and in collaboration with international organizations is providing necessary facilities to the refugees, Yasin said. Furthermore, he indicated Ethiopia has been undertaking efforts to improve the livelihoods of refugees in the country in alignment to the 2016 New York Declaration on Refugees. In this regard, the government of Ethiopia has revised some of the regulations to create favorable environment for refugees. “There are various practical activities that we are undertaking; these include refugees engaging in irrigation within the Liben Zone of Dollado area refugee camps,” he said. In addition to that, some 1,000 refugees have so far received university scholarship in various institutions of higher learning…..
1 November – Source: IOM – 647 Words
The International Organization for Migration is appealing for urgent humanitarian support to thousands of flood-affected people in Somalia. Flash floods following heavy rains in parts of Somalia have displaced thousands of vulnerable people. In some of the worst-hit areas, farms, infrastructure and roads have been destroyed, and livelihoods disrupted. An estimated 182,000 people have so far been displaced, according to humanitarian partners. The Shabelle and Juba rivers in Hirshabelle Sate and South West State, respectively, have risen and inundated many surrounding towns. With another tropical storm forecast, the possibility of further damage remains a concern.
With funding from partners such as UN CERF, ECHO and the governments of Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, IOM has ramped up response in the affected areas. But needs far outweigh available resources. Using prepositioned emergency contingency stock, IOM was able to respond by delivering 3,200 emergency NFI kits to partners in Beledweyne, where the impact of the floods has been the most severe. Further distributions will be based on the needs identified in other flood-affected regions. There is an urgent need to further replenish the contingency stock to enable partners to respond to the growing needs across Somalia….
1 November – Source: Norwegian Refugee Council – 468 Words
Several thousand people in the worst-affected area of Baladweeyne are sheltering under trees or in emergency tents after their makeshift homes were washed away by floods caused by torrential rain. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is calling for an urgent humanitarian response to ensure aid can be provided safely to people in desperate need. “Floods have destroyed more than three quarters of Baladweeyne and submerged many surrounding villages. These are extremely poor parts of Somalia, where there is now no electricity and no safe drinking water. Livestock has been lost and agricultural production has been decimated. Our team is extremely worried about at least 30,000 vulnerable people displaced by flash flooding in Bardaale, further south. These communities will need immediate response to survive and long-term support to recover,” said Victor Moses, Country Director for NRC in Somalia.
According to figures by the UNHCR and NRC-led Protection Returns and Monitoring Network (PRMN), 273,000 people have been displaced by flooding in October alone, the vast majority in the Baladweeyne area due to the flooding of the Shabelle river. This brings the total number of people displaced by a combination of drought, floods and conflict so far this year in Somalia to 575,000*. “The country is already ravaged by drought, which has contributed to the displacement of around thousands of people so far this year. Vulnerable communities become more dependent on humanitarian aid and find it harder to recover,” Moses said……
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
1 November – Source: Radio Ergo – 415 Words
Fetching water every day used to be both time consuming and worrisome for Somali mother Sahra Ali Obsiye, living in Somaliland’s most westerly Awdal region, where drought has bitten hard in recent years. She used to wake up early in the morning to walk to a nearby small water catchment or dam, which was the only source of water for people in Dilla village. The village had no boreholes and the dam always turned to dust in the dry season, when expensive water tankers would truck in water from Gebilay and Borama towns to sell at prices people could ill afford. But Sahra’s main worry was always for the safety of her children. “The dam is only a kilometre away but it used to take an hour for me to fetch water because the place was muddy and slippery around the edges. My main worry was the children, as I sometimes sent them to fetch water,” she told Radio Ergo.
Sahra and 6,000 other families in this part of Awdal have welcomed the drilling of two wells by a local NGO, Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Committee (Havoyoco), in cooperation with Somaliland’s water ministry. “Our main challenge was always getting enough water. We used to share the water with the wildlife,” Sahra said. “Nobody knew who drank from this water at the dam when we left or during the night because it had no cover. People even used to swim in it.” The wells were opened to the public in September. The community has welcomed the source of clean, freshwater. The water in the dam was often discoloured and smelled bad, but despite the health risks people had no choice but to drink it.
Another villager, Halima Abdullahi Nur, used to carry her clothes and utensils to the dam to wash them there, as her home was too far away to go back and forth. “We could not fetch enough water for all our needs for cooking, drinking, washing and bathing. So for drinking and cooking, we used to carry water home in jerry cans, but we used to wash our clothes and bathe there at the dam,” said Halima, a mother of six. The chief of Dilla village, Adan Osman Said, told Radio Ergo that it had taken a long time for the requests for wells to be drilled in the village to be answered. “Our main problem was always water. Now this is resolved and everybody is getting water,” the chief said. |
