November 5, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Hundreds Denounce Al-Shabaab Violence After Deadly Siege
04 November – Source: Garowe Online – 90 Words
Hundreds of banner-waving residents took to the streets in Mogadishu to protest against Al-Shabaab rampage on Wednesday. The participants at the anti-Al-Shabaab rally were chanting slogans denouncing Al-Shabaab terrorists after a siege that left over a dozen, mainly government officials dead on Sunday. Protestors marched in large numbers from Mogadishu’s Shanghani district to Hamar municipalities. Banadir regional administration officials urged residents to provide security services with any Al-Shabaab tip-offs. Militants shot their way into Mogadishu’s Sahafi Hotel, killing senior government officials over the weekend on Sunday.
Key Headlines
- Hundreds Denounce Al-Shabaab Violence After Deadly Siege (Garowe Online)
- Minneapolis Moves To Nurse Substance Abuse Victims (Hiiraan Online)
- Guled Dissolves Galkayo Local Council (Wacaal Media)
- Millions Sent From Australia To Fund Terror Groups (AFP/Hiiraan Online)
- Kenya UNHCR Plan To Repatriate 500000 Somali Refugees (Xinhua)
- Minneapolis Restaurateur Writes Children’s Books To Inspire Young Somali-Americans (Star Tribune)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Minneapolis Moves To Nurse Substance Abuse Victims
04 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 348 Words
Having seen the growing number of young men and women leaving the social life and slipping further away from family, friends, schools or work, as the result of of substance dependence, the Somali community have opened a treatment centre that has seen early success. The South East Homes Inc primarily focuses on substance abuse services, helping the substance abuse victims to overcome addictions or withdrawals. Through its work, the centre’s work has attracted the attention of the local authorities who paid a visit to the centre this week to learn about its treatments of individuals from East Africa.
The commissioner of Health and Human Services, Lucinda Jesson, Deputy Director Brian Zorbes, as well as Commissioner of MN Higher Education, Larry Pogomiller have instituted a community listening session designed to hear the voice of the community in improving MN’s service continuum for individuals with substance use disorders. Abah Mohamed, the South East Homes Executive Director says homelessness, lack of resources, lack of sober support, stigmatization, family disconnections, social isolation and ostracism, legal problems, hopelessness and depression are the main factors contributing to the increase in numbers of drug dependence by many Minneapolis residents.
During their visit, officials have credited the centre with developing to provide significant services in response to all the challenges by undertaking a language and cultural awareness, a move health officials say could help in overcoming the challenges facing inidividuals from East African who are struggling with addiction while living in an alien country. Briefing the visiting officials, Ms. Mohamed has expressed hope in doing more to address the mental illness problems by using resources compatible with the East African culture to set off best practices in alcohol and drug addiction treatment. According to a 2013 Minnesota Student Survey, 41 percent of metropolitan area 11th grade males and 42 percent of 11th grade females reported drug abuse. Less than one-half (44.2 percent) of primary admissions to addiction treatment programs for all ages were for alcohol in the first half of 2013, compared with 46.5 percent of the total in 2012 and 49.2 percent in 2011.
Guled Dissolves Galkayo Local Council
04 November – Source: Wacaal Media – 79 Words
The newly formed State of Galmudug has dissolved the Local Council of Galkayo, headquarters of Mudug region. Through a circular from the office of the Head of State Abdikarim Guled, the local council which was inherited from the previous Abdi Qaybdid led administration will now pave way for a new one to be named by the new administration. Additional reports indicate that the head of state also stripped Aweys Ali Said of his position as the District Commissioner of Galkayo.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
How Big A Threat Does Al-Shabaab Still Pose?
04 November – Source: BBC – Audio: 3:18 Minutes
When Al-Shabaab were pushed out of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, many people inside and outside the country dared to hope it had been defeated. But the Islamist militant group is still fighting the government and there have been a number of deadly attacks in the last few days. Matt Bryden is the chairman of the Sahan group in Nairobi – is the Somali government losing the war against Al-Shabaab?
Millions Sent From Australia To Fund Terror Groups
04 November – Source : AFP/Hiiraan Online- 339 Words
Australia said Wednesday it was striving to shut down money flows to terrorist groups after its anti-money laundering agency tracked Aus$53 million (US$38 million) in suspect transactions in a year.Government body AUSTRAC said that between July 2014 and June 2015, it monitored more than 100 people “of interest” and investigated 536 suspicious transactions valued at Aus$53 million, most of which were associated with militant groups in Iraq and Syria.“Those 100 are obviously part of a wider group of people who we’re worried about supporting ISIL,” Justice Minister Michael Keenan told reporters in Canberra, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.“Because it’s not just money we are concerned about, but other Australians who might be involved such as (in) recruitment.”
Australia has been increasingly worried about its nationals travelling to war zones in the Middle East to join militant groups.The government estimates some 120 Australians are in Iraq and Syria supporting the Islamic State and other terror-linked groups, with another 160 actively supporting extremist organisations at home through financing and recruitment.Canberra has also been concerned about attacks by home-grown extremists. It has raised its terror threat level to high, introduced new national security laws and conducted several counter-terrorism raids. It plans to tighten laws further to restrict the movements of suspects as young as 14 after a 15-year-old boy shot dead a police employee in early October.
Kenya, UNHCR Plan To Repatriate 500,000 Somali Refugees
04 November – Source: Xinhua – 420 Words
Kenya is working in collaboration with the UN refugee agency on a program that will ensure a smooth and voluntary repatriation of over 500,000 refugees living in five camps at the Dadaad refugee camp in Kenya.Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaisery said the long term plan included maintaining stability in Somalia by the Kenyan troops under AMISOM and ensuring all the necessary infrastructure such as health services, education and water are in place before the refugees go back home.”We have to ensure that the refugees go back to a safe place. That is why we still have our troops inside Somalia to stabilize the country,” Nkaissery said on Tuesday at the Dadaab refugee complex in northeast Kenya.”Basic facilities such as schools, hospitals and other infrastructure have to be put in place so that when the refugees go back voluntarily , they have safe place to settle,” he said.
According to Kenya, some 45,000 refugees have been repatriated in the last two years from the Dadaab refugee camp and more could soon be going back home under the new program.Returning refugees are assisted with transport to their places of origin, mostly in Kismayo, Mogadishu, Baidoa and Luuq in South and Central Somalia. They also receive a cash grant, food and basic domestic items such as sleeping mats, mosquito nets, a solar lantern, hygiene supplies and kitchen utensils to help them start a new life.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Ahmed told his friend he wanted to write about a Somali boy called Roble who likes to code. The friend loved the idea, and the two kept brainstorming. By the time they reached the airport, they had the book’s title and a basic plot: Roble designs a robot he can control with his digital tablet; he and his sister take the robot for a spin in the neighborhood,”
Minneapolis Restaurateur Writes Children’s Books To Inspire Young Somali-Americans
03 November – Source: Star Tribune – 513 Words
Abdirahman Ahmed toyed with the idea of writing a children’s book for months. An IT professional by training who runs a Minneapolis Somali restaurant, Ahmed worried that storytelling might not be his strong suit. But he was eager to plant the idea of pursuing careers in science and technology in the minds of more youngsters than could enroll in the computer coding classes hosted by his nonprofit. He knew there was a dearth of books featuring young Somali-American heroes and their families. Ahmed self-published his debut picture book, “Roble and the Robot,” this year. A second book is coming out soon, and a third one is in the works.“I hope my books will help kids have some new dreams,” he said.
Earlier this year, Ahmed shared his idea of writing a book with an old friend he was driving to the airport. Ahmed’s nonprofit, Aspire Institute, offers free coding classes at places like Lincoln High School, a charter school that serves primarily Somali youth. But Ahmed’s passion for getting kids excited about technology was running up against the limited number of “Junior Geeks” these classes could serve.“I realized I can only teach 20 kids at a given time,” he said. “How can I reach more kids and inspire them to learn technology?”