November 6, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Somali Leaders Agree Training And Arming Of Somali Forces
05 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 280 Words
Somali federal government and state leaders agreed on a joint offensive against Al-Shabaab following the conclusion of eight day consultative conference in Mogadishu. In a communique, the leaders highlighted the importance of training and equipping Somali forces in a way to annihilate militants who launched two separate attack in Mogadishu during the concluded conference. “The leaders of federal and state governments pointed out the need to come up with strategic plans to annihilate the terrorists in Somalia and carrying out pre-emptive measures,” reads the communique.
In the conference, the leaders agreed the security across Somali to be tightened and improved. In the recent months, the security of Mogadishu has been getting worse following series of attacks conducted by Al-Shabaab terrorists who want to depose the internationally recognised government of Somalia. Last Thursday, 11 people were injured in bomb explosion barely five days after six militants stormed Nasa-Hablod 2 Hotel following VBIED detonated at the entrance, leading to the death of 23 people including government officials.
Following weeks of under clouds of political crisis caused by Qatar-Gulf Crisis, the leaders from federal government and Regional States have underscored to work closely for the betterment of Somalia. “the heads of the country nodded to create an atmosphere based on unity trust and patience that can allow the leaders to work together, “ stated the communique. The leaders of the regional states have been at loggerheads with the federal government since June when Qatar-Gulf crisis emerged. The government led by President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo had maintained neutral position declining a call by some of state leaders to side with Saudi-led coalition. Subsequently, that led the political arena of the country to plunged into crisis.
Key Headlines
- Somali Leaders Agree Training And Arming Of Somali Forces (Hiiraan Online)
- Media Stakeholders To Form Technical Team To Draft Code Of Conduct (Goobjoog News)
- Rains Flooding Kill Four Children In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- U.S. Orders Non-essential Officials To Leave Mogadishu Over Terror Threats (Xinhuanet)
- UAE Ambassador Meets IGAD Special Envoy To Somalia (Emirates News Agency)
- Is Mogadishu Massacre A Cause Célèbre To Depose Al-Shabaab? (Daily Sabah)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Media Stakeholders To Form Technical Team To Draft Code Of Conduct
05 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 227 Words
A technical team drawn from the media industry in consultation with the federal and state governments will be tasked with the drafting of the code of conduct for journalists in line with the Media Act, state and media stakeholders have said. Federal and state government’s information ministers alongside journalist organisations meeting in Mogadishu said Saturday in a communique they agreed to form a technical team to draft the code of conduct to guide media practice in the country.
Information Minister Abdirahman Yarisow tabled the Media Act 2015 Amendment Bill in the Lower House last month and the House is yet to debate. The Bill which introduces amendments following concerns from the media industry and international media organisations seeks to among others create the National Media Council which will be responsible for regulating media practice in Somalia. The Media Act came into force in 2015.
The stakeholders also agreed to take into consideration views from federal member states regarding the media bill and the same be submitted to the national assembly for inclusion during the parliamentary debate. Other issues agreed on by the stakeholders include coherent messaging between the federal and state ministries of information regarding cross cutting issues such as fighting extremism and countering wrong ideologies among others. The meeting also resolved that security agencies must investigate perpetrators of acts of impunity against journalists in the country.
Rains, Flooding Kill Four Children In Mogadishu
05 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 146 Words
At least four children were killed by floods in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu while tens of IDP families were rendered homeless as heavy rains continue pounding the city. The torrential rains that pounded over the last twelve hours have washed away shelters for IDPs in and around the city. “The rains that fell on Saturday night have left us homeless and the floods also killed four children in Bondhere IDP camp,” Said Mohamed Sheikh Osman, an internally displaced person in Bondhere. Osman said the families are concerned about the shelters that accommodate them which can no longer be strong to withstand the floods of the torrential rains. “IDPs here, live in huts made of cardboard and sticks which cannot withstand the heavy rains,’ he disappointedly said. Meanwhile, the rains had strong impact on the movement of people and transport as most of the streets turned into pools.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
U.S. Orders Non-essential Officials To Leave Mogadishu Over Terror Threats
05 November – Source: Xinhuanet – 229 Words
The United States mission in Somalia has directed non-essential American officials to leave capital Mogadishu, due to the risk of terrorist attacks in the Horn of Africa nation. The mission said in a statement released on Saturday night that the security situation in Somalia is unstable, noting that the threat to all Americans in Somalia remains critical. “Due to specific threat information against U.S. personnel on the Mogadishu International Airport, the U.S. Mission to Somalia has directed all non-essential U.S. citizen employees to depart Mogadishu until further notice,” it said in a statement released on Saturday night.
Militants had repeatedly attacked Mogadishu’s international airport complex with improvised vehicle bombs, mortars, and direct weapons fire. The mission’s warning came after the U.S. military conducted two separate airstrikes against militants in northeastern Somalia, where it killed several terrorists. The U.S. Africa Command (Africom), which is assessing the results of the strikes on Nov. 3, said the first military strikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) occurred at about midnight local Somalia time with the second separate strike occurring at approximately 11 a.m. local Somalia time. Washington urged all Americans who decide to remain in Somalia to review their personal security plans, take appropriate steps to enhance their personal safety, “remain aware of your surroundings, monitor local media for updates, and maintain a high level of vigilance.
UAE Ambassador Meets IGAD Special Envoy To Somalia
05 November – Source: Emirates News Agency – 120 Words
Mohammed Ahmed Al Othman, the UAE Ambassador to Mogadishu, met Mohamed Ali Guyo, Special Envoy of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD, to Somalia, here on Saturday. The meeting saw discussions on means to enhance co-operation between the UAE and IGAD and between the UAE Embassy and the IGAD office in Mogadishu, to ensure joint support to security and stability in Somalia. Guyo applauded the UAE’s efforts in support of Somalia’s peace and stability, its role in the national peace and reconciliation process among the different Somali parties, and its continuous work on development projects there. The UAE Ambassador thanked the IGAD Special Envoy for his visit and re-affirmed his keenness to boost co-operation with the authority’s office in Mogadishu.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Somalis have always struggled against occupying forces, but this time there is another enemy for them, Al-Shabaab, which perpetrates deadly attacks across the country,”
Is Mogadishu Massacre A Cause Célèbre To Depose Al-Shabaab?
04 November – Source: Daily Sabah – 1049 Words
Somalis have barely lost a fight in recorded history. During the pre-colonial period, Somalis successfully fought against European colonial powers as well as other Christian empires in the region, such as the Abyssinians. Somalis are traditional warriors and conquerors who never let their adversaries have the upper hand. This is evident in the size of the current Somali-inhabited peninsula given the small number of Somalis compared to other adjacent countries. Somalis now occupy Somalia, Ogadenia (a restive region in Ethiopia), the Northern Frontier District (a region in North Eastern Kenya) and the majority of Djibouti.
During the colonial period, Somalis in different parts of the peninsula fought against European colonial powers as well as Ethiopia, a neighboring adversary that had ambitions to secure a sea route on the Horn of Africa. The struggle for self-determination and full independence sparked British Imperial forces to launch the first modern airstrike in Africa in 1920 against Sayid Muhammed Abdullah Hassan, a Somali freedom fighter who led the anti-colonial Dervish state movement. Somali warriors have confronted multiple forces from the British, Italians and French and have on several occasions overpowered them.
After the collapse of Somalia’s military government in 1991, the international community intervened by sending UN Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM) peacekeeping forces to deliver humanitarian aid and help resolve the conflict. However, the whole mission ended in vain after the troops engaged in combat operations against local militias and subsequently crossed the Mogadishu line. Consequently, two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were downed and 18 American soldiers along with hundreds of Somalis were killed in the fight.
In 2005, 11 years after the withdrawal of the UNOSOM mission, Somalis took up arms against local warlords and factional leaders who were accused of collaborating with the U.S.’s war on terrorism to kill, capture or extradite local imams and religious leaders. The warlords were dislodged from Mogadishu within a couple of weeks and the majority of the country – the south and central regions – underwent a short period of tranquility and stability thanks to the leadership of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). At the end of 2006, U.S.-supported Ethiopian forces invaded the country and overthrew UIC rule. Again, Somalis took up arms against Ethiopia, a neighboring historical adversary, and within two years, Ethiopian troops, considered to be the strongest military in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of numbers and quality, were ejected from Mogadishu and its neighboring provinces.
Now, despite all those successful uprisings against foreign interventions and warlords, Somalia faces its greatest threat ever since its proclamation as a nation in the form of al-Shabaab. The al-Qaeda-affiliated group wreaked havoc on Oct. 14 after it detonated a massive explosives-laden truck on a busy road in central Mogadishu, the country’s capital and largest city. In addition to property loss, the bombing, the largest and deadliest in the country’s history, claimed the lives of more than 350 people and injured hundreds more.