October 10, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Somalia Seeks Long-term Solutions To Recurrent Drought
09 October – Source: Xinhuanet – 362 Words
The Somali government has kicked off a Drought Impact Needs Assessment (DINA), which will identify the drivers and impact of recurrent drought, and outline long-term solutions that can prevent famine as a result of drought. The move, which was reached at the end of a three-day meeting of global experts in Mogadishu on Monday, will build on data already gathered from across the country by government authorities and humanitarian and development agencies.
A statement issued at the end of the meeting, which brought together technical experts from the government at both federal and member states levels, the World Bank, EU and UN, said the assessment will be followed by the development of a Recovery and Resilience Framework (RRF) that will address the identified needs.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development Jamal Hassan said the expectations of the government for the assessment and framework are high. “We hope the Recovery and Resilience Framework that will be developed from DINA will bring a comprehensive mechanism that we, the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States, will utilize in order to mitigate the negative impacts of drought that we are still facing,” he said.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Seeks Long-term Solutions To Recurrent Drought (Xinhuanet)
- Somali Prime Minister Attends Military Support Committee Ceremony In Mogadishu (SONNA)
- Puntland Marine Forces Seize Iranian Boat Captain Killed In Shooting (VOA Somali)
- Government Officer Injured In Attack In Mogadishu (Dhacdo.com)
- E. African Bloc Embarks On Skills Development For Somali Policymakers (Xinhuanet)
- Women’s Health Campion Advocates For Quality Reproductive Health Service In Somalia (UNSOM)
- Saving The Unity Of Somalia: An Open Letter To President Farmaajo (Wardheer News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Prime Minister Attends Military Support Committee Ceremony In Mogadishu
09 October – Source: Somali National News Agency (SONNA)
The Prime Minister of the federal Government of Somalia H.E. Hassan Ali Kheyre attended a ceremony organized by the Somali Military Support Committee aimed to unveil the achievement of the committee since they were appointed by the president of the federal government of Somalia.
The Prime Minister who gave out a historic speech at the event praised the work of the committee, and emphasized on the importance of having strong army in our country, while calling for the public to support their military and enable them regain their dignity and protect our country. Mr. Kheyre promised that his government will give $20,000 dollars to the Support Committee to make sure that they go with pace to the work they have for the country.
Puntland Marine Forces Seize Iranian Boat, Captain Killed In Shooting
09 October – Source: VOA Somali – 113 Words
Puntland authorities said an Iranian boat illegally fishing in the waters of Bari region was seized by marine forces. Commander of Puntland Marine forces at Bosaso seaport, Colonel Mohamed Abdi Hashi said that an operation carried out by Puntland marine forces on Wednesday saw the arrest of the boat as another one managed to escape.
He accused the boats of illegally fishing in the Puntland waters with the seized boat illegally fishing two tonnes of fish from the Somali waters.
Colonel Hashi said the captain of the boat was killed in the shooting and one of the crew members was also injured. The boat and 17 sailors are currently held at Bosaso seaport.
Government Officer Injured In Attack In Mogadishu
09 October – Source: Dhacdo.com – 98 Words
Armed gunmen attacked a car that was driven by a government officer in Dharkenley district this morning. The gunmen targeted the vehicle driven by Mr. Abdullahi Shiekh Omar, a senior official at Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Civil Aviation in Somalia. Mr. Omar suffered injuries and was rushed to the hospital.
The attack occurred while Mr. Omar was at a gas station trying to fill up his car. The attackers escaped from the scene, and currently, the government security forces are investigating the incident. Lately targeted killings are on the rise mainly in Dharkenley district in Mogadishu.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
E. African Bloc Embarks On Skills Development For Somali Policymakers
09 October – Source: Xinhuanet – 332 Words
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will facilitate skills acquisition among policymakers in the Somali government as rebuilding of the strife-torn Horn of Africa nation gathers steam, officials said on Monday. Moges Ali, Senior Program Officer at IGAD Special Mission in Somalia, said capacity building targeting policymakers in Mogadishu will underpin bilateral initiatives to hasten Somalia’s reconstruction after two and a half decades of civil strife. “We intend to equip senior policymakers from Federal Government of Somalia with skills that are vital to enable them to execute their mandate effectively,” Ali said.
He spoke on the sidelines of a five-day training workshop in Nairobi for Somalia policymakers drawn from key ministries sponsored by IGAD and bilateral partners. Ali said officials from Somalia’s key ministries like planning, foreign affairs, mining, health, education and agriculture will benefit from the training that seeks to enhance their skills in policy formulation and implementation. “The capacity building for policymakers in Somalia will be an ongoing process. It will boost interventions aimed at restoring the country’s security architecture, political institutions and the economy,” said Ali.
He added that IGAD and its partners have invested heavily in peace building and restoration of rule of law in Somalia against a backdrop of clan based skirmishes and terrorism. The government of Somalia is implementing a raft of policies to facilitate rebuilding of political, social and economic structures that collapsed during the civil war.
Women’s Health Campion Advocates For Quality Reproductive Health Service In Somalia
09 October – Source: UNSOM – 497 Words
Maternal health care advocate Dr. Sumaya Elmi Duhulow, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, is the brain behind one of Somalia’s foremost and exclusive reproductive health facilities. Located in Mogadishu’s Yaaqshid district, Daryeel Dumar Hospital, which loosely means “Women Care”, opened its doors to the public in August. “The idea behind this hospital, was to find a place where women can get services provided by only female doctors and nurses,” explains Dr. Sumaya, who partnered with two midwives to establish the hospital. She adds that they decided to set up the facility out of a need to reduce the high maternal death rates in Somalia.
The hospital offers maternity, pre- and post-natal care, and serves as a one-stop facility for female patients. Launched two months ago, it is fulfilling the quest for an all female hospital, which was long sought after by women. “We knew traditionally, women would prefer to be attended to by female doctors, to preserve their modesty, especially during delivery,” Dr. Sumaya remarks.
The facility has been a benefit to women in Mogadishu. Since becoming operational, Daryeel Dumar has registered a steady increase in hospital visits, especially among pregnant women and carries out an average of 14 safe deliveries per month. Dr. Sumaya says the hospital has contributed to a significant drop in maternal deaths.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Your election as President has rekindled the morale and hope of the SSC people to defend the union. It is in this regard that a number of the grand traditional leaders from the area went on mission in August to meet you and your Prime Minister in Mogadishu to seek your support in every way possible for the sake of defending the union. The message they sent back home was encouraging. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating and the SSC people have yet to see after all this time any concrete meaningful support from your government.”
Saving The Unity Of Somalia: An Open Letter To President Farmaajo
09 October – Source: Wardheer News – 1247 Words
Honourable Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia , Your Excellency; Lest memories fade, please recall that the one-clan secessionist enclave calling itself Somaliland had invaded the unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) in October 2007. The rationale behind this flagrant aggression on fellow regions of Somalia, for whom you are now their president was that their secession and the realisation of a separate sovereign homeland recognized by the international recognition is doomed unless these unionist SSC regions were on board and that force was unavoidable in the face of these regions’ unwavering adherence to the unity of Somalia and opposition to join the secession. Today, most of the SSC regions are languishing under the tyranny of the SNM-based one-clan enclave save for Buuhoodle and Boocame towns and their respective districts.
In this regard, the Northern Somalia Unionist Movement (NSUM), whose members hail mostly from the occupied SSC regions, was created in 2008 to oppose the secession being forced on their people and preserve the unity of Somalia. It adopted a two-pronged programme of action. One aimed at creating awareness among the international community that only one clan among the five clans of Somalia’s northern regions supports the secession contrary to the false propaganda propagated by the one-clan secessionist enclave claiming that all the clans of former British Somaliland are behind the secession. Much success has been achieved in this regard. It is now fully understood that occupation is what prevails in these regions and that such colonial-like imposition does not represent the will of the occupied people which in the end is all that matters.
Domestically, the NSUM was instrumental in creating awareness for the need for unity and common stand against the occupation which led to the establishment of Khatumo State of Somalia at Taleex in January 2012. Its mission was to liberate the occupied regions, with support from the federal government in its role as the custodian and defender of the unity of Somalia. These actions, at home and abroad, were the modalities adopted for liberating the occupied SSC territories and consequently preserve Somalia’s unity. Rather than supporting this struggle for the unity of Somalia, your predecessor unfortunately undermined it by colluding overtly and covertly with Somaliland and Puntland, both preposterously claiming the SSC regions for their own different narrow-minded interests and both united to defeat the liberation struggle.
This three-sided collusion against Khatumo has been deeply detrimental to the liberation struggle. Whether out of helplessness or more likely sheer opportunism, Dr. Ali Khalif Galaydh, the former President of Khatumo, saw honour in surrender and defection to Somaliland. His defence of his treasonable act for which he was defenestrated is that the SSC people have made so much sacrifice for the union but has no partner in Mogadishu in support of the union and as proof points to his own tireless endeavours for two years pleading with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and his government but all to no avail.