October 12, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia Set To Mark Somber First Anniversary Of Deadliest Bombing
12 October – Source: Hiiraan Online – 241 Words
Somali government says it’s planning to hold nationwide memorial events to mark the first anniversary of the deadliest bombing that devastated the Somali capital and killed more than 700 people on October 14th last year. The bombing caused by massive truck bomb hit one of the city’s business districts, devastating an area full of business premises and hotels, and killed many people.
The powerful blast has also left hundreds of people missing and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. One year on, Mogadishu which still bears scars from the bombing and is preparing to remember those who have been killed on that fateful day, as mood of sadness overwhelmed the city hard hit by the bombing in preparation for groundbreaking ceremonies to remember the dead.
Meanwhile, Somali cabinet on Thursday said that October 14th, would be declared as a national day to remember the victims of blasts carried out by ‘terrorists’, referring to the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group, that often carries out deadly bombings across the country. According some organizers, Mogadishu’s residents will also observe a moment of silence to mark the time the catastrophic truck bomb went off during the upcoming events.
The anniversary comes as residents still struggling to figure out the motive behind the bombing, since no group claimed to have carried out. Somali government has subsequently blamed Al-Shabaab for the bombing. However, the group has neither denied nor admitted that it was behind the bombing.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Set To Mark Somber First Anniversary Of Deadliest Bombing (Hiiraan Online)
- AU Envoy Visit To Mogadishu (Halbeeg News)
- Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan Appointed As CIC Spokesman (Jowhar News)
- Court Orders Ugandan Born Terror Suspect To Be Deported To Kenya (Xinhua)
- Four Girls Under 10 Have Died Recently From FGM It’s Time To Act (CNN)
NATIONAL MEDIA
AU Envoy Visit To Mogadishu
12 October – Source: Halbeeg News – 330 Words
African Union envoy on Women, Peace and Security Ms. Benita Diop has concluded her 4-day official visit to Somalia, where she pledged to continue to push for women’s rights. This was her first visit to Somalia since her appointment in January 2014.
Ms. Diop was accompanied by three prominent African women, Namibian Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, who is also a member of the Peace and Security Commission H.E. Anne Mutelo, Ms. Julienne Lusenge, an award-winning woman activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and, Ms. Mumbi Mathangani, Conduct and Discipline Advisor for Peace Operations at the African Union.
During her visit, she met with various stakeholders, including President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud and First Lady Sahra Hassan. She also met with 5 key Somalia government ministers, women groups, NGOs, traditional elders, religious leaders and the leadership of AMISOM and the United Nations in Somalia.
Speaking to the media after her visit, Ms. Diop said, Somali women have endured a lot of suffering but, noted that they had bravely soldiered on and risen above the challenges, to take active roles in all spheres of society. They have been the backbone of the society and they need a contribution from us but, also from the world so that, they can in a meaningful way continue to sustain this country. They also wanted to contribute in the rebuilding of governance mechanism, they wanted to be in the reform of the constitution, they wanted to be in the elections, they wanted to be leaders on this governance mechanism, they wanted to be in parliament and they wanted also to have laws that can protect them as well,” Ms. Diop said.
Ms. Diop is a renowned woman activist with over 35 years of experience in human rights and developments issues. She has also served in the UN Women International Civil Society Group and is best remembered for co-chairing Resolution 1325, in March 2012, with H.E. Mary Robinson, Former Irish President.
Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan Appointed As CIC Spokesman
12 October – Source: Jowhar News – 101 Words
South West Constitutional Affairs Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan was appointed as the spokesman of the Council of Interstate Cooperation (CIC). An appointment letter signed by the Council’s Chairman, Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas, Abdullahi was appointed to become the Council’s official spokesman.
The naming of Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan’s appointment comes weeks after the deputy chairman of the CIC and HirShabelle President Mohamed Abdi Waare broke ranks with his fellow regional state leaders and opened dialogue with the Federal Government of Somalia. The Council, which was formed a year ago frequently issues press statements on their meetings and country’s political and security situation.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Court Orders Ugandan Born Terror Suspect To Be Deported To Kenya
12 October – Source: Xinhua – 301 Words
A court in the Ugandan capital Kampala has ruled that a Kenyan national who faced terror charges in Uganda be deported after he was acquitted of the offense, his lawyer said on Thursday. Lead defense lawyer, Caleb Alaka told Xinhua by telephone that Justice Margaret Oumo Oguli of the International Crimes Division of the High Court, on Wednesday upheld an earlier order for the deportation of Omar Awadh Omar to Kenya.
“The judge said in five days, but I think they will deport him tomorrow (Friday),” said Alaka. “At least after three years he can come back to Uganda. We are waiting to see that if in Kenya anything happens (arrest and charge) to him, we shall go to the East African Court of Justice,” he said.
After his acquittal last month, Omar Awadh Omar protested a move by Uganda to deport him, arguing that he was born in the east African country. The court ruled to uphold the government’s decision, arguing that since Omar had a Kenyan passport and his father was Kenyan, he should be deported.
The court however also ruled that since Omar’s mother was Ugandan, he could occasionally visit his relatives in the country after a three-year period. Omar was first arrested in 2010 during a swoop of persons suspected for masterminding a terror attack in Kampala that left close to 80 people dead and dozens of others injured.
Somali militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in revenge of Uganda’s deployment of troops in the Somali capital Mogadishu in 2007. Omar was among the three Kenyans and two Ugandans whose charges were dropped last month after prosecution failed to produce evidence pinning them in masterminding the 2010 terror attacks. They had been re-arrested in June 2016 after court had set them free.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Although the silence has been broken in Somalia – and it is no longer possible to claim that girls do not die from FGM – we are still waiting for the country’s politicians to even investigate these cases, much less prosecute them.”
Four Girls Under 10 Have Died Recently From FGM, It’s Time To Act
11 October – Source: CNN – 940 Words
Four young girls lost their lives recently after undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) in Somalia. They had a lot in common. All four were almost the same age – between 10 and 11 years old. Everyone lived within a 200-mile radius. Deeqa Dahir Nuur was the first of the four to die in mid-July when she was taken to a traditional cutter in Olol village in the central state of Galmudug. She bled for two full days before her family took her to the hospital in the town of Dhusamareb, where she passed away.
News of her death reached international media and caused such an outrage that Somalia’s deputy prime minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled called for a full investigation. However, this has yet to happen. Last month, two sisters from the remote pastoral village of Arawda in Galdogob, Puntland, died in very similar circumstances. Aasiyo Farah Abdi Warsame and her sister Khadijo, aged 10 and 11 respectively, died after they hemorrhaged for over 24 hours. Once again, their families did not seek medical help until it was too late. They both died on their way to the hospital.
In late August, 10-year-old Suheyra Qorane Farah and her seven-year-old sister Zamzam underwent FGM in their home in Tuurdibi, a tiny village near the Ethiopian border. They also bled profusely and, a week later, fell into a coma. The girls’ mother decided to take them to a medical facility in Galdogob, where they both remained for close to two weeks. Zamzam’s condition improved slightly, but her older sister died in late September, having contracted tetanus.
Suheyra’s father denied all knowledge of the plan for his daughters to undergo FGM and claimed he was away when it happened. He does not want the law involved and thinks the issue should be “handled” by religious leaders. Even when girls die from FGM in Somalia families continue to believe it was an “act of God.”
It has taken several decades for the reality to seep through that FGM is not a cultural practice, but rather a human rights violation, an extreme subjugation of women and girls — often leaving them with harmful lifelong medical and psychological consequences, and sometimes even taking their lives through bleeding or infection.
According to UNICEF at least 200 million women and girls around the world have been affected by FGM. In Somalia alone, 98% of women and girls have undergone it – the highest rate on the planet. We have no clear idea how many more girls have died along the way, but based on anecdotal evidence it is probably a very significant number.
TOP TWEETS
@nikolaiastrup: Signing agreement with @WorldBankcommitting Norway to provide 450 million NOK over the next years to the Multi Partner Fund for #Somalia. The fund will contribute to increased tax revenues, better financial management and basic services to the people of Somalia.#WBGMeetings.
@Jamaidid: Proudly represented #Somalia alongside our Commerce Minister @Hon_Maareeye in the just concluded 2 day#TurkeyAfricaForum on Business. We held bilateral trade talks with #Turkey to deepen our trade ties & explore opportunities to make our nation a preferred investment destination.
@Eye_on_Somalia: #reliefweb Somalia: Newly built dam will bring clean water to 5,000 people in southern Puntlandhttps://ift.tt/2NCVSmy #Somalia.
@Halbeeg_News: Over 400 Somalis killed in Yemen since 2015, Somali diplomat https://en.halbeeg.com/2018/
@ahmedvision1: Bee keeping is one of the most successful livelihood schemes in the rural area special in the south regions of #Somalia. The price of 1ltr of Honey is over $25 in Somalia. Foto: bee keeping farm supported by @NRC_HoA in Dollow, good initiative, can be replicated 2 other areas.
@MariamRajabali: Mariam Rajabali Retweeted CNN International – Dear @Somalia, you’re hurting our #girls. Please change legislation to protect girls from FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION.#FGM #DayoftheGirl.
@musebiihi: The Berbera Port expansion & modernization work together with the Berbera free zone & the new airport are an essential part of Somaliland’s economic development transformation and linkage to the broader regional economic integration and growth. #SomalilandAchievements #Somaliland.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled met with Turkish Ambassador of Somalia Olgan Baker to discuss bilateral agreements and cooperation between the two countries.
Photo: @KhadarGulaid