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16 October – Source: AMISOM – 271 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has conducted an awareness training for its military personnel in Dhobley, southern Somalia, to protect civilians against conflict-related sexual violence and mainstream gender into their operations. The three-day training organised by the AMISOM Force Headquarters Gender Office, in collaboration with the AMISOM Protection, Human Rights and Gender (HRPG) cluster, took place on 11 October and was attended by about 175 AMISOM servicemen and 35 officers.
The AMISOM Gender Officer, Maj. Patricia Musendo, AMISOM Protection Officer, Ms. Gloria Jaase-Nkundanyirazo, and AMISOM Head of Security Sector Reforms, Hamouda Mohammed Kanu, facilitated the training. The training aimed to orient AMISOM personnel on issues related to gender concepts, sexual abuse, and exploitation, prevention of conflict-related sexual violence, gender mainstreaming, sexual exploitation and abuse, and security sector reforms. “The officers and men were eager to learn about issues related to gender, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and conflict-related sexual violence and security sector reforms,” noted Maj. Musendo. Ms. Nkundanyirazo, in her presentation, highlighted the role of AMISOM in protecting women, children, and internally displaced persons. She also sensitised the military personnel about AMISOM’s role in preventing conflict-related sexual violence and AMISOM’s zero-tolerance policy to sexual exploitation and abuse.
According to Hamouda Mohammed Kanu, the Head of the Security Sector Reforms, the training was a prerequisite for AMISOM personnel. Lt. Mwanaisha Mahu, the AMISOM Gender Officer, expressed hope that the participants would apply the acquired knowledge to support the mission in fulfilling its mandate. “I hope the lessons will have a positive impact on our soldiers and officers and enable them to perform their day-to-day duties,” said Lt. Mwanaisha. |
NATIONAL MEDIA
16 October – Source: Halbeeg – 135 Words
Somali Police Force Commissioner, Abdi Hassan Hijar, has made mini reshuffle in Banadir region. The new changes will affect Waliyo Ade sector, special police force department and key districts in the capital. General, Mohamed Abdihakin will be new security boss for Waliyo Cade sector while Yusuf Hundubey will take on a new role as Commander of Special Police Force famously known as Birmad. Adan Hirsi will head police transport department while Yusuf Nur will be new Dharkeynley district police chief whereas Abdullahi Mire Siyad will be an advisor to the law enforcement agency. The new chiefs were directed to take their new positions immediately. The changes are expected to improve security in the country mainly in the capital, Mogadishu. It comes two months after President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo reshuffled top security chiefs in the country.
16 October – Source: Somali Affairs – 116 Words
Djibouti’s Minister of Information, Ridwan Abdullahi Bahdoon, arrived in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, for an official visit on Wednesday. The Minister and his delegation were received at Aden Adde International Airport by the Minister of information of the Federal Government of Somalia, Mohamed Abdi Hayir (Maareye) and other officials from the Ministry of Information. Minister Bahdoon said that his trip to Mogadishu was an official one during which he is expected to hold separate meetings with senior federal government officials. Last week, Djibouti’s Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Ali Hamad and a delegation he was leading arrived in Mogadishu to attend the opening of the sixth session of the Federal Parliament of Somalia on 9th October 2019.
16 October – Source: Halbeeg – 150 Words
Somalia’s new Ambassador to the Republic of Sudan, Mohamed Isaaq Ibrahim, presented his diplomatic credentials on Tuesday. His diplomatic credentials were received by Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, who is the chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, the country’s collective transitional Head of State. Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan also received a letter from the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. Ambassador Mohamed Isaaq Ibrahim, who previously served in the United Arab Emirates, will replace former envoy Abdirizack Ahmed Shoole following his recall by the Ministry of Foreign affairs after complaints from Somali students. Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, who accompanied the ambassador to Sudan on a state visit, pledged to make changes. Mogadishu and Khartoum share strong historic diplomatic relations. Sudan provides scholarships to hundreds of Somali students in past years while providing specialized training for members of Somali armed forces.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
16 October – Source: Anadolu Agency – 260 Words
Somalia is thriving due to aid from Turkey in mostly development and social projects through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, TIKA‘s coordinator in Somalia, Galip Yilmaz, noted that Turkish projects in Somalia have changed the country, providing jobs to thousands of Somali citizens and creating a booming economy and many business opportunities. “We have established an agriculture school in [the capital] Mogadishu, and over 400 students across the country are engaged in advanced agricultural studies there,“ said Yilmaz. “We also built the most advanced and modern hospital in East Africa in the capital,“ he said, referring to Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital. He said TIKA has also rehabilitated mosques, schools and roads throughout the country.
The Turkish envoy noted that just recently, TIKA had renovated Somalia’s parliament in the capital, which was attacked and bombed by al-Shabaab militants in 2014, leaving 10 people dead, including lawmakers. TIKA noted that it had reconstructed and furnished the parliament buildings. “Our projects include education, health, infrastructure and other development programs, and we [Turkey] will continue to support the Somali̇ people,“ he added. Poor transport systems that were inhibiting business from thriving are now a thing of the past with new roads that TIKA has constructed. Aside from beekeeping projects, TIKA has also established 30 orphanage centres across Somalia where orphans live and study. TIKA has also set up 25 waterwheel projects in Somaliland and 20 in Somalia to boost irrigation systems and power output. Since 2011, TIKA has taken part in over 150 projects in Somalia.
15 October – Source: EAC – 201 Words
It is with profound shock and grief that we at the East African Community have received the sad news of the demise through a terrorist attack of 11 police officers from the paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU) in Garissa County, Kenya on Saturday, 12th October 2019. On behalf of the East African Community and on my own behalf, I convey my heartfelt condolences to your Excellency, and through you to: the bereaved families, relatives and friends of the security officers; the National Police Service, the Government, and; the people of Kenya. We mourn the demise of these brave officers from the GSU’s Harehare Camp, who we learned lost their lives while on the line of duty along the Kenya-Somalia border. The incident is a stark reminder of the threat posed by terrorists to peace and security in the East African region and the need for the Partner States and neighbouring countries to sustain cooperate and maintain vigilance to counter the menace. The entire EAC and I share with the bereaved families, and the Government and people of Kenya, the feelings of great loss at this time of deep sorrow. MAY THE ALMIGHTY GOD REST THE SOULS OF THE DEPARTED IN ETERNAL PEACE
14 October – Source: CARE – 709 Words
Protection issues are multi-dimensional in Somalia and Somaliland. Vulnerability is as much about physical violence as it is about drought and chronic food insecurity. The challenges that Somalia, Somaliland, and Puntland face can be roughly categorized into (a) environmental, or climate related, and (b) human-made crises. The recurring droughts of 2016 and 2017 left 5.4 million people in need of assistance and protection. Climate-related emergencies and increased violence with the rise of al-Shabaab and other violent non-state actors has led to migration internally and externally. Conflict shapes gender and protection issues across the region, increasing vulnerability, particularly for already marginalized groups like women, the disabled, and minority clans. The effects of conflict are not homogenous nor evenly distributed. Those living in the central and southern areas of Somalia have been particularly affected by the consequences of war, whereas those in the northeast (Somaliland) have experienced relative peace for almost a decade.
Differences in resource allocation, access and use of those resources, the size and strength of local clans and male elders, and the presence of armed groups are related to a variation in protection issues throughout the region. While protection issues are widespread, they are also built on a foundation of a gendered clan hierarchy which underpins dynamics in the entire region. The majority of communities experience water and food insecurity, and many experiences forced, climate-change induced, or livelihood-motivated displacement. Sexual and gender-based violence is ubiquitous but affects men and women, boys and girls in very and gendered ways. In Somalia/land women and girls are at increased risk of experiencing this sexual violence during displacement, when searching for food and water, or in and around areas with a presence of armed forces. In light of ongoing conflict and unexpected drought, millions of civilians have found themselves in humanitarian crisis. Cash and voucher assistance programs (CVA) serve as a key modality through which UN Agencies, INGOs, and national NGOs respond to this need for support. While we know that CVA offers immediately relief to food, water, and income insecurity, recent studies have shown that cash assistance also impacts gender-based violence. Women and girls in Somalia report that CVA can reduce their risk of rape, physical assault, and sexual harassment.
CARE has worked in Somalia and Somaliland for nearly 40 years delivering development and emergency aid. Since 1981, CARE focused on women and girls and, more recently, the organization’s programming has centred on issues related to gender, rural women, urban youth, and emergency aid across the regions of Somaliland, Puntland, and South Central Somalia. CARE Somalia has a successful track record for implementing CVAs across humanitarian, recovery, and development interventions. Throughout the 2016 and 2017 drought, CARE Somalia oversaw 15 separate projects that utilized CVAs for food security, reaching over 50,000 households and distributing a total of 23 million USD (CARE International 2018b). In February 2019, CARE Somalia commissioned a study to examine how gender and protection issues interact with CVA programming……..
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“We lived in a makeshift house. We faced theft and I was afraid of attacks at night. We, therefore, didn’t sleep well. With the new house, I no longer feel any threats. The door and windows are lockable and I feel safer with that. The house has a bigger space and it protects us from the rain and the sun during the day. We are so happy and grateful to ACTED.”
15 October – Source: ACTED – 607 Words
The housing conditions of internally displaced people in Baidoa, South Central Somalia, are made up of improvised locally available materials such as clothes and rags. The makeshift houses are overcrowded and pitched side-by-side without proper spacing leading to frequent fire outbreaks and protection risks. The Deyr rainy season (October-December) has started, further undermining the poor shelter state of the camp situation. On top of the lack of appropriate housing, these IDP settlements have limited basic services offered due to vast needs with limited resources.
Asha, 32-year-old mother of five children and also doubling as the household’s primary wage earner, is among the drought displaced families living in Iskari Camp in Baidoa District. Before the drought struck, Asha cultivated a rain-fed piece of land in her village that grew maize, beans and sesame and also owned a few goats for dairy subsistence. The drought decimated Asha’s few goats and crops, forcing her to flee in search of help to Baidoa. Along with her children and neighbours, she trekked tens of kilometres through bushes to avoid armed militias check points. When she arrived in Baidoa, a relative welcomed her to Iskari IDP site and days later, helped her set up a makeshift house. Life in the camp was unbearable since basic things like water, milk and food came at a cost to those who can afford.
To make ends meet, Asha joined other IDP women in fetching firewood, an incredibly dangerous journey exposing her to risk of physical and sexual violence. Asha would carry the heavy loads of firewood on her back and sell it to the host community living around the IDP sites. On a good day, Asha makes SoS 48,000, an equivalent to $2. “We lived in a makeshift house. We faced theft and I was afraid of attacks at night. We, therefore, didn’t sleep well. With the new house, I no longer feel any threats. The door and windows are lockable and I feel safer with that. The house has a bigger space and it protects us from the rain and the sun during the day. We are so happy and grateful to ACTED.”……. |
