October 17, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report.
SNA Kills Several Al-Shabaab Fighters, Destroy Boats In Southern Somalia
17 October – Source: Halbeeg News – 201 Words
Somali military on Tuesday said its forces killed several Al-Shabaab fighters and destroyed equipment, during security operations in Middle Shabelle region. Somali forces have recently stepped up the fight against Al-Shabaab fighters in Southern Somalia.
General Dahir Adan Elmi, Somali National Army (SNA) chief said, Somali military carried out operations to hunt down Al-Shabaab in villages along River Shabelle. The forces destroyed Al-Shabaab boats and rafts that the fighters use to cross the river. “Somali military killed several Al-Shabaab members and destroyed rafts and boats,” General Elmi said. “We also towed some of their rafts and took them to Bal’ad town.”
The claims of the military comes hours after U.S. military stated to kill 60 Al-Shabaab fighters in a recent airstrikes in central Somalia. In a statement from the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), the military said the strike was conducted in coordination with the Somali government. “We currently assess the airstrikes and killed approximately 60 terrorists,” the statement read. It said the airstrikes was the largest attack against Al-Shabaab, since November of last year, when another U.S. airstrikes killed about 100 fighters of the Islamist militant group. Al-Shabab has yet to comment on the airstrikes or reported fatalities.
Key Headlines
- SNA Kills Several Al-Shabaab Fighters Destroy Boats In Southern Somalia (Halbeeg News)
- South West Regional Assembly Speaker Denies Forming An Electoral Committee (Hiiraan Online)
- Stabilisation Forces Take Full Charge Of Garowe Security (Halbeeg News)
- Ethiopian Airlines Announces Resumption Of Flights To Mogadishu (Aviation Tribune)
- Journey To Success: The London Barrister Who Escaped War In Somalia (ITV News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
South West Regional Assembly Speaker Denies Forming An Electoral Committee
17 October – Source: Hiiraan Online – 119 Words
Southwest Regional Assembly Speaker Abdikadir Sharif Shekhuna Maye dismissed media reports that he formed the state’s presidential electoral committee. Speaking with the press in Baidoa, Maye dismissed the media reports as inaccurate. Maye said the purported letter circulating online was not released from his office. The letter stated that Speaker Maye had formed the state’s electoral commission to preside over the presidential elections currently scheduled for the 7th of November.
Maye said the committee is yet to be formed. However, he stressed it will officially be announced shortly. This development comes amid increased calls from some of the presidential candidates vying for the upcoming presidential elections, who are demanding the swift formation of the committee to avoid election delays.
Stabilisation Forces Take Full Charge Of Garowe Security
17 October – Source: Halbeeg News – 174 Words
Puntland State has deployed hundreds of Stabilisation forces in the administrative capital of the state, Garowe town. The town has recently witnessed attacks carried out by unidentified people as the authorities were struggling to restore peace in the city. Since August, unknown Gunmen have been reportedly robbing residents of the town at nights, a move that led to a Public Outcry.
Residents in Garowe town have confirmed the deployment of the soldiers saying the forces conduct security operations in the town regularly. Nugal Police commissioner, Muhyadin Ahmed Muse who spoke to the media has said Puntland authorities will prosecute soldiers who are involved in robbery incidents. Muse noted the forces arrested several suspects who were forcefully robbing mobiles phones of residents of the town.
The commissioner said the operations against individuals violating the peace of the town will continue for the next few months. “The forces will continue hunting down those robbing the public. We are going to take all those linked to the robberies before a court as soon as possible,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Ethiopian Airlines Announces Resumption Of Flights To Mogadishu
17 October – Source: Aviation Tribune – 220 Words
Ethiopian Airlines announced the resumption of its flight to Mogadishu, Somalia, effective 2 November 2018. The Addis Ababa – Mogadishu route will be served by Bombardier Q400 aircraft equipped with 7 seats in Business Class and 64 seats in Economy Class, or 78 seats in full Economy configuration.
Regarding the resumption of the Mogadishu flights, Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said: “It gives us a great pleasure to resume flights to Mogadishu, the capital Somalia after stopping the service over four decades ago. I wish to express my gratitude to the Governments of Ethiopia and Somalia for making the resumption of these flights possible.
“The flights will play a significant role in strengthening the people-to-people and economic ties between the two neighborly and sisterly countries. The flights will also enable the important Somali Diaspora in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa to travel to their homeland via Addis Ababa thanks to our global network of over 116 international destinations.
“Our flights will quickly grow to multiple daily flights given the huge volume of traffic between the two sisterly countries and the significant traffic between Somalia and the rest of the world.” The resumption of the service to Somalia came 41 years after Ethiopian Airlines Group stopped its route to Mogadishu in the 1970s.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“It was a very long and hard journey. I didn’t have the easiest of starts. The schools around here were deprived, the community around here didn’t have much resources. I did end up going to Oxford for my post-graduate degree and then managed to get into the bar.”
Journey To Success: The London Barrister Who Escaped War In Somalia
16 October – Source: ITV News – 384 Words
Hashi Mohamed is a barrister. His day job sees him in courts, representing individuals and organisations, trying to convince a judge that his side should win their case. It’s a challenging profession, but then again Hashi knows all about difficult circumstances. Getting a job in what’s considered one of the country’s top professions isn’t easy, even for individuals who grow up studying in over-performing schools in affluent areas. For Hashi, his childhood saw him whisked away from home to get away from war in Somalia. At nine-years old, along with his siblings, he touched down in London searching for a better life.
He was not accompanied by an adult, his mum had to stay behind and his father had passed away. With little knowledge of the English language, it was a daunting experience… “It was a real culture shock because imagine coming to a new country and a new setting and then moving into a place like this. We didn’t know anybody, we didn’t know the language, it was very very difficult.”
Despite the challenges, Hashi managed to secure a full scholarship at Oxford. “It was a very long and hard journey. I didn’t have the easiest of starts. The schools around here were deprived, the community around here didn’t have much resources. I did end up going to Oxford for my post-graduate degree and then managed to get into the bar.”
Hashi has clearly worked hard to get where he is now, but he feels other people in similar circumstances wouldn’t be able to do as well, just by putting in the hours. “I think doing what I’ve done today is slightly harder because the opportunities are fewer. There are very capable people who are chasing a finite amount of places.
The recruitment processes have only allowed for people of a certain background and way of speaking to get through. It is easy to say everybody should work hard – and have the talent – and that they would be able to make it, but in reality it’s far more complicated than that.” With more transparency and openness in the recruitment process, Hashi hopes others will get experience the same sense of achievement. “Growing up, I never thought I could be a barrister let alone what a barrister does. Every day I pinch myself.”
TOP TWEETS
@Caasimadda: Somalia: ISIL group claims killing secret agent in Mogadishu https://www.caasimada.net/
@AbdulBillowAli: Eritrean and Ethiopian Foreign Ministers have arrived in #Mogadishu for talks with Somali leadership. The working visit by Salah Osman and Workeneh Gebeyehu comes weeks after #Somalia #Ethiopia & #Eritrea signed a historic tripartite peace pact in #Asmara.
@AaminAmbulance: Soo sad mr Mohamed Yusuf Nur who was one of the best volunteers of Aamin Ambulance has passed away last night 4:30 pm Mohamed Allah hakuunaxaristo Aamin@HarunMaruf @voasomali @AbikarDr @AbdiAddow1@engyarisow.
@midnimo1: Somalia: Ethiopian And Eritrean Foreign Ministers To Arrive In Mogadishu https://midnimo.com/2018/10/
@DalsanFM: Somalia’s new ambassador to China Awale Kullane presented his credentials to Mr Hong Lei, Deputy Director of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of #China#Somalia
@AfricaProg: Somalia is moving forward. Yes, we need to see some immediate change. But we must recognise that state-building in a post-conflict country takes time:@HEhassansheikh #CHAfrica
@engyarisow: Benadir Regional Authority (BRA) launched Adult Literacy Campaign in order to prepare our citizens so that everyone will be able to write & read in the time of the upcoming elections
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Isse Awad welcomes Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Salah and his Ethiopian counterpart Workneh Gebeyehu in Aden Abdulle International Airport today for talks to strengthen regional cooperation.
Photo: Goobjoog News