October 18, 2019 | Daily Monitoring Report

AMISOM Daily Monitoring Report

October 18, 2019 | Daily Monitoring Report.
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Daily Media Monitoring
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Experts Warn Of Looming Floods Along The Juba And Shabelle Rivers

18 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 184 Words

There is a high risk of flooding along the Juba and Shabelle rivers given the onset of rains in Somalia and the Ethiopian highlands, the UN has warned. Through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the report noted that the areas to watch along the Shabelle River include Beletweyne town and its environs, where the river is currently near bankfull and other riverine towns in the Lower Shabelle region. Areas to watch along the Juba include Luuq and the mid reaches of the river. The flood risk could be further exacerbated by weak river embankments and open river banks commonly seen in Somalia. The Deyr rains (September-December) began in some parts of the country, according to the FAO-led Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM). Parts of the northeastern regions started to receive rains in mid-September and the last week of September also saw moderate rains in parts of the Gedo region in Jubaland. The rains are projected to be more widespread during the coming weeks as indicated in the map and the season is expected to end in early December.

Key Headlines

  • Experts Warn Of Looming Floods Along The Juba And Shabelle Rivers (Radio Dalsan)
  • Tension In Balanbaale Following The Killing Of A Herdsman (Radio Dalsan)
  • State Minister And Deputy Director-General Of Villa Somalia Meet With The Chinese Ambassador (SONNA)
  • Finance Minister Meets With World Bank Vice President For Africa (SONNA)
  • Ministry Of Agriculture And Irrigation Celebrates The National Day Of Somali Agriculture (SONNA)
  • Panel Highlights Somali Experiences In Midwest (The Free Press)
  • German Record Label To Release Somali Disco Compilation (Music in Africa)
  • The Challenges Of War: A Peace Direct Comic Book (Peace Direct)
  • Constructing Buildings That Repulse Terror Attacks (Daily Nation)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Tension In Balanbaale Following The Killing Of A Herdsman

17 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 63 Words

Tension is being reported in Balanbaale in Galgadud region following the killing of a herdsman in Jiicle area. Reports add that an armed militia killed the man and immediately escaped the scene. The killing is believed to be linked to clan reprisal. There is no word from the local administration or the security forces in the area over the killing of the herdsman.


State Minister And Deputy Director-General Of Villa Somalia Meet With The Chinese Ambassador

17 October – Source: SONNA – 111 Words

State Minister for the Presidency, Hon Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali (Baghdadi), and Deputy Director-General of Villa Somalia, Mr. Abdullahi Sheikh Abdikarim, met with the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia, Mr. Qin Jian. In this meeting, the officials have agreed on establishing a framework to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries. In addition, The Minister of State and the Deputy Director briefed the Ambassador on investment opportunities in the country and trade exchanges between Somali and Chinese businessmen. At the same time, the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia stressed the importance of great economic growth between the two countries, expressing his commitment to enhancing cooperation in the field of investment and trade.


Finance Minister Meets With World Bank Vice President For Africa

17 October – Source: SONNA – 84 Words

Today, the Minister of Finance, H.E. Abdirahman Duale Beyle, met with World Bank officials chaired by World Bank Vice President for Africa, Hafez Ghanemin, in Washington, DC. “We briefed officials from the World Bank on the achievements of the Federal Government in the economic field and its efforts to improve the financial system of the country,” the Finance Minister said. The Minister added that the World Bank is committed to the cooperation of the federal government to achieve national financial and economic growth.


Ministry Of Agriculture And Irrigation Celebrates The National Day Of Somali Agriculture

17 October – Source: SONNA – 122 Words

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Celebrates the National day of Somali Agriculture and the world food day in Mogadishu today, SONNA reports. The Somali Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, H.E Said Hussein Eid, pointed out the efforts are underway to develop agriculture so that our country can achieve complete food self-sufficiency. This event was attended by government officials, ministers and members of parliament, as well as farmers and business owners who participated in order to state their opinions regarding the future of Somali agriculture. At the end of the event, certificates were awarded to individuals whom the Ministry considers to have contributed to agricultural production and development in the country.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Panel Highlights Somali Experiences In Midwest

17 October – Source: The Free Press – 509 Words

Abubakar Mohamed said he couldn’t speak English when he came to the U.S. from Africa, so he stayed after school to learn as fast as he could. He’d watch as his high school classmates left for the day at 3 p.m., while he stuck around to study for hours afterwards. “I was staying late at school, doing my homework in school, working with my teacher,” he said. Within a month he felt like he’d made strides speaking the language, but more challenges awaited as he adjusted to his new country. Mohamed shared his story alongside three other Somalis living in Mankato and St. Peter during a panel discussion Wednesday. The event, organized by Mankato Area Cross-Cultural Connections, was the latest in a series of film screenings and panel discussions meant to shed light on Somali experiences in Southern Minnesota. The panel came after a screening of “(Mid)West of Somalia,” a film documenting local, young Somali-Americans sharing their career aspirations, thoughts on their faith and cultural adjustments since coming to the U.S.

Gustavus Adolphus College professor Martin Lang, who produced the documentary with Noah O’Ryan, said the stories highlighted in the film are meant to disrupt some of the prevailing stereotypes about Somalis, immigrants and Muslims perpetuated in the mainstream media. “Our hope with the film is just to bring some other stories to the fray, to bring other perspectives from actual Somali people about what their lives are like,” he said. Wednesday’s panel continued where the film left off, featuring the four additional Somali residents offering further insight on their lives in the Midwest. Asked about whether they’ve experienced racism, Mohamed spoke about not even knowing what the term meant when it first came up in class. “I went home and asked my mom ‘What colour am I?’” he recounted…….


German Record Label To Release Somali Disco Compilation

17 October – Source: Music in Africa  – 361 Words

The project, titled Mogadisco – Dancing Mogadishu (Somalia 1972​-​1991), will be released on 13 December and features 12 tracks chosen by label founder, DJ and producer Samy Ben Redjeb. Redjeb travelled to Mogadishu in November 2016 and found an uncovered and unmarked pile of cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes in the dusty archives of Radio Mogadishu. The pile included radio jingles, background music, interludes for radio programmes, TV shows and theatre plays.

The compilation features musicians who played between 1972​ and 1991 such as Dur-Dur Band, Omar Shooli, Mukhtar Ramadan Iidi, Bakaka Band, Fadumo Qassim & Shareero Band, Iftin Band and Shimaali & Killer.  “Mogadisco was not Analog Africa’s easiest project,” the label says. “Tracking down the musicians – often in exile in the diaspora – to interview them and gather anecdotes of golden-era Mogadishu has been an undertaking that took three years. “Tales of Dur-Dur Band’s kidnapping, movie soundtracks recorded in the basements of hotels, musicians getting electrocuted on stage, others jumping from one band to another under dramatic circumstances, and soul singers competing against each other, are all stories included in the massive booklet that accompanies the compilation adorned with not less than 50 pictures from the ’70s and ’80s.”…….


The Challenges Of War: A Peace Direct Comic Book

14 October – Source: Peace Direct – 130 Words

This comic tells the stories of Ayaan and Abdi, ordinary Somalis whose lives have been affected by the war. They have shown remarkable resilience, bravery and determination in their efforts to build a safe and secure life for themselves and their families. Ayaan was just six years old when the Somali Civil War started. With limited opportunities to escape the poverty and conflict still surrounding her as an adult, our partner, the Social life and Agricultural Development Organisation (SADO), transformed her life for the better. Abdi’s father was killed when he was a child, forcing his family to flee their home city. After years of poverty and no opportunities as a result of the war, his future prospects changed as a result of the support of Peace Direct partner, SADO.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE  

“Therefore, the need for proper access control and barricading buildings cannot be overemphasised – Mr Oduor says access control around the building is critical, insisting that other than having metal detectors at the entrance, designated spaces for particular cars such as delivery trucks will go a long way in deterring such attacks. He adds that pedestrian access paths should be clearly designated and preferably raised.”

Constructing Buildings That Repulse Terror Attacks

17 October – Source: Daily Nation – 1857 Words

Last Saturday was greeted with joy and pride as Eliud Kipchoge, in typical fashion, once again put the country on the world map by doing what was thought impossible: running a marathon in under two hours. As that ground-breaking event took place though, families of at least 10 General Service Unit (GSU) officers were in mourning. The lives of these police officers were brutally cut short after the vehicle they were travelling in ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on Degoh Road in Garissa County, a device suspected to have been planted by Al Shabaab militants. Such a brutal act reminds Kenyans about the ever-present threat of terror that hangs perilously within the country’s borders.

WESTGATE ATTACK
From the Westgate attack to the Garissa University attack and recently the DusitD2 complex attack, Kenyans know what the face of terror looks like and the misery that it leaves in its wake. While Kenya’s security forces’ response to such attacks seems to have improved over time, experts in the construction industry concur that much needs to be done in the built environment to complement their efforts. Terrorism is an ever-evolving global phenomenon that is unlikely to go away any time soon. This being the case, pertinent questions emerge: are there certain architectural designs that make buildings vulnerable to terror attacks? Also, is there something that can be done to make sure that efforts by first responders save as many lives as possible in case of a terrorist attack carried out in a building? The answer is a big ‘Yes’.  In the wake of DusitD2 attack, like in many other similar attacks before this one, a common chronology of events is emerging. It all begins with a few explosions near the entrance/exits, followed by heavy gunfire meant to spark confusion and send everyone scampering for safety without giving thought to whether they are running where the terrorists want them to run. And then the dreaded part, a face-to-face encounter with the terrorists.

TERRORISM
In an opinion piece in the Nation after the attack on DusitD2, security and terrorism analyst and consultant Mr Gitaa Nyasani urged the government to consider working “with construction industry stakeholders to come up with building design standards for mass public access facilities and venues such as shopping centres, incorporating practical and rapidly deployable isolation features during an attack.” For instance, at DusitD2, it emerged that certain features of the building may have taken the terrorists by surprise, in the process saving many lives. For instance, according to media reports, reinforced steel and glass doors barricaded the hostages and made it impossible for the terrorists to reach them. Additionally, automated security doors opened only by swiping tags denied the terrorist entry. Speaking to DN2 from Australia, where he is based, Mr Nyasani said that his sentiments were intended to add to the richness of that debate and to make a contribution towards the development of a comprehensive national counter-terrorism response strategy. Giving his professional view, Mr Francis Gichuhi, an architect and founder of architectural firm A4 Architects, says that a look at all the malls that have been hit by terrorist across the world reveals a similarity in design.

DESIGN
“There are certain building designs that can make the environment conducive for terrorist attacks,” he says. “When a building is designed like a fort and has a central core, that provides a perfect opportunity for terrorists to take as many lives as they can.” To put it simply, in architecture, a core is a vertical space used for circulation and services. It is also referred to as a circulation core or service core. It may include staircases, elevators, and risers, which allow people to move between the floors of a building, and distributes services efficiently to the floors. Often, this is where electrical cables and water pipes pass through. Mr Gichuhi expresses concern that a majority of hotels, shopping malls and key buildings are built around a central core, making then very vulnerable to terror attacks. According to him, terrorists are less likely to attack a building where there is more visibility from the outside. He gives the example of Galleria shopping mall, located at the Junction of Magadi and Lang’ata Road, where the circulation spaces, as well as the balconies, are visible from the outside. Mr Kevin Oduor, principal architect and CEO of Do Design Consultants (DDC Architects) agrees with Mr Gichuhi in regard to visibility.

HIDEOUS PLANS
He says, “When someone is seated in an open space where one can see what’s happening around them, they tend to feel safe as opposed to when they are in a fully enclosed space where they can’t see what’s happening outside. An attacker will favour a place with less natural surveillance to execute their hideous plans.” Yet another building that comes up in the discussion is The Hub Karen. The availability of spaces between the blocks, Mr Gichuhi says, provides circulation points, denying a criminal the opportunity to seal off the whole building as they did at DusitD2 hotel and West Gate Mall. In the aftermath of the US Embassy attack in Nairobi in 1998, a US law required new embassies to be built at least 30 meters (100 feet) away from the nearest road. And it is easy to see why. Mr Nyasani points out a notorious modus operandi for the Al Shabaab. “They use vehicles laden with high explosives to ram and breach security barriers, a tactic that is in the DNA of their modus operandi. This tactic has been used with devastating efficiency while targeting prominent buildings such as hotels and markets in and around Mogadishu as well as when targeting AU Mission forces in Somalia.”…….

Top tweets

@amisomsomalia: #AMISOM honors Staff Officers for their contribution towards peace and stability in #Somalia. Watch the video below.

@MOISOMALIA: The Deputy Prime Minister, @KhadarGulaid held a fruitful discussions with James Swan, the special representative of the secretary-general for #Somalia and Head of the @UNSomalia in #Somalia.

@HassanAKhaire: Overarching reform agenda is instrumental to boosting Somalia’s development prospects & critically contribute to political cohesion, hence state building. Dividends of arrears clearance will cascade to the grassroots in the manifestation of effective & efficient service delivery

@HassanAKhaire: Attended highly gainful discussions at the round-table talks, thanks to #UK & @IMFNews for organizing it. Collective commitments & support by our international partners has enabled us to reach the stage of arrears clearance and #Somalia’s normalization with IFIs #WBGMeetings

@ACUSomalia: @ACUSomalia held productive consultations with @BanaadirSOM Dpts directors on aid effectiveness. The proposed architecture options, structure monitoring of the #SPF2019 outcomes (MAF)& BRA teams active participation discussed in efforts of making aid coordination more effective.

@TheVillaSomalia: We’ll be glad to witness that with you @moahamoud alongside H.E President @M_Farmaajo during the launch of 5 newly rebuilt monuments to fulfil the dreams held by amazing citizens like you. Restoration of our historic monuments is surely a protection of the pride of our nation.

@UNSomalia: This week on #TubtaNabadda: Hussein Ali Shuke and Faduma Yusuf Hassan advocate for the #rights and empowerment of #marginalized groups in #Somalia. http://bit.ly/2pyDIvW

@drcEA_GL: Today, we kicked off the district police trainings in #Hirshabelle State with participation from #Jowhar and #Warsheikh police. With funding from @DFID police trainings will strengthen police accountability and access to justice in #Somalia @DRC_dk @DDGMineAction #TheTimeisNow

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Image of the day

Image of the day

Deputy Prime Minister, H. E.Mahdi M. Gulaid, meeting with Ambassador James Swan

PHOTO: Somali Ministry of Information

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