October 20, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Somali Prime Minister Urges The Youth To Join The Fight Against Al-Shabaab
19 October – Source: SONNA – 124 Words
The Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Ali Kheyre on Thursday told the Somali youth that the country is getting ready for war with the militant group of Al-Shabaab who are now massacring people, SONNA reported.“The youth should take their role in revenging from the terrorist militants on 14 October truck bombing at Zoope intersection in Mogadishu, the youth should also show patriotism and unity” Mr. Kheyre said. He made the remarks during a meeting with a team of volunteers working at the emergency operation centre. About 300 people were killed and more than 300 others injured after truck bombing happened at Zope junction.
Key Headlines
- Somali Prime Minister Urges The Youth To Join The Fight Against Al-Shabaab (SONNA)
- Mogadishu City To Erect Memorial Wall After Truck Bomb (Radio Dalsan)
- Media Take A Stand Against Terrorist Attacks (SONNA)
- Foreign Governments Said To Take The Lead Into The Investigations Of Mogadishu Truck Bombing (Horn Observer)
- Injured Victims Of Somalia Blast Arrive In Sudan (Middle East Monitor)
- UNHCR Provides Aid To Mogadishu Attack Survivors (UNHCR)
- How Somalia’s Deadliest Attack Ever Tore Open The Heart Of A Nation (Quartz Africa)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Mogadishu City To Erect Memorial Wall After Truck Bomb
19 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 133 Words
The Zoobe K5 junction in the Somali capital Mogadishu has been renamed October 14 Junction and a memorial wall in honor of the victims of last Saturday’s explosion will be erected. Mogadishu Mayor, Thabit Abdi, speaking to Radio Dalsan at the Zoobe junction on Thursday said the city settled on building the memorial wall as the best way to remember the 300 plus killed in the attack. “We are doing this because we don’t want to forget this tragedy, Its part of our history” he said. “The death of more than 300 in ago and some 400 injured and millions of dollars lost is not easy at all for our nation” Mohamed said. “We remember them as our heroes. We and the next generations will remember them as heroes ” he added.
Media Take A Stand Against Terrorist Attacks
19 October – Source: SONNA- 162 Words
Minister of Information of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Abdirahman Omar Osman and officials from media stations in the capital on Thursday met, then inspected the scene of the deadliest terrorist crime scene where about 300 people were killed and hundreds injured early this week, SONNA reported. The officials agreed that the media coverage on such events cannot be balanced, but would incline to the public interest.
“We cannot be moderates from massacre of the terrorist attacks in the country,because they are killing our innocent civilians, there is no way in balancing our stories while dealing with such incidents, but we take part in the emergency operations to help people injured or affected” said Abdulahi Hersi, Head of Universal TV. The Minister welcomed the decision taken by media urging them to give victims more chances to have their problems aired, in order they might be helped during this hard time.
Foreign Governments Said To Take The Lead Into The Investigations Of Mogadishu Truck Bombing
19 October – Source: Horn Observer – 219 Words
Several foreign countries are said to have taken the lead of the investigations into the dual truck bombing in Mogadishu that killed more than 300 people, a source in Villa Somalia revealed. “The Somali government is not investigating the matter any more.” a source at Villa Somalia said, “Several foreign countries among them Turkey have taken the lead of the investigation.”Somali government has nothing in hand at the moment regarding the investigations of the twin bombing” the source added.
A briefing scheduled on Wednesday evening by a committee nominated by the Somali government to investigate the Zobe bombing in order to release a preliminary findings of the twin bombings have been suspended for unknown reasons. Internal government sources indicate the government appointed committee on the twin bombing disagreed on the way the investigations are to conducted, which might be one of the reasons why the media briefing was suspended.
Initial reports indicate that Somali government arrested the driver of the second car that exploded near the airport and another man from a local telecom company, who was said to have granted security access to the bomber, according to Somali intelligence officials. More than 300 people died and more than that were wounded a twin truck bombs in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, making the highest human casualties in Somalia history.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Injured Victims Of Somalia Blast Arrive In Sudan
19 October- Source: Middle East Monitor – 169 Words
Dozens of people injured by Saturday’s terrorist bombing in Mogadishu – which left at least 267 people dead – have arrived in Khartoum for medical treatment, Sudan’s local health minister told reporters today. According to Mamoun Humaida, 82 people seriously injured by Saturday’s truck-bombing are now set to receive treatment at different hospitals in Khartoum. “Two separate batches of injured Somalis have been evacuated [from Mogadishu] to receive urgent medical treatment here,” Humaida said. Our hospitals received the victims on Wednesday and are currently receiving full medical care, he added. The minister went on to say that one of the victims had succumbed to his injuries shortly after his arrival in Sudan.
On Saturday, a massive truck-bomb exploded in the Somali capital, killing at least 267 people and injuring scores more.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier this month, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi paid an official visit to Sudan, during which the two countries agreed to step up cooperation in the region’s ongoing fight against terrorism.
UNHCR Provides Aid To Mogadishu Attack Survivors
19 October- Source: UNHCR – 340 Words
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has handed over relief supplies to local authorities in Mogadishu to support the survivors of Saturday’s massive truck bombing. The deadly attack, which took place in a busy commercial area in the city, killed over 300 people and injured hundreds of civilians, leaving enormous destruction in its wake. More than 200 people are still missing.
UNHCR has provided non-food items, equipment and logistical support to authorities. Family and storage tents, electric generators and relief kits including plastic tarpaulins, kitchen sets, thermal blankets, soap and sleeping mats have been delivered. These will support over 1,000 affected families. UNHCR assistance is part of wider efforts by the UN to support the emergency response after the Somali crisis management committee requested help. Other humanitarian organizations, donors, the private sector and civil society organizations have joined the government-led response to support victims of the attack by providing urgent life-saving assistance. “The attack is one of deadliest perpetrated on civilians in Somalia’s history.”
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, expressed his shock and sadness while offering condolences to the President of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo, in a letter on October 16. “The attack, which is one of the deadliest perpetrated on civilians in Somalia’s history, shows the need for the international community to reinforce and sustain its commitment to support your Government in creating a secure environment for the Somali people,” Grandi wrote.
The attack is also a stark reminder of the need for concerted efforts to ensure that Somali refugees displaced in the Horn of Africa region who are choosing to voluntary return to Somalia are safe. Since 2014, over 100,000 Somali refugees have returned home. Efforts to assist returnees settle in a safe environment are gravely hampered by attacks like these. UNHCR staff based in Somalia continue to work closely with the local authorities to support hundreds of thousands of Somalis displaced by the continuing insecurity and drought inside the country.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Even the leaders of Somalia’s feuding federate states put aside their political differences and condemned the attack (In Somali). And while some have argued that there was lack of public empathy for the victims, the scale of global response has been unprecedented in many ways.”
How Somalia’s Deadliest Attack Ever Tore Open The Heart Of A Nation
19 October – Source: Quartz Africa – 832 Words
Ibrahim Adow is a 24-year-old protocol officer working for Somalia’s president. And in the hours and days since the country’s deadliest attack took place, he, like many Somalis, have thought about nothing else. He hasn’t slept or eaten much, he says, and anger has been welling up inside him as the entire nation reels from the sheer scale of the explosion that killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds of others with many more people still missing.
But as desperate families picked through the rubble in search of lost sons and daughters, Adow made a life-changing resolution: to leave civil service and join the ranks of the Somali National Army in order to defend his country from the threat of terrorism. “I have made a decision to take up the gun and defend my country and my people,” he says over the phone from Mogadishu. “There is no reason why I should stay at home and wait until I am killed in such a brutal manner.”
Adow’s reaction sums up the level of frustration and revulsion many Somalis have felt since Oct. 14, when a truck driven by a suicide bomber exploded at the busy Zoobe intersection in the capital Mogadishu. The hellacious explosion that followed turned buildings into heaps of debris and death and precipitated a national disaster. Intelligence officials say the truck, which had raced through a police checkpoint, was meant to target the heavily fortified Mogadishu international airport where several nations have their embassies.
Yet even in a country long accustomed to the killing of public officials and attacks from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group, the magnitude of the recent bombing seemed to stun everyone. The deadly blast also put the nation’s mettle to test, appraising how much the post-civil war, “Somalia rising” narrative could be drawn out. And given the agnatic, close-knit Somali clan structure, the impact of this tragedy has gone wide and deep, affecting entire communities and ricocheting beyond the geographical borders of Somalia. “Every household in Mogadishu has been affected,” says Zahra Qorane, a photographer and a native of the city. “Our hearts cannot accept what has happened.”
The collective rage over the bomb attack ignited a renewed sense of unity among Somalis, leading to protests in major cities and the staging of solidarity events. Even the leaders of Somalia’s feuding federate states put aside their political differences and condemned the attack (In Somali). And while some have argued that there was lack of public empathy for the victims, the scale of global response has been unprecedented in many ways.
Countries including Turkey, Djibouti, and Kenya sent in assorted medicine, doctors, and planes to evacuate those in need of advanced medical care. Celebrities like Somali-American model Iman Abdulmajid and British rock band Coldplay donated to support the victims, while Paris dimmed the Eiffel Tower in mourning with those in Mogadishu. Leaders from the African Union and across the world also stood by the Somali government, promising to help combat terrorism and support efforts at achieving peace and stability.