 |
Female SNA And AMISOM Soldiers In Joint Awareness Training On Women’s Participation On Peace And Security
25 October – Source: AMISOM – 372 Words
The African Union in Somalia (AMISOM) on Thursday, conducted training for female personnel in the Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM, to raise awareness of women’s participation in peace and security. The AMISOM Human Rights, Protection, and Gender (HRPG) unit organised the one-day training to sensitise female troops on the importance of gender mainstreaming in peace support operations. During the training, participants reflected on the challenges, successes and shared their experience. They also made recommendations to promote gender mainstreaming in SNA and AMISOM. UN Security Council Resolution 2472 (2019) mandates AMISOM to increase the number of female personnel, ensure women’s participation and mainstream gender in the mission’s programmes and activities.
As such, AMISOM continues to make progress in implementing international and African-led frameworks to promote gender equality and empower women. Speaking at the training, the Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, highlighted women’s participation in peacekeeping as a prerequisite to peace and security. “If we empower and deploy more female peacekeepers, it will have a multiplier effect on AMISOM operations in Somalia,” noted Ambassador Madeira. Farhiya Mumin, a Member of Parliament, stressed the importance of education and knowledge to implement gender mainstreaming within the Somali security forces. She noted that female soldiers become role models to the people they protect, especially women and children. “The training is an opportunity to exchange views and share experiences,” Farhiya told the participants.
The AMISOM Police gender coordinator, Stella Sedame, observed that women are critical to the success of AMISOM. “Our Somali counterparts need our support, and in the future, they will be able to assist others,” Superintendent of Police Sedame noted. Lt. Aisha Musa Abdulle, a veteran Somali National Army officer, noted that women play critical roles that can ensure the success of peace support operations. Ms. Mané Ahmed, AMISOM Gender Officer, added that the communication dimension of the workshop was considered as such programme is showcasing their sacrifices to help bring peace and stability in Somalia. It will be broadcasted in the local language nationwide and abroad by SNTV and disseminate positive messaging on the important role of women in uniform. She concluded the training by encouraging the participants to continue breaking through gender barriers and inspire the next generation of women peacekeepers. |
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Farmajo’s Speech At The Africa-Russia Summit In Sochi
24 October – Source: Villa Somalia – 536 Words
Your Excellency Vladamir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, Your Excellency Abdelfatah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Chairperson of the African Union Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Governments, It is a great honour and privilege to be addressing you all at this historic first gathering of African-Russian dialogue and cooperation in this beautiful city of Sochi. Before I proceed, I would like to extend my gratitude to the Russian government and people for the warm welcome and hospitality my delegation and I have received. I also congratulate the Russian government and the African Union for organising this Summit successfully under the leadership of their Excellences President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN,
Indeed, this Summit is a real opportunity to re-evaluate and build on Africa’s historic relations with Russia through enhanced cooperation and partnership for common progress and prosperity. In this interconnected world, despite having been in two different continents with often vast contrasts, our futures have been more intertwined. Therefore, I am hopeful that this Summit will pave the way for new and strengthened mechanisms of beneficial cooperation and collaboration which will create the conditions for advancing our common agenda for prosperity.
Russia is a historical partner of Africa. This Summit, therefore, reminds us of the importance of reviving this historical relationship between our two sides. Indeed, we must redouble our efforts and engagements to ensure that our two side’s new relations translate into opportunities for our countries and people. Furthermore, we must strengthen our two sides cultural cooperation and exchanges to provide opportunities for our governments, institutions and citizens to build on their bonds of friendship with meaningful partnerships to foster entrepreneurship and creativity that will benefit us for generations to come.
EXCELLENCES, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN,
Somalia and Russia enjoy historical ties in which we have benefited socially, educationally, economically and militarily from Russian’s support in the past. We need to revive our bilateral relations in fighting and confronting international terrorism, economics and trade, cultural exchange and knowledge transfer through institutional partnership. Somalia stands ready to work with Russian, our African brothers and all other major partners to deliver common progress and prosperity for our people.
EXCELLENCES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
Somalia is on the path to stability and economic recovery. We have abundant natural and human resources, vast arable land for agriculture, the longest coast in continental Africa, a youthful dynamic population seeking opportunities and a government that is determined to transform the nation through good leadership firmly anchored on the principles of good governance. Therefore, I invite all investors, Russian and African to come and explore the many great opportunities in Somalia for a sustainably profitable future.
EXCELLENCES, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN,
I would like to conclude by thanking and congratulating the Government of Russia and the African Union for organizing this successful with remarkable success. Somalia looks forward to forging ahead with all stakeholders at this table in moving Africa-Russian partnership forward for common progress and prosperity. Accordingly, the Somali Federal Government welcomes the Declaration of this Summit and sees it as an important guiding document for what Africa and Russia seek to achieve together going forward. I thank you all.
24 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 206 Words
Japan has promised to strengthen ties with Somalia and join in the push for the debt relief campaign. Suzuki Keisuke, State Minister for Foreign Affairs made the remarks when he hosted Mr Abdulkadir Ahmed Kheyr Abdi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia on the occasion of his visit to Japan. State Minister Suzuki welcomed State Minister Abdulkadir’s visit to Japan following his previous visit to attend the TICAD Ministerial meeting in October last year and stated, “Together with Your Excellency, I hope to strengthen the friendly relationship between Japan and Somalia.” Minister Suzuki stated, “It was a great honour that President Farmaajo participated in TICAD7. Japan will continue its support in the way that would contribute to peace and stability in Somalia.” He also welcomed Somalia’s efforts to improve their debt situation. State Minister Abdulkadir expressed his gratitude for Japan’s continued assistance to the Horn of Africa including Somalia and expressed his hope that “Japan would continue its support for Somalia in areas such as education.” Both State Ministers also exchanged their views on the situation in Somalia and the neighboring region. They shared the view to cooperate for the promotion of African-led peace and stability in the region.
24 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 88 Words
Over 20,000 soccer fans who had converged at the Eng. Yarisow Stadium to watch the finals of the Mogadishu Districts Tournament were sent home premature and the match called off after power went off for unknown reasons. Organizers had to hurriedly get out the players and fans out of the sports facility, amid fears that the terror group Al-Shabaab was behind the power outage. Insiders also said the act could have been a sabotage by rogue elements who wanted to portray the sporting activity as a failure.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
24 October – Source: Save the Children – Somalia – 422 Words
An estimated 140,000 people – including some 70,000 children – in the Hiraan region of Somalia who have been forced to flee rising flood waters to higher grounds are in desperate need of clean water, food, temporary latrines and shelter, Save the Children is warning. A further 300,000 people – including approximately 150,000 children – in Beledweyne town and the surrounding areas of the Hiraan region of Somalia could be forced to relocate over the coming days if, as predicted by the Somalia Water and Land Information agency, the Shebelle River reaches the flooding threshold.
Save the Children is working with the Somalian government to support affected communities and is urging the international community to release resources to support displaced children and families. Mobile clinics are urgently needed to manage the anticipated disease outbreaks as a result of flooding. Mohamud Mohamed Hassan, Save the Children Somalia Country Director said: “If the banks of the Shebelle River overflow, it will devastate children and their families who are already struggling with major food insecurity. Thousands of vulnerable people living along the riverbank have already fled and we are extremely concerned about the welfare of tens of thousands more who are yet to evacuate. “We know flooding is imminent and yet we do not see immediate plans and resources being released by the international community to support the affected populations. This is very concerning. The people of Hiraan need support now before it’s too late.”
Communities living along the Shebelle river are mainly reliant on crop and livestock production to survive. Repeated successive droughts in the region has led to soil depletion, with flooding likely to cause further topsoil erosion and further damage the fertility of the land. Floods have already disrupted services by limiting people’s movements, destroying local markets, education and health facilities…….
24 October – Source: VOA – 342 Words
Somalia’s historic monuments that were damaged and destroyed during the years of civil war have been restored as part of efforts to revive the country’s cultural heritage. A ceremony to unveil restored statues was held October 18. Abdulkadir Hussein Mah has long campaigned for the restoration of Somalia’s cultural heritage damaged by decades of civil war and extremism. Mah has been collecting pieces since civil war broke out in 1991. But the independence monuments have been damaged from fighting dating back to the 1980s. Mah is now the chairman of Somali Academy of Sciences and Arts. He said he has sought the help of anyone who has knowledge of the country’s heritage. “The long civil war has really destroyed all kinds of cultural heritage,” Mah said. The Somali government last week unveiled the restored statues of independence fighters in Mogadishu as part of its plan to revive the country’s rich history. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said his government is the first to complete the restoration of the country’s historical monuments. He said, “We are delighted to be part of the revival of the country’s historic monuments, they are symbolic and have so much meaning for the country.” The restored monuments include the Dhagaxtuur monument, which honours stone-throwing Somalis killed in the struggle for independence against British forces……..
24 October – Source: Daily Nation – 183 Words
A matatu driver in Mandera South has become the talk of the town after he saved the lives of eight people from an attempted terror attack. The driver, not named for security reasons, sped off after about 10 suspicious people waved him to stop on Wednesday evening on the Elwak-Borehole 11 road. When he did not stop, the suspected Al-Shabaab militants sprayed bullets on the matatu deflating a tyre. No one was injured during the incident, Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha said. “A vehicle ferrying construction workers from Borehole 11 was last evening targeted by suspected Al-Shabaab militants but their driver saved them,” said Mr Kyatha. The official termed the driver’s action as ‘brave’. Mr Kyatha said the vehicle had been hired by a construction firm putting up a health centre in Borehole 11 township to ferry the workers to their residence in Elwak town. “The driver is a local but most of the passengers were non-locals whom we believe were the target. The attackers shot at the vehicle but no one was injured,” he said. Mr Kyatha said police are investigating the incident.
24 October – Source: Standard Media – 575 Words
Kenya police are holding two men believed to be members of the Al-Shabaab terror group after they were handed over by Somalia police. According to the officers, suspects are believed to have fled to Somalia after committing a crime in the region and near Liboi border. They have been linked to the deadly October 12, 2019, attack in Liboi where 11 General Service Unit personnel were killed. When they were handed over to Kenya on Wednesday, one of them had an AK47 rifle belonging to Kenya police; an indication it was one of the guns stolen from the slain officers. North Eastern Police Commander Mr Paul Soi said the suspects are under interrogation before further action is taken on them. Those handed over were identified as Farah Ahmed Sanbul alias Faragon and Mihat Daar Khalif and they had an AK47 rifle belonging to Kenya Police which had 30 bullets, another AK47 rifle belonging to Somalia with five magazines and 117 bullets, another AK47 rifle with four bullets and a pistol which had five magazines with 40 bullets. This comes days after police identified Abdullahi Banati, as the man who led the team that planted the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) leading to the death of the officers stationed at the Harhar GSU camp on October 12, 2019.
Police say Banati planned the attack alongside Al-Shabaab operatives based in the Dadaab refugee camp, which has been associated with several other terrorist attacks. According to police, Banati and his team operate along the Kenya-Somali border and have been executing attacks on security agencies. “Police have traced the activities of Banati and his team of militants to the border and it is suspected that he escaped to Somalia with the rest of the operatives,” said police in a statement. Banati is reported to have joined the militant group in 2012 and took part in the attack on the Baure Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) camp in 2015 where 11 of his colleagues were killed. He is reported to have been injured but went into hiding only to resurface in 2018 when he took part in several attacks along the Somalia border. Police have now appealed to members of the public with any information on the suspect to report it to them immediately. The officers from the Harhar GSU camp died at Degow, on the road between Liboi and Damajale close to the Kenya-Somalia border as they were conducting a routine security patrol at around 4 pm……
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Anyone is allowed to join the committee, providing they are dedicated to helping their community. The groups include women, former police officers, youth and elders. “The formation process was led by Somali civil society with the close coordination of relevant police administrations,” said Siciid, a member of a Mogadishu PAC. In August 2018, Saferworld trained these groups on relevant laws and standards including human rights, police operating procedures, norms around the use of force by police and detention practices.”
24 October – Source: Safer World – 1050 Words
Despite significant progress on improving policing and governance in Somalia in recent years, there are still tensions between the police and the people they are meant to serve. Hamse Haibe looks at how Saferworld and partners have been tackling this issue head-on by supporting communities in Mogadishu, Kismayo and Baidoa to address their safety needs through police advisory committees led by the people. When I recently went to visit a community in Kismayo, I heard from residents about how they felt uncomfortable speaking to the police. This mistrust of authorities is a symptom of Somalia’s long-running conflict since the collapse of the central government in 1991 and the resulting decades of instability. Somalis quickly learnt to deal with their issues outside of formal structures, and to this day they are reluctant to trust or involve the security forces – including the police.
But as Somalis work to build better lives for themselves and their communities, engagement with the police will be essential for long-term change. In 2019 Saferworld began the third year of a project that supports people-led action to address community safety and security needs and influence national change. Following the formation of community action forums in the first two years – groups made up of people that advocate for improved community safety and security – our focus has shifted to rebuilding trust between communities and the police, legitimising the work of the action forums and training police officers to better meet the needs of their communities. Working with civil society, we established three police advisory committees (PACs), each made up of 12 voluntary members, to serve two main functions – the first is to monitor police conduct at the stations to ensure humane conditions for detainees; and the second is to build a bridge between communities and the police.
The unique thing about these groups is how they are formed. Anyone is allowed to join the committee, providing they are dedicated to helping their community. The groups include women, former police officers, youth and elders. “The formation process was led by Somali civil society with the close coordination of relevant police administrations,” said Siciid, a member of a Mogadishu PAC. In August 2018, Saferworld trained these groups on relevant laws and standards including human rights, police operating procedures, norms around the use of force by police and detention practices. The trainings also covered how to create action plans for addressing identified issues and documenting activities, and explored advocacy and communications methods. These methods helped committee members more effectively push out their initiatives on addressing security concerns raised during police visits and advocate for higher-level change (as well as advocating for decision-makers to respond to the immediate security needs of their communities).
The concept of advisory committees is not new to Somalia. In 2007, the Transitional Federal Government set up police advisory committees to monitor conditions for detainees, with a focus on maintaining their rights and access to basic needs. Despite disbanding several years later, the committees gained widespread support, with many applauding their impact on policing. We sought to replicate this model as a way of putting more power into the hands of communities. So far, the committees have made over 300 visits to police stations in Mogadishu, Kismayo and Baidoa to monitor prisoner conditions, police conduct and standards. Three committee members must go on each visit, including at least one woman. They do this while continuing to coordinate with the community action forums to discuss issues raised by the community, such as the lack of female officers at police stations…….. |
