October 6, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Yemeni Refugee Sets Himself Aflame Outside UNHCR Office
05 October – Source: Horseed Media – 192 Words
A Yemeni refugee was injured on Monday after setting himself on fire because aid organizations did “nothing” to help him, witnesses confirmed. The man’s name which is yet to be identified fled into the breakaway region of Somaliland with his family members and relatives due to the ongoing conflict in his country – Yemen. Witnesses said the man was staging a protest outside the UNHCR office in Hargeisa, complaining of not getting the necessary aid assistance. “He was frustrated because he felt that the humanitarian organizations isolated and ignored him,’’ said one of the witnesses.
Several locals nearby intervened immediately to subdue the flames, which engulfed his body. The man was hospitalized immediately after the incident and remains in the hospital for treatment. UNHCR and local officials of the self-declared state of Somaliland were not available to comment on the incident which has left many residents shocked and worried. Since the conflict erupted in Yemen, more than 300 refugees have arrived in the Puntland and Somaliland regions. In June, Puntland relocated hundreds of Yemeni refugees in a major resettlement program whereby they were transferred from an overcrowded makeshift settlement to apartments.
Key Headlines
- Yemeni Refugee Sets Himself Aflame Outside UNHCR Office (Horseed Media)
- Suspects And Weapons Seized In Mogadishu Security Operations (Wacaal Media)
- Kenya Complains Over Slow Repatriation Of Somali Refugees (Goobjoog News)
- Tension Builds Up In The Outskirts Of Kismayo Days After Jubbaland Forces Battled Militia Allied To Barre Hiiraale (Wacaal Media)
- AFRICOM Commander Visits East African Partners (United States Africa Command)
- Somali Community Leaders In Minnesota Hold Talks With AU Special Representative (AMISOM)
- Water Cartel Is Bad For Somaliland (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Suspects And Weapons Seized In Mogadishu Security Operations
05 October – Source: Wacaal Media – 117 Words
Security officials in Mogadishu arrested several suspected members of Al-Shabaab and seized illegal weapons after the Federal Government launched operations in Mogadishu neighborhoods. The swoops were carried out in Garasbaaley and Tareedisho (KM-13) after reports emerged of preparations by Al-Shabaab to carry out attacks in Mogadishu. Pistols, hand grenades as well as several rounds of ammunition was paraded by security officers but gave no details about those arrested and their exact number. This comes as the National Intelligence and Security Agency was carrying out security operations the past few days between Elasha biyaha and Mogadishu. Officials say the swoops were aimed at preventing terror attacks in Mogadishu with government installations and the hotel industry bearing the brunt.
Kenya Complains Over Slow Repatriation Of Somali Refugees
05 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 467 Words
Kenya has raised concerns over the slow repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya in line with the tripartite agreement signed in 2013. Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said despite a commission being formed in April this year to implement the process in accordance to the November 2013 Tripartite agreement between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Somali government, little progress has been achieved so far. Under the agreement, some 425,000 Somalis in Kenya, mostly in Dadaab camp are to be voluntarily returned to Somalia within a five year period. In August this year, UNHCR said between December 2014 and early August this year, 2,969 Somalis had been repatriated.
Speaking in Geneva at the 66th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner Programme, Nkaissery said the slackness is notwithstanding the willingness of a lot of Somali refugees in Dadaab Camp in northern Kenya, to return to their country. “It is with this knowledge that we signed, with the Federal Government of Somalia and the UNHCR, of the Tripartite Agreement, on 13th November 2013, for the repatriation of Somali refugees. We are not pleased with the rate of the implementation of this agreement,” Nkaissery said. He added that peace has prevailed in a majority of areas in Somalia, and urged humanitarian actors dealing with the situation there to also relocate into Somalia.
Nkaissery argued that the longer refugee camps are allowed to fester, the more likely they are to lose their humanitarian character, threatening the very essence of asylum protection and assistance. “Besides ensuring that they can create the necessary infrastructure to support return, it would also signal international community’s confidence in the rehabilitation of Somalia,” he cautioned. As a country he said, Kenya views the repatriation of the Somali refugees as crucial to enabling them engage in the turn-around of that country. He noted that Somalia will undertake its elections in August 2016 and that it was critical that the refugees are not disenfranchised during this historic process, that will also form a critical foundation for the recovery of that country.
Nkaissery emphasised the need for the issue of refugees to be addressed as a global problem and not a country or region problem, considering that Europe is now facing the same challenge of influx of refugees. “The discussions in Europe today underscore what Kenya has sought: the imperative of us all adhering the principle of burden sharing that would enable us spread this global burden equitably across countries and regions. How can countries such as Kenya that continue to bear a disproportionate burden of the refugee burden be assisted?” he emphasised. Kenya has been a host to more than a half a million refugees in northern Kenya camps for more than two decades now mostly from Somalia and Southern Sudan.
Tension Builds Up In The Outskirts Of Kismayo Days After Jubbaland Forces Battled Militia Allied To Barre Hiiraale
05 October – Source: Wacaal Media – 108 Words
Tension is building up in the outskirts of Kismayo town, headquarters of the Jubbaland administration days after the Federal Government forces and their Jubbaland colleagues fought in the area. Residents of Goobweyn and Sabca Ashraf reported heightened military activity in the area from both sides following the fierce gunfight a fortnight ago. Sources say the standoff came after forces loyal to Barre Hiiraale started moving towards Kismayo forcing Jubbaland forces to stand in their way. Abdirashid Maalim Gas, a senior official in the militia allied to Hiiraale said that they were on a mission to raid Kismayo which he said was currently synonymous with the massacre of civilians.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AFRICOM Commander Visits East African Partners
05 October – Source: United States Africa Command – 653 Words
The commander of U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Army Gen. David Rodriguez, finished a weeklong trip to Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Amanda Dory Oct. 2. Dory and Rodriguez met with officials in each country to discuss how AFRICOM and the U.S. Department of Defense can continue to help partner nations strengthen their military capacity. “Defense cooperation is one of our core missions at U.S. Africa Command because we know that partnering with African states and regional organizations to constantly improve their capabilities and knowledge is important in addressing shared security challenges,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also presented the Legion of Merit to six officers from the Uganda People’s Defence Force Sept. 30. The recipients are among less than 200 foreign citizens who’ve received the U.S. award and the first from Uganda. The awards specifically recognized the Ugandan officers for contributing to the African Union Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, which is charged with reducing the threat of violent extremist organizations like Al-Shabaab. First deployed in March 2007, the AMISOM military component has achieved significant territorial gains against the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group Al-Shabaab. “Continued support to AMISOM is one of the important multinational efforts in place today. As a result of improved security, the Somali people and government have greater opportunities to make progress in the development of governance and economic institutions,” Rodriguez said.In 2014, the Ugandan People’s Defense Force liberated the port city of Barawe, Somalia, cutting off Al-Shabaab’s access to what was a base and source of revenue. The UPDF also foiled a major Al-Shabaab terrorist attack in Kampala.
Somali Community Leaders In Minnesota Hold Talks With AU Special Representative
05 October – Source: AMISOM – 421 Words
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of AMISOM Ambassador Maman Sidikou met leaders of the Somali community in Minnesota, U.S.A, on the last day of his four day visit to Minneapolis. Speaking at a dinner attended by scholars, youth leaders and members of the business community on Friday October 2nd, Ambassador Sidikou briefed the community on the progress made in Somalia’s stabilization efforts, , including shoring up the Somali National Army (SNA) to deal with the country’s security challenges once AMISOM pulls out.
“10,900 is what we are working on to support so that we can fight meaningfully together to degrade the Al-Shabaab but the police will have to take over as the areas are really freed as the police has the core mandate with law and order and knows better the rule of law,” said Ambassador Maman Sidikou. He apprised the community on the military campaign against the Al-Shabaab, and progress made in providing social services to liberated areas, noting that there is need for increased coordination between AMISOM and other partners so as to transform Somalia’s security forces into efficient institutions, capable of dealing with the country’s security challenges.
“But most importantly AMISOM and all our partners have to coordinate better their actions to support the Somali national forces to stand up so that AMISOM contingent can go home and also Somalis do what everybody does for his or her own country-be in charge of the defence and security of one’s own borders and protection of the population and security generally speaking,” said SRCC Sidikou. The meeting with the community leaders is part of series of meetings that Ambassador Sidikou has held with Somalis living in Minnesota State, which has the largest Somali population in the United States.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“However, there are systematic problems with the HWA: The HWA is plagued with corruption and mismanagement. The Silanyo administration has been using its revenue as a cash cow, to foster rampant corruption in our police, courts, society and economy. That left its equipment, wells and pumping stations to ruin because of lack scheduled maintenance or even no money for diesel fuel to run its power generators.”
Water Cartel Is Bad For Somaliland
04 October – Source: Hiiraan Online – 905 Words
Water is an essential element for human life. Without it, human life as we know would cease to exist. In America, people take water for granted: You turn the tap on and water pours. But for many people in the developing world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, access to clean water is very challenging if not impossible. For instance, in the drought prone, volatile Horn of Africa region, Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland with a population of close to a million people, the majority of the people have no access to piped water. For many, getting water is a daily struggle: those who are lucky enough to get water have to walk long distances to fetch clean water.
In some areas of the city, expensive hotels, and hospitals are without running water, so they have to rely on water tankers for the delivery of water. People are not getting enough water to cook food, take showers, or even wash clothes. Lack of access to clean water is causing hygiene and sanitations problems. Thousands of Somalilanders get sick from contaminated water every year. According to the WHO, the average person needs 50-100 liters of water daily. While the average American uses 500 liters of water per day, yet those in Somaliland can barely find 20 liters.
According to the United Nations, water related diseases kill more people than conflicts, and nearly half of the victims are children. Every year diarrhea causes two million deaths, and 1.5 million are children. According to UNICEF bad water kills 4,000 children per day; in fact, diarrhea is the biggest killer of African children. Accessing clean water improves hygiene, human development, and economic growth; in addition, it’s also prevents adults and children from diseases like diarrhea, cholera and polio.
The state run Hargeisa Water Agency (HWA) is responsible for managing and delivering water to the city. In 1972, China built the current water supply system for Hargeisa, when the population of the city was 150,000. HWA delivers groundwater from a location 23km north of the city; it relies on one transmission pipe, which uses gravity to deliver the water to storage bunker. The water delivery system built decades ago is crumbling and is not able to provide the water demand due to the growth of the population. As a result, the water shortages are causing political crisis among different competing communities.