September 16, 2015 | Morning Headlines
One Soldier Killed While Removing Roadside Bomb In Baardheere City
15 September – Source: Mareeg Media – 109 Words
A senior military officer says at least one soldier was killed in a roadside bomb explosion that occurred in the recently recaptured Bardere city of Somalia’s south-western Gedo region on Tuesday. Salim Mohamed, an officer, has confirmed that the soldier lost his life while trying to remove the land-mine from the underneath of the street near Suuqa-Balkaarea in Bardere town when it went off accidentally. Somali soldiers have cordoned off the scene of the bomb blast and arrested several people on suspicion of executing the IED attack.The sound of the explosion was heard across Bardere town, which is controlled by government forces and African Union (AU) troops.
Key Headlines
- One Soldier Killed While Removing Roadside Bomb In Baardheere City (Mareeg Media)
- Security Forces Dismantle Illegal Roadblocks In Lower Shabelle (Goobjoog News)
- SRSG Kay Pledges UN Support To Improve Status Of Somali Women (UNSOM)
- Turkish Firm Wins Garowe Airport Tender Conoco Undergoes Refurbishment (Garowe Online)
- Bulo-Burte Airstrip Will Be Ready For Use Soon says Hiran Official (Radio Bar-Kulan)
- Lawsuit Could Establish End To Prosecution Of War Criminals Living In US (The Guardian)
- Illegal Fishing Off Somalia Risks Piracy Return (Yahoo News/AFP)
- Somaliland: Unemployment Is Still A Huge Problem And Each Year Over 2000 Students Earn Degrees(Somaliland Informer)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Security Forces Dismantle Illegal Roadblocks In Lower Shabelle
15 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 221 Words
Security forces in Lower Shabelle region today pulled down roadblocks in an operation aimed at easing transport and curtailing criminal networks, which collect money from vehicles plying various routes in the region. Contingents of security teams this morning could be seen along a number of roads in the region dismantling roadblocks, which have for a long time served as conduits for criminals conducting illegal taxation.They said they will not give in until they remove the illegal roadblocks.
Leego chief, Abukar Abdullahi, speaking to Goobjoog News said the operations were intended to beef up the security of Leego village:“This operation is aimed at securing the area. To achieve this, the government has also developed and will implement an elaborate relationship between the forces and the public,” he said. Motorists who ply along the highway in question have severally complained of extortion by militias who man those illegal roadblocks.Drivers of some of the passenger vehicles have once held demonstrations upon realising they could not afford the levies to those militias as they were too much.There have been several attacks on public transport and army installations in parts of this region and the security forces have been trying to address the issue.
SRSG Kay Pledges UN Support To Improve Status Of Somali Women
15 September – Source: UNSOM – 408 Words
The Federal Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development launched the
National Gender Policy formulation process on 15 September 2015 in Mogadishu.
The launch was attended by representatives of Somali Authorities—Federal and
Regional Interim Administrations, civil society leaders, legislators, representatives of
AMISOM and UN in Somalia.
Speaking at the launch, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-
General to Somalia (SRSG) Nicholas Kay pledged the UN’s continued support
towards efforts to improve the status of Somali women, particularly for more
representative political participation.
In his remarks, Mr. Kay said, “I can promise you continued United Nations support
politically. We will raise our voice for you. We will advocate for you. We will try to
ensure the processes are fully inclusive and fully representative. We will support your
efforts financially and practically; and we will do it with respect for you and with
complete trust and confidence in you as Somali women and leaders.” He also
emphasized the on-going joint collaboration by the International Community,
including AMISOM, UN Agencies and UNSOM to support the efforts of Somali
women and the Ministry of Women Affairs. He encouraged the participants to
continue their joint efforts, remain united and emerge as Somali leaders and set an
example.
In her remarks at the launch, Zahra Ali Samantar, Federal Minister of Women
and Human Rights Development noted that progress has been made in empowering
women in Somalia. “We are on the right path as women and as the Ministry of
Women and Human Rights Development. We are advancing the enactment of policies
that advance women’s issues, security and gender equality as well as participation of
women in political and economic fields,” said Minister Samantar.
Ms. Halima Ismail Ibrahim, Chairperson of the National Independent Electoral
Commission, who is a leading female leader in Somalia said, “I have expectations on
the long road to success. Every time we read in the media a committee elected or
appointed, there is always hardly any female representation. Be it in ministries, the
number of women working there is minimal. We want to advocate for a quota system
for women in leadership positions and I am ready to spearhead this advocacy work.”
In his speech, SRSG Kay also noted that while much has been achieved, a lot remains
to be done; citing women’s participation in political decision-making, women’s
economic empowerment, access to justice, protection of women and girls from abuse
and exploitation including sexual and gender-based violence.
Turkish Firm Wins Garowe Airport Tender, Conoco Undergoes Refurbishment
15 September – Source: Garowe Online – 230 Words
Puntland Civil Aviation and Airports Minister Hassan Haji Saed (Hasssan Adde) has officiated a renovation endeavor that will see the opening of Conoco airstrip on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports. A Turkish contracting firm, SMK Group won a tender worth a total of $6 million in funding, and it will embark on the construction of paved runway, terminals, air traffic control tower, parking spots and lighting, fire and rescue stations inside the unpaved airport by October this year.
Located about 35km from the capital Garowe, Conoco will serve as a detour during the construction period, Civil Aviation Minister, Hassan Adde told reporters:“We have come here to refurbish Conoco airstrip, this airstrip will stay operational until major renovation of Garowe airport is completed. Engineers visited us to locate stores for construction equipment and materials.”
Nabeel Abdul-Raheem Consulting firm (NARCO) presented preliminary design reports and cost estimates to Puntland government in September 2014.The Turkish contractor would airlift heavy construction machineries from neighboring Djibouti.Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) granted USD 10 million in loan to Somalia in October 2013.The remaining $4 million will go to construction of dormitories, lecture rooms, laboratories, sport fields, libraries and other structures at Maakhir University in northern Sanaag region. United Nations agencies expressed concern about the security, saying their planes may not land at Conoco airstrip if the plan goes ahead.
Bulo-Burte Airstrip Will Be Ready For Use Soon, says Hiran Official
15 September – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 102 Words
Hiran regional administration announced that Bulo-burte airport will be ready for use soon after an ongoing renovation work is over. Hiran regional commissioner, Abdifatah Hassan Afrah, said the airfield was badly damaged by the civil war in the country.
He said the renovation initiative, being undertaken by AMISOM in the region, is expected to be concluded soon. Afrah said his administration is committed to rebuild vital public institutions and facilities in the region.AMISOM has also constructed a maternity hospital in the town to improve the health of women and children in the area, according to a statement published on its website.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Lawsuit Could Establish End To Prosecution Of War Criminals Living In US
15 September – Source: The Guardian – 1,094 Words
Almost three decades after he was imprisoned and tortured by henchmen of brutal Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, Farhan Warfaa is still haunted by the moment the army officer interrogating him drew out a pistol and shot him five times at close range. Assuming he had killed the man he was questioning about a crime no more serious than the theft of a water tanker, the officer ordered soldiers to take away and bury the body.
But Warfaa survived and escaped the prison compound with the aid of sympathetic jailers who smuggled him to safety, leaving him to deal with years of nightmares and the mental anguish of his brush with death. The officer alleged to have shot him, meanwhile, went on to become one of the most feared and ruthless commanders of the 20-year Siad Barre dictatorship, according to the California-based human rights group The Centre for Justice and Accountability (CJA).
As the head of the Somali army’s Fifth Brigade in the 1980s, Colonel Yusuf Abdi Ali terrorised the Isaaq clans of the separatist province of Somaliland, ordering and often participating in the mass detention, torture and summary execution of countless individuals and supervising the destruction of numerous villages, the group says. When Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, Ali fled to Canada and later became a permanent resident of the United States.
Efforts to bring him to justice will continue in an appeals court in Virginia on Wednesday in a hearing that could have huge implications for the future prosecution of other alleged war criminals living in the US. Ali’s attorneys are demanding that Warfaa’s long-running lawsuit, originally brought in 2004 and much delayed since, is thrown out on the grounds that a recent US supreme court ruling in a separate case gives him immunity from prosecution.
Illegal Fishing Off Somalia Risks Piracy Return
15 September – Source: Yahoo News/AFP – 507 Words
Rampant illegal fishing by foreign trawlers off Somalia’s once pirate-infested coastline is threatening economic gains in the Horn of Africa nation and could push communities back to maritime crime, a report warnedTuesday. Somalia’s fearsome pirates often justified their attacks because they were unable to compete with foreign fishermen.
Piracy peaked in 2011 when 28 vessels were hijacked and 237 piracy incidents were reported on the Indian Ocean, but has since dramatically declined due to the use of armed guards on ships and international naval patrols. But the report by Secure Fisheries, a part of the One Earth Future Foundation campaign group, warned those advances could be reversed if illegal fishing is not stemmed. Foreign industrial fishing boats have resulted in “depleted stocks, a loss of income for Somalis, and violence against local fishers” the report read, adding “it also has threatened to ignite local support for a return of piracy.”
At the peak of the crisis, Somali pirates held over 700 hostages, netting millions of dollars in ransoms and threatening key maritime trade routes, including the southern access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal: “Illegal fishing was the pretext used by criminal gangs to shift from protectionism to armed robbery and piracy,” said John Steed, Secure Fisheries chief for the Horn of Africa.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Unemployment among young people of Somaliland also leads to reduced level of happiness and mental health problems. Being employed is important for young people in order to feel accepted in the society, thus not having a job can cause economic, cultural and social isolation”
Somaliland: Unemployment Is Still A Huge Problem And Each Year, Over 2000 Students Earn Degrees
14 September – Source: Somaliland Informer – 1007 Words
You Can graduate from the universities of Somaliland like ,Hargeisa University, Golis University, Admas University, Alpha University college, New generation University college and many others after three or four years of study. Many students have graduated in every year. But the question is — do you know your destination? But do you see hope that you can use the weapon you earned because knowledge is weapon and already you got your first gun (degree)? I don’t believe in equality of income or assets, but I do believe strongly in the equality of opportunity.
There are a lot of things I want to say to you. It’s just that it’s not easy to put it into one article or one word. Each year, over 2000 students earn degrees in Somaliland. Most Somalilanders, especially in the capitals, have always lived peacefully, though jobless. More than half the country’s population was born after the 1991, and my generation is part of this group. But life isn’t fair and something needs to be done, quickly.