September 25, 2015 | Morning Headlines
New Report Debunks Link Between Al-Shabaab And Ivory Trade
24 September – Source: Associated Press – 291 Words
There is little evidence to suggest Al-Shabaab extremists are heavily involved in the illegal ivory trade, contrary to some widely circulated assertions that the Somalia-based group receives significant profits from elephant poaching, according to a new report. Allegations that Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaida, is a major player in East African ivory trafficking makes for a potent but misleading narrative that risks diverting attention from organized crime groups that direct the trade with the help of corrupt officials, said the authors of the report by the Royal United Services Institute.”It is here that our attention and scarce resources must be focused if we are to see greater success in tackling this highly damaging trade,” co-author Cathy Haenlein wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday.
The report by the London-based institute, which focuses on defense and security issues, was based partly on interviews with experts on Al-Shabaab and wildlife trafficking as well as research in Nairobi and northern Kenya, near the border with Somalia.The assertion of a close link between Al-Shabaab and ivory poaching has been made by some journalists, conservation groups and government officials, including U.S. trade representatives and former President Bill Clinton. In 2014, Oscar-winning film director Kathryn Bigelow released a short animated film called “Last Days” that alleged Al-Shabaab makes $600,000 a month from ivory trafficking.
Key Headlines
- New Report Debunks Link Between Al-Shabaab And Ivory Trade (Associated Press)
- President Asks Somalis To Forgive Each Other As He Marks Eid In Mogadishu (Wacaal Media)
- 717 Dead In Crush Near Mecca During Hajj Pilgrimage (Goobjoog News )
- Uganda Warns Of Possible Attack By Somali Militants (Shabelle News )
- Family Pleads For Life Of Mentally Ill Man Sentenced To Death By Firing Squad (The Guardian)
- Why Al Shabaab Is Still A Formidable Threat To The Region (The Star Kenya)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Asks Somalis To Forgive Each Other As He Marks Eid In Mogadishu
24 September – Source:Wacaal Media – 175 Words
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked the Somali people to forgive each other in the spirit of Islam and move on with their lives regardless of what happened during the past years. Speaking when he attended this year’s Eid Prayers at the coalition mosque in Mogadishu, The President said it was time to place Somalia in its rightful position in the World map.
The head of State was accompanied by Speaker Prof. Jawaari, Deputy Premier Mohamed Omar Arte, several ministers and members of Parliament, Lower Shabeele regional commissioner Abdikadir Nuur Siidi as well as top security officials were also in attendance in the colorful event. “The Somali people were received well by all the countries they sought refuge after the fall of the central government. It is our time to pay back as we receive refugees trooping to our country from Yemen” said President Mohamud while asking locals to extend a helping hand to the Fleeing Yemenis. Calls of peace and forgiveness marred the air as speaker after speaker stressed on the need to forge ahead.
717 Dead In Crush Near Mecca During Hajj Pilgrimage
24 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 208 Words
The death toll in a stampede outside Mecca has risen to 717, with at least 800 injured, the deadliest disaster on the annual hajj pilgrimage in over a quarter of a century.The crush happened in the Mina valley, a few miles outside Mecca, where a sprawling camp of 160,000 tents fills with millions of visitors for a few days each year.Tragedy hit when two large groups of pilgrims who were preparing for one of the last major rites of their trip met on a major intersection, Saudi authorities said.The crush left bodies of victims and injured survivors heaped in chaotic piles on the street in blazing desert heat, videos and photographs from the site showed.
Over 4,000 rescue workers raced to the scene to offer first aid and load the most critically injured people into rescue helicopters and hundreds of ambulances .The stampede is the deadliest disaster at the hajj since a similar tragedy in 1990, when more than 1,400 people died after panic broke out among crowds inside a tunnel.It is also the second deadly disaster in Islam’s holiest city this month, after a construction crane collapsed on 11 September, killing more than 100 people and injuring more than 200.
Uganda Warns Of Possible Attack By Somali Militants
24 September – Source: Shabelle News – 155 Words
Ugandan police warned of a possible attack on mosques including in the capital Kampala by Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants and cautioned the public to be vigilant. Police said they had received intelligence indicating Al Shabaab was planning an attack on Kampala during the Eid al-Adha holiday on Thursday.“The hunt for the Al Shabaab cell/group behind this planned attack is ongoing, we call upon the general public to be extra alert and vigilant,” the statement, issued late on Wednesday, said. Police have increased security around the city.
The east African country has issued frequent warnings of planned Al Shabaab attacks since 2010 when twin bombings killed 79 people.Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for those attacks, saying they were revenge for Uganda’s deployment of troops in Somalia.Uganda’s military contingent forms the backbone of the African Union’s AMISOM peacekeeping force in Somalia which has been battling the Islamist rebels with the Somali army.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Family Pleads For Life Of Mentally Ill Man Sentenced To Death By Firing Squad
24 September – Source: The Guardian -481 Words
The family of a mentally ill man sentenced to death by firing squad in Somaliland has appealed to the country’s president to intervene to prevent his execution.The case of Abdullah Ali, who was convicted of shooting and killing a man last year, has prompted an international outcry, with Human Rights Watch declaring it a particularly cruel punishment for someone diagnosed with severe mental health problems.
His sister Faisa Ali said the family had taken the case to the supreme court and was expecting a ruling before the end of the month.“We are very concerned about him because the supreme court decision will be final and I expect they will agree with the regional court and uphold the death sentence,” said Faisa Ali.“We are asking the president of Somaliland, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo, to intervene to stop this crime against a mentally ill person.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“There are weaknesses in setting national security policy priorities, implementation planning and accountability system.This raises the fundamental question: how does Parliament approve a security and defence budget without a corresponding policy and implementation plan ”
Why Al Shabaab Is Still A Formidable Threat To The Region
24 September – Source: The Star, Kenya – 681 Words
It’s been two years since the Westgate attack. It was a fatal mistake for government to block an independent credible enquiry into the attack. No lessons were learnt. And due to this indolent and incompetent character of the government, on April 2, 147 students were killed at Garissa University College in similar circumstance.
What cannot be missed in both attacks is the incompetence, unprofessional and ill-prepared response of the government. Kenya’s security design and ideology has changed little post-independence. Law enforcement agencies are trapped in regime policing of the colonial times and carried over by post-Independence governments. They are agents of rule not governance. The agencies have been compromised to secure political interests rather than the people and the country.