(The East African 04/03/17)
Mogadishu — Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak arrived in Mogadishu on Sunday with a bag of goodies. Mr Kaynak and his delegation were received at Mogadishu's the Aden Abdulle International Airport by Somalia's Deputy PM Mahdi Mohamed Guled and several state officials. The Turkish delegation immediately held talks with the Somali officials at the airport on, among other issues, the current drought in the Horn of Africa region. Later, Mr Kaynak handed over to the Mogadishu authorities 52 trucks and earthmovers donated by the government of Turkey to host municipality. Building materials The deputy premier also handed over to the Mogadishu leaders a plant for the manufacture of building materials. "I trust these trucks and the plant being handed...
(Reuters (Eng) 04/03/17)
Pirates have hijacked an Indian commercial ship off the coast of Somalia, the second attack in weeks after years of inactivity by pirates, industry and security sources said on Monday. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates the management of all merchant ships and yachts in the Gulf of Aden area, said it had received information that a dhow en route to Bosasso from Dubai had been hijacked "in the vicinity of Socotra (Island)". A spokesman said UKMTO was unable to confirm the location of the vessel, which he identified as Al Kausar, or what had taken place, and that investigations were ongoing. "We understand Somali pirates hijacked a commercial Indian ship and (it is heading) toward Somalia shores,"...
(The East African 04/03/17)
Nairobi — The 2017 Mo Ibrahim Foundation annual Governance Weekend will be held in Marrakech - Morocco from April 7-9. A press release from the Foundation identifies the Palmeraie Resort as the venue for this year's meeting. The three-day event brings together prominent African and Africa-focused leaders, civil society representatives, multilateral and regional institutions and Africa's international partners to identify policy challenges and possible solutions. Violent extremism The conversation is normally extended to a wider audience through music, art and sport at major public events, showcasing some of Africa's brightest talent. The Foundation has released a report that sets the stage for high-level discussions in Morocco. The priority areas for the Marrakech talks, according to the report, include violent extremism...
(Xinhuanet 03/31/17)
Severe drought which is ravaging Somalia has displaced more than 444,000 people from their homes since November 2016, the UN humanitarian agency said on Friday. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the risk of famine in 2017 remains severe as drought conditions continue to worsen. "Should the April to June rainy season perform poorly, purchasing power will decline to levels seen in 2010/11, and should humanitarian assistance be unable to reach populations in need, famine remains a strong possibility," OCHA warned in its latest report. OCHA said some of the displaced people are forced to trek long distances because they cannot afford transportation costs.
(Daily Nation 03/31/17)
Many media commentators wrote surprisingly of the successful official state visit of Somalia's President, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, to Kenya on Thursday last week. In fact, the Somali President's warm welcome by his counterpart, President Uhuru Kenyatta, was not the main story as this was a given, but how quickly they moved to agree strategic action on all matters of common concern and opportunity within this single face-to-face encounter. All the agreed policies at this fruitful meeting from security, trade and investment to direct flights between Mogadishu and Nairobi are not new either. They were negotiated, agreed and renewed as part of the Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC) which was signed between the two governments in February 2016. However, what is...
(The New York Times 03/30/17)
President Trump has relaxed some of the rules for preventing civilian casualties when the American military carries out counterterrorism strikes in Somalia, laying the groundwork for an escalating campaign against Islamist militants in the Horn of Africa. The decision, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations, gives commanders at the United States Africa Command greater latitude to carry out offensive airstrikes and raids by ground troops against militants with the Qaeda-linked Islamist group Shabab. That sets the stage for an intensified pace of combat there, while increasing the risk that American forces could kill civilians. Mr. Trump signed a directive on Wednesday declaring parts of Somalia
(Xinhuanet 03/30/17)
Somali Parliament on Wednesday approved a new cabinet appointed by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire a week ago. Lower House Deputy Speaker Abdiweli Ibrahim Mudey announced that 224 lawmakers voted in favor of the cabinet, 15 rejected the list and two abstained. The move ended anxiety that many analysts say could have crippled the operations of the new government formed after successful in-direct presidential elections in February. Speaker of the Lower House Mohamed Osman Jawari lauded the lawmakers for endorsing the ministers. "Parliament did their constitutional duties and we urge the executive
(Shabelle News 03/30/17)
President of Federal Republic of Somalia H.E Mohamed Abduallahi Farmaajo, in a written speech distributed to the leaders of the Arab world attending at 28th Ordinary Summit of the Arab League, discussed Somalia's progress, priorities and remaining challenges going forward. The president acknowledged that most of the Arab world is currently facing grave challenges stemming from the threats of insecurity, political upheaval and economic distress. In light of this, the President called on Arab leaders to unite to overcome these challenges and galvanize wide ranging support to safeguard the future of the Arab world and its citizens. "We need to unite our efforts to overcome these challenges and galvanize support for our people and safeguard our future... We call for...
(Xinhuanet 03/30/17)
The African Union (AU) is extremely appalled by the attacks against African students in Noida and other cities in India. The pan-African bloc has deplored the violence unleashed during the riot that started on Monday targeting Africans of various nationalities, particularly Nigerians, which resulted in loss of innocent lives and serious injuries, the AU said in a statement. The attacks have also resulted in the displacement of many Africans from their normal places of residence, thereby putting their lives in serious danger, it said. AU has expressed heartfelt condolence to the families of the deceased; and it wished speedy recovery to all those who have sustained injuries. AU has called on the Indian authorities to provide all necessary support to...
(Xinhuanet 03/29/17)
Child malnutrition coupled with a spike in diarrhea diseases linked to water scarcity could spin out of control in Somalia as the drought season enters a critical phase, a UN official said in a recent interview with Xinhua. United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)'s Chief of Field Office in Central South Somalia Eltayeb Adam noted that Somali children have borne the brunt of malnutrition and water-borne diseases hence making them vulnerable targets of recruitment by armed groups. "We are expecting the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition to increase from the current figure of 177,000 to 288, 000," Adam said. He noted that a cholera outbreak
(The Associated Press 03/29/17)
Somalia’s parliament has endorsed the country’s new cabinet, a victory for the prime minister after more than 100 legislators challenged his nominations last week. Acting parliament speaker Abdiweli Sheikh Ibrahim said Wednesday that 224 MPs out of the 341 present voted in favor of the new cabinet, while 15 rejected it and two abstained. Somalia’s chief justice has sworn in the cabinet members. Some lawmakers had said the proposed cabinet went against the power-sharing formula that Somalia’s powerful clans agreed on previously. The fragile central government is trying to assert itself in this long-chaotic country after the election of Somali-American President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed last month. The international community has poured in hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years...
(Xinhuanet 03/29/17)
A global charity said Wednesday over 3,000 Somalis are fleeing daily due to a severe drought which is ravaging several parts of Somalia. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said its latest data shows that 438,000 people in Somalia have been displaced since November 2016, by the worst drought the country has experienced in 20 years. "Over 3,000 people a day are being forced to abandon their homes in search of water and food. This is the highest displacement we have witnessed since the 2011 famine, and it's spiralling higher each day," said NRC's Country Director in Somalia, Victor Moses. "The indicators are lining up dangerously with what we saw in the lead up to the 2011 famine," Moses said in...
(CBC News 03/29/17)
Hodan Nalayeh, founder of Integration TV, went to Somalia to see how drought is affecting people. A Toronto-area host of a weekly television talk show for Somali viewers says people in Somalia are showing resilience despite severe drought. Hodan Nalayeh, founder and host of Integration TV on OMNI TV, travelled to remote areas in Somalia for about 10 days earlier this month to see how the drought is affecting people there and to raise awareness of the situation. "The conditions are horrific," Nalayeh told Metro Morning on Tuesday. "People basically have not seen rain for the past two years. The results have basically showed up now where it's near famine conditions. Somalis are basically starving from just their land and...
(AL Jazeera 03/29/17)
The United Nations has raised alarm over a major outbreak of cholera in southern Somalia. Aid groups are already scrambling to help people suffering from severe drought and mass malnutrition. The UN is urging immediate action and aid to avert the crisis. Al Jazeera got access to a hospital in Baidoa in the badly-hit southern region. Caroline Malone
(Xinhuanet 03/29/17)
Child malnutrition coupled with a spike in diarrhea diseases linked to water scarcity could spin out of control in Somalia as the drought season enters a critical phase, a UN official said in a recent interview with Xinhua. United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)'s Chief of Field Office in Central South Somalia Eltayeb Adam noted that Somali children have borne the brunt of malnutrition and water-borne diseases hence making them vulnerable targets of recruitment by armed groups. "We are expecting the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition to increase from the current figure of 177,000 to 288, 000," Adam said. He noted that a cholera outbreak is spreading quickly in drought-hit towns and villages. The United Nations contended...
(The Associated Press 03/29/17)
Tears fill Sahra Muse's eyes as she stares at her severely malnourished son, his thin arms crossed over his bloated stomach. Before he succumbed to hunger, 7-year-old Ibrahim Ali had helped his mother herd the family's 30 cows on their farm in Toratorow, a village in Lower Shabelle region. But the family lost all they had to the growing drought. The 32-year-old Muse walked for three days to reach this wind-swept camp 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of Somalia's capital earlier this week, leaving behind her other three children and their father. "Life is becoming so hard. We have nothing to survive, and I don't know how long he will survive," Muse said of her son. She sat in a...
(The New York Times 03/28/17)
Somalia, which has been hit by a series of crises that sound like a page from the Book of Job, is starting a major effort to vaccinate 450,000 people against its latest plague: cholera. The country, in the Horn of Africa, has long suffered from weak central government, fighting among clan warlords and terrorist acts committed by Al Shabab, an Islamic militant group with some factions aligned with Al Qaeda. In 1993, the capital, Mogadishu, was the scene of the “Black Hawk Down” battle between United States Army Rangers and clan militias. American troops sent to protect food aid shipments ended up fighting the warlords who were seizing them. The world’s largest refugee camp complex in Dadaab, Kenya, contains 260,000...
(Voice of America 03/28/17)
As the breakaway republic of Somaliland grapples with a severe drought, medical workers are struggling to aid people left weakened by malnourishment and hunger. A 70-year-old hospital in Erigavo, the capital of the Sanaag region, is operating beyond full capacity to treat people affected by the drought. And it's the only hospital in the region. The drought has left tens of thousands of children acutely malnourished. In desperate need of treatment, they are checked as they lie on the beds in this stabilization center ward. Ismail Saleban Bowkah, the hospital's director, said most of the children admitted for care come from rural areas. "The drought forced most pastoralists to move from one area into another.Some came to the cities. But...
(Standard Digital 03/28/17)
The democratic installation of Mohamed Mohamed as President of the Federal Republic of Somalia is the most hopeful political development in the war-torn Horn of Africa country in decades. Mr Mohamed, a New York resident – and dual US-Somali citizen – is likely to lead a national renaissance in one of the most tortured countries on earth. Somalia has not known peace since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. President Mohamed, the urbane technocrat educated at the University at Buffalo, is bound to transform Villa Somalia into the nerve centre that puts humpty dumpty back together again. A man of virtue, Mr Mohamed is a one in a generation leader. Mr Mohamed’s rise to power has been...
(Voice of America 03/28/17)
The World Health Organization and U.N. children's fund are spearheading a massive immunization campaign across Africa to rid the continent of the last vestiges of polio. Tens of thousands of health workers will fan out across 13 central and western African countries to vaccinate more than 116 million children under age five against the crippling disease. The U.N. agencies report more than 190,000 volunteers, traveling on foot or bicycle, will go house to house across all cities, towns, and villages in 13 countries to vaccinate every child under age five against polio. The synchronized vaccination campaign, one of the largest ever conducted in Africa, will run from March 25-28. Director of Polio Eradication at the World Health Organization Michel Zaffran...