European Union Training Mission Somalia
PRESS SUMMARY 22nd June 2018
“In ‘Media’ stat virtus” EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somali president joins regional leaders in search for peace in South Sudan
MOGADISHU, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi (Farmajo) left the country on Thursday for Ethiopia to join other East African leaders to help shore up South Sudan peace process.
A statement from the presidency said Farmajo was due to attend an extra-ordinary Inter- Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) summit in Addis Ababa that will review the progress made in the South Sudan peace process.
South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday for a meeting with South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, as part of efforts to try to broker a deal to end the nation's civil conflict.
Officials said the two leaders later held talks in Addis Ababa on Wednesday evening for the first time in two years. Details of the Wednesday meeting were not divulged.
IGAD is an eight-member economic bloc that brings together Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-06/21/c_137271602.htm
EUTM - SOMALIA 1 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Farmajo jets off to Addis Ababa for an extra-ordinary IGAD summit
June 21, 2018 - Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo left Mogadishu for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital on Thursday morning, his office has confirmed.
According to a statement released by Villa Somalia, President Farmajo is expected to attend an extra-ordinary IGAD summit in Addis Ababa that will focus on South Sudan crisis.
The president will join the leaders from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in the summit to seek a lasting solution for Africa’s youngest nation, South Sudan.
On the sidelines of the summit, president Farmajo is likely to hold separate meetings with the heads of IGAD member states in Addis Ababa.
On Wednesday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar met on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, in a meeting attended by the Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed.
The meeting between Kiir and his former vice president becomes the first in two years since the peace deal between the two sides fell apart in August 2016. http://radioshabelle.com/farmajo-jets-off-to-addis-ababa-for-an-extra-ordinary-igad- summit/
EUTM - SOMALIA 2 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somalia: PM Says No Deal Reached With Ethiopia On Seaports
Photo: Radio Shabelle Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed
The Somali government has not signed an official trade agreement with its neighbouring Ethiopian government, Somali Prime Minister said on Wednesday.
Following the one-day visit of Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed to Mogadishu, there were speculations that Somali leaders handed over the country's main ports to Ethiopia, a landlocked country which lost its ports after Eritrea broke away.
Speaking to Somali Diaspora in Norway, Somali Prime minister Hassan Ali Kheire said the two countries reached a memorandum of understanding on trade cooperation.
"In recent past days, we have been receiving reports claiming that Somalia signed an agreement with Ethiopia. We did not sign a deal with Ethiopia," said Kheire, " After the visit of Ethiopian Prime Minister, we jointly issued a communiqué on creation cooperation between the two countries and to allow them (Ethiopia) to use our ports."
The PM affirmed that government will never accept any deal violating the country's sovereignty.
"The country's ports belong to Somali people, we will never allow anybody to take them, we urge the public not to be misled," the prime minister said.
EUTM - SOMALIA 3 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed on Saturday pledged to cooperate on several issues including the development of infrastructure and expanding visa services to promote cultural exchanges.
Speaking to the media after the visit, Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed said the main objective of the meeting was to end the history of war, violence between the two nations.
"We need to forget the past, for how long we will keep on recalling our worst part of our history, let us what happened in the past and focus on the present," he noted. http://allafrica.com/stories/201806210574.html
EUTM - SOMALIA 4 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somaliland says Ethio-Somalia Port agreement is not pertinent
WEDNESDAY
Somaliland says that the recent joint agreement aimed at developing ports which Ethiopia and Somalia leaders has nothing to do with Somaliland.
This was disclosed by Somaliland foreign affairs and international cooperation minister, Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire in an interview with Somali BBC services.
The leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia stressed that both sides must respect the sovereignty and unity of both countries and SL FM said that it does not concern on somaliland as they were talking about not violating their borders.
The FM of Somaliland added that administering Somaliland ports is not a business for Farmajo as he has no control over them.
Once asked if Somaliland asked Ethiopia to provide details of the agreement, Mr. Sa’ad said that there is no point of urgency but we will wait and see.
Somaliland authority has taken a hard stance on the recent joint agreement reached by Ethiopia and Somalia to developed four key ports in Somalia.
It is not clear if Ethiopia has revoked its treaty with Somaliland which acquired shares in the development of Berbera port which Ethiopia, a landlocked country signed the deal with Dubai Ports World.
Somalland is self declared state which broke away from Somalia in 1991 but the int’l community turned a blind eye to grant a recognition as an independent state. https://www.somaliaonline.com/community/topic/102963-somaliland-says-ethio-somalia- port-agreement-is-not-pertinent/
EUTM - SOMALIA 5 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Ethiopia: Dire Dawa calls Somali region president to step down
(June 21, 2018) - Residents of Dire Dawa, a city in Eastern Ethiopia, demand in a demonstration that the president of the Somali region step down, accusing Abdi Mohamud Omar’s administration of instigating conflict among different groups, and of corruption.
The campaign against Abdi Mohamud Omar, who also goes by Abdi Illey, began two months ago when residents in 11 zones in the Somali region began taking to the streets to vent their anger against the president, whom they said has brought a reign of injustice, corruption and lack of peace.
Residents of the town who spoke to ESAT say the federal government should intervene to stop the regional president’s misrule.
Abdi Illey, who is president for the last 10 years, has been accused of having close ties to army generals who run contraband trade in the Somali region.
Protest against the president began two months ago when he fired his entire cabinet members and replace them with members of his clan and in-laws. https://ethsat.com/2018/06/ethiopia-dire-dawa-calls-somali-region-president-to-step- down/
EUTM - SOMALIA 6 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somalia’s prime minister met with Erna Solberg
Prime Minister Erna Solberg meets Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire.
Victoria Garza 21. June 2018
Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire is in Norway and met both Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) and Development Minister Nikolai Astrup (H) on Wednesday.
This is the second time Hassan Ali Khaire meets Norway’s prime minister as they met in a bilateral meeting in Davos, Switzerland when Erna Solberg attended a meeting at the World Economic Forum.
On Tuesday, Khaire promised that the country will investigate closer to the disclosure that Norwegian Somali children are sent to Koran schools in Somalia where they are subjected to abuse and severely punishment. He then said that Somali authorities had already started investigations.
Khaire and a Somali delegation with several government members are in Oslo in connection with the International Conference Oslo Forum, which is organized at Losby Gods.
The Oslo Forum Conference is one of the foremost meeting places in the world for facilitators, peacekeepers, top politicians and other actors from peace processes and conflict resolution.
Hassan Ali Khaire is a Norwegian citizen since 1989 when he, himself came to Norway as a refugee. In February last year he was appointed prime minister of Somalia. http://norwaytoday.info/news/somalias-prime-minister-met-erna-solberg/
EUTM - SOMALIA 7 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Former Somali president calls for ceasefire in Tukaraq
June 21, 2018
Former Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for an immediate end to the fighting between Puntland and the breakaway region of Somaliland in Tukaraq village.
Mohamud urged the warring sides halt the bloodshed, withdraw the troops from the battle zones in Sool region and engage in talks to solve the conflict. The former leader asked the local elders, traders and intellectuals to contribute to the peace efforts aimed at halting the escalating tension in the region.
Somaliland and Puntland are both pointing fingers at the other for starting latest fighting which claimed the lives of the dozens of people and forced families to flee their house.
The tension is still as both sides reportedly employed light and heavy guns near Tukaraq District, about 1,100km northwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Somaliland and Puntland have hand long-standing border disputes, particularly over Sool and Sanaag regions that separate them.
Somaliland has declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 but has since failed to win international recognition.
Puntland was established as a semi-autonomous authority in 1998 but remains a member state of the federal government of Somalia. http://radioshabelle.com/former-somali-president-calls-for-ceasefire-in-tukaraq/
EUTM - SOMALIA 8 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Renewal of Somaliland Special Arrangement
21st June 2018 - In 2013 the international community signed a “New Deal Compact” with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), setting out the priorities and principles governing the partnership between donors and the FGS up until 2016. At the London Conference in May last year, this agreement was replaced by the “New Partnership for Somalia”. This takes forward our partnership through until the end of the current political cycle.
The New Partnership raises the level of our shared ambitions and aims, and reinforces the commitment to mutual accountability first set out under the New Deal.
In agreeing the New Deal, donor and Somali government partners recognised that the situation of Somaliland was different in a number of ways from that of Puntland and what at that time (prior to the establishment of the new Federal Member States – FMS) was described as “south-central” Somalia. In the light of this, a “special arrangement” was agreed between the parties that would ensure that Somaliland received its fair share of international support, but in a way that was adapted to its own development needs.
In the spirit of transparency and equity, we believe it is both necessary and desirable, and in the interests of all Somalis, to ensure that the arrangements that have worked so well since 2013 can be continued. In the light of this, we are writing to you to seek an assurance that you would have no objection to us reaching an agreement with the authorities in Somaliland that would enable this arrangement to be renewed.
We would of course realign the arrangement with the new terms and conditions set out in the New Partnership, from which we would not deviate in any major way. Our overall aim will be to ensure that all of us as partners hold each other accountable to same rigorous set of goals, behaviours and priorities, and that our partnerships are governed by the same set of core principles.
EUTM - SOMALIA 9 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Alongside this understanding, we would also want to develop a mutual accountability scorecard that would follow the broad aims set out in the framework agreed between us at the Somalia Partnership Forum last December, but with marginal adjustments to take account of the unique circumstances in Somaliland.
In the spirit of full transparency, we will continue to report in full all of our aid flows through the mechanisms set up through the SDRF, including those directed towards or shared with Somaliland.
In making this request, we would wish to underline that while we believe that the special circumstances pertaining to Somaliland when the original Special Arrangement was agreed still apply today, we do not see these circumstances as applying to the FMS that have been created since that time. These are well catered for by, and fully incorporated in, the framework set out at the London Conference under the New Partnership.
We trust you will view our proposals in the constructive and sincere spirit in which they have been framed and provide us with the “no objection” assurance that we are writing to you to obtain. We hope that a renewed Somaliland Special Arrangement will not only serve to depoliticise our aid relationship with the Somali people to the benefit of all, but also serve to build goodwill and trust between the parties involved and support a wider, constructive dialogue on issues of common concern.
We are of course ready to provide further details of our ideas and how they might best be carried forwards at your convenience. https://mareeg.com/renewal-of-somaliland-special-arrangement/
EUTM - SOMALIA 10 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somalia Rejects Renewal of the Somaliland Special Agreement
Juun 21, 2018 Nevertheless, a number of significant challenges remain, including the means by which the Federal Government and Federal Member States can build an effective institutional framework which allows Federal Member States the ability to generate resources and provide services in a way which strengthens the bonds with the Federal Government rather than weakens them.
We believe that all development assistance, regardless of which Federal Member State or region receives the support, should be disbursed in an appropriate and transparent manner to ensure that it benefits all communities, and that the assistance is used for development rather than other means. https://www.daljir.com/somalia-rejects-renewal-of-the-somaliland-special-agreement/
EUTM - SOMALIA 11 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somaliland:Government Bans Circulation of Waberi Newspaper
06/21/2018
Somalilandsud:The chairman of Somaliland Journalists’ Association (SOLJA) Mr.Mohammud Ahmed Jama (Huto) has condemned the government of Somaliland move to ban Waberi newspaper from the operating in the country. The SOLJA chairman said that the government needs to respect freedom of expression in the country this is according to a posting in his face book account.
Herein are his sentiments…..
The Somaliland Journalists’ Association (SOLJA) sees today ban of Waberi Newspaper from circulation a ploy by the government to muzzle freedom of expression in the country. The journalists’ law of Somaliland has procedural for expressing complaints against violation made by news organizations.
SOLJA is calling on the government to reinstate Waberi Newspaper back into circulation without strings attached. Waberi Newspaper has been in circulation for the past fortnight. Somaliland Sun reporter insistent move to speak to the editor of Waberi newspaper a Mr.Khadhar Gureyte proved futile and the phone went unanswered. The ban came following the attorney general office letter to the Marodijeeh regional court. The court ordered the publishing house of Waberi Newspaper against printing the paper. Somaliland journalists’ association calls the ban infringement of citizens rights to open news organization according to the country’s constitution.
Waberi joins Haatuf and Hubsad newspapers in the wilderness of journalism. http://www.somalilandsun.com/2018/06/21/somalilandgovernment-bans-circulation-of- waberi-newspaper/
EUTM - SOMALIA 12 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somaliland: Govt admits local municipalities looting of public lands
HARGEISA– Somaliland’s Public Works and Housing, Hon. Abdirashid Du’ale Qambi has accused local municipalities of rampant looting of state owned land.
The minister has further said that the local cities are conducting land plan which is illegal and added that there is no management in the municipalities. The Public works minister has blasted the municipalities of not only donating public lands for bribe or selling to particular individuals without the consent of Somaliland govt which is a big shame for mayors in major townships in Somaliland.
Hon. Abdirashid, the minister in charge of housing has announced that the govt is about to start public land planning. The minister has blamed of local mayors in major townships in Somaliland of having failed to provide the master plan of districts that they administer.
He said that they have failed to live up to their promises according to the minister. The minister has spoken of several meeting that he held with local mayors and has informed them about the interest of the nation and populace.
The minister has admitted that there is widespread corruption in looting public lands where local Councillors are giving lands to individuals without the consent of Somaliland authority. The minister while on an inspection tour to public land in Hargeisa vicinity has confiscated a tractor which was illegally ploughing a land. https://www.somaliaonline.com/community/topic/103036-somaliland-govt-admits-local- municipalities-looting-of-public-lands/
EUTM - SOMALIA 13 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somalia: Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi letter to H.E. Antonio Guterres on recognition of the State (18.06.2018)
EUTM - SOMALIA 14 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
EUTM - SOMALIA 15 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
https://minbane.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/https-wp-me-p1xtjg-7af/
EUTM - SOMALIA 16 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
http://www.somalilandpress.com/somaliland-the-experiment-in-democracy-review-a- powerful-and-eye-opening-documentary/
EUTM - SOMALIA 17 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somali Governor of Banadir, Eng.Yarisow, and Engineers and Experts from Turkey Discusses City`s Development Agenda
22nd June 2018
Mogadishu, 21 June 2018 – Mayor of Mogadishu, who is also Governor of Banadir Region Honorable Abdirahman Omar Osman (Eng. Yarisow) has welcomed Engineers and Experts from Turkey Government to his office and discussed with them the ways in which Turkey Government can help the local Government rebuild the city.
Mr. Yarisow, the Governor of Banadir Region, has said that the motive behind inviting these Engineers and Experts is tooperate transport sites and renovate the factories that produce tarmac, interlog, bricks as well as participating inpromoting the Master Plan of the City.
“We have today received Engineers and Experts from Turkey Government and the motive was to co-operate on city development agenda as well as implementing development projects and re-activating Transport sites of Banadir Region which remained de-activated recently. Also, we have agreed to operate all factories that manufacture tarmac, interlog and bricks which remain essential to the City`s recovery at this time.” Eng.Yarisow said.
The Mayor of Mogadishu and those Experts from Turkey Government have all admitted the need to implement developmental projects in the City i.e. construction of roads, houses and other projects that could create job opportunities for Somali youth residing in Muqdisho. https://mareeg.com/somali-governor-of-banadir-eng-yarisow-and-engineers-and-experts- from-turkey-discusses-citys-development-agenda/
EUTM - SOMALIA 18 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
One dead as KDF smokes out al Shabaab in Wajir
The operation follows a recent IED attack on a police vehicle
June 21, 2018
Tension is running high in Katulo town, Wajir, after a man was shot dead inside Kutulo AP Camp in the ongoing military operation against suspected Al-Shabaab members.
Witnesses told the Nation that 50-year-old Hassan Abdi Muhumed was felled after he was arrested together with dozens of other men in Kutulo town on Thursday morning.
Al Shabaab militants.
The Nation could not immediately establish the reasons behind the shooting but sources indicated that fire was opened after some of the men protested their arrest and detention.
The operation comes days after Al-Shabaab killed eight police officers in an IED attack on Sunday.
Mr Issa Ahmed Abdi, the Wargadud Ward rep, said Mr Muhumed was a security guard at a local Kenya Power electricity station.
He added that the soldiers rounded up “all the men” from Kutulo town and were being held at the AP camp.
Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the attack in Bojigaras, claiming, in its usual propaganda, it killed 15 security officers and injured 23 others.
EUTM - SOMALIA 19 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
SITE Intelligence Group, an American firm that tracks online activity of white supremacists and jihadist organisations, said Al-Shabaab released a video of multiple attacks in Kenya on Monday for propaganda purposes to “honour slain fighters who include an unidentified Briton killed fighting alongside them.”
After the police Land Cruiser hit the IED on Sunday, the attackers who were hiding nearby ambushed the security officers.
Among those who died in the fierce firefight that ensued were five Administration Police (AP) officers and three National Police Service reservists.
According to police reports, the slain officers who were based in Kutulo AP camp were on a routine patrol before their vehicle was blown up on Kutulo-Bojigaras road around 2.30 pm.
The militants are reported to have made way with eight assault rifles and hundreds of bullets belonging to the slain officers before fleeing towards the Somalia border.
Apart from the Sunday attack, the militant group has been blamed for various attacks in the Northeastern region, including the recent attack in Liboi earlier this month that left five officers dead.
Al-Shabaab fighters have also been blamed for the February attack at Qarsa that left three people dead, including two teachers.
Wreckage of a vehicle blown up by IED.
The National Police had earlier issued an alert on a possible attack in Wajir, Garissa and Mandera County during the just-ended Ramadhan period.
Several leaders from the Northeastern have condemned the attack as they appealed for the change in tact in the fight against terror. http://zipo.co.ke/37052/one-dead-as-kdf-smokes-out-al-shabaab-in-wajir/
EUTM - SOMALIA 20 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Al-Shabab kidnaps Somali children to fill its ranks. Parents pull kids from school or flee to protect them.
June 21, 2018 By Tonny Onyulo
Members of the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al- Shabab surrender to authorities in the north of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, Sept. 24, 2012.
You can hear the anguish in Maalim Mohamud’s voice when he talks about his son Ismael.
Ismael disappeared on his way home from school in the town of Baidoa in southern Somalia two years ago. He would be 13 years old today.
“I still feel the pain as a parent. I can’t believe that I will never see him again,” said Mohamud, 45, a father of five who now lives in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. “He was the hope of this family and we loved him. We miss him so much.”
Mohamud says he suspects that al-Shabab militants kidnapped Ismael with three other students from Baidoa primary school. The al-Qaeda-linked terror group regularly enters villages and demands that families give up their children. If parents resist, the militants often capture the children and force them to join their ranks. https://themuslimtimes.info/2018/06/21/al-shabab-kidnaps-somali-children-to-fill-its- ranks-parents-pull-kids-from-school-or-flee-to-protect-them/
EUTM - SOMALIA 21 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
AU Keen On Resolving Logistical Challenges Facing Its Mission in Somalia
Friday June 22, 2018 -
A delegation from the Addis Ababa based African Union Peace Support Operations Division (AUPSOD), is in Somalia to assess the nature of logistical support given to the AU Mission by its partners.
The team will hold deliberations in the capital Mogadishu, to flesh out issues regarding logistics support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and propose recommendations, that will boost the Mission’s activities in the Horn of Africa country.
“We want to look into key challenges and key issues and clearly indicate what stakeholders need to do to help enhance the support package to AMISOM,” Col. (Rtd) Mor Mbow, the Chief of Mission Support at the African Union Commission, and leader of the AU delegation said in his opening remarks earlier today.
Mbor emphasized that the aim of the deliberations was to come up with ways of enhancing logistical support to AMISOM, to enable the Mission better secure Somalia.
“This support to AMISOM is not only an UNSOS responsibility. Troop Contributing Countries have responsibilities; the contingents that have been deployed have responsibilities. AU as strategic headquarters have responsibilities and UN of course, being a major partner has responsibilities,” Col. Mbow stated.
The two-day high-level consultative talks is expected to come up with detailed recommendations that will address critical logistical support issues in the short, medium and long term.
EUTM - SOMALIA 22 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
“The primary objective of this workshop is to identify AMISOM mission support challenges across the strategic, operational and tactical levels,” explained Ambassador Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira, the AU Special Representative for Somalia and Head of AMISOM.
The meeting, Madeira noted, will also come up with recommendations on how the AU and UN can harmonize and enhance joint planning, improve on provision and delivery of logistics and generate service support to AMISOM.
In her remarks, the Head of UNSOS, Ms. Lisa Filipetto reiterated UNSOS’ commitment to providing the required logistical support, to enable AMISOM fulfil its mandate effectively. UNSOS is mandated by the UN Security Council to provide logistical support to AMISOM and to the Somali security forces during joint operations with AMISOM.
“UNSOS welcomes this review. We believe that this is such an important partnership that we need to get it right. We won’t get it perfect but continuous improvement is always very important,” she observed, while acknowledging the achievements AMISOM has made in Somalia’s stabilization.
Representatives of Troop and Police Contributing Countries to AMISOM, senior AMISOM and UN officials, among them, the AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Jim Beesigye Owoyesigire and the Acting AMISOM Police Commissioner, Christine Alalo, are attending the consultative meeting. https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2018/Jun/158696/au_keen_on_resolving_logistical_chall enges_facing_its_mission_in_somalia.aspx
EUTM - SOMALIA 23 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
For Once, Mogadishu Can Watch World Cup With Little Fear
June 21, 2018
A mural depicting a soccer player is seen on a wall of a stadium in the Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia, June 13, 2017.
For years, residents of Mogadishu wanting to watch the World Cup on TV have done so at risk to life and limb. Islamist militant group al- Shabab — an opponent of both sports and entertainment in general — threatened violence against anyone watching the games.
The danger was especially high in 2010, when al-Shabab fighters controlled most of the Somali capital and gangs of Islamists patrolled the city, searching for anyone trying view the games in secret.
FILE - Damaged chairs and tables lie among the debris strewn after a bomb attack outside an Ethiopian restaurant in Kampala, Uganda, July 12, 2010.
"The lucky few, who could watch in the government-controlled areas at the time, did so having one eye on the TV and the other on the door, with the sound turned down," said Ahmed Aden, a 20-year-old Mogadishu resident.
The 2018 World Cup has been different. The tournament is still young, but there have been no reported attacks on Somalis watching the games on TV, either in public or private. Residents of Somalia's capital have been gathering to watch the World Cup on big screens inside hotels, restaurants, and government centers.
EUTM - SOMALIA 24 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
While watching a match between Australia and Denmark with dozens of young men in a Mogadishu restaurant, Somalia's Security Ministry spokesman Abdiaziz Hildhiban said the change is due to improved security and a greater willingness of people to ignore what he termed the "terrorists' psychological war."
"For Mogadishu residents, this year is different from the previous years because for the first time in many years, they can freely watch the World Cup in groups with no direct threat from al-Shabab," said Hildhiban."No more physical and psychological war can threaten our youth from enjoying sports."
Shooting soccer fans
Al-Shabab contends that sports are un-Islamic and a waste of time, and that they turn young men away from the group's raison d'etre, jihad.
Al-Shabab fighters shot to death two people watching a World Cup match in a cinema in 2006, and killed more than 70 when it bombed two World Cup parties in Uganda's capital in 2010.
Somalis wishing to watch the Cup were exposed to such violence because few individuals could afford satellite TV in Mogadishu, meaning public screenings were often the only way matches could be seen.
However, an increased presence of Somali government soldiers and African Union peacekeepers, along with private guards at many viewing sites, has made Somalis feel safer about enjoying the World Cup in public.
"In 2014, such crowds of soccer watchers could be an easy target for terrorist attacks, but now it comes after the first Ramadan without a single terrorist major attack in the city for years due to the security we beefed up," Hildhiban said.
The threat of attack has not entirely receded.In April, at least five people were killed and 10 others injured after a bomb was detonated during a soccer game in Somalia's port city of Barawe, a former al-Shabab stronghold.In Mogadishu, al-Shabab has bombed and/or shot up more than 20 hotels and restaurants in the last five years, killing hundreds.
EUTM - SOMALIA 25 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
But it is becoming harder for football-haters to keep Somalis away from the country's favorite sport.High-speed internet and satellite TV have taken off in the past few years, allowing more people to watch games from the privacy of their homes.
Somalia's minister for youth and sport, Khadija Mohamed Diriye, believes athletics and the city's reviving entertainment scene will "distract Somali youth from pursuing extremist ideologies and the deadly migration to Europe." https://www.voanews.com/a/for-once-mogadishu-can-watch-world-cup-with-little- fear/4448959.html
EUTM - SOMALIA 26 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Hirshabelle MPs blames the federal government for the road security challenges between Mogadishu and Jowhar
June 21, 2018 - The long road that link between Mogadishu and Jowhar is an integral part of the movement between the Central Government and is also used by the authorities of Hirshabelle administration when they are on their way to Mogadishu.
Currently, the road is committed dangrous attacks by al-Shabaab fighters targeting Hirshabelle Administration along with the government officials.
Members of Hirshabelle parliaments along side with their soldiers were killed in the road between Mogadishu and Jowhar following al Shabaab gunfire on their vehicles.
Hirshabelle governor said “the security challenges in the road between jowhar and Mogadishu will be blamed by the federal government of Somalia for not taking immediate actions to secure along the road between Mogadishu and Jowhar.” http://goobjoog.com/english/hirshabelle-mps-blames-the-federal-government-for-the- road-security-challenges-between-mogadishu-and-jowhar/
EUTM - SOMALIA 27 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Somalia releases 17 detained Iranian sailors
TEHRAN, Jun. 21– 17 Iranian sailors who were detained in Somalia in October 2017 on charges of trespassing into Somalia's waters, were released and returned home on Thursday.
A local court in Somalia had sentenced 17 Iranian sailors to two years in prison and to pay fines.
Their release came after efforts on the part of Iranian diplomats in Kenya who held talks with Somalian officials.
Somalia delivered Iranian sailors to Iran’s embassy in Kenya and finally the sailors arrived in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on Thursday.
Hossein Panahi-Azar, deputy for Foreign Minister for Iranians and parliamentary affairs welcomed sailors at the airport. https://en.mehrnews.com/news/134999/Somalia-releases-17-detained-Iranian-sailors
EUTM - SOMALIA 28 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Help Somalia in the face of floods, conflict, and a cyclone, World Vision urges
22 JUNE 2018
MORE than 2.6 million people are currently internally displaced in Somalia, owing to floods, conflict, and a cyclone.
The director of advocacy and external engagement for World Vision in Somalia, Geeta Bandi- Phillips, who was in the country last week, said that the situation was “disheartening”.
On Monday, she said: “Somalia has quite intense and deep problems. It has been a fragile state for 30 years now. Stability is slowly coming though. There is obviously the conflict with non-state actors, but also it is a very dry country: there has also been a drought in the country for the past five harvesting seasons.
“This has made a very big impact. Last year, there was almost a famine, but this year has been huge rains. This has helped a little bit, but its hard to cope as the water just comes and goes.”
In May, heavy rains caused deadly floods across East Africa (News, 25 May). A tropical cyclone, Sagar, was the trigger for the torrential rains.
Ms Bandi-Phillips said: “The cyclone had a horrid impact. Villages have been destroyed, families have fled and abandoned their homes. They have never seen anything like this.”
Because of flooding, water supplies have been disrupted and wells have been buried under sand. This has caused fears of a cholera outbreak and other diseases due to contaminated water.
EUTM - SOMALIA 29 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
“Acute watery diahorrea [AWD] is a big problem. People don’t have good access to water, and the cyclones have damaged wells and destroyed solar power,” Ms Bandi-Phillips said.
She visited the Somaliland region of the country last week. “It was really disheartening. Cyclone Sagar impacted 890,000 people, with 200,000 displaced. Some of the villages did not even know what to expect, and the government wasn’t prepared. Houses were literally blow away.”
It is not just a short-term issue, Ms Bandi Phillips said: “2.6 million people in Somalia are currently displaced. When you move literally holding your children, you want a home — 5.4 million out of 12 million people in Somalia need help.
“They need homes, temporary or permanent; they want their children to be safe and fed. You need to provide education and recreation for them as well. It is what every parent wishes, but these things are at a premium in Somalia at the moment.
“We [World Vision] are a child-focused organisation, trying to protect and nurture young people, and give them a good, stable environment. We aim to give them food security, [and] washing, education, and health facilities.
“Every little contribution helps. It really does go where it needs to go. Somalia is a place that is constantly in need. World Vision has provided water-purification packets, clothes, and health support to those affected by flooding and the cyclones.”
A further issue in Somalia is the ongoing conflict: Somali, Kenyan, and American troops are fighting the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabaab. Earlier this month, a US soldier was killed in an extremist attack.
Ms Bandi-Phillips said: “The conflict means that some of the rural areas are inaccessible; but, with the help of local organisations, we still try to get lifesaving help to people all over Somalia.” https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/22-june/news/world/help-somalia-in-the- face-of-floods-conflict-and-a-cyclone-world-vision-urges
EUTM - SOMALIA 30 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Italy ramps up support for Somalia’s infrastructure
By Mark Bowen 21 June, 2018
The African Development Bank has participated in a signing ceremony that marked Italy's contribution of €1 million to the Somalia Infrastructure Fund
The African Development Bank, based in Mogadishu, has participated in a signing ceremony that marked Italy’s contribution of €1 million to the Somalia Infrastructure Fund (SIF).
The ceremony was witnessed by Albert Mafusire, the African Development Bank’s Principal Country Economist for Somalia, who represented the Bank’s Deputy Director General for East Africa and Country Manager for Somalia, Nnenna Nwabufo.
Also present were the Italian Ambassador to Somalia, Carlo Campanile, and the Federal Government of Somalia’s newly appointed Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, Abdifatah Mohamed Ibrahim.
The Somalia Infrastructure Fund (SIF) is a multi-partner fund with the overall goal of supporting Somalia to rebuild institutions, rehabilitate key infrastructure, and reinforce economic governance.
The SIF, which is administered by the African Development Bank, aims to contribute to the efforts of Somalia and its development partners to consolidate peace, establish the basic institutions of a functioning state and to accelerate inclusive and sustainable economic recovery and development.
As a special fund, the SIF operates within the framework of the bank’s Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa: 2014 to 2019.
EUTM - SOMALIA 31 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Ambassador Campanile acknowledged the bank’s efforts in investing in infrastructure in Somalia, noting that the importance of the infrastructure needs assessment studies carried out by the bank in highlighting the needs of Somalia in key sectors, including transport, energy, and water and sanitation.
Speaking on behalf of the Federal Government of Somalia, Abdifatah Mohamed Ibrahim pledged continuity of the work started by his predecessor and promised to facilitate all efforts by the bank and its partners in the reconstruction process.
Speaking on behalf of the bank’s East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office, Albert Mafusire expressed gratitude to Italy for its support and partnership in rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, emphasising the importance of infrastructure as an enabler of economic transformation.
Italy’s current intervention raises its total contribution to the SIF at about US$ 3.2 million and becomes the second-largest contributor to the fund after the African Development Bank. It also takes the total paid in contributions to US$ 29.7 million, representing about 44% of total pledged contributions. http://www.intelligentcio.com/africa/2018/06/21/italy-ramps-up-support-for-somalias- infrastructure/
EUTM - SOMALIA 32 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Italian Government contributes 2.4 million Euro to Somalia to support national governance, youth employment and aid delivery
20 June 2018, Mogadishu. The Italian Government has this week contributed 2.4 million Euro to Somalia under a United Nations (UN) Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) agreement. The funding will support national governance and youth employment programmes which are led by the Somali Government with the support of the United Nations, as well as a UN supported programme which builds the capacity of the Government to deliver aid to Somali people.
The agreement was signed during an event to celebrate Italy’s Republic day in Mogadishu. The document was signed by the Italian Ambassador to Somalia, Mr. Carlo Campanile, the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Mr. Mahdi Mohamed Guled and acting United Nations Resident Coordinator for Somalia and United Nations Development Programme Country Director, Mr. George Conway.
The Italian contribution is part of the Italian Government’s strategy of empowering national Somali infrastructure and governance programmes, under the development and reconstruction plan for Somalia. Under this a further contribution of 3.3 million Euro to increase access to justice and rule of law in the East African country will be signed in the near future with Somali authorities.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Mahdi Guled, thanked the Italian Government for their continued support of Somalia. “This is clearly a manifestation of the Italian commitment to supporting the Somali people. Italy has been a longstanding friend of Somalia. The support will help important areas for development in this country, in infrastructure, youth employment, job creation, and in justice,” he said.
EUTM - SOMALIA 33 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
The Italian Ambassador, Mr. Carlo Campanile said: “The Italian cooperation and Development Agency considers job creation policies as an essential tool to promote social peace and stabilization, and as key to fostering human development and raising hope for the younger generation. Job creation, social protection, rights at work and social dialogue represent the main elements of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
Mr. George Conway, Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme and acting Resident Coordinator for Somalia, said the contribution and anticipated rule of law contribution to the MPTF platform was very welcome: “This funding supports the Federal Government to work with its partners to channel aid in more effective ways so it impacts in the best possible ways on Somali citizens, and to create employment opportunities for the young people in Somalia.”
“The additional contributions for the rule of law sector the Ambassador mentioned will also help to increase access to justice for Somali citizens, which is fundamental to the peacebuilding and state building process,” he added.
The UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund is a key platform for the international community to deliver coordinated, cost effective support to Somalia. The platform provides support for development and resilience programmes which are led by the Somali Government under its National Development Plan, with the support of the UN and international partners. The fund allows multiple development partners to deliver support to the Somali Government simultaneously. https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/italian-government-contributes-24-million-euro- somalia-support-national-governance
EUTM - SOMALIA 34 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Republic of Korea becomes first donor to support polio outbreak response in Horn of Africa
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea announced today an additional USD$2 million to fund polio outbreak response and surveillance activities in the Horn of Africa.
A girl receives two drops of the oral polio vaccine during an immunization campaign in Somalia.
21 June 2018 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea announced today an additional USD$2 million to fund polio outbreak response and surveillance activities in the Horn of Africa. This commitment makes Korea the first country to support outbreak response efforts in the region, critical to protecting global progress toward ending polio. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) welcomed the contribution, with $1.5 million for UNICEF and $0.5 million for WHO. This funding was raised through an innovative financing mechanism called the Global Disease Eradication Fund, through which KRW₩1,000 was collected from each international passenger flying out of Korean airports by the Government of Korea. Thanks to this Fund, every passenger flying from Korea directly supports global efforts to stop polio, an infectious disease that can lead to paralysis or even death, and can travel long distances undetected. When the GPEI first began in 1988, polio paralysed more than 350,000 children each year in over 125 countries in the world. Today, there have only been eight cases to date in 2018, and polio is closer than ever to becoming the second human disease to ever be eradicated. This progress is made possible through the ongoing support of donors, partners, and countless health workers around the world. Contributions from donors like Korea allow the GPEI to vaccinate and protect more than 450 million children against polio each year. This additional funding
EUTM - SOMALIA 35 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018 follows a $4 million commitment from the Republic of Korea announced at the Global Polio Pledging Event around the Rotary International Convention in June 2017. This contribution was matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, doubling its impact to $8 million. “The Global Disease Eradication Fund is an incredibly innovative financing mechanism, and the funds raised will support UNICEF’s efforts to protect every last child from polio,” said Akhil Iyer, UNICEF Director of Polio Eradication. “We remain grateful to the Republic of Korea for their continued commitment to halting polio outbreaks and driving progress to eradicating polio once and for all.” “The unique support of the Republic of Korea has been crucial for the remarkable progress we have made in polio eradication, especially in responding to outbreaks,” said Dr Michel Zaffran, Director of the Polio Eradication Programme at the World Health Organization. “These additional funds come at a critical time as we support the outbreak response in the Horn of Africa region by scaling up surveillance to ensure no virus goes undetected.” The Republic of Korea has been a longtime supporter of the GPEI, contributing to outbreak response efforts in Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Lake Chad region, with a broad range of activities including delivering polio vaccines, intensifying surveillance, and convincing caregivers to vaccinate their children through community engagement. Generous support from donors like the Republic of Korea remains essential to stopping outbreaks, ending this paralysing disease and ultimately achieving a polio-free world.
Dr Ranieri Guerra, Assistant Director- General for Strategic Initiatives at WHO, thanks Mr Lee Jang-Keun, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, for his country’s generous contribution at a grant signing ceremony in Geneva.
http://polioeradication.org/news-post/republic-of-korea-becomes-first-donor-to- support-polio-outbreak-response-in-horn-of-africa/
EUTM - SOMALIA 36 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
UN seeks to mitigate environmental degradation by refugees in Dadaab
Jun. 22, 2018 – UNHCR’s head of operations in Dadaab Jean Rushatsi said they are making the intervention because the refugees problem is a shared responsibility. Speaking in Dagahaley refugee camp yesterday, Rushasti said the agency has developed green fields at the Ifo2 and Kambioos camps. Environmentalists have previously raised concerns over degradation by refugees. Rushatsi said degradation in the Dadaab camp was a major concern to the UNHCR. He said the agency had come up with proposals for donor finance. He spoke a day after leading observation of the World Refugees Day in Dadaab. This year’s theme “We Stand With Refugees” gave renewed hope to three young brothers from South Sudan who were transferred from Kakuma to Dagahaley in 2014. The brothers said they will return to their country after acquiring education. Rushasti said 254,811 Somali refugees have been voluntarily repatriated from Dadaab since 2013. Another 4,949 non-Somali refugees have been relocated to Kalobeyei in the Kakuma camp. In Nairobi, UNHCR special envoy Mohamed Affey asked the government to allow free movement of refugees to enable them do business. Affey said freedom will empower the asylum seekers. “Refugees are assets wherever they are and the issue of inclusion in economic development is one of the solutions,” Affey said. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2018/06/22/un-seeks-to-mitigate-environmental- degradation-by-refugees-in-dadaab_c1776053
EUTM - SOMALIA 37 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
EU gives Kenya and Uganda Sh3.9 billion for refugees
Jun. 21, 2018 - The European Union has announced Sh3.9 billion humanitarian aid for refugees in Kenya and Uganda.
Christos Stylianides, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, said Kenya will get Sh1.1 billion and Uganda Sh2.8 billion, since it has the highest number of refugees in Africa.
The aid to Kenya is in addition to the €1.5 million (Sh175 million) released in May for victims of the flooding that wreaked havoc in many parts.
Kenya's amount will go to Dadaab and Kakuma camps, Stylianides said in a statement on Thursday. It is expected to cater for the most most vulnerable, as well as grant children access to quality primary education.
"The EU stands in solidarity with, and is committed to supporting, the most vulnerable refugees," the Commissioner said.
The EU will also support programmes to tackle the consequences of the prolonged drought witnessed in parts of the country.
Stylianides further said that emergency situations and newly arrivals will be prioritised, with special focus on the many refugees from South Sudan and the increasing influx of Congolese refugees.
"It will provide emergency health and food assistance, water and sanitation, as well as protection and education in emergencies," he said.
EUTM - SOMALIA 38 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
The number of Somali refugees at Dadaab camp has reduced from 245,000 to 231,000.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees gave this figure when it released a report on the state of refugees worldwide on Wednesday, as World Refugee Day was marked.
The agency said that Kenya is hosting at least 500,000 refugees and that there are 2.2 million in East Africa.
In Kenya, majority of the displaced persons are from Somalia (58.2 percent) and South Sudan (22.9 percent). The Democratic Republic of Congo accounts for 7.3 percent and Ethiopia 5.7 percent. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2018/06/21/eu-gives-kenya-and-uganda-sh39-billion- for-refugees_c1776214
EUTM - SOMALIA 39 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Eritrea to dispatch peace delegation to Addis Featured
21 Jun 2018
President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, affirmed that his government has accepted Ethiopia’s offer for peace dialogue and would send a high level delegation to Addis Ababa for peace talks in the near future. In his televised speech on Martyrs Day, the President said that the time ‘represents periods of epochal change and transition’. The peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea have lost an opportunity of two generations for over half a century due to policies designed to promote external agendas, he signified. “When the two people achieved their respective liberations in 1991 through a common struggle, they embarked, with earnestness, on a new chapter. This was prompted by the desire to advance their complimentary bilateral interests as well as to enhance collective growth in the entire Horn of Africa,” he reiterated. Unfortunately, this promising start was rolled back by the resurgence of misguided global policies. “The devastations, sacrifices and loss of opportunities that ensued were very heavy indeed,” he restated. Isaias also stressed that the positive bilateral and regional all-rounded growth that could have been achieved through the complimentary resources and capabilities of the Ethiopian and Eritrean peoples have been derailed and frustrated so far. “Twenty seven years is a long interval. The losses incurred and times wasted are thus huge in terms of this yardstick”. As it is the case with Eritrea, the people of Ethiopia also relish peace and harmony with their neighbor. There is nothing novel in this fact, he ascertained. The positive signals issued in these past days can be seen as an expression of this popular choice. The comple -mentarity of both peoples and countries, their common bilateral interests and prosperity, are sacrosanct objectives to which all those sacrifices were paid, as to him. “As such, it remains a priority for which we will be actively engaged in. For this
EUTM - SOMALIA 40 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018 reason, and outside myopic considerations of public relations stunts and advantages, we will send a delegation to Addis Ababa to gauge current developments directly and in depth as well as to chart out a plan for continuous future action”. He added that Asmara’s assessments of global and regional realities and trends have significant impact on its policies it formulates. “…it is natural that we see our various sectoral developmental programs in relation to our neighbors in general and with Ethiopia in particular,” he underlined. http://www.ethpress.gov.et/herald/index.php/news/national-news/item/12180-eritrea- to-dispatch-peace-delegation-to-addis
EUTM - SOMALIA 41 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
FEATURE-Driven away by conflict, thousands of Ethiopians stranded without a home
Friday June 22, 2018 - Early one morning, Aschal Zegeye and her young family heard a knock at the door. Her husband answered it. Shortly after he was dead.
“They took him outside and slaughtered him,” the 25 year-old mother of two told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a church shelter in the city of Bahir Dar.
With her one year-old baby son on her back, she spoke of the day last October when her husband was murdered by a mob and she and her children were chased from their home.
“They burnt our farm. A group of men beat me with sticks… I ran away into the woods to hide for three days. Then I begged on the streets to get back here.”
Aschal is one of around a million Ethiopians driven from their homes by a land and ethnicity- fuelled crisis that has gripped the Horn of Africa nation for years and escalated in recent months.
Most dramatically, tensions between ethnic Somali and Oromo ethnic groups and conflict along the border separating the two regions led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands last year, most of whom have still not returned home.
OLD TENSIONS
The crisis sprawls across Ethiopia, a country of 100 million people hit by anti-government protests that began in 2015 over land rights before broadening into demonstrations against authoritarian rule.
EUTM - SOMALIA 42 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
It threatens the country’s fragile system of “ethnic federalism”, a constitutional model which offers a degree of self-determination to Ethiopia’s diverse communities but which critics say encourages competition along ethnic lines.
As part of an effort to stabilise the country the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in April appointed Abiy Ahmed, a 42 year-old from the Oromo wing of the ethnically-based coalition as prime minister.
Though the move brought stability to most parts of the country the problem of ethnically- motivated evictions and displacement remains unresolved.
Since taking office Abiy has visited most regions of Ethiopia and has repeatedly called for “unity” between its ethnic groups.
“This has been a tragedy that should never have taken place,” he said of the conflict between Oromia and Somali region during an April visit to Jigjiga, capital of the Somali state.
But critics argue the government has not done enough to prevent the displacement of ethnic groups in Oromia and other parts of the country since April.
VIOLENCE PERSISTS
Human rights group Amnesty International said earlier this month thousands of displaced Amharas had arrived in Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara region, from Oromia since October.
Thousands more are on the verge of displacement due to violent attacks on their homes by ethnically-motivated young men, Amnesty said.
Each day brings new arrivals, according to Father Abraham, a priest and representative of Amharas displaced from Oromia.
Meanwhile, hundreds of ethnic Amharas have arrived after violent clashes in the neighbouring region of Benishangul-Gumuz where they had lived for many years.
“We have been displaced three times now,” said Minale Ayalew, a 45 year-old priest and father of six who fled from Benishangul-Gumuz.
EUTM - SOMALIA 43 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
“We came back here each time, asked the regional government for help, and the government said it wouldn’t happen again. But it does happen again.”
At least 400,000 mostly ethnic Gedeos were displaced from southern Oromia following violence in mid-April, the National Disaster Risk Management Commission said this week.
More than 4,000 houses were reportedly burnt down or damaged, and clashes beginning on June 3 displaced a further 68,000, with an unknown number dead, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Last week, 2,500 residents were displaced from the southern city of Hawassa, according to national broadcaster Fana Broadcast. At least 10 were killed during violent ethnically- motivated protests.
NOT ENOUGH LAND
Violence against minorities, as well as conflicts over regional borders, have been fairly common throughout the country since ethnic federalism was introduced in 1991.
Though the arrangement provides for ethnic self-administration, all nine of Ethiopia’s semi- autonomous regions have mixed populations.
For example more than four million Amharas live outside Amhara region and the same is true for more than 1.5 million Oromo, according to the latest census carried out in 2007.
Aschal left her village in West Gojam, central Amhara, 10 years ago for the district of Bolo Didessa in Benishangul-Gumuz.
“There’s not enough land is West Gojam,” she explained. “We were told there was enough space for us to farm [in Benishangul-Gumuz], so we went there.”
Under Ethiopia’s 1994 constitution all land is state-owned and all citizens have the right to freely obtain a plot to cultivate.
Some of the more than 280,000 Amharas living in Benishangul-Gumuz had plots of land granted to them by regional authorities though most of those displaced from Bolo Didessa, such as Aschal, were tenants renting from the local Gumuz people.
EUTM - SOMALIA 44 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
According to the federal constitution all members of indigenous and non-indigenous minorities are entitled to equal protection of individual rights everywhere in Ethiopia, including of rights to land.
In practice, however, it is often more difficult for a non-indigenous group to acquire it.
In Benishangul-Gumuz, for example, there is a documented pattern of regional authorities denying farming land not only to new immigrants but also to older settlers who need land.
The region’s own constitution, revised in 2002, designates five ethnic groups as “indigenous”, excluding Amharas and Oromos who make up a large proportion of the local population.
“Legally or constitutionally, the ‘indigenous’ communities are owners of the region,” said Zemelak Ayele, an associate professor at Addis Ababa University’s Centre for Federal Studies. “Everybody else is just a guest.”
Similarly, the constitutions of Oromia and Somali regions do not mention specific ethnicities other than the titular groups, the Oromo and Somali.
This can lead to local authorities turning a blind eye to the violation of the rights of minorities in the region.
“Ethnic federalism implies a hierarchy of rights,” said Tom Lavers, an academic at Manchester University who has studied the land rights of Ethiopia’s ethnic minorities under federalism. “By implication that would extend to land as well.”
SAFE RETURN?
Displaced households should be safely returned to the communities from which they were evicted, and their properties restored or compensated, according to federal government policy.
The Amhara regional government has said families returning to Benishangul-Gumuz or Oromia will be provided security, and receive compensation for damaged properties.
Alternatively, displaced families can return to their original communities in Amhara.
EUTM - SOMALIA 45 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
But many of the displaced interviewed by the Thomson Reuters Foundation said they were too afraid to go back to their old homes.
Most of those who have arrived in Bahir Dar said there was not enough land in their original Amhara communities for them to return to and cultivate.
They want to be given land to settle somewhere else in the region, something which the authorities have ruled out.
Abebaw Getenet, a 30 year-old father of four displaced from Benishangul-Gumuz, said the government of Oromia had promised to resettle within the region all those Oromos displaced from Somali state last year and who were unwilling to return.
“We are asking our government for the same,” he said.
Mekuanint Melkanu Gesits, an official coordinating the Amhara government’s response, said his government advised those displaced from Benishangul-Gumuz to return to the region.
“It’s a small minority of people that caused the problem, not the majority. Most of them are welcoming,” he said. (Reporting by Tom Gardner. Editing by Astrid Zweynert @azweynert. https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2018/Jun/158699/feature_driven_away_by_conflict_tho usands_of_ethiopians_stranded_without_a_home.aspx
EUTM - SOMALIA 46 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
EU NAVFOR protecting World Food Programme shipments to Somali refugees on 20 Jun 2018 — Two-thirds of all refugees come from just five countries – Somalia, Myanmar, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria. EU NAVFOR joins the United Nations Refugee Agency in recognising World Refugee Day, to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees.
Since the start of Operation Atalanta in 2008, EU NAVFOR has protected over 1.7 million tonnes of World Food Programme (WFP) aid shipments that have supported Somali refugees. Protecting vulnerable vessels in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden is one of our key mandated tasks.
EU NAVFOR warships ensure the safe delivery of food aid to Somalia and other countries in the Western Indian Ocean, by protecting WFP vessels as they transit through high threat areas around the Horn of Africa and the Somali Basin. We work in partnership with Combined Maritime Forces and other regional maritime security agencies to protect vulnerable vessels from the dangers of piracy and armed robbery at sea.
EU NAVFOR also embarks Military Armed Security Teams, known as Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachments (AVPD), onto WFP vessels to act as a deterrent to would-be pirates. Lithuania, Finland, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and the Netherlands have provided soldiers for the AVPDs in the past, showing their commitment to the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. As a counter-piracy operation, Atalanta is mandated not only to provide protection to vessels, but to also deter and disrupt piracy in the seas off the Somali coast. AVPDs provide the Force Commander with greater flexibility when tasking his assets as a warship is not required to directly ensure WFP vessel safety and can therefore focus on another geographical area or task, ensuring maritime security is best maintained. https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/eu-navfor-protecting-world-food-programme- shipments-somali-refugees
EUTM - SOMALIA 47 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Khat (Plant) Market Research: Global Industry Segmented into the by Key Players, Application, Growth and Forecast by End-use Industry 2018 – 2025
June 21, 2018 - This report studies the global Khat (Plant) market status and forecast, categorizes the global Khat (Plant) market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia India and Other regions (Middle East & Africa, Central & South America).
The major players covered in this report
Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia Somalia, Yemen and Israel
Looking for More Information on This Market Get Free Sample Report @ http://www.researchformarkets.com/sample/global-khat-plant-sales-market-61145
The regional scope of the study is as follows:
North America Asia-Pacific Europe Central & South America Middle East & Africa
On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into
Plant
Plant Extract
EUTM - SOMALIA 48 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, including
Drug
Other
Place a Purchase Order for Khat (Plant) @ http://www.researchformarkets.com/buy- now/global-khat-plant-sales-market-61145/one
Table of Content
1 Khat (Plant) Market Overview 2 Global Khat (Plant) Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application 3 United States Khat (Plant) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) 4 Europe Khat (Plant) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) 5 China Khat (Plant) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) 6 Japan Khat (Plant) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) 7 Southeast Asia Khat (Plant) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) 8 India Khat (Plant) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) 9 Global Khat (Plant) Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data 9.1 Djibouti 9.2 Kenya 9.3 Uganda 9.4 Ethiopia 9.5 Somalia 9.6 Yemen 9.7 Israel 10 Khat (Plant) Maufacturing Cost Analysis
Looking for more insights from this report @ http://www.researchformarkets.com/reports/global-led-agricultural-grow-lights- market-61149
About Research for Markets:
Research for Markets indulges in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. We have established the pillars of our flourishing institute on the grounds of Credibility and Reliability. RFM delve into the markets across Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
EUTM - SOMALIA 49 EUTM - SOMALIA 22/06/2018
Our purpose is to serve you, the most customized in-depth Market access data. Our plethora of titles made us one of the most searched market research library across the globe. We work with the most esteemed Publishers around the globe who caters vast industries. We are quick and fragile, when it comes to your various queries, and we ensure our team caters your needs to the best of our abilities, we promise to stay by your side for both pre and post sales servicing, as we believe in long everlasting symbiotic relationship.
Contact: Mr. A Naidu Research for Markets Tel: +44 8000-4182-37 (UK) Email: [email protected] https://www.satprnews.com/2018/06/21/khat-plant-market-research-global-industry- segmented-into-the-by-key-players-application-growth-and-forecast-by-end-use-industry- 2018-2025/
EUTM - SOMALIA 50