European Union Training Mission

PRESS SUMMARY 28th June 2018

“In ‘Media’ stat virtus” EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Somali National Army says Al-Shabaab supreme leader dead

June 27 2018 - The Somali National Army (SNA) Radio has reported the death of the supreme leader of the Al-Shabaab jihadists Ahmed Dirie Abu Ubeyda. The broadcaster run by the military, reported that Abu Ubeyda died in District in , about 410km south of Mogadishu. The report could not be independently confirmed, but the local media outlets have been reporting about the ill-health of Abu Ubeyda and the infighting within the jihadist group over his succession.

Credible information

A southern Somalia military officer, Mr Ismael Sheikh Isaq, reportedly told the SNA Radio that the army received credible information that the Al-Shabaab leader died of kidney failure. Abu Ubeyda assumed the leadership of the Al-Shabaab in December 2014, three months after his predecessor Ahmed Abdi Godane alias Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr, was killed in a US drone attack. The jihadist group has neither confirmed nor denied the alleged death of its supreme leader.

Enemies of Islam

The US is known to have placed $6 million bounty on the head of the Al-Shabaab leader. The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab emerged as the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which later splintered into several factions after its defeat in 2006 by the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Ethiopian military. The group describes itself as waging jihad against "enemies of Islam", and is fighting against the Federal Government and the African Union Mission to Somalia (Amisom). http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/africa/Army-radio-says-Shabaab-supreme-leader- dead/4552902-4634154-j9qi4k/index.html

EUTM - SOMALIA 1 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-al-shabab-denies-its-leader-is- dead

EUTM - SOMALIA 2 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Deadly explosion kills 3 soldiers in Somalia

27th June 2018

MOGDAISHU – At least three government soldiers have been killed and 7 others injured in bomb explosion in Wanlaweyn town, some 150km southwest of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.

The explosion ripped through a military vehicle carrying Somali especial forces known as Danab in the town, leaving three soldiers on board, a witness said. He says the explosion had also damaged the vehicle.

“I saw dead bodies and 7 other soldiers, who were bleeding and screaming for help”, he said.

Somali Islamist group of Al Shabaab claimed to have been responsible for the explosion.

The group says it killed 3 military soldiers in the bomb attack on the military convoy in the town of Wanlaweyn.

There was no immediate comments from Somali military over the claims Deadly explosion kills 3 soldiers in Somalia https://mareeg.com/78794-2/

EUTM - SOMALIA 3 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Gunmen Kill Elder In Mogadishu

27 June 2018

Unidentified gunmen killed a well-known elder in the Somali capital Mogadishu. This is the latest in a series of attacks targeting elders, government officials and civil society members. In 2016, when Somalia held its first election since post-transitional government, unknown armed men killed dozens of people suspected to have participated in the elections.

Abdi Ulusow was on his way home from a mosque when two men armed with pistols accosted and shot him several times in the head and chest in Hamar-jajab District: “Abdi was from a mosque shortly after evening prayer when two men approached him. They started shooting at him. The bullets hit him in chest and head,” a witness who sought anonymity for security reasons told Halbeeg News.

The assailants managed to escape from the scene of crime before the law enforcement officers arrived, according to the eyewitness. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on Abdi. The local authorities in Hamar Jajab District have not commented on the latest attack that claimed the life of the elder http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/june-27-2018-daily-monitoring-report/

EUTM - SOMALIA 4 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Somalia: 30 foreign Al Shabaab fighters killed near Jilib town

27th June 2018

Somali military forces have launched fresh attack on targets held by Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group in south of Somalia, killing dozens of foreign fighters. The military forces’ raid targeted on Wednesday a house inhibited by foreign Al Shabaab fighters, according to Sonna News Agency.

Sonna reports Somali military forces had killed at least 30 foreigners from Sudan and Kenya, who were fighting alongside Al Shabaab. A group’s senior leader, whose name identified as Bashir Mohamed Mohamud, who was placed a bounty has also been injured in the attack, Sonna reported.

It is remains unknown if Mohamud was escaped with injuries or captured alive during the raid. The attac comes hours after Somalia’s Jubaland State has announced war on targets held by Al Shabaab in Juba regions.

The group’s fighters still hold large swathes in the regions, where they launch fresh gurilla style attacks against Somalia, African Union – AMISOM forces backed by US especial troops.

Earlier this month, a US especial soldier was killed and four others injured in mortar and ambush attack by Al Shabaab near the coastal town of Kismayo. The US military confirmed the casualties, saying the victims had already been airlifted into hospital in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.

There has been no comment from Al Shabaab group to response latest reports on its foreign fighters were killed in south of Somalia. https://mareeg.com/somalia-30-foreign-al-shabaab-fighters-killed-near-jilib-town/

EUTM - SOMALIA 5 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Al-Shabaab Suspect Sister Arrested For Colluding With Nairobi Lawyer

25 June 2018

Police have arrested a woman accused of allegedly impersonating and colluding with a Nairobi advocate, Chacha Mwita to falsely represent her sister in a Mombasa court. Abdia Adan Ali appeared in court covered up in a Niqab trying to pass herself as her sister Halima Adan Ali who was to appear in court for the final hearing in a terror related case.

Halima, who is a suspected Al-Shabaab recruiter, facilitator and financier, was first arrested in Mombasa on April 3, 2015 for allegedly facilitating three Kenyan women, to travel to Somalia and join the Al-Shabaab terror group. The three; Khadijah Abubakar Ahmed, Mariam Said and Umukheir a Tanzanian national were arrested in Elwak en-route to Somalia by Anti- Terror Police. The three women were members of “GHURABA” a Social Media group that was used to recruit, radicalise and facilitate persons to travel to Somalia to join the terror group. Halima was then charged with recruitment and facilitation of individuals to join Al- Shabaab and being a member of Al-Shabaab and incarcerated at Shimo La Tewa. She eventually managed to secure bail and was released on April 23, 2017. After her release, she reportedly continued with facilitation and recruitment for the Al Shabaab and Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

In April 9, 2018 Halima was captured in Garissa by Anti-Terror Police while trying to escape to Somalia. She had been attending her court sessions in the ongoing case against her and this was to be the final hearing. While still out on bail, she continued aiding recruits to travel to Syria and was put on the police arrest list once again. On learning that the police were looking for her, she went into hiding and advised not to appear for the court hearing and send her sister Abdia to impersonate her. http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/june-27-2018-morning-headlines/

EUTM - SOMALIA 6 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Somalia-Somaliland Talks Will Resume, Says DPM Mahdi

27 June 2018

Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled, who hails from Hargeisa, has commented on the anticipated resumption of talks between Somaliland and the Somali Federal Government. DPM Mahdi revealed that despite recent political rhetorics the talks between the two sides will resume. He further expressed optimism that the talks will yield fruits and bring together all Somalis.

Mahdi stated the central government was willing to resume the talks and engage with Somaliland in a bid to end the disagreements. He gave an assurance that Somaliland’s grievances and complaints would be listened to and addressed.

Separately, the DPM called on Puntland and Somaliland to end the tension in Tukaraq in a peaceful manner in order to give development a chance. The Somali government and the Somaliland administration have severally announced the resumption of the talks but the two sides are yet to sit down and discuss http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/june-27-2018-daily-monitoring-report/

EUTM - SOMALIA 7 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Averting War in Northern Somalia

June 27, 2018

A dispute between Puntland and Somaliland over the contested areas of Sool and Sanaag risks escalating into open war. The UN, supported by states with influence on the two sides, should renew diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire and press both to enter negotiation

What’s new? The self-declared republic of Somaliland and Puntland, an autonomous Somali region, are engaged in a perilous standoff over long- contested areas Sool and Sanaag. After repeated deadly clashes since the start of 2018, both sides are using incendiary rhetoric, are massing forces in the contested areas and have shunned UN diplomacy.

Why does it matter? An escalation would likely herald a protracted conflict with devastating consequences for northern Somalia and the potential to fuel further instability across the country. It could provoke enormous displacement and create space for the Islamist Al- Shabaab insurgency and a small local Islamic State branch.

What should be done? The UN should renew its mediation, with the Somali government and Ethiopia, which enjoys ties to Puntland and Somaliland, backing those efforts. Priorities are brokering a ceasefire and ensuring both sides commit to withdraw troops, allow in humanitarian aid, quieten inflammatory rhetoric and conduct future talks to resolve the dispute.

I. Overview

EUTM - SOMALIA 8 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

A longstanding military standoff between Somaliland and Puntland over the disputed Sool and Sanaag regions is in grave danger of escalating. Both sides are reportedly massing large numbers of troops close to Tukaraq, a strategically located town that has become a front line in the battle for control. The tempo of artillery and mortar shelling around the town appears to have increased since 22 June 2018. Leaders on both sides have stepped up inflammatory rhetoric. Efforts to mediate have petered out.

Both Somaliland and Puntland have enjoyed relative peace and stability for nearly three decades as war plagued the rest of the country. Somaliland declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991 though no country formally recognises it as such. Puntland is a semi- autonomous federal state of Somalia, with its capital in Garowe. A confrontation between them would have disastrous consequences for much of northern Somalia but also risks contributing to instability across the country. It also could play into the hands of the Al- Shabaab insurgency or even the Islamic State (ISIS) branch in Puntland.

African and Western leaders, seemingly caught off guard by the looming confrontation, should take urgent steps to head it off. The United Nations mission in Somalia, which had been mediating between the two sides, should renew those efforts. Ethiopia, which enjoys close ties to both Somaliland and Puntland and has helped calm previous disputes, should throw its weight behind UN efforts; others with influence, including potentially the United Arab Emirates and Western donors, should do the same. Mediation should focus on quickly brokering a ceasefire and seeking an agreement that would entail both sides pulling forces out of contested areas, guaranteeing access for humanitarian assistance to populations in those areas and submitting to a longer-term process, including third-party mediation, to find a durable solution to the dispute. In tandem with the mediation, the UN mission also should support local peacebuilding initiatives in both disputed areas, involving clerics and local clan leaders to initiate bottom-up reconciliation efforts, which have proven successful elsewhere in Somalia.

II. The Recent Escalation and its Potential Costs

Since 1998 Somaliland and Puntland have vied for control of the Sool and Sanaag regions, together comprising a neck of land stretching from the Gulf of Aden to the Ethiopian border.

EUTM - SOMALIA 9 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Thus far, 2018 has been an exceptionally violent year in this contest, with about twenty armed clashes recorded since January.

A battle on 8 January saw Somaliland forces overrun Tukaraq, a town held by a small Puntland force, straddling a major highway and trade corridor that links Sool and Sanaag to eastern Ethiopia. The fighting left dozens of soldiers dead on both sides. The capture of Tukaraq, which coincided with an extensive tour of Puntland by Somali federal government President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo”, was seen as a warning from Somaliland to the Somali government against getting involved in the contested areas. On 15 May, tensions again spiralled into violence. A militia loyal to Puntland launched an attack on Somaliland army positions around Tukaraq. This time, intense fighting reportedly killed close to a hundred combatants, including fighters from both sides, making it the deadliest confrontation the conflict has yet seen. The loss of Tukaraq in January and the heavy casualties incurred since have gone down badly in Puntland. Politicians and the public have directed recriminations not only at the Somaliland government in Hargeisa but against the administration of Puntland President Abdiweli Gas. The president is under increasing pressure to act, especially given elections later this year that he hopes to win. The recapture of Tukaraq appears to be a priority. During the first weeks of June, Gas has chaired a series of meetings to mobilise support for an offensive; during the latest, he delivered an address to the state parliament in which he vowed to “liberate” all areas “occupied” by Somaliland. By ratcheting up such expectations, the president is taking a huge gamble. In the short term, he gains political capital, especially as the public mood hardens against Hargeisa. But a failed offensive would risk a serious backlash that could doom his re-election prospects.

If Gas’s rhetoric is increasingly bellicose, so, too, is that of Somaliland leader Muse Bihi, who said: “If they want war we are ready. I will teach them the lesson that I taught [Siad Barre]”.

Indeed, the two sides’ public statements suggest both are confident in a quick military win. They are likely miscalculating. Their militaries are almost equally matched in combat strength, equipment and experience so risk getting bogged down in a protracted conflict with enormous costs (perhaps Somaliland has a slight edge but unlikely enough of one for a decisive victory).

EUTM - SOMALIA 10 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Prolonged fighting would likely trigger mass displacement, compounding what has long been a humanitarian emergency in Somalia. Such a war would sow new instability in the region, exacerbate inter- and intra-clan frictions and perhaps allow jihadists active in remote coastal and mountain enclaves the opportunity to recruit and extend their reach.

Puntland is particularly vulnerable to upheaval in the event of a lengthy war with Somaliland. Its forces are overstretched, fighting low-level but costly local insurgencies in the Galgala mountains along the northern coast; securing restive frontiers around Galkayo, south of Puntland in Somalia’s north-central region; and policing towns periodically targeted by a local ISIS branch and Al-Shabaab.

War with Somaliland would force it to fight on multiple fronts, particularly because its rival potentially could stoke existing conflicts in an attempt to further sap Puntland’s military resources.

For its part, Somaliland also has struggled to contain pockets of discontent in recent years. President Bihi’s administration has faced a recurrent inter-clan conflict in Ceel Afweyn, in Sanaag region, that pits two major branches of the Isaq clan – Bicido/Habar Jeclo and Saad Yonis/Habar Yonis – against each other. The conflict’s roots lie in a long-running Habar Jeclo versus Habar Yonis feud that intensified during the 2017 election, which Bihi, backed by a Habar Jeclo-led alliance, won. That election increased regional and sub-clan rivalries, with much of the opposition to the Bihi administration now concentrated in the east, especially in Burco, Somaliland’s second largest city.

Such local opposition to Hargeisa could expand into more serious political instability were the conflict with Puntland to escalate.

For Somaliland a conflict with Puntland also could tarnish its hard-won regional and international reputation as a stable and well-run polity. The crucial donor support upon which Somaliland relies for its development is predicated not only on sustained progress in governance, but also on its restraint in and peaceful resolution of conflicts. A war over Sool and Sanaag risks eroding Somaliland’s standing abroad.

III. The Long Road to Tukaraq

EUTM - SOMALIA 11 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

The conflict over Sool and Sanaag has been gestating for decades. It owes its genesis, in large part, to the collapse of Somalia’s central state in 1991. Somaliland and Puntland went their own way but were at political odds, with the former unilaterally declaring independence in 1991 and the latter founding itself in 1998 as a federal state notionally loyal to a unified Somalia (though at the time no internationally recognised central government existed). The chaotic carve-up of territory in Somalia left large areas contested, beyond even the nominal control of either Somaliland or Puntland, with clans in those areas, including the Dhulbahante and Warsangeli in Sool and Sanaag, aggrieved and disempowered.

Both Somaliland and Puntland staked claims to these areas – with Somaliland’s bid based on boundaries drawn when it was a British protectorate, and Puntland’s on kinship ties between its largest clan, the Majerten, and the two main clans living in Sool and Sanaag, the Dhulbahante and Warsangeli. All three of these clans are part of the larger Darood/Harti clan family. This gave Garowe an advantage as it struggled against Hargeisa to win the loyalty of the Dhulbahante and Warsangeli.

For many years Puntland and Somaliland saw their competition as political. Both invested in better relations with the two clans, including paying two sets of “civil servants” to run parallel administrations, though allowing them a large degree of autonomy in running their affairs. Both Puntland and Somaliland co-opted senior Dhulbahante and Warsangeli clan leaders by offering them high-level positions in the governments in Garowe and Hargeisa. But as the contests over the disputed territories intensified, pressure mounted on the two clans to pick sides. Political co-optation thus had a dangerous side effect, splintering the Dhulbahante and Warsangeli clans and complicating the task of managing discontent in Sool and Sanaag. That failure both catalysed the militarisation of intra-clan conflict in the region and made it easier for local spats to escalate into fighting between Somaliland and Puntland forces.

Beginning in 2007, Somaliland launched a series of military offensives to expand its authority eastward, seizing a string of towns and villages in Sool. The captured locales include Las Canod, Sool’s provincial capital.

Presidents Gas and Bihi continue to invoke history and self-defined principles of territorial integrity to press their claims to Sool and Sanaag. In addition to clan ties, Puntland projects

EUTM - SOMALIA 12 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018 itself as a champion of a unified Somalia. In a 23 June speech in Puntland’s parliament, Gas rejected the validity of colonial cartography as an arbiter of the conflict, adding it was Puntland’s “sacred duty” to “liberate” the contested regions through force.

For their part, Somaliland leaders defend the British-drawn boundaries and assert their “right” to administer what they regard as sovereign territory. Sool and Sanaag, they argue, have long been part of Somaliland.

Both sides thus characterise the dispute in stark terms, seeming to leave little room for compromise.

IV. Averting War

Somalia’s foreign partners appear to underestimate the risk of conflict in the north. They tend to assess the north’s stability in reference to the south – a low bar that may have meant warning signs slipped under the radar. That the crisis has deteriorated almost to the point of open war speaks to a number of realities. Outside powers have mostly preferred “positive” narratives that oversell the north’s recovery – and that of Somalia more broadly – and downplay risks. Leaders in both Puntland and Somaliland appear wedded to brinksmanship and believe they have little incentive to make peace. Local and international mediation systems are disjointed and mostly reactive.

A marked exception was the early warning role played by the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Somalia, Michael Keating. This, combined with Keating’s shuttle diplomacy between Garowe and Hargeisa, temporarily helped de-escalate tensions. Both sides subsequently rejected his overtures.

But renewed efforts by the UN envoy, with clear statements of support by the Somali government and behind-the-scenes diplomacy by influential outside powers, likely offer the best means to de-escalate the looming confrontation.

President Farmajo, to his credit, has made repeated appeals for both sides to show restraint.

Alone he lacks sufficient leverage to persuade them to step back, particularly as his relations with both Hargeisa and Garowe are strained. But Farmajo’s voice is important. He should continue to call on both sides to avert war, press for UN mediation and avoid giving any

EUTM - SOMALIA 13 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018 sense that Mogadishu supports Puntland’s belligerence (his statement on 26 June 2018, Somalia’s Independence Day, struck precisely the right tone). He also should redouble efforts to smooth his own relations with President Gas and resume dialogue with Somaliland, suspended since 2017.

Ethiopia, arguably, is the one country with longstanding ties to and real leverage over both Puntland and Somaliland. Addis Ababa’s past interventions were instrumental in brokering temporary truces.

This time, however, Ethiopia has appeared reluctant to get involved, possibly due in part to the complexity of the crisis – its inter- and intra-clan conflicts, colonial borders and secession issues – and in part to wariness that an intervention could be perceived by Somalis as meddling and inflame anti-Ethiopian sentiment.

That said, Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has stepped up the country’s diplomatic engagement in Africa and beyond. Somali leaders and foreign diplomats largely welcomed his visit to Mogadishu in June as an ambitious but promising attempt to recalibrate Ethiopia’s traditionally troubled relations with its eastern neighbour. Prime Minister Abiy has his hands full with his reform agenda, security concerns and a still unsettled transition at home, efforts to make peace with Eritrea and calls for his intervention in other regional crises, notably by bolstering Ethiopia’s role in mediating South Sudan’s civil war. Tasking him with resolving a conflict in northern Somalia that may appear less strategically significant might be a tough ask. But the implications of an escalation around Tukaraq for the stability of Somalia as a whole should be of concern to Addis Ababa. Prime Minister Abiy should lend his country’s heft to efforts by the UN, pressing Garowe and Hargeisa to allow for a renewal of UN efforts.

The UAE, which after Prime Minister Abiy’s June 2018 visit to Abu Dhabi appears to have reinvigorated its cooperation and relations with Ethiopia, and maintains close ties with both Puntland and Somaliland, could also help defuse tensions. An escalation would clearly be detrimental to Emirati interests, likely upsetting Abu Dhabi’s significant investments in both Somaliland and Puntland. For now, a visible Emirati role might not make sense, given friction between Abu Dhabi and Mogadishu (though relations may improve, as some reports suggest Abiy is mediating between the Emirati and Somali governments).

EUTM - SOMALIA 14 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Even now, though, the UAE and other states could discretely encourage Puntland and Somaliland leaders to accept UN mediation.

The immediate goal of any mediation should be to quickly broker a truce. Parties should tone down provocative rhetoric, pull combat forces out of contested areas, particularly around Tukaraq, allow in humanitarian aid, and submit to a process of third-party mediation, without precondition, to find a longer-term solution to the dispute. One option for the latter might be the African Union Border Programme, which is part of the African Union (AU)’s Peace and Security Department and which has a full-fledged team that arbitrates and demarcates disputed borders. Though in principle this applies only to borders between states, AU officials have expressed a willingness to play a role. According to one senior AU official: "We have called on the Somali government and written a note verbale to appeal to them to utilise the AU Border Programme tool to resolve internal border disputes. If they give us a try we can turn that border into one of cooperation and not conflict.” Beside renewing its mediation efforts, the UN mission should initiate local peacebuilding efforts in both disputed areas. Such efforts should involve clerics and local clan leaders to initiate grassroots reconciliation efforts, which have helped bridge divisions and curb violence in other parts of Somalia.

V. Conclusion

Puntland and Somaliland are sliding toward a protracted conflict with enormously destabilising consequences for not only northern Somalia but the country as a whole. War is still avoidable, but to forestall it both sides need to take a step back, dial down their rhetoric and allow for mediation led by the UN. Their long-running dispute over Soog and Sanaag regions will inevitably take time to resolve. But the priority today is for the two sides to de-escalate, arrive at some modus vivendi and accept a mechanism for determining that status. The alternative is a war in northern Somalia that would be extremely costly to both sides, tarnish their international reputations, worsen an already grave humanitarian predicament and undercut efforts to counter Al-Shabaab and the small, but deadly ISIS branch in Puntland https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2018/Jun/158778/averting_war_in_northern_somalia.as px

EUTM - SOMALIA 15 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-federal-government-mediates- galmudug-political-crisis

EUTM - SOMALIA 16 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Mother Gives Birth On Mogadishu Street After She Was Denied Access To Hospital At A Security Checkpoint

Jun 27, 2018 - As Somalia nationals were celebrating Independence Day on the 26 an expectant woman was fighting for her life and that of her unborn baby on the streets of Mogadishu when she was denied access through a security checkpoint. The capital city was on a lockdown on Independence Day ahead of celebrations led by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo at the Regional Administrations headquarters. An eyewitness Ahmed Omar told Radio Dalsan that a good samaritan had offered to rush the expectant woman from Dharkenley area to Banaadir Hospital. “Just when she was about to reach the hospital they were declined access at a security checkpoint. It was less than 200 meters to the hospital. She had to deliver on the street” Omar said in an interview with Radio Dalsan. “It was a baby boy. She managed to deliver thanks to a few brave boys and girls who were around to help her” Omar added.

The incident has outraged many Somalis as gauged on social media comments with the security agents criticized for being inhuman. “Road closure is sometimes reasonable due to security concerns but special cases like women in labor MUST be considered. I’m heartbroken about what happened to this mother who delivered her baby on the pavement last night after being denied access by security forces” Alinor Abdi tweeted. “It’s absolutely inhumane & unacceptable that the security forces denied that mother who was about to deliver her baby to go to hospital because of the road was blocked!! And she gave the baby on the pavement!!!! Every rule on earth has exceptions. What’s wrong with the government?? Next time they won’t even allow us to burry the deceased!!” Abdi tweeted. https://www.radiodalsan.com/en/2018/06/27/mother-gives-birth-on-mogadishu-street- after-she-was-denied-access-at-a-security-checkpoint/

EUTM - SOMALIA 17 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

KDF presence in Somalia not reason why al-Shabaab attacks Kenya – Report

An intelligence report has damned widely held opinion that KDF presence in Somalia is reason for terror attacks-

Kenya’s proximity to al-Shabaab base is one of the reasons why it is a hot target for attacks-

Al-Shabaab want to occupy the Muslim dominated northeastern region, the report says-

Politicians want KDF soldiers deployed to Somalia withdrawn following frequent attacks –

Hundreds of soldiers have been killed since they were deployed to eliminate the militants

The constant attacks by terror group al-Shabaab on Kenyan soil is not primarily because of the infiltration of Kenyan soldiers into Somalia, a fresh report has revealed.

Kenyan Defence Forces have been taking on the militia in an operation dubbed Operation Linda Nchi since October 11 2011 in a move that has been followed by several fatal battles over the years.

While it was initially believed that the terror group was irate because Kenyan forces in many ways brought the fight to their native Somalia, a fresh report suggests otherwise.

According to the report which analysed al-Shabaab patterns, the fact that KDF is trying to get a hold of the militia base in Somali has little to do with the attacks in the country

Instead, the proximity to the terror group was one of the key reasons why Kenya is such a hotspot for fatal attacks by the group.

Being at the centre of East African states also did little to help Kenya, according to the report by Intelligence briefs, as it is easy to acess the country from different fronts.

EUTM - SOMALIA 18 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

“Kenya hugs the Indian Ocean coast just to the southwest of the Horn of Africa. Its neighbors South Sudan and Ethiopia border it to the north, Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south and Uganda to the west.

"The territory of modern-day Kenya and its neighbors has been home to robust Indian Ocean trading networks that date to antiquity. Kenya serves as a center for East Africa’s trade, business, security and diplomatic efforts,” the report by Intelligence briefs read in part.KDF officers presence in Somalia is not the primary reason for al shabaab attacks, according to recent findings

The report further analysed that the al-Shabaab was also intent at dominating the North Eastern part of the country which is mostly inhabited by muslims.

Over the past few months, attacks have been dominant in Northern Kenya, particularly Mandera and Garissa counties with deadly results.

Coastal Kenyan has also been a hotspot for attacks, particularly in Lamu which has been attributed to the al-Shabaab's desire to boost its economic muscle. https://www.tuko.co.ke/278023-kdf-presence-somalia-reason-al-shabaab-attacks-kenya- report.html#278023

EUTM - SOMALIA 19 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Hirshabelle MPs demanded security support for the Region

June 27, 2018

Parliamentarian Nuru Hashi Warsame, one of the MPs of Hirshabelle administration, told Goobjoog News that there is a security vacuum in Mogadishu-Balcad road.

Warsame said Al-Qaeda attacks are carried out in the road between Mogadishu and Jowhar, Hirshabelle administration requires a great security support from the national government.

“Security Challenges are all over the country, but currently, the road link between Mogadishu and Balcad are committed on dangerous attacks by al-Shabaab fighters targeting Hirshabelle Administration along with the government officials. And it can only be addressed nationally and not Hirshabelle alone can do something,” said the MP.

Warsame called on the Somali federal government to address the security situation in Mogadishu and Balad road.

Members of Hirshabelle parliaments alongside with their soldiers were killed in the road between Mogadishu and Jowhar following al Shabaab gunfire on their vehicles last month. http://goobjoog.com/english/hirshabelle-mps-demanded-security-support-for-the-region/

EUTM - SOMALIA 20 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Somaliland: President Meets with Heads of Judiciary

June 27, 2018

HARGEISA– The President of the republic of Somaliland HE Musa Bihi Abdi has met with the country’s chairmen of Somaliland Supreme court and other heads of regional chairmen in the country. Heads of regional and district courts as well as appellate courts were in attendance of the meeting which was held at the presidential palace on Wednesday.

The mission of the gathering was to find a solution to the constraints that the judiciary sectors have encountered. Heads of provincial courts have shared the president with accomplishments and areas that the president can provide support to the judiciary department. They have said in unison that the biggest challenge that they are faced with is all about lack of vehicles and buildings. They have appealed to the president to speed up the execution of cases that have finalized by the courts so that the citizens should have a fair justice.

Once justice is done then that would pave the way for maintaining peace and national security. They have underscored that huge accomplishment has been made and that there is a sense of freedom when it comes to the judiciary. First of all, the president congratulated on well done job with the judiciary department and have acknowledged the obstacles that they are faced with. The president, Musa has pledged to work with the judiciary to overcome current constraints and join hands with them. The president has promised to fulfill all finalized court cases which is important to the stability and national security. https://somalilandinformer.net/2018/06/27/somaliland-president-meets-with-heads-of- judiciary/

EUTM - SOMALIA 21 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Somalia: NUSOJ and VIKES Finland Launch First Labour Rights Training for Somali Journalists in Mogadishu

June 27, 2018

Abdirahman Al Cadaala (left), Juha Rekola (center) and Abdi Muse (right) at the launch of the Labour rights training in Mogadishu. Photo courtesy: NUSOJ

MOGADISHU, 27 June 2018 - The National Union of Somalia Journalists (NUSOJ) and the Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (VIKES) today launched a three-day labour rights training for 30 Somali journalists in Mogadishu, the first in the country, funded by the European Union.

The training is held at the Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu and attended by journalists from both private and public media including women journalists who as their male counterparts continue to face huge challenges including unequal labour rights.

The labour rights training is aimed at equipping Somali journalists with knowleddge on labour rights which is often overlooked by employers due to lack of strong labour right laws in the country. The journalists will also be learning how to organize themselves, negotiate with their employers and also how to lawfully agitate for their rights with a special briefing session on the labour rights status of Somalia women journalists.

The training was officially launched by the Director General of the Ministry of Information Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala and attended by Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu NUSOJ Secretary General and Juha Rekola, Union of Journalists in Finland who is also the lead labour rights trainer together with Peik Johansson from VIKES

EUTM - SOMALIA 22 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

"We welcome such training opportunities for our media and the Ministry of information continues to collaborate with all partners who offer such opportunities to our media. We really appreciate NUSOJ and VIKES for training the journalists and in particular the European Union for their kind support to the Somali media. The labour rights training the journalists will receive in the next 3 days is the first training on labour rights in Somalia and is very important and I urge the participants to take advantage of this opportunity,” Abdirahaman Yusuf Al-Adala, Director General of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said in his opening remarks.

Peik Johansson, VIKES Program Manager said the Finnish media organization and NUSOJ have been working together in Somalia since 2014 and have organized trainings on journalism skills and media ethics across the country reaching almost 700 Somali journalists. "But in order to introduce more ethical and unbiased reporting in Somalia, we believe that journalists should know their rights, be more united and in a better position to ask for fair payment from their employers as well as otherwise decent terms of employment.” NUSOJ Secretary General Moalimuu said the union hopes to extend the labour rights training to other parts of Somalia to ensure all journalists understand their labour rights. "NUSOJ and VIKES will continue to provide such specialized trainings in order to capacitated journalists and prepare them well for the market. We have also invited media owners in order to have open and frank discussion with them about the labour rights for journalists in a bid to help improve journalist’s working conditions across the country,” Moalimuu added http://hornobserver.com/articles/832/Somalia-NUSOJ-AND-VIKES-Finland-Launch-First- Labour-Rights-Training-for-Somali-Journalists-in-Mogadishu

EUTM - SOMALIA 23 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Ethiopia to start extracting crude oil tomorrow

27 June 2018

Ethiopia is to start extracting the first ever crude oil deposit from Ethio-Somali Region as of tomorrow, The Reporter learnt.

It is to be recalled that back in March, 2018, Poly-GCL, a Chinese company engaged in oil and gas exploration and development project in the Ethio-Somali Regional State, has already discovered oil and natural gas deposits.

The amount of gas reserve discovered by Poly-GCL is estimated to be 6 to 8 Trillion Cubic Feet.

Poly-GCL which signed petroleum development agreement with then Ministry of Mines to the Calub and Hilala gas fields in in Ogaden basin is set to start extraction of the crude oil deposits as of tomorrow.

The crude oil deposit is scheduled to be transported to Addis Ababa and other parts of the country where it will be distributed to cement factories as of tomorrow.

Officials, from both the federal and Ethio-Somali region will attend the inaugural ceremony which will be held on June 28, 2018. The delegation of official including Meles Alemu, Minister of Mines, Petroleum & Natural Gas will arrive in Ogaden. https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/ethiopia-start-extract-natural-gas-tomorrow

EUTM - SOMALIA 24 EUTM - SOMALIA 28/06/2018

Refugees land in Rome by plane

One-hundred-and-thirty-nine refugees from Eritrea and Somalia arrived in Rome on Wednesday morning.

It's part of a programme which aims to bring refugees to Europe by plane.

This 40-year-old Ethiopian woman is overwhelmed with emotion as she describes the terrible abuse she suffered over the years.

Nebiat Gebregzabher says, "I have put my life at risk many times. I survived only by a miracle, so I could not risk my life again trying the route through Libya. I have had so many terrible things done to me damaging both my body and my soul. I have had things done to me that I don't even have the energy or the capacity to think about. So I could not face the trip through Libya."

Italian Catholic groups and the Italian government have already flown over 15 hundred (1,627) refugees since the first flight in February 2016. http://www.euronews.com/2018/06/27/refugees-land-in-rome-by- plane?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+euronews %2Fen%2Fnews+%28euronews+-+news+-+en%29

EUTM - SOMALIA 25