European Union Training Mission Somalia PRESS SUMMARY 4th August 2018 “In ‘Media’ stat virtus” EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 SUMMARY TITLE PAGE US military airstrike in Somalia kills 4 l Shabab fighters 2 ISIL claims killing of 3 soldiers near Mogadishu 3 MPs call off meeting over security fears 4 Federal Council of Ministers Holds Meeting With Puntland 5 Counterparts Race To Fill Top Post Of CBS At The Corner As Governor Bashir’s First 6 Term Ends In Somalia, Schools Are a Bulwark Against Recruitment: Study 7 Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia to carry out polio vaccination exercise 9 concurrently African Union Works to Tackle Corruption in Africa 10 So, why is Somaliland Africa's most successful non-country? 13 Battle Of The Ports: Emirates Sea Power Spreads From Persian Gulf 16 To Africa EUTM - SOMALIA 1 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6023295/US-military-airstrike-Somalia-kills-4- al-Shabab-fighters.html EUTM - SOMALIA 2 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 ISIL claims killing of 3 soldiers near Mogadishu 3rd August 2018 MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group has claimed to have shot and killed at least 3 government soldiers near Somali capital Mogadishu. In an online statement by the group says its fighters shot dead 3 soldiers late on Thursday at Elasha area, some 15km west of Mogadishu. The group’s attackers fled from the crime scene as security forces reached at spot and launched an operation. No arrests were made over the operation, according to local residents. The ISIL group carried similar attacks in Somali capital for the past months. https://mareeg.com/isil-claims-killing-of-3-soldiers-near-mogadishu/ EUTM - SOMALIA 3 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 MPs call off meeting over security fears August 3rd 2018 Parliament’s committee on Regional Integration failed to meet on Friday due to security concerns in Lamu County. The committee was to meet residents of Kiunga and Ishakani yesterday, but due to insecurity, local security officials asked them not to hold it. Instead, the committee led by its vice chair and Lamu Woman Representative Ruweida Mohamed had to hold the meeting at the island. “We were to meet residents of Kiunga and Ishakani at the border but due to security reasons, we were told not to get there,” said Ruweida. Last week, suspected Al Shabaab militants killed a policeman in a rocket attack at Milihoi outside Mpeketoni Township. The MP said insecurity is affecting the region’s development prospects. She regretted that the committee could not tour Kiunga and Ishakani as they retreat to write a report. Kiunga and Ishakani borders Somalia. The government has banned trade between locals and businessmen from Raskiamboni in Somalia. “We used to buy fish from Raskiamboni but had to stop after the government’s ban,” said Ruweida. Kiunga Ward Member of the County Assembly Babaad Aboud said the committee should visit and meet the people to get views if it is to write a comprehensive report. “If the House committee doesn’t go to Kiunga and Ishakani, then the report will be half- baked. The committee must visit the area as planned,” said Babaad. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001290605/mps-call-off-meeting-over- security-fears EUTM - SOMALIA 4 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 Federal Council of Ministers Holds Meeting With Puntland Counterparts 02 August 2018 The Federal Council of Ministers’ meeting with Puntland Council of Ministers was held in the Puntland regional capital of Garowe on Thursday. Chaired by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and attended by Federal Government ministers and Puntland officials including President Mohamed Abdiweli Gaas, his Deputy, Abdihakin Haji Omar Ammey, the meeting focused on a wide range of issues including enhancing cooperation between the Federal State of Puntland and the Federal Government, strengthening of governance and the federal system, among other issues. Briefing the press after the meeting, Puntland Presidency Spokesman, Abdullahi Mohamed Jama “Quran Je’el”, said other issues discussed in the meeting included the release of about 600 pirates serving jail terms in Garowe’s main prison. The prisoners were convicted and sentenced in foreign countries. Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mahdi Mohamed Guled and Minister of Justice, Hassan Hussein Hajji, were tasked to take the lead in start legal proceedings for the release of the inmates. The Cabinet also held its weekly meeting in Garowe after its meeting with Puntland authorities. The Federal Cabinet will today attend celebrations commemorating the 20th Puntland anniversary. Prime Minister Khaire and his delegation lauded the people and leaders of Puntland for the warm reception accorded to them http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/august-3-2018-daily-monitoring-report/ EUTM - SOMALIA 5 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 Race To Fill Top Post Of CBS At The Corner As Governor Bashir’s First Term Ends 02 August 2018 The battle for the post of Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia is expected to take shape as the incumbent’s contract comes to an end in November this year. In 2009, the Somali government revived the Central Bank as part of its campaign to restore national institutions. In an advertisement posted in the influential “The Economist” magazine, the Central Bank states, “it is seeking a competent candidate to fill the position in the cash-rich agency”. The current head’s contract expires in November after serving the mandatory terms of 4 years. “Somalia is emerging from conflict and rebuilding its economy, including its key economic institutions. The position of Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) will fall vacant on November 1, 2018,” the Bank says, “The new Governor will lead the CBS through major ongoing reforms, including the issuance of a new national currency, rebuilding the CBS’s institutional capacity, developing monetary instruments, and implementing the CBS’s mandate, which includes the development of financial intermediation and regulation of the financial system.” According to the advert, the Governor, who is the chief executive officer of the CBS, will be responsible for the management of the Bank under the general direction of the Board of Directors. The Governor also serves as the Chair of the Board and is the principal representative of the CBS in its relations with the Federal Government of Somalia, other public entities, and bodies and international financial institutions. Bashir Isse http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/august-3-2018-daily-monitoring-report/ EUTM - SOMALIA 6 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 In Somalia, Schools Are a Bulwark Against Recruitment: Study 03 August 2018 - Conflict and crisis disrupt the education of more than 80 million children worldwide. But access to high school education in war zones could help diminish support for armed groups, according to a recent study by Mercy Corps. Somalia has been engaged in a civil war for almost 30 years, and with over 70 percent of its population under 30 years of age, youth and youth education appear to be the key to a peaceful future in the country. Now, a new study has revealed that increasing access to high school education in war zones could help diminish support for armed groups. Research from the global organization Mercy Corps showed that young people in conflict-affected areas of Somalia who have access to secondary education are almost half as likely to support violent groups than those not in school. “We found in general that the provision of secondary education by itself reduced the likelihood of young people supporting political violence by roughly 48 percent,” said Mercy Corps senior researcher Beza Tesfaye. The study also found that coupling education with civic engagement opportunities meant that young people were nearly 65 percent less likely to support violence. More than 1,200 youth ages 15 to 24 years old were interviewed for the study in Somalia’s South Central and Puntland regions. “We didn’t want to bias the findings by focusing on areas that were safe, you know, just staying in one part of the country, so it was challenging to be able to go out especially to rural areas,” said Tesfaye. “We were able to go out to a few communities that had previously been under the control of Al-Shabaab a few years earlier.” EUTM - SOMALIA 7 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/08/2018 Mercy Corps’ report measured the impact of a Somali Youth Learners Initiative, a multi-year program funded USAID that improved access and quality of education for more than 100,000 young people through construction and rehabilitation of schools and improved teacher training. The program also created community-engagement opportunities through student clubs and youth-led community-improvement initiatives. Crisis and conflict negatively affects the education of upwards of 80 million children worldwide, according to USAID. “We also know that the longer they’re out of school the less likely they are to go back,” said Nina Papadopoulos, team lead for Education in Crisis and Conflict in USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment. “So not only is school necessary for these kids’ continued education,” said Papadopoulos, “but it also provides them with important emotional, physical and cognitive protection while their world and family are in chaos.” The impact of education in conflict zones has also been noticed by NGOs in South Sudan. We spoke with organizers at the Global Partnership for Education who say they’ve witnessed first-hand what education can do to diminish armed groups. “School symbolizes hope for communities,” said GPE’s country lead for South Sudan, Fazle Rabbani. “Parents want children to go to school, when children are going to schools they want to stay in that community and contribute to that community.” Experts warn though that education itself is not enough to reduce conflict, and that youth could become disenchanted if education increases hopes only to be met with a lack of employment opportunities.