European Union Training Mission Somalia PRESS SUMMARY 1st August 2018 “In ‘Media’ stat virtus” EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 SUMMARY TITLE PAGE Somali security forces carry out sweep in Afgoye town 2 SNA Seizes Assorted Weapons From Al-Shabaab In Gedo Region 3 Somali President set to visit town outside Mogadishu 4 Somali PM welcomed in Qardho town, Puntland 5 National Chamber Of Commerce Secretary Arrested At Mogadishu 6 Airport Parliamentary Security Committee Meets Security Minister And 7 NISA Boss Somali PM dissolves new cabinet 8 Free Ambulance Service Imperiled in Somali Capital 9 IGAD-UNSOM upbeat in ending Tukaraq fighting 11 Somalia: Yet another setback for AU's peace efforts 12 Khalifa Foundation assists 180,000 Somalis 14 How the Gulf crisis is destabilising Somalia 15 War on Indian Ocean piracy cost Sh140 billion last year 17 Defence Secretary Makes First Africa Visit 19 EUTM - SOMALIA 1 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 Somali security forces carry out sweep in Afgoye town July 31, 2018 Somali security forces have carried out a massive sweep in Afgoye town located on the outskirts of the capital, Mogadishu on Tuesday. Local residents said Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers seized assorted weapons and suspects during the dawn operation which targeted several villages in the town. Authorities in the town declined to comment on the operation and the suspects they have detained who are currently being questioned at a police station in the area. Separately, Somali and AU forces launched security operations aimed at opening the main roads linking towns in Gedo and Lower Jubba regions that were blocked by Al-Shabab. Al-Shabab which Wants to topple the internationally recognized Somali government has been fighting Somalia military soldiers in Southern Somalia. http://radioshabelle.com/somali-security-forces-carry-out-sweep-in-afgoye-town/ EUTM - SOMALIA 2 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 SNA Seizes Assorted Weapons From Al-Shabaab In Gedo Region 30 July 2018 Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers seized assorted weapons and a technical vehicle in a covert operation in southern Somalia. Gedo Deputy Governor, Osman Nur Hajji, said soldiers who acted on a tip off successfully engaged Al-Shabaab fighters near Luq district. “Al-Shabaab was amassing its fighters in Kabis village when the Somali military attacked them. Some of the assorted arms, ammunition and a vehicle were recovered,” he said. According to Hajji, Somali military has taken over the bases of the group in the village: “Government forces are now controlling Kabis village, which was previously under Al- Shabaab,” Hajji affirmed. However Al-Shabaab did not comment on the Gedo deputy governor’s sentiments. The latest development comes barely five days after Somali military soldiers seized a cache of weapons in Bardhere town. Most of the Al-Shabaab fighters fled the region following intensive operation by the joint forces. SNA and AMISOM forces have launched security operations aimed at opening up main roads linking towns in Gedo and Lower Jubba regions that were initially blocked by Al-Shabaab. The militia group, which wants to topple the internationally recognized Somali government, has been fighting Somalia military soldiers in southern Somalia. http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/july-31-2018-morning-headlines/ EUTM - SOMALIA 3 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 Somali President set to visit town outside Mogadishu July 31, 2018 Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, the President of Somalia’s Federal Government is expected to pay a visit to Afgoye district in Lower Shabelle region. Sources at Villa Somalia told Radio Shabelle that president will arrive in the agricultural town in the coming few hours. On Tuesday, hundreds of Somali security forces, including presidential guards backed by African Union peacekeepers, beefed up the city’s security ahead of the president’s arrival. The purpose of the visit remains unclear, but this will become the 2nd visit of president Farmajo to Afgoye, 30Km northwest of Mogadishu since taking office on 8th February 2017. http://radioshabelle.com/somali-president-set-to-visit-town-outside-mogadishu/ EUTM - SOMALIA 4 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 Somali PM welcomed in Qardho town, Puntland July 31, 2018 Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire has on Tuesday arrived in Qardho, the regional capital of Puntland’s Karkar region located in northeastern Somalia. PM Khaire and his delegation have received a warm welcome from the district officials and civil society from all walks on arriving the town under tight security. Hundreds of Puntland soldiers were deployed on the main streets of the town ahead of the PM’s arrival, according to the residents, speaking to Radio Shabelle over the phone. On 29th July, the PM and the high-level delegation, he was leading arrived in Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland state for the 20th anniversary of Puntland inception. http://radioshabelle.com/somali-pm-welcomed-in-qardho-town-puntland/ EUTM - SOMALIA 5 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 National Chamber Of Commerce Secretary Arrested At Mogadishu Airport 31 July 2018 Somalia’s National Chamber of Commerce General Secretary Shaafi Raabbi Kahin, was reportedly detained by security officers at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport upon returning from Brussels, where he attended the recently concluded Brussels-Somalia conference. The reason for the arrest of Kahin, who is also the chairman of Jubbaland Chamber of Commerce, is yet to be uncovered. His diplomatic passport was also confiscated and he is currently being held at a detention at the airport, according to Jubbaland Chamber of Commerce members in Kismayo. The Airport authorities have not yet commented on the arrest of the official. http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/july-31-2018-daily-monitoring-report/ EUTM - SOMALIA 6 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 Parliamentary Security Committee Meets Security Minister And NISA Boss 30 July 2018 Federal Parliament’s Security Committee on Sunday met with the Security Minister, Mohamed Abukar Islow and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) boss, Hussein Osman Hussein. The committee engaged the two officials in in-depth discussions on the security situation and ongoing security reforms in the capital of Mogadishu. The security officials briefed the parliamentary committee on the latest security situation in the country, particularly Mogadishu, and the ongoing security reforms aimed at bolstering the security of the capital. Security Minister, Islow, said there were ongoing plans to reexamine the security reform process in the capital, and singled out some of the leadership changes in security organs including the stabilization force. The deputy chairman of the parliament’s internal affairs and security, MP Mohamed Abdulle Farah ‘Gesey’, who spoke to the media at the end of the meeting, said they will be implementing all the points raised with the security bosses. Geesey said they also discussed how to conduct the anticipated security operations. http://somaliamediamonitoring.org/july-31-2018-morning-headlines/ EUTM - SOMALIA 7 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 Somali PM dissolves new cabinet 7/30/2018 Somali lawmakers opposed the new government for reinstating a large number of ministers who served in his predecessor's government. MOGADISHU — Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke has dismissed his newly nominated cabinet, a government official told Xinhua in the wee hours Saturday. "The PM decided to dissolve the newly appointed cabinet due to strong opposition from parliament," said member of Parliament Ali noor Bodaye, adding that Sharmarke is expected to appear before the national assembly on Saturday to request more time to form new government. Sharmarke announced his new cabinet earlier this week. However, there has been a standoff within the national assembly on approving the new cabinet, which largely comprised of former cabinet ministers. Sharmarke, former Somali Ambassador to the United States, was appointed as premier in December last year, after his predecessor was ousted via motion of no confidence. The international community has warned against the recurrence of violence in the horn of African state due to unstable political standoff among the Somali leaders. https://menafn.com/1097222862/Somali-PM-dissolves-new-cabinet EUTM - SOMALIA 8 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 Free Ambulance Service Imperiled in Somali Capital July 31, 2018 Financial troubles, staffing shortages and high demand threaten to halt the only free private ambulance service in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. "We have been providing this voluntary service for 12 years with the help of friends and other generous individuals in private business, but now the responsibility is greater than our power," said Abdulkadir Abdirahman Adam, a dentist who founded Aamin Ambulance. He cited a staffing shortage and an inability to cover costs. At its peak, the service had 53 workers. Now, "only 20 people with 16 vehicles [are] providing 24/7 services to a growing city and huge population," Adam said, estimating the metropolitan area at more than 2 million people. Adam, who also teaches at a Mogadishu university, said the service has been running on donations from individuals, such as "students who provided us $1 a month. That is not enough to cover the needs of this city and its residents." The service began in 2006 with a single ambulance and a few drivers and nurses in Mogadishu, risking their lives while trying to save victims of mortar fire, artillery shells and random gunfire that have ricocheted around this crumbling seaside city for almost 30 years. EUTM - SOMALIA 9 EUTM - SOMALIA 01/08/2018 "Before this service, people used to transport the wounded with wheelbarrows and taxis that charged expensive fees," said Fadumo Nur, who runs a midwifery center. "But now all you need is to call 999 and then there is an ambulance at your door. If we miss this service, we will go back to the dark days." The United Nations' top diplomat in Somalia called for more support during a February visit to the ambulance service office.