Civilians killed in clashes between militias from Oromia and residents of Somali region after dispute over dam construction

Source: Addis Standard, Saturday January 21, 2023

Commander Ali Samire Sigad. Photo: Screenshot/Addis Standard

Addis Abeba – Residents say at least three civilians were killed and 12 more wee severely injured in recent clashes that flared between armed militias from the Oromia region and residents of the neighboring Somali region in the border area.

According to residents from the Somali side the clashes started on Friday, 13 January when workers who are commissioned by the government of Oromia region started executing construction of a dam in the border area of Marar Kebele, which the residents say is located inside Tulu Guled district of Fafan zone in the Somali regional state.

The construction work, taking place not far from Jigjiga, the capital of Somali region, faced rejections from the local residents who disputed the authority of the Oromia regional state government to unilaterally construct a dam inside Somali region.

A senior official close to the matter and who requested anonymity told Addis Standard that consensus was reached between officials from the Oromia and Somali regions to pause the construction of the dam while discussions were ongoing on the impacts of the dam on local communities from both sides. But the construction of the dam went on under circumstances that are not clear.

Muhiaden Haji Abib, an elderly from the Somali community in Marar kebele, told Addis Standard that “the [dam] project is used as a pretext by the Oromia region to expand its territories into the Somali region.”

He said that three civilians were killed and 12 others were severely injured by the Oromia militia on 13 January’s incident. Other reports by and activists from Somali region put the number of causalities as high as 16.

The project to construct a dam in the area was announced by Oromia regional state government six months ago, Muhiaden said, but from the get go, “we have expressed our concerns to the authorities of the Somalia region and other stakeholders that such move could bring a dispute between the regional states.”

Commander Ali Samire Sigas, Head of Border Affairs and Conflict Resolution Bureau of the Somali regional State, in his briefing to local journalists, on Tuesday, accused politicians from the Oromia region for working to expand territories near border areas, despite having brotherly relations with the Oromo people.

In criticizing officials from the Oromia region Ali said they were trying to build a dam in Marar Kebele which is inside the territory of the Somali region without agreement with Somali regional government or consultations with the local community.

He also noted that militias from the Oromia region killed civilians and injured many others following the clashes over the construction of the dam, and added that the construction has already displaced more than 2000 households of Somali communities from the area.

However, the Somali regional state communication bureau stated that Commander Ali was relieved of his duties due to his inability to fulfill his responsibilities, and that the statement he gave to the media was without legally handing over the responsibilities that were given to him after he was relieved of his duties.

The bureau further said that the Somali region declares the statement as “illegal” which “does not represent the position of the regional state’s government.

According to residents who spoke with Addis Standard, senior officials from the Oromia region visited the construction site of the dam a few weeks ago, raising tension among the residents of Marar Kebele and eventually leading to clashes with armed militias from Oromia region.

A communications officer from the Oromia Region Communication Bureau told Addis Standard that he doesn’t have any information in connection to the clashes.

In December last year, two people were killed and seven others were severely injured in Shilabo district of Korahe zone, in the Somali regional state, in a dispute after local authorities attempted to commence water borehole drilling.

Somalia’s passport remains among world’s weakest

Source: Hiiraan Online, aturday January 21, 2023

Mogadishu (HOL) –  According to new research released by global citizenship and residence advisory firms, the Somalia passport is stillconsidered one of the weakest in the world.

Political instability in the country, as well as security and terrorism concerns, have left its citizens with a passport that can enter a few countries.

In 2021, Somalia’s passport ranked as the fifth weakest passport on the planet.

According to Passport Index, an interactive passport ranking tool by Arton Capital, the Somalia passport ranks near the bottom in terms of travel freedom, with citizens only able to enter 35 countries with a visa on arrival and only eight visa-free countries. This is significantly less than the average of around 60-70 countries for most other passports. Arton Capital ranks Somali at 92 globally – tied with Yemen and Pakistan. Only war-torn Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan have worse-performing passports.

Henley Global, a leading global citizenship consultancy group, also ranks the Somalia passport among the weakest. Their Passport Index ranks countries based on the number of destinations their citizens can access without a visa, and as of 2023, the Somalia passport is ranked at position 104 out of 109.

Despite these challenges, there are efforts being made to improve the strength of the Somalia passport. The Somali government has introduced a biometric passport system, which would help to increase security and reduce fraud. Additionally, Somalia is working to improve its relations with other nations.

STRONGEST PASSPORTS IN 2023

1. Japan (193 destinations)

2. Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)

3. Germany, Spain (190 destinations)

4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)

5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)

6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)

7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, Czech Republic (186 destinations)

8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)

9. Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)

10. Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)

WEAKEST PASSPORTS IN 2023

102. North Korea (40 destinations)

103. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations)

104. Somalia (35 destinations)

105. Yemen (34 destinations)

106. Pakistan (32 destinations)

107. Syria (30 destinations)

108. Iraq (29 destinations)

109. Afghanistan (27 destinations)

Why EAC is eager to admit Somalia to the regional bloc

By Zephania Ubwani
Source:The CITIZEN, Thursday January 19, 2023

The East African Community (EAC) eyes Somalia’s long Indian Ocean/Red Sea route that will link EA to the Arabian Peninsula.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. PHOTO | COURTESY

Arusha. After connecting the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean through the admission of DR Congo, the East African Community (EAC) is now eyeing one of the longest coastlines in Africa.

The drive to admit Somalia into the bloc aims to bring under control the Horn of Africa coast line that is abundantly rich in fisheries.

Somalia’s long Indian Ocean/Red Sea route that links the EA region to the Arabian Peninsula is seen as a vibrant economic zone.

“It will bring immense benefits for the EAC through the exploitation of Somalia’s blue economy resources such as fish,” said the EAC secretary general, Peter Mathuki.

At 3,300 kilometers, Somalia boasts the longest coastline in continental Africa and diverse waters that are home to schools of different fish species.

These include yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, dolphin fish, sardines, and many more amid tremendous potential for successful expansion.

The coastline hosts one of the major shipping routes around Africa although once associated with piracy by boat-borne criminals.

Dr Mathuki, when speaking at a recent retreat in Kenya for the EAC staff, insisted that Somalia’s admission would be for the economic interest of the bloc.

Besides being one of the leading countries in livestock population, geology suggests the presence of valuable mineral deposits in Somalia.

For Dr Mathuki, who successfully struggled to have DR Congo in the EAC, Somalia’s admission into the seven nation bloc could be a matter of time.

A verification team would be dispatched to Mogadishu anytime from now to assess the country’s readiness to join the Community.

“The verification mission will be visiting Somalia from the end of this month (January),” he told staff drawn from the EAC organs at Machakos county.

This, he said, was the directive by the EAC leaders who in July last year endorsed the country’s admission during their last summit in Arusha in July last year.

The EAC boss was there in October last year during which he held discussions with Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Somalia believes its entry into the Community will boost the East African economies especially the blue economy and cross-border trade.

President Mohamud told the EAC team that his country, which shares a long border with Kenya, was already linked to the bloc through different businesses.

However, unlike the case with DR Congo last year, Somalia’s admission may not bring much change in the regional dynamics.

Covering 634,657 square kilometres, Somalia will be the fourth largest country in surface area after DRC, Tanzania and South Sudan.

The Horn of Africa country will trail five EAC states DR Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan in population size.

Its 17million population is slightly higher than those of Rwanda and Burundi which joined the ‘original’ EAC in 2007, paving the way for admission of more states.

The country’s economy is not only one of the lowest in the continent but also not well formalized due to the nature of governance.

Somalia’s GDP (purchasing power parity) is estimated to be $20.6billion while nominal GDP stands at a lowly $5.2 billion.

Generally, Somalia meets some criteria to become a member of the Community, including proximity to the current EAC.

Others are inter-dependence between it and the EAC partner states and its status of a market-driven economy.

Its potential contribution to the strengthening of the EAC is not likely to be much questioned, being a trading neighbour.

However, the other key criteria will have much to do with the country’s current state of insecurity and governance.

The EAC Treaty says a foreign country intending to join the bloc must adhere to universally acceptable principles of good governance.

Tied with this is adherence to democracy, the rule of law and observance of human rights and social justice.

That will largely await the EAC verification mission when they land at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu later this month.

However, the EAC boss is confident the violence-torn Horn of Africa country will meet all the criteria and join the bloc.

“Insecurity is the the first issue that we will seek to address during the negotiations,” Dr Mathuki affirmed when speaking to journalists at Machakos.

He banked this on the smooth admission of DR Congo early lastyear to become the seventh member state of the Community.

He said that the expansion of the EAC was for the benefit of the people of the region and the economies of their countries.

EAC verification teams for the proposed new member states often consisted of at least three officials of the partner states with full membership.

Study: Somali people ‘Highly Traumatized’ after years of conflict

Source: VOA, Harun Maruf
Thursday January 19, 2023

FILE – Somalia Conflict takes toll on civilian mental health. A Somali soldier provides security as newly displaced Somalis gather at a camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, March 28, 2017.

WASHINGTON —  People in Somalia are highly traumatized due to political instability, prolonged violence and humanitarian crisis, a new health study said.

The joint study by the United Nations, Somalia’s health ministry and the country’s national university found that mental disorder is prevalent across the country. It said that cases are about 77 percent higher than a previous study by the World Health Organization (WHO), which suggested that nearly 40% of the population in Somalia had a mental or psychological disorder.

The study further said that the prevalence of mental disorders among the young is significantly higher than previously reported.

“There is a high prevalence and wide range of the various mental disorders (76.9%), substance abuse disorders (lifetime, 53.3%; current, 50.6%) and poor quality of life in both non-clinical and clinical populations,” the study said.

The study obtained by VOA Somali Service was conducted between October 25 and November 15 2021. The data was collected from 713 participants in the towns of Baidoa, Kismayo and Dolow. The majority of the participants (68.1%) were younger than 35 years and 58.5% were males.

All three towns host internally displaced persons who have been impacted by conflicts, and droughts which forced the pastoral communities to migrate to urban locations in search of food, water, and safety.

“Conflicts and clashes have brought about mental illness because we face many of these challenges in our country,” a young person in Kismayo who was interviewed for the study told the researchers. “For example, explosions occur, and the witness might live with the shock and trauma that can affect their state of mind and even cause mental illness. Stress caused by joblessness also leads to mental health issues.”

The study is a collaboration between the WHO, the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Federal Ministry of Health and the Somali National University (SNU).

According to the WHO, which led the research, this is the first-ever epidemiological study on mental health in Somalia.

“The study findings clearly indicate the prevalence of mental health disorders is higher in the younger population than we initially used to think or assume through various estimates,” said Dr. Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Country Representative.

“Our earlier WHO study suggested that only 40% of the population in Somalia might have a mental or psychological disorder. But what we have seen now is 76%, which is a high prevalence rate,” Malik told VOA.

Somalia Minister of Health Dr. Ali Haji Adam agrees that mental health situation among the population is “very poor.”

“There has been armed conflict, poverty, fear, instability, and unemployment for a long time; this is causing mental wounds,” Adam said. “They cannot cope with what is happening in front of them; mothers and children are being killed in front of them and that is damaging their mental health.”

Malik said a worrying finding is that the most common mental health illness among this population is panic disorder and post-traumatic disorder.

“Panic disorder, 39%, and post-traumatic disorder at 37%. And this is amongst the young age group,” Malik said.

He said if untreated, this might lead to suicidal tendencies. He said in previous estimates WHO saw the suicide rate among the young population in Somalia as one of the highest in the world, 14 to 15 per 100,000 population. This new study finds that the risk of committing suicide among young people in Somalia is 22 per 100,000.

The authors of the study said this is surprising for a community where Islam is the predominant religion, and where teaching prohibits suicide. They urged clinicians to consult with their patients about suicidal thoughts during evaluation, regardless of religious beliefs or practices.

Substance abuse

The other discovery of the study is the high degree of prevalence of substance abuse among the young population.

Adam said that the younger generation who are the most affected by mental health illnesses are turning to drug abuse.

“A young person with an ambition, and a future when they cannot realize their ambition and aspiration, cannot find a job they face mental pressure,” Adam told VOA. “It’s likely they turn to drug abuse.”

Malik agrees that the hopeless situation and lack of sufficient access to mental health facilities are driving the mentally ill to resort to the abuse use of prohibited substances.

“These are coping mechanisms, but this is self-destruction, that’s the most worrying factor for me,” he said.

The most common substance used was tobacco, 38%, followed by sedatives which is 37%, and these are not regulated in the country, Malik said.

He said Somalia is the only country that has not ratified the WHO’s global convention on Tobacco Control. He urged the Somali government to ratify and commit to controlling substance abuse of tobacco and sedatives.

“We are actually at risk of losing a whole generation because these young people have no hopes for the future and they comprise 70% of the people in this country,” Malik said. “Instead of using them as human assets we are at risk of losing them because there is a high burden of mental health and substance abuse, and this is making them non-productive and they’re becoming a huge economic burden.”

The increased mental illnesses can be seen in mental health care clinics.

Dr. Liban Mohamed Omar opened a mental health clinic eight months ago after he returned from Europe. He says his polyclinic and psychiatric center receives dozens of patients every week.

“Of the patients I receive, two to three out of every four persons have got mental health issues,” Omar told VOA.

In addition to the political and social upheavals in the country, women face specific challenges that exacerbate their mental health situation.

“Women face many [cases of] abuse, such as rape,” Omar said.

Omar cited a lack of awareness and a shortage of skilled mental health workers and services which forces many to resort to substance abuse and to even contemplate ending their life.

Peace building

The researchers see improving mental health as an integral part of peace-building in Somalia, a country where there has been civil strife since the collapse of the state in 1991.

Malik said in conflict-affected countries the burden of mental health is high.

“These young people who were carrying a huge burden of mental health can be an easy target for radical forces because these are disillusioned young people,” Malik said.

“Our assumption is if these people can be socially integrated after addressing their mental health condition, social cohesion, and community reconciliation may increase and that can lead to peace-building in a way that these mentally ill young people may not be the targets of radical forces so they can contribute to the society.”

Malik said only 5 to 10 percent of the primary healthcare centers in Somalia currently can offer mental health services, far less than what is needed.

“The total number of mental health professionals in Somalia is 82 in a population of over 15 million,” Malik said. “And if you compare it in terms of mental health professionals, 100,000 population it is less than one. So, the future lies in investing in mental health services at the primary health care level.

The study recommended training of frontline health care workers, increased awareness, and routine screening of mental disorders at the primary health care level.

Source: Press release from Prime Minister’s Office

Priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union presented

Published 14 December 2022

Security, resilience, prosperity, democratic values and the rule of law are the priorities of the forthcoming Swedish Presidency. This was conveyed by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in a speech in the Riksdag today.

“Sweden is taking over the Presidency at a time when the European Union is facing unprecedented challenges. A greener, more secure and freer Europe is the foundation of our priorities,” says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

“This Government will make Sweden’s work in the EU a top priority. It is in Sweden’s interests to maintain unity in the EU and advance issues that require joint solutions,” says Minister for EU Affairs Jessika Roswall.

The four priorities of the Swedish Presidency

• Security – unity
• Resilience – competitiveness
• Prosperity – green & energy transition
• Democratic values and the rule of law – our foundation

The priorities of the Swedish Presidency reflect positions that Sweden has traditionally advocated in the EU, but also respond to the current geopolitical and economic challenges facing the Union.

More detailed information on the priorities is available on the official website of the Swedish Presidency

The presidency programme outlines the main focus for each configuration of the Council

In conjunction with the Prime Minister’s presentation of the priorities, the programme for the Presidency was also presented. The programme outlines the Swedish Presidency’s main focus and priority issues in the various configurations of the Council. 

Learn more about the Swedish Presidency programme on the official website of the Swedish Presidency

Upcoming meetings are listed in the Swedish Presidency calendar

All meetings that Sweden will chair during the Presidency are listed in the calendar on the official website of the Swedish Presidency

US Army to train some African countries in cyber, land and maritime defence

Source: News 24, Tuesday January 17, 2023

US soldiers carry a wounded person to a helicopter. Justin Sullivan

Divisions of the United States Army in Africa will hold a series of engagements and training with its African partners beginning next month.

Armed forces of Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia will take part in the exercise code-named “Justified Accord” from late this month.

According to the US Army’s Southern European Task Force – Africa, Justified Accord 2023 (J23) is “designed to increase multinational interoperability in crisis response and counterterrorism operations, and prepare regional partners for United Nations and African Union mandated missions”.

The exercise will feature live fire and maritime exercises, a cyber course, field training, and special operations.

The US Army’s Africa Command said the training would include approximately 800 participants from 20 partner nations, including six African countries.

Activities will take place largely in Nairobi and Isiolo in Kenya, with other activities taking place in Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, and Djibouti.

Last week, personnel with the US combined joint task force for the Horn of Africa travelled to the port of Berbera in Somaliland on a sight survey.

“The US military routinely surveys potential operating locations to prepare for contingencies and exercise readiness or adjust force posture as directed,” said the US combined joint task force in a statement.

The 10-day training exercise is meant to help the US Army Africa and East African participants improve their capacity to respond to regional security threats posed by violent extremist organisations and to more effectively counter the associated ideology.

It also helps to forge partnerships with US Army Africa and the East African military forces. Meanwhile, the Exercise Obangame Express 2023 (OE23) – the largest multinational maritime exercise in Western and Central Africa – will start its 12th year with 29 participating nations at an opening ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, on 23 January.

In a statement, the US Naval Forces Europe and Africa said OE23 “is designed to improve regional cooperation, information-sharing practices, and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of participating nations to counter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and other sea-based illicit activity”.

In order to secure the ongoing sustainable use of marine resources and to promote the security and stability of international maritime trade, the United States Africa Command supports its African partners in defending their maritime economies.

African countries that will take part are Angola, Benin, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and the Economic Community of West African States   and the Economic Community of Central African States.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Somaliland would take part in the exercise. It is, in fact, Somalia which will be taking part. This has been corrected. We apologise for the error.

Somalia governmnet says it has seized another key town from al Shabab

Source: Hiiraan Online, Tuesday January 17, 2023

Dhuusamareeb (HOL) – Somalia’s government-led forces have recaptured another al Shabab stronghold town in Galmudug state in less than 24 hours, according to the country’s defence minister on Tuesday.

The joint forces took El-Dhere town in central Somalia’s Galgadud region, which has been in the hands of the group for more than a decade, defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said in a broadcast on state-owned television.

El-Dheer, a historical town bordering Harardheere in the Mudug region, is also close to the Elbur district.

Somali government forces, acting jointly with militias and regional forces from Galmudug and forces from the neighbouring region of Puntland, captured Harardheere, an al Shabaab stronghold on the Indian Ocean coast on Monday.

The group had held the Harardheere town for 15 years.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated armed militant group al-Shabab withdrew its militants from Harardhere and El-Dheer in the last 24 hours after government-led forces put pressure on the group in the two major towns in the Galmudug region.

Harardhere was a major base for pirates hijacking merchant ships until 2011. It was later taken over by al Shabaab, which first rose up against the government in 2007 before pledging its allegiance to al Qaeda.

Since launching a major offensive last August, the government and allied clan militias have forced the militants from swathes of territory in central Somalia

Source: Financial Times, David Pilling in London and Andres Schipani in Nairobi
Monday January 16, 2023

Soldiers of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces. Fighting broke out in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in November 2020 after Addis accused Tigrayan fighters of attacking the federal army © Amanuel Sileshi/AFP/Getty Images

The brutal civil war in northern Ethiopia may have killed as many as 600,000 people, making it one of the world’s deadliest conflicts of recent times, according to the African Union’s lead mediator in the peace talks that ended the two-year conflict.

“The number of people killed was about 600,000,” former Nigerian president and African Union envoy Olusegun Obasanjo told the Financial Times in an interview.

He recalled that on November 2 last year, the day the peace agreement was signed in Pretoria, Ethiopian officials said: “We have stopped 1,000 deaths every day.”

Fighting broke out in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in November 2020 after Addis accused Tigrayan fighters of attacking the federal army and spread across the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.

The US and former Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, played a leading role in the peace talks, but Obasanjo was also an important mediator in the process. The breakthrough followed rapid negotiations between the government of Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the party that controls Tigray.

Tim Vanden Bempt, who is part of a research group investigating civilian atrocities in Tigray at the University of Ghent, said Obasanjo’s 600,000 estimate might be roughly correct. Tigray was blockaded for long periods, making independent analysis of what went on, including how many people died, extremely difficult, say experts.

“Based on reports from the field, the number of dead could be somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 civilian casualties only — this from atrocities, starvation, and lack of healthcare,” Vanden Bempt said. In addition he said there were unofficial estimates of between 200,000 and 300,000 battlefield deaths, though these could not be accurately verified.

The war in Tigray was marked by waves of violence against civilians, including massacres and rapes, by the armies of Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea, as well as Tigrayan fighters, regional forces from Amhara and militias sucked into the conflict.

The fighting endangered the unity of Ethiopia, a federal patchwork of 80 ethnic groups, which had been one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies before war broke out.

If Obasanjo’s estimate stands, it would put deaths in Ethiopia at roughly three times the number estimated to have died following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, although accurate numbers are difficult to ascertain there too. It would also be a much higher death toll than during the five decades of civil war in Colombia.

Daniel Bekele, Ethiopia’s human rights chief, said casualty estimates should be treated with extreme caution. “We will probably not be able to know the full number of casualties,” he said. “We need to be cautious about overly exaggerated death toll estimates by all sides.”

Some Ethiopian officials believe the true casualty figure is closer to 80,000 or 100,000, roughly the same number that died in a 1998-2000 border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Death tolls from wars in Africa are notoriously controversial. Some estimates put the number of people who died from all causes, including starvation, during conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2008 as high as 5.4mn. But that number has been disputed by academics, some of whom say the true death toll is far lower.

Under the Ethiopian peace deal, the TPLF agreed to disarm and demobilise. On Wednesday, Getachew Reda, a senior member of the TPLF, said: “Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the Pretoria agreement.”

Eritrea was not a party in the peace agreement and its presence in Ethiopia remains a bone of contention, although Obasanjo said Eritrean forces had already started to withdraw. Some analysts have questioned whether Abiy will be able to force all Eritrean fighters to leave.

Last month, a grouping of Tigrayan civil society organisations said Eritrean forces continued to kill civilians after the November agreement. “We’ve gone past that,” Obasanjo said. “The latest is that all Eritreans are at the border,” he said, conceding that not all had returned home.

Obasanjo said the next step was for Ethiopia’s parliament to declassify the TPLF as a terrorist organisation, something he said would happen sooner rather than later. “I believe we have gone beyond the point of no return,” he said. “I believe the guns are silenced.”

Source: Business Daily, By GERALD ANDAE
Monday January 16, 2023

A man harvests miraa at Kiguchwa market, Tigania East, Meru County. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Somalia has allowed Kenya to more than double the volumes of miraa exported to this lucrative market, expanding opportunities for local farmers who are eying good returns from the Horn of Africa nation.

The exports, which have now increased to 50 tonnes daily, had been capped at a maximum of 19 tonnes a day by Mogadishu when the trade between the two countries resumed last year in July after the shipment of the stimulant had been banned by Somalia authorities in 2020.

The move came as a boost to many traders who had to seek alternative markets for their produce.

Head of Miraa Pyrethrum and other Industrial Crops Felix Mutwiri said the exports have been ramped up from the daily 19 tonnes when the market resumed.

“So far we are allowed to ship at least 50 tonnes of miraa a day to Mogadishu,” said Mr Mutwiri.

Traders had raised concerns that the allocated quota by the Somali government was limiting them from exploring the full potential of the market.

The Directorate has been addressing the issue with the Joint Commission of Corporation- a body bringing together officials from Kenya and Somalia to address the outstanding matters surrounding miraa exports.

The directorate has so far licensed over 50 traders for the export of the commodity under the new miraa laws.

Anyone who exports the crop without registration and a licence is liable to a sentence of up to three years or a fine of up to Sh5 million under the new regulation.

The regulator started issuing export licenses to miraa traders in July after bilateral talks between Kenya and Somali presidents resolved a long-standing trade tiff.

To streamline the sector, the directorate has, in collaboration with the Kenya Bureau of Standards developed the Miraa Industry Code of Practice KNWA 2940:2021 which is guiding farmers on Good Agricultural Practices at the production level and post-harvest handling to cut on losses that producers incur and minimise rejection of the stimulant at the market.

A kilogramme of miraa in Somali is now going for $23 but traders say it is still lower when compared to the $25 that it fetched before the market was closed.

By October last year, Kenya had earned at least Sh4 billion from the sale of miraa to Somalia after exporting at least 1.2 million kilogrammes of the commodity.

Source: Interview on Ethiopia, US-Africa Leaders Summit, and China-US Competition in Africa

 George Kidane of The Eritrean Studies Forum interviewed me on 9 January 2023 in a podcast titled “Outcomes for Peace in Ethiopia, and American Relations with African Countries.”

The 46 minute interview focused on the conflict in Tigray Region of Ethiopia, the role of Eritrea in the conflict, the impact of the US-Africa Leaders Summit, and US-China competition in Africa.  

Somalia: Al-Shabaab Under Increased Pressure

 Source: The International Crisis Group posted on 11 January 2023 a 35 minute podcast titled “Somalia’s Offensive against Al-Shabaab” with Omar Mahmood and Alan Boswell.

Over the past few months, Somali government forces have consolidated gains against al-Shabaab in a large-scale offensive in central Somalia initiated by local clan militias.  At the same time, the government is confronting a serious drought. 

Chinese Foreign Minister, AU Chairperson inaugurate China-funded Africa Center for Disease Control HQ in Addis Abeba

Source: Addis Statanrd, Thursday January 12, 2023

Addis Abeba – The visiting Chinese Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahmat, have today inaugurated the Headquarters of Africa Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) located in Ethiopia’s capital in Addis Abeba.

The Chinese government pledged to support the construction of Africa CDC at the 2018 Beijing Summit and the 7th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China – Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing. The move was widely welcomed by African leaders.

Located in the African Village, south of Addis Abeba, the state-of-the-art Africa CDC HQ rests in an area of 90,000m2 with a total construction area of nearly 40,000m2.

It includes, among others, a data center, an emergency operation center, a laboratory, a resource center, briefing rooms, training and conference centers, offices, and expatriate apartments. The US$80 million complex is constructed, furnished and equipped by the Government of China.

The headquarters building is expected to become one of the best-equipped centers for disease control in Africa, allowing the Africa CDC to play its role as the technical institution coordinating disease prevention, surveillance and control in the continent, in partnership with the national public health institutes and ministries of health of Member States.

In accordance with a number of agreements concluded between the AU and the Government of China, the AU Commission and the Ministry of Commerce of the People`s Republic of China signed the Implementation Agreement on the Africa CDC HQ’s building project in July 2020.

Foreign Minister Qin Gang is on five-countries tour in Africa, which started in Ethiopia, and will cover Benin, Angola, Gabon and Egypt as well as the AU and the League of Arab States Headquarters “to deepen the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership and boost friendly cooperation.”

In a meeting he held with Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen yesterday, the two countries signed Memorandum of Understanding to further enhance their cooperation on political and economic issues, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Somali army intercepts car filled with explosives

Source: Hiiraan Online,Thursday January 12, 2023

Jowhar (HOL) – Somalia’s security forces, backed by local clan militia forces, intercepted two vehicles loaded with explosives after an anti-al Shabab operation in the Bal’ad district of the Middle Shabelle region on Thursday.

Military officials said al-Shabaab militants were planning to attack civilian areas in the Middle Shabelle region, but “We have destroyed the vehicles without causing any casualties.”

According to officials, the operations to flush out the militants would continue in the region as part of the ongoing offensive in several parts of the country.

The group carried out two major attacks in Hirshabelle state in the last two weeks. The first was directed at a government army post in Hilowle Gaab village in the Middle Shabelle region, killing several government soldiers.

The second attack, which killed 15, occurred in the town of Mahas in the central Hiiraan region, about 300 kilometers north of Mogadishu.

Mumin Mohamed Halane, the town’s mayor, said that the attacks consisted of two car bomb blasts targeting his house and the residence of a member of the federal parliament, Mahamed Abukar Jacfar.

Suspected Islamist fighters kill four road workers in eastern Kenya

Source: Reuters, Thursday January 12, 2023

NAIROBI, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Four workers from Kenya’s highways agency were killed in an ambush by suspected Islamist militants on Wednesday near the country’s eastern border with Somalia, police said.

The workers were leading a three-car convoy from the town of Garissa to Bura when they hit an explosive device planted in the road by suspected members of the Somali insurgent group al Shabaab, according to a police report.

“A vehicle with four employees of the Kenya National Highway Authority was attacked with an IED, all the four died on the spot,” said John Otieno, a local government administrator.

Spokespersons for al Shabaab could not immediately be reached for comment as their phones were switched off.

Al Shabaab killed 166 people at Garissa University in 2015, and 67 at a mall in Nairobi in 2013, but the frequency and severity of the group’s attacks in Kenya has reduced in recent years.

The al Qaeda franchise’s cross-border raids are part of its campaign to pressure Kenya into withdrawing its troops from the African-Union mandated peacekeeping force in Somalia, ATMIS.

Reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Noor Ali; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Estelle Shirbon

Source: Reuters, Wednesday January 11, 2023

[1/3] Firefighters embrace as they work to contain a fire in Saint-Magne, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

BRUSSELS, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Europe experienced its second-warmest year on record in 2022, European Union scientists said on Tuesday, as climate change unleashed record-breaking weather extremes that slashed crop yields, dried up rivers and led to thousands of deaths.

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said 2022 was also the world’s fifth-warmest year, by a small margin. C3S records date back to 1950, but other, longer datasets confirm 2022 was the world’s fifth-warmest year since at least 1850.

advertisementsThe last eight years were the world’s eight hottest on record, C3S said.

The planet is now 1.2C warmer than in pre-industrial times, as a result of human-caused climate change, C3S said. Copernicus said temperatures in Europe have increased by more than twice the global average over the last three decades.

“We are already experiencing the devastating consequences of our warming world,” said C3S deputy director Samantha Burgess, who called for urgent action to cut CO2 emissions and adapt to the changing climate.

Last summer was Europe’s hottest on record, smashing temperature records in countries including Italy, Spain and Croatia. Severe heatwaves caused more than 20,000 “excess” deaths in countries including France, Germany, Spain and Britain.

Combined with a dearth of rain, the heat triggered a widespread drought that initial analysis ranked as Europe’s worst in 500 years. Low water levels delayed shipping along Germany’s Rhine, while the lack of rain hit hydropower generation and slashed maize and soybean crop yields.

The hot, dry spell fuelled intense wildfires in countries from Spain to Slovenia, unleashing more emissions across the EU and Britain than in any summer of the last 15 years.

Britain experienced its hottest year on record in 2022, its national weather service said on Wednesday.

Global temperatures will only stop rising if countries reduce their emissions to “net zero” – meaning they release no more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than they remove.

The 27-country EU, Britain, Canada, Japan and others have pledged to reach that goal by 2050, with China and India aiming to achieve it later.

Despite those long-term pledges, global emissions continue to rise. Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere averaged around 417 ppm in 2022 – the highest level for over 2 million years, C3S said.

Other parts of the world faced a year of climate devastation, as global warming continued to hit the world’s poor and vulnerable populations hardest. Flooding in Pakistan killed at least 1,700 people, while drought decimated livestock populations in Somalia.

Reporting by Kate Abnett Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

Ethiopian Tigray rebels hand over heavy weapons

Source: BBC, Wednesday January 11, 2023

The civil war in Tigray broke out in November 2020

The spokesman for the rebel Tigrayan forces in northern Ethiopia says they have handed over their heavy weapons in line with the ceasefire agreement signed in South Africa in November.

Getachew Reda wrote on Twitter that the transfer had been confirmed by an African Union monitoring and verification team.

advertisementsThe move is central to the agreement along with services being restored in the war-torn region where hundreds of thousands of people were killed.

Another condition is the withdrawal of Eritrean soldiers who fought alongside the Ethiopian government.

Reports from Tigray suggest the troops are still there

Ethiopia, Somalia agree to work in partnership on aviation sector

Source: Ethiopian News Agency, Wednesday January 11, 2023

Addis Ababa (ENA) – Somalia’s Transport and Civil Aviation Minister, Fardowsa Osman Egal has arrived in Addis Ababa on Monday for an official working visit to Ethiopia.

Up on arrival at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the Minister and her delegation were warmly welcomed by Minister of Transport and Logistics, Dagmawit Moges.

During her stay in Ethiopia, the minister is expected to discuss on ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation of the two countries in the area of civil aviation.

Ethiopia, Somalia Agree to Work in Partnership on Aviation Sector

Ethiopia and Somalia have signed an agreement on Tuesday to work on the development of aviation sector in partnership.

Director General of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, Getachew Mengistie and the Director of Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, Ahmad Moulin signed the agreement in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics, Dagmawit Moges and Somalia’s Transport and Civil Aviation Minister, Fardowsa Osman Egal have attended the signing ceremony.

Somalia’s Transport and Civil Aviation Minister, Fardowsa Osman Egal 

The agreement is believed to further strengthen the economic cooperation of the two countries in addition to the existing political and social relations; it was learned during the occasion.

Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics, Dagmawit Moges said the agreement will help expedite the common goals of the two nations.

Somalia’s Transport and Civil Aviation Minister, Fardowsa Osman Egal for her part stated that the agreement will help Somalia to share experiences from Ethiopia in the field of aviation.

Somalia’s Transport and Civil Aviation Minister is in Addis Ababa for a working visit to Ethiopia.

The minister and her delegation have exchanged views with Ethiopian officials on ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation of the two countries in the area of civil aviation.

Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics, Dagmawit Moges 

Djibouti inks $1B deal to set up rocket, satellite launch site

Source AA, Mohammed Dhaysane
Wednesday January 11, 2023

Djibouti has signed a $1 billion deal with Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group to set up a rocket and satellite launch site in the country.

The project “also includes the construction of a port and highway of international standing in the northern region of Obock for the transport of materials necessary for the development of aerospace sites,” Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh said in a statement late on Monday.

He said the project will take five years to complete.

“The agreement provides for the final concession of the infrastructure built to the Djiboutian side after 30 years of co-management,”​​​​​​​ Guelleh added.

Djibouti is a small country in the Horn of Africa, bordering Somalia in the south and the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in the east.

The country holds strategic importance as it houses the US’ biggest military facility on the African continent.

China, Japan, and France – Djibouti’s former colonizer – also have military bases in the country.

Long Road to Peace in Ethiopia

 Source: Reuters published on 5 January 2023 an article titled “Ethiopia Sets Out on Long Road to Peace after Two Years of War” by Tommy Wilkes.

The author concluded that 2022 ended on a note of cautious optimism for ending the war in Ethiopia although prospects for peace remain uncertain.

Iraq plans to write off part of Somalia’s debts, Arab League official

Source: ahramonline, Monday January 9, 2023

Director of the Horn of Africa and Sudan Department of the Arab League Zayd Saban said the AL has received an official memorandum from the Iraqi government notifying it that it will cancel part of Somalia’s debts to Iraq.


Somalia .AFP

In an interview with MENA on Saturday, Saban said the decisions issued by consecutive Arab summits have urged Arab countries to give priority to forgiving Somalia’s debts.

According to Somali figures, the total amount of Mogadishu’s debts towards Iraq was approximately 187 million US dollars, until December 2019.

Somalia has been experiencing exceptional conditions over the past decades, he said, noting that the AL has launched unprecedented work since 2016 to handle Somalia’s foreign debt issue.

He referred to an AL-United Nations conference held last month to review means of supporting Somalia’s capabilities in the face of climate change.

He noted that the conference resulted in the launching several unprecedented initiatives for supporting Somalia.

He lauded the efforts exerted by Arab countries to support Somalia, highlighting Egypt’s relief efforts for backing the African Arab state.

He also referred to the Egyptian-Somali agreement to open a branch of Banque Misr in Somalia to facilitate financial cooperation between the two sides.