Ambo, Ethiopia (AFP) - Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed paid a visit to a hotbed of anti-government protests Wednesday, asking residents for patience as he works to bring change to the Horn of Africa country. Source: Hiiraan Online

ATHENS — A Greek Air Force jet crashed into the Aegean Sea on Thursday, killing the pilot, as he returned from a mission to intercept Turkish aircraft that had violated the country’s air space, Greek officials said. Source: Hiiraan Online

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A bomb exploded at a packed football stadium in southern Somalia and killed five spectators while wounding several others, police said Thursday evening. Source: Hiiraan Online

Muqdisho (Caasimada Online)- Sida la og yahay jiritaanka ciidanka Qalabka sida wuxuu heerkii ugu sareeyay gaaray markuu Taliyaha ahaa Allaha u naxariistee Gen. Daa’uud Cabdulle Xersi, waxayna soo dedejisay geeridiisii niyad jab ku yimid dhamaan ciidankii qalabka sida, kana wal walay cida ugu danbeyn doonta hoggaankiisii wanaagsanaa. Saraakiishii kala duwaneyd ee ciidanka qalabka siday waxay geeridii Gen. Daa’uud ay ku noqotay falaar wadnaha la taagay, hase ahaatee Gen. Maxamed Siyaad Barre oo xiligaasi ahaa ninka ugu dhow hoggaankaasi tacsi u diray ehelka marxuumka iyo guud ahaan ciidamadii wuxuuna yiri ‘Ruushka waxaa ka dhintay Saaxiib wanaagsan, Soomaalidana wiil baari ah Seerjitana Aabaheed’. Geerida Gen. Daa’uud waxay Maxamed Siyaad u aheyd fursad qaali ah oo uu ku soo gaaray mansabka dalka ugu sareeya ee Madaxweynenimada, markii la dilay Madaxweynihii xiligaasi C/rashiid Cali Sharma’arke 15-kii Oktoobar 1969-kii .Jaalle Siyaad iyo saraakiil kale oo ka agdhawaa waxay afgambi aan dhiig ku daadinin kula wareegeen hoggaanka dalka. Maxamed Siyaad Barre oo aan sumcad wanaagsan ku dhex laheyn ciidamada dhexdooda ayaa dhegta dhiiga u jaray Salaad Gabeyre oo ahaa ninka ugu kartida badnaa ciidamada, ujeedada ka danbeysayna waxay aheyd in loo daneeyo Maxamed Siyaad oo heybad aan muuqan ku dhex lahaa ciidamada. Ciidamada Milateriga oo ahaa awooda dalka iyo Afrika wuxuu lugta la galay siyaasadda iyo maamulka Dowladda, taasoo sababtay in dalka la geliyo marba xaalad aan loo baahneyn, waxaana laga xasuustaa dagaalkii 77 oo hal guuto oo Milateriga xuduuda isla markaana miisaaniyada horumarinta dalka ay kaligood qaataan, waxaana xiligaasi kadib ciidankii u lugta la sii galay marxalad hor leh. Inqilaabkii dhicisoobay ee uu abaabulay G/Sare Maxamuud Yuusuf Ciro 9-kii Apriil 1978-dii wuxuu sabab u noqday in ciidankii dhexdiisa qabyaalad toos ah lagu saleeyo hadey ahaan laheyd darajada ciidanka dhexdiisa, taasoo aakhirkii shacabka kalsoonidii ay u hayeen ciidanka ay noqotay mid burburtay, khilaaf mar walba soo noqnoqdana ku dhex abuurmay saraakiishii hoggaamineysay ciidanka sida khilaafkii Gen. Maxamed Cali Samatar iyo G/sare Shire Maxamed Siyaad. Aakhirkii burburka Millaterigu wuxuu Gobolladii dhexe ee Soomaaliya ka fuliyey falal waxashnimo ah sida dil, dhac, kufsi iyo burburin loo geystay barkadihii biyaha ee dadka iyo xooluhu ka cabbi jireen, sidoo kale Gobolladii Waqooyi ee dalka ayaa muddadii uu kacaanku jirey oo dhan uu amar millateri saarnaa, dadkuna ay bartilmaameed u ahaayeen millateriga, iyadoo dagaal hubeysan oo cirka iyo dhulka ah lagu qaaday, loona soo kireystay duuliyayaal ajnabi ah oo calooshood u shaqeystayaal ah. Burburkii Dowladdii Kacaanka kadib 1991-kii waxaa kala yaacay oo beelahoodii ku kala biiray ciidamadii qalabka siday iyo saraakiishoodii, waxayna qaarkood ay ka qeyb qaateen dagaal mindhicireedkii dalka ka dhacay iyo dagaaladii kale ee kooxaha siyaasadda dalka, kuwaasi oo qaarkood ku dhintay difaaca beelahooda, aqoontii ay dadka iyo dalka u barteen god ayey la galeen iyagoo caadifad qabiil difaacaya. Waxaa kaloo xusad mudan Saraakiishii ciidan ee Alle ka badbaadiyay iney u dagaalamaan beelahooda oo si gardaran fikirkooda loogu dilay iyagoo qaarkood cibaadeysanayay. Ciidamada Qalab Sida ee ahaa ishii laga riday Qaranka Soomaaliyeed waxaa xiligan hadii maanta sida tiir taagan ahaan lahaayeen in aan loo baahnaan laheyn ciidamo shisheeye oo nabad ilaalin u jooga xiligan Soomaaliya, lagana maarmi lahaa howshooda. Waxaase soo muuqda ifafaale nabadeed oo dib loogu unkayo awoodii ciidan ee xoogga dalka Soomaaliya, balse u baahan kartidii iyo waaga aragnimadii sida Gen. Daa’uud Cabdulle Xersi oo geeridiisa niyad jab ku noqotay ciidamadda qalabka sida, kuwa maanta hoggaanka u haayana waxaan ka rajeynayaa in ay fiiriyaan wadadii Allaha u naxariistee Gen. Daa’uud. Ciidamadda Xoogga dalka, Booliska, Nabadsugida iyo qeybaha kale ee amni ilaaliyaasha waxaa la gudboon iney ka dhowrsadaan u adeegida cid kasta oo wax u dhimeysa qaranimada Soomaaliya, Hambalyo sanad guurada aas-aaska xoogga dalka Soomaaliyeed. Ali Muhiaddin Ali facebook.com/sheekha2 muxiyaddiin@hotmail.com

Somali tech accelerator Innovate Ventures has opened applications to the third cycle of its Hargeisa-based programme, with 12 startups to join the cohort. Source: Hiiraan Online

Beledweyne (HOL) - At least one person has been killed and several others sustained serious injuries after the perimeter wall collapsed in Beledweyne, central Somalia. Source: Hiiraan Online

Late last month, Somalia called on the United Nations Security Council to halt the construction of a UAE military base in Somaliland. Somalia's ambassador to the UN slammed the deal to build the base in the port city of Berbera as a "clear violation of international law". Source: Hiiraan Online

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA – Facing a crushing and continuing drought, Somalia needs urgent investment if it is to avoid another humanitarian crisis, warns the global organization Mercy Corps. The three-year drought blighting the country has claimed thousands of lives, displaced more than two million people and worsened the spread of cholera and measles outbreaks. Source: Hiiraan Online

Lawyers managed to keep Abdulkadir Sharif Abdi off a recent deportation flight. Source: Hiiraan Online

ADDIS ABABA, April 11 (Xinhua) — The Ethiopian government on Wednesday announced its plan to generate close to 1 billion U.S. dollars on annual basis from the recently discovered natural gas. The 7 to 8 billion cubic trillion feet (TFC) of natural gas in Ethiopia’s Somali regional state was recently discovered by the Chinese firm Poly-GCL. “We are expecting a one billion U.S. dollar revenue from gas export in the first year of operation, anticipating the figure would rise in the subsequent years due to the huge reserve,” Ethiopian Minister Mines, Natural Gas and Petroleum, Motuma Mekassa, was quoted by state newspaper on Wednesday as saying. Mekassa also said that due to the expensive nature of the processing procedures an agreement was reached with the Chinese Poly-GCL to install a pipeline and transport the gas to Ethiopia’s neighboring country Djibouti. According to Mekassa, the Chinese firm is also expected to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Djibouti Port so as to process the natural gas and export it to China. He also revealed an ongoing negotiation between the Chinese Poly-GCL and Djibouti’s government in the construction of the pipeline and liquefied gas plant, in which the Ethiopian government is helping the two parties reach the final agreement. The gas discovery is a great phenomenon which is expected to make a meaningful contribution in sustaining country’s rapid economic growth in the years to come, according to Mekassa. “Ethiopia has witnessed non-oil driven economic growth for over a decade and the discovered gas is essential in diversifying the economy and enlarging natural resources contribution to the country’s GDP,” he explained. The energy sector is one of Ethiopia’s priorities as the country envisaged to become a light manufacturing hub in Africa and a middle-income economy by 2025. Officials at the Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE) on Monday told Xinhua that Ethiopia is presently working to reach 17,300 MW of energy by the end of 2020, from the current 4,280 MW of energy through energy projects in hydro, wind, geothermal and biomass energy. Source: Xinhua

Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on Thursday flagged off 1,822 soldiers for Somalia mission in the horn of Africa. Source: Hiiraan Online

Muqdisho (Caasimada Online)-War goordhow nasoo gaaray ayaa sheegaya in Dowlada Imaaraadka Carabta ay dacwad ka dhan ah dowlada Federaalka ah ee Somalia u gudbisay Dowlada Sacuudiga. Dacwadan oo qodobeysan ayaa la sheegayaa inuu gudbiyay Wasiirka Arrimaha Dibedda Imaaraadka Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Dacwadan ayaa la xaqiijiyay inay salka ku heyso dhaqaale gudaha asbuucan lagu qabtay Garoonka Aadan Cadde ee magaalada Muqdisho, taa oo Safaarada Imaaraadka Carabta ay sifo sharci darro ah kusoo galineysay Somalia. Dacwadaha laga gudbiyay dowlada Somalia ayaa waxaa sidoo kale kamid ah in Dowlada Somalia ay isha la raaceyso talaabooyinka ay qaadeyso dowlada Imaaraadka, halka ay ka weecatay Heshiisyo dhowr ah oo horay loo kala saxiixday. Dacwada oo u gudubtay Boqorka sacuudiga, Salmaan Bin Cabdul Casiis, ayaa waxaa lagu wadaa in lagala xaajoodo Dowlada Somalia, waxaana xusid mudan in Dacwada ay qeyb ka tahay faragalino kale oo ay tabaneyso Imaaraadka Carabta. Dowlada Imaaraadka ayaa faragalin xad dhaaf ah ku heysa Siyaasada Somalia, taa oo gaartay heerkii ugu xumaa, marka dib loo eego faragalintii hore. Dhinaca kale, , Dacwadan ayaa kusoo beegmeysa xili Madaxweynaha Somalia Maxamed Cabdullahi Farmaajo, lagu wado inuu gaaro magaalada Riyadh, isagoo kulamo gaara halkaa kula qaadan doona Boqorka Sacuudiga iyo Madax kale oo ka tirsan maamulka Sacuudiga. Caasimada Online Xafiiska Muqdisho Caasimada@live.com

DAKAR — State-sanctioned executions and death sentences decreased in 2017, including in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report by Amnesty International. Source: Hiiraan Online

Muqdisho (Caasimada Online)-Qarax xoogan ayaa waxa uu ka dhacay Garoon lagu cayaaro kubadda cagta oo ku yaalla bartamaha degmada Baraawe ee Gobolka Shabeellaha Hoose. Qaraxan oo xoogiisa laga wada maqlay degmada Baraawe, ayaa waxa uu kusoo beegmay xili ay socotay Ciyaar kubadda Cagta ah oo u dhaxeysay laba kooxood oo looga garanayo degmada Baraawe. Kooxaha cayaarta ay u dhexeysay xiliga Qaraxa ayaa lagu kala magacaabo Elman iyo SYl, waxaana inta ay soctay mar qura la maqlay Qaraxa. Qaraxa oo ahaa Miinada nooca dhulka lagu aaso ee meelaha fog fog laga hago ayaa waxaa ku dhinteen 4 Qof oo Shacab ah. Khasaaraha dhaawac ee Qaraxa ayaa sii maraya 6 ruux oo kale, sida uu xaqiijiyey Gudoomiye Ku-xigeenka Amniga iyo Siyaasada Degmada baraawe. Garoonka ayaa waxaa sidoo kale ku sugnaa Mas’uuliyiin ka tirsanaa maamulka Baraawe iyo boqolaal kamid ah Shacabka degmada oo usoo daawasho tagay Garoonka ay ku argagaxeen Qaraxa. Dhinaca kale, maamulka Degmada ayaa sheegay in Qaraxa ay ka danbeeyen maleeshiyaadka al-Shabaab oo inta badan dhagaro u maleega dadka shacabka ah. Caasimada Online Xafiiska Muqdisho Caasimada@live.com

Displaced pastoralists in Somaliland’s drought-hit Togdher region are being paid to clear thickets of an invasive tree that is taking over farm and grazing land. Around 600 families living in IDP camps in and around Burao have been hired for a two-month project by environmental group, Pastoral Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (PENHA). They are paid $82 a month to cut down and burn the Algobra trees, known locally as parasite trees. Rowdo Adan Jama, 42, told Radio Ergo she was happy with the work scheme as she no longer had to worry about her nine children’s food. They have been surviving on irregular aid in an IDP camp from humanitarian organizations. She used their first $82 salary to buy sugar, rice, flour, oil and milk. Hassan Awil Dirir of PENHA said the parasite trees have been rapidly invading farmland in Burao and villages including Beer and Yirowe. PENHA started the initiative, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), to give livelihood support to destitute families whilst ridding the area of the plant menace. Work is being offered to people aged 25-50, who have no source of income. They are required work six days a week. The men cut down the trees then the women burn them. Rowdo said her husband had no means of supporting the family after they lost their 180 goats and seven camels in the drought over the last two years. The have just 10 goats left. Abshir Abdi Yusuf, 45, had spent more than a year in Siliga camp with his wife and six children in eastern Burao without any income. He told Radio Ergo they had depended on occasional aid distributions, after losing 180 goats and 26 camels in Habura village, roughly 80 km south west of Burao. He was also very glad to get the work with PENHA, so as to be independent at least for a while. The Algobra tree, or Prosopis Juliflora, is a very hardy plant that withstands drought because of its deep root system. Introduced in the 1980s as part of reforestation experiments, the invasive tree has been taking over agricultural and grazing land and spreading fast in urban areas all over Somalia. However, there are differing views among local people and experts as to how to deal with it. According to Mohamed Farah, a lecturer in botany at the University of Burao, Algobra is not beneficial to people or livestock because of its exhaustion of water in the catchment areas, preventing other indigenous plants from growing. Dr Hussein Haji, executive director of local agro-technology group SATG, said Algobra could be turned to people’s advantage: “People don’t know what to do with it. Some are proposing to cut the tree and use it as charcoal. The pods can be used as animal feed, but unfortunately the plant has sharp spines and it is not easy to harvest the pods. Cutting the tree and using it as charcoal is a way to slow down the spread of the tree and perhaps help reduce the cutting of acacia trees, which is generally used for charcoal.” Ergo

Somalia on Wednesday announced it would end UAE funding for its armed forces as relations between the two countries continues to sour. Defence Minister Mohamed Mursal made the announcement to reporters shortly after the UAE condemned what it called an “illegal” move by Somalia to seize $9.6 million from an aircraft at the Mogadishu airport on Sunday. The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, said Emirati Armed Forces aboard the plane were held at gunpoint and assaulted. Abu Dhabi says the cash was earmarked for training and supporting the Somali army. “The UAE deplores this violation of international law and norms at a time when the UAE has provided all kinds of political, economic, military and humanitarian support in the darkest conditions to establish security and stability” in Somalia, the foreign ministry said. Somalia’s government has dismissed the reports and said the cash was seized after the UAE ambassador refused to let the unmarked bags be scanned. A security ministry statement said Mogadishu is launching an investigation as to why the funds had been smuggled into the country. The $9.6 million will be stored in Somalia’s central bank pending the results of the official investigation, according to VOA News. Somalia’s defence minister said all UAE-trained Somali troops would be integrated into army units by Thursday. “It’s our duty as the government to ensure the salaries for our army,” he said. Military officials have long claimed the UAE-trained troops were taking orders from Emirati advisers rather than Somalia’s government, conducting unilateral raids aimed at politicians and other figures. In recent months the UAE-trained forces repeatedly clashed with other Somali forces, leaving dozens dead. Relations between Somalia and the UAE have deteriorated since the oil-rich Gulf country began operating a major port in Somalia’s breakaway territory of Somaliland last year. The UAE also has invited Somaliland officials for state visits and is building a military base there, suggesting that the country is moving toward recognising Somaliland’s independence. Somaliland is located in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb area, and a military base there would allow the UAE to protect its shipping interests in the Gulf of Aden. Somaliland is also located across Yemen, making a military base useful for the UAE, which is part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the country.

ADDIS ABABA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Wednesday announced its plan to generate close to 1 billion U.S. dollars on annual basis from the recently discovered natural gas. Source: Hiiraan Online

Muqdisho (Caasimada Online)-Warar dheeraad ah ayaa waxa uu kasoo baxayaa Qarax ka dhacay degmada Kaxda ee Gobolka Banaadir, gaar ahaan Waaxda Cumar Fiyaasko. Qaraxan ayaa nuuciisa ahaa Miino nooca dhulka lagu aaso, waxaana uu qabsaday Gaari Dheyno ah oo wadada marayay, waxaana saarnaa dad safar ah. Miinada ayaa la sheegay in Qaraxa ka hor lagu sii wargaliyay maamulka, hase ahaatee mas’uuliyad xumi jirtay aawgeed ay u dayaceen maamulka, sidaana uu ku dhacay Qaraxa. Sakariye C/laahi Cilmi oo ah Guddoomiyaha Waaxda Cumar Fiyaasko ee degmada Kaxda, ayaa sheegay in Qaraxa uu ka dhashay khasaaro aad u xoogan. Sakariye C/laahi Cilmi, oo saxaafada uga waramaayay ayaa yiri “Waxaa Alle mahadiis ah in khasaare badan uusan geysan qaraxan, marka loo eego waxaa ujeedka uu ahaa in lagu waxyeeleeyo shacab fara badan, Qarax Miino ayuu ahaa gaari dad shacab ah ay saarnaayeen ayuu qabsaday.” Sidoo kale Guddoomiyaha ayaa sheegay in Ciidanka ammaanka ay ku daba jiraan raggii falkan ka dambeeyay oo uu sheegay in ay a tirsan yihiin xoogaga ururka Al-shabaab, gacantana ay ku soo dhigi doonaan. Si kastaba ha ahaatee, Qaraxyada ceynkaan ayaa kusoo beegma xili ay mas’uuliyad darro ka muuqato dhammaan shaqsiyaadka dowlada ugu magacaaban Degmooyinka. Caasimada Online Xafiiska Muqdisho Caasimada@live.com

Baraawe (PP) ─ Ugu yaraan afar ruux ayaa ku dhintay in ka badan 10-qof oo kalena dhaawacyo ayaa kasoo gaaray qarax ka dhacay garoon kubadda lagu cayaaro oo ku yaalla demada Baraawe ee gobolka Shabeellaha Hoose. Qaraxan ayaa la sheegay inuu ahaa mid culus, iyadoo aan la ogeyn cidda ka dambeysa, balse wararka laga helayo degmadaas ayaa sheegaya in shacab badan ay ku sugnaayeen garoonka xilligii uu qaraxan dhacayay. Goobjoogayaal ku sugan degmada Baraawe ayaa sheegay in cayaarta lagu weeraray qaraxa ay ahayd sami-final ay ku loolamayeen laba kooxood oo ka mid ah kooxaha degmada ka dhisan oo dhawaanahan uu tartan kubadda cagta ah u socday. Guddoomiye ku xigeenka maamulka degmada Baraawe, Bashiir Maxamed Yuusuf oo la hadlay warbaahinta ayaa sheegay in qaraxa uu ahaa mid ay meesha ku duugtay Kooxda Al-shabaab oo ugu yeeray koox cadwo ah . “Qaraxu wuxuu dhacay abbaare 5:00 galabnimo ee maanta, wuxuuna ahaa mid garoonka lagu sii duugay, waxaana ku dhintay afar qof, tiro intaas ka badanna way ku dhaawacmeen, lix ka mid ahna waxaa la dhigay isbitaalka weyn ee Baraawe,” ayuu hadalkiisa ku daray Bashiir Maxamed. Sidoo kale, Guddoomiye ku xigeenka ayaa intaas ku daray in garoonka ay ku sugnaayeen saddex meelood laba meel shacabka ku nool degmada Baraawe si ay cayaarta u daawadaan, balse nasiib-darro qaraxan ayaa dhacay. “Dadka ku dhintay iyo kuwa ku dhaawacmay qaraxan waxay isugu jireen shacabka iyo dhallinyaradii cayaaraysay, runtiina dhibaato weyn ayay tani u ahayd shacabka iyo maamulka degmada,” ayuu hadalkiisa ku daray. Ugu dambeyn, Kooxda Al-shabaab oo lagu eedeeyay qaraxan ayaa iyadu ka hadlin weli qaraxan la sheegay inay mas’uulka ka yihiin, waxaana la sheegay in xaaladda degmada Baraawe ay caawa tahay mid kacsan. PUNTLAND POST The post Qarax dhimasho iyo dhaawac sababay oo ka dhacay galabta Garoon ku yaalla Baraawe appeared first on Puntland Post.

Applications are now open for the third cycle of the tech accelerator Innovate Ventures Accelerator, based in Hargeisa, Somaliland. This year’s programme will accept 12 startups and will invest up to $30,000 in the teams with the highest potential. The programme aims to support young entrepreneurs in Somaliland and Somalia and grow the nascent startup ecosystem in the country. Innovate Ventures works with VC4A Telesom and Oxfam under the Work In Progress! project to make this programme possible. To date, the programme has graduated 25 startups and has invested almost $50,000 in its graduates. Programme overview The Innovate Accelerator is a 12-week programme that comprises mentorship and training by domain experts and entrepreneurs and seed investment for up to four startups from the Innovate Ventures Fund. Applications will be accepted online from startups based in Somaliland or Somalia for entrepreneurs under the age of 35. Up to 20 of these startups will be selected for a one-week bootcamp, during which the commercial viability of the product or service will be espoused and the traction attained to-date will be evaluated. Successful startups will proceed to a 12-week accelerator programme, which will be based in Hargeisa, Somaliland. This group will receive mentoring and training on how to build a commercially viable and scalable technology-enabled business. Demo day The culmination of the programme is the demo day where the startups receive introductions to the leading companies and investors in the Somali region. The demo day will involve the startups pitching to a room full of local and international investors and media. The top four startups will receive up to $30,000 in investment from the Innovate Ventures Fund. “Running the accelerator programme for three years has been a learning experience for our team at Innovate Ventures”, says Warda Dirir, co-founder of Innovate Ventures. “We’re constantly tuning the programme to the needs of the entrepreneurs in this part of the world and overcoming challenges particular to the environment here.” Exposure The accelerator programme will provide much-needed exposure to Somali startup, and enable the founders to road test their propositions and get immediate feedback about their business models from experienced entrepreneurs and business mentors. Applications The Innovate Accelerator applications are open until 15 June 2018. Business workshops and info sessions for potential applicants will be held jointly by VC4A and Innovate Ventures in the week of 29 April 2018 as part of the roadshow in Somaliland. You can apply [[https://goo.gl/7Ucdzj here or you can email Info@Innovate.so for more information.

Somalia’s federal government can do little to stop the project THE ancient port town of Berbera in Somaliland, a breakaway state in northern Somalia, is generally a sleepy place. The heat, which can reach 50 degrees Celsius in the summer, stifles even the dogs. Yet visitors will find it buzzing at the moment. Near the edge of town, sand and rubble fill the space where, until recently, there were 19th-century Ottoman traders’ houses. New buildings are springing up. A little out to sea, as half a dozen ships idle in the sun, a barge from Dubai hauls a colossal crane towards the shore. All of this activity relates to a new port being built by DP World, a company mostly owned by the government of Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At the moment, Berbera’s port is small—used mostly for the export of livestock to the Persian Gulf, and the import of goods to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. However, over the next decade or so, thanks to DP World, it could turn into one of east Africa’s biggest. The port and another Emirati project, to build a military base in Berbera, are powerful reminders of how money from the Gulf is changing the Horn of Africa. It also risks exacerbating the struggle between Somalia’s weak, but internationally recognised federal government in Mogadishu and its restive, secessionist regions. The Berbera port, which will cost some $450m, is by far the biggest investment in Somaliland since the province declared independence from Somalia in 1991 (in practical, but not legal, terms it is a separate country). It has taken on a new significance since February, when DP World was thrown out of neighbouring Djibouti, where it had operated the main port since 2009. Djibouti currently handles over 90% of Ethiopia’s sea trade, and also hosts French, American and Chinese naval bases. Somaliland officials probably hope to steal some of that traffic. In March Ethiopia announced it had bought a 19% stake in the Berbera port. The project annoys politicians in Mogadishu, who fear losing more of their already meagre authority. So they have kicked back at the UAE. Last month parliament passed a law banning DP World from all of Somalia (something it cannot enforce). On April 8th the authorities in Mogadishu temporarily seized an Emirati plane carrying some $9.6m in cash, apparently intended for soldiers in Puntland, another autonomous state, being trained by the UAE. On April 11th the defence minister announced that Somalia would end a similar programme in which the UAE paid and trained soldiers in the national army, who will henceforth be paid by the (penniless) federal government. Officials in Somaliland are unruffled. The federal government “cannot control even ten square kilometres of Mogadishu”, says Liban Yusuf Osman, Somaliland’s deputy foreign minister, dismissing its objection to the port deal. But the dispute drives a big wedge between the two governments, says Rashid Abdi of International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based NGO. It does not help that many politicians in Mogadishu are thought to have taken money from Qatar, the UAE’s rival, or that Turkey, another rival, is one of Somalia’s biggest foreign investors. Indeed, the government in Mogadishu is a mess, thanks in part to constant manoeuvring by foreign-funded politicians. On April 9th the speaker of parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari, stood down, having apparently lost a power struggle with the prime minister, Hassan Ali Khayre, and the president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known by his nickname “Farmaajo”. A few days before, African Union soldiers had to step in after Mr Jawari’s bodyguards stormed the parliament and ran up against troops loyal to the prime minister. Both sides ostensibly oppose the port in Berbera, but Mr Jawari saw an opportunity to seize more power for parliament by holding a (symbolic) vote on the deal, without consulting Mr Mohamed. The bickering does not help the cause of a unified Somalia. The government in Mogadishu has little to offer the country’s regions. That allows countries like the UAE to swoop in and fill the gaps. Al-Shabab, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, continues to mount successful attacks. On April 1st dozens of Ugandan soldiers were killed by the jihadists in the most deadly raid in over a year. The greater the chaos in the areas ostensibly controlled by federal government, the smaller the incentive for regions such as Somaliland to care what its politicians think. This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A storm over a port”

Wednesday 11 April 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The devastating drought in the Horn of Africa is threatening progress made towards stamping out some of the worst forms of abuse against women and girls, Save the Children is warning. After an unprecedented four consecutive failed rains in Somaliland, and despite a global decline in child marriage[1], the aid organisation is deeply concerned by encountering repeated cases of forced child marriage as a result of the drought. New research by Save the Children found that 51 teenage girls (out of 1,104 households) had been married off because of the way in which the drought was impacting their families.[2] Moderate to severe hunger was also evident in most of the eleven districts included in the assessment, while 10% of families interviewed reported that one of their girls has been sexually assaulted. This comes as Somaliland’s first ever so-called ‘Anti-Rape’ law was given a further seal of approval in the parliament’s Upper House, which voted for the bill with a majority on Saturday (7 April 2018). Save the Children and partners such as the Women’s Rights network, NAGAAD have campaigned to bring the Sexual Offences Bill to parliament, where it received an initial endorsement in December 2017.[3] Timothy Bishop, Save the Children’s Somaliland / Somalia Country Director, said: “A third of women globally experience some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.[4] As if that wasn’t shocking enough, many of these crimes are being perpetrated against girls that should be in primary school – yet are married off to men old enough to be their fathers or even grandfathers. “Save the Children fully supports the Sexual Offences Bill and the progress being made by the Ministry of Employment, Family and Social Affairs of Somaliland to protect women and girls from all forms of sexual violence, whether perpetrated by a stranger or a relative. The more funding made available for medical and psychological support for survivors, the more likely they will be to report crimes and seek justice. “With the worst drought in living memory and the ongoing conflict driving cracks through the economy and the fabric of society, never has this legislation been more important.” Save the Children calls on all decision-makers to urgently prioritise the protection of women and girls from rape and other sexual offences, not just in Somaliland but also in southern regions of Somalia. Drought has displaced one million people in the whole of Somalia in 2017 alone[5], leaving women and young mothers especially vulnerable to assault. This includes girls like, Caaisho*, 15, who was married off to an older man in the midst of the devastating drought. She said: “I was 14 years old when I got married. My father wanted it. I could not say no to him. He had nothing, his livestock died. My husband then came up to my father and said I want your daughter. Although the prevalence of child marriage is decreasing globally, by 15% over the last decade, the rates of decline are lower in Africa than elsewhere in the world. The total number of girls married before they turn 18 is estimated to be 12 million a year.[6] Save the Children is campaigning for the governments of Somaliland and Somalia to set the minimum age of marriage at 18 years. Somaliland’s Sexual Offences Bill is the first piece of legislation to address gender-based violence. Under the draft bill, all forms of sexual offence would be criminalised, including rape, gang rape, sexual assault, trafficking and forced early marriage. The bill has now been agreed in the lower and upper house of parliament, but still needs approval from the President. A major player in this campaign for the Sexual Offences Bill is Nafisa Yusuf, Executive Director of the Women’s Rights network, NAGAAD, in Somaliland. She said:“I believe the President wishes to send a clear message that rape, or any form of sexual abuse, will not be tolerated in Somaliland, either morally, culturally, nor legally. By signing off this new law, that message will be loud and clear. “One of the biggest misconceptions about this Anti-Rape law is that it opposed religious teachings, which is simply not true. The root cause of sexual violence against women is unequal power relations between men and women. Conflict, displacement, and the cultural changes that follow, are factors which exacerbate these unequal power relations. In short, the problems faced by women and girls in Somaliland are not due to religion, but culture, which changes when societies are precarious following seismic changes.” ENDS For interview requests, please contact: Gemma Parkin g.parkin@savethechildren.org.uk +254 743145305 Notes to Editors: * (name changed) About Save the Children’s Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment Report February 2018 This needs assessment was carried out between January 25th and 6th of February 2018 in eleven districts, seven from South and Central Somalia and four from Somaliland. 1104 households across 41 communities were covered in the assessment. Somaliland zone contributed 36% of the households. According to the office of UNOCHA, some 5.4 Million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Somalia and some 1.2 million people could be malnourished this year. About Child marriage rates in Somaliland / Somalia Somaliland and Somalia are among the highest gender unequal countries in the world but have the highest data gaps to reflect recent changes. The ongoing humanitarian crisis has exacerbated poverty, insecurity, and lack of access to education, factors which drive child marriage. Recent figures however show decline in prevalence of child marriage in the country from 24.6% in 2006 to around 10% in 2016.[7] Save the Children research from 2017[8] found child marriage is more prevalent in south and central parts of the Somalia. These parts of the country have consistently witnessed prolonged humanitarian crisis compared to other parts of the country thus increasing vulnerability to early marriage. Save the Children’s campaigning on the Sexual Offences Bill Save the Children has supported the Sexual Offences Bill in Somaliland, with financial and technical support to bring the draft bill to the attention of decision makers. Save the Children as part of the INGO consortium in Somalia is also supporting the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia to adopt the draft Sexual Offences Bill. Once enacted, it will be the first piece of legislation to comprehensively address gender-based violence in southern Somalia. The current draft Sexual Offences Bill is the result of two years of consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders, including elders and religious experts, as well as civil society, women’s groups, lawyers and various government agencies. It is crucial that the Bill is passed in its present form to ensure that all sexual offences are comprehensively criminalized, that all people who have experienced or are at risk of sexual violence in Somalia are afforded adequate protection and access to justice, and that the duties of justice actors to investigate and prosecute such crimes are clearly defined and enforceable.

A Somali-Swedish female politician is hoping to become the first elected Somali-Swedish legislator in the upcoming 2018 Swedish general election, slated to be held on September 9, 2018. The Somali-Swedish female politician, Laila Ali Elmi, has presented her herself as a legislative candidate on Sweden’s fourth largest political party, the Green Party “Miljöpartiet” ticket for Angered district in Gothenburg city representative. Elmi was born in Somalia and her family fled to Sweden in early 1990s when civil war tore the country apart. Elmi has been a member of Gothenburg’s Angered district local council since 2014 and she hopes to be elected as a member of Sweden’s national law-making assembly, the Riksdag (Riksdagen), after winning Green Party’s nomination for the general election. If elected, she would be the first East African, Muslim woman elected to Riksdag. Elmi who is tussling it out with rival candidates -all jostling for the Riksdag seat enjoys the backing of Angered district’s majority voters since Angered district is home to the largest East African immigrants in Sweden. Gothenburg’s Angered district is home to a 14,000 Somali community members and the largest East African community in Sweden, thus making Elmi the presumptive Angered district’s Riksdag representative. Speaking to journalist in Gothenburg, a Somali-Swedish senior political analyst Ahmed Mohamoudd Ali Gooni better known as Saajid Afrika, has stated that hard work, passion and large base of supporters will propel Laila Ali Elmi to the legislative seat. The 2018 Swedish general election, scheduled for Sunday 9 September 2018, will elect the members of the Riksdag which in turn will elect the Prime Minister of Sweden. The Swedish Riksdag is made up of 349 MPs, Currently, Elmi’s party the Green Party is the fourth-largest party in the Riksdag with 25 seats. The author, Abdirisak Itaqile

The Guurti (the Upper House of the Parliament) approved the Rape Bill with changes. According to article 78 of the Constitution, the Bill will go back to the House of Representatives to debate the amendments proposed by the Guurti. The proposed amendment of the Bill affects 15 articles (1, 3, 4, 5, 9,10, 14, 17, 25, 29, 35, 38, 39, 40, 45). The House of Representatives has the power to either agree with the amendments proposed by the Guurti or to approved the Bill in its original form. The main amendments made to the Bill are the following: Article 1 In the original draft of the Bill as approved by the House of Representatives, the definition of a child was any person under 18. The Guurti changed the age to any person aged under 15. Consent is removed from the definition of rape. Article 4 The punishment is considerably reduced. The jail sentence that could be given to a person found guilty of a rape is made 5 to 20 years. If the victim is a child, the minimum is 10 years and the maximum 20. If it is a gang rape, it is 15 to 20 years jail term. According to the Guurti amendments, in any case, the maximum cannot be more than 20 years. Article 9 forced marriage The Guurti exempted fathers and grandfathers from a punishment if they are involved in forced marriage. Article 17 The proposed amendments made by the Guurti in article 17 is vague. In the form approved by the House of Representatives, the articles stated that there is no expiration time for reporting a rape case. The Guurti version says: “The period of initiation of a case should be within 48 hours if there are no grounds delaying: The submission of the case or complaint of the sexual offenses; or The initiation of the prosecution of the case against the accused person held for sexual offenses stated in this law.” Rape cases are already one of the least reported crimes in Somaliland. Guleid Ahmed Jama The director of Human Rights Centre, Hargeisa Somaliland

Muqdisho, April 12, 2018: Madaxweynaha Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya Mudane Maxamed Cabdullaahi Farmaajo ayaa hambalyo u diray Saraakiisha, Saraakiil-Xigeennada, Aliflayda, Dableyda iyo dhammaan qeybaha kala duwan ee Ciidanka Xoogga Dalka iyo qooysaskooda oo maanta ay ku beegantahay sannad guuradii 58-aad ee ka soo wareegtay markii la asaasay. Madaxweynaha oo kala qeyb galay munaasabadda xuska maalintan cutubyo ka tirsan Ciidanka Xoogga ayaa sheegay in si dardar leh ay u socdaan howlaha dib u dhiska ciidanka, tallaabooyin muuqdana loo qaaday isku dhafka ciidammada, dib u habeynta hannaanka maaliyadda iyo howl-gelinta. Madaxweyne Farmaajo ayaa tilmaamay in dadaalladaas dib u dhiska ah ay barbar socdaan guulo ay ciidanku ka gareen dagaalka lagaga sifeynayo dalka argagixisada Alshabaab. “Muddadii ugu danbeysay ee aan ku shaqeynaayey Wasaaradadda Gaashaandhigga, waxaan ku guuleysannay in aan dib u saxano diiwaan gelinta dhammaan askarta, iyadoona loo sameyeeyey mid kasta fayl u gaar ah oo ay ku qoronatahay xog kasta oo ku saabsan askarigaas, taas oo aan horey u jirin.” Madaxweyne Maxamed Cabdullaahi Farmaajo ayaa sheegay in lagu kordhinayo qeybaha Ciidanka Xoogga Dalka cutubyo ku takhasusay dagaalka melayshiyaadka, taas oo ka tarjumaysa qorshaha dowladda ee ku aaddan xoreynta deegaannada ay gacanta ku hayaan argagixisada Alshabaab. Madaxweynaha ayaa faray Ciidanka Xoogga Dalka in ay tusaale wanaagsan u noqdaan shacabka Soomaaliyeed, gaar ahaan ciribtirka musuqmaasuqa iyo qabyaaladda oo labaduba dib dhigay dowladnimada iyo horumarka dalka. Sidoo kale, Madaxweynaha ayaa uga mahad celiyay dowladaha iyo ururrada caalamiga ee garab taagan Ciidanka Xoogga Dalka, isagoona ugu baaqay shacabka Soomaaliyeed in ay taageero buuxda siiyaan ciidankooda, dadaal muuqdana ay ku bixiyaan xoreeynta dalka. Munaasabaddan waxaa ka qayb galay Wasiirka Gaashaandhigga Xukuumadda Federaalka Soomaaliya Mudane Maxamed Mursal Sheekh, Xubno ka tirsan labada Gole ee Baarlmaanka, Taliyaha Ciidanka Xoogga Dalka Jeneraal Cabdiweli Jaamac Xuseen (Gorod), Taliyaha Ciidanka Asluubta Sarreeye Guud Bashiir Maxamed Jaamac, Taliyaha Ciidanka Booliska Jeneraal Bashiir Cabdi Maxamed, Taliyaha Ciidanka Nabad Sugidda Mudane Xuseen Cismaan Xuseen iyo qaar ka mid ah Danjirayaasha ka hawl galo dalka. ___DHAMMAAD___ The post Madaxweyne Farmaajo oo ka qeyb galay Xuska Sannad Guurada 58-aad ee Ciidanka Xoogga Dalka Soomaaliyeed appeared first on Puntland Post.