Mogadishu (Sunatimes) Traditional elders in Bay and Bakol regions
have hit back and defied Al-Shabaab’s recent orders compelling locals to join
its militias in effort to fight against Kenyan troops advancing towards rebel
stronghold in Lower Juba.
Issack Yonis, one of the area traditional elders conformed to
Bar-kulan that they will defy Al-Shabaab’s call, saying that people in these
regions need to work on developments and peace in the region.
He urged rebel leaders to stop luring youths in Bay and Bakol
regions into their war against Kenyan troops.
Al-Shabaab rebel leaders in Baidoa have on Tuesday morning
compelled locals to join their militias in lower Juba to hunker down for battle
with advancing Kenyan and government troops.
Using loudspeakers mounted on pick up trucks, the rebel group
asked people in Baidoa to take part in the fight against Kenyan troops which
they accused of invading Somalia.
A-Shabaab leader Adan Ali called on people to take part in what he
called a Holy war against aggressors, ordering them to immediately register
with them.
He threatened that his administration will punish those who refuse
to join their war against Kenyan troops.
Al-Shabaab’s orders come a time Kenyan government is reportedly
advancing on rebel held Afmadow town, 120 KM from Kenyan border.
Four million Somalis still remain
in crisis, UN says The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) has on Tuesday said four million people in Somalia remains in
crisis, including 1.8 million in humanitarian emergency and 830,000 in an
acute food and livelihood crisis. OCHA spokesperson Elizabeth Byears said the October to December
rains had started in the region and would provide much needed relief for many
areas affected by dryness in the Horn of Africa. OCHA said the south of Somalia had seen little to no rainfall
which was expected to exacerbate the drought, result in unfavorable
conditions for upcoming cropping activities and further deplete water
resources. The UN says torrential rain had hit drought displaced families
living in camps in Mogadishu, causing additional suffers to the displaced. |
UN warns of potential malaria
outbreak in Somalia Posted:19 Oct 2011 02:13 AM
PDT The United Nations has warned of a potential malaria outbreak in
Somalia where two million people are already suffering from drought, famine
and conflict. The world body says urgent measures are needed to avert a
possible malaria outbreak in the Horn of African country. It said combined conditions of drought, famine and conflict put
people at a higher risk of contracting the disease during the current rainy season. The UN has called on its partners to escalate their response
measures to prevent a malaria outbreak in the African country. UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Somalia representative Sikander
Khan, said the health of many Somalis is already extremely compromised due to
the drought and famine, especially children who are suffering from
malnutrition. He stated that they must act as swiftly as possible to prevent
deaths due to this deadly disease, saying that they are working with partners
on prevention as well as providing treatment services as necessary. In the next weeks, 280,000 long-lasting insecticide treated nets
will be distributed in drought-affected regions such as Hiran, Lower
Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, Lower Juba and Middle Juba in south-central Somalia. Malaria, which is caused by a parasite transmitted to humans
through the bites of infected mosquitoes, kills nearly 800,000 people around
the world every year with most of the deaths occurring in Africa. |
|
UN urged to
intervene to end Somalia turmoil Tanzania, Kenya and Seychelles have called for United Nations’
intervention to end political instability in Somalia, reports say. They say instability in Somalia affected tourism by undermining
safety of tourists and security in the Eastern Africa Region, reports The
Guardian. In a joint declaration, the three countries said political chaos
in Somalia had resulted into prevalence of piracy along the Eastern Coast of
the Indian Ocean which was inhibiting growth of cruise tourism and also
affecting other maritime activities including transportation of goods along
the Indian Ocean waters thus increasing the costs of insurance significantly. The joint declaration was signed by Tanzania’s Minister for
Tourism and Natural Resources, Ezekiel Maige, Kenya’s Minister for Tourism,
Najib Balala and Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board,
Alain St.Ange after meeting on the sidelines of the 19th Session of the
General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in
Gyeongju, South Korea. They stressed that a lasting solution to the region’s security
problem related to the political instability in Somalia and that it required
concerted efforts and intervention by the international community. In the declaration, the three countries underlined the
importance of the General Assembly of the UNWTO to recognize the importance
of tourism in the socio-economic sector of their three countries and its
contribution towards their GDPs, foreign exchange earnings, employment and
poverty alleviation. They said that Cruise Tourism was one of the niche tourism
market segments with huge potential for contributing to the region’s economic
growth while ensuring environmental sustainability. The move comes few days after the UK government outlined its
ongoing commitment to tackle piracy off the coast of the East Africa. The British Foreign Office Minister (For Africa), Henry
Bellingham was quoted speaking at the British Chamber of Shipping that his
government was 100 per cent behind a more robust response to piracy. Bellingham said that a UK funded maritime intelligence and
information coordination centre will be set up in Seychelles. The minister said the FCO and Serious Organised Crime Agency
were carrying out urgent work with the government of the Seychelles to
implement the move. The minister added that pirate financiers are the kingpins of
piracy and targeting them effectively will have a huge impact on the ability
of pirates to terrorise the high seas. |
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A-Shabaab leader Adan Ali called on people to take part in what he called a Holy war against aggressors