Saturday 30, Nov,2024 At least six people were killed and ten others injured on Friday afternoon in renewed inter-clan fighting along the volatile border of Somalia’s Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions.

According to local residents, the conflict erupted in the El-Dhere rural area between armed groups from the Hawadle and Abgaal clans over resource disputes.

Despite recent high-profile efforts for reconciliation, including a meeting of traditional elders and political leaders from both clans in Mogadishu last week, the situation has continued to escalate. Calls for calm have yet to yield results, heightening concerns of further violence.

Reports from the area indicate that residents have started fleeing their homes in anticipation of heavier clashes. The recent fighting follows similar clashes in El Baraf and Jalalaqsi districts earlier this week, underscoring the fragile security situation in the region.

Saturday 30,Nov,2024 {HMC} Rebel forces in Syria have taken control of “half” of the country’s second-largest city, Aleppo, according to the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

SOHR said 277 people – including more than 20 civilians – have been killed since the offensive started on Wednesday. The offensive is the largest against the Syrian government in years and the first time rebels fighting the forces of President Bashar al-Assad have reached Aleppo since being forced out by the army in 2016.

Aleppo’s airport and all roads leading into the city have been closed, military sources told Reuters news agency. The rebels were able to capture “half of Aleppo” without meeting significant resistance, SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP news agency early on Saturday.

There “has been no fighting, not a single shot was fired, as regime forces withdrew”, he added. Earlier on Friday, government forces said they had regained positions in a number of towns in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, following the offensive launched by HTS and allied factions on Wednesday.

Video posted on a channel affiliated with the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) appears to show rebel fighters in vehicles inside the city. BBC Verify has geolocated the footage to a western suburb of Aleppo.

More than half a million people have been killed in the civil war that erupted after the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011. An array of armed groups opposed to the Assad government – including jihadists – took advantage of the turmoil to seize swathes of territory.

The Syrian government – with help from Russia and other allies – later retook most the areas it had lost. Idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold, is mostly controlled by HTS, but Turkish-backed rebel factions and Turkish forces are also based there.

Syrian and Russian planes carried out 23 air strikes near Idlib on Friday, according to SOHR. The UK-based monitoring group, which uses a network of sources on the ground in Syria, said four civilians were killed and 19 others were injured in the Russian strikes.

Russia’s military said it had bombed “extremist forces”, according to Russian news agencies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his support for “the government of Syria to quickly restore order” and said the country’s sovereignty was under attack.

On Friday, a statement posted on a rebel-affiliated channel said: “Our forces have begun entering the city of Aleppo.” Videos verified by the BBC show armed men running in a street about seven kilometres (4.3 miles) from Aleppo’s medieval citadel in the centre of the city.

Another clip verified by the BBC showed large groups of people carrying luggage walking away from an area near Aleppo University. That video was recorded 3km away from a location where HTS-affiliated media claim rebel forces have entered the city.

Aleppo resident Sarmad told AFP he could hear “the sounds of missiles and artillery shelling around the clock”. “We’re scared that war will break out and we’ll be displaced from our homes again,” the 51-year-old said.

The UN’s deputy regional humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, David Carden, said he was deeply alarmed by the impact of the escalating hostilities on civilians.

“Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as eight years old”, he said.

Fighting in Idlib had largely wound down since 2020, when Turkey and Russia, Syria’s key ally, brokered a ceasefire to halt a push by the government to retake the province.

But on Wednesday HTS and its allies said they had launched their offensive to “deter aggression”, accusing the government and allied militias of escalation in the region.

It came as the Syrian government and its allies were preoccupied with other conflicts.

In neighbouring Lebanon, an Israeli military campaign has devastated the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, whose fighters helped turned the tide of the Syrian civil war. Israel has also stepped up its air strikes inside Syria on targets linked to Iran and Iran-backed groups.

Source BBC NEWS

Saturday 30,Nov,2024 {HMC} Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has nominated Rawhi Fattouh to take over if he cannot continue in his post due to poor health.

As Israel continued its war on Gaza – killing more than 44,000 people and injuring and starving countless others – criticism of Abbas and his presidency heightened.

Abbas, 89, who also leads the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), was elected president of the PA in 2005, a year after then-leader Yasser Arafat died.

So why is he nominating a successor now and how would the succession process go?

The PA was established as an interim Palestinian government under the 1993 Oslo Accords, which then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed with Arafat.

The PA was originally conceived to administer basic provisions – such as education, security, water and electricity – for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Oslo divided the West Bank into Areas A, B and C, giving the PA security and administrative control over Area A and administrative control over Area B. But Israel routinely conducts violent raids all over the occupied West Bank. Critics say the PA effectively acts as a security apparatus on behalf of the Israeli occupation.

Source Al-jaziira news 

Saturday 30,Nov,2024 {HMC} The World Food Program (WFP) has taken the extraordinary step of suspending all humanitarian operations in Somalia’s SSC-Khaatumo region, citing escalating insecurity and looting of food aid intended for the region’s most vulnerable populations.

The move comes after two large-scale looting incidents this month that have disrupted the delivery of critical food supplies. On November 24, approximately 45 metric tons of food aid were stolen in the Buhodle district, followed by an additional 50 metric tons looted just three days later. The decision leaves over 51,900 people without assistance in one of Somalia’s most vulnerable regions.

The stolen supplies were intended for 8,655 households, including malnourished children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and displaced families. The aid had been distributed through local NGO partners GHADO, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and ALIGHT, operating in Las Anod, Taleh, and Buhodle.

In a letter to Puntland’s Vice President Ilyas Osman Lugatoor, WFP Somalia Country Director El-Khidir Daloum described the decision as “difficult but necessary.” Daloum cited the recent looting of aid as the tipping point for the suspension.

“These incidents of looting make it impossible for us to operate safely and effectively,” Daloum stated, calling for urgent action from local authorities to restore security and protect humanitarian workers.

Former Puntland Minister of Planning Mohamed S. Farole, in a statement on Twitter, advised Puntland Vice President Ilyas Osman Lugatoor to urge WFP to establish an area office in Las Anod and engage directly with SSC-Khaatumo authorities. “Aid has been politicized in SSC for three decades, and it’s time to stop,” Farole wrote, adding, “SSC territories are much safer than most of the places where the WFP works in Somalia.”

SSC-Khaatumo, encompassing three districts in northern Somalia, has long been a hotspot for political and clan tensions, with its recognition by Somalia’s federal government in October 2023 marking a turning point in its regional status.

However, the area continues to experience periodic clashes between SSC-Khaatumo forces and Somaliland troops, leading to instability. In November 2024, intense fighting near Qorilugud resulted in numerous casualties and further displacement of civilians.

The WFP suspension is another blow to the region, which relies heavily on international aid to address chronic hunger and malnutrition.

The broader humanitarian crisis in Somalia remains dire, with over 6.6 million people facing acute food insecurity due to conflict, climate shocks, and displacement. The looting of aid supplies disrupts relief efforts and exacerbates the suffering of vulnerable populations.

WFP has called on local authorities to prioritize security measures.”Without a secure environment, the most vulnerable communities will suffer the consequences,” Daloum wrote.

Source Hiiraan online

Saturday 30,Nov,2024 {HMC} Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud participated in the 24th Ordinary Summit of East African Community (EAC) Heads of State in Arusha on Friday, marking the regional bloc’s 25th anniversary.

The summit focused on the EAC’s history, achievements, and future goals, bringing together regional leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities.

President Mohamud underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation among member states to address shared challenges, foster peace and stability, and unlock the region’s economic potential. He also emphasized the need for sustainable growth to secure a prosperous future for East Africa’s people.

Key topics included the South Sudanese Tumaini Initiative and the EAC-led Nairobi Process on restoring peace and security in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Somali delegation announced plans for bilateral meetings with other leaders, including Kenyan President William Ruto. Talks between Mohamud and Ruto will focus on political and security developments along the Kenya-Somalia border, particularly in Jubbaland, as tensions between Somalia’s federal government and Jubbaland’s administration escalate.