Thursday 17,  Oct 2024 {HMC} Police in Somalia say a suicide bomber killed at least seven people Thursday when he detonated an explosives-laden vest in front of a crowded restaurant in the capital, Mogadishu.

Somali police said the attack occurred around 3:30 p.m. local time, stating that the suicide blast occurred in front of a restaurant near the city’s main police facility.

“The attack carried out by a suicide bomber targeted a resting shade in front of a café near the School Polizia Facility, killing at least seven people and six others were injured,” said a statement from the police. It said the casualties included police officials and civilians.

Witnesses said among those killed was a famous Somali comedian, Sugal Abdulle, and a police officer in charge of the security of Turkish-built Yardim Eli specialist hospital in Mogadishu.

“The suicide bomber blew himself in the middle of civilians and members of the police officers, staying under trees in front of the restaurant,” Osman Nur Aden, a witness told VOA Somali.

The location of the attack is also near the city’s heavily secured international airport that is home to some foreign embassies, and U.N. and African Union bases.

The attack also came during a visit to the city by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General Rosemary A. DiCarlo.

The Somali National News Agency, SONNA, reported that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with DiCarlo Thursday at the presidential palace.

“The meeting focused on further strengthening the longstanding partnership between Somalia and the United Nations, while exploring ways to accelerate UN efforts in support of Somalia’s priorities,” a government statement said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the police said it “has the hallmarks of al-Shabab” even without a formal claim.

The Islamist militant group has launched assaults and suicide bombings against dozens of public gathering spots in Mogadishu over the past 15 years.

SOURCE VOA

Thursday 17,  Oct 2024 {HMC} Israel announced Thursday it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the militants’ October 7, 2023, terror attack that sparked the Gaza war.

Israeli forces — apparently by chance and without knowledge of Sinwar’s location — encountered him and two other militants in a southern Gaza building and opened fire. Israel almost immediately suspected it had killed the 61-year-old Sinwar but only confirmed it after hours of investigation, including checking his DNA and dental records.

“Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

Katz called Sinwar’s killing a “military and moral achievement for the Israeli army.”

“The assassination of Sinwar will create the possibility to immediately release the hostages and to bring a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza — without Hamas and without Iranian control,” he said.

Who is Yahya Sinwar?

But the immediate impact of Sinwar’s death was uncertain. Talks for a cease-fire in the Gaza fighting have been stalemated for months, with both Hamas and Israel balking at the details in any halt to the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a recorded video statement in Hebrew following Sinwar’s death, told Gaza residents, “He ruined your lives,” saying it was their chance to get rid of his tyranny.

“Today, evil took a heavy blow — the mission ahead of us is still unfinished,” Netanyahu said. He characterized Sinwar’s death as “an important milestone in the sunset of Hamas’ rule in Gaza.”

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement, “This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.”

He added, “There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us.”

SOURCE VOA

Thursday 17,  Oct 2024 {HMC} The United Nations agencies on Wednesday expressed commitment to helping Somalia increase investments to boost food production as the country marked World Food Day.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP), held a joint event in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to spotlight on how food heroes are transforming the country’s agrifood systems in line with the 2024 World Food Day theme “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future: Leave No One Behind.”

Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO Somalia country representative, said FAO is committed to supporting the government and people of Somalia in increasing agricultural production, building long-term resilience, and ensuring the right to food for a better future and life for all.

“With the growing impacts of climate change and a rising global population, it’s more urgent now than ever to safeguard our planet to ensure sustainable food production,” Peterschmitt said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu.

El-Khidir Daloum, WFP’s representative and country director in Somalia, said the country is continuously at a crossroads, where communities face climate shocks, risking both lives and livelihoods before beginning the long process of recovery.

“That’s why WFP is increasingly focusing on interventions that put resilience and climate-smart food systems at the heart of our work, aiming for a more sustainable, self-reliant, and brighter future for Somalia,” he added.

Somalia has experienced a series of recurrent and devastating shocks in recent years, including severe flooding and prolonged drought, which have destroyed livelihoods, according to the UN.

This year’s World Food Day was marked amid forecasts of an 80 percent probability of La Nina conditions, which has left the country faced with the looming threat of yet another drought, typically bringing below-average rainfall and soaring temperatures.

The UN agencies have issued a stark warning following the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis which reveals that 4.4 million people will experience crisis levels of hunger (IPC3+) between October and December.

Mohamed Abdi Hayir, Somali minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that all Somalis have access to safe and nutritious food. “We are working relentlessly to strengthen our agricultural systems, promote sustainable farming practices, and support our farmers and communities,” he said.

Through national programs and strategic partnerships, the government aims to increase local food production, build resilience against climate shocks, and secure a healthier, food-secure future for every Somali, said the minister.

World Food Day is celebrated every year on Oct. 16 to gather support and share actions to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 of zero hunger.

SOURCE 

Thursday October 17, 2024

Rising temperatures are set to elevate heat stress levels in several countries in the Horn of Africa, the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, said on Wednesday.

Thursday 17,  Oct 2024 {HMC} Rising temperatures are set to elevate heat stress levels in several countries in the Horn of Africa, the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, said on Wednesday.

The ICPAC noted in its latest forecast that the heat stress would happen in at least six countries.

“Cautionary heat stress levels are expected in most parts of Sudan, South Sudan, and parts of Eritrea and Ethiopia, central to southern Somalia and north-western and eastern Kenya,” the ICPAC said.

The temperatures are expected to rise up to 38 degrees Celsius in some of the affected countries, with warmer-than-usual temperatures forecast for most parts of the Greater Horn of Africa region in the coming weeks, according to the ICPAC.

The Horn of Africa is increasingly experiencing climatic anomalies that range from higher and lower than normal temperatures to drought and heavy rains due to climate change effects.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and IGAD noted that adverse weather events affect food security, with some 67 million people risking starvation in the Horn.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said up to 49 billion U.S. dollars is needed to assist 187 million people in need of humanitarian assistance globally. ■