Thursday  16, May 2024,{HMC} South Africa urged the United Nations’ top court on Thursday to order a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip during hearings over emergency measures to halt Israel’s military operation in the enclave’s southern city of Rafah.

It was the third time the International Court of Justice held hearings on the conflict in Gaza since South Africa filed proceedings in December at the court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, accusing Israel of genocide.

The country’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, urged the panel of 15 international judges to order Israel to “totally and unconditionally withdraw” from Gaza.

The court has already found that there is a “real and imminent risk” to the Palestinian people in Gaza by Israel’s military operations. “This may well be the last chance for the court to act,” said Irish lawyer Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, who is part of South Africa’s legal team.

Judges at the court have broad powers to order a cease-fire and other measures, although the court does not have its own enforcement apparatus. A 2022 order by the court demanding that Russia halt its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has so far gone unheeded.

During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it does all it can to spare civilians and only targets Hamas militants. The country says Rafah is the last stronghold of the militant group.

The latest request focuses on the incursion into Rafah.

South Africa argues that the military operation has far surpassed justified self-defense. “Israel’s actions in Rafah are part of the end game. This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza,” lawyer Vaughan Lowe said.

According to the latest request, the previous preliminary orders by the court were not sufficient to address “a brutal military attack on the sole remaining refuge for the people of Gaza.” Israel will be allowed to answer the accusations Friday.

In January, judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.

In a second order in March, the court said Israel must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

South Africa has to date submitted four requests for the international court to investigate Israel. It was granted a hearing three times.

Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since the fighting began.

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.

South Africa initiated proceedings in December 2023 and sees the legal campaign as rooted in issues central to its identity. Its governing party, the African National Congress, has long compared Israel’s policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to its own history under the apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most Blacks to “homelands.” Apartheid ended in 1994.

On Sunday, Egypt announced it plans to join the case. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israeli military actions “constitute a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the protection of civilians during wartime.”

Several other countries have indicated they plan to intervene, but so far only Libya, Nicaragua and Colombia have filed formal requests to do so.

SOURCE VOA

Thursday 16, May, 2024 {HMC} Somali Mechanism for Safety of Journalists (SMSJ) network is strongly worried and concerned over the process that Somali federal government established the National Media Council that was completely against the media law of the country. The media council that was passed by the cabinet of Somalia on March 2024 is not fully representing the independent media and Civil society in Somalia since the selection process for the members of the council has not met the requirement and procedures required as per the media law which reads as Article 14.1 indicating the Media Council will be consisting of 9 members.14.1. B) Government 3 members with one female.

1.T) Private Media 3 members

2.J) the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) 3 members (Human Rights Commission, Women Associations and Somali Lawyers Association)

3.The members that could join the Media Council will be members from the academics, media experts selected for their experiences, talents, honesty and integrity

1. 14.3. This important clause indicates that in order for the Council to fulfill its duties, it is to be independent from politics and government interference, institutional interests and special groups and conflict of interests that may come to the person who becomes a member and the work of the council.
2. 14.4. The formation of the Somali Media Council could come through consultation with the Minister of Information, Media Associations and the Chairman of the Civil Society Organizations (CSO).
3. 14.5. The appointment of the Somali Media Council will be valid with the decision of the Cabinet of Ministries after proposal of the Minister of Information, and signed by the President and issued in the Official Gazette.
SMSJ network and its members are proposing and appealing the federal government of Somalia and to accept the complaints of the media unions and Journalist in the country who are fully protesting against the controversial media council while also proposing to rebuild the National Media Council and comply with Article 14 of the Somalia Media Law

In addition, SMSJ is enormously worried about the massive protests held by media unions and directors of independent media houses and Journalists in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country who have shown their perspective towards the media council. In this regard, SMSJ is requesting from President of Somalia his Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud not to put his final signature on the national media council and consider the demand of the independent media and unions.

END

Thursday 16, May, 2024 {HMC} Ahmed Hussein Ali and his family in Elasha-Biyaha, on the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu, descended into poverty almost overnight after he lost their source of livelihood and all his savings through an online scam.

Earlier this year, Ahmed came across Trade Bot – a fraudulent pyramid scheme that he believed would make him rich.

He sold off all the food, sweets, and other small merchandise he was selling on his roadside stall and invested the entire $400 by mobile money into a Trade Bot account.

Ahmed was taken in by the marketers’ promise that his investment would grow and he would make more money to support his wife and five children.

However, days after signing up and investing his money, he was informed that the website was offline. He never heard anything more from Trade Bot.

“I didn’t have any doubts at the time, I didn’t know much about how the scheme worked, I just invested my money with no hesitation,” Abdi explained, regretfully.

“I was a businessman who owned his own business, but now I have lost it all. I just wish I could get my stall back.”

The family used to depend on the $4-5 profit that Ahmed made per day from the roadside stall. Now they have no choice but to reply on his relatives for food.

Ahmed said he had learned about Trade Bot from his friends, who had made some income from the platform. They urged him also to invest in what they saw as a money-making scheme. Online marketers had been advertising through online videos promising big returns on investments, catching the attention of many people like Ahmed with no awareness of the risks of fraud.

“I got convinced when I saw my neighbours had got good income, and that’s how I got into the app. The main reason was to make profits, but instead I suffered losses,” he said.

Ahmed could be among thousands of victims of online scams in Somalia, more and more of which are coming to light.

Apart from fraudulent sites, many Somalis have also been attracted to other popular online apps like the betting platform 1XBet, again having little understanding of the risks. 1XBet was banned on 20 August 2023 by Somalia’s Minister of Communications.

Abdirahman Sheikh Kalif, living in Dharkeynley, Mogadishu, sold off his tuk-tuk taxi for $2,000 and decided to place the money on 1XBet last October. He also threw in the $1,500 that he had in his savings.

He, his wife and daughter are now living precariously on occasional support from his uncle and are lucky to get one meal in a day.

“My dreams have been curtailed, I’m unemployed and staying at home mostly. I hoped to make profits so I could build houses and become rich. I lost the little money I had, let alone making any money. I don’t blame anyone, I got into it myself. I thought I could make more money,” he explained ruefully.

Abdirahman placed bets on the football teams he predicted would win matches in European leagues, but his predictions were all wrong and he lost everything.

Desperate to get himself out of the mess, he decided to migrate to Saudi Arabia in December looking for a job but was deported back to Somalia in February.

Abdirahman used to make a decent $20-25 a day from his tuk-tuk taxi. Today, however, he is penniless and highly stressed. He also has many debts to pay off.

“Since I lost my money and there were many people whom I owed money, I decided to stop betting,” he said.

Whilst the internet has opened opportunity for many through the provision of online services, the majority of people using the internet have little understanding about the risks.

According to Abdishakur Hussein, an independent and licensed trader in digital currencies based in Hodan district of Mogadishu, people often fall victim to online money-making schemes promising quick wins due to lack of awareness.

“These people usually use different strategies to appeal to the interests of many people. The online apps ask for little money and promise people riches. People are told they can make money without working.

It is important for people to make careful judgements before parting with their money, so they don’t live to regret,” he said.

Trade Bot had collected large amounts of money from many unsuspecting Somalis before it disappeared and went offline in February.

The overall sum of money that people have lost to this app is unknown, although the pain it has caused is evident in stories of victims like Ahmed.

As internet access spreads in Somalia, there are concerns that much more needs to be done to educate users as well as regulating platforms and apps.

Abdishakur added: “They have taken huge amounts of money because many people invested in them. I know of a friend who lost $25,000 to Trade Bot. He had been saving up and was hoping to buy a piece land. He received part of the money in installments and lost the rest.”

SOURCE 

By PHIDEL KIZITO
Thursday May 16, 2024

Meriton will face Kenya’s Raila Odinga, Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf as well as Somalia’s Fawzia Yusuf Adam, a former Foreign Minister, in the race to succeed the incumbent, Moussa Faki, who has held the position since March 14, 2017.

The Island nation of Seychelles has joined the race for the Africa Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson slot making it the fourth nation from the Eastern Africa bloc to declare its candidacy after Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti.

Seychelles has endorsed its former Vice President Vincent Meriton for the continental post.

“The Foreign Affairs Department wishes to announce that the Government of Seychelles has endorsed the candidature of Mr. Vincent Meriton for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) in the election scheduled to take place in February 2025,” the country’s Foreign Office said on Wednesday.

Seychelles exuded confidence in Merito’s capabilities having served as its Minister for Foreign Affairs, Health, Information Technology, the Blue Economy and Entrepreneurship Development.

Meriton will face Kenya’s Raila Odinga, Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf as well as Somalia’s Fawzia Yusuf Adam, a former Foreign Minister, in the race to succeed the incumbent, Moussa Faki, who has held the position since March 14, 2017.

The entry of Seychelles in the race further complicates President William Ruto’s efforts to secure regional backing for Odinga.

Kenya has secured the support of Uganda and Rwanda as it seeks endorsement as the regionally-backed candidate.

The African Union unanimously adopted the right of the Eastern Africa region to produce the next Chairperson of the African Union Commission on March 25.

The region includes Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Sudan, Sudan and Tanzania.

The resolution was a culmination of institutional reforms initiated in November 2018 when the AU Assembly resolved to enhance the transparency and meritocracy of the leadership selection process, emphasizing principles such as equitable regional representation, gender parity, and attracting top talent from across Africa.

Thursday 16 ,May 2024,{HMC} The leader of SSC-Khatumo, Abdulkadir Ahmed Aw-Ali Firdhiye, participated for the first time in the National Consultative Council summit in Mogadishu on Thursday.

The National Consultative Council, which comprises federal and regional state leaders, listened to the leader of SSC-Khatumo regarding the general situation in SSC-Khatumo areas and emphasized that SSC needs to obtain its constitutional rights from the Federal Government of Somalia.

The leaders praised the SSC-Khatumo administration for its efforts in protecting the unity and independence of the Republic of Somalia.

Federal and Federal Member State leaders discussed various issues, including the country’s political situation, security, and federal and regional elections.

It is unclear whether the SSC leader will fully participate in the National Consultative Council meeting, which is scheduled to conclude today.

However, reports indicate that Firdhiye will have sideline meetings with President Mohamud and other regional leaders.