Tuesday-14-May-2024 {HMC} Dhusamareb – Continuing her farewell visits with Somali leaders, the top United Nations official for Somalia today visited Galmudug where she welcomed that Federal Member State’s recent achievements in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM).

“Galmudug is the first Federal Member State to have passed legislation to outlaw all forms of female genital mutilation – FGM. And this is really an absolutely outstanding achievement, championed by the leadership of the President, but with amazing work done by the Minister of Women’s Affairs and many, many women who have campaigned for this who I’ve been meeting over lunch today,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Catriona Laing.

“These are brave women who stood up and said ‘this has to end.’ And they had a receptive voice, I’m glad to say, in the President,” she added.

The UN Special Representative was addressing the media in the capital, Dhusamareb, following meetings with Galmudug’s President Ahmed Abdi Karie ‘Qoorqoor’ and members of his cabinet, as well as local civil society representatives.

Prior to the press conference, they all took part in a celebration of Galmudug’s passing of a law banning FGM there in March this year.

“This has been a subject that I wanted to put right in the forefront of my work here and I am very proud, very honoured to be a part of this, to play a small part and congratulate you, your excellency, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, and all who have worked so hard to legislate to outlaw FGM – it is really, truly a remarkable achievement,” Ms. Laing said at that celebratory event.

According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), FGM is a strong social and cultural norm in Somalia promoted by the societal/family expectations and fear of social sanction. The 2020 Somali Health and Demographic Survey found that around 99% of women and girls between the ages of 15-49 have undergone FGM.

However, progressively, there have been shifts in behavior and perceptions around FGM especially among young persons to indicate that extinction of the practice is possible – Galmudug’s legislation gives hope to such efforts and emphasizes the need for government and relevant agencies to be in the vanguard of promoting the rights of women and girls.

In another positive development, Somalia’s Federal Parliament recently adopted constitutional amendments which maintain the total ban on all forms of FGM, and provide an overall framework for the protection of women and girls. Anti-FGM laws like that of Galmudug spell out in more detail how the ban will be implemented, including providing support to survivors of FGM.

Three joint aims

In her remarks, the UN Special Representative said the United Nations and the Galmudug administration will set up a joint team to carry out three aims: implementing the legislation; encouraging other Federal Member States to follow Galmudug’s lead; and having Galmudug’s example spread even further afar.

“Here in Galmudug, legislation is step one. But implementation, of course, is challenging because legislation in itself doesn’t change cultural behaviours – deep cultural practices where families feel they are doing their daughter a service by cutting her, and, of course, it is quite the reverse. It is dangerous, harmful, and traumatic. So changing people’s mindsets will take time. But we want to work with you on that through education in particular,” Ms. Laing said.

She went on to say that Somalia’s other Federal member States could follow the example of Galmudug, and suggested an upcoming National Consultative Council (NCC), which brings Somali leaders together to discuss national matters, could serve as a venue for discussing FGM.

“I’d like to see the President as he discusses issues at the NCC [National Consultative Council] – and this is an appeal to you, Mr. President – the next NCC should have FGM on the agenda,” Ms. Laing said.

“And thirdly, let’s not just leave it at Somalia,” she continued. “Let Somalia be the champion for the world on this – one of the many things that Somalia can demonstrate its leadership and its progress. So, we have a lot of work to do ahead.”

New UN office

While in Dhusamareb, the UN Special Representative and the President visited the Hero Drogo camp site, the location at which a United Nations office is being built.

“We had the opportunity to visit the progress this morning and to see how well that is coming along. So that will be an [UNSOM] office… but will also be for the UN Country Team – UNICEF [UN Chidren’s Fund], World Food Programme (WFP) and others – who want to deepen their partnership here in Galmudug.

The new UN premises are expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Currently, the UN has similar offices in the country’s four other Federal Member States: Jubaland, South West State, Hirshabelle and Puntland.

The UN Special Representative completes her assignment later in May and has been having farewell meetings with the leaders of Somalia’s Federal Member States, as well as with the top officials of the Federal Government of Somalia.

Tuesday , 14, May, 2024 {HMC} Cameroon’s military has moved over 300 civilians rescued from Boko Haram terrorist captivity along the central African states border with Nigeria and Chad this week to a northern Cameroon military post.

The country’s army says scores of militants of the Nigeria-based insurgent group were neutralized in a border operation called Alpha.

Oumar Fatime, 37, tells Cameroon military and senior government officials that she was a successful vegetable farmer in Ngouboua village, until April 17 when heavily armed Boko Haram fighters abducted her and three of her family members.

Ngouboua is a village in Chad located near the northeastern shore of Lake Chad, a water body shared by Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Fatime said the abductors took her and several dozen civilians to a bush area near Lake Chad and threatened to kill them if their families failed to pay ransom.

Fatime is one of over 300 civilians Cameroon’s military says were rescued from Boko Haram captivity in several villages along the central African states border with Chad and Nigeria within the past seven days.

Cameroon state TV showed video of the rescued civilians brought in military trucks to a military camp in Dabanga district near the border with Chad and Nigeria Monday.

The Cameroon military said most of the freed hostages are women and children. About 200 government troops carried out the rescue operation, the Cameroon military said.

Midjiyawa Bakari is the governor of Cameroon’s Far North region that shares a border with Chad and Nigeria.

Bakari says Cameroon President Paul Biya dispatched him to Dabanga Monday to congratulate the troops that carried out the very successful rescue operation called Alpha. He says government troops seized several hundred weapons including rifles and explosives along with motorcycles and bicycles militants were using to attack communities and kidnap civilians for ransom.

Cameroon’s military says it was assisted in assaults on some Boko Haram strongholds in border localities by government troops from Chad and Nigeria. Scores of militants were killed and several dozens wounded in the operation that lasted one week according to Cameroon officials. Cameroon says militants who surrendered are helping troops in investigations but gave no further details.

VOA could not independently verify if Cameroon carried out joint border military operations with troops from Nigeria and Chad. But in April troops from Chad and Cameroon said they freed scores of civilians who were kidnapped for ransom or to fight with jihadist groups on both sides of the two central African states’ border.

Cameroon says it is in negotiations with its neighbors to allow the rescued civilians who are Chadians and Nigerians to return to their countries voluntarily. Cameroon military says while waiting, the freed hostages will be taken to the center for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, or DDR, in Meri, a northern town near the border with Chad and Nigeria but did not say when.

Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria report that Boko Haram militants have been returning to towns and villages where government troops had withdrawn after claiming that fighters’ firepower had greatly reduced, indicating a return to peace. The three countries say Boko Haram is recruiting new militants and attacking villages for supplies.

At least 36,000 people have been killed and 3 million have fled their homes since 2009, when fighting between Nigerian government troops and Boko Haram militants spread to Cameroon, Niger and Chad according to the United Nations.

SOURCE VOA