Mogadishu, February 5, 2024 {HMC} – The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu donated three vehicles to the Federal Government of Somalia’s Judicial Training Institute, the South West State Office of the Attorney General, and the Hirshabelle Office of the Attorney General. This donation is part of the ongoing support from the United States to Somalia, specifically through the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and its Somalia Justice Support Program (SOMJUST).

U.S. Charge d’Affaires Shane L. Dixon, in his opening remarks, highlighted the crucial role played by judicial officials in Somalia, acknowledging the risks they face in their tireless efforts against terrorism and crime. He stressed that the United States stands in solidarity with Somalia, recognizing the sacrifices of Somali justice sector personnel.

The United States, through INL, has committed nearly $70 million over the past ten years to support Somalia’s justice, police, maritime security, and corrections sectors. This includes significant contributions to training, equipment, and operational support, demonstrating a continued investment in Somalia’s judicial reforms and sustainable development. The offices of the chief justice of Puntland and attorneys general of Jubbaland, Puntland, and Galmudug will also each receive a vehicle in the near future as part of the support.

The donated vehicles, facilitated by the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), are part of a broader effort to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, and accountability of justice services in Somalia. This support aims to establish a well-coordinated criminal justice chain and aligns with ongoing Somali reform efforts. The event underscores the shared goals and commitment of the U.S. and Somali governments in advancing security, humanitarian aid, and governance in Somalia.

The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu reaffirms its dedication to a continued partnership with Somalia, working towards mutual goals in the justice sector and broader areas of security and development.

Tuesday February 6, 2024 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday at the start of a Middle East tour, a U.S. official said, as Washington sought to forge a Saudi normalization deal with Israel.

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians huddling under bombardment said they hoped Blinken’s visit to the region would finally deliver a truce, in time to head off a threatened new Israeli assault on the last refuge at the enclave’s edge.

Blinken’s meeting with the Saudi leader lasted about two hours. Blinken did not respond to shouted questions from reporters on how it went as he returned to his hotel, but waved as he walked by.

Blinken is also set to visit Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank this week and push to advance the Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated conversations with Palestinian Hamas militants on a deal to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

His Middle East trip, his fifth since a deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza, takes place during a period that senior U.S. officials describe as one of the most dangerous for the region in decades.

The conflict has escalated as Iranian-backed groups have entered the fray and fired on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, while Yemen’s Houthis attacked shipping routes in the Red Sea.

The U.S. has been carrying out retaliatory strikes on Iran-backed militias across Syria, Iraq and Yemen in response to a drone strike last week in Jordan that killed three American troops and wounded dozens.

Blinken will nevertheless try to reinforce the message that the Biden administration neither seeks war with Iran nor wants the conflict to spread further despite calls by some opposition Republicans in Congress advocating for attacks inside Iran.

The Pentagon also said it does not believe Tehran wants war either. Iran has so far avoided any direct role in the conflict, even as it backs those militia groups.

A key priority is for Blinken to “deliver a message directly to countries in the region that the United States does not want to see the conflict escalated and will not escalate the conflict,” a senior U.S. official told reporters en route to Riyadh.

“It’s important to show up and say it on one-on-one.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday refused to be drawn on whether the United States might attack sites inside Iran. He said Washington did not see a wider war, but would continue to respond if attacked.

There is no reason for the U.S. campaign of retaliation, unfolding since Friday, to derail Washington’s conversations with Arab states and Israel on normalization and post-war Gaza, the senior U.S. official said.

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More than 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza, and their possible release by Hamas is among issues under discussion in the conversations that are mediated by Qatar and Egypt with the backing of the United States, in return for a humanitarian pause. While officials have noted some progress, they cautioned that gaps remain.

“It’s not a coincidence that we are going to the three countries that are involved in those talks: Egypt, Qatar, and Israel,” the U.S. official said but managed the expectations: “Impossible to say if we’ll get a breakthrough, when we’ll get a breakthrough.”

The hostage deal and the humanitarian pause are now seen as instrumental in helping advance conversations on a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which had been frozen in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7 but resumed in recent weeks.

Speaking in Davos last month, Blinken said there was “a new equation” in the Middle East in which Israel’s Arab and Muslim neighbors were prepared to integrate Israel into the region but they needed to see a pathway to creation of a Palestinian state.

Conversations on who would govern Gaza after the war, how the Palestinian Authority needs to be reformed to potentially rule the enclave and obtaining security guarantees for Israel are now moving parts of the same equation, the U.S. official said, adding that achieving results would require compromises from Israelis and Palestinians.

“If we get a humanitarian pause, we want to be in a position to move as quickly as possible on the various pieces of day after – reconstruction of Gaza, PA (Palestinian Authority) reform, governance of Gaza, two states, normalization. Some of which are obviously quite difficult and quite complex,” the official said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been at odds with the Biden administration over the creation of an independent Palestinian state, saying he would not compromise on “full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River.”

The talks are at a sensitive phase and any progress won’t come easy, the U.S. official added.

Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama and Howard Goller.

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By Humeyra Pamuk

Tuesday February 6, 2024 Britain’s King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment, Buckingham Palace said Monday. Less than 18 months into his reign, the 75-year-old monarch will suspend public engagements but will continue with state business, and won’t be handing over his constitutional roles as head of state.

The palace didn’t disclose what form of cancer the king has, but said it’s not related to his recent treatment for a benign prostate condition.

The palace said “a separate issue of concern was noted” during Charles’ treatment for an enlarged prostate last month, when he spent three nights in a London hospital.

“Diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer,” it said in a statement.

“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties,” the palace said. “Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”

The king is being treated as an outpatient, the palace said.

It said Charles, who has generally enjoyed good health, “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”

The palace added that the king “has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”

Charles became king in September 2022 when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne.

News of the king’s diagnosis comes as his daughter-in-law Kate, Princess of Wales, recovers from abdominal surgery that saw her hospitalized for about two weeks.

Kate is still taking a break from royal duties as she recovers. Her husband, Prince William, who is heir to the throne, also took time off to help look after the couple’s three children, but is due to preside over an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle and a charity dinner on Wednesday.

Charles took the throne intending to preside over a slimmer monarchy with fewer senior royals carrying out ceremonial public duties. But with Charles and Kate both temporarily sidelined, Prince Harry self-exiled to California and Prince Andrew largely banished from view because of his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the royal “Firm” risks becoming severely overstretched.

The king personally called both William and Harry — as well as his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — to share news of his health.

Harry, who quit royal duties in 2020, has spoken to his father about the diagnosis and “will be traveling to U.K. to see His Majesty in the coming days,” said the office of Harry and his wife, Meghan.

U.K. political leaders sent messages of support. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “Wishing His Majesty a full and speedy recovery. I have no doubt he’ll be back to full strength in no time and I know the whole country will be wishing him well.”

U.S. President Joe Biden, traveling in Las Vegas on Monday, said he had just learned about Charles’s diagnosis and said he hopes to speak with him, “God willing.”

“I’m concerned about him,” Biden told reporters.

The president later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Navigating a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship takes hope and absolute courage. Jill and I join the people of the United Kingdom in praying that His Majesty experiences a swift and full recovery.”

Charles departed from royal tradition with his openness about his prostate condition. For centuries Britain’s royal family remained tight-lipped about health matters.

When U.K. monarchs had real power, news of illness was withheld for fear it might weaken their authority. The habit of secrecy lingered after royals became constitutional figureheads.

The British public wasn’t told that Charles’ grandfather, King George VI, had lung cancer before his death in February 1952 at the age of 56, and some historians have claimed that the king himself wasn’t told he was terminally ill.

In the final years of Elizabeth’s life, the public was told only that the queen was suffering from “mobility issues.” The cause of her death was listed on the death certificate simply as “old age.”

Pat Price, founder of the Catch Up With Cancer campaign, said millions shared the “collective concern” for the king’s health.

“The king’s openness about his battle with cancer is a powerful reminder that one in two of us may face cancer at some point in our lives,” Price said.

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Associated Press writers Sylvia Hui and Brian Melley in London, Danica Kirka in Helsinki and Darlene Superville in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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BY JILL LAWLESS

Tuesday February 6, 2024

Three women were killed in Somalia last week in what police say were marriage disputes. The country’s parliament called for urgent investigations and the arrest of the perpetrators as citizens expressed outrage.

The killings occurred in Mogadishu, the Lower Shabelle region and the Qoryooley district. One woman was stabbed, a second shot and a third set afire, all allegedly at the hands of their husbands.

Police Chief Moalim Mahdi, chief of the Banadir region that covers Mogadishu, pledged action against the offenders.

Various forms of gender-based violence remain prevalent in Somalia. The situation is worsened by the absence of strong legal frameworks to deter attacks.

In 2020, parliament debated a controversial bill to address gender-based violence but was forced to hold it back following local and international pressure over clauses that allowed for child and forced marriage and other violations of women’s rights.

Amina Haji Elmi, director of the Mogadishu-based advocacy group Save Somali Women and Children, said that Somali women, “alongside others, have been living in [a] war-ravaged country. They were victimized by both natural disasters and man-caused problems. Currently, women are facing many challenges … among them are lack of support, poverty. They do not get protection and support after incidents.”

Elmi called on security agencies to deliver justice to the families of those killed.

“We strongly condemn the heinous acts against these innocent women,” Elmi said. “It is sad to hear that a mother is being killed in front of her children. We call upon the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice. We extend condolences to the families of these victims.”

Members of parliament decried the killings during a debate Saturday and called for the offenders to be prosecuted.

Despite the condemnations, Somali lawmakers have yet to pass the U.N.-backed Sexual Offenses Bill that the Council of Ministers approved in 2018. Female MP Gobsan Muhumed was among those who spoke during the session.

“It is heartbreaking for paternal orphans to witness their mother being burned by their stepfather, who was laughing at the time of the incident,” she said.

On Sunday in the southwestern town of Afgooye, another man was arrested in possession of gasoline and a matchbox amid allegations he intended to set his wife and children on fire.

Prosecutors in Somalia rely on provisions of the 1970s penal code to charge perpetrators of sexual and other gender-related offenses. Critics say this law is not tough enough and have called for the government to adopt harsher penalties.