Tuesday November 28, 2023

The United Nations humanitarian agency said Monday it has provided 5 million U.S. dollars in additional funding to help address the ongoing heavy rains and devastating flash floods in Somalia.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the latest funding is in conjunction with the earlier 25 million dollars allocation from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund and UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

Somalia is facing a flood emergency that has killed at least 96 people and affected more than 2.3 million others, according to the Somali government.

The impact of El Nino coupled with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole is expected to affect more people living in riverine areas and destroy 1.5 million hectares of farmland, according to the UN.

This is not the first time that Somalia has faced the deadly cycle of droughts and floods, as three consecutive years of flooding since 2018 displaced hundreds of thousands of people, the UN said.

Humanitarian workers are working around the clock to respond to the mounting needs, taking early action to mitigate the immediate impacts of El Nino and building communities’ resilience to future shocks. Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has urged humanitarian agencies to act swiftly in response to the flood emergency affecting the country, especially in Jubaland.

El Nino-induced flash floods have caused significant devastation in riverine and low-lying districts across Gedo, Lower Jubba, and Middle Jubba regions. Jubaland is currently grappling with this humanitarian catastrophe and is in urgent need of support.

Abdi, who is on a tour of Jubaland, called for immediate assistance for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable communities in a dire humanitarian situation after being impacted by El Nino floods.

The prime minister on Sunday visited a temporary internal displaced persons’ camp in Luglow, located near Kismayo and home to thousands of families seeking shelter from the flooding along the Jubba River. “Jubaland is facing a flooding emergency. We must act swiftly. With countless vulnerable communities severely affected by El Nino floods, it is imperative that relief agencies step up and provide immediate aid. Time is of the essence,” he said.

Tuesday November 28, 2023

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received the credentials of three new ambassadors to the country in his office at the Amiri Diwan on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

His Highness received the credentials of HE Ammar bin Abdullah bin Sultan Al Busaidi, Ambassador of the sisterly Sultanate of Oman, HE Marcelo Otavio Dantas Loures da Costa, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Brazil, and HE Mohameed Ahmed Sheikh Ali, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

His Highness the Amir welcomed the new ambassadors, wishing them success in their missions, and further progress and prosperity for relations between the State of Qatar and their countries.

For their part, Their Excellencies the ambassadors conveyed to His Highness the greetings of the leaders of their countries and their wishes for continued development and growth to the Qatari people.

An official reception ceremony was held for Their Excellencies the Ambassadors upon their arrival at the Amiri Diwan.

Tuesday November 28, 2023

The Pentagon has said that the attempted hijacking was likely the work of Somali pirates rather than Houthi fighters.

The United States has said that a group of attackers who tried to seize an Israel-linked cargo ship over the weekend were probably Somali pirates rather than Houthi fighters from nearby Yemen.

Speaking on Monday, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder noted that the US has not ruled out a Houthi connection to the attempted hijacking by five armed men over the weekend.

“We’re continuing to assess, but initial indications that these five individuals are Somali,” said Ryder.

“Clearly a piracy-related incident,” he added.

US Navy forces thwarted the capture of the tanker Central Park over the weekend after it was boarded by armed men, who were captured after the US warship Mason arrived on the scene.

The attempted hijacking comes at a time when Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have carried out a series of raids on ships in the region, and the US said ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled territory in the direction of US ships shortly after the attack.

The Houthis have consolidated control over large swathes of northern Yemen and emerged as a growing force in the region after a yearslong war with the country’s government and a coalition of forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

While fighting in Yemen has become more subdued over the last year, the Houthis have launched several attacks on Israel amid ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Missile and drone attacks launched towards Israel have largely failed, but the group has seized commercial ships in the Red Sea that they say have connections to Israel.

Following one such seizure earlier this month, the US said that it was considering redesignating the Houthis as a “terrorist” organisation.

The Pentagon has said that the ballistic missiles fired over the weekend were launched in the general direction of the US ships, but that they fell into the ocean about 19km (10 nautical miles) away from the vessels and did not result in any injuries.

Yemen’s government in Aden placed blame on the Houthis for the attack, but the group did not acknowledge either the missile launch or the attempted vessel seizure.

The Central Park is managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management firm, owned by Israel’s Ofer family.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES