Day: May 13, 2023

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Somali Security forces kill 44 Al-Shabaab militants in a special operation

Somali Security Forces killed 44 Al-Shabaab terrorist militants including senior commanders after conducting a special operation at Ali Fuuto location near Kurtowarey district in lower Shabelle region, SONNA reported Saturday.

Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Abdirahman Yusuf Adala told Somali National News Agency that forces of the National Intelligence and Security Agency and International Partners jointly carried out the operation against the terrorists.

‘Our Intelligence, NISA and International Partners destroyed the terrorist strong-holds where they were regrouping at the time of the special operation’, Adala said.

He added that the Somali Government is committed to eradicating the terrorists’ hide-outs in lower Shabelle and the rest of the country.

The operation comes days before the Government plans to launch the second phase of the total war on the group fighters in the southwest and southern parts of the country.

Somali National Army backed by regional forces and International Partners killed over 3,000 terrorist militant group of Al-Shabaab in Middle Shabelle, Hiiraan, Mudug, lower Shabelle and Jubba region during operations in the past 7 months.

Source: Somali National News Agency

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Seychellois athlete Greth Estico wins Nature Trail Seychelles 2023 Challenge

Two Seychellois runners along with a Reunion Island runner made it up the podium at the end of the first ever Nature Trail Seychelles Challenge.

In a total of 118 participants, 25-year-old Greth Estico, best known locally for his boxing skills, finished the 22km trek in first place.

Estico completed the journey, which took the athletes through mountainous trails and coastal roads of northern Mahe, in 2 hours and 33 minutes, making history by become the event’s first ever winner.

“The race was okay, but to be honest I think if it was longer it would have been even better,” the young man claimed.

Estico, was followed not too far behind in second place by Reunion runner, Jeremie Fontaine, whose time was 2 hours and 34 minutes.

Fontaine would end up being the only foreigner on the overall podium, after another local, Jonathan Quatre, claimed third position.

Quatre managed to complete the challenge after 2 hours and 40 minutes.

“It was a good race, where I started in 10th place, but I think I did well to eventually catch up with the others and end up third,” Quatre said.

With the podium already settled, fourth place went to another runner from Reunion Island, Alexandre Viene, who said that this was a great race, although it was quite hot.

“It was wonderful. The whole route was beautiful and I will definitely be looking to come back in the future,” said Viene.

Meanwhile, the first female runner to cross the line was Isabelle Lamy, who in finished fifth overall.

Lamy crossed the line after 2 hours and 51 seconds.

“I absolutely adored the trail, and it was quite fun, although it was really hot,” Lamy said.

In total, 40 of the 118 runners were from foreign nations, including the likes of South Africa, France, Great Britain and Mauritius.

“Everything went as planned today, although there were some minor hiccups as expected, but overall, I am very satisfied with how it went,” said Francis Remie, member of the organising team.

All athletes who completed the challenge were rewarded with medals for completing the event, during an official prize giving ceremony to reward winners from all the various categories.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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Lospitalite Tourism Clubs: Mont Fleuri School’s students clean up Round Island in Seychelles

A luxury hotel, JA Enchanted Island Resort on Round Island in Seychelles, has joined the long list of tourism establishments in the country to adopt a school as part of the Lospitalite Tourism Clubs programme.

The programme launched by the tourism department in February last year in what the principal secretary in the department, Sherin Francis, said is a way for the country to adjust the national mind-set to reflect the fact that the small Island state depends on tourism.

Speaking at the launch, Francis explained “there is no better way to achieve that than through a network of tourism clubs where children from a young age are taught the appropriate values to carry us forward”.

Now with over 31 clubs established in various state and private schools, Mont Fleuri School, which is around a 10-minute boat ride to Round Island, has joined the ranks of schools with Lospitalite Tourism Clubs.

“We chose Mont Fleuri, as it is not that far from us,” said the JA Enchanted Island Resort general manager, Burak Aydin, to the press on the day the children were cleaning selected areas on the island.

“We want to instill a sense of respect in them while they are still young and help them to appreciate the value of a clean environment as well as having quiet and serene surroundings,” he added.

A total of 13 secondary students from Mont Fleuri arrived on the island on the morning of May 10, to clean litter left behind by people who hold picnics on the island.

“I joined the club as I believe tourism is really important to the country and it is important that we keep the places tourists visit clean,” said Justin Gabriel, who was part of the cleaning team for the day.

While the clean-up exercise was the first JA Enchanted held for the Mont Fleuri School club, Aydin told the press that they have plans to hold more in the future.

Meanwhile, the children were able to collect empty bottles, barbed wire fish traps and others in the litter found on the beaches and on the island itself.

“We will see what we can recycle in what was collected today, such as the tyres that we can reuse to plant in,” said Randy Camille, a JA Enchanted Island Resort employee who was leading a team of children in the clean-up exercise.

He went on to explain that “things that we are unable to recycle, we will gather and send for proper disposal”.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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