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The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somalia’s National Army (SNA) launched a center this week to better coordinate their fight against al-Shabab militants, who have threatened to disrupt Somalia’s elections.

The Joint Operations Coordination Center at AMISOM Sector One headquarters in Mogadishu was officially launched Wednesday at a ceremony presided over by the army chief of defense forces, General Odowaa Yusuf Rageh, and the AMISOM deputy force commander in charge of operations and planning, Major General William Kitsao Shume.

There are currently more than 20,000 peacekeepers in the country, trying to keep Somalis secure from attacks by al-Shabab and Islamic State.

Rageh stressed the need for continuous collaboration between the army and AMISOM. He said he success of the center would depend on the relationship of the two headquarters “and how they coordinate in delegating work to the sectors, which then execute any such directives for a successful execution and implementation. I believe our long cooperation and experiences gained over the years will help us get the best out of this center so we can confront the challenges that are ahead.”

AMISOM’s Shume said the launch of the operations center, or JOCC, was an important step in the effort to establish fully operational centers across the country.

“This event marks a milestone in our endeavor to have all the JOCCs around the sectors fully functioning and operating,” he said. “I am happy to note that the JOCCs in all the other sectors are also already established. We will be jointly planning, coordinating and synchronizing current and future operations together. Therefore, we will be able to optimize the utilization of combat support and combat service support together as we plan for our operations.”

Security analyst Samira Ahmed of the Hiral Institute said creation of the centers was a step in the right direction.

She said there was a need for Somali armed forces and AU peacekeepers to closely work together during this transitional period following political tensions that have slowed the process.

Somalia’s indirect parliamentary and presidential elections have been delayed repeatedly this year by disputes over the process. In addition, al-Shabab has threatened electoral delegates who take part in the elections.

According to the Hiral Institute in Mogadishu, the militant group killed at least 29 people in August.

Source: Voice of America

Djibouti – Host country for 150,000 undocumented migrants and transit point for thousands more from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf, Djibouti seeks to improve their well-being and that of communities of reception thanks to the country’s first national migration strategy, launched with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This strategy will assist and promote sustainable livelihoods for migrants affected by conflict, protracted crises, climate change and lack of jobs in the region.

“We hope that this new strategy will contribute to the economic and social prosperity of the country but also to the well-being of migrants,” said Stéphanie Daviot, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti. “This is the result of consultations carried out for several months with all the stakeholders concerned. “

Launched in the capital this week, the strategy will help coordinate the country’s institutions on future migration laws, policies and legislation, as well as promote awareness of migrants’ rights and needs. humanitarian and protection. It will also support the National Migration Coordination Office, which is the main interlocutor of partners working in the field of migration.

Composed of a population of barely one million, Djibouti is bordered by Ethiopia, which has 112 million inhabitants, and Somalia, which has more than 15 million. Thousands of migrants, mostly from these countries, pass through Djibouti in search of safety or work, mainly in the Gulf countries. More than half (55 percent) of the more than 9,900 migrants who arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa in the first half of 2021 crossed Djibouti and then the Gulf of Aden.

Many of them die en route, from hunger and dehydration in harsh desert conditions. Hundreds of them are targeted by traffickers and smugglers, at the risk of exploitation and gender-based violence. More and more women and children are passing through Djibouti. According to the IOM Missing Migrants Project , 97 migrants, including 16 children, have died crossing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into Yemen since early 2021.

The IOM Country Strategy for Djibouti (2021-2024) will support the implementation of the government initiative and strengthen collaboration among key migration stakeholders in the country, including civil society and other agencies. United Nations.

The development of the national strategy on migration and the IOM plan for Djibouti was financed within the framework of the project entitled “Durable solutions for host populations, refugees and most vulnerable migrants in Djibouti”, funded by the European Union.

“This new strategy is a decisive step towards effective management of migration, in accordance with the commitments made by the Republic of Djibouti when the Global Compact on Migration was signed in 2018,” said Djibouti Minister of the Interior, Saïd Nouh Hassa.

Source: International Organization for Migration

The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned that the country is suffering a human rights crisis of epic proportions, enmeshing its population in a cycle of violence, abuse and poverty. The report was submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday.

According to the report, nine of the 10 states in South Sudan are engulfed in what the U.N. Commission calls alarming levels of conflict 10 years after independence was declared and despite multiple peace treaties signed to end the civil war that erupted in 2013.

Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka said violence in Warran and Lakes states is of particular concern.

“In March and July, the governors of Warran state and Lakes state ordered the summary execution of more than 56 individuals including minors,” Sooka said. “These extrajudicial killings orchestrated by governors from the ruling party are sufficiently similar, widespread and systematic and may constitute crimes against humanity.”

The report documents the prevalence of enforced disappearances, torture, rape, and conflict-related sexual violence and the forced recruitment of child soldiers throughout the country.

It finds widespread lawlessness and violence have intensified, resulting in many deaths and the forcible displacement of millions of people.

A separate commission report dealing with economic crimes accuses South Sudanese political elites of illicitly diverting millions of dollars from public coffers into private bank accounts.

Commission member Andrew Clapham said these practices are undermining human rights, endangering security, and keeping 80% of the population living in extreme poverty.

“We have sought to clarify that the government of South Sudan has responsibility for violations of the right to health and the right to education, and the failure to provide adequate resources to fulfill these rights is related to the misappropriation of the revenue, which ought to be deposited in bank accounts of the state and then used to provide for education and health,” Clapham said.

The South Sudanese minister of justice and constitutional affairs, R.M.A. Kachuoli, rebutted the report, saying he does not agree with the commission’s view of his country.

Kachuoli said the security situation across South Sudan is relatively calm and peaceful. He said the government is dealing with ethnic conflict through dialogue and the use of traditional courts. He calls a peace agreement reached in 2018 a significant milestone toward achieving peace in his country.

He said his government deems the report on economic crimes and corruption exaggerated, and questions whether the three-member panel even has a mandate to look at this issue.

Source: Voice of America