Somalia referees receive FIFA training

Mogadishu, April 18 - Two instructors from Egypt and Jordan have arrived in Mogadishu to conduct a three day high level training and fitness test for 30 local and international Somalia referees as part of the World football body FIFA support to increase their fitness level and football knowledge which is a major boost for the country as it continues its road to recovery.
FIFA Instructor and Africa Regional Development Officer Ahmed Al Shanawi from Egypt and Hassan Mohamed Hassan, a Jordanian FIFA Fitness Instructor conducted a 3 day refereeing training and fitness test for Somalia referees officiating in the second division, first division of the Somalia premier league as well as some International referees and assistant referees from Somalia. The training started on 28 April and is expected to end on the 30th of April.
The Somalia Football Federation is a member of FIFA and is the only organization mandated by FIFA to manage football in Somalia. FIFA supports Somalia with such high level technical trainings and has in the past provided material support too like the construction and carpeting of Banadir stadium. Somalia has three football divisions that bring together over 20 football clubs. For the first time in the country history, the local league has also attracted foreign players from Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda
Speaking on behalf of the government during the opening ceremony to officially launch the FIFA Somalia Member Association Refereeing Training and Fitness Test at a psoh Mogadishu hotel, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Adan Dubow reiterated the government’s commitment to support sports and the youth.
“I sincerely wish to thank FIFA and the Somalia Football Federation (SFF) under the leadership of its charismatic Chairman Abdiqani Hassan Arab for their unflinching dedication to continue engaging the youth and entertaining the Somalia people with football and such high level training to improve the sport. We want to assure them that the Somalia government and people are ready to cooperate with them because football is the most loved sports in Somalia,” Assistant Minister Dubow said.
SFF Chairman Abdiqani who also spoke during the launch of the program thanked the FIFA officials and urged Somalia referees to be disciplined during the training course show dedication and hard work in order to benefit from the experience of the FIFA instructors.
“Referees are the backbone of our football because without proper training and incentives they can easily bring the game into disrepute and hence the need to increase their knowledge and fitness level in accordance with FIFA standards. Somalia is represented in international matches by 9 referees but we want to produce more international referees and we can only do so with such high level training,” Abdiqani said amid applause from the referees and officials who attended the colourful event.
For his part the FIFA Africa Regional Development Officer Ahmed Al Shanawi from Egypt lauded Somalia referees’ progress and promised to share their experience with them. He said FIFA is impressed by Somalia’s recover and is ready to continue supporting Somalia football.
“There is a period Somalia was not good and Somalia was not in the plans for FIFA courses. So now FIFA is happy, very happy. This year I think FIFA have sent a lot of good things for the referees and also next year God willing we will send more and more,”
Somalia referee Aweys Abdullahi Sheikh is one of 9 other Somalia international referees and assistants. He said such high level training keeps them fit and well prepared for their hard task of officiating a football match. He hopes to one day officiate in a world cup final match.
“I am an International Assistant Referee. I officiated in many international football matches like in Tunisia where I took part in a match between Libyan and Chad. I also officiated in Angola this year. I have also taken part in a match between Burundi and Egypt. I have also been in Djibouti several times and many other places. I became an International Assistant Referee in 2014. I hope to learn more and gain more experience so that I can officiate a final world cup match in 2018, that is my dream,” he said, with a broad smile at Banadir stadium, venue of Somalia referees FIFA fitness training.

Meet the Libyan warlord who feeds on immigrants

Mr. Magafe, the Libyan warlord who feeds on immigrants.
Somalis are very good at nicknaming things and even people. The name Magafe literally means the one who never misses in Somali and that is what Somalis use to describe a Libyan warlord who has made a business out of kidnapping poor immigrants heading to Europe via the Sahara desert.
He waylays for immigrants in southern Libyan and has over the years built a network of freelancers said to be mostly Tuareg militias across the Libyan Desert snatching any immigrant crossing the Libyan border.
He then goes to illegally detain the immigran’ts until when they pay off a ransom to buy their freedom. Talk of slavery in the 21st century!
After he is paid a ransom, at least he is descent enough to take the immigrant’s across the desert to the coastline and hand them over to other human traffickers who charge them a certain amount of money to take them across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe via Italy.
Mr Magafe’s kidnapping business has grown so huge that it is said that he has a fleet of 4x4 vehicles, horses and even camels specifically bought to patrol the expansive Libyan Desert in search of immigrants.
He commands dozens of battle hardened-Tuareg militias who fought for the Libyan President Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and who are inhabitants of the desert themselves giving him an edge over the immigrants as his foot soldiers know every hiding place in the desert including the entire oasis where travellers rest during the hot humid day, which is the only location you can find a well or water source which in the desert means survival or death.
As a result of Mr. Magafe’s cruelty on the immigrants, it is believed hundreds if not thousands have died in Libya either in the hands of Magafe himself from torture and at times even assassinations.
If you thought that is cruel enough of Mr. Magafe wait until you hear what he does to beautiful immigrant women.
Survivors say any beautiful woman caught by Mr. Magafe naturally becomes his wife until when her family buys her off like a slave. His libido must be abnormally high since it is said that he sleeps with more than 4 or 5 women a day at times during the high season when there are many immigrants crossing the Libyan desert on their way to Europe.
His militias are said to also rape women at will or even sodomize young boys at will. The cruelty meted on the poor immigrants is simply mindboggling.
I started hearing about Mr. Magafe sometimes last year but I first thought he was simply an amateur trying to eke out a living in chaotic Libya. But then his name started going round Somalis and you’d hear stories of how Mr. Magafe has kidnapped Somali immigrants whom then he forces to call their relatives and ask for ransom to release his captives.
There is no picture or video available to show this man called Magafe, at least not any I know of or heard of leaving this sad story to remain a harrowing mystery.
This week one of my colleagues received a call from his brother who claims to have been kidnapped by Mr. Magafe and urging the brother to pay $3000 or else he will be killed
This bad news has understandably disturbed my friend. They have met as a family and have been forced to contribute money to send to Mr. Magafe.
I tried to speak to Mr. Magafe in vain, as he could not speak English. He could only speak his Libyan Arabic language, but from his horse voice I can imagine what kind of a face he was wearing, it must be a very angry face of a human slave trader in the 21st century.
If you have any information about Mr. Magafe, including pictures or videe please send to libyamagafe@gmail.com
We are trying to collect as much information and evidence as possible to bring Mr. Magafe on trial for his crimes against humanity.
Change starts with you and me. Let us save humanity.
By Mohamud Hassan
Leverage Media
Consultant

Vote of confidence for Somalia security forces.

I have reported on Somalia since 2005 covering fighting, elections and peaceful spells but I must admit I have never been impressed by the zeal and genuine patriotism of the Somalia police, military and intelligence officers like their recent display during the IGAD ministerial summit in Mogadishu.

Understandably, Mogadishu was closed down for this important meeting because it was the first of such high level meeting by IGAD in 28 years. Ordinary people were somehow affected but many of those I met in the streets on the day were generally happy saying such important conferences are a sign of good things to come.

My crew and I were kept at a checkpoint for 2 hours a few meters from the SYL hotel where the conference took place despite having all relevant documentation and our press badges. They told us they were ordered never to let anyone through and politely asked us to call their superiors.

After hours of calling and begging, we were finally allowed after a Somalia paramilitary police captain clad in black uniforms, never seen before, and an AMISOM captain were dispatched by the office of the President to fetch us.
We had to weave through several checkpoints, which we also had to introduce ourselves even though we were accompanied by senior officers from Somalia and AMISOM.

Finally we were allowed into the premises one hour and a half after the conference had started and we went ahead to cover the historic meeting which will go into history books as a major milestone for Somalia.

MASKED FACES AND HAWK EYES
As the IGAD Foreign Affairs ministers were busy deliberating in the meeting, which was opened by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia and closed by Prime Minister Abdirashid Omar Sharmarke, outside and within the SYL hotel, Somalia security forces and their AMISOM counterparts were busy moving around questioning anyone they came across all in the spirit of making the meeting a success.

The special forces from the police who were wearing black stood out from the rest as they paced up and down in their masked faces revealing hawk eyes , even when it was so hot in the mid-day Mogadishu sun or even when the guests were having lunch, they swiftly paced around simply to make sure nothing went wrong.

It is my sincere hope that the Somalia security forces – police, military and the Intelligence officers – will continue with such zeal as the country continues to slowly make inroads towards peace and development.
Lest I forget, the Somalia fire fighters should also be lauded for their presence in the conference to prevent any fire disasters even though nothing happened.

I salute them all and hope they will keep up the good job of protecting the country and its citizens, from the small and the big, the poor and the rich alike without fear or favour.

Brazil, world cup final and football matters

The 2014 world cup in Brazil, home of football, has never been short of surprises, thrills and heartbreaks alike.

Giant killers and minnows Costa Rica surprised many people by reaching the quarterfinals and thrashing Italy, Uruguay and nearly skinning England to emerge top in a group of death.

Algeria enchanted many by their belief, speed and talent while bigger teams like Holland, Germany, Uruguay without the horrible Suarez bite.

Lest we forget teams like Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Belgium who mesmerized us with their fantastic displays.

Brazilian poster boy Neymar's unfortunate injury and the suspension of their stalwart captain and dependable kingpin Silva not only ended their world cup dream but also the hope and aspirations of 200 million football mad Brazilians.


So many surprises and heartbreaks have been the hallmark of this world cup.

Defending world champions Spain were quickly bundled out and will attest to the high paced game full of energy that swept them off their tiki-taka football. England came with a huge ego too but were brought back to reality fast after finding the going tough in a group dominated by former world champions except the surprise package Costa Rica.

Then came the shocker of all which become the talk of the world, Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 in a scintillating thriller of a semi final that is arguably the most one sided world cup semi finals ever witnessed.

To beat Brazil at home with a humiliating and yet emphatic score of 7-1 can never be an understatement at all. Germans were good and efficient in front of goal and took their chances very well.

The Germans will square off in the final of the 2014 football world cup with the unpredictable Argentines who have livewire Lionel Messi and a sea of other talents in Di Maria, Aguero, Higuain, Mascherano among others who will not only carry their country's hope but that of the whole continent of South America.

Just to give you a clue of what is at stake here, old rivalries between Argentina and Brazil have been buried as the 200 million Brazilians will for the first time support their arch rivals Argentina against the Germans purely not out of love for Argentina but in revenge for loosing 7-1 against Germany.

That is football for you, which, like politics has no permanent enemies. The universal motto, your enemies enemy is your friend, seams to be the order of the day.

The hullaballoos associated with the world football bonanza is set to also come to a close after the July 13 final meaning the samba rumble, the dance and music and everything will end.

Football is once again set to leave us with lasting memories bound to captivate us many years after the end of this world.

One advertisement that will always make me smile is the Coca Cola one, especially the part where three cooks are seen watching a football match as the cooking pot catches fire in the background . Smelling something, one of them say,

"I smell something,"

The response he gets is both ridiculous and hilarious!

"It is victory"! his friend responds as they both laugh and celebrate unaware of their fire gutted kitchen and food!

On a more serious note, with all due respect for the German team, I wish Argentina and Messi win the coveted world cup trophy and as Neymar admitted the little but decorated Argentine talisman Messi needs to win the world cup in order to join the ranks of legends like Diego Armando Maradona.

I arrest my case.

Militants attack Somalia Presidential palace in Mogadishu again

Over 10 heavily armed Al-Shabaab militants disguised as Somalia military officer driving a pickup technical drove into the Presidential palace in Mogadishu immediately after the call of the evening prayers roared across Mogadishu to symbolize the breaking of the Ramadan fast and immediately opened fire at guards who were busy eating or breaking their fast!

This is the second time this year for such a brazen attack on the highest office in Somalia after Al-Shabaab attacked the same villa Somalia Presidential palace in February.

A security source inside Villa Somalia confirmed the incident and said the attackers included militants with suicide vests wrapped around their waists who exploded themselves during the siege which lasted for almost an hour. He said at least 13 militants were killed and that the "real" Somalia military forces have managed to end the siege after bravely fighting off the attackers who hid in one of the buildings.

The latest news shocked many locals in the Horn of African country and is likely to increase suspicion among its war weary residents raising many questions at the state of security management in the volatile country struggling to shed off years of conflict.

The attack comes at a time when the capital city is experience a boom in construction and businesses as thousands of Somali returnees from the diaspora return to pick up pieces and rebuild their shuttered homes.

Despite occurrence of such attacks, Mogadishu is witnessing an unprecedented growth and development with new tarmacked roads, streetlights and exotic restaurants and coffee shops popping up all over the city that is open until late serving locals who move around at night after breaking their Ramadan fasts to enjoy the cooler night breeze in seaside Mogadishu.

Growing fears of diseases outbreak and death at submerged Kismayu IDP camp

KISMAYU, June 4 - Internally displaced persons including vulnerable children and expectant mothers living in squalid camps in Kismayu are spending sleepless nights in the cold without food and medicine after flush floods submerged their makeshift houses for the second time this week after 3 children died with fresh fears now mounting of diseases outbreak in the congested camps, victims and officials said on Thursday.

In one IDP camp known as Tawakal or to depend in English which houses 350 families majority of who are children, pregnant women and others suckling babies who are victims of a heavy down pour that pounded Kismayu on Tuesday night totally submerging their entire camp and forcing the poor people to spend outside in the cold and rain with their children without food or shelter.

The 3 children who died last week are said to have succumbed to complications after nearly drowning and gulping the contaminated water only to have been saved too late by their shell shocked parents.

Interim Juba Administration leader Ahmed Mohamed aka Ahmed Madobe visited the affected IDP camps and his administration has already identified a high ground government land with Kismayu where the IDPs will be moved.

Shankaron Sidi, a mother of 5 children said she is overwhelmed by the problems crying out that she urgently needs milk for her 2 months old baby boy as well as food and medicine for the rest of her children.

“My house has been totally submerged by water. I have not cooked anything since yesterday for my children because the food I received last week was washed away. We slept on top of those stones with my children,” Shankaron said inside her former shack that is now inhospitable with water almost reaching her knees.

She said her biggest worry now is clean drinking water, baby powder milk, food, medicine and shelter which they urgently need now before they fall sick and die.

“Please anyone who gets my message including the UN, ordinary Somalis and the international community should come to our rescue,” she pleaded almost in sobs as her youngest son cried on her back while the other four children stood in a state of bewilderment in a pool of stagnant water almost drowning them outside their makeshift house made of sticks and pieces of clothes patched together.

AMISOM sent a team to assess the situation led by sector Kismayu engineer captain Salim Mohamed from Kenya to investigate level of damage in the flooded IDP camp as well as several other roads rendered impassable by stagnant water and will work with IJA to come up with a permanent solution to tackle the perennial flooding issue.

Even though Kismayu city is relatively peaceful since IJA security forces and AMISOM re-captured the city from Al-Shabaab in September 2012, humanitarian agencies are yet to fully resume their operations rendering vulnerable groups like the IDPs situation to worsen due to lack of rapid humanitarian intervention whenever calamities like flooding hits Kismayu just like now.

“The submerged camp now has stagnant water mixed with sewage and to make matters worse within the same camp there is 3 fresh graves of the three children who died last week. If these people don’t get urgent help we are in for a humanitarian disaster in Kismayu,” Nur Omar, a senior Juba administration official said speaking after assessing the damage at the affected camp together with AMISOM peacekeepers.

Both victims and officials called for immediate help to avert an unfolding disaster likely to cause more death especially among vulnerable groups like children and women who have been forced to sleep rough on empty stomach in sodden and poor conditions.

Sierra Leonean chief of defense staff visits Kismayu.

KISMAYU, Somalia June 2 - Sierra Leone’s top military chief Brigadier General Samuel Omar Williams on Monday visited Kismayu for the first time to pay a courtesy call to AMISOM peacekeepers based there including his own Sierra Leonian forces which together with Kenyan and Burundian forces make up the three contingents stationed in the strategic Somalia southern port city of Kismayu.

After meeting various continents serving in Kismayu under AMISOM, the General was hosted to a sumptuous lunch at the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) at the main airport, UNMAS brifed him on the work and support to AMISOM and later they had an opportunity to present to the General their latest Sierra Leonean trainee bomb squad unit taught how to handle and dispose off improvised explosive devices, other unexploded ordnances and as well some soldiers taught to as sniffer dog handlers.

General Williams spent the night with his Sierra Leonean soldier’s stationed at the beach front old Kismayu airport AMISOM base along the main road to Somalia’s capital city Mogadishu which they which they collocate with the Kenya Defense Forces.

Ordinary soldiers and officers from Sierra Leone had a rare opportunity to freely meet and speak to their chief after he addressed dozens of the forces at a hilltop building surrounded by green mountains with acacia trees on one side and on the other side overlooking a splendid view of the massive the Indian Ocean.

On his second day the General paid a courtesy call to the Interim Juba Administration leader Ahmed Mohamed at State House Kismayu. The interim Juba is a federal state within Somalia that brings together 3 regions names Lower Juba, Middle Juba and Gedo.

“It is my pleasure to be in Kismayu for the first time. Am grateful to the cordial welcome the people of Kismayu have accorded me and my fellow Sierra Leonean forces serving here under AMISOM. We want to tell the Somalis that it our honor to take part in this noble African mission helping Somalia find its feet,” General Williams told the Somali leader.

The two leaders held a closed door meeting and discussed bilateral issues mainly focusing on security situation in Kismayu and the entire Somalia. President Ahmed thanked Sierra Leone for their selfless contribution with the pan African Union AMISOM mission in Somalia.

“Our common enemy Al-Shabaab, which is an international terror network, has been very much weakened thanked to our own Somalia forces and AMISOM peacekeepers fighting alongside us. In Kismayu, the enemy no longer enjoys the public support because of their inhuman treatment of the people. They are like fish removed from the water. They are getting irrelevant by each passing day. We thank Sierra Leone for sacrificing their own sweat and blood for Somalia to get peace,” Mohamed said.

Before flying to Dhobley for the last leg of his three days working visit to Somalia, Brigadier General Samuel Omar Williams, the Chief Defense Staff of Sierra Leone observed that AMISOM mission is progressing well and thanked all the soldiers and personnel involved in the peacekeeping operation.

“I first congratulate AMISOM as a force and then also wish to thank my Sierra Leonean force for their contribution to AMISOM. To the people of Somalia, we wish to remind them we in Sierra Leone had our own experience of war and the solution to the end of this civil war here lies in the hand of the Somali people. They should give their support to the mission and collaborate with AMISOM and at the end of the day we will all succeed and celebrate,” the General said, before flying out of Kismayu.