03 Jan 2012 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Somalia President meets with MPs over parliament infighting (Source: Radio Shabelle)
- Al Shabaab leaders flee parts of Bakol region (Source: Radio Bar-Kulan)
- One killed three wounded in battle in Somalia capital (Source: Radio Shabelle Radio Risaala)
- Somali FA successfully concludes district football tournament in Mogadishu (Source: RBC)
- Kenyan security forces arrest Somali refugees at IFO camp (Source: Radio Shabelle)
- Bossaso fire causes USD$15 million worth in damages (Source: Radio Mogadishu Radio Garowe)
- Somalia’s 27th athletics championship kicks off in Mogadishu (Source: RBC)
- Al Shabaab suspects gunned down in Lamu (Source: The Star)
- African forces make headway in Somalia (Source: Africa Report)
PRESS STATEMENT
Somali Government begins “Operation to Restore Peace and Stability in Somalia”
31 Jan- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 245 words
The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia announced early this morning that it has begun “Operation to Restore Peace and Stability across Somalia” in collaboration with neighboring countries and support from International Community.
“Today, the Government and the people of Somalia have stood up against the evils of al Qaeda and al Shabaab terrorists, who have for so long, terrorized and killed countless Somalis and our neighbors. Our people have suffered harshly under their occupation.
Today, we have initiated the process to liberate the tyranny of al Qaeda and al Shabaab from Somalia.” said Somalia Prime Minister, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.
The Somali people have suffered under the harsh treatments of extremist groups. al Shabaab is an affiliate of the international terrorist network led by al Qaeda.
“Our Operation to Restore Peace and Stability is proceeding well according to plan. Early this morning, the Somali National Army recaptured some al Shabaab occupied territories engaging the enemies in Hiraan and other regions of the country. We are officially requesting for momentous support from neighboring countries such as Ethiopia and the international community at large to assist the Somali people and its government with this historic operation.” added Prime Minister Ali.
The aim of this operation is to free the Somali people from the merciless extremist groups. This operation will extend the safety zone for Somalis to receive international aid which they desperately need.
The Transitional Federal Government urged the International Community and aid agencies to swiftly extend humanitarian assistance to the newly liberated areas.
Somali government condemns the killing of MSF aid workers and will bring the criminals to justice
30 Dec – Source: TFG PM’s Office – 244 words
The Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, confirmed that the perpetrator of yesterday’s shooting of two aid workers would be brought to justice. Somali Government condemns the bar-baric killing of MSF Aid Workers and will bring the criminal to Justice.
Two international aid workers, an Indonesian and a Belgian, were shot and killed in a compound run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in Mogadishu, yesterday. At the scene of the shooting the killer was arrested carrying a gun. An investigation is currently underway by the police.
Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said: “I offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the two aid workers and thank them, on behalf of all Somalis, for their enormous contribution to making the lives of Somalis better.
“This year’s response from the international aid community to the disaster in Somalia ought to be commended. We welcome those who are willing to come to Somalia to work for the benefit of Somalis.
“This is a callous attack and a tragic example of an isolated incident and does not reflect any increased risk to international aid workers. I want to reassure the international aid community that we will do everything we can to enable foreign aid workers to operate safely in Somalia.
“We in the Transitional Government, in coordination with African Union Mission forces, are working hard to improve security in the city. The person who is responsible for this abhorrent crime will be brought to justice at the earliest opportunity.”
Puntland Government Welcomes Ethiopia Intervention in South-Central Somalia
01 Jan – Source: Puntland government – 190 words
The Government of Puntland State of Somalia welcomes the Ethiopian military intervention in parts of south-central Somalia to bolster the ongoing Somali-led military campaign to remove al Shabaab terrorists from all regions of Somalia.
Ethiopia’s intervention is in line with the request of the regional bloc, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), noted in a November 2011Communiqu� calling upon Ethiopia “to support the Kenyan-TFG and AMISOM operation” to help stabilize Somalia.
Puntland Government welcomes the Ethiopian intervention in support of Somali forces engaged in liberating the central regions bordering Ethiopia and Puntland State from al Shabaab terrorist group and their foreign fighter allies.
Furthermore, the Ethiopian intervention is part of a wider campaign led by Somali stakeholders – TFG, Puntland State, Ahlu Sunna group, and local communities in south-central regions – and backed by the African Union and Kenya.
Puntland Government does not see the Ethiopian military intervention as a violation of Somali sovereignty, as the security interest of the whole IGAD region is inter-connected.
As terrorist groups pose a great threat to the peace, security and stability of Somalia and the wider region, it remains vitally important to implement a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to eliminate the terrorist threat in the whole region.
SOMALI MEDIA
Somalia President meets with MPs over parliament infighting
03 Jan- Source: Radio Shabelle- 163 words
A number of Somali parliamentarians have had a special meeting with the President of the TFG, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed over night at the presidential palace and discussed the controversial removal of Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.
Reliable sources within some legislators, who previously opposed and attended last night in the meeting, stated that the main agenda of the gathering was to ask the president to give an apology from his recent statement, in which he said, “The firing of the speaker by the MPs was against the law”.
Lastly, MPs who are struggling to oust the speaker and met overnight with Somali president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at State House in Mogadishu, suggested that meeting was fruitless and unproductive.
This meeting between the Somali president and certain MPs came after rival parliamentarians engaged in fist fighting inside the parliament hall in Mogadishu yesterday for the third time over the controversial removal of Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.
Al Shabaab leaders flee parts of Bakol region
03 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu- 93 words
Al Shabaab leaders have reportedly fled districts of Hudur and Tiyeglow following reports that government troops were heading towards them.
Locals in Hudur town told Bar-kulan that the area’s al Shabaab leader, Maalim Adan Yare, fled the town to an unknown destination.
Reports say Yare and his Tiyeglow counterpart fled to Elasha Biyaha on the outskirts of Mogadishu which the rebel group controls. The rebel leaders’ departure from these districts comes as tension remains high in the region following reports that TFG forces were planning a major assault on rebel bases in the region.
One killed, three wounded in battle in Somalia capital
03 Jan- Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Kulmiye, Radio Risaala- 224 words
At least one person has been killed and three others injured in a fierce battle between Somali government soldiers supported by African Union peace-keeping troops AMISOM and al Shabaab fighters in Mogadishu, witnesses said Tuesday.
Residents in the remote district of Deynile, a frontline position in Mogadishu said the fighting erupted after al Shabaab militants launched an assault on joint military positions by AU forces and TFG soldiers in ‘Tida village’ on the outskirts of Deynile district, which has recently seen many ambush attacks by the militants.
Dahir Hassan Husein, the district commissioner of Deynile for the Somali government told Shabelle radio that AU and TFG soldiers have inflicted al Shabaab irretrievable losses during the counter-attack.
He added that all casualties from the combat were sustained by local civilians and the injured people were rushed to the nearby hospital, where they are currently receiving medical treatment.
“Yes there has been fighting in the district overnight. Al Shabaab fighters have attacked our positions but our troops and AU peacekeepers have resisted and inflicted them tangible fatalities during the battle. Our army, along with AMISOM, managed to drive them back from the area and sustained no losses,” said Dahir Hassan Husein, the district commissioner of Deynile.
Al Shabaab has not made any comments about the fighting which took place overnight in Mogadishu.
Bossaso fire causes USD$15 million worth in damages
03 Jan- Source: SONNA, Radio Garowe, Radio Mogadishu- 163 words
The fire that blazed for more than 12 hours last month in Bossaso town in Puntland’s Bari region, destroyed 75 homes and caused 15 million dollars worth of losses, Radio Garowe reports.
Puntland’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry reported that 1,875 people have registered with the Chamber. The fire victims lost their businesses when a fire burned down Bossaso’s busy market on Dec. 3, 2011.
Mohamed Hayir, director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Radio Garowe that losses due to the fire have been estimated at more than USD$15million and work is underway to help those victims who lost their businesses.
He added that the the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and Puntland’s government are working together to help the victims of the fire rebuild their businesses. Last week, TFG Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole visited the burned marketplace in Bossaso to assess damages first-hand.
Bossaso is Puntland’s commercial capital and the state has felt the after-effects of the burned marketplace.
Al Shabaab claims surge in recruiting fighters against Ethiopian troops
02 Jan- Source: Somalia Report, Radio Al Furqaan, Radio Andulus – 106 words
A reinforcement of al Shabaab fighters moved from Middle and Lower Shabelle regions to Hiiraan region to take part in the fighting against Ethiopian and the TFG troops who captured parts of Hiiraan and Galgaduud regions.
Meanwhile the Ethiopian ambassador to Egypt, Mohamud Dirir, declared that the aim of the intervention of the Ethiopian troops in Somalia is to prevent establishment of Islamist “Emirates” in East Africa.
Ambassador Dirir participated in a TV program aired by al-Jazeera on Monday where he vowed that they will keep on fighting against Islamists in the Horn of Africa to make sure that al Shabaab’s Sharia is not implemented in the region.
Fund-raising for football fans fatalities in Mogadishu
03 Jan- Source: Radio Kulmiye- 145 words
Fundraising program sponsored by the Banadir administration in the capital Mogadishu in cooperation with independent radio Kulmiye started in the compound of the Banaadir administration today. The program is aimed at supporting victims of the recent catastrophic incidents which happened in Mogadishu’s Debka junction and took the lives of football fans making their way after attending a tournament which was hosted at the Koonis stadium in northern Mogadishu last month.
Osman Abdullah Guure, the director of Kulmiye radio says the project is to assist the victims of the recent tragedy in Mogadishu. The families of the dead people in the incident will receive part of the money which is now being raised by the two agencies, he said.
Police arrest 40 in Bosaso town, Bari region
03 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 126 words
Police in Bosaso town have arrested over 40 people in an operation aimed at hunting down gangs who were planting mines targeting government officials in the city, reports say.
Eyewitnesses told Bar-kulan that heavily armed police were seen last night combing houses in several neighbourhoods which they suspected to be the hideouts for the gangs. Reports say the suspects are being held in custody for interrogations.
Police have not yet released any comment on the crackdown against people suspected of involving in criminal activities in the seaside city.
On Saturday night, Puntland security officers rounded up 15 people in the city in connection with an explosion in a Bosaso neighbourhood on Saturday evening. The explosion reportedly targeted Puntland officials in the area but nobody was hurt.
Somali FA successfully concludes district Football tournament in Mogadishu
03 Jan – Source: Radio RBC- 496 words
The Somali Football Federation has successfully concluded the district level Football for Peace tournament in Mogadishu on Friday afternoon with the Darkeynley district team winning the trophy after defeating their Yaqshid district rivals by 1-0 in the final match.
Dharkeynley’s 17 year-old striker Abdulkadir Mohamed Hassan scored the lone goal from a free kick in the 25th minute of the first half of the very competitive match, which attracted about 50,000 spectators including Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, minister of sports Mohamed Mohyaddin Sheikh and Somali Football Federation president Said Mahmoud Nur. Dozens of other government ministers, parliamentarians and the mayor of Somali Capital were also watching the final match.
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed told the conclusion ceremony that Somali Football federation did an unprecedented job, because he said that to him it was unbelievable that such big number of people can be brought together at one place in the same time.
“I praise the Somali football Federation for the great role it is playing in the restoration of peace and public integration through football for peace matches” the president said in his closing remarks on Friday adding that football is powerful and can play a larger role in pacifying the whole country.
The president also thanked Banadir regional administration for its role in the successful soccer for peace tournament.
Kenyan security forces arrest Somali refugees at IFO camp
03 Jan- Source: Radio Shabelle- 184 words
Kenyan security forces reportedly arrested on Monday at least 15 Somali refugees at the IFO camp in northern Kenya, a day after a Somali refugee leader was shot dead in the area by gunmen.
One of the IFO camp inhabitants, who declined to have his name broadcasted, told Shabelle Media station in Mogadishu by phone that hundreds of kenyan security personnel have conducted massive operations at the IFO refugee camp and arrested fifteen people suspected of being behind the killing of a Somali refugee leader in Dadaab camp.
Kenyan security forces imposed a night curfew in the IFO refugee camp to assure the overall security and stability of the camp, which has witnessed insecurity in recent past.
Kenyan government has not yet released any comments about the latest operations by its security forces in IFO camps, which is home to thousands of Somali refugees.
On the other hand, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ant�nio Guterres, voiced his deep regrets about the senseless killing of a refugee leader in the Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya yesterday evening by gunmen.
TFG threatens to take over Bay, Bakol regions
03 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 123 words
Government officials in parts of Bay and Bakol regions have vowed to wrest control of some districts in these regions from al Shabaab in the coming days.
Speaking to Bar-kulan from Luq town in Gedo region, TFG official, Col. Adan Ahmed Bariyow, said that final touches have been made and that their forces will soon embark on a full-scale operation aimed at stamping out rebel fighters from Bay and Bakol.
Bariyow further said the TFG controls parts of Bay and Bakol including Lehelow, Ato and Bohol-Bashir neighbouring rebel controlled districts of Hudur, Bardale and Rab-dure.
He added that they are committed to free locals in these areas from what he called al Shabaab’s brutalities, urging rebel fighters to peacefully pull out of these regions.
Somalia’s 27th athletics championship kicks off in Mogadishu
03 Jan- Source: Radio RBC, Somgoal- 254 words
As Somali sport recovers from years of conflict, the 27th edition of Somali athletics championship commenced in Mogadishu with 85 athletes representing 6 ‘division one clubs’ taking part in the 5 day-long competition.
Somali Athletics federation first vice-president Khadija Aden Dahir who spoke at the opening ceremony of the competition said that both boys and girls are taking part in the annually-held competition.
“Boys will compete in the events of 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1500 meters,5000 meters, 10000 meters and high jumping, while female athletes will compete in 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, relay and low jumping” noted Khadija who is the highest-ranking sports women in Somalia.
Somali National Olympic committee senior vice-president and head of international relations Duran Ahmed Farah urged the young athletes to redouble their efforts to try to reach high level in athletics.
“Today I am very happy to see young faces who are competing in sports despite the hard situation that Somalia has been experiencing for more than two decades. It is also good to see Abdi Naser Said Ibrahim who represented Somalia in the Beijing Olympic games still running and I am sure that many of you will reach an Olympic level. Try to make more efforts, we are with you” Mr. Duran told the participating athletes.
According to the schedules of the competition on Monday, female athletes will compete in 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, relay and low-jumping.
Fleeing Somali families stranded at Kenyan border
03 Jan- Source: Radio Shabelle- 177 words
Somali families, who have fled from the severe drought, conflict and famine in southern Somalia regions, are reportedly stranded at Dhobley town at the country’s border with Kenya.
Families, among them women, children and elders from Bay, Bakol and Banadir regions have reached the border in the past few weeks to cross to the refugee camps in northeast Kenya, but fighting between Somalia government soldiers with Kenyan army and al Shabaab militants as well as heavy rains in that region have made traveling on the ground much more difficult.
These families fleeing the drought and battle-hit regions in southern Somalia are cut off in Dhoblay town, facing hardships and in dire need of help and relief.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Military exposes warfare tricks elusive Somali militia deploy
03 Jan- Source: the Standard- 1005 words
Despite inflicting damage on al Shabaab militia and expelling them from a large section of Gedo region, Kenyan and Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops are not under-estimating the militants’ ability to hit back.
What KDF spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna meant in October last year when he said war against al Shabaab “is not a picnic” is underlined by TFG spokesman Warfa Sheikh Aden in Somalia’s Burhache town.
Al Shabaab is believed to have between 800 and 1,200 insurgents, including foreign fighters in the three sectors. The foreigners mainly train local insurgents in the use of heavy weapons and also prepare most of the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).
Through propaganda the militants routinely deny their losses, make extravagant claims of victory and exaggerate enemy losses on their radio station Al Andalus and social media.
The group’s techno-savvy campaigners have waged the propaganda war to mask widening rifts within the movement and territorial losses as well as al Shabaab’s inability to re-supply their fighters effectively.
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has established bases deep into Somalia, including at Busar in the Northern Sector and Bilis Qooqani in the Central Sector, but military planners are not underestimating al Shabaab’s ability to retaliate inside Somalia and on the Kenyan home front.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000049350&cid=4
ICRC sends needed medical supplies to Middle Juba in Somalia
03 Jan- Source: Kuwait News Agency KUNA- 193 words
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has sent needed emergency medical supplies to various medical facilities in the Middle Juba region of southern Somalia, “More than 100 wounded people, mainly civilians, reached the medical facilities, in in Kismayo, Afmadow and Dhobley, during the most recent phase of the fighting,” said Randi Jensen, an ICRC nurse.
“It has become very dangerous for patients to reach the few clinics available to them and we just don’t know how many more wounded are still out there, desperately waiting to get help.” The ICRC provided Kismayo Hospital with one tonne of supplies for the surgical treatment of casualties.
In addition, it delivered a total of 300 kilograms of other medical supplies to the hospital and to local clinics in the Dobley and Afmadow areas.
In cooperation with local treatment facilities, the ICRC will continue to closely assess surgical and other medical needs in the coming days and weeks.
The ICRC calls on all warring parties to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law by sparing those who are not or no longer take direct part in the hostilities, including the civilians and the wounded.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2212398&Language=en
Second aid project for Somalia
02 Jan- Source: Gulf Daily- 282 words
Bahrain is embarking on its second development project to help the people of Somalia, who have been beset by drought, famine and two decades of war.
A $2 million (BD754,000) teacher training college is being planned in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Royal Charity Organisation (RCO) secretary-general Dr Mustafa Al Sayed told the GDN.
Work is progressing on the project alongside another Bahraini initiative to build a hospital in Mogadishu.
“It had earlier been proposed to set up a nurses’ training school for Somali nurses, but the country’s Education Ministry requested we consider a teacher’s college instead,” said Dr Al Sayed.
“The project is already on the drawing board and is expected to be finalised soon. “Construction will begin soon and will be completed quickly because the facility is much needed in the country.”
Meanwhile, Dr Al Sayed said work was progressing on the Bahrain Specialist Hospital in Mogadishu, for which the foundation stone was laid earlier this month.
“The situation is uncertain in that country and there are disturbances every day and exchange of fire takes place,” he said.
“However, that does not prevent us going ahead with the construction.” Work started following a ceremony in Mogadishu held under the patronage of RCO chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and attended by Dr Al Sayed.
Somali Health Minister Dr Abdulaziz Shaikh Youssef, other ministers and MPs and Islamic Relief board chairman Dr Mohamed El Alfy were also there.
The $2 million hospital is set to be completed by the beginning of 2014 and has been described as the first development project in Somalia in the last 20 years. Funds were raised through a BH4Somalia campaign spearheaded by the Information Affairs Authority.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=320748
Al Shabaab suspects gunned down in Lamu
02 Jan- Source: The Star- 375 words
Three al Shabaab suspects were yesterday gunned down by Kenyan security forces and seven others arrested when they attempted to enter the country at Mkokoni area near Kiunga in two separate incidents. The three were three gunned down in the Boni forests while running away from the security personnel.
Police also recovered five AK 47 firearms, more than 300 rounds of ammunition and two boats which were being used by the suspects. Lamu East OCPD Samuel Obara confirmed the incident saying the suspects arrived in two boats separately and were heavily armed. He said the first group engaged the security personnel in a fierce gun battle that led to the killing of three of them in the Boni forests. No Kenyan security officer was injured in the battle. “One of them was arrested immediately while the other was nabbed at an Army camp in the forest while escaping,” he said on the phone.
Obara said the suspects had evil plans and had entered the country at Mkokoni through the Indian Ocean using a powerful speed boat and fled into the forest when they were spotted. Obara said security officers later got a tip off that other suspects had been seen and they arrested them. “The security officers laid an ambush and managed to arrest the suspects, they are now being held at Kiunga helping with investigations,” he said.
Obara said security had been beefed up in the area and officers were on high alert following the threat. “We are full house, all the officers are on the ground and ready to deal with any suspected al Shabaab,” the OCPD said. Officers all over the Coast had been placed on high alert over the threat of attacks by al Shabaab during new year celebrations.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/national/national/55987-three-al-shabaab-suspects-gunned-down-at-boni-forest-in-kiunga-seven-others-arrested
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
African forces make headway in Somalia
03 Jan- Source: The African Report- 478 words
Two days after Ethiopian troops captured the Somali town of Baladweyne from extremist group al Shabab, Ethiopia has confirmed that it had sent troops to Somalia to help the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of that country in the fight against the Islamist militants.
An official who demanded anonymity said Ethiopia sent troops to Somalia at the request of the TFG and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a six member state organisation including Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Kenya, and Somalia. IGAD requested Ethiopia’s military backing to buttress existing forces in Somalia during an extra ordinary summit on the situation in Somalia last November.
Somalia now has more than 9,000 peacekeeping forces from Uganda and Burundi under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Peacekeepers from Djibouti joined the mission a few weeks ago.
Kenya, which has already deployed its troops to Somalia after militias from Somalia crossed its border and abducted holiday makers, is awaiting approval from the United Nations Security Council after its parliament voted to allow its troops to join AMISOM.
According to media reports the Ethiopian troops, which are operating independently of the AMISOM and Kenyan troops, are now based in the town of Beledweyne, close to the Ethiopian border.
The strategic Somali border town of Beledweyne was captured on December 31 when, according to media sources, over 3,000 Ethiopian and TGF Somali troops clashed with the Islamist militants.
This comes after reports on Monday indicated that AMISOM troops on Thursday pushed al Shabab out and secured a large portion of Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
http://www.theafricareport.com/index.php/2012010250178404/east-horn-africa/african-forces-make-headway-in-somalia-50178404.html
Somalia: Rebuilding among the rubble
02 Jan- Source: Afroline- 854 Words
With vehicles and donkey carts packed with their belongings, Somalis are returning, four years after they fled, to their partially standing, bullet-scarred and mortar-shelled neighbourhoods in former al Shabaab controlled areas of Mogadishu.
With much of the Somali capital now under the control of government forces backed by African Union troops, most of the city’s residents have returned to their ruined homes after the surprise withdrawal of the extremists in August. Despite security incidents in the city, a semblance of normalcy has returned here.
Residents have now begun the slow process of rebuilding their homes and their lives. While most have been weary of returning to former al Shabaab controlled areas, a brave few have dared to return to their ruined neighborhoods intent on a new beginning. There are, however, no official figures of how many people have returned to date.
Many have had to endure years of hardship in squalid conditions in makeshift shelters on the outskirts of the city.
Maryan Guled, a mother of five, has lived with her husband and children in the Elasha camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu since 2008.
The family has now returned to their neighbourhood in Hodan district where they used to live in a villa in the midst of a close-knit community. However, their home was completely gutted during the three-year conflict for control of the city.
Her family had been forced to flee their home after Guled’s sister was killed when a stray bullet entered their home.
“Things began to fall apart when all of a sudden our neighbourhood became the target of blanket bombing and shooting back in 2008. My sister and many of my neighbours, who we were very close to, died in front of my eyes. We had to flee with our lives with nothing else,” said Guled as she swept the yard of her ruined villa.
http://www.afronline.org/?p=21801
As many as 200 Somali children die every day from disease and hunger
02 Jan- Source: SOS Children’s Village – 352 words
According to officials working at the Dolo Ado refugee camp located in Ethiopia, within a 24 hour period up to 200 Somali children die from disease and hunger.
Disease is the biggest threat to children living in refugee camps, with as many as 170 children at the Dolo Ado refugee camp dying from disease each day.
For children who live outside of the camp, an estimated 30 other children die of hunger and different diseases in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Although these figures are still shocking, they are not surprising as Somalia has the world’s highest child mortality rate, with almost one in five children dying before their fifth birthday.
The mortality rate in 2010 stood at 180 deaths per every 1,000 live births, according to the latest data released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.
The high mortality rate is also due to diarrhoeal disease-related dehydration, respiratory infections and malaria are the main killers of infants and young children, together accounting for more than half of all child deaths.
Cholera is endemic in Somalia, with outbreaks occurring annually from December to June. The major underlying causes of diarrhoea are the lack of access to safe water and poor food and hygiene.
Last year, only less than a third of one-year-old children in Somalia were immunized. Only about 5 per cent of children under one have all six recommended vaccinations. This problem is then compounded by the fact that 70 percent of the population lacked access to safe water, and only three out of every 10 children of primary school age were enrolled in school.
http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/News/News/child-poverty-news/Pages/As-many-as-200-Somali-Children-die-everyday-from-Disease-and-Hunger-121.aspx
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
Hijacking Somalia
02 Jan- Source: Dissident Voice 780 Words
Remember Mohamed Osman Mohamud? Of course not, no one does, and I haven’t thought about him myself until yesterday, when Iran’s Press TV solicited my (last) two cents about Somalia.
Somalia, but who’s thinking about Somalia? Yesterday, Americans were burdened with football and a hangover, and in Philadelphia, there was the Mummers Parade, a glorious display of blue collar creativity where plumbers and roofers cross-dressed, played saxophones or banjos, and strutted down Broad Street towards City Hall, the site of Occupy Philly until not that long ago.
Truth be told, the Mummers Parade has gone downhill for a while, ever since its finale was moved into the Convention Center. What was a street carnival became a perfunctory parade, then an indoors performance for a ticketed audience and designed for television. Yesterday’s version was particularly listless, with the crowd thin, mirthless, and many floats recycled from years past.
Everyone’s budget’s tight. In October, a Mummers Brigade was even busted for renting its clubhouse to a pimp. During the sting operation, undercover cops found nude women walking around, and sex acts performed in the open. Hey, when you’re broke and no longer making stuff, you have to make money with what’s intrinsic… to your person.
Back to Mohamed Osman Mohamud. Just over a year ago, he was lured and entrapped by the FBI, then accused of plotting to bomb a downtown Christmas celebration in Portland. His FBI handler had recorded their conversations, but during the supposedly incriminating one, where he actually stated his desire to bomb and kill fellow Americans, the recording device conveniently malfunctioned.
Remember that during the Bin Laden raid, the helmet-mounted video camera also malfunctioned, which explains, supposedly, why there is not even a single image of that most wanted man during the exciting operation, although a much ballyhooed photo, an “instant classic” according to Rolling Stone and the Village Voice, was produced of Obama, Clinton and other big shots sitting in the White House Situation Room to watch the assassination in real time.
I know it doesn’t add up. It never does. The next time an audio or visual recorder goes AWOL, perhaps the CIA or FBI can blame it on the Chinese, since it’s a given that everything is made in China these days, even if, like Apple or Dell, it carries an American label. Here’s a ready to use, cut and paste headline, “Commies Sabotage Evidence Incriminating Muslim Terrorist.”
http://dissidentvoice.org/2012/01/hijacking-somalia/
US proxy war in Somalia veers towards regional conflict
01 Dec- Source: Global Research 887 Words
The conflict in Somalia has been raised to dramatically higher stakes at the weekend after Ethiopian troops occupied a central town, routing al Shabaab militants in fighting that claimed dozens of lives.
The Ethiopian military entered the town of Beledweyne near its border on Saturday morning along with Somali troops belonging to the Western-backed Transitional Federal Government. The latter has been battling with al Shabaab Islamic militants for the past two years, but has only managed to maintain tenuous control of the capital, Mogadishu. Large areas of the country, especially to the south, have been under the command of the militants.
Earlier reports of Ethiopian troops having invaded Somalia with heavy armour were denied by the government in Addis Ababa. But the weekend offensive now confirms Ethiopia’s involvement in its neighbour to the east.
Almost every country in the Horn of Africa has a military presence in war-torn Somalia. In mid-October Kenyan forces mounted a large-scale invasion of Somalia with thousands of troops backed up with tanks and fighter jets. Nearly three months on, Kenyan forces are still battling with al Shabaab militants mainly in the territory south of Mogadishu on Kenya’s north-eastern border.
Last month, a contingent of troops from Djibouti arrived in Mogadishu, officially welcomed by the Somali government to join forces from Burundi and Uganda, which have been present in Somalia for the past two years as part of an African Union (AU) “peacekeeping mission” to combat the militants.
In addition to these contingencies is the involvement of the United States and France. Washington and Paris have given military support to the Kenyan and AU forces. American aerial attack drones and French naval firepower have coordinated with the Kenyan ground assault.
A week before Djibouti troops were dispatched to Somalia, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited Djibouti where he warned about “key terror nodes in Yemen and Somalia”.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CUN20120101&articleId=28443
Second biggest market in Mogadishu is booming
SomaliNet Forum Thread
SUUQ bacaad which was deserted under al shabaab occupation in Mogadishu. Today, after al shabaabul shayaadiin was chassed out of Mogadishu, Suuq bacaad once again is becoming second major market (after bakara) in Mogadishu and people are enjoying the peaceful Mogadishu after Suicide bombers al shabaab run away
http://www.somalinet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=294185&p=3471741#p3471741