05 Aug 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Somali police receive training funding
- Somali police service enhancement meeting held in Mogadishu
- U.S asks al Shabaab to allow humanitarian aid in their regions
- Somali PM says that the security operations will continue
- Somali government scholarship exam result released
- Australian navy joins with Somali anti-piracy exercises
- Baird Clinton oppose Somalia intervention
- Relief agencies struggle with distribution in Somalia
- Turkey to help famine-hit Somalia planning to mobilize efforts in Africa
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali police receive training, funding
05 Aug- Source: Radio Mogadishu – 80 words
A police security training workshop was held at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International airport, attended by representatives of the African Union, European Union, United Nations, and the government of Uganda as well as Somalia’s Police Commissioner Sharif Sheikh. The workshop was designed to benefit the Somali Police who are battling al Shabaab insurgents’ crimes and assassinations of government officials, and focus on the thousands of internally displaced people who have migrated to the capital in search of food and water.
Somali police service enhancement meeting held in Mogadishu
05 Aug- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 174 words
Somali police is set to boost its service delivery to the country as concerned groups met in Mogadishu to discuss ways in which Somali police service delivery can bee improved. The meeting held in Mogadishu airport was aimed at discussing ways to foster Somali police service delivery to the citizen. Officials from EU, UNDP and UNPOS attended the meeting.
Somali police boss, General Sharif Sheikuna Maye said the law enforcers have huge tasks awaiting them, including taking over the security situation of the recently government seized areas in Mogadishu.
African Union police Component chief attending the meeting in Mogadishu airport emphasized their commitments in enhancing Somali police services, saying that they have already successfully concluded a course in traffic and community-based policing for Somali police recruits to help the police force to take over law and order responsibility in the government-held areas in Mogadishu.
Somali police boss, General Sharif Sheikuna Maye and assistant minister for interior and national security, Abdihakim Ige Guleid were among government officials attending the meeting.
U.S asks al Shabaab to allow humanitarian aid in their regions
04 Aug- Source: Radio Shabelle, Risaala, Bar-kulan – 127 words
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday called on al Shabaab militia to allow food aid to reach freely into famine-hit areas, to save the lives of hundreds of thousands in southern Somalia.
Clinton also announced that a senior U.S. team including Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and U.S. Agency for International Development chief Rajiv Shah would travel to Kenya this week-end to assess the situation, Reuters say.
Al Shabaab militia which controls parts of Southern Somalia has denied the existence of famine in regions under their control.
The militia has also refused aid agencies to operate in their areas.
Somali PM says that the security operations will continue
04 Aug- Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA- 217 words
Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has called on the need to completely wipe out the extremists from Somalia.
The Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said that his administration is committed to continue the ongoing operations to flash out the extremists from Somalia whose desire is to see Somalia become a safe haven for the al Qaeda.
The Prime Minister also said that security situation is now stable in the areas placed under the government control and called on the civilians to maintain the spirit they have shown to the government forces.
Somali government forces with the backing of the African Union peace keeping forces have embarked on a major offensive with successful operations in Mogadishu which have seen new land placed under the control of the Somali government with people returning back to their homes.
H.E Abdiweli Mohamed Ali the Somali PM added that the operations will also remain active in the regions of the country as well as Mogadishu until the local and foreign fighters inside Somalia free the people of Somalia from their extremism.
University student umbrella body announced in Mogadishu
05 Aug- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 105 words
University students in Mogadishu have formed an umbrella body bringing together all university students in Mogadishu.
Mogadishu Universities Students Union was announced in a colourful ceremony held in Mogadishu attended by all university students from Universities in the capital as well as other education-sector-concerned people in the region.
Newly formed student body chairman, Hussein Ali Ahmed promised to bring together all university students in the region to share information and work together as a team.
Mogadishu has seen several sprawling universities since the collapse of Somalia’s central government two decades ago, producing a number of professionals who are currently working in different sectors in the country.
Somali government scholarship exam result released
05 Aug- Source: Radio bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu- 138 words
Somalia’s ministry of Education, Heritage and Higher Education on Thursday released the result of recently conducted scholarship exam and names of successful candidates.
Assistant Minister for Education, Heritage and Higher Education, Abdikadir Mohamed Barre congratulated the successful candidates and those who tried but could not attain the required marks for the scholarship.
The Assistant Minister ruled out any misappropriation during the exercise, saying that every thing was based on merits, saying that out of the 890 candidates who sat for the exam, only 382 managed to pass the exam and secured a place in the government offer.
Earlier on July, 890 candidates sat for a scholarship exam at different venues in Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Mogadishu for limited chances of scholarships offered by Asian countries like China, Jordan, Pakistan, and Turkey, among other countries, through Somalia’s ministry of education.
Turkish government promises to flow more aid to Somali people
05 Aug- Source: Somali National News Agency SONNA- 159 words
Turkish government has pledged that it will continue to assist Somali drought hit people in Somalia.
Mogadishu has seen the influx of thousands of internally displaced persons who have fled from the South region of Somalia following three years of unsuccessful rain that saw the pastoralists and farmers lose all that they depended on.
Bilal Jaleti one of the Turkish Red Crescent officials said that the Turkish government is planning on opening a massive center that will house the thousands of IDP’s who have already flooded the Badabado camp and other smaller camps that houses more than 100,000 fresh IDP’s mainly from the Bay and Bakool regions.
The officials added that a ship loaded with food aid and medicine will very soon dock at the Mogadishu seaport and shall be chanelled to the suffering Somali people in a bid to avert the already dire humanitarian situation.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somalia and the worst humanitarian disaster
04 Aug- Source: Arab Times- 201 words
The famine in Somalia is considered one of the worst disasters in the Horn of Africa, which includes Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. All of these nations are currently facing similar environmental challenges. The most dangerous aspect of the crisis is the radical groups that use natural disasters like drought to their advantage.
These groups have prevented the starving people from traveling to neighboring countries, up to the extent of imprisoning anyone who tries to flee from their homeland. They have also blocked the entry of relief goods, including medicine and water, from the West.
The situation has continued to deteriorate. Over 500,000 children are on the brink of starvation and thousands have already died in a situation that is worse than Iraq and Afghanistan. Due to their anti-Western beliefs, the al Shabaab group members, who regard themselves as part of alQaeda, have rejected anything Western, including support or aid for the starving people.
The acts of radical groups can be considered crimes against humanity like genocide; hence, the need for the quick intervention of the international community to break through the blockade and save a large number of dying children and elderly. These groups must be punished according to the law.
Australian navy joins with Somali anti-piracy exercises
04 Aug- Source: Coastweek- 414 words
HMAS Toowoomba contributed to maritime security in the Bab El Mandeb Strait through participation in a multi-national exercise, Exercise SCIMITAR EXOCET, under the command of the French-led Combined Task Force 150.
Exercise SCIMITAR EXOCET was conducted July 22 – 23,in the vicinity of the Gulf of Aden and in addition to Toowoomba, two Turkish Navy vessels and French Mirage fighter aircraft participated.
Toowoomba’s Commanding Officer, Commander Andrew Quinn, said the exercise proved the interoperability of Combined Maritime Forces’ (CMF) in responding to a range of potential threats, including air attacks, in the narrow strait that is the only means of access for 23,000 merchant vessels annually from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden.
“The exercise demonstrated the Combined Maritime Forces’ resolve to maintain safe and unfettered access for shipping through a vital international strait,” Quinn said.
http://www.coastweek.com/3430_
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Clinton urges Somali militants to allow famine aid
04 Aug- Source: AP- 489 words
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appealed Thursday for Islamic militants in Somalia to allow aid groups unrestricted access to areas of the country under their control to distribute food to hundreds of thousands of people threatened by famine. Clinton also announced that Jill Biden would lead a U.S. fact-finding mission to neighboring Kenya to inspect relief efforts.
Clinton said the militant group al Shabaab, which has ties to al-Qaida, had a humanitarian duty to stop blocking assistance to those desperately in need, particularly during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on Monday. al Shabaab, which controls much of southern Somalia, insists there is no famine and has banned all aid groups but the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“It is particularly tragic that during the holy month of Ramadan al Shabaab are preventing assistance to the most vulnerable populations in Somalia, namely children, including infants, and girls and women who are attempting to bring themselves and those children to safety, to the potential of being fed before more deaths occur,” Clinton said.
“I call on al Shabaab to allow assistance to be delivered in an absolutely unfettered way throughout the area that they currently control, so that as many lives as possible can be saved,” she told reporters at a State Department news conference with visiting Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird.
Millions throughout East Africa have been imperiled by a lengthy drought, which has led to famine in some areas. The U.S. estimates the drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under the age of 5 in the last 90 days in southern Somalia alone. The U.N. says 640,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished, suggesting the death toll of small children will rise.
Baird, Clinton oppose Somalia intervention
04 Aug – Source: the Globe and Mail – 711 words
Canada and the United States oppose military intervention in Somalia despite evidence the Islamic militant group al Shabaab is blocking famine relief in parts of the drought-ravaged nation that are under its control.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emerged from their first bilateral meeting on Thursday united in their approach to ending the humanitarian disaster in Somalia and responding to the Syrian regime’s violent crackdown on protesters. “At this time, we are not contemplating military action” in Somalia, Mr. Baird said. “Obviously, both countries have experience from that.”
He was referring to the participation of Canadian and U.S. troops in the 1992-93 United Nationssanctioned effort to clear the way for food and medical aid after the Somali government’s collapse.
The Canadian military’s reputation and morale were deeply damaged when it emerged that a Somali teenager had been beaten to death by Canadian soldiers during the mission, an incident known as the Somalia Affair. A public inquiry led to the disbanding of the elite Canadian Airborne Regiment, to which the soldiers had belonged.
With severe food shortages again threatening the lives of millions of Somalis, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday that it expected famine to spread across all parts of southern Somalia in the coming six weeks and last at least until the end of the year.
But while aid is reaching Somalis at camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, and some parts of the country including the capital Mogadishu, it is blocked from huge swaths of southern and central Somalia that are controlled by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab.
Ms. Clinton called on leaders of the Islamic militant group to “allow assistance to be delivered in an absolutely unfettered way.” She suggested outside military intervention could hamper the work of aid organizations.
“There is more than enough work for the international community to help save lives even without having to worry about the al Shabaab-controlled areas,” Ms. Clinton said. “At the end of the day, the best way to get aid into those areas is to get al Shabaab to actually care for the people.”
Relief agencies struggle with distribution in Somalia
05 Aug- Source: SABC – 227 words
International aid agencies, including South African Non-Governmental Organisation, The Gift of the Givers, are still being prevented from distributing aid in al Shabaab territories in Somalia.
The team, which is currently working in Mogadishu, is constantly surrounded by armed guards for protection and all the refugees that line up for medical care or food are searched for weapons and suicide bombs before being allowed onto the site.
Al Shabaab is trying to wrestle control of the country from the transitional government. Locals are terrified of being caught in the crossfire and their fears are worsened by scores of casualties that have already been reported. The situation is a double blow for a country battling to get on its feet.
With al Shabaab preventing food aid from reaching the areas they have control of, starving Somalians are forced to head to the capital city Mogadishu for help. It takes up to 14 days to get there on foot, and many die along the way. Those who do make it still have to worry about where they will be getting their next plate of food, yet they remain admirably resilient in the face of such uncertainty.
The al-Shebab group already has control of 80% of southern Somalia and has taken over four of 16 districts in the capital city Mogadishu. Al Shabaab has vowed to topple the Western-backed transitional government.
Turkey to help famine-hit Somalia, planning to mobilize efforts in Africa
04 Aug- Source: Todayszaman 457 words
Turkey is planning to undertake what Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has called a “large-scale” campaign to help famine-hit Somalia at a time when tens of thousands of people have died in a drought, the worst in Somalia in 60 years.
According to United Nations estimates, 640,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished, a statistic that suggests the death toll of small children will rise.
Davutoğlu stated at a joint news conference with his Ghanaian counterpart, Muhammad Mumuni, on Thursday that Turkey has mobilized all its state institutions to urgently help impoverished people suffering from severe drought and famine, adding that the Religious Affairs Directorate has started a comprehensive campaign in this regard. Davutoğlu said Turkey’s state-run Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TĐKA) has already started a serious campaign with $1 million and will continue raising more funds. According to the foreign minister, TĐKA’s first aid plane will arrive in Mogadishu this week.
TĐKA said last week during a Somali aid conference organized by the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that it is planning to dispatch four humanitarian aid planes to Somalia. “We are doing our best to alleviate the suffering of our brothers in that region,” Davutoğlu said.
International agencies move into southern Somalia
05 Aug- Source: ABC- 2 min 21”
Food aid has begun arriving in parts of famine-ravaged southern Somalia, but resources are scarce.
BLOGS/EDITORIAL/CULTURE
Helping famine-stricken Somalia: It’s not as easy as sending food
04 Aug- Source: Los Angeles Times – 676 words
If only helping the people starving in Somalia were as simple as sending food. In a July 22 Op-Ed by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, he pleaded with readers:
That is why I reach out today: to focus global attention on this crisis, to sound the alarm and to call on the world’s people to help Somalia in this moment of greatest need. To save the lives of the people at risk — the vast majority of them women and children — we need about $1.6 billion in aid. So far, international donors have given only half that amount. To turn the tide, to offer hope in the name of our common humanity, we must mobilize worldwide.
Of course, food is just part of the solution for a region afflicted by a severe drought, unrest and corruption. But we have to start somewhere, and there should be a sense of urgency surrounding this very basic need. Without food these people will die.
Still it’s possible to understand the instinct people might have to hold onto their money, especially after Tuesday’s anti-climactic debt deal and Thursday’s news about the Dow Jones industrials plunging 400 points. And then there’s the additional reservation about food possibly not making it to its intended location because of violent interventions by the terrorist organization Shabab, which controls much of Southern Somalia.
On Wednesday, the Obama administration did its partto help create an easier path for humanitarian aid groups to deliver food. Here’s what opinionators are saying must come next:
Hold leaders who don’t help accountable
Charles Kenny, Foreign Policy:
For all its horror, starvation is also one of the simpler forms of mortality to prevent — it just takes food. Drought, poor roads, poverty — all are contributing factors to the risk of famine, but sustenance in the hands of the hungry is a pretty foolproof solution. As a result, famine deaths in the modern world are almost always the result of deliberate acts on the part of governing authorities. That is why widespread starvation is a crime against humanity and the leaders who abet it should be tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Help increase agricultural productivity
Stewart M. Patrick, The Atlantic:
The causes of this emergency are complex, and the international effort to address the situation is well-intentioned, but the crisis demands a broader and dramatic reaction, which sadly, remains improbable. […] Even if aid organizations could penetrate the areas held by al-Shabaab, food aid alone will not eliminate the underlying causes of the crisis mentioned above. Barring the construction of a wellfunctioning state by internal forces–which sadly appears unlikely given the past twenty years — addressing the underlying causes would require long-term strategy from the international community. The 9,200-strong African Union peacekeeping force currently restricted to Mogadishu will not be able to provide political stability, and UN member states, including the United States show little appetite for a robust mission in the region. Still, the international community has the power to tailor food aid that doesn’t disrupt local economies and increases agricultural productivity so farmers can save surpluses, through support for technological improvement like irrigation systems.
Establish a government that respects basic human rights
Washington Post editorial:
Notwithstanding the drought, much of this misery is man-made. Al-Shabab has driven out Western aid groups, which have not operated in southern Somalia since early 2010. It has waged perpetual war against the Somali government and U.N. peacekeeping forces. It has killed Western aid workers. According to a report in the New York Times, it has diverted water resources from poor farmers and imprisoned starving people trying to escape the country. […] The only durable answer to Somalia’s famine is the establishment of a government that can control the entire country and that respects basic human rights. Sadly, there is little prospect of that. But the United States and other Western governments must do what they can to prevent mass starvation.
http://opinion.latimes.com/