08 Nov 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- President Sharif tours Mogadishu’s frontlines (Radio Mogadishu Horn Cable TV)
- Looting of food aid will not be tolerated Somali president says (Radio Mogadishu Shabelle Mareeg Online)
- Uneasiness grows over Kenyan offensive in Somalia (Al Jazeera)
- Kibaki: We must finish our mission in Somalia (Capital FM News)
- Rift between al Shabaab leaders in Jowhar widens (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Kenya troops slow down advance as ‘al Shabaab’ militants retreat (Coast week Xinhua)
SOMALI MEDIA
President Sharif tours Mogadishu’s frontlines
08 Nov – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report, Horn Cable TV, Jowhar Online – 141 words
The President toured Mogadishu’s frontlines including the Huriwa and Yaqshid districts for the first time in four years. The president took a tour of stadium Mogadishu, Arafat, the Old Pasta factory, SOS, the Italian grave villages that had been under the control of al Shabaab for the past three years until they fled three months ago.
Sharif spoke to hundreds of government forces in SOS village and advised them to protect the citizens and adhere to the laws of the country. He also encouraged them to fight al Shabaab, and promised their salaries would be paid. He urged the chairman of the TFG military court to set up military courts in the districts to prosecute soldiers accused of looting and robbing civilians.
Looting of food aid will not be tolerated, Somali president says
08 Nov – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Shabelle and Mareeg Online – 134 words
The President on Monday said looting of food aid meant for those displaced by the drought in Mogadishu will not be tolerated. President Sharif said that government troops and armed militia who rob and steal food aid are a disgrace. He warned government troops and militia against harassing residents in areas recently abandoned by al Shabaab. He added that action would be taken against those found to looting.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=12325
Minister of Information urges Somali communities around the world to fight terrorism
06 Nov – Source: Somali National News Agency – 227 words
The Minister of Information Post and Telecommunication, Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed has urged all Somali communities abroad to fight terrorism. Addressing the Somali community in London, Mr. Mohamed urged Somalis in the Diaspora especially those living in England to support the ongoing process and the efforts by the government to restore peace and stability in the country.
The information minister said that the Somali forces and AMISOM gained more territories from al Shabaab who have been harassing innocent civilians in Mogadishu.
Rift between al Shabaab leaders in Jowhar widens
07 Nov – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 198 words
The rift between two senior al Shabaab leaders in Jowhar town has widen after militias loyal to al Shabaab’s area station commander Abu Qamsa reopened a former militant run torture grounds in the area. Yussuf Sheikh Isse (Kaba-kutukade), the al Shabaab area regional leader shut down the torture grounds and lifted the ban on Khat shortly after his appointment.
In protest, Abu Qamsa’s militia reopened the torture grounds and confiscated satellite dishes from local residents, according to eyewitnesses. The reported rift between the two rebels leaders began in October after Kaba-kutukade lifted the ban on the selling of Khat in Jowhar. Khat traders are allowed to sell the narcotic leaves in designated areas prompting criticism from the station commander.
Abu Qamsa has reportedly vowed not to allow Khat to be sold in Jowhar. He also reportedly promised to stand against Kaba-kutukade’s softening stands on several issues in the area.
Elders condemn al Shabaab’s ban of vaccination drive in Bay region
07 Nov – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 279 words
Elders in Bay region have strongly condemned al Shabaab’s recent ban on a WHO facilitated vaccination drive targeting over 2000 underage children in the region. Malaq Issack, an elder in Baidoa described the actions as inhumane.
On Saturday, al Shabaab blocked the UN world Health Organisation from vaccinating underage children from measles and other crippling diseases. The WHO has not yet commented on this issue but reliable sources say the militia demanded $15,000 from the organisation.
The ban comes less than a month after al Shabaab banned the UN Children agency from vaccinating underage children in Jowhar and Middle Shabelle. Al Shabaab claim vaccination campaign is a western ploy to fight Muslim population growth because it can cause infertility.
An official with UNICEF who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals said the rebel group has banned them carrying out measles vaccination campaign in the region. He said the campaign was aimed at vaccinating a good number of children from the killer disease but al Shabaab outlawed it, citing religious reasons.
Al Shabaab once again threatens Kenya
07 Nov – Source: Radio Shabelle – 121 words
Al Shabaab on Sunday repeated its threatening messages to neighbouring Kenya whose forces are battling the group in southern Somalia. The spokesman of al Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Ali Rage (Ali Dhere), made the comments while addressing hundreds of people attending Eid Al Adha prayer in Mogadishu’s Daynile district.
He said if the Kenyan forces don’t stop bombarding residential neighbourhoods in southern Somalia al Shabaab will strike Kenyans. He added that Murusade, one of the Hawiye sub clans is ready to give moral and material support to al Shabaab.
Muslims in Iraq donate food to IDPs in Abudwaq region
07 Nov – Source: SNTV, SONNA, and Radio Mogadishu – 154 words
Muslims in Iraq have donated food items to residents of Abudwaq in Galgadud region. The donation arrived as Muslim faithful celebrate iddul-atha around the world. The IDPs addressed by our reporters said they were content with the foodstuff received from their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters from Iraq. The distribution process was supplied and supervised by a local NGO known as Markabley.
Elders call for cessation of hostilities in Erigabo, Sanag region
08 Nov – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 176 words
Traditional Elders from Togder region have called on warring clans in Erigabo district of Sanag region to stop the ongoing fighting. Speaking to Bar-kulan, Sultan Osman Sultan Ali said the ongoing hostilities in the area risk displacing hundreds of people from their homes.
He urged the rival clans to settle their differences peacefully. Sultan Mohamud Guled Mire also called on elders from the two warring clans to negotiate between the two clans as more bloodshed will not help them solve any contentious issues in the region. Their call comes a day after deadly clashes rocked Erigabo town, where six were killed and 9 others injured.
Religious leaders urge the public to help the poor during Eid Al-adha celebrations
07 Nov – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 112 words
Religious leaders have urged residents to help the poor during Eid celebrations. While launching a prayer service for all the Somalis living around the world during iddul- adha festive season, Sheikh Mohamud Ariif, a religious leader advised all the Muslims to help each other during hard times.
Puntland official survives roadside bomb attack
08 Nov – Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Galkacyo, and Radio Kulmiye – 94 words
An official from Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland on Tuesday morning survived a roadside bomb attack in Galk’yo town in central Somalia. Farah Mohamed Hirsi, the deputy governor of Mudug region narrowly escaped unhurt while traveling in the town of Galk’yo, about 700 km north of Mogadishu. Reports say that some of the soldiers guarding him sustained some injuries. No deaths have been reported so far.
Somaliland: Army clashes with militia in Erigavo city
06 Nov – Source: Somaliland Press – 122 words
Fighting between Somaliland forces and militia forces has been reported in Erigayo town. According to Khalid Ahmed a resident of Erigavo city the Somaliland army clashed with the militia group that managed to enter the city over the past three days undetected. The militia group are reportedly hiding in the city and using residential homes as trenches.
http://somalilandpress.com/somaliland-army-clashes-with-militia-in-erigavo-city-24407
REGIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab on the run in south zone
07 Nov – Source: Daily Nation – 416 words
Kenyan troops operating in the southern part of the border with Somalia estimate that they have removed the al Shabaab from about 50 per cent of the area. Speaking to the Nation at Ishakani Military Camp, about four kilometres from the border at the tip of Kenya, Lieutenant Colonel John Maison Nkoimo said the troops are firm on the ground and remain focused on achieving their objective.
“We’re pretty sure that southwards of Burgavo, we don’t expect any hostilities,” said Lt Col Nkoimo, who is commanding the Southern Sector. The camp at Ishakani is the launching point for troops in the Southern Sector ofOperation Linda Nchi, which is being carried out in a three-pronged attack from the North at El Wak, Centre at Liboi and the South at the coast and northwards.
Ishakani is a few kilometres from Ras Kamboni, the former headquarters of the Al-Qaeda in East Africa, which was taken on Mashujaa Day.
Burgavo remains under the control of the Kenyan troops, who will then embark on the attack on the important port city of Kismayu, in a bid to strangle the Al-Shabaab economically. Lt Col Nkoimo said the battle for Kismayu would be fought “on our own terms and at our own time”.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Al+Shabaab+on+the+run+in+south+zone/-/1056/1268936/-/6wuxxh/-/
Uneasiness grows over Kenyan offensive in Somalia
07 Nov – Source: Al Jazeera – 2:37 min
Almost a month after Kenya sent its troops over the border into Somalia; there is a growing sense of unease about whether the country is ready for the consequences of a war with the Islamist group al Shabaab. The Kenyan public seems to be behind the military operation, but after a spate of grenade attacks and raids, people are beginning to question whether the security forces can protect the home-front.And there is mounting pressure on Kenya’s own large population of Somalis.
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/11/2011118767311933.html
Kenya troops slow down advance as ‘al Shabaab’ militants retreat
07 Nov – Source: Coast week, Xinhua – 1226 words
Kenyan troops have slowed down the pace of war inside Somalia after a series of rapid advances to deal with a raging humanitarian crisis in former al Shabaab territories. The Kenyan troops also revised a major strategy against the al Shabaab for the sake of the civilians in Southern Somalia. The soldiers backtracked on an earlier plan to entirely blockade the strategic port of Kismayu, to unblock relief supplies.
Colonel Cyrus Oguna, an Officer-In-Charge of Operations, said late on Saturday the Kenyan troops had been forced to slowdown on the pace of assaults against the Al-Shabaab due to the raging humanitarian crisis in former al Shabaab territories. “We have reduced the tempo of the operation to cope up with the humanitarian assistance.
“The al Shabaab was unable to provide the humanitarian assistance there.” “We do not want to do anything that would antagonize the people we are trying to assist,” Oguna revealed. Recently, leaders from both sides agreed an emergency humanitarian appeal for food and medicine.
Oguna said the Kenyan troops will not blockage a key port in the al Shabaab stronghold of Kismayo as the facility is a lifeline to a large population in the lawless nation. Oguna told journalists in Nairobi that if they stop all the operations at the southern Somali port it will affect a lot of innocent residents who rely on the port.
http://www.coastweek.com/3444_security_11.htm?
Kenyan Police, clergy pray for troops in Somalia
08 Nov – Source: the Standard – 328 words
Senior police officers and pastors at the Coast have held an inter-denominational prayer for Kenyan troops in Somalia and urged Kenyans to keep praying for peace.
Coast Provincial Police Officer Aggrey Adoli and Mountain of Miracles Church International Pastor Gitonga Mugambi urged wananchi to pray for their brothers and sisters fighting in Somalia.
“We should keep congregating all the time to pray for our brothers and sisters in Somalia to be safe and victorious,” Adoli said during the rare prayer meeting attended by several pastors from different churches.
The PPO was flanked by Coast Administration Police (AP) commandant Jones Kavoi and other senior police officers from the region at the prayers held in a Mombasa hotel on Sunday evening. Adoli said the responsibility of the troops to defend the county was given by God and Kenyans should not take it for granted.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/InsidePage.php?id=2000046340&cid=159&story=Police%2C
Kibaki: We must finish our mission in Somalia
07 Nov – Source: Capital FM News – 888 words
President Mwai Kibaki has reaffirmed the government’s resolve in dealing with the militant group based inside Somalia that has sought to destabilise not just Kenya but the entire Horn of Africa region.
President Kibaki pointed out that the transformation of the African continent will only be achieved through a secure and peaceful environment, adding that Kenya has taken a stand for peace and stability in the region and will not waver in that endeavour.
“This is the only way that we can develop our continent and implement infrastructure projects that are cross border in nature,” President Kibaki said.
The Head of State was speaking on Monday at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre where he officially opened the first ever Africa Congress of Accountants.
President Kibaki emphasised that a lasting solution to the long standing instability in Somalia is not only good for the Horn of Africa region but the entire African continent. The President said Kenya intends to complete the work and operation that has begun inside Somalia in order to create a strong foundation for the continent’s prosperity.
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2011/11/kibaki-we-must-finish-our-mission-in-somalia/
Kenya’s headache: Al Shabaab goes, then what?
06 Nov – Source: the East African – 491 words
As Kenya intensified its military campaign in Somalia last week, Eritrea was fighting off accusations of supporting the Islamist al Shabaab militia. Eritrea was said to have supplied three plane loads of arms to the group in Baidoa, a charge it strenuously denied. An August UN Monitoring Group report on Somalia had accused Eritrea of sponsoring terrorism in the region.
It catalogued Isaias Afewerki’s growing notoriety in the world of terrorism finance, and in particular the global web through which these funds are routed, with Kenya serving as a global transaction distribution hub.
Eritrea’s alleged support to the al Shabaab is likely to force Kenya to redesign its strategy in Somalia, with the likely effect being that the campaign could take longer than earlier expected. The focus is now shifting to how East Africa will manage the transition in the event of victory, and on whether Kenya has an exit strategy that will ensure that the population does not live in constant fear of terrorist attacks by the al Shabaab.
Rashid Abdi, a Somalia specialist with the International Crisis Group, argued that it is not going to be an easy process because nobody knows what victory will look like. He argues that while it is easy for Kenya to defeat the al Shabaab militarily, the problem is what will happen later.
“The al Shabaab has the capacity to regroup and focus exclusively on terrorism and nothing else,” said Mr Abdi. Other security experts said while Kenya may be looking for a quick victory, there is a possibility that it could become bogged down in a long occupation that the economy cannot sustain.
“The taxpayers are financing the war, but when the bill gets too high and the body bags start coming back, the government could face massive opposition to the whole campaign and even the current jingoistic media will change their tune,” said Mr Abdi, adding, “Are we really serving our security and well-being? What Kenya needs is to strengthen domestic security intelligence infrastructure, improve intelligence gathering, eradicate corruption in the police force and start dismantling Al Shabaab cells in Kenya.”
As things stand, the Kenyan military forces are trained in conventional warfare and not in counter-insurgency. Even Ethiopia, with more experience in counter-insurgency, found it hard to deal with this problem when it invaded Somalia from 2006 to 2009. The overt Kenyan strategy is to create a buffer zone territory known as Jubaland, with its own leadership.
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Kenyas+headache+Al+Shabaab+goes+then+what/-/2558/1267998/-/4b0px2z/-/
Eritrea terms “extremely regrettable” Kenyan threats over arming of Somali Shabaab
08 Nov – Source: Sudan Tribune – 323 words
The diplomatic row between Kenya and Eritrea escalated after Nairobi last week accused Asmara of supplying to Somalia militants with arms and warned to take extreme options in response.
Kenyan foreign minister, Moses Wetangula, on Friday warned that his country could take unspecified actions against Eritrea if it fails to provide satisfactory “explanations and answers” for the allegations.
Kenya’s threat comes after three plane-loads of weapons were delivered last week to al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants who Kenyan forces are currently fighting in the south of Somalia.
Reports suggested that the arms came from Eritrea, a country believed to have close links with the extremist group and long been accused of arming and financing the rebels. The accusation was immediately dismissed by Eritrea as “pure fabrications and outright lies”.
The Eritrean ambassador to Nairobi, Beyene Russom, was summoned on Friday, where the Eritrean envoy was detailed over the allegations from his Kenyan counterpart. “I have discussed with the ambassador and given him the full details of the allegations and the intelligence we have in our possession. We sought an explanation from him which he provided on behalf of his government. In a nutshell he denied everything as was expected” Wetangula told the press after Friday’s meeting.
Wetangula hinted at possible action when he said if Eritrea continues to fail to give a reasonable defence against the allegation “then we move to level two.”
“The government of Eritrea finds extremely regrettable the remarks attributable to the foreign minister of Kenya, Moses Wetangula, regarding the fabricated story of Eritrean arms shipments to Al Shabab in Somalia,” said a statement from the Eritrean foreign ministry in response.
“The comments were unfortunate particularly in light of the expected visit of the Eritrean foreign minister to Kenya,” it added.
http://www.sudantribune.com/Eritrea-terms-extremely,40653
Shippers have paid $110m in ransom this year
06 Nov – Source: the East African – 424 words
Ransom payments paid by shipping companies to Somali pirates have reached nearly $110 million this year — a 37 per cent jump in two years — despite the increasing success of international naval forces in preventing pirate attacks.
According to Rear Admiral Christian Canova of the European Naval Task Force (EUNavFor) operating off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, there were only 10 ships and 247 seafarers being held hostage in mid October compared with double the number of vessels a year ago.
The International Maritime Bureau has confirmed the increasing success of the navy saying that of the 199 attacks on vessels in the first nine months of this year, only 24 had been successful. “Somali pirates are finding it harder to hijack ships and get the ransom they ask for,” said IMB director Captain Pottengal Mukundan.
But the result is that pirates are demanding ever higher ransom payments for the seafarers they capture. Rear Admiral Canova also told the European Parliament that the failure to agree on a set policy on Somali pirates was hampering future operations. He cited the example of the fact that EUNavFor surveillance aircraft had identified pirate camps along the Somali coastline prior to the end of the monsoon season.
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Shippers+have+paid++110m+in+ransom+this+year+/-/2558/1268008/-/10atban/-/index.html
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Some war-weary Somalis find respite at the beach
07 Nov – Source: New York Times – 661 words
After years of surviving under the yoke of fundamentalist Islamist militants, Somalis here are getting their swagger back.
Over the weekend, an unexpected sight could be seen along the shores of the capital, Mogadishu. In a city known for shelling, suicide bombs, Shariah law and public executions — and in a country where famine is widespread in the south — hundreds were out enjoying the scenery and sunning themselves at the beach.
“For the first time in years,” said Mohamoud Abdi, who came to Mogadishu’s Lido Beach on Friday with his two sons. “People are feeling delightful.”
In a city torn by fundamentalism and fighting, a return to the beach is a symbol of how far peace seems to have come, as government forces and African peacekeepers have pushed Islamist rebels out of the capital over the last several months.
Mogadishu is a museum of war. Its buildings look like old ruins, except that the city has not eroded slowly over millennia, but in 20 bullet-packed years. For many residents, the last five have been spent under a particularly oppressive regime, the militant Islamist group known as the Shabaab, which rose up in 2006 as a popular nationalist movement to kick troops from Ethiopia out of the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/world/africa/somalis-cautiously-return-to-normal-life-and-the-beach.html?_r=1
Kenyan military targeting al Shabaab finances
07 Nov – Source: VOA – 395 words
The Kenyan military says it is trying to incapacitate the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab by targeting its financial and logistical operations in Somalia.
Kenyan military officials say they are closing in on key al-Shabaab targets, four weeks into military operations in Somalia.
Kenyan Army spokesman, Emmanuel Chirchir, says one of the most important objectives of ‘Operation Linda Nchi’ is to take the southern Somali town of Afmadow.
“We believe Afmadow is critical to al Shabaab’s operations, one, because it provides facilities for money transfers and that of course provides opportunities to pay soldiers,” he said. “So that’s one of the critical things. So, once we control Afmadow – in terms of getting rid of al-Shabaab and then remaining with the locals who are supporting the operation – then in terms of logistically disabling al-Shabab we will have managed.”
The military has said for weeks that its troops have been poised to advance on Afmadow. But heavy rains have made southern Somalia’s dirt and sand roads nearly impassible, and have slowed Kenya’s military advance on the ground. Kenya has still not disclosed how many soldiers are involved in operations in Somalia.
The military is also relying heavily on its Air Force to hit al-Shabaab positions. Major Chirchir says air strikes near the port-town of Kismayo have been successful.
“In Kismayo, it was one of the jetty’s that’s close to the port,” said Chirchir. “There used to be a palatial home and they believe this was the nerve center where they used to plan their battles. But now, after the first incursion and the second incursion we’ve not had – they have resorted to moving back to the city to mix with the local population.”
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Kenyan-Military-Targeting-al-Shabab-Finances-133358078.html
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS
A thousand fatwas for Somalia’s al Shabaab
05 Nov – Source: the Global and Mail – 655 words
Truck bombing by the al-Shabaab group that killed more than 100 people in Mogadishu last month – an attack that targeted students lined up for news about scholarships to Turkey – drew condemnation from the United Nations, Western states, the Somali Transitional Federal Government and Somali civic groups. But that made no difference at all.
Al Shabaab’s leadership wears criticism from the West like a badge of honour. As for the Somali people, al-Shabaab treats them like cannon fodder, and uses their country as a platform for jihad and as a base for a small financial empire based on extortion and environmentally rapacious charcoal exports.
Most of al Shabaab’s fighters are forced conscripts – young boys offered up by frightened, destitute households in lieu of taxes. Worst of all is its shocking handling of the massive famine now taking place in southern Somalia.
Al Shabaab is blocking most international relief agencies from accessing famine areas, preventing famine victims from reaching help and forcing farmers back to their barren land, where most will die unseen and unrecorded. Half a million people could perish on al-Shabaab’s watch.
Al Shabaab justifies its brutal behaviour with a twisted ideology that combines a crude distortion of Islam with a Khmer Rouge-style embrace of radical agrarian-based autarky and murderous contempt for those with formal education. In the process, it’s managing the singular feat of glorifying Somali peasants while starving them to death, and blowing up Somali youth hoping to secure education abroad.
There was a time several years ago when al Shabaab’s claim to be waging jihad against infidels had currency in the Islamic world and among Somalis themselves. Indeed, U.S. and Ethiopian policies are largely to blame for al-Shabaab’s rise. But, since 2008, al-Shabaab’s top leaders have mutated into ultra-extremists whose actions appear to have nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with raw survivalism.
They have nowhere to go if the country is stabilized, giving them every reason to keep the country engulfed in chaos and violence. They are now just another spoiler – Islamo-warlords – in a political landscape replete with predators feeding off of Somalia’s prolonged misery.
So, what can be done? In a recent article, Do Muslims Really Care about Somalia?, Akbar Ahmed and Frankie Martin challenged the Muslim world to increase aid to Somalia. This is a laudable initiative, and concerned Muslims and non-Muslims alike should be encouraged to help. Aid agencies that have negotiated access with al-Shabaab should continue to do so, even though their activities are severely restricted. But the problem is not inadequate aid; the problem is getting access to those who need it.
What the Muslim world should provide, aside from more aid, is intense pressure on al-Shabaab, in the form of fatwas – lots of them. Muslims should call on every eminent Islamic scholar and cleric in every country, representing every school of Islamic thought, to issue legal opinions on the morality of al-Shabaab’s policies and behaviour. Al Shabaab’s leaders must be left with no doubt that they are viewed by the entire Muslim world as un-Islamic war criminals.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/a-thousand-fatwas-for-somalias-al-shabaab/article2226272/