25 Aug 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- President Sharif traveled to Ethiopia
- AMISOM distributes aid to famine hit people in Mogadishu
- UNHCR experts sent to eastern Ethiopian to help 18000 Somali refugees
- Somali govt denies some of their military vehicles confiscated by rebel
- IGAD bars Eritrea from Addis Ababa meeting
- East Africa drought: African Union holds donor summit
- Kenyan Prime Minister urges western nations to solve Somali crisis
SOMALI MEDIA
President Sharif traveled to Ethiopia
25 Aug – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Bar-Kulan – 37 words
Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has traveled to Ethiopia, Addis Ababa this morning. The president was accompanied by ministers where they will attend African leaders’ summit on Somalia drought and famine related crisis scheduled to kick off today.
AMISOM distributes aid to famine hit people in Mogadishu
25 Aug – Source: Shabelle – 113 words
The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia on Wednesday distributed aid from Uganda to famine displaced people in Mogadishu. Medicine and mosquito nets were among the aid given out by AMISOM to Somalis in the refugee camps in the capital. Denis Awalinga, the director of Linder Foundation from Uganda which deputized AMISOM to distribute the 13 tones aid to 20 Somali families. Mr. Awalinga said the most vulnerable members of society like pregnant women and malnourished children were the target of aid from Uganda. He noted that he hopes to discuss the civil society organizations and AMISOM the most possible way to deliver aid needy famine stricken people in Somalia.
http://www.shabelle.net/
UNHCR experts sent to eastern Ethiopian to help 18,000 Somali refugees
24 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 261 words
The UN refugee agency said it has sent a team of experts in several disciplines to a remote area of eastern Ethiopia, where some 18,000 Somali refugees are in urgent need of aid after fleeing their country. UNHCR says the team sent to Gode includes specialists in health, nutrition, protection, field coordination and registration.
The agency says it has deployed a team of experts into the area in coordination with the Ethiopian government, other agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO) as part of a response to the influx at Gode. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said their task is to profile and register the newly arrived refugees, identify needs and deliver aid.
He added that they will also help transport those refugees who are willing to be relocated to the existing camps in Dollo Ado, some 250 kilometers to the south of Gode. UNHCR says it plans to airlift sufficient aid- including shelter items like Some 3,000 tents and household goods supplied locally for 20,000 people to Ethiopia by the end of the week to meet the needs of the arrivals in Gode, who have fled drought, famine and conflict in Somalia.
Meanwhile, the UNHCR says it is continuing to relocate refugees from the outskirts of the three camps that comprise the Dadaab refugee complex -Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadera. Refugees are being transported by bus to new sites and as of Monday, more than 18,000 refugees had been moved to the Ifo3 site.
Somali govt denies some of their military vehicles confiscated by rebel
25 Aug – Source: Shabelle, Mareeg Online – 141 words
The TFG on Thursday denied that al Shabaab seized some its military vehicles after a battle in southern Somalia town. The governor of Gedo region for the Somali government, Mohamed Abdi Kalil told Shabelle that plans to get rid of al Shabaab fighters in the region are underway. Mr. Kalil said the military power of the militant group has been diminishing for the last few months as it abandoned Mogadishu. He described al Shabaab’s claims that they had seized six military wagons from the government as propaganda, saying that the vehicles belong to local clans in the region. The al Shabaab group on Wednesday put on show at least six military wagons claimed to have been confiscated from the TFG in the district of Bardhere in Gedo region of southern Somalia.
http://www.shabelle.net/
Puntland court sentences Somaliland officials to 10 years
25 Aug – Source: Radio Garowe, Radio Shabelle – 93 words
A court in Somalia’s Puntland state has sentenced four officials from Somaliland to 10 years in prison, Radio Garowe reports. On Wednesday, the Court of Garowe city of Puntland proceeded with criminal hearings for eight men, including officials of Somaliland administration. The Somaliland officials were charged with illegally entering parts of Puntland and planning to commit political sabotage in favor of Somaliland, according to court documents. Abdi Nur Jama, the judge of Puntland’s high court in Nugal region said the Somali Landers were arrested while they were at Taleh district in the disputed Sool region in northern Somalia. After presentations by the prosecutor and defense lawyers, court judge Abdinur Jama Hussein sentenced four Somaliland officials to 10 years jail-terms.
Al Shabaab ban loudspeakers in Jowhar mosques
24 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 114 words
The al Shabaab militant group in Jowhar town of middle Shabelle has prohibited the use of loudspeakers during Tahajud prayers in various mosques in the district. The militia ordered imams to secretly conduct the prayer which is usually conducted in the late hours of the night during the last ten days of Ramadan. Locals condemned the rebel order, saying it is an affront to their faith and against the teachings of Islam. They say the amplifiers used to wake them up for the prayer. One of the local clerics in Jowhar threatened to conduct their prayers at home if the militia make good of their orders, accusing them of having a hidden agenda in the issue.
Al Shabaab order Somalis to watch Arab TVs only
24 Aug – Source: Somalia report – 60 words
In yet another attempt to harass Somali citizens living in areas under their control, al Shabaab militants ordered residents in Lower Shabelle to watch only Arab television and banned people from watching Somali-language programs. In Jowhar district of Lower Shabelle region, the militia demanded that the residents aim their receivers towards Arab satellites, according to Mohamed Maow, a resident in Jowhar.
Explosion rocks Galkayo town
25 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 121 words
Reports from Galkayo town in Mudug region say a bomb exploded near Sayland Hotel on Wednesday night but no casualties have been reported. The bomb is said to be a remote-controlled land mine planted near the hotel and has damaged parts of a building occupied by a traditional elder, Suldan Abdi. It is not clear whether the bomb was targeting the elder. The explosion also went off at a time when the head of Galkayo’s GMC Hospital, Dr. Abdikadir Mohamud Jama’s car entered his home compound near the hotel; it is not known whether the doctor was in the car. Puntland police have immediately arrived at the scene and started a major search operation to get hold of the perpetrators of the explosion.
Diaspora community donates $8,000 for a Baidoa mosque
25 Aug – Source: Radio Shabelle and Kulmiye – 107 words
The Somali community in Switzerland has donated $8,000 for the expansion of a mosque in Baidoa town, Bay region. Sheikh Mustafa Sheikh Ali, one of the contributors in Switzerland told Bar-kulan that Somali well-wishers contributed the money aimed at expanding Jamia mosque in Baidoa town. He said the mosque is set to be a five-story building to accommodate at least five thousand people during prayer times. The head of the committee tasked with the expansion of the mosque praised the donors for their generosity, urging all other Somali people abroad to take part in the construction and expansions of mosques as they will rewarded in the hereafter.
Thousands of drought-displaced families in Eastern regions of Somaliland need urgent humanitarian aid
25 Aug – Source: Somaliland press – 282 words
The successive droughts hitting the eastern regions of Somaliland since 2008 have resulted in thousands of families losing their livestock and coming to villages in Togdheer, Sanaag and Sool regions of Somaliland and formed IDP camps in the outskirts of villages and towns like Burao, Erigavo, Lasanod, Ainabo, Oodweyne, Hudun, Buhoodle and Taleh. In these three regions, every year new people join the IDP camps. Last year, when many families lost their livestock when the severe drought hit Togdheer, Sool and Sanaag regions, the IDPs did not get assistance from the humanitarian agencies based in Somaliland, apart from small contributions from the local people. The quality of life of these IDPs will keep deteriorating day after day if not urgent humanitarian assistance provided.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan Prime Minister urges western nations to solve Somali crisis
25 Aug – Source: the Standard – 350 words
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has lobbied the international community to arrest the crisis in Somalia, which is worsening the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. Raila suggested the zeal that the Western countries and America have exhibited in their attempt to dethrone Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi should be employed to bring stability in the wartorn Somalia.
Speaking after briefing ambassadors and heads of international agencies on preparations being made to host an international summit in September on the ongoing drought crisis in the Horn of Africa, Raila said fixing the woes in Somalia was key to addressing the humanitarian challenges facing the region.
“I wish similar pressure like that put on Libya is exerted on Somalia,” said Raila, who was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Dr Sally Kosgei and Internal Security Minister George Saitoti.
He said the hunger crisis and challenges in relief food distribution in the worst hit areas of Somalia had been hampered by war in the country, which has caused an influx of refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Raila said the number of refugees coming into the country from Ethiopia had risen from about 200 per day to more than 1,500, creating a bigger humanitarian challenge even to agencies distributing relief food in camps.
The Prime Minister called for creation of security zones within Somalia to accommodate those fleeing due to hunger and instability in the country, saying Kenya and Ethiopia may not be able to host the large numbers of people running away from the troubled country.
Raila said the Government had considered closing the border with Somalia to contain the influx of the refugees, but changed the decision in the interest of those who were coming in for survival.
UAE sends hospital to Somalia
25 Aug – Source: Abu dhabi Week – 61 words
The Emirates Pediatric Mobile Hospital has now been airlifted to Somalia to deliver its healthcare services to famine-hit regions. The 15-bed integrated mobile hospital, the first of its kind in the world, is run by an elite medical team from the UAE and Arab, European and American countries, and contains an emergency unit, out-patient clinic, an ICU and an operations theater.
http://www.abudhabiweek.ae/
IGAD bars Eritrea from Addis Ababa meeting
24 Aug – Source: Africa Review – 193 words
The six-country Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Wednesday blocked Eritrea’s representative from attending a ministerial meeting on Somalia. Eritrea reactivated its membership to the bloc after four years of self-suspension, a decision initially welcomed by the IGAD secretariat.
But the country’s deputy ambassador to the African Union, Benyam Berhe, was told in Addis Ababa that his country’s membership status was still under review by the bloc’s heads of states. Ministers and diplomats meeting then resisted the envoy’s concerted efforts to remain in the meeting room. IGAD’s member countries are Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda and Somalia.
“We did not invite Eritrea to this meeting and he appeared in the hall by his own motive,” IGAD secretary general Mahbub Mualem told Africa Review. Mr Mualem said Eritrea’s membership would be discussed in any upcoming Heads of State meeting and that the Horn of Africa nation remained suspended from all IGAD activities.
The IGAD chief also pointed out that the organization had proposed to the UN further sanctions on Eritrea and that the case was under discussion in New York. As such, it would not be easy for Eritrea to directly rejoin the bloc.
Yemen coastguard foils piracy attempt on oil tanker
24 Aug – Source: Kuwait News Agency – 107 words
Yemen Coastguard foiled an attempt to hijack a Yemeni oil tanker by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, said the coastguard on Wednesday.
A coastal defense commander told reporters that a naval force patrol had detected the attempt on Tuesday and intervened to prevent the hijacking. The oil tanker continued on its way to the Port of Aden, he said.
“The naval forces and coastal defense forces are vigilantly protecting all Yemeni territorial waters and attempts to intercept navigation shall not be tolerated… Our forces are running round-theclock patrols to detect any pirate ships and fishing vessels that enter our waters without permission,” the commander said.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
Fears of cholera outbreak in Somalia
25 Aug – Source: Al Jazeera – 79 words
Hundreds of thousands of drought-affected Somalis are facing yet another crisis, as the threat of waterborne diseases such as cholera takes hold in refugee camps.
Most affected are children under the age of five, and doctors say there is a desperate need for fresh drinking water in the camps.
The World Health Organization says malnourished children are especially vulnerable to waterborne diseases. This comes amid a United Nations warning that famine is spreading into two more regions of Somalia.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
East Africa drought: African Union holds donor summit
25 Aug – Source: BBC – 206 words
The African Union is due to hold a much delayed summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to pledge funds for the famine gripping the Horn of Africa. The AU has already pledged $500m (£300m), but the UN says that at least another $2bn is required to help those in needs.
At least 12 million people in Somalia and neighboring countries require emergency assistance, the UN says. Tens of thousands are believed to have died since the crisis began. Response criticized.
African Union Commission chief Jean Ping urged Africans to “act out against hunger by providing both cash and in-kind support for urgent life-saving assistance to our brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa”.
The US, Britain, China, Japan, Brazil and Turkey have all pledged funds to the region, as has the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – a gathering of Islamic countries – but the contributions have fallen short of the requested assistance.
Correspondents say several African governments have faced criticism for their lack of response, and Aid agency Oxfam says only a handful of African countries have donated money so far. The food crisis is said to be the most serious to affect the continent since the famine in Somalia in 1991-1992.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
African Union to hold delayed famine fund raiser
25 Aug – Source: Reuters – 189 words
The African Union will hold a much delayed summit on Thursday to raise money to ease the Horn of Africa’s famine after mounting criticism over the continent’s weak response to the disaster, which has already killed tens of thousands of people.
However, many aid experts, analysts and diplomats expect little from the 54-member organization that has often been perceived as toothless and has seen its funding battered by the absence of its main bankroller, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.
About 12 million people need emergency food across the “triangle of death” region, straddling Somalia – where famine was declared in parts of the country – Kenya and Ethiopia. The AU itself has pledged just $500,000 from its emergency funds to a relief effort that aid groups say is still short of an estimated $1.4 billion.
“While the governments of ‘frontline’ states like Ethiopia and Kenya have generously received and cared for refugees, at the pan-African level they cannot even get their acts together to hold the donor conference,” J. Peter Pham, an analyst with U.S. think-tank the Atlantic Council, told Reuters, referring to the delay that drew rage from African commentators.
http://af.reuters.com/article/
South Africa aid to Somalia exceeds R20m
25 Aug – Source: SAPA, News24 – 354 words
Although difficult to quantify, South Africa’s contribution to relief efforts in Somalia exceeds R20m so far, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said Wednesday. Replying to questions in the National Assembly, he said government had responded to the humanitarian crisis confronting Somalia by raising R8m towards the famine relief programme, R4m of which was donated to the Gift of the Giverstowards transportation and logistical costs of delivering aid to Somalia.
Furthermore, and in line with South Africa’s foreign policy objective of consolidating the African agenda, government in partnership with Brand South Africa had teamed up with the Gift of the Givers and launched the Somalia Relief Campaign to raise public awareness of the dire situation in Somalia.
Government also provided transport in the form of a SA National Defense Force C130 Hercules supply plane to the Gift of the Givers to deliver 18 tons of essential food and anti-malaria medication to Mogadishu on August 16.
This latest consignment brought to 112 tons the total aid delivered to Somalia by the Gift of the Givers in a two week period, Motlanthe said. In addition, government collaborated with other South African based organizations contributing to relief work for Somalis in Somalia and refugee camps in neighboring countries.
These included Islamic Relief SA, Africa Muslim Agency, Net care SA, the Al Imdaad Foundation, and the Somali Community Board of SA. Members of the South African business community were also motivated to contribute and food and other essential items were donated.
“The total amount of the South African contribution, including government and civil society is difficult to quantify at this stage, but certainly exceeds R20m,” he said. South Africa would make further pledges at the African Union hosted pledging conference this week in Addis Ababa.
http://www.news24.com/
200-bed hospital to be established in Somalia
24 Aug – Source: Today’s Zaman – 462 words
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave instructions for a three-year medical presence and the construction of a 200-bed hospital in famine-stricken Somalia. In the first stage of the three-year plan, a rotation of doctors and nurses will be sent to the region on a voluntary basis to serve the medical needs of people in need. Physicians and nurses desiring to go to Somalia have already responded to the call. The plan also includes the construction of a fully-equipped 200-bed hospital in Somalia, which has already begun.
The director of the German charitable association Cap Anamur’s Somalian projects, Volker Rath, said in an interview with the Anatolia news agency Wednesday that the number of refugees taking shelter in the tent camps erected in the Somali capital of Mogadishu has been increasing with each passing day. Rath said the food items brought to Somalia by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) are not meeting the current needs of the millions of starving Somalis.
Aid associations from Turkey, Germany and Arab countries carried out especially successful aid campaigns in the region, Rath said. He also praised the establishment and success of the Turkish field hospital built in Mogadishu.
A group of Turkish doctors from the International Association for Health and Education (USEDER) will continue to provide health services to Somalis for an additional six months, according to Anatolia. The doctors, who began working in the Somali capital of Mogadishu two weeks ago, have so far provided medical screening for 2,000 people in eight camps.
http://www.todayszaman.com/