30 Dec 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Somali Prime Minister visits East Africa University in Bosaso Bari Region (Source: PM Office)
- Interior Minister: Somali government saddened by the killings of MSF staff (Source: Radio Mogadishu)
- MSF Deputy logistic officer kills two colleagues in Mogadishu (Source: Radio Mogadishu SONNA)
- The beheaded bodies of two men found in Afmadow (Source: Radio Shabelle)
- Security chief of Kenyan refugee camp was assassinated by gunmen (Source: Radio Bar-Kulan)
- President meets with Journalist Union’s leaders pledges justice (Source: Raxanreeb)
- Saudi forces kill more than 22 Somali refugees in Saudi – Yemen border (Source: Radio Mogadishu VOA)
- Kenyan soldier five al Shabaab militants killed in Somalia (Source: Daily Nation)
- Somali groups suspend wire transfers from Minnesota (Source: Reuters)
- Efforts continue to stop use of child soldiers in Somalia (Source: UN Radio)
- Blatter sends condolences to Somalia (Source: FIFA)
PRESS STATEMENT
Somali Prime Minister visits East Africa University in Bosaso, Bari Region
29 Dec- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 236 words
The Somali Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli and his high delegates continued their tour of Puntland and finally visited the East Africa University and also the animal holding site outside the town.
The premier who was accompanied by his two deputies, legislatures and the President Of Puntland Abdirahman Faroole started their visit from the animal holding site which is situated outside the town where thousands of animals are exported to world countries. The animals consist of camels, cattle and goats. The livestock trade is the Somalia’s economic backbone.
The premier praised the Puntland businessmen for developing the regions and also the economy but urged the business to develop the public through education and also through employment in order to attain calm environment for business.
The prime minister and his entourage went on to visit the East Africa University which is the first University of its kind opened in Puntland and the biggest. Dr. Abdiweli met with the administration and some students.
Dr. Abdiweli commended and praised the founders of the East Africa University terming them as brave and courageous people who will go down in the annals of history. The premier specifically noted Dr. Ahmed Haji Abdirahman who was killed by anonymous gunmen. He asked the Puntland administration to honor the late Dr. Ahmed by naming a section of the University after him for the coming generation to remember him.
“Education weighs a very important part according to me and I always strive to develop education sector. I and my wife Hodan will pledge to cover the university fees of five students from this University”, the premier said promising to link the University with the outside world and also to facilitate its outside recognition.
SOMALI MEDIA
MSF Deputy logistic officer kills two colleagues in Mogadishu
30 Dec- Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA- 253 words
A disgruntled Deputy Logistic officer at the Medecins San Frontieres Mogadishu office has killed two staff working for the Belgian wing of the Doctors Without Borders. The nationalities of the two men were confirmed as Belgian and Indonesian though their names were not revealed.
Police spokesman Abdullahi Barise said the gunman had been taken into custody five minutes after the shooting spree which took place inside the MSF center in Zoobe area of Mogadishu.
Reports suggest that the killer had worked for the aid agency for many years and in many parts of Somalia.
MSF said in a statement: “We confirm that a serious shooting incident has taken place in the MSF compound in Mogadishu. At this point we don’t have more information about the scale and the extent of this incident. MSF is doing everything it can to ensure the security of its staff.”
MSF, or Doctors Without Borders, operates in a number of locations in Somalia, providing emergency aid to people suffering from famine and the violence that has plagued the Horn of Africa nation for decades.
Interior Minister: Somali government saddened by the killings of MSF staff
30 Dec- Source: Radio Mogadishu, Shabelle, Kulmiye- 213 words
Somali Interior and National Security Minister Abdisamad Maalim has called on international aid agencies operating in Somalia to register themselves with the Ministry and inform the Ministry about their security measures.
The Minister also sends his heartfelt message of condolences to MSF Belgium and to the family of the late MSF staff who were gunned down by an armed Deputy Logistic Officer in Mogadishu on Thursday.
“We as the Somali government are deeply sorry for the tragedy, but rest assured: the Somali intelligence agencies have arrested the killer”, Abdisamad Maalim Mohamud told journalists in Mogadishu.
The Interior Minister said however that the killing should not be blamed on the security forces since the man arrested was s senior staff at the MSF Belgium Offices and has worked extensively for the organization in many parts of Somalia.
The Minister also called on the agencies to liaise with the Interior Ministry and also brief them on their security measures.
The Somali intelligence officials arrested the killer and he is set to be arraigned in court in a matter of days pending the investigations behind the motive of the killing. The Minister at the same time called on the aid agencies to continue with the good work of assisting the drought-ravaged Somali people.
The beheaded bodies of two men found in Afmadow
30 Dec- Source: Radio Shabelle- 206 words
The beheaded bodies of two young men, believed to have been kidnapped recently in the area by the al Shabaab, were found in Afmadow district of Lower Jubba region on Friday, sparking off fear among the residents.
Local residents also confirmed to Shabelle Media, that the two young men were seized a week ago by the al Shabaab militants in an operation around Afmadow town, accusing them of spying for the Kenyan military, backed by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces, which have been battling with the militant group in the border regions close to Kenya.
Reports said, the local residents were ordered by al Shabaab fighters not to remove the beheaded bodies of two young men from the area, igniting fears and terror among the local youth.
“It’s really shocking news to see a dead person, who was well-known to you, with the disjointed body and head laying on the ground, it is senseless killings’ a resident who asked not to be named told Shabelle Media by the phone.
MSF says all staff should relocate due to security reasons
30 Dec- Source: Radio kulmiye- 195 words
A disgruntled former employee has killed two foreign aid workers in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Officials say the shooting occurred Thursday at the offices of the medical aid group, Doctors Without Borders.
The organization said late Thursday that a 53-year-old emergency coordinator from Belgium and a 44-year-old Indonesian doctor were victims of the shooting. Both were working to provide emergency medical assistance to displaced persons in the war-torn city.
Doctors Without Borders provided few details of the shooting but several eyewitnesses identified the gunman as a former Somali employee who had been dismissed from his job on Wednesday.
“The gunman was fired from his job yesterday; he came to the compound today and managed to sneak through the patients and kill the doctors. We were all scared when we heard the sound of the gunshots.”
Police say the gunman was taken into custody.
Doctors Without Borders says it plans to relocate some of its staff from Somalia for security reasons following the shooting.
Ahlu Sunna condemns killings of aid workers in Mogadishu
30 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 152 words
Ahlu Sunna group in central Somalia town of Guri-el has strongly condemned the killing of two aid workers in Mogadishu by gunman on Thursday.
Guri-el’s ASWJ deputy district commissioner Ali Bashi Adan said his group is saddened by the incident, calling it an act of brutality aimed at frustrating humanitarian aid operation in the country.
Adan called on the Somali government to bring into book the killer of the aid workers and make him face justice for his actions.
He added that aid workers ought to be protected as they continue providing humanitarian support to the Somali population who are still recovering from the devastating drought and famine that hit parts of the country.
The aid workers working for MSF Belgium were attacked by a disgruntled former employee of the same organisation on Thursday, killing one of them on the spot while the other one died of his injuries on Friday.
Security chief of Kenyan refugee camp was assassinated by gunmen
29 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 74 words
An armed group on Thursday seriously injured Ahmed Mahamud (San-Yare) who was the chairman of Security Committee of Hagardher Refugee Camp in Kenya. The security chairman was shot on the upper part of his body by a group of armed men with AK47s while on his way home after work. Mr. Sanyar was working with the Kenyan security forces who were investigating the people behind the explosions that took place in the refugee camps.
President meets with Journalist Union’s leaders, pledges justice
30 Dec- Source: Raxanreeb- 469 words
The National Union of Somali Journalists has launched a campaign for justice and entered its ninth day, following the murder of Somali journalist, Late Abdisalan Sheik Hassan (Hiis). The Journalists’ union, media executives, editors and prominent member journalists had taken part in the campaign, which was the first of its kind ever held by the Somali media fraternity and showed the unity and the strength of the Somali journalists.
The move, which has passed on different stages with the outcry loudly heard, has had a significant development. On Tuesday 27 December, a national level media committee composed of members from the National Union of Somali Journalists, heads of media houses and union campaigners met with Somalia’s President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at the Presidential palace in Mogadishu over the murder of the journalist.
Today’s meeting follows after the National level committee representing different sectors of the media have sent a letter to the president on Monday delegated by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) requesting a meeting followed by Sunday’s event which Somali journalists gathered at in front of the presidential palace to express their feelings over the loss of prominent journalist, late Abdisalan Sheikh Hassan (Hiis) and calling for justice.
The journalists’ leaders have expressed their concerns over the the killing of the journalist to President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh and submitted their call for justice.
http://www.raxanreeb.com/?p=
Seven arrested over recent assassination of cleric in Bosaso, Bari region
30 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 166 words
Seven people have been arrested in connection with the recent assassination of a prominent cleric in Bosaso town early this month, officials say.
The ministry in charge of Puntland’s Security said that after thorough investigations were launched into the killing of the cleric, police managed to arrest seven suspects.
Sheikh Ahmed Hajji Abdirahman was shot dead on Dec.5 by unknown assailants armed with pistols outside a mosque in Bosaso early in the morning, shortly after conducting his morning prayer in the mosque.
Speaking to journalists in Bosaso, Security minister, Gen. Khalif Isse Mudan said that seven suspects have been arrested, adding that security officers are hunting for others.
The minister said the suspects will be arraigned in court once the investigations are over.
Although no group has claimed responsibility of the assassination, Puntland accused al Shabaab rebel group of being behind the incident, a charge denied by the militant group.
Saudi forces kill more than 22 Somali refugees in Saudi – Yemen border
30 Dec- Source: Radio Mogadishu, VOA Somali Service- 134 words
Saudi security forces killed twenty two Somali asylum seekers fleeing the violence in Somalia on Thursday.
The Somalis were initially from Somalia and went to Yemen but were displaced due to the ongoing clashes in Sanaa and Taiz that forced them to flee to neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Leader of the Somali Saudi Diaspora Ali Jeyte Gesey speaking to the Somali service of Voice Of America said that they have the names of the people who were killed by the security forces with many of the bodies placed in refrigerators.
The Gulf of Aden remains one of the deadliest routes for those fleeing conflicts, violence and human rights abuses in the Horn of Africa.
Earlier this year more than 89 people have drowned or disappeared in waters between Somalia and Yemen.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan soldier, five al Shabaab militants killed in Somalia
30 Dec- Source: Daily Nation- 58 words
One Kenyan soldier and five al Shabaab militants were on Thursday night killed in a raid at Beles Qooqani in Somalia. In a statement to the newsroom, Kenya military spokesman, Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said that four Kenyan solders also sustained injuries and were receiving medical attention. The raid, which took place at 7pm left scores of al Shabaab militants injured.
Early suspicions fade as Somalis embrace KDF
30 Dec- Source: the Standard- 965 words
When the Kenya Defence Forces swept into Damasa in southern Somalia in November, many residents fled into the hinterland fearing reprisals for supporting al Shabaab, which had ruled here since 2004.
Then there were those who fled into the bushes fearing bloody resistance from the militants or its sympathizers, who still lurk in town or its outskirts to date, according to local residents and security officials.
This pattern of flight was repeated in Busar, a town almost 50 kilometres away, the minute the KDF and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces allies swept in. Today, KDF has fortified its hold on Damasa, a strategic town on the highway to Mogadishu, and Busar farther inland.
Some of the locals’ fears were not entirely misplaced for no sooner had the KDF captured Damasa than the militia tried to attack the KDF base on the night they were ousted.
“They tried to retaliate the same night and we repulsed them,” said Captain Alex Ngonyo. Witnesses recount a few crucial minutes in which al Shabaab’s attack crumbled within minutes as both sides exchanged mortar and RPG fire. A few days later, a band of militants crept into town in the dead of night to abduct a woman the Islamists accused of sympathising with the new Somalia National Army (SNA).
The woman allegedly resisted attempts to forcibly recruit her two sons into al Shabaab. For her efforts, the militia fired an RPG into her house, which, luckily, did not explode. She, however, sustained injuries from the attack.
RCA repatriates 5000 IDPs to their native villages in Somalia
30 Dec- Source: Emirates News Agency- 428 words
Over 400 Somali displaced families living at UAE Raja (Hope) makeshift camp in Mogadishu were finally back home and assumed normal life thanks to a repatriation programme carried out by the UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA).
RCA Chairman Ahmed Humaid Al Mazrouie said reports from Somali capital Mogadishu had confirmed that 465 families comprising about 3,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) had already returned to their towns and villages in the second phase of the programme.
The first convoy, he indicated, departed Mogadishu on November 3 allowing 2,000 IDPs to go back home, bringing to 5,000 the total number of repatriates from the 30,000 IDPs camp.
”Launched in November 2011, the RCA repatriation programmes provides every repatriating family with rations enough for three months in addition to $ 400 to help it purchase basic needs for resettlement. The aim is to help IDPs to go back to their fields and benefit from the good rainy season.
The UAE initiative, he added, had been well received and appreciated by the Somali President, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed,and his government who both lauded it as a UAE humanitarian gesture that would help restore security and stability in the drought-hit country.
Dr. Saleh Al Taie, RCA Deputy Secretary General for Relief and Projects, said US$ 1.6 million had been earmarked for the repatriation programme.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Efforts continue to stop use of child soldiers in Somalia
29 Dec- Source: United Nations Radio- 3.35 min
2011 has been a bad year for Somali children in a country that has continued to grapple with famine, drought and conflict.
Some of the children are being used as child soldiers by various armed including the al Shabaab insurgents who are battling the forces of the Transitional Federal Government or TFG.
The government is being assisted by peacekeepers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to stabilize the country.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict visited Somalia recently to get the government to sign an action plan to stop using child soldiers.
She spoke to Derrick Mbatha about her mission and her hopes for Somali children in 2012.
Somali groups suspend wire transfers from Minnesota
29 Dec- Source: Reuters- 657 Words
A group of businesses that provide money transfers between Minnesota and Somalia said they had suspended their services on Thursday, forced into the move after a U.S. bank decided to shut down what they call a vital lifeline to the war-torn African country.
Somalia has appealed the decision by Sunrise Community Banks to end the remittances program from Minnesota, home to the largest Somali-American population in the United States. U.S.-based Somalis send about $100 million back home each year, according to the U.S. Treasury.
The move to shut down the service came two months after two Somali-American women from Rochester, Minnesota, were convicted of raising money for al Shabaab rebels, militants linked to al Qaeda who control parts of the Horn of Africa country.
Sunrise has said it was continuing to look for alternate arrangements to send remittances, but would end the service it was providing on December 30 over fears that it would risk violating U.S. regulatory and anti-terrorism financing laws.
The Somali American Money Services Association, which was ending its services even before the Sunrise deadline, said the businesses complied with state and federal laws and believed they were being singled out and denied vital banking services.
“Remittance is an essential lifeline for the Somali people, and it is the only source of funding that sustains the livelihood of millions of Somalis, mostly women and children,” the association said in a statement.
The association said services would resume once a solution could be found.
http://www.reuters.com/
Somali asylum seekers agree to compromise
29 Dec- Source: Radio Netherlands- 275 words
Dozens of Somali asylum seekers who were camping outside a detention centre in Ter Apel in the northeastern Netherlands have packed up their tents and ended their protest. A local council spokesperson has confirmed the news.
The refugees have agreed to a compromise offered by the Immigration and Naturalisation Department. They will be allowed to apply afresh for asylum and will be allowed to stay in the country while their cases are considered.
They were protesting because they were due to be deported but claimed Somalia was too dangerous for them to go back. Many of the failed asylum seekers claim not to have the necessary documents to return.
The IND disputes this, saying that repatriation would be possible if the Somalis co-operated in the process. The question of whether or not they can return to Somalia will be answered when their new requests for asylum are considered, according to the IND.
Earlier today, local Mayor Leontien Kompier announced it was “not desirable on humanitarian grounds” that the Somalis should stay in their tents in the present weather conditions.
http://www.rnw.nl/africa/
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
Blatter sends condolences to Somalia
29 Dec- Source: FIFA- 149 Words
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter has written to the Somali Football Federation following the death of five Somali football fans in a car accident on Tuesday 27 January.
In a letter to the SFF President Nur Said Mohamud, Blatter said: “On behalf of FIFA and the worldwide football family, I wish to extend our condolences to you, to the Somali football community and, most importantly, to the families of the victims, and their friends and loved ones.
“Please let them know that today the football community stands by their side. We would hope that in some way, our words of support may help bring a little bit of peace and solace in this time of sadness to you all.”
Nine other people were also injured in the accident, which occurred as they returned from a match at the Stadium Banaadir, and the FIFA President wished them “a prompt recovery”.
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/
The End of Somalia: Dr. Jowhar is Right!
29 Dec- Source: Kaarshe Blog (Somali)
Abdishakur Jowhar’s article, The end of Somalia: Scenario of Partition, has caused quite a stir. And the response from most Somali readers, I suspect, is revulsion at the specter of doom the article sketches and dismissal of the author as an unabashed secessionist with ulterior motives. I beg to differ!
I have read the article twice, and both times came out quite impressed. Not that this, being impressed with a Jowhar article, is something new to me. I have always found Jowhar a pleasure to read, even when I have drastically disagreed with him. He writes, it appears, with a cheer in his heart, a smile in his face, a song on his lips.
True, a smirk can, especially from afar, be mistaken for a smile; but the sense of levity with which he writes is always there, palpable with its effulgent radiance.This article, though, is of an entirely different tone: matter of fact, raw, and altogether lugubrious.
Mr, Jowher has for once, it seems, met his match in a topic that may have finally tamed him. “It is near-funeral situation,” he cautions, “We should ponder what follows in a somber manner, with thoughtfulness and grief.” This is how he ends the first paragraph and prepares the reader for the grim prognosis.
http://yaskaarshe.wordpress.