July 17, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Jubbaland Deputy President Pays Visit To Military Bases Outside Kismayo
16 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 227 Words
The first deputy President of Jubbaland state, Mohamud Sayid Aden and the Speaker of regional assembly Abdi Mohamed Abdirahman have today, Monday, paid visit to military base in Baar-sanguni and other forward operating bases in Lower Jubba region. The deputy President interacted with SNA and Jubbaland forces at the bases he toured and expressed gratitude for their good job and bravery. He encouraged the troops to continue with the good work in securing the country.
The deputy President inspected the different departments of the base to assess the needs of the forces. He gave promise that his administration will provide and cover all the needs of the forces at the bases. He stressed the commitment of Jubbaland administration to intensify the fight against Al-Shabaab fighters and liberate the remaining areas under the control of the group in Jubbaland territory. After the inspection, the deputy President met with the military commanders and discussed a wide range issues including security of the liberated areas and plans on new offensives against Al-Shabaab.
His visit comes days after Jubbaland state rejected the new military commander of 43rd division appointed by Federal Government from Kismayo airport arguing that the regional leader was not consulted during the appointment. Mohamud Sayid also accused the 43rd division of jeopardizing security operations in Middle Jubba region by giving contradicting orders to the forces at the bases.
Key Headlines
- Jubbaland Deputy President Pays Visit To Military Bases Outside Kismayo (Halbeeg News)
- Four Political Parties Issue Statement On Country’s Political Situation Ahead Of Brussels Conference (Jowhar)
- Somali Forces Allegedly Killed Civilians Outside Mogadishu (Shabelle Media)
- Somali Partnership Forum Opens In Brussels (The East African)
- Gen Muhoozi Sets Strict Guidelines For New Battle Group To Somalia (Chimp Reports)
- Al-Shabaab: Who Are The East African Jihadi Group And What Are Their Goals? (Independent)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Four Political Parties Issue Statement On Country’s Political Situation Ahead Of Brussels Conference.
16 July – Source: Jowhar.com – 232 Words
Four opposition political parties have issued a statement about the political situation in the country, after two days consultations in Mogadishu. The parties deliberated on the latest developments and the measures taken by the Federal Government. The official communique by Wadajir, Daljir, Horusocod and Kulan parties covers 22 articles ahead of the Brussels conference, which is expected to commence today. The communique, a copy of which has been delivered to Brussels, condemns the latest Al-Shabaab attacks on government premises and civilian areas, which have resulted in deaths and injuries to innocent civilians.
The statement also weighs in on the closure of main roads and restrictions imposed on civilians, saying it had affected the daily lives of the people and their businesses. The parties are concerned about restrictions on freedom of expression imposed by the Federal Government on politicians. They described as, violation of constitutional rights in a nascent democracy, the ban on political gatherings.
The parties also expressed concern over the escalation of the dispute between the Federal Government and the regional states with regard to the recent nomination of the 43rd Division Somali National Army without consulting the Jubbaland authority. They claim the move is a violation of the Article 20 of the National Security Plan. The parties have also condemned the Federal Government for stopping a planned meeting of 28th January this year aimed at discussing the status of the capital.
Somali Forces Allegedly Killed Civilians Outside Mogadishu
16 July – Source: Shabelle Media – 112 Words
Somali security forces are reported to have shot and killed three civilians including a child outside the capital, Mogadishu on Monday morning. The shooting came after dozens of Somali forces were deployed to Al Biri village, near Siinka locality at dawn to demolish houses illegally built in the area.
The security officers deployed in the area said they were confronted by local residents protesting over the demolition of their houses. This is according to the witnesses. The Somali security officers are being accused of deliberately opening fire on civilians during a forceful eviction in the area and killing unarmed three innocent civilians. Somali security officials have however not commented on the incident.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Partnership Forum Opens In Brussels
16 July – Source: The East African – 208 Words
The Somali Partnership Forum, a major conference on the Horn-of Africa state, has opened in Brussels, Belgium. The two-day forum is jointly chaired by the Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo and the European Union Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Magherini. The meeting is a follow up to the earlier conferences in London and Mogadishu, respectively in May and December 2017.
The Brussels meeting is focusing on the Horn of Africa country’s security stabilisation, political development, economic recovery and humanitarian issues. The Somali government is expected to report on the development strides made since the London conference. Reports also indicate that there would be three side meetings on investment, the internally displaced peoples and the role of women in Somalia’s peace building.
Financial institutions; Apart from President Farmajo and his aides, the Somali delegation also includes representatives from the federal republic of Puntland, Galmudug, Jubaland, Southwest and Hirshabelle. There is also a large representation from the Somali business community and the civil society. International investors, financial institutions (chiefly the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund –IMF) and international NGOs are also expected to participate in the side meetings. Somaliland, a breakaway region that unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, has not sent a representation.
Gen Muhoozi Sets Strict Guidelines For New Battle Group To Somalia
16 July – Source: Chimp Reports – 443 Words
The UPDF Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi has flagged- off Battle Group XXV (BGXXV) and United Nations Guard Unit (UNGU V) at the Peace Support Operations Training Centre in Singo in Nakaseke District. BG XXV will be charged with the responsibility of sustaining peace and stability in Somalia under the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
On the other hand, UNGU V will be protecting key United Nations (UN) and Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) vital installations, UN personnel, escorting VIPs, among others.
Uganda was the first country to deploy troops under AMISOM into Somalia in March 2007. Gen Muhoozi warned both BGXXV and UNGU V to live up to their expectations since life in the mission area is not a picnic but a mission that demands hard work and keeping keen adherence to rules of engagement. “The Somalia Mission demands both discipline and sacrifice for one to be successful. Therefore, work hard while there and don’t let down Uganda,” Gen David Muhoozi told BGXXV and UNGU V.
He added that UPDF is in Somalia in line with its Pan-Africanist ideology of supporting fellow Africans whenever called upon. He cautioned soldiers going for the peace keeping mission in Somalia to make sure they come back as healthy as they have gone since UPDF as an institution has already invested so much in them. The Chief of Defence Forces further urged them to avoid negative propaganda while in Somalia for the success of the mission. “Avoiding propaganda will make you winners and carry the Ugandan Flag higher,” he said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The group has been affiliated with al-Qaeda since 2012 when its previous leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, pledged “obedience” to his counterpart Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2012. Gobdane was subsequently killed in a US drone strike and al-Shabaab is now led by Ahmad Umar, also known as Abu Ubaidah.”
Al-Shabaab: Who Are The East African Jihadi Group And What Are Their Goals?
16 July – Source: Independent – 1053 Words
Al-Shabaab is the deadliest jihadi group in sub-Saharan Africa, largely operating in Somalia but known for brutal attacks on neighbouring Kenya. Founded in 2006, the group – whose name translates from Arabic as the “The Youth” or “Mujahideen Youth Movement” – began as the militant arm of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), an alliance of hard-line Sharia courts in southern Somalia who sought to rival the Transitional Federal Parliament for control of the country.
Al-Shabaab has long since spun off from the ICU and aims to overthrow the Western-backed successor Federal Parliament on its own, carrying out vicious suicide bombing attacks and other acts of brutality against “enemies of Islam” among the Horn of Africa’s Christian and Sufi Muslim population. Committed to ultra-conservative Wahhabi Islam, al-Shabaab intends to run Somalia in accordance with strict Sharia principles.
Al-Shabaab initially won popular support by pledging to bring security to a nation that has not had a stable government in 20 years, before losing face when its rejection of international aid made tough conditions worse for their people when the land was struck by drought and famine in 2011. Al-Shabaab was driven out of Mogadishu that same year by troops from the African Union – a military alliance comprised of soldiers from Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Burundi – and out of the port city of Kismayo in 2012, a huge blow since its cut from the charcoal trade through the docks had been a key source of income.
The group has been affiliated with al-Qaeda since 2012 when its previous leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, pledged “obedience” to his counterpart Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2012. Gobdane was subsequently killed in a US drone strike and al-Shabaab is now led by Ahmad Umar, also known as Abu Ubaidah. He has between 7,000 and 9,000 foot soldiers at his command.
The militia is also thought to have ties to al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram in Algeria and Nigeria respectively. Al-Shabaab does not have links with Isis, however, having rejected them, a decision that caused a rift among its ranks and led to the formation of a splinter faction, Jabha East Africa, which recognises Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the “rightful Khalifa of all Muslims”.
Having brought carnage to the region over the last decade, al-Shabaab is now recognised as a terrorist organisation by the UK, the US, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and the UAE. One of its earliest atrocities was the bombing of a restaurant in Kampala, Uganda, on 11 July 2010, designed to coincide with the Fifa World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands, revenge for Uganda’s operations against it as part of the African Union. Seventy-four people were killed watching the game that night.