February 7, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Jerry Rowlings visits Mogadishu
07 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu – 97 words
African Union Special Representative to Somalia, Jerry Rowlings, on Tuesday visited the Somali capital, Mogadishu, where he is expected to meet officials from TFG and the AU forces in Mogadishu. Rowlings was welcomed at the airport by AU’s deputy envoy to Somalia, Wafula Wamunyiyi and the commander of Ugandan troops serving the African Mission in Somalia.
After his arrival, Rowlings proceeded to the AU mission Headquarters where he inspected a Guard of Honour mounted by the AMISOM troops. Rowlings is expected to meet top TFG officials at the presidential palace, Villa Somalia, later in the afternoon.
Key Headlines
- Government will start offering Public services soon says President Sharif ( Radio Bar-kulan Radio Mogadishu)
- Jerry Rowlings visits Mogadishu (Radio Bar-kulan Radio Mogadishu)
- British Minister Restate London’s Commitment to a Peaceful Somalia (Al ShahidVOA)
- Ohio man pleads guilty in US to supporting al Shabaab (Reuters/Washington Post)
- TFG soldiers al Shabaab militants battle in Somali capital (Bariga Afrika Shabelle)
- Landmine explosion rocks Hamar Weyne district injures one (Radio Mogadishu SONNA)
SOMALI MEDIA
Landmine explosion rocks Hamar Weyne district, injures one
07 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA – 196 words
A powerful landmine explosion has rocked via Roma area in the government administered district of Hamar Weyne. Locals confirm to SONNA that one person sustained serious injuries after an improvised explosive device exploded in the early morning hours. Somali police rushed to the scene and managed to evacuate the injured person to the hospital.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Forces Commander Major General Fred Mugisha in an earlier address to journalists at a security session in Mogadishu called on the members of the public to be vigilant and report to the authorities whenever they come across Improvised Explosive devices. Al Shabaab have in the past months also planted IEDs near roads targeting women on road cleaning exercises. Dozens of women have lost their lives in such attacks.
Somali Deputy Police Commissioner Abdihakim Dahir also said that the Somali security forces are going to educate the Somali people on measures to avert loss of life and also ways to detect landmines and other improvised explosive devices in their neighborhoods.
Jerry Rowlings visits Mogadishu
07 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu – 97 words
African Union Special Representative to Somalia, Jerry Rowlings, on Tuesday visited the Somali capital, Mogadishu, where he is expected to meet officials from TFG and the AU forces in Mogadishu. Rowlings was welcomed at the airport by AU’s deputy envoy to Somalia, Wafula Wamunyiyi and the commander of Ugandan troops serving the African Mission in Somalia.
After his arrival, Rowlings proceeded to the AU mission Headquarters where he inspected a Guard of Honour mounted by the AMISOM troops. Rowlings is expected to meet top TFG officials at the presidential palace, Villa Somalia, later in the afternoon.
TFG soldiers, al Shabaab militants battle in Somali capital
07 Feb – Source: Bariga Afrika, Shabelle – 128 words
Heavy fighting has broken out in the Somali capital, Mogadishu overnight after militants attacked pro-government forces positions at Ex-control Afgoye areas in the capital, witnesses said.
At least one person was killed and five others wounded during the attack and counter-attack between Somalia government troops and al Shabaab fighters in Mogadishu, according to a witnesses. Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed, one of the Somali government troop officials at Ex-control Afgoye checkpoint told the Media that the crackle of machine gun fire and the thud of mortars could be heard as the fighting pitted TFG forces and al Shabaab fighters on the outskirts of Mogadishu.
Residents in Mogadishu’s northern districts fled from their houses as the result of explosions and gunfire as African Union and Somali troops advance towards al Shabaab positions.
Government will start offering Public services soon, says President Sharif
07 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu – 120 words
President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has promised that his government will start offering public services once people squatting in government buildings in the capital are removed. The president said his government will revive all public institutions like schools, hospitals and all other institutions that used to offer public services. He also promised to provide clean water to the public.
The president spoke after visiting one of the sites where squatters were removed to encourage people to leave government buildings in the capital.His sentiment came after the Somali government started a major operation to remove tens of thousands of people who have been squatting in government buildings in the capital since the collapse of the country’s central government early in 1990s.
ASWJ Cracks Down on Pirates
06 Feb – Source: Somalia Report – 255 words
The pro-Somali government Sufi militia Ahlu Sunnah wal Jamaa (ASWJ) has joined the semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Galmudug in their efforts to crack down on the pirates plying Somalia’s lawless waterways. Somalia Report has received information that eight pirates were arrested yesterday in Guriel, Galgudud region, as they returned home to spend time with their families.
Although the pirates had been engaged in operations in the Harardhere area, five days ago they returned home to southern Galgudud, one of ASWJ’s strongholds. After arriving, they were informed by ASWJ officials that they were under arrest and were transfered to a local police station.
Abdulkhadar Falastin, one of the detained pirates, spoke to Somalia Report.
“We have been arrested by Ahlu troops in Guriel and we don’t know the reason, and are now being held in the police station. We don’t know what they will do to us,” he said. “We have not yet faced any charges.” Falastin reportedly has connections to a locally renowned pirate leader Mohamed Garfaanje, who controls a large militia in central Somalia. Osman Isse, the ASWJ Chairman of Guriel and the official responsible for the arrests, spoke to Somalia Report.
Mass displacement begins in south western Somalia town
07 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 154 words
Mass displacement began in some districts of Lower Jubba region in south western Somalia on Tuesday after battles between TFG backed by Kenyan army and al Shabaab fighters, reports said.
Residents in Qoqani, Tabta and Hawina villages on the outer edge of Afmadow district told Shabelle Mediathat locals have begun fleeing from their houses as a result of the repeated overnight fighting and shelling which caused loss of life and properties.
Families are heading now to the safe location in and out of Lower Jubba region, which is near Kenya border to escape from the growing insecurity in their villages. The incessant battles in border regions of Somalia also affected the IDPs at the temporary makeshifts in the province, who are trying to reach to the refugee camps in northeastern Kenya.
Al Shabaab opens new military training camp
06 Feb – Source: Radio Andulus, Somalia Report – 45 words
Al Shabaab administration in Bay and Bakol regions opened a new military training camp in Tiyeglow district of Bay region. The chairman of Tiyeglow district told Radio Andalus that hundreds of militia started to enroll in the camp to take part in the fighting against the enemy.
UN envoy says conflict in parliament derailing Somali roadmap plan
06 Feb – Source Jowhar Online – 204 words
The United Nations Special Envoy to Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, has said the dispute within the Federal Somalia Parliament is unacceptable. While addressing a meeting by the joint security committee, Ambassador Mahiga said the political road map plan is meant to end the transition period which has been ongoing for many years now. “It is important that the road map plan is implemented because we are running out of time,” said the envoy.
The ambassador whose offices moved to Mogadishu last month also said it would be unacceptable to allow the dispute in parliament to affect the implementation of the road map plan. He said they have recently forwarded the road map plan to the African Union and is also set for discussion in the conference that is to beheld in London on the 23rd of February.
The envoy also said the Untied Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon is expected to table a proposal seeking increasing of AMISOM troops to 17,700 before the Security Council next week. The road map plan is yet to be tabled before the Somali parliament ever since it’ssplit into two with one group claiming to have dismissed Sharif Hasan Sheikh Adan as the Speaker.
Al Shabaab to wage war in Beledweyne town
07 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 183 words
The hard-line militants of al Shabaab said Tuesday that they will continue fighting against the TFG soldiers and Ethiopian forces in the town of Beledweyne of Hiiraan region in central Somalia. Sheik Yusuf Ali, the governor of Hiiraan province for al Shabaab fighters told a rebel-run local FM radio that they are committed to attack the town and force TFG soldiers and their allied Ethiopian forces out of Beledweyne, the capital city of Hiiraan region which is just 350-Km away north of Mogadishu.
He said al Shabaab vowed to resist any foreign intervention in Somalia and they will not stop explosions and coordinated suicide car bombs against Somali government troops in Beledweyne town. Ethiopian, Somali government forces are set to advance on al Shabaab’s strongholds in central regions of Somalia after capturing Beledweyne, a key stronghold town for the militant group in central Somalia.
A Somali military official in the Hiiraan region says Somali forces hope to reduce the threat of the militants and amount of territory al Shabaab controls in south and central the country.
Somaliland urged to release Jailed guitarist
07 Feb – Source: Hadhwanaag Times – 95 words
The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia on Monday called on Somaliland to release Jim Sheikh Mumin, a prominent guitarist who is in jail in Hargiesa right now. Speaking at a ceremony about encouraging Somali singers held in Mogadishu, Prof. Mohamed Omar Dalha, a Somali MP, sent a kind request to the administration of Hargeisa to free the jailed guitarist. He asked the government of Somaliland to grant amnesty to the guitarist and free him. Efforts to release the guitarist are ongoing but it is not still clear the reason behind his detention.
REGIONAL MEDIA
British Minister Restate London’s Commitment to a Peaceful Somalia
07 Feb – Source: Al Shahid, VOA – 180 words
A senior British diplomat has reiterated Britain’s commitment to Somalia’s transitional government and to bringing an end to the African country’s decades of instability. Henry Bellingham, the British Minister for African Affairs, said that the time is right for the international community to join in the effort to bring peace and stability to the Horn of Africa country.
The interview was conducted Monday as preparations take place for an international conference on Somalia, being held in London February 23.The conference is bringing together representatives of some 40 nations and international organizations. It will focus on the establishment of a permanent Somali government after the transitional period ends in August.
The minister, in the interview, ruled out the possibility of British military intervention in Somalia. He spoke of the “significant progress” made by the transitional government which now controls nearly all of Mogadishu, the capital.
Underscoring Britain’s commitment to Somalia, Foreign Minister William Hague visited Somalia last week, as London announced it is sending an ambassador to Mogadishu for the first time in more than two decades.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Ohio man pleads guilty in US to supporting al Shabaab
07 Feb – Source: Reuters/Washington Post – 261 words
An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court in Minnesota to U.S. charges of helping raise money for al Shabaab rebels in Somalia, prosecutors said. Ahmed Hussein Mahamud, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date.
Mahamud, a U.S. citizen who was indicted in June 2011, admitted to telling people in the Somali-American community in Minnesota the money would support a local Mosque or orphans but using it instead to help send men to Somalia to join al Shabaab, according to a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Mahamud and others raised up to $1,500 in the effort, using some of the money on airline tickets or other expenses, according to the plea deal.
In other instances, Mahamud admitted to wiring $50 to a man in Somalia who was buying a firearm, $50 for other expenses to a second man and assisting someone in sending $100 to Somalia for a weapons purchase to support the organization, according to the plea agreement.Mahamud, a Westerville, Ohio, resident who formerly lived in Minnesota, admitted to providing the support from 2008 through February of 2011. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali-American population in the United States.
Kenya advances To The Coast
07 Feb – Source: Strategy Page – 440 words
The famine in Somalia is officially over as a large harvest matures and food is plentiful. But only for a few months and over a million people are still in refugee camps inside Somalia as well as Ethiopia and Kenya. These people need foreign food aid to survive, as do many more who live harvest-to-harvest. In the last eight months, over 100,000 famine refugees had fled to Kenya and Ethiopia. Many refuse to return to Somalia because of the continued fighting between al Shabaab and various opponents. These include Somali troops and militias as well as AU (African Union) peacekeepers and Ethiopian soldiers.
February 5, 2012: Al Shabaab attacked the town of Beledweyn in central Somalia. The key town was captured by Ethiopian troops two months ago, and this night assault was expected. The al Shabaab forces were repulsed. Kenyan jets attacked several ground targets near the coastal town of Badhadhe. At least ten al Shabaab members were killed.
February 4, 2012: Kenya publicized its amnesty program for Kenyan Somalis who have joined al Shabaab. Recent victories by Kenyan troops over al Shabaab made Kenyan Somalis more likely to accept amnesty, as happened during similar situations in the past.
February 3, 2012: In Mogadishu, a small American UAV, apparently a 2 kg (4.4 pound) Raven, crashed into a hut in a refugee camp. A similar incident took place last year in Mogadishu. Four Ravens were supplied to the AU peacekeepers and these UAVs operate up to ten kilometers from the operator. The U.S. operates larger UAVs from Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti and in Ethiopia. Camp Lemonnier has existed since 2003 and currently holds 3,500 personnel. The base has a lease that lasts until 2020.
February 2, 2012: Kenyan troops captured the port town of Badhadhe, which is near the Kenyan border and 180 kilometers south of the al Shabaab held port of Kismayo. During the operation, Kenyan helicopter gunships attacked a large group of al Shabaab (over 200 men and at least 20 vehicles). Kenya claimed to have killed a hundred al Shabaab and at least ten vehicles.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Somaliland status of the participation will be upgraded to a level of state with state though it will not be put to a level of sovereign state. Somaliland delegates will have the opportunity to convince the other international community for their stance without reluctance. Somaliland can also have a diplomatic discussion with Somalia (TFG) to tell them that they need an independence from them and they should agree. Somaliland can also contribute to the solution of the 21 years old insecurity and chaos in Somalia.”
Opinion: Diplomatic Chance for Somaliland in London Encounter
06 Feb – Source: Caadleef Blog – 443 Words
Yesterday, the 5th February 2012 was a historic day for the government of Silanyo. It has achieved to convince the houses of Gurti and the lower Parliament house to approve that they should attend the upcoming London meeting for Somalia which the British invited Somaliland to particulate.
There have been voices of positive from all the various levels of Somaliland political elites in terms of participation of such meeting. But the two houses break the tie-or the chain that was blocking for such move. they amend the bill from the house of parliament that was prohibiting from Somalilanders of both government and civilians to attend any Somalia-related meetings that could jeopardize the independence of Somaliland.
“Unlike your average journalist, whose description of Somalia is the fait accompli gloom and doom, Harper goes out of her way to report on the vibrant civil society and business community in the country. She documents successful entrepreneurs who have helped Somalia become one of the most technologically advanced countries on the continent.”
Getting Somalia Wrong: a history of international misreading
06 Feb – Source: African Arguments – 900 Words
Writing a book about Somalia has become a cotton industry of late. Countless pundits with little or no experience of the country try to reduce its extraordinarily intricate conflict to images of destruction, decay and death.
But Mary Harper’s book, “Getting Somalia Wrong: faith, war and hope in a shattered state” is a rare account of exceptional intellect, combining stellar reporting with sharp analysis. Well-organised and succinct, the book simplifies some of the most complex and primordial issues facing Somalia, such as the role of clans in a modern nation state. It also demystifies the equally complex identity of Somalis – an amalgamation of lineage-based clans with Islamic and African roots.
Living up to its title, Harper’s book shows how (and why) the international community has misread the situation in Somalia over the past 20 years. Harper recounts the U.S. and UN intervention in the early 1990s, which ended in the now infamous “Black Hawk Down” episode, where 18 members of the American Special Forces (and countless Somalis) died in an epic battle across the dusty streets of Mogadishu.
Top tweets
@SomaliThinker @WilliamJHague
@sundayhandbag For heaven’s sake, if people have been fighting for Al Quaida in Somalia etc they shouldn’t be let back into the UK. #notrocketscience
@UKinSomalia Brit Office for Somalia agrees that we cannot expect to solve all problems by a short conference, and more consultation needed. #LDNSomalia
@innercitypress At #UN on #
@SOMALICHIEF @UKinSomalia if this #LDNSomalia meeting is in the interest of #Somalia ? why take us all to london and not #Mogadishu ?
Image of the day
A major operation is underway to remove tens of thousands of people who have been squatting in government buildings in Mogadishu. This is one of the buildings vacated in Hamar Weyne district.