February 27, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

President Sharif promises to hold talks with Somaliland

27 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 150 words

Somaliland previously seceded from the Somali state and it is proclaiming an independent statehood while the international community recognizes the Somalia. President Sharif extolled the significance of engaging in dialogue with Somaliland while addressing the press at Adan Ade international airport in Mogadishu.

Sharif said that he met some top officials from Somaliland semi-autonomous state in London where the Somalia conference was held on 23rd February and started a new route that may pave way for further talks between the two sides. The international community in the London conference on Somalia promised to support healthy talks that can be convened between Somalia government and Somaliland authorities for the betterment of both sides.

Key Headlines

Somali president warns soldiers against harming civilians (Shabelle)
AMISOM Force Commander meets with Mogadishu District Commissioners (AMISOM)
President Sharif promises to hold talks with Somaliland (Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli reaches Oslo Norway (Radio Mogadishu)
Former president resists his stiff stance against Kenya Ethiopian incursion (Shabelle Jowhar Online)
Ahlu Sunna killed senior al Shabaab commander ( Radio Shabelle Radio Mogadishu Kulmiye)
TFG troops capture new locations in Bakol region (Radio Kulmiye)
Kenya military need three months in joining AMISOM operations (Coast Week Xinhua)
Parliament wing welcomes the outcome of London conference ( Radio Kulmiye)
In Somalia children are taken out of school to become soldiers (SOS)

PRESS STATEMENT

AMISOM Force Commander meets with Mogadishu District Commissioners

27 Feb – Source: AMISOM – 540 words

As civilians continue to flow into Mogadishu from insurgent held areas, AMISOM officials have held meetings with Banadir region authorities to coordinate efforts and ensure that security in liberated areas is not undermined. The AMISOM Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha and other leaders from AMISOM’s Civil and Political Affairs held these discussions at the office of the Mayor over the weekend. The team of local leaders was led by the Acting Mayor, Mr Ali Gure.

The meeting is part of ongoing consultations that AMISOM is undertaking with local authorities to ensure that civilian needs are taken care of. The local leaders thanked AMISOM for liberating the city, the reason why people were now returning to their homes. The commissioners pledged their support in ensuring that the influx of civilians will not undermine the hard-won security.

“It is good people are fleeing from al Shabab strongholds to the government side. This shows the trust people have in the government.” said the Deputy Mayor Mr. Mohamed Iman Icar. The Force Commander reminded the leaders that while AMISOM was doing all it could to liberate the entire country, sustaining this achievement will be the work of the leaders and the National Security Forces.

“We do not want any payment from you for helping to liberate this country. You can, however, demonstrate your appreciation for our efforts by maintaining a stable and peaceful country long after we have gone,” said theAMISOM Force Commander.

Gen Mugisha urged the leaders to create administrative structures in their districts which would make it easy to identify terrorists who may want to take advantage of the influx to plant bombs in the city. He asked them to educate the people about the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices and the need to report any suspicious objects seen in their areas. He noted that tips from the public had helped stop up to 70% of planned attacks on the city and saved many lives. He also asked the leaders to persuade youth who had been misled into joining al Shabaab to abandon the rebellion.

On their part, the leaders said while the city was largely secure, lack of minimum services was undermining support for the government and AMISOM in the communities. They asked AMISOM to consolidate the gains made in the security sector by offering some services in the liberated areas. Particularly, they requestedAMISOM to do some quick impact projects like renovating health centres, schools and sinking clean water wells in the districts.

In August 2011, AMISOM helped expel the al Qaeda backed militants from Mogadishu, significantly improving the security situation and allowing international aid agencies to deliver supplies to the city. Partly as a result, the humanitarian situation in the country has eased and in January, the UN declared that the famine had ended.

Earlier this month, AMISOM announced it would be spending over $4.5 million on a series of projects meant to improve security and the lives of ordinary people in the capital, including over $1 million for the construction of a school in Wadajir district, supply of generators for the Banadir Hospital as well as supplies for police stations, and installation of water treatment facilities to provide clean drinking water to nearly 1.3 million people.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali president warns soldiers against harming civilians

27 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 132 words

The President of Somalia on Monday warned officials and government soldiers against harming the civilian population. Speaking at a news conference held in Mogadishu, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed ordered the soldiers to make more efforts in assuring internal security and helping people. He however admitted that the soldiers may commit bad actions against the civilians.

The President welcomed TFG and AU forces’ operations to flushed out al Shabaab movement fighters from Mogadishu completely. However, the president reiterated that they will not tolerate government soldiers to bother innocent civilians. On the other hand, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed talked about the recently concluded conference on Somalia’s future held in London, saying it was great opportunity for the people of Somalia because of Somaliland’s participation.

President Sharif promises to hold talks with Somaliland

27 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 150 words

The president of the transitional federal government of Somalia, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said that his government will hold dialogue with the authorities of the semi-autonomous state of Somaliland over their political differences. Somaliland previously seceded from the Somali state and it is proclaiming an independent statehood while the international community recognizes the Somalia. President Sharif extolled the significance of engaging in dialogue with Somaliland while addressing the press at Adan Ade international airport in Mogadishu.

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli reaches Oslo, Norway

27 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 231 words

The Prime Minister of Somalia Prof Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and his visiting delegates reached Oslo, Norway where he has received an invitation from Norway officials. The premier flew from London where he participated in the just concluded London meeting on 23rd February. The Premier is scheduled to held talks with the officials of Norway and discuss issues such as the relations between the two countries, the outcomes of London meeting and how to help the Somali government on the implementation and completion of the roadmap.

For the last six months, premier Abdiweli has been putting more pressure on how to amass international community support and galvanise awareness among the world countries. The London meeting followed after the government of Somalia made significant strides on security of Mogadishu, recapture of Beledweyn, Baidoa, Huddur and other areas liberated from al Shabaab. Also among the important gains are the cooperation of the regional administrations with the government and how the humanitarian crisis has been averted.

After landing in Oslo, the Prime Minister said that the London meeting was a success and that the international community took a common stand on the issue of Somalia as well as helping Somalia in its roadmap and transition period. He added that the international community supports his government’s strategy regarding the liberated areas. The Prime Minister is also expected to proceed to Sweden and meet with his Swedish counterpart.

Former president resists his stiff stance against Kenya, Ethiopian incursion

27 Feb – Source: Shabelle, Jowhar Online – 132 words

Former Somali president Abdiqasim Salad Hassan has made clear again his stiff stance against the Kenyan, Ethiopian army incursion inside Somali territories. In an interview with Shabelle Media station by phone from Egypt’s Cairo city, Abdiqasim Salad Hasssan repeated his opposition against the presence of Kenyan and Ethiopian troops into the conflict-torn horn of Africa nation.

“The United Nations have previously decided that the frontline countries should not intervene militarily into Somalia crisis, so, I have no idea when and why that resolution has been changed,” former Somali president said. Mr. Hassan expressed dismay about the decision by the Kenyan and Ethiopia governments to send their combat soldiers inside Somalia, saying it would only ignite the country’s conflict rather than bringing solution.

Ahlu Sunna killed senior al Shabaab commander

27 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Mogadishu, Kulmiye – 114 words

The administration of Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a (ASWJ) in central Somalia disclosed Monday that its fighters have killed a senior al Qaeda linked militant group of al Shabaab. Mohamed Mo’allin Hussein, one of Ahlu Sunna’s top officials told reporters that a senior al Shabaab commander incharge of the operations whose name has been identified only as Fanah was killed in a combat at Godon area near the town of Dhusamareb in Galgudud region of central Somalia.

Mr. Hussein says they seized the dead body of the al Shabaab commander and military equipment from the group in the battle zone. Al Shabaab has not made any comments about the Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a claim.

TFG troops capture new locations in Bakol region

27 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 179 words

Somali government officials in Bakool region have told radio Kulmiye that they are still in pursue against al Shabaab fighters and captured another strategic location in the south. The officials said they are pushing the militants and heading to other locations in the southern regions in Somalia where islamist militants of al Shabaab are still in control

Kenya Defence Force and their allies from Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government troop’s yesterday morning killed 14 al Shabaab fighters during an attack on the militants’ base in southern Somalia. The attack happened on the command centre located between Elade and El Wilnley about 30 kilometres away from Beles Qoqani in the Northern sector as they make advances towards al Shabaab stronghold of Afmadow.

Capture of Baidoa town welcomed in Mogadishu

26 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 117 words

Officials who hail from Bay and Bakol regions have today held a meeting in Mogadishu in which they expressed support for TFG and Ethiopian military offensive against al-Shabaab in Bay and Bakol regions. TFG State Minister for Women and Family issues, Lul Abdi Aden told Bar-kulan that they held the meeting in support for recent seizure of Baidoa town by Somali and Ethiopian troops. TFG and Ethiopian troops on Wednesday captured the town from al Shabaab who controlled the city since 2009.

Lul added that they have confidence in Somali troops to force out al Shabaab from remaining areas under their control. The meeting was attended by Somali lawmakers, intellectuals, women and Islamic scholars who all hail from those regions.

Al Shabaab attacks government positions in Mogadishu

26 Feb – Source: Mareeg Online – 126 words

Al Shabaab fighters have launched on Saturday heavy offensives against Somali government bases in the capital, Mogadishu, causing casualties, residents said. Witnesses say fighters from al Shabaab have attacked military positions belonging to TFG soldiers at Mogadishu’s Yaqshid and Hodan districts and both sides exchanged heavy weapons that could be heard across the capital.

An unconfirmed number of people were killed and others wounded during the attack and counter-attack between the militants and Somali government forces at Tolmoda and milk factory villages in Yaqshid and Hodan districts. Abdi Warsame Dhabaney, the district commissioner of Hodon district for Somali government told Somali Media denied any casualties on their side, adding that they had managed to push the militants from their positions in Mogadishu.

Parliament wing welcomes the outcome of London conference

27 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 112 words

The Somali parliament welcome the outcome of London conference. Speaking in a press conference in Mogadishu, Second Speaker for the Somali parliament Madobe Nuunow warmly welcomed the outcome, saying it was very broad that gave platform to all parts of the Somali political parties, including the semi-autonomous regions like Puntaland and Galmudug. Stating that they are still looking for further developments from the outcome of the London conference, which was organized by British Prime Minister David Cameron and attended by 40 countries.

Puntland’s Galgala militants ‘join al Qaeda’

26 Feb – Source: Garowe Online – 381 words

Militants in Somalia’s northern Puntland region have declared their allegiance to the al Qaeda terrorist group. A recording of Yasin Kilwe the self proclaimed ‘leader of the Galgala martyrs’ was aired on the al Shabaab controlled radio Al Andalus. The nearly three minute recording of Mr. Kilwe who spoke in Somali and Arabic verified that the Golis Mountain range militia officially joined al Shabaab and its parent group al Qaeda.

“I Yasin Khalid Osman (Yasin Kilwe) leader of the Golis Mountain range have pledged my allegiance to the leader of the al Shabaab Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr,” said Yasin Kilwe. The new leader of the Golis Mountain range militia, also called Galgala militia, expressed his contentment of the merge of al Shabaab and al Qaeda, terming it as a unification of great importance for the Muslim people.

Spokesman for the al Shabaab insurgents in southern Somalia Sheikh Ali Mohamud Ragge released a recording accepting the pledge of loyalty by the Galgala militia to his terror cell. Mr. Ragge added that the unification of these two groups will strengthen the weight of the group.

Al Shabaab militia forces Galgadud residents to fight TFG and Ahlu Sunna

26 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 108 words

Al Shabaab militias are currently forcing Eyl-garas and Eyl la-hela residents to take weapons and fight against TFG and Ahlu-sunaa troops, indicates reports from Galgudud. Eyl-garas and Eyl la-hela districts are freshly witnessing al Shabaab vehicles with loudspeakers urging residents to register themselves at shabaab camps to help them fight a collaboration of TFG and Ahlu sunna.

According to an eyewitness in Eyl-garas who spoke to Bar-Kulan on condition of anonymity said the youth and businesspeople are forced to support and fight the war. This new call comes at a time when al Shabaab militias have withdrawn from areas in Eyl buur and and Eyl deer where Ahlu sunna started military activities.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya military need three months in joining AMISOM operations

26 Feb – Source: Coast Week, Xinhua – 844 words

The process of re-hatting Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) into the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) could take up to three months to complete, a military official said on Saturday. KDF’s Director of Military Operations Information Colonel Cyrus Oguna told journalists in Nairobi that Kenyan troops have officially joined AMISOM following the UN Security Council’s decision, but it was still currently operating under the KDF banner.

“In the meantime, Kenya is awaiting the instructions of the AU Peace and Security Council which could take up to three months,” Oguna said.
“UN’s decision gave the overall framework but the AU will spell out the road map and so until such a time we don’t know the length of the transitional period,” Oguna said during the 19th media briefing on the progress of the Operation Linda Nchi.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called on the African Union (AU) to increase the size of its peacekeeping force in Somalia (AMISOM) by almost 50 percent to deal with continued insecurity in the impoverished country.

How piracy is causing economic mayhem and wrecking businesses in East Africa

26 Feb – Source: East African – 745 words

When it comes to businesses, fortunes are always at the mercy of chance. This is the reality Raju Malde, a director at Pwani Oil, one of Kenya’s biggest oil and fats manufacturers, is grappling with.

The profitability of his company is facing one of its worst threats with a surge in freight costs as shippers factor in charges arising from piracy on the Indian Ocean. While Somali piracy has been around for some time now, the real cost of the menace is emerging with a new report that breaks down the total price of piracy to businesses — estimating it at Ksh50 million monthly for shippers. The world, business executives said, has been so preoccupied with how piracy got to its current levels that it has not noticed how much economic pandemonium the crime is causing countries.

“Freight costs have definitely gone up,” says Mr Malde. “The shipping lines are now charging a fee they are calling piracy risk surcharge, which is $10 on freight, and another $3 on insurance.” Mr Malde said that the bulk of their imports consist of palm oil from Indonesia, which they import by the tonne. “The piracy has had the impact of reducing our margins, and we are also passing the extra costs to the consumers.”

A new report by the One Earth Future Foundation, shows shipping companies are paying roughly $5,000 a day for a four-man armed team, on duty for four to 20 days to protect their vessels in the vital waters off the East African coast and through the Gulf of Aden.

France supports Burundian troops in Somalia

25 Feb – Source: New Times, Xinhua – 187 words

The French army on Wednesday evening offered the Burundian forces bullet-proof equipment to support the latter’s peacekeeping efforts in Somalia.Gen. Jean-Jacques Toutous, commander of the French forces in Gabon, handed over the equipment to the Burundian side, which included 890 bullet-proof helmets and another 890 bullet-proof vests. “We have donated the military equipment because the work Burundian peacekeepers are doing in Somalia is great,” said Toutous.

Burundi and Uganda are the two main contributors of troops in the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Burundian Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyombare thanked France for the assistance, stressing that the work of Burundian troops serving in the AMISOM will become easier. “The military equipment will be given to a battalion soon to be sent to Somalia. It’s very modern because these vests are very light and will thus allow our troops to move easily on the ground,” he said.

He added that the donation also proved the increasingly close relations between the French and Burundian governments and between the two armies. “This also shows that France supports our hard work in Somalia,” Niyombare said.

Africans best suited to solve their problems, says Museveni

25 Feb – Source: New Vision (Uganda) – 513 words

Problems in Africa can best be solved if African countries take the lead, President Yoweri Museveni has said. “When external stakeholders usurp the powers to solve African problems, failure and catastrophe is unavoidable whereas where Africans take the lead in partnership with others, results are better,” he said. He cited examples such as the Independence of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and the majority rule in South Africa as some of Africa’s successfully handled situations. The President said the correct way of handling African crises involves engaging internal stakeholders, respective regional efforts and international partners.

Museveni was addressing a one-day London Conference on Somalia which took place at Lancaster House in London. The conference organized by the British government attracted over 40 delegations and heads-of-state from Africa and Europe. President Museveni described the conference as timely and that by legitimate stakeholders like AU, IGAD, the AU Commission and others represented, “it is the type of packaging that is legitimate, credible and effective.”

He appreciated the material and financial assistance given by external partners to AMISOM regarding the ongoing humanitarian efforts and problems in Somalia but decried sectarian tendencies in the country, calling for unity and fostering of brotherhood. Museveni said that modern life requires specialization and exchange of goods which can’t be done at the village level. And that what Somalis need is security for peaceful co-existence and markets to sell their produce.

Somali journalists fear becoming targets

25 Feb – Source: Al Jazeera – 43 words

Journalists in Somalia have demanded better protection after the recent high-profile murders of two fellow reporters. This culture of fear has led many in the nation’s press to employ self-censorship to avoid becoming potential targets. Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri reports from Mogadishu, Somalia.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

In Somalia, children are taken out of school to become soldiers

26 Feb – Source: SOS – 421 words

Reports are surfacing that al Shabaab is taking Somali children out of schools to be used as soldiers and human shields. According to a recent report issued by Human Rights Watch (HRW), entitled “No Place for Children,” outlines how, while the use of child soldiers is not new in Somalia, the scale and violent nature of these abductions has reached unprecedented levels. The locations in which abductions take place have expanded as well, as they are increasingly including schools and playgrounds.

A HRW researcher who worked on the report claimed that “Over the course of the last two years, al Shabaab has increasingly been forcibly abducting children — not only from their homes, but also from their schools and playing fields. The majority of children being forced to join al Shabaab are between 14 and 17 years old, but some are as young as 10.”

Most children who are are captured spend time in a ‘training camp,’ where they are subjected to harsh domestic work, taught how to use weapons, and witness murders and brutal assaults as a way to desensitize them for their use as soldiers. Somali youths are targeted for purposes that are not limited to fighting, especially for girls. Forced marriage and rape are now commonplace for captured children.

Turkey ready to give military assistance to Somalia

24 Feb – Source: Todays Zaman – 424 words

Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu has said Turkey is ready to provide military assistance to Somalia in order to help establish political stability.
Wrapping up talks in London after Thursday’s summit on Somalia, DavutoÄŸlu urged the international community to bolster the strength of African Union (AU) peacekeeping forces and provide them with more resources, saying Turkey is ready to provide such assistance, at a press conference. In 2010, Turkey signed an agreement to train Somali soldiers at a UN-backed international Somalia summit in Ä°stanbul.

The AU, a regional body consisting of 54 African states, maintains an African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) as part of the peace mission to stabilize the security situation in the country, along with Kenyan and Ethiopian troops. Somalia has been in a state of anarchy since 1991, when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

Waging peace not war in Somalia

27 Feb – Source: Gulf News – 742 Words

An important high-level conference on Somalia in London on February 23, sponsored by the British government and attended by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, presented an unprecedented opportunity to take stock of — and reinvigorate — the international community’s engagement in Somalia. These are momentous days in the Horn of Africa.

In early December 2011, Ban travelled to Somalia and announced that the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) would move its headquarters to Mogadishu. There was no shortage of doubters, but I am pleased to say that my office has now relocated from Nairobi, and for the first time since 1995 a Special Representative of the Secretary-General is based in the Somali capital.

This encouraging sign caps a year of remarkable progress and transition in the Somali peace process. Continuing attacks by al Shabaab, as well as piracy and kidnappings, may dominate the international news, but for the first time in many years, Somalis have a real reason to hope for a better future — that is, if the international community and the Somali authorities can capitalise on this moment of opportunity.

First of all, I could move here from Nairobi because Mogadishu is now relatively safe. After years of fighting, the brave African Union (AU) peacekeepers (known as AMISOM), assisted by the armed forces of the Somali Transitional Federal Government, pushed al Shabaab out of most of the city. Unfortunately, the militants have resorted to terror tactics, and their suicide attacks have claimed many innocent lives.

This month, the UN Security Council is expected to approve an increase in Amisom’s force strength. This would allow the troops to expand their areas of operation outside Mogadishu and bring soldiers from Kenya, who are battling the militants in the south of the country, under the same umbrella. Consolidation on the security front will be critical to sustainable progress, and I call on the Security Council to approve the requested increase and give the AU forces the resources they need to finish the job that they have so ably started.

In September 2011, the Somali authorities adopted a “roadmap for ending the transition,” which commits the Transitional Federal Government to a series of concrete tasks and fixed benchmarks to be accomplished by the end of August 2012. The roadmap focuses on security, constitutional reform, reconciliation, and good governance, and its implementation will be critical in moving forward in a transparent and inclusive manner.

Probably the most important task is to finalise the draft constitution by May 2012 in consultation with all Somali stakeholders, and to adopt it provisionally through a Constituent Assembly until conditions permit a referendum. The other main task will be to select a new parliament, which will then choose the new leadership. Somalia deserves and requires a representative government.

Sustained relief

I hope that my presence in Mogadishu will also encourage more members of the international community to re-establish a full-time presence here. The complete engagement of international and regional actors and donors will remain a central component of progress for the foreseeable future. Being permanently based here allows us to be closer to all of the stakeholders — the Transitional Federal Institutions and other administrations, NGOs and other civil-society groups, business leaders, journalists, and the Somali people in general.

As a result, it will be much easier to communicate, exchange ideas, and take important decisions quickly during this crucial period. I saw great interest in Somalia at the African Union’s recent summit in Addis Ababa, and at a meeting in Djibouti of more than 40 governments and regional groupings that belong to the International Contact Group on Somalia. The region is engaged and behind our efforts.

Of course, after two decades of conflict, Somalia’s problems will not be solved overnight. There are still hundreds of thousands of people affected by the drought and famine who require urgent and sustained help, and we must work to prevent such a disaster from recurring. The insurgents continue their efforts to undermine the peace process, and political wrangling and discord threaten to paralyse the fragile institutions of governance.

I truly believe that this time, with the backing of the Somali people and the global community’s engagement and political will to see the process through, this year will witness real progress towards a more stable and prosperous future for the country. The world is watching, and we will need the expanded participation and contributions of all stakeholders if we are to capitalise on this hard-earned moment of opportunity.

The world should support AMISOM to restore the State of Somalia

27 Feb – Source: Daily Monitor – 804 Words

The recent announcement of al Shabaab joining al Qaeda is not really news, just an attempt to shore up an on-and-off relationship that began in 2003 when Aden Hashi Farah “Ayro” and a small group of Somali Jihadists returned from Afghanistan looking to stir up things in the Horn of Africa country.

Al Shabaab as a recognised group became formalised during the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006. The roots of al Shabaab also come from al Qaeda’s origins in East Africa and their quest for establishing training and hideout cells in the region. Unfortunately, Somalia’s unique sense of identity, pride and moderate nature has always clashed with al Qaeda’s more radical and anti-tribal dogma.

Now, the question everyone is asking is: Does this mean anything significant in the Somalia peace process and the global war on terror? Some pundits have simply pointed out that al Qaeda can’t do much for al Shabaab and al Shabaab can’t do much for al Qaeda either. This view is both wrong and right.

Robert Young Pelton, whose article inspired me to write this piece, gave a rather truthful comment: “the truth is that there is little love for Jihadists in Somalia these days. What al Shabaab knows only too well is that hitching your local uprising to al Qaeda may provide increased funding and visibility in the short term but it also gets you the direct attention of the West and their very energetic global kill or capture program.”

But let us recast first on a bit of history. In 1996, when Osama bin Laden formally announced al Qaeda as a force against Christians, Jews and “apostates”, he included Somalia in his list of al Qaeda bases in the world. The other countries were Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Tajikistan, Burma, Kashmir, Assam, Philippines, Ogaden, Eritrea, Chechnya and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The problem is that bin Laden was not a cleric and cannot issue Fatwas. He was well respected in jihad circles but the agenda of Salafists may not have a place in Somalia.

Now, due to his up-side-down interpretation of Islam, Godane, the al Shaabab radical leader, who announced the merger hoped he could get operational capital from the alliance.

Godane himself had been involved in failed attacks on Puntland, the semi autonomous Somali State in the north east in 2008. His failure at leadership has always been a source of in-fighting within al Shaabab. He does not command much trust from the al Qaeda network. Like Pelton says, he will need to plan and execute something spectacular outside the country to even get his full name spelled correctly.

On the other hand, the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, the attacks on the USS Cole in Aden in October 2000 and the Kampala attacks of July 11, 2010, make it clear to everyone that al Qaeda in East Africa is more than rhetoric. These attacks point to the fact that the failed state of Somalia has partly been responsible for the insecurity in the East African region.

Here are some examples. Whadi al Hage left Arizona to work for bin Laden in 1992 and became his most trusted aide. Al Hage moved to Kenya in 1994 and created his own cell. In the process, he recruited Fazul Abdullah Mohammed. Fazul was a key planner of the 1998 embassy bomb plot and later the go-between for al Shabaab and al Qaeda. He was killed at a checkpoint in Mogadishu in mid 2011. In late 2006 during the Ethiopian invasion, Comoran born Kenyan Fazul Mohammed sent his wife to Pakistan to contact bin Laden to get support and advice in their fight against the Ethiopians.

In October 2006, the head of al Qaeda in East Africa, Bajabu, met with Fazul and another al-Qaeda operative, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, at Bajabu’s home. The three looked into launching repeat attacks on US and Israeli embassies as well as attacks on Kenya’s anti-terrorism headquarters in Nairobi, and the Mombasa. Bin Laden’s advice was for the East African cell of al Qaeda to step up their game and therefore get bigger funding.

“Somalia may qualify as a failed state; but its experiences provide useful lessons for all other African countries to learn. If they do so, they will avoid falling into the same trap. Otherwise, they will continue to be pooh-poohed as the white man’s burden.”

Somalia is a failed state but teaches African countries useful lessons

26 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 1847 Words

At long last, there is something on the horizon to assure us that the decades-long Somali crisis will be tackled to restore sanity to the Horn of Africa and relieve the world of a major headache. Somalia may be suffering the negative backlash of political instability but the world feels the pinch when the Somali pirates strike vessels plying the Indian Ocean. In a fell swoop, the international community wants to kill many birds with one stone—a resolute determination to eradicate en bloc al Shabaab, the terrorist group!

World leaders representing 55 countries and organizations gathered in London early this week for a conference on Somalia to boost support for measures to fight piracy, terrorism, and political instability in Somalia. They can’t do so without confronting al Shabaab with decisive measures.

“Foreign interference has compounded the problems of the Horn of Africa. Although the West has been keen to intervene around the world spending trillions of dollars to wage war while killing thousands of civilian in the process, they have shown wilful neglect in the face of humanitarian disaster in Somalia.”

Somalia: Between Foreign aid and Foreign Interference

26 Feb – Source: Khilafah – 758 Words

Britain recently hosted an international conference on Somalia pledging more aid, financial help and measures to tackle terrorism. The Western world consider Somalia a failed state always in the midst of a civil war between competing actors, first tribal warlords, then between secular and Islamic factions and now between moderate Islamists under Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and the more radical elements within al Shabaab.

The international conference held in London takes place after numerous conferences of similar nature have taken place since the America intervened in the country in 1993. All of them have had the same end result, more money to foreign backed governments all ending in failure.

Top tweets

@bendepear As if they didn’t have enough trouble, now Somalia has oil bit.ly/y2W8vu

@alykhansatchu That is proof of the value of human capital right there Inward remittances into #Somalia dwarf the total quantum of aid rich.co.ke/rctools/wrapup…

@ShrewdAfrican So the Somalia Lancaster conference last week was really about oil, but extraction in a month? Sounds far-fetched

@BUFFALONYUSNEWS After inciting civil war, Britain offers Somalia humanitarian aid & security assistance in hope of stake in oil future: bit.ly/zVgH1c

@cedricpoitevin #France donates military equipment to #Burundi to support peacekeepers in #Somalia #arms tinyurl.com/7z4ysau

@AngelaCorbalan Ahead of today#EU Foreign Ministers meeting,@ipsnews reports NGOs urge “solution from within” for #Somalia bit.ly/zZtjNw #LDNSomalia

@buurukur #Kenya, #Ethiopia, #Uganda #AMISOM big winners from #London #SomaliaConference–#EastAfrican

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Image of the day

Image of the day Dozens of Somali youths take part in a bicycle racing competition organised by a youth group that was recently held in Mogadishu.