March 20, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Ahlu Sunna regains control of Dusamareb town from al Shabaab fighters

20 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Raxanreeb – 180 words

Reports from central Somalia town of Dusamareb say Ahlu Sunna militias on Tuesday morning regained full control of the town after loosing it to al Shabaab militant group earlier in the morning. The al Qaeda linked al Shabaab militants on pickup trucks mounted with machine guns stormed the town at dawn, briefly seizing control of it from the pro-government Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa militia group, according reports from the area.

Al Shabaab militants reportedly made off with over seven privately owned vehicles which they took away from their owners during their brief stay in the town before they were ousted by Ahlu Sunna fighters who have regrouped again outside the town. Reports say Ahlu Sunna fighters entered the town from several fronts, forcing al Shabaab militants to flee the area.

Although the exact number still remains unknown, reports say there have been human casualties involving both combatants and civilians during the fight. Dusamareb is a strategic town in the central Somalia region of Galgadud controlling a key road linking south and central Somalia to the restive northern part of the chaotic Horn of African country.

Key Headlines

Dhusamareb captured by al Shabaab fighters (Hiiraan Online)
Ahlu Sunna regains control of Dusamareb town from al Shabaab fighters (Radio Bar-kulan Raxanreeb)
TFG Ethiopian troops advance as al Shabaab vacates parts of Hiiraan region ( Radio Kulmiye)
Al Shabaab captures Diif Village without resistance (Shabelle Bar-kulan)
Ugandan heads African Union peace forces in Somalia (Coast Week Xinhua)
Somali leaders participate in re-opening of Somali National Theater (Radio Mogadishu SNTV )
Somalia factor in regional growth prospects ( Daily Nation)
President Sharif promise to fight corruption (Radio Kulmiye)
Somali rebels resume barrage on presidential palace ( Reuters)
An American Jihadist in Somalia claims his Colleagues want to kill him (New York Times)
Mortars struck parts of Mogadishu for second night ( Radio Bar-kulan)

SOMALI MEDIA

Dhusamareb captured by al Shabaab fighters

20 Mar – Source: Hiiraan Online – 158 words

Sources in Dhusamareb have confirmed to HOL that the town has been captured by al Shabaab fighters. Dhusamareb is the capital of the Galgadud region and is 500km north of Mogadishu. It was previously in the hands of Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a, a Somali paramilitary group opposed to the strict ideologies of al Shabaab.

Residents say sporadic but intense fighting broke out between the two groups at about 4:30 am Tuesday morning, and by 6:00 am al Shabaab overpowered Ahlu Suna Waljama’a and completely seized the town. Early reports indicate that there were a total of 7 casualties in the battle , none of which were civilian.

The two sides have fought fiercely over the past two years for control of Dhusamareb which has exchanged hands several times over the course of the conflict. This is the second time in 2012 that al Shabaab has seized Dhusamareb from ASWJ fighters. Hiiraan Online is closely monitoring any developments in this story.

Ahlu Sunna regains control of Dusamareb town from al Shabaab fighters

20 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Raxanreeb – 180 words

TFG, Ethiopian troops advance as al Shabaab vacates parts of Hiiraan region

20 Mar – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 128 words

Reports from Hiiraan region says Ethiopian and Somali forces have advanced into new positions in the region as al Shabaab fighters vacate some villages. Resident in the area says that they have seen Ethiopian troops patrolling in the long roads in the Hiraan region.

Kulmiye radio correspondent in Hiiraan says “there is military movement in the area as al Shabaab fighters retreat in the jungle”. the situation is tense, he said. He adds that hundreds of government troops along with allied Ethiopian forces have moved in to new grounds in the region in pursuit of al Shabaab fighters. Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in 2006 and withdrew from Somalia in 2009 but later returned in to some parts of the country’s south and central Somalia.

Al Shabaab captures Diif Village without resistance

20 Mar – Source: Shabelle, Bar-kulan – 127 words

Al Shabaab fighters have on Tuesday again recaptured Diif Village in lower Jubba region from pro-Somalia government, Raskamboni militia led Sheikh Ahmed Modobe without any resistance, witnesses said. Latest Reports said the Raskamboni militia abandoned the area in the early hours on Tuesday before al Shabaab fighters poured into it to avoid loss since the militants were heavily armed and equipped.

Top al Shabaab commander asked local residents for remain calm and stay indoors as the search operations by the militants is underway to assure their full control of the village. No comments were available immediately from Raskamboni officials about the seizure, but reports suggest the militias are regrouping again on the outskirts of Diif area in Lower Jubba region of south-western Somalia close to Kenya border.

Somali leaders participate in re-opening of Somali National Theatre

19 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SNTV – 304 words

The top leaders of the Transitional Federal government of Somalia headed by President Sheikh Sharif Sh. Ahmed and Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali have this evening participated in the occasion of re-opening the Somali National Theatre where local plays, traditional music, and comedy performances were showcased. The Theatre was destroyed following the civil war that the country plunged into 21 years ago.

The event was organised by the ministry of information, post and telecommunication and CRD. Different Somali plays and poems were performed which aroused the feelings of the public and leaders at the event creating a sense of patriotism.

Prime Minister Abdiweli who addressed the public stated his happiness in participating in the event adding that he used to visit the theatre in the golden days. “I am a lover of music and i was a fan of the theatre and i used to come and watch the performances. I was shocked to see how the theatre is dilapidated. We will do all that we can to renovate and make it look like it was before or even better”. He thanked the ministry of information for their exceptional efforts in the reopening of the Somali National Theatre.

On the other hand, President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed also addressed the public saying that the improved security situation has made easy for the reopening and performances displayed in the theatre. He praised the efforts made to reopen the theatre after 21 years of being dysfunctional.

President Sharif promise to fight corruption

20 Mar – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 132 words

Somali president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has promised to fight against corruption. Speaking in a well organized ceremony on the opening of the National theater in Mogadishu, president Sharif pledged to fight against corruption, scandals and evils in the government institutions. “Our goals is to find new democratic structure for all sectors in the government, we will not tolerate those who are indulged in corrupt activities. It is our duties to fight against the corrupt people,” he said.

The president also mentioned that his government had made strategic gains. On yesterday afternoon the Somali national theater was reopened officially after twenty one years of conflict since the collapse of former Mohamed Siad Barre’ regime in 1991.

Mortars struck parts of Mogadishu for second night

20 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 205 words

Several mortars shells struck parts of Mogadishu last night, a day after six people were reportedly killed by rebel fired mortars in the city. It’s not yet known whether the attacks caused any casualties or property loss. Reports say residents of several neighbourhoods in the city were frightened by the deafening sound of the mortars slamming into their residential areas.

The Director of the National Security Agency Ahmed Maalim Fiqi told reporters in Mogadishu that investigations are underway to determine whether there were any human and property loss in the affected neighbourhoods. Early on Monday night, heavily armed security officials were seen patrolling almost all neighbourhoods in Mogadishu in efforts to bolster security in the city.

The attacks comes a day after six people including four family members were killed after al Shabaab fired mortars slammed into a camp for displaced people in Mogadishu’s Wardigley district. The family members including two children and their two parents were hit by a mortar shell fired by al Shabaab militant group. Only a child survived with shrapnel wounds survived from the family. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility of the Sunday night mortar attacks, saying that it was targeting heavily fortified Somalia’s presidential palace and boasted of killing African Union and government soldiers.

Somali speaker’s second day of tour in Baidoa city

19 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somali Report – 78 words

The Speaker of the Somali Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden is in his second day of an official visit to the recently librated city of Baidoa in Bay region. The speaker held meetings with the TFG-Ethiopian military officials in the region and discussed with them tightening the security of the city. Speaking to Radio Mogadishu, Sharif Hassan has urged the Somali people to cooperate with the Somali National Forces who librated the city from the enemy.

Al Shabaab says reports of ‘Al Amriki’s arrest is false’

19 Mar – Source: Garowe Online – 227 words

Reports of al Shabaab arresting US born jihadi Omar Hammami also known as Abu Mansoor Al Amiriki have been denied by the terrorist organizations press office via twitter, Garowe Online reports.

Reports surfaced that Al Amriki who moved to Somalia in 2006 to join an uprising against Ethiopian troops was arrested near Kismayo on Monday and taken to the Lower Shabelle region further south. The terror organization released a statement via twitter on Monday evening, “All reports of Al Amiriki’s arrest are false and intended purely for propaganda purposes. Beware of such inaccurate reports,” read the statement.

Al Amriki expressed fears that he was going to be killed by his fellow al Shabaab agents in a video released on YouTube. Al Amriki explains that his fear was brought on after officials in the organization had a falling out regarding matters of Sharia law and battle strategies. The al Shabaab’s press office reply to Al Amriki’s video was one of ‘surprise’. The terror group were surprised that Amriki thought his life was endangered and were ordering an investigation to the motives behind Amriki’s video.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somalia factor in regional growth prospects

20 Mar – Source: Daily Nation – 515 words

Somalia’s application to join the East African Community was not entirely unexpected, according to observers. The move in early March is considered a bold step in regional integration for a country that has been mired in civil conflict for more than two decades. The application, which was submitted through President Kibaki’s office, the current chairman of the five-member economic bloc, comes at a time when Somalia is experiencing a period of respite, with business and life returning to near-normal in the capital, Mogadishu.

“It has always been a question in the offing,” Mr Richard Sindiga, director of economic affairs at Kenya’s East African Community ministry, said. “Although Somalia doesn’t have a stable government, the issue of integration has always been expected.” The question of what Somalia’s membership would mean for the region is debateable. Mr Sindiga says there is no overlooking the potential economic and trade opportunities the country has to offer.

Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa, it is the gateway to the geostrategic Gulf of Aden, and, despite the war, has maintained a robust economy based on livestock, diaspora remittances through the hawalasystem, besides a vibrant telecommunications industry.

Ugandan heads African Union peace forces in Somalia

20 Mar – Source: Coast Week, Xinhua – 964 words

The newly expanded African Union peace enforcement force will be headed by Ugandan, a Kenyan military official said on Saturday. Kenya Defense Force (KDF) Director of Military Operation Information Colonel Cyrus Oguna told journalists in Nairobi that the troop contributing countries for the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) agreed that the force commander will be a Ugandan with the rank of lieutenant general.

“Following discussions on command and control, the expanded AMISOM which now includes Kenyan troops will be led by a Ugandan who will be deputized by a Kenyan and Burundian,” Oguna said during the last operation Linda Nchi media briefing, 154 days after Kenya crossed into Somalia.

“The force commander will be deputized by two military officials with the rank of a major general with the Kenyan in charge of operations while the Burundian in charge of logistics,” he said. He said that chief of staff will be a Djiboutian brigadier. The Kenyan soldiers battling Somali militants are due to formally join the regional armies early April though Oguna said no date has been set for the official handing over ceremony.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali rebels resume barrage on presidential palace

20 Mar – Source: Reuters – 319 words

Islamist militants launched mortars at Somalia’s presidential palace for a second night running, drawing retaliatory fire from African Union peacekeepers in some of the heaviest fighting to rock the capital in months, residents said on Tuesday. “The rebels targeted the palace but the shells landed just outside. There were no casualties,” the AU’s AMISOM force spokesman, Paddy Ankunda, told Reuters.

Some people living near Mogadishu’s presidential compound said they would flee the city, alarmed by the fiercest heavy weapons fire in the downtown area since the al Shabaab rebel group withdrew most of its forces to outlying areas. The al Qaeda-linked insurgents said on Monday they would keep hitting the presidential compound, which also houses key government ministries, with mortars and suicide bombings.

A salvo of mortars on Sunday night killed at least five refugees from a single family, and came less than a week after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the gate of Villa Somalia, as the presidential palace is known. Publicly AMISOM says it is not clear where the short-range mortars aimed at Villa Somalia being fired from. However, the heavily protected complex is normally considered beyond the range of mortars launched from outside the Somali capital.

Islamist fighters seize central Somali town

20 Mar – Source: AFP – 444 words

Al Qaeda-allied Islamist gunmen seized the key town of Dhusamareb in central Somalia Tuesday, as al Shabaab commanders called on fighters to intensify attacks against government and regional forces. Witnesses said al Shabaab fighters on pickup trucks mounted with machine guns entered the town at dawn, driving out the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa, an Ethiopian-backed force who follow Somalia’s traditional Sufi branch of Islam.

“The mujahideen fighters stormed the district after attacking it from two directions early this morning, there was little fighting as the apostate militia fled the city,” al Shabaab commander Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim said by telephone. “With God’s help, we will be advancing onto other districts in the region,” he added.

Dhusamareb is a strategic town in the central Galgadud region controlling a key road, and its capture marks a notable fight back by the hardline al Shabaab, who have pulled out of several key areas in recent months. Rival armed groups have repeatedly fought over Dhusamareb, controlling it briefly until fresh attacks root them out.

“Al Shabaab fighters riding on vehicles mounted with guns entered the town after fighting with the Sufis, the city has now fallen and they are setting up their base in the police station,” said Abdirahman Moalim, an elder in the city. “Al Shabaab is in full control, the other fighters (Ahlu Sunna) have left,” said Ahmed Mohamud, another resident.

The town’s capture comes as al Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane called on Islamist fighters to renew attacks against the 10,000-strong African Union force, which props up the weak Western-backed government in the anarchic capitalMogadishu.

“They (AU forces) will continue to face hard hitting guerilla attacks that will destroy them, just as armies that were more powerful than them were destroyed,” Godane said in a broadcast on the pro-al Shabaab Radio Al Andalus. Godane, who is also known as Abu Zubayr, also called for attacks in the northern autonomous Puntland region, which is allied to the Western-backed government.

“Mujahideen fighters in areas controlled by the apostate Puntland government must remain unified, you must strengthen your battle fronts until you ensure the Islamic flag flies over the whole region,” he added. The Shebab face increasing pressure from pro-government forces and regional armies, and last month lost control of their strategic base of Baidoa to Ethiopian troops, the second major loss in six months after abandoning fixed bases in capital.

Kenya sent its troops into southern Somalia to fight them in October, blaming al Shabaab for the abductions of several foreigners. Its troops have now been incorporated into the AU force. Ethiopian forces entered Somalia a month later in the west, as international diplomatic, military and relief efforts focus on ending the conflict in the south.

Nato extends anti-piracy mission

20 Mar – Source: Independent Online‎/AFP – 174 words

Nato on Monday agreed to extend its anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia until the end of 2014, stressing that foreign navies are helping to reduce the number of hijackings. Operation Ocean Shield, which currently has four warships at sea, has patrolled the Horn of Africa, acted to disrupt armed robberies on the high seas and escorted United Nations ships bringing aid to Mogadishu since 2008.

The international efforts are “making a difference, with the number of successful pirate hijacking down significantly in 2012”, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen wrote on Twitter. “Our message to the pirates is clear, your ability to threaten shipping is diminishing and Nato resolve is not going away,” he said, announcing that Nato’s decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, extended the mission.

The European Union, which has deployed its own counter-piracy operation, will consider this week whether to allow its warships to fire at trucks, supplies, boats and fuel stocked by pirates on the beaches. Nato, however, has decided to continue limiting its mission to sea operations.

An American Jihadist in Somalia Claims His Colleagues Want to Kill Him

20 Mar – Source: New York Times – 416 words

Omar Shafik Hammami, an Alabama native who traveled to Somalia in 2006 to join a radical Islamist group, has apparently come to regret his choices. In a YouTube video posted Friday, Mr. Hammami, who goes by the name Abu Mansour al-Amriki (“the American”), said his “life may be endangered” because of an ideological disagreement with the group, which he refers to by its full name, Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahideen.

“I record this message today because I feel that my life may be endangered by Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahideen,” said Mr. Hammami, “due to some differences that occurred between us regarding matters of the Shariah and matters of strategy.”

Mr. Hammami, a charismatic 27-year-old known for his hip-hop music tracks about his wish to die a martyr and who was once president of the sophomore class at his high school in Daphne, Ala., has in many ways become the American face of Islamism. He has urged young Muslims from the West to join al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-aligned organization seeking to overthrow the Somali government.

He is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on several terrorism violations, including helping to organize attacks that killed at least 20 people in 2008. The YouTube message poses a major public relations problem for the terrorist organization, as the video appeared to be the first time an American member – particularly one so widely known for his recruiting efforts — had publicly broken ranks. al Shabaab’s publicity arm quickly issued a denial on Twitter, saying:

HSM is surprised by the video of Abu Mansoor #AlAmriki that surfaced on the internet recently claiming that his life is ‘endangered by HSM. A formal investigation is just underway and HSM is still attempting to verify the authenticity as well as the motivations behind the video. We assure our Muslim brothers that #AlAmriki is not endangered by theï»¿ Mujahideen &our brother still enjoys all the privileges of brotherhood.HSM Press Office.

On Monday, the group also denied news reports that it had “arrested” Mr. Hammami. “All reports of #AlAmriki’s arrest are false and intended purely for propaganda purposes. Beware of such inaccurate reports,” the group said on Twitter. State Department officials said they were aware of the alleged arrest and were investigating, according to ABC News. A spokesman at the F.B.I.’s field office in Mobile, Ala., reached late Monday night, said that further information on the case would likely not be available until sometime Tuesday morning.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Perhaps one of the most painful ironies ordinary Somalis are constantly witnessing is the international community`s aggressive approach against militant Islamists, while entertaining tribal militants. Certainly, Islamist militants are a threat to Somalia, the region, and the world. But, so are tribal extremists with their hideous ideology rooted in hostility, exclusion, and injustice. They are not only fuelling the violence, but they are also the stumbling block to Somalia`s nation-state building. More importantly, they are the very cause that lends groups, such as al Shabaab, a reason for existence.”

London Conference on Somalia: A rebranding of the war on terror or a new course?

20 Mar – Source: Raxanreeb – 1422 Words

Of the numerous international conferences organized to deal with Somalia’s seemingly endless conflict, London conference has attracted by far the highest expectations of Somali people, closely matching that of Djibouti in 2000. But unlike the latter, the former also provoked extraordinary apprehension as to what may transpire from such unexpected, sudden gathering.

Perhaps the most important factor that sparked Somalis’ optimism was the British government itself. A powerful UN Security Council member, a major donor country, and a former colonial power of part of Somalia (Somaliland), Britain was seen as the best candidate to succeed where others failed in ending what many describe as the hell on earth.

“For the near future, Somaliland will be caught between disdaining foreign assistance and requiring it. A communiqué issued after a major summit meeting on Somalia in London last month “welcomed the success in some areas of Somalia in establishing local areas of stability” but made no mention of Somaliland’s campaign for independence. Countries outside of the region are loath to stretch their necks ahead of African governments or what leadership remains in Somalia itself.”

The World’s Next State?

19 Mar – Source: New York Times – 736 Words

If a country isn’t recognized, does it make a sound? Here in Somaliland, the semi-autonomous northern part of the failed state of Somalia, I discovered that the answer is an emphatic yes.

The government in Mogadishu has virtually no influence in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, or over the territory’s 3.5 million residents. Since 1991, when the end of Said Barre’s dictatorship plunged Somalia into anarchy, Somaliland has written its own Constitution, held four peaceful elections, established a central bank that prints its own currency, built schools and universities, and created an elaborate security apparatus that has managed to keep at bay terrorist groups like al Shabaab, a Wahhabi group that operates with impunity in southern Somalia.

“A country that has been deprived of any civil peace and stable government by the repeated meddling of imperialism over a period of decades, a country whose economy has been destroyed by IMF loan sharks, a country whose fishing industry has been wiped out by giant factory ships deployed by monopoly capitalist poachers, and whose fishermen have been transformed into pirates, is not well-equipped to deal with the consequences of major drought. Whilst the drought is, in some measure, a natural phenomenon, the famine is entirely man-made: the consequence of the decades of imperialist meddling which have effectively sabotaged any hope of peace and order for the Somalis.”

Famine in Somalia: imperialism is to blame

19 Mar – Source: Shoah -1571 Words

The famine gripping Somalia is no “natural disaster”. Even leaving aside the question of what impact man-made climate change has had on the frequency of drought episodes (now recurring every three years or so, a far cry from the predictable decennial droughts that afflicted the region half a century ago), or the knock-on effects of deforestation (as foreign demand for charcoal accelerates the destruction of trees), the instant translation of that drought into a massive and cruel famine can only be explained by the complete social and economic devastation wreaked upon Somalia over many decades by imperialism.

Top tweets

@BBCWorld “If we can rebuild the theatre, we can rebuild our lives.” #Somalia‘s national theatre reopens in Mogadishu http://bbc.in/yDU9F9.

@spacebox64 Shabaab´s Coop. with AQAP has only increased the past 2 years. Overtaking the South of Yemen with Ansar is now a goal. #Yemen #Somalia.

@AnaGalang Art has healing powers! Somalia’s national theatre reopens in Mogadishu http://zite.to/GAXG5u.

@Hamza_Africa I wonder if President Sharif sleeps with ear-plugs on with all the night time shelling & fire exchanges! #Somalia #Mogadishu.

@elisarimaila We tend to forget a country torn by #war in the #news is more than war news. #Somalia opens its national theatre.

@SIDEastAfrica Investors call for more ports in #East #Africa | http://bit.ly/GAXt7o | No mention of #Somalia?

Follow the conversation →

Image of the day

Image of the day Somali National Theater reopens its doors to theatergoers in Mogadishu after 20 years.