May 24, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

AMISOM spokesman: We are just 4 kilometres away from Afgoye town

24 May – Source: Shabelle/ Jowhar Online – 148 words

The Spokesman for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers said on Wednesday that the AU and Somali troops are close to the rebel-held Afgoye district, just 30 KM, North West Mogadishu, Somalia Capital.

Speaking with Shabelle Media, AMISOM spokesman, Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said that the allied forces are just four kilometres away from Afgoye and will soon capture it from the militants of al Shabaab.

“Our troops are doing well and the operation is going as planned. Both Somali and AMISOM forces have moved out of the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday and taken the fight towards al Shabaab strongholds in Afgoye corridor where up to 400,000 people who fled their homes are squatting on land controlled by al Shabaab,” said AMISOM spokesman. Mr. Ankunda, urged local residents in Afgoye to stay in their current places of residence and not to stray from their homes.

Key Headlines

AMISOM spokesman: We are just 4 kilometres away from Afgoye town (Shabelle/ Jowhar Online)
Al Shabaab starts withdrawing from Elasha-biyaha outskirts of Mogadishu (Radio Risaala/ Bar-kulan)
Somali Gov’t Forces Conduct Security Operations in Mogadishu (Shabelle)
UN calls for efforts to minimize civilian casualties in military operation (UN Center)
Gunmen kill Turkish man in Somali capital (Daily News/AFP)
Somalia on track to end failed state status (VOA)
UAE’s second anti-piracy conference to be held in Dubai next month (Emirates News Agency)
Al Shabaab radio relocates as AU/TFG forces intensify attack (Radio Kulmiye)
President Kibaki says Operation Linda Nchi in Somalia is big success (Daily Nation)
Somali politicians agree to end transition in three months (Radio Shabelle)
Kenyan Forces slowed down by delayed MoU (Standard)

SOMALI MEDIA

AMISOM spokesman: We are just 4 kilometres away from Afgoye town

24 May – Source: Shabelle/ Jowhar Online – 148 words

Speaking with Shabelle Media, AMISOM spokesman, Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said that the allied forces are just four kilometres away from Afgoye and will soon capture it from the militants of al Shabaab.

Al Shabaab starts withdrawing from Elasha-biyaha, outskirts of Mogadishu

24 May – Source: Radio Risaala/ Bar-kulan – 118 words

Reports reaching us from the south of Mogadishu reveal tense atmosphere and panic in the region. Residents of Eelasha-Biyaha are expressing fear on the wake of TFG and AU forces military advance.

The residents also informed us that al Shabaab forces are on the retreat and that they have started pulling out, heading to Afgoye in the Lower Shabelle province. Reports further say that al Shabab has vacated all their positions in the Eelasha-Biyaha area.

This comes a day after TFG and AMISOM forces carried out a joint offensive against the militants and a bloody battle raged between the two sides. Since al Shabaab lost Mogadishu to Somali government and AU forces, their military might has being dwindling by the day.

Somali Gov’t Forces Conduct Security Operations in Mogadishu

24 May – Source: Shabelle – 159 words

The security forces of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government on Thursday conducted search operations in an attempt to curb insecurity in the government controlled districts of Mogadishu.

Witnesses confirmed to Shabelle Media that they saw Somali police forces searching all kinds of vehicles and ordinary people using the main streets and junctions in Mogadishu, including Ex-control Afgoye, Banadir, Zoppe, KM4 Junctions, Trebunka square, Dabka, Sayidka memorial, Howlwadag district and also Bakaro market.

The police forces were seen ordering the drivers of civilian buses entering into Mogadishu to stop as to look for al Shabaab agents hidden among the ordinary passengers onboard the vehicles.During the operations young people are reported to have stayed at homes fearing arbitrary arrest.

TFG Security officials told Shabelle Media that search operations were aimed at ensuring the overall security of Mogadishu after Somali and AMISIOM forces launched on Tuesday joint offensives against al Shabaab strongholds away from the capital.

Al Shabaab radio relocates as AU/TFG forces intensify attack

24 May – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 125 words

Al Shabaab’s Andlus radio has been moved after fighting intensified in Mogadishu’s outskirt in the second day. The radio went off air after the fighting intensified across the outskirt of Mogadishu early on Wednesday.

According to sources, the radio was relocated into unknown location persuably the remaining cities which are still under al Shabaab control. Residents in the outskirt of Mogadishu told radio Kulmiye that the station went off air since yesterday, others confirmed that militants took away all equipments to escape from the advancing troops.

Andlus radio was sole station to Alshabab for spreading propaganda news mainly to counrer the Transitional Federal Government TFG and the presence of African Union peacekeepers of (AMISOM).

Somali politicians agree to end transition in three months

24 May – Source: Radio Shabelle -163 words

A meeting of Somali politicians in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, concludes today 24 May with participants agreeing to end the transition period in three months. The leaders have been meeting in Addis Ababa for the past three days to discuss the draft constitution and the peace process. They agreed that the draft constitution be approved on 10 July, with the election of a new Speaker and a president on 4 and 20 August 2012 respectively.

Until yesterday (23 May), the Somali leaders had not reached an agreement. The president of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland was pushing for changes to be made to the draft constitution, but other leaders said amendments to the new laws will be considered after its approval.

Reports say Ethiopian Premier Meles Zenawi, who was pushing for a one-year extension of the term of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, held a special meeting with the leaders. It is not clear whether it was Zenawi’s intervention that led to the agreement.

ASWJ fighters take over El-Shil village in Galgadud

24 May – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 123 words

Fighters from Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama in central Somalia have on Wednesday night captured El-Shil village which lies few kilometers eastern of Elbur district in Galgadud region from al Shabaab fighters according to ASWJ officials.

ASWJ security commander of Elbur district, Abdi Hassan Mohamed, told Bar-kulan that fighters from ASWJ attacked al Shabaab positions in the village of El-Shil and have taken control over the area.

Meanwhile, the commander stated that ASWJ administration is taking steps to establish a special security unit to address the risen insecurity activities that have been witnessed in the regions administered by the group in recent times. The pro government Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama controls parts of central Somalia and has been battling out with al Shabaab fighters over the years.

TFG and AU forces march toward al Shabaab stronghold

23 May – Source: Garowe Online – 133 words

Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops alongside African Union forces successfully killed al Shabaab agents while en route to Afgoye a town controlled by al Shabaab, Garowe Online reports.

The operation named “Free Shabelle” according to an AMISOM press release was successful in killing one senior al Shabaab commander and his escorts. The unidentified commander was being escorted by two vehicles which were destroyed by the allied forces.

The town of Afgoye is the allied forces’ focus, the town 28 kms southwest of Mogadishu, and is an al Shabaab controlled district with over 400,000 internally displaced peoples (IDPs) living there. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Mark Bowden urged AMISOM and TFG troops to minimize the impact of the conflict to civilians living in Afgoye who were told not to flee by African Union officials.

Mogadishu mayor officially launches trauma healing and social reconciliation process

24 May – Source: Raxanreeb – 194 words

The mayor of Mogadishu has officially launched the start of trauma healing and social reconciliation process, which will, at this stage, see the start of training of trauma healing trainers. The Trauma healing trainer of trainers (ToT) program will, in the first phase, aim to train 32 trainers who will then go on to train 800 persons from the 16 districts of Benadir region.

Speaking at a ceremony held in Benadir administration”s headquarters, the mayor of Mogadishu stressed the importance of this trauma healing and social reconciliation drive which would promote peace and stability amongst the community of Mogadishu.

Decades of civil war and violence left unhealed scars and lasting effects in our lives, which continue to be the root cause of the division, hatred and the trauma amongst our community the mayor said.

Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to Hargeisa

23 May – Source: Somaliland Press – 147 words

Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, is pleased to announce the resumption of its flights to Hargeisa in Somaliland as of 10 June 2012. Ethiopian will operate daily flights to Hargeisa using its Q400 aircraft, with three morning and four afternoon flights.

Hargeisa is the second largest city in Somalia and the capital city of Somaliland, a self – declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia. Since, the suspension of Ethiopian Airlines flights to Hargeisa in November 2008, travellers between Addis Ababa and Hargeisa have been using bus services operating from Addis Ababa to Jijiga and from Jijiga to Hargeisa.

The resumption of air links between Addis Ababa and Hargeisa, in addition to strengthening the trade and people-to-people ties, will enable international travelers from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas a much more convenient and easy access to Somalia.

REGIONAL MEDIA

UAE’s second anti-piracy conference to be held in Dubai next month

24 May – Source: Emirates News Agency – 325 words

The UAE’s second anti-piracy conference to be held in Dubai on 27 -28 June has generated overwhelming interest globally and regionally with scores of high-ranking government ministers, industry leaders, security experts, the United Nations , the International Maritime Organisation, and other stakeholders from around the world expected to attend the event.

The International Conference, to be held under the title ”A Regional Response to Maritime Piracy: Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships and Strengthening Global Engagement, will build on current global efforts to address the challenges of pirate attacks on ships, including its devastating human cost in terms of seamen taken hostage, and ways to enhance efforts to mitigate the root causes that have led to piracy in Somalia and other places.

UAE initiative jointly convened by Foreign Ministry and DP World will aim to enhance public-private partnerships to better address the threats posed by maritime piracy to regional peace, security and prosperity.

President Kibaki says Operation Linda Nchi in Somalia is big success

23 May – Source: Daily Nation – 414 words

President Kibaki on Wednesday declared Operation Linda Nchi in Somalia a success despite the persistent threats posed by al Shabaab and other militant groups. He said that security had been intensified along the borders and inside the country. However, he urged Kenyans to be vigilant following the spate of grenade attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa.

Speaking during the pass-out parade for military cadets at the Kenya Military Academy at Lanet in Nakuru, the President also urged Kenyans to cooperate with security forces by volunteering information on security threats.

“The officers are joining the ranks at a time when we are faced with security threats emanating especially from insurgents operating in Somalia. The insurgents have posed a threat to our peace and national security,” he said.

Kenyan Forces slowed down by delayed MoU

24 May – Source: Standard – 260 words

Kenya Defence Force (KDF), currently in limbo about five kilometres from Afmadow are under pressure to resume operations following the regrouping of al Shabaab out of Afgoye town. After they were pushed out of the town on Tuesday night, there were reports that the militiamen, among them two Kenyans and a Ugandan whose name was given as Sheikh Kaka, were fleeing southwards to Marka port, 30km south of the capital, Mogadishu.

At the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM), there were concerns that the regrouping of the al Shabaab in Marka and Kismayu would present a major challenge for Kenyans, who have been slowed down by delayed signing of a memorandum of understanding with the African Union.

In Mogadishu, concerns have been expressed over the delay, with Foreign Minister Sam Ongeri and his Defence counterpart Yusuf Haji said to be out of the country till next week, and Chief of General Staff Julius Karangi also on an official foreign tour.

Islamists flee as Somali, AU troops advance on key base

24 May – Source: New Vision/ AFP – 374 words

Al Qaeda linked al Shabaab fighters in Somalia are fleeing their key stronghold of Afgoye ahead of an advancing column of government and African Union troops, military commanders said Thursday. Sporadic shooting was heard on the third day of an offensive against hardline insurgent positions as the joint force of AU and Somali troops closed in on Afgoye town, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu.

Thousands of impoverished civilians living in plastic and rag hut shelters along the Afgoye corridor — the main road from Mogadishu to Afgoye, and the world’s largest concentration of displaced people — are fleeing fearing violence.

“We are few kilometers (miles) away from Afgoye and, God willing, we will complete the mission very soon,” said Somali military commander General Abdulahi Osman, who is with the advancing government and AU troops across the arid plains.”We are not encountering much resistance and so far the enemy is fleeing,” he added. The extremist al Shabaab have claimed to have repulsed the attack and have boasted of killing several soldiers.

CCTV’s to be installed in Nairobi, says Kenyan PM

23 May – Source: Capital News – 252 words

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday said the government will soon to start installing Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in Nairobi to enhance security. He told Parliament that Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru, Nyeri and Meru will be the initial centres to get the CCTV equipment.
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“Installation of CCTVs will help the police with their work in surveillance because we will be able to detect the criminals as they move around trying to commit the crime or after they have committed the crime they can be quickly apprehended,” he said.

He was addressing the House on the security situation along the border between South Sudan and Sudan and in Somalia and its implications for the country where he said Kenya carries the largest burden on account of the instability in Somalia than any other country in the world. “Efforts to realize a constitutional government in Somalia by August 2012 continue to be undermined by partisan and rival clan interests and the influence of al Shabaab,” Odinga said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia on track to end failed state status

24 May – Source: VOA – 507 words

Somalia’s main political entities have ended three days of often-heated talks, saying they remain committed to a political process leading to a post-transitional government by August. Participants say the United Nations-sponsored talks were surprisingly congenial given the number of contentious issues facing Somalia’s often-hostile clans.

In the end, the six parties agreed to put some difficult issues, and many of the less important ones, aside in the interest of keeping to a timetable for creation of a post-transitional government in less than 90 days.

Transitional Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, considered the driving force behind the so-called Road Map timetable, said the parties had been motivated by the desire to end Somalia’s reputation as a failed state. “Sometimes you can have some kind of heated discussions, but ultimately all signatories have shown they are committed to ending this transition on time to take Somalia to the next level and to bring Somalia back to community of nations as a useful member as it has always been,” he said.

Peace Support Operations Training Center

24 May – Source: Strategy Page – 125 words

Uganda has set up a special training camp for army troops headed for peacekeeping duty in Somalia. Ugandan, and foreign (mostly Western), soldiers who have already operated inside Somalia are part of the instructional staff. The Peace Support Operations Training Center in Uganda conducts courses ranging from a few days to over a month and teaches peacekeepers combat and peacekeeping tactics known to work best in the area where they will operate. The UN has such centers all over the world, usually close to where large numbers of peacekeepers will operate. For over a decade, the UN has operated a peacekeeping force of over 100,000 troops, deployed to over a dozen major operations. Each is different, and each requires special training for the new peacekeepers.

Gunmen kill Turkish man in Somali capital

24 May – Source: Daily News/AFP – 283 words

Gunmen killed a Turkish man in Somalia’s restive capital Mogadishu Wednesday, officials and witnesses said. “A Turkish man was killed after two gunmen opened fire on him in front of a hotel he was staying at, the attackers escaped after the shooting,” said Mohamed Moalim Dahir, a witness. He was killed in Mogadishu’s Bakara market, the city’s economic hub.

“We have reports a foreign national with Turkish citizenship was killed in Bakara, there are investigations going on,” said a Somali government official who asked not to be named. Several local residents also reported the victim was Turkish.

Turkey last year launched a major diplomatic, economic and humanitarian push in war-torn Somalia, one of the very few nations to set up an embassy in the capital.

UN calls for efforts to minimize civilian casualties in military operation

23 May – Source: UN Center – 447 words

As military forces make their way into Somalia’s Afgooye corridor, the United Nations top humanitarian official for the east African country today reiterated his call for efforts to be made to minimize the impact of conflict on civilians.

“At this stage, we have no reports of significant movements of people from the corridor,” the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, said in a statement. “However, I remain concerned that an escalation of hostilities or a prolonged operation could lead to displacement, further straining the capacity of settlements and host communities in Mogadishu or driving people away from the life-saving help they require.”

Mr. Bowden also reiterated the need to allow full humanitarian access to all people in need in the Afgooye corridor, located outside of the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

According to a press release of the UN-backed African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), issued on Wednesday, Afgooye has for a long time been a stronghold of al Shabaab insurgents and is a strategic junction for routes to the north, west and south of Somalia. In the so-called Operation Free Shabelle, AMISOM said that its forces, and those of the Somali National Army, have made significant progress in the last 24 hours towards Afgooye town, with the aim of bringing security to the 400,000 people located inside the Afgooye corridor.

“While remaining strictly neutral and independent of political and military processes, humanitarian actors are coordinating preparations to ensure immediate assistance is available to civilians most affected by military activities in the corridor,” Mr. Bowden added in his statement.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has previously said that an upsurge in conflict in the corridor will most likely lead to a further displacement of internally displaced people (IDPs) from the corridor into Mogadishu and surrounding areas. The number of IDPs in the capital is currently estimated at 184,000.

After decades of warfare, Somalia has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process, with the country’s Transitional Federal Institutions currently implementing a roadmap, devised in September last year, that spells out priority measures to be carried out before the current transitional governing arrangements end on 20 August.

U.S. Court Upholds Somali Pirates’ Conviction

23 May – Source: New York Times/ Reuters – 156 words

A United States federal appeals court upheld the convictions of five Somali pirates on Wednesday, making clear that the definition of piracy includes violent attempts to hijack a ship even if unsuccessful.

The Fourth United States Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va., upheld what federal prosecutors described as the first United States piracy convictions in 190 years, finding that an individual did not have to seize or rob a ship to have committed piracy. The court rejected an effort by five Somali men to overturn their convictions for attacking a United States Navy ship, the Warship Nicholas, that they mistook for a merchant vessel in April 2010. The men were sentenced to life in prison, the punishment for piracy, and an additional 80 years.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“TEDx Mogadishu is not just a meeting of creative minds to gather and share their views on the welfare of the people in Somalia; it is also an opportunity for outsiders to change their perceptions about developments in that country, especially as they relate to women and children. The meeting was broadcast live on the internet, and the hashtag #tedxmogadishu circulated widely on Twitter on that day, generating wide-ranging points of view and opinions about the event. Such platforms help people in different parts of the world to be witness to how Somalis are making history to change the harsh realities of their country.”

TEDx Mogadishu and the Symbolic Rebirth of a Torn Society

24 May – Source: Muslim Media Watch – 828 Words

During the past three decades, global perceptions of Somalia have for the most part been shaped by images of the country as a disaster area, ravaged by poverty and war. Somalia seems to appear in the news only in the context of humanitarian assistance appeals or of al Qaeda-inspired militias carrying out their heinous acts across the country.

Since the outbreak of the civil war in 1991, there has been virtually no central government control in Somalia. The country has been characterized as a failed state, and as one of the poorest and most violent countries in the world. The situation for women in that country could not be worse, according to a 2011 global survey. Ninety five percent of girls, mostly between the ages of 4 and 11, suffer genital mutilation; only 7% of parliamentary seats are held by women; and only 9% of women give birth in a health facility.

“Now, I am just wondering, what contingency plan, if any, does the TFG has in place to ensure that there are no power vacuum in these liberated towns and villages, and the territorial gains they make is not squandered to some warlord type strong man. The last thing we need is countless fiefdoms and artificial state regions sprung about everywhere like a wild flower with little or no rule of law.”

Post al Shabaab Administration Era in South/Southwest Somalia

23 May – Source: SomaliNet Forum – 254 Words

As I pen this, reports are current that the long awaited, much anticipated major assault on al Shabaab control regions in Southern Somalia, on the part of the TFG and African Union forces, is underway in earnest. Within the next few weeks, I predict a large swath of territories in these regions would be liberated from the evil forces of al Shabaab and their terrorist allies, as it is unlikely, that they would be put up much of a fight, considering their cowardly aversion to find themselves engaged in conventional warfare.

Most of their defeated forces will fall in total disarray, and disperse throughout the country side, and many will make an attempt to return back to whatever community they hailed from, but some of the top lieutenants and their die hard supporters will be left with no choice but to carry on the fight by resorting to one of their favourite modus operandi, viz. suicide and IED attacks on mainly soft civilian targets. No matter, al Shabaab days in these regions are all but numbered and they shall be soon be distant memories.

IN PICTURES: Scars of war slowly fade away in Mogadishu

24 May – Source: Somaliland Press -184 Words

The campaign to rebuild Mogadishu, once known as the white pearl of the Indian Ocean, has began three months after al Qaeda affiliated insurgents were ousted from the seaside city.

Morality is high and for the first time in over two decades, local and international observers have expressed optimism in Somalia. This week African Union troops aided by Somali government units launched operations against al Shabaab in the outskirts of Mogadishu. Residents have began restoring their bullet-ridden homes and businesses as they return to the city after many years living in makeshift camps.

“The author believes it to be a major diplomatic coup surpassing many a political effort! Since actions speak louder than words, to have the President Ahmed M.M. Silanyo cut the ribbons while flanked by several Djibouti cabinet members and the regional Coca-Cola chief (east and central Africa), Mr. Nathan Kalumba are enough kudos for the worthy SBi crew that warrants emulating.”

SOMALILAND: SBi-Coca-Cola Venture an Commercial Diplomatic Coup

23 May – Source: Somaliland Press – 619 Words

The colourful grand inauguration yesterday by Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverages maker, of their modern soft drinks plant in Hargeisa is obviously a deservedly major diplomatic coup for Somaliland and her long sought international recognition aspiration.

Given that before the same company tried to do the same in Mogadishu some five years ago, albeit in vain, they first had to train a 500-strong crack force that was envisioned to secure a conducive and peaceful working atmosphere.

Top tweets

@kishkafka I hope the international community will stay committed RT @VOA_News #Somalia on Track to End Failed State Status http://bit.ly/LFj4z3.

‏@allafrica With #Somalia‘s accession, every state in Sub-Saharan #Africa has now signed the treaty which bans Anti-Personnel Mines http://allafrica.com/c/-4UJGw.

@peterbiles 21 years of misplaced optimism. But #Somalia PM Abdiweli says “all’s well that ends well – I’m happy” after Addis meeting.

@CeynteJr #Somali pact after pact: Kampla Accord. Roadmap. Garoowe principlies. London agreements. Elders efforts. Addis Abba signatories. Wht’s next?

@jimymwiine #Uganda, Nice to hear #Mogadishu has launched community social reconciliation & trauma healing program http://goo.gl/AqWcQ.

@BillaoJournal New Photo claimed to be of Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki HT @abumamerican #Somalia #Shabaab #Hammami #HSM http://pic.twitter.com/gL1D0Wrz.

@mary_harper Official from #Uganda just told me #AMISOM aims to go to Baidoa #Somalia by land in order to replace #Ethiopian troops there………

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Image of the day

Image of the day Somali leaders reach agreement to end transition after three days of talks in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Radio Mogadishu