June 20, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali Gov’t engage talks with Somaliland administration
20 Jun – Source: Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online/Radio Kulmiye/ Midnimo – 102 words
The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, has on Wednesday opened formal talks with the Somaliland administration in London. During the two-day meeting, the two sides will discuss the future of Somaliland which is seeking independence from the rest of Somalia. The British government wants the two sides to wilfully discuss their issues and convince each other of the end results, which is either Somaliland reuniting with Somalia or the transitional government agreeing to its independence.
The Somaliland Foreign Affairs Minister, Mohamad Abdullahi Omar, said their priority is their independence while the interior minister in the transitional government, Abdisamad Ma’alin, who is leading the delegation from Mogadishu, is hopeful that everything will end in agreement.
The first round of direct talks between the two sides kicked off in London on Wednesday and each has already designated a panel for the talks in London with international observers, including the host UK government. Somalia’s negotiating team, headed by Interior and National Security Minister Abdisamad Mo’alin Mohamed, left on Tuesday morning from Nairobi to London to meet with the self-proclaimed Somaliland delegates led by Mohammed Abdullah Omar, a foreign minister.
Key Headlines
- Somali Gov’t engage talks with Somaliland administration (Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online/Radio Kulmiye/ Midnimo)
- Somali PM arrives in Nairobi to attend roadmap meeting (Radio Mogadishu/ Radio Risaala/ Somalia Report)
- Fear of abuse at checkpoints causing Somalis to flee – UN (Alert Net)
- World Refugee Day marked in Somalia (Bar-kulan)
- Town rising from shackles of Al Shabaab (Standard)
- Parliamentarians and Somali experts strongly oppose UN envoy (Radio Risaala)
- Somali pirates weakened but not defeated (Capital News/AFP)
- Kenya on high alert as troops target Kismayu (Daily Nation)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali Gov’t engage talks with Somaliland administration
20 Jun – Source: Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online/Radio Kulmiye/ Midnimo – 102 words
The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, has on Wednesday opened formal talks with the Somaliland administration in London. During the two-day meeting, the two sides will discuss the future of Somaliland which is seeking independence from the rest of Somalia. The British government wants the two sides to wilfully discuss their issues and convince each other of the end results, which is either Somaliland reuniting with Somalia or the transitional government agreeing to its independence.
The Somaliland Foreign Affairs Minister, Mohammad Abdullahi Omar, said their priority is their independence while the interior minister in the transitional government, Abdisamad Ma’alin, who is leading the delegation from Mogadishu, is hopeful that everything will end in agreement.
The first round of direct talks between the two sides kicked off in London on Wednesday and each has already designated a panel for the talks in London with international observers, including the host UK government. Somalia’s negotiating team, headed by Interior and National Security Minister Abdisamad Mo’alin Mohamed, left on Tuesday morning from Nairobi to London to meet with the self-proclaimed Somaliland delegates led by Mohammed Abdullah Omar, a foreign minister.
Local government starts tax collection in Mogadishu
20 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 78 words
Banadir regional Administration has on Wednesday started collecting tax from the 16 districts in Banadir, official said. Deputy Chairperson of Banadir regional Administration for security affairs, Warsame Mohamed Hassan known as Warsame Jodah told Radio Mogadishu that the local government started taking taxes from markets in Benadir region.
Somali PM arrives in Nairobi to attend roadmap meeting
20 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/ Radio Risaala/ Somalia Report – 102 words
Somali Prime Minister Abdiwali Mohamed Ali on Tuesday arrived in Nairobi, Kenya to join the signatories of Somalia’s political process dubbed “ Roadmap” in meeting. The PM was accompanied by TFG minister, MPs and other officials. He told the media that the Roadmap is going well. According to TFG officials, the attendees will discuss the Roadmap including speeding up of its implementation and strengthening the outcomes of the recent meetings in Garowe, Addis Ababa and Galkayo.
Prime Minister Abdiwali revealed that the event will take two days and he expressed optimism that the outcome will be something that will please the Somali public.
Al Shabaab militants battle local farmers in Southern Somalia
20 Jun – Source: Shabelle – 94 words
Deadly clashes broke out on Wednesday between al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab and local farmers a at villages near Qorioley district, a rebel-held town which lies just 120 kilometers south of Mogadishu, reports said. Mohammed Nur Gabow, a local resident confirmed to Shabelle Media via phone from Qorioley district that at least one person was killed and two others injured after al Shabaab fighters attacked farmers near the district for unknown circumstances. “Locals are fed up with al Shabaab fighters who commit daily atrocities against locals, including robbing and killings.”
World Refugee Day marked in Somalia
20 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 204 words
The World’s Refugee Day was today marked in various parts of the world including Somalia. The day, marked every year on June 20 is aimed at calling attention to the plight of the tens of millions of refugees around the globe.
This event honors the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, South Sudan and Palestine territory are said to be countries with the largest number of refugees in the world.
Two decades of conflict and the recent human tragedy in Somalia has forced millions of Somalis from their homes. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says there currently are more than 43.7 million refugees or internally displaced people around the world.
A report issued by the UNHCR on June 18 says conflicts around the world produced 800,000 new refugees in 2011. That’s the most new refugees in a single year since 2000, when the figure was 822,000. The increased number of refugees in 2011 was attributed primarily to the conflicts in Libya, Sudan, and Somalia.
Parliamentarians and Somali experts strongly oppose UN envoy
19 Jun – Source: Radio Risaala – 137 words
Some members of the Somali parliament and Somali affairs experts collectively condemned and strongly expressed their displeasure over remarks made by the UN’s representative to Somalia Mr. Augustine Mahiga. Mr. Augustine Mahiga was quoted as saying that there will be complete power sharing in the upcoming government of Somalia and the representatives to the parliament will be of equal number of men and women.
Somali affairs analyst Ali Hassan Qoob Faras has termed the statements of the UN representative as interference and not tolerable to the Somali citizens. Member of the parliament Saleeman Mohamed Ibrahim said that Mahiga has over stepped his mandate and is trying jeopardize the unity of the Somali people.
Augustine Mahiga has told the media in a press conference on Monday that women have been marginalized both in the current government and in the coming one.
Al Shabaab held talks with traditional elders of Galgadud
19 Jun – Source: Radio Andulus/Somalia Report/ Amiir Nuur Website – 60 words
Al Shabaab administration in Galgadud region on Wednesday met with the traditional elders of that region and they discussed with the elders how to defend the region from the enemy. The chairman of Galgadud region, Sheikh Awale Abdulahi, urged the local residents to support the militia and take part in the fighting against the foreign troops who want to seize Somalia.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Town rising from shackles of Al Shabaab
20 Jun – Source: Standard – 462 words
Business is slowing picking up at Afmadhow town in Somalia after the Kenya Defence Forces liberated it three weeks ago. The iron-fisted al Shabaab operatives had subjected locals to untold suffering since 2008 following the fall of the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia.
Afmadhow, before it fell, was a key town for the al Shabaab as it is about 120km from the free port of Kismayu, the operational base for the militants. KDF took over the town without any casualties on their part while the militants retreated to neighbouring towns.
The town is a key springboard for the soldiers as they prepare for the battle for Kismayu expected to fall anytime soon. More than 5,000 residents of Afmadhow turned out for a historic baraza a day after the al Shabaab had been removed.
Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Nyagah, the commanding officer KDF first battle group, Brigadier General Ismael Sahardid Keydsanen who is the commander of Somalia National Army in the region, Sheikh Ahmed Madobe in charge of the Ras Kamboni Brigade flanked by local elders addressed the residents.
Somali pirates weakened but not defeated
20 Jun – Source: Capital News/ AFP – 391 words
The number of successful Somali pirate attacks has fallen but international navies must not drop their guard and keep up the pressure, the commander of the EU mission said Tuesday. British Rear Admiral Duncan Potts warned that the gains made against pirates off the Horn of Africa were reversible and that the fight against piracy would only succeed once governance and security improve in Somalia.
“Yes we have increased the pressure on the pirates but I think now that we are enjoying tactical success, the importance is increasing that pressure evermore,” Potts told a news conference in Brussels.
The European Union handed the admiral new powers this year to destroy pirate equipment stashed on beaches, a tactic he used only once so far last month when a helicopter gunship struck a stockpile of skiffs in central Galmudug region.
Kenyan, Ethiopian forces sign new MOU
19 Jun – Source: NTV – 1:55 min
Kenyan Defence Minister Yusuf Haji Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with his Ethiopian counterpart Siraj Fegessa on security in the horn of Africa. In a move that comes as the AMISOM and its allied forces are said to be planning an attack on al Shabaab’s last stronghold, Kismayu, Haji issued a warning to the Somali militant group. NTV’s Ben Kitilli reports on the situation in the Somali war, as Kenya and Ethiopia vow to continue working together to bring down the al Shabaab.
Kenya on high alert as troops target Kismayu
19 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 486 words
Security has been stepped up on the Kenya-Somalia border as Kenyan troops prepare to seize control of Kismayu, the last remaining al Shabaab stronghold. Police were on high alert to stop infiltration of the militants both via land and sea routes. Coast deputy provincial police officer Jacinta Kinyua said adequate measures had been taken to enhance security at the border.
She said more officers had been sent to monitor the borders and carry out patrols across the region. Community policing would also be used to catch any suspicious people, she said. “I urge the public to report to us any suspicious people in their midst. We welcome their sentiments,” Ms Kinyua told the Nation in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
The Coast region has, just like many other parts of the country, witnessed a number of grenade attacks linked to al Shabaab militants believed to be avenging the Kenya Defence Forces incursion into Somalia.
Kenya shares a long, porous border with Somalia and insurgents routinely sneak into Kenya to launch attacks. The insurgents are holding a district officer and a registration of persons official whom they abducted in a cross-border raid in Wajir County.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Night-time Mogadishu emerges from the shadows
20 Jun – Source: France24/AP – 522 words
As darkness engulfs Mogadishu, all but one of the Somali capital’s streets empty rapidly. Residents flock to Maka Al-Mukarama road to admire the new attraction: solar-powered street lamps. Modest as it may seem, the illumination of this main thoroughfare is a remarkable sign of recovery in a once-gracious city battered by two decades of continuous unrest.
The new lamps, which capture sunlight to charge batteries, are being funded by the Norwegian government. Bit by bit, parts of the city are emerging from the shadows, starting with about 50 lamps along the Maka Al-Mukarama road running from the airport to the presidency at Villa Somalia.
EU studying links between Italian mafia and Somali pirates
20 Jun – Source: EU Observer – 599 words
The EU special envoy for Somalia is looking into a fresh report that pirates are in business with Italian gangsters on toxic waste. The Paris-based criminologist, Michel Koutouzis, who carries out investigations for the UN and for EU institutions, described the problem in a new book – Crime, Trafficking and Networks – published in May. He said organised crime groups in south Italy – the Camorra, ‘Ndranghetta and La Sacra Corona Unita – supply Somali warlords with black market small arms from the Western Balkans in return for permission to dump waste.
Fear of abuse at checkpoints causing Somalis to flee – UN
19 Jun – Source: Alert Net – 459 words
For the first time, Somalis are fleeing their homes because of fear of abuse at military checkpoints, the United Nations says. This is a new trend in displacement, which is primarily caused due to insecurity in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, it added. There has been an increase in checkpoints where African Union forces and their allies have secured territory from al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents.
“Many people fear being caught up and mistaken as an infiltrator,” said Bruno Geddo, head of the U.N. refugee agency in Somalia. He did not give further details and it was not clear what sort of abuse people feared. The checkpoints are manned by AU forces, known as AMISOM, and allied Somali government soldiers.
Although al Shabaab retreated from the Somali capital Mogadishu last August under pressure from the AU forces, it continues to launch suicide bombings and other deadly attacks in the city.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Dhaqan-celin, instead of solving problems, can result in perpetuating and indeed creating some of the original situations and problems it was meant to address. Those very same youth who were sent “home” with the intention to be “re-cultured” may come back having now (a) mixed with the cream of miscreants from the diaspora, (b) having been exposed to qat, alcohol and lastly (c) having transferred some of their culturally, socially and sometimes religiously deviant ways to the local youths.”
Side-Effects of the “Dhaqan-Celin” Phenomenon
20 Jun – Source: Somaliland Sun -1222 Words
A few days ago the UK’s Channel 4 showed a short report about the Somali phenomenon of “dhaqan-celin”, which translates to “culture return”. Although this report by Channel 4 shed the UK Somali youths in extremely negative light, mainly by making negative and inaccurate generalisations based on the cases of a few wayward youths part of London sub-cultures, it was interesting to watch nevertheless.
Dhaqan-celin, is a recent phenomenon that entails badly-behaved or unruly Somali youths being returned from overseas with the [parents/carers’] intention of those youths learning the Somali culture, language and religion. This phenomenon has become more prominent among the various Somali diaspora communities in countries such as the U.K, as well as other countries.
“Children and women are wandering barefooted and malnourished, some of them already suffering from cholera. Men have trekked to dry river beds where they are digging holes in hopes of finding water. Others search the distant horizon, hoping to find water in the highlands. They search in vain for any sign of rain drops, often to the point of exhaustion.”
On The Verge of Starvation
20 Jun – Source: Harowo – 1013 Words
For years, an unrelenting and enormous drought has been devastating the settlements of Lughaya, Saylac, Gargaara, Garbo Dadar, north of Gabiley, and other villages lying in between, leading to complete destitution among the residents of these areas. The prolonged drought has been ravaging the area since the beginning of 2009. Drought on this scale has not been seen since 1975. The people in the affected areas have completely lost their livestock due to lack of water and foliage. The land has become parched and dusty. Water—the most crucial of all resources—is beyond reach.
A pastoral adage proclaims that when pastoral livestock is dead, the people will be uprooted. On the edge of the settlement of Garbo-dadar about 800 families have pitched camp in make shift huts made out of cardboard scraps, sticks of wood and tin cans. The people stand in the scorching heat, sometimes exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit with no shade available—hoping to receive assistance. Some of these families have been at this camp for ten months and others have recently arrived.
Top tweets
@MinisterHashi #Somalia leaders meet in #Nairobi, #Kenya for a two day retreat on ending the transition and related constitutional issues.
@ygaraad 1st ever face2face official #Somalia #Somalilandtalks will take place in the #uk later today. It’s Ministerial level.
@Hamza_Africa #Ugandan police to deploy specialised unit consisting of 140 officers in #Somalia 2 assist #Somali police force http://bit.ly/NLX9Y0 #Uganda.
@tresthomas_HOA Hussein Haji Ahmed, deputy counselor @#Somalia embassy in Yemen, doubts suicide bomber against army chief was #Somali: http://bit.ly/MpJaEj.
@UNHCRSomalia The recent fighting in #Afgooye, Southern#Somalia, has led to thousands of Somalis to move to Mogadishu.. if only to survive.
Image of the day
Workers unload the artificial grass carpet at Somalia’s Old Stadium, Konis in Mogadishu. Reconstruction at the stadium is funded by the World soccer’s governing body, FIFA. Photo: Somaliweyn Website.