June 27, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Somali PM: al Shabaab will be driven out of their last stronghold before August

27 Jun- Source: Shabelle- 196 words

Abdiweli Mohammed Ali, the Prime Minister of Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, declared that his government is willing to end the reign of al Shabaab militants in the country before 20 August, the ending point of the Transitional period.

Speaking with Shabelle radio in Mogadishu, Somali PM said TFG troops and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces will continue fighting against al Shabaab fighters until peace and stability is restored throughout the nation.

“Our plan is to eradicate the Islamist al Shabaab militants-linked with al Qaeda out of their last stronghold in Somalia before August and set a local administrations under Somalia’s Transitional Fedaral Government TFG,” Somali PM, told Shabelle Media Network.

Key Headlines

Somali PM: al Shabaab will be driven out of their last stronghold before August (Shabelle)
Peace returns to Mogadishu (Independent)
Al Shabaab extorting money from locals in parts of Galgadud (Radio Bar-kulan)
Rawlings in Dubai for Counter-Piracy Conference (peacefmonline)
Al Shabaab reportedly kills 23 Kenyan soldiers (Jowhar Online/Mareeg Online)
Somalia Prime Minister takes part in 52nd Anniversary 0f 26th Independence day at SYL centre (Radio Mogadishu/OPM)
Somali elders blame roadmap signatories (Radio Kulmiye)
UAE leads global voices against maritime piracy (khaleejtimes)
New spokesperson for AMISOM sources told RBC Radio (Raxanreeb)
Adado district hospital faces shortage of drugs (Radio Bar-kulan)
High-ranking delegation visits Baidoa to assess security situation (Radio Mogadishu/Somalia Report)
Al Shabaab leader appeals for donations as security forces push forward (Sabahi online)

PRESS STATEMENT

Message from the office of the Somali Prime Minister, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali

26 Jun- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 111 words

The Office of the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia is happy to present to you the Draft Constitution that was adopted by the roadmap signatories.

It’s time the constitution is presented to the Somali people. The government is aware that the people of Somalia are eager to lay their hands on the final copy of the constitution. The government of Somalia is considerate to receive comments and views regarding the constitution since it concerns every Somali.

We humbly ask all the Somali media outlets to diligently pass on the constitution to all and sundry. We ask the Somali media to play a great role in its dissemination.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali PM: al Shabaab will be driven out of their last stronghold before August

27 Jun- Source: Shabelle- 196 words

Speaking with Shabelle Media Network in Mogadishu, Somali PM said TFG troops and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces will continue fighting against al Shabaab fighters until peace and stability is restored throughout the nation.

Fighting erupts in Juba region

27 Jun- Source: Radio Kulmiye- 124 words

Fighting has resumed in Somali’s Juba region after militants of al Shabaab fighters in the region attacked military positions of the transitional federal government TFG and the Kenyan forces who are currently operating in Somalia’s south regions.

Government official Arab Ahmed Ali told radio Kulmiye that al Shabaab militants attacked their soldiers “but failed and forced them to pull back from the area”. Arab pointed out that government troops along with the Kenyan troops in AMISOM are preparing to seize the port town of Kismayu.

Al Shabaab is fighting against the Kenyan troops that recently joined the African Union peacekeepers of AMISOM and the government troops in the country’s south Juba region.

Al Shabaab reportedly kills 23 Kenyan soldiers

27 Jun- Source: Jowhar Online/Mareeg Online- 130 words

Somali militant group al Shabaab has said it killed 23 Kenyan soldiers on 26 June during an ambush in northeastern Kenya. In a statement, al Shabaab said ”the mujahidin went 20 km deep inside Kenya’s northeastern region on Tuesday morning and carried out the attack near the town of Huluqo”, reported the website.

The source added that al Shabaab fighters attacked a convoy of Kenyan troops headed to Kolbio in Lower Jubba Region, southern Somalia. “There was no word from Kenyan military officials regarding Al-Shabab’s claims,” added the website. Nairobi sent its troops to southern Somalia in late 2011 to fight the al Qaeda-allied militants, accusing them of carrying out hit-and-run attacks and kidnappings inside Kenya. Al Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the Somali government in Mogadishu and impose its own version of puritanical Islam.

Somalia Prime Minister takes part in 52nd Anniversary 0f 26th Independence day at SYL centre

27 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/OPM- 292 words

The Prime Minister of Somalia Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas and some of his cabinet ministers have yesterday participated in the occasion of 26th of June, the day Somalia’s Northern regions attained self-rule.

The occasion was held at the Somali Youth League Monument centre and the attendees included ministers, legislators, officers in the army, women, youth, musicians, local population among others who were celebrating the 52nd Anniversary of the Northern section of Somalia’s independence.

The Prime Minister delivered a speech on the occasion saying that the day is important for the Somalis since it is the day the Northern regions gained independence from the British rule in 1960. “It was the day the flag was hoisted”, the premier went on to say.

Abdiweli said it is a pity that after 52 years, 21 years have been spent in violence, civil war and a period punctuated by uncertainty and civil unrest.
“I believe after those dark years, we are over with it. We have a bright future a head, a future where we can enjoy peace, stability and development”. Prime Minister congratulated the Somali National Army for taking over the control of Balad town from al Shabaab.

Meanwhile, the speaker of the parliament and the Premier jointly visited the meeting arena of the Somali traditional elders in Mogadishu. Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan asked the elders to select a competent parliament. He promised the constitution will be brought before the elders.

Prime Minister Abdiweli urged the elders to be serious in their work as the future of Somalia rests on how well they carry out their duties in contributing to the formation of the next government as well as a parliament.

Somali elders blame roadmap signatories

27 Jun- Source: Radio Kulmiye- 124 words

Speaking to radio Kulmiye, A Somali traditional elder lambasted roadmap signatories as self-centered. Suldan Afguud who is one of dozens of Somali tribal elders in the capital of Mogadishu says the roadmap signatories are carrying out national duties and that they have to put the interest of the country first rather than their self interests.

Guduud says roadmap signatories often prefer to gather outside the country to seek solutions, but he warned future consequences.
Somali transitional government is drafting a new constitution which is now on process for stabilization of new permanent government and ending the transitional period which is set for August this year.

New spokesperson for AMISOM, sources told RBC Radio

27 Jun- Source: Raxanreeb- 200 words

Reliable sources close to African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have confirmed to RBC Radio that a new officer from Djibouti will be nominated as the new spokesperson for AMISOM, RBC Radio reports on Wednesday.

Col Mohamed Adam Hamud, from Djiboutian armed forces will replace the current AMISOM spokesperson Lit. Col. Paddy Ankunda from Ugandan forces in Somalia, the sources told RBC Radio. Col. Hamud who speaks Somali language as well as Arabic and French is supposed to arrive in Mogadishu next week to lead AMISOM’s information office in Mogadishu.He will be the third spokesperson for AMISOM since 2007 when the mission was launched.

Adado district hospital faces shortage of drugs

27 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 163 words

A severe shortage of drugs is endangering the lives of patients in Adado district hospital, according to health workers in the district. Abdi Hassan, one of the local doctors in the area hospital told Bar-kulan that they are facing shortage of medical supplies since they do not receive any medical assistance directly from any of the local and international aid agencies in the region.

He said initially, they used to get some assistance from Somali community members in the diaspora who used to send them some medical supplies to support the hospital. He also appealed to the Somali government for immediate supply of drugs.

Hassan called on aid agencies to immediately move in to restock the hospital in order safe the lives of hundreds of locals who might be at risk due to treatable diseases, pointing out a case in which two women from remote areas of the district are reportedly at risk due to lack of proper medications after suffering massive bleeding.

The life in Bal,ad town after al Shabaab withdrewal

27 Jun- Source: Shabelle/ Mareeg Online- 251 words

Some local residents in the town of Bal’ad, some 37 kilometers northeast of Somali capital Mogadishu, narrate their life stories after Somali and AMISOM forces took control of the town from al Shabaab on Tuesday.

A resident in Bal’ad district, who spoke with Shabelle Media by phone on condition of anonymity, because of his security, said they were leading an appalling life since they were denied access to receive the international humanitarian aid during al Shabaab control in the past three years.

Last year, a sever drought swept swathes in south and central Somalia, where locals are largely dependent on farming and livestock and both of them had been affected by the drought.

Al Shabaab extorting money from locals in parts of Galgadud

26 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 198 words

Al Shabaab militants have reportedly extorted a huge amount of money from locals in El-der and Gal’ad towns of Galgadud region. The group allegedly received a total of $13,000 from the locals, with each town paying the militant group around $6500.

TFG’s former El-der District Commissioner Hussein Mohamed Osoble who is now in Guri’el town told Bar-kulan that locals paid the money unwillingly in fear of repercussions including beheadings. Osoble alleged that the militant group formed a committee to forcefully take money from the locals in order to support their militant activities in the region.

Meanwhile, internally displaced families camping on the outskirt of Guri’el town are complaining of lack of water after an aid agency that used to provide them with drinking water stopped its activities in the area. The IDPs at Gashan Camp, 7 kilometres from Guri’el town can only get water for their domestic used at a cost of 50,000 Somali shillings per barrel of water but only few of them can afford.

Guri’el deputy district commissioner Ali Bashi Adan told Bar-kulan that the aid agency that used to provide water for these families has now stopped its activities after its six month programme contract ended.

High-ranking delegation visits Baidoa to assess security situation

26 Jun- Source: Radio Moagdishu/Somalia Report- 67 words

A high-ranking delegation composed of officials from the Somali internal ministry, AMISOM, UNPOS, IGAD and Ethiopia visited Baidoa town on Tuesday and met with the local authorities and the elders. The aim of the delegation is to assess the situation of Bay region and how the security operations against al Shabaab are going. The officials toured the front-lines and also the military camps in the region.

REGIONAL MEDIA

UAE leads global voices against maritime piracy

27 Jun- Source: khaleejtimes – 488 words

In the fight against maritime piracy, humans pay the most with their lives. Ask families of captured crew about the months of agony and sleepless nights. Some ships like the MV Iceberg 1 have been missing for over two years — the longest in the captivity of Somali pirates. Efforts to free others like the MV Albedo have run into rough weather, with pirates upping their demands and threatening the kin of their victims.

Ransoms are being negotiated and families live in hope as more ships are attacked. It’s a vicious cycle and the UAE hopes the second counter piracy conference beginning today will provide a regional response to end the phenomenon.

Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, is seeking a comprehensive solution to the problem where all actors from the public and private sectors are involved.

Al Shabaab leader appeals for donations as security forces push forward

26 Jun- Source: Sabahi online- 419 words

Following the capture of a number of key town and port cities by Somali and allied forces in recent weeks, the al Shabaab movement is beginning to show significant financial strain.

In an audio message posted in an Islamist chat room on Saturday (June 23rd), Sheikh Yusuf Isse “Kaba-kutukade” — the al Shabaab leader for Lower Shabelle — called on Somali businessmen, expatriates and supporters in exile to make donations to the organisation so it can defend itself and protect the dwindling areas under its control.

“I urge you to respond to this movement with goodness and virtue, and give your money and sacrifice yourselves in the name of the true path of jihad,” he said in his message.

Fadumo Mohamed Sheikh Nur of the Somali Ministry of Defence said al Shabaab is showing severe signs of financial strain and has regressed in its fighting tactics as a result of internal conflicts within the group.

Kenyan Muslim clerics oppose terror bill, call on MPs to reject it

26 Jun- Source: Star- 397 words

The Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya yesterday strongly rejected the proposed Prevention of Terrorism bill tabled before Parliament terming it a project by foreign forces. Secretary general nominated MP Sheikh Mohamed Dor termed the bill as oppressive and aimed at serving American interests in the region. Dor called on MPs to reject the bill as it would target a certain religion. “We urge honorable members of the Parliament not to pass the bill. It should not even pass through the first reading,” he said.

The MP said the country has a constitution that ably takes care of terrorism matters and there is no need to add the bill. “We have a constitution. The constitution gives the police and courts great powers to try and prosecute any terrorism suspects in the country,” said Dor adding that recently a terror suspect was sentenced to life imprisonment. He questioned the motive behind the US and British travel advisory cautioning its citizens from travelling to the coastal city terming it as sabotage of the region’s economy.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Rawlings in Dubai for Counter-Piracy Conference

27 Jun- Source: peacefmonline-215 words

Ghana’s former President and African Union High Representative for Somalia, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings arrived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to participate in a high-level public-private sector conference on counter-piracy hosted by the government of the UAE and global ports operator, DP World.

Organised under the theme, “A Regional Response to Maritime Piracy: Enhancing Public Private Partnerships and Strengthening Global Engagement”, the two-day conference seeks to provide a platform for various international and regional initiatives in the counter-piracy field, while augmenting existing ones.

President Rawlings who is leading the African Union delegation to the conference will on Wednesday deliver a keynote address at the opening ceremony, on the current situation in Somalia.

Peace returns to Mogadishu

27 Jun- Source: independent- 1263

The blue and white uniform looks new and its wearer seems small and uncertain amid the mayhem of a Mogadishu rush hour. The drivers, many of whom are armed, are not yet used to the sight of a traffic policeman. It’s something most Somalis haven’t seen in their capital for 20 years.

Dabka junction on the road towards parliament is swarmed with battered mini-bus taxis that vie with ageing Japanese saloon cars and four-wheel drives with blacked-out windows. The new policing initiative, paid for by the United Nations, hasn’t reached another junction half a kilometre away, where a militiaman keeps the taxis at bay by firing live rounds a few feet over the tops of their vehicles.

Rights of way are still being negotiated and the picture is uneven across a city more accustomed to war than peace but the warning shot is one of the few rounds heard. Mogadishu, which for so long had a soundtrack of mortars and small arms fire, is learning to live with the sounds of vehicles, street-hawkers and building work. The upsurge in traffic will see the city’s first conventional petrol station open later this month.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Nations can no longer bear the human and economic costs of the scourge, and a political settlement to the Somali conundrum should be expedited. This will enable the deprived citizens of the country a chance to move on in an atmosphere of trust and security.”

Tackling the scourge of piracy

27 June- Source: Khalej Times-455 Words

LAWLESS SOMALIA may not be pulling enough weight behind global efforts to curb maritime piracy. Two decades after the fall of its last dictator Siad Berre, it has exported remnants of its strife to the world in the form of modern piracy. Its youth have gone astray with job opportunities drying up and famine killing millions of its people.

Piracy may have ebbed in recent months, thanks to efforts of global naval coalitions like the EUNAVFOR, Combined Maritime Forces and Nato navies, but not much has changed on the ground back home in the badlands of the country on the horns of a dilemma in Africa. With little or no government in place, Al Qaeda-back Al Shabaab rebels run riot, killing at will, while those who survive take to a life of crime at sea.

“We can assemble people with high academic degrees and skills, raise all kinds of resources, develop great plans and equally great strategies to implement them all – but all of this will amount to nothing without the “right people” – that is, people with basic decency and character, people who have trust and faith with each other and with others – and their own people’s ability to free themselves and join the rest of humanity with dignity.”

Understanding Stakeholder Groups, Facing Realities and Still Retaining Faith

26 June- Source: Hiiraan Online-1951 Words

In these tumultuous times, all societies face “sticky” public policy issues that are as complex as the time we live in. Like many others, Somalia faces numerous problems – social, economic, political, technological, and environmental. But unlike most, Somalia lacks the institutional structures, let alone, the capacities to deal with these complications. Yet to solve any of these complex problems, Somalis we would have to devise equally complex strategies, because the old ways simply won’t do. Some have been trying very hard without much success.

Just as great businesses stay “close” to their customers and respond as quickly to customer needs, good public policy agenda or program requires staying “close” to what key stakeholder groups want. A business is likely to fail when there is a poor fit between it’s services and customer needs. The same holds true when there is a poor fit between what citizens or key stakeholder groups want and a proposed public policy agenda or a program.

“Both rely on outside support for their legitimacy and weaponry. Neither can be trusted to speak for the Somali people. And the TFG also refuses to accept the secession of Somaliland, so peace in the south – if it could ever be achieved – would mean war in the north. The prospects for peace in Somalia look as distant as ever.”

Internal and external influences on Somalia’s civil war

27 June- Source: Insight On Conflict-807 Words

In recent years we have been continually told that our demand for Africa’s raw materials causes and fuels war in Africa. Diamonds, coltan, oil have all been cited as causes of war in countries like Angola and Congo. But the prime causes of most of Africa’s wars are political. Economic factors come into play to fuel the wars. There is not much beneath the soil of Somalia, or if there is, it is still to be discovered. Somalia’s war has lasted more than 20 years and reflects traditional patterns of conflict in Somalia. Battles between the nomadic clans for grazing land, camels and women were common. The disputed were mediated by elders but often they became grudge wars that continued for years.

So in one way the war is the continuation of Somali tradition. The difference is that, before, it was fought with spears and knives and then rifles. When the battle for Mogadishu started in 1990 it was fought with tanks and heavy artillery, then with heavy and light machine guns and mortars. Today it is fought with car bombs and suicide bombers.

Top tweets

@AllanDuncan101 Nice story but still lots of dificult times ahead im sure. Peace returns to Mogadishu http://ind.pn/OsFTrlvia @Independent #somalia

@ferigom69 Richard Dowden assesses the balance of internal and external influences on #Somalia’s civil warhttp://bit.ly/MOVCxE #esINT #somalia

@Paolme Unable to support themselves, thousands of Somalis flee their homes – http://bit.ly/Mucmt7 #Somalia

‏@HOA_News #AlShabaab militants have reportedly extorted a huge amount of money from locals in El-der and Gal’ad towns of Galgadud region. #Somalia

@AKoronto #Somalia With Somalia soon to celebrate its Independence Day on 1st July, gov troops & Amisom continue to extend the land they held.

@SomaliThinker #Somalia is the undisputed champion of everything wrong with Africa, perfect westerner’s stereotype.http://bit.ly/LKZM85

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Image of the day

Image of the day Somali Prime minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, center, greets residents during his visit to Balad town, 30 km north-east of Mogadishu just hours after AMISOM and government forces captured it Tuesday. Photo: AP