October 3, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Army chiefs plan orderly takeover of Kismayo
03 Oct – Source: Standard – 325 words
Kenya and Somalia forces are stationed on the outskirts of the strategic port town of Kismayo, three days after al Shabaab militants pulled out. Military officials say the al Qaeda-linked group left suicide bombers and planted Improvised Explosives Devices to target advancing forces.
Kismayo, the ultimate prize for Kenya since it sent troops to its eastern chaotic neighbour, has been in lockdown for the third day in a row, as terrified residents kept indoors, while commercial activities remained paralysed.
Looters have taken advantage of the security vacuum and within hours of militants’ withdrawal, carting away mattresses and other possessions belonging to the defeated group.
Key Headlines
- Somali President Mohamud meets elders in Mogadishu (Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV)
- Duped and misled al Shabaab rebels were caught off-guard (Daily Nation)
- Military officials says tight security is important in Kismayo (Radio Kulmiye)
- Kenyan Police on red terror alert after Kismayo raid (Capital News/Daily Nation)
- Kenya port to benefit as rebels quit Somalia’s Kismayo–minister (Reuters)
- ‘Peace reigns in Somalia’s port city of Kismayo’ (Shabelle/Hiiraan Online)
- Kismayo on Edge as AU Forces Patrol City Streets (VOA News)
- Army chiefs plan orderly takeover of Kismayo (Standard)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali President Mohamud meets elders in Mogadishu
03 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV – 114 words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday evening held talks with traditional elders who selected the national constituent assembly that endorsed the new constitution. The president was accompanied by the Speaker of the National Assembly Prof. Mohamed Osman Jawari and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.
President Mohamud praised the role of the elders during the recent efforts to end the transitional period and eventually leading to adoption of a provisional constitution.
He said history will judge their job well-done and promised that his government will continue gearing the country towards sustainable development.The president however urged the elders to work with the new government and emphasised to the need to consult them in decision making.
Military officials says tight security is important in Kismayo
03 Oct – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 142 words
Military officials from both Somali and Kenyan troops are taking steps to consolidate Kismayo’s control. They said forces will have to spread through out the region in pursue of militant remnants.
Allied troops have taken full control of the last stronghold of Islamist rebels who have been fighting against the country’s internationally backed government, a Kenyan military official said Tuesday.
Report says remnants of the militants, known as al Shabaab executed seven civilians who did not support them in the southern part of Kismayo on Monday.. Meanwhile, Kenya Defense Forces and the Somali National Army are now patrolling the streets of Kismayo, Kenyan military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said through Twitter. He said that the troops had secured the city’s central police station and the new airport. He said military aircraft will start landing there.
‘Peace reigns in Somalia’s port city of Kismayo’
03 Oct – Source: Shabelle/Hiiraan Online – 115 words
Precarious tranquility is experienced in Somalia’s port city of Kismayo, a day after at least five explosions rocked it. Aden Ahmed Hirse Rufle, a spokesman for Somali army in Jubba regions, told Shabelle Media that government soldiers and their Kenyan allies are setting up plans to restore peace and stability of the city.
He stated that Kenya Defense Forces and the Somali National Army are now patrolling the streets of Kismayo, to remove remnants of al Shabaab and the freelance armed militias committing the insecurity acts. On Monday, the allied troops had secured the city’s central police station and the new airport. KDF spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said military aircraft will start landing there.
Mystery as fire guts down Garissa police station
03 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan/Star FM – 111 words
Mysterious fire has burned down the Garissa police station near the border with Somalia on Tuesday evening. The mysterious fire that started at around 8pm local time razed six offices at the Northeastern provincial police headquarters in Garissa town including Anti-Terror Police Unit (APTU), CID offices and that of the local police boss.
Police say they are yet to establish the cause of the fire which has destroyed crucial records and other valuables at the affected offices. The fire was fanned by strong winds which are being experienced in the area. Police are yet to establish if the fire was the work of terrorists or symphathisers of Somalia’s Al Shabaab militant.
Puntland police arrest gunmen who fired on Turkish delegation
02 Oct – Source: Garowe Online – 317 words
Puntland security forces repelled an attack and arrested an armed militia who shot at a delegation from Turkey en-route to Galkayo on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports.
An armed group of men shot at officers from a Turkish aid agency known as TIKA. The delegation was headed to Galkayo from Garowe where they met with Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole on Monday.
Armed militia fired shots at the delegation as they drove by the town of Darusalam, on the main tarmac road that runs through major cities in Puntland. According to a security source, the shooting was an isolated accident as the gunmen were expecting a vehicle carrying khat, a leafy stimulant used widely in Somalia.
Heavy rains in central Somalia
03 Oct – Source: Shabelle – 122 words
Heavy floods are reported in some parts of Somalia’s central region of Hiiraan, days after river flooded thousands of displaced families in Beledweyne, the regional headquarters. The torrential rains washed down hundreds of houses in the town, forcing many to flee to the nearby villages for survival. Flood victims expressed concern about the possibility of waterborne diseases if help is not forthcoming.
Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Tuesday paid a visit to central region of Hiiraan to assess the humanitarian needs for the displaced people. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, estimate that 3,500 families have been displaced from Beledweyne town… A number of people have been killed in the flooding, it added. Fatality estimates range from six to over 20.
Normalcy returns to Abudwak after day of heavy downpours
03 Oct – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 156 words
Normalcy has returned back to the streets of central Somali town of Abudwak following Tuesday’s heavy downpours that paralyzed public transport movement. The rains forced locals to close down their business premises and halted movement of both private and public transport vehicles for the better part of the day.
Locals have now started opening their shops and learning resumed as normal on Wednesday morning, according to residents who spoke to Bar-kulan. The rains have also badly affected internally displaced people pitching tents in refugee camps in and outside the town with no proper shelter.
The much awaited Deyr rains have started in parts of central Somalia region of Galgadud, coinciding with the abject drought and lack of water in the region. The rain brought happiness in the faces of the people as they have been faced with ravaging drought and acute shortage of water. But most parts of the country are yet to receive the rains.
Al Shabaab urges community leaders to join fight against allied forces
02 Oct – Source: Radio Dalsan – 110 words
al Shabaab militants held a meeting with the community leaders in lower Shebelle region, urging them to defend and secure the region. Sheikh Mohamed Abu Abdalla, al Shabaab’s representative in lower Shebelle told the community elders to defend their land from Somali government and AMISOM forces and strengthen security to practice the Sharia law.
On the other hand, reports from Marka town say that the government troops are making movements to seize the remaining towns of Lower Shabele region. Lower shabelle region is one of the regions that is controlled by both al Shabaab and the allied forces of AMISOM and Somali forces .
REGIONAL MEDIA
Duped and misled, al Shabaab rebels were caught off-guard
03 Oct – Source: Daily Nation – 647 words
The residents of Kismayo went to bed a weary lot last Thursday. A day earlier on September 26, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) helicopters had circulated leaflets advising residents to keep away from al Shabaab dominated areas or move away from the city, and, as they caught their 40 winks, they knew Kismayo would soon be a war zone.
They, after all, had been at the centre of a bloody contest for the trophy town before. Mohammed, a Kismayo contact with whom we spoke on the phone from Nairobi, told us that some leaflets gave residents warnings to move to safer grounds, “but others sounded like a declaration of war. They warned that if a single shot was fired at KDF, the Kenyan military would bomb down Kismayo” he said.
Kenyan Police on red terror alert after Kismayo raid
02 Oct – Source: Capital News/Daily Nation – 964 words
Police said Tuesday they were on a high alert following intelligence reports of imminent terror attacks in the country since the Kenya Defense Forces entered Kismayo port in Somalia. Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe announced that security forces had increased surveillance and urged the public to be on the look out for people with ulterior motives.
“We have intelligence reports in respect to terrorist threats from al Shabaab and their sympathisers since KDF entered Kismayo,” Kiraithe told a news conference Tuesday.
As a result, he said, “security forces in the country have heightened their surveillance to ensure the country is safe.” He said intelligence reports had shown that al Shabaab was actively recruiting women to carry out attacks, including acting as suicide bombers.
Army chiefs plan orderly takeover of Kismayo
03 Oct – Source: Standard – 325 words
Kenya and Somalia forces are stationed on the outskirts of the strategic port town of Kismayo, three days after al Shabaab militants pulled out. Military officials say the al Qaeda-linked group left suicide bombers and planted Improvised Explosives Devices to target advancing forces.
Kismayo, the ultimate prize for Kenya since it sent troops to its eastern chaotic neighbour, has been in lockdown for the third day in a row, as terrified residents kept indoors, while commercial activities remained paralysed.
Looters have taken advantage of the security vacuum and within hours of militants’ withdrawal, carting away mattresses and other possessions belonging to the defeated group.
Ethiopian defence minister hails “new chapter” in Somalia
02 Oct – Source: Ethiopian TV – 97 words
The defence minister of the EFDR [Ethiopian Federal Democratic Republic] has said the capture of a number of al Shabaab strongholds, including Kismaayo had opened a new chapter for peace in Somalia.
Attending a consultative meeting of the AU peacekeeping mission and the Somali government [in Addis Ababa], the minister, Siraj Fegisa, said the weakening of al Shabaab was helpful for political improvement in Somalia.
The minister also said Ethiopia would enhance its efforts for peace in the region. The meeting is discussing how to make use of the military victory to ensure durable peace and stability in Somalia.
Fear in Kismayo over reprisal raids
02 Oct – Source: Daily Nation – 541 words
African Union forces and the Somali National Army have tightened control of Kismayo and by Tuesday had occupied the city’s new airport. Local residents have welcomed the Kenya Defence Force and SNA soldiers although a mood of fear hangs over the city, formerly al Shabaab’s most valuable asset.
Locals are keeping a safe distance from the AMISOM forces. “Wherever the AMISOM forces are manning, there are no people around that place,” Abdullahi, a taxi driver told the Daily Nation by phone.
They are afraid of the remnants of al Shabaab who have shaved their beards and melted into the local population, possibly waiting to launch terror attacks against AMISOM forces if they get an opportunity, the witness said. The seaside city remained a ghost on Tuesday. “The whole town is shut down. There is no movements that are palpable, shops are closed, businesses are at a standstill.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya port to benefit as rebels quit Somalia’s Kismayo–minister
02 Oct – Source: Reuters – 468 words
Kenya’s main port of Mombasa, East Africa’s chief trade gateway, expects more business after an offensive that has driven rebels out of Somalia’s Kismayo port and is therefore likely to reduce offshore piracy further, the Kenyan transport minister said.
Attacks by Somali gangs on commercial cargo vessels destined for Mombasa and beyond had forced some companies to re-route their ships from the pirate-infested waters and pushed insurance and security costs sky-high.
On Monday, hundreds of Somali government forces and allied militia fighters deployed in the centre of Kismayo, a former stronghold of Islamist militant organisation al Shabaab, an army spokesman said.
The successful offensive, also involving Kenyan soldiers fighting under the banner of an African Union peacekeeping mission, is a blow to al Shabaab, which has contributed to conditions that let piracy flourish in and around Kismayo, located to the north of Mombasa along the East African coast.
Explosions rock Somalia’s Kismayo
02 Oct – Source: Al Jazeera – 152 words
Several explosions have rocked Somalia’s southern port city of Kismayo as Kenyan and Somali troops take control of what has been the last bastion of the rebel group al Shabaab. Al Jazeera’s Peter Greste, reporting from Kenya’s capital Nairobi, said up to three explosions went off on Tuesday, with the African Union Mission in Africa (AMISOM), the peacekeepers in Somalia, claiming to have carried out two controlled explosions near the airport.
“The third blast took place at the Kismayo administrative building known locally as the “K2″ building,” our correspondent said. “According to AMISOM sources, there were no casualties. An AMISOM spokesman says the bomb was a remote-controlled device, and the attacker has been apprehended.
“Al Shabaab says it carried out the attack at the K2 office, and says that scores were killed and injured. An al Shabaab spokesman said the improvised explosive device (IED) was aimed at Somali troops trying to enter the building.”
Kismayo on Edge as AU Forces Patrol City Streets
02 Oct – Source: VOA – 368 words
Kenyan forces say they have extended their control over the Somali city of Kismayo, days after al Shabaab militants retreated from the town. A bomb blast targeting African Union troops underscores the threat of violence hanging over the city.
Kismayo residents say Kenyan forces entered into the city for the first time Tuesday, firing their guns into the air to disperse the crowds as they patrolled the streets of the city. One witness said he saw Kenyan troops, who are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, going over the roads with mine detectors.
A Kismayo resident, who declined to give his name because of concern for his security, said African Union and Somali forces have surrounded the town. He says this morning at 10:00, Somali and Kenyan forces officially came into the city. Most of the roads leading in and out of the city are blocked, he said, and forces are firing in the air.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Through an unmarked door on the Brooklyn waterfront, Waayaha Cusub was joined by hip-hop and spoken word greats K’naan, Uppa Notch, Danielle Watson, and Toni Blackman. It was the first time that Somali Canadian K’naan and members of Waayaha Cusub were able to perform together, singing for a diverse mix of music lovers, humanitarian workers, and many from the Somali diaspora.”
Somali Hip-Hop Diplomacy Takes New York
02 Oct – Source: Huffington Post Blog – 501 Words
“It’s a dangerous time to be a Somali musician,” remarked journalist and tour organizer Daniel Gerstle, in a recent article in Rolling Stone. In a country that has seen violence, extremism, a failed government, and an unsuccessful UN peacekeeping mission, hardcore hip-hop has emerged as one of the more unconventional but powerful mediums of Somali politics. Music has become the battleground for the allegiance and future of young people, and hip-hop and rap tools for spreading a range of ideologies.
At one end of the spectrum is al Shabaab (translated “The Youth”), an influential extremist group with links to al Qaeda and whose aim is to install Sharia Law in the region. Over the past several years, al Shabaab has controlled different areas of Somalia and employed increasingly inhumane tactics of control — chopping of limbs, blocking aid, and organizing suicide bombings. An Alabama-raised member, Abu Mansoor al Amriki, also known as Omar Hammami, a spokesperson for al Shabaab, has released numerous tracks aimed at recruiting youth for jihad. With songs like “Make Jihad With Me” and “Blow by Blow” the young rapper glamorizes violence.
Countering al Shabaab’s message, with their own of peace and non-violence is the hip-hop group Waayaha Cusub (translated “New Era”). Comprised of members from Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya, the band has been releasing songs that promote peace, friendship, and collaboration, and address taboo issues of politics, sex, drugs, and AIDS since 2004. Fusing traditional hip-hop with afrobeat, their lyrics are complex and thoughtful, and directed toward young adults in Somalia who have limited options.
Top tweets
@OCHASomalia Unemployment among people aged 15 to 64 in #Somalia is estimated at 54%up from 47% in 2002 http://bit.ly/QvnTZj @UNDPSomalia @UNHCRSomalia.
@SYLUnited We are bruised & battered by the barrel. The pain is now unbearable. We can’t bear anymore of these biting bullets & bazzukas. Enough! ^AS.
@amisomsomalia Photos of Saa’moja, an area approx. 7km outside the #Somali port city of #Kismayo. http://on.fb.me/PuuHWl.
@loughrichard: #Kismayu needs inclusive administration. “If u marginalise clans, #alShabaab will find allies” http://reut.rs/Wdbbm3 #Somalia.
@MSF_USA Funding for the #Dadaab refugee camps has been cut by 40% while the refugee population has continued to grow. @refugees @RailaOdinga.
@amisomsomalia: #KDF Soldiers serving with #AMISOM silhouetted against the sky in Saa’moja, outside Kismayohttp://pic.twitter.com/
Image of the day
The Somali National Army and the government-allied Ras Kamboni Brigade militia wave the Somali national flag from the former control tower of the airport in Kismayo, southern Somalia, Oct. 2, 2012. Photo: AP/AU-UN IST.