October 18, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Government will battle al Shabaab and piracy menace, says president Hassan
18 Oct- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Shabelle – 146 words
The president of Somalia’s Federal Government Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced his government will do all it can to the reign of al Shabaab and Piracy in Somalia. Mr. Hassan said that the country needs to enter new era of peace, stability and prosperity, and it is unacceptable for war to continue.
He said his government will open negotiation for the pirates and al Shabaab, and will give the first and second priority to the negotiation with both sides. However, he if they refuse to talk with government, the government, ‘will take legal steps against the terrorists and pirates.’ The president indicated that the government will welcome any group that wants peace in Somalia, and will open its door to the discussion.
Key Headlines
- Somali President Mohamud praises military gains against al Shabaab (Bar-kulan/Radio Kulmiye)
- Regional police summit opens in Kampala (New Times)
- Government will battle al Shabaab and piracy menace says president Hassan (Radio Mustaqbal/Shabelle)
- Operations at Kismayo pick up as UN urged to lift ban on charcoal trade (Xinhua)
- Govt forces exchange gunfire in Lower Shabelle (Shabelle)
- Puntland to build Water catchment facilities in Sool region (Radio Bar-kulan)
- FAO seeks to revive agriculture to end food crisis in Somalia (Xinhua)
PRESS RELEASE
Somalia Parliament Endorses Shirdon as the Prime Minister
17 Oct – Source: Ministry of Information, Posts & Telecommunications – 167 words
In a parliamentary session, Somali MP’s backed Mr. Abdi Farah Shirdon as the new prime minister of the country after he was nominated by the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, early this month. The president addressed the parliament and stated the he was confident in the leadership of the prime minister whom he said would rescue the country during this difficult time.
Prime Minister Shirdon also shared with the parliament his vision for the country. “We will address the security issue and restore the law and order in Somalia. I am committed to strengthen the unity among Somalis to ensure we overcome the challenges ahead” he said in a speech before the vote.
The new prime minister underscored the need to strengthen the country’s relations with the International Community to continue the recovery efforts in Somalia. He added, “I am going to form a capable cabinet that will rebuild the economy and fight corruption throughout the government.”
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali President Mohamud praises military gains against al Shabaab
18 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan/Radio Kulmiye – 71 words
Somalia’s Federal President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has attributed the recently witnessed military gains in the country to “payment of remuneration of the armed forces”. The president made the remarks on Wednesday while attending parliament sitting to endorse the new prime minister.
He said they will not relent on the gains they have made and promised to continue the fight against al Shabaab militant group which has already lost several key towns in the country.
Government will battle al Shabaab and piracy menace, says president Hassan
18 Oct- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Shabelle – 146 words
The president of Somalia’s Federal Government Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced his government will do all it can to the reign of al Shabaab and Piracy in Somalia. Mr. Hassan said that the country needs to enter new era of peace, stability and prosperity, and it is unacceptable for war to continue.
He said his government will open negotiation for the pirates and al Shabaab, and will give the first and second priority to the negotiation with both sides. However, he if they refuse to talk with government, the government, ‘will take legal steps against the terrorists and pirates.’ The president indicated that the government will welcome any group that wants peace in Somalia, and will open its door to the discussion.
Govt forces exchange gunfire in Lower Shabelle
18 Oct – Source: Shabelle – 114 words
Somali government forces have on Wednesday exchanged heavy gun-fire in Lower Shabelle region, north-west Mogadishu, reports said. The inter-clash broke out after security patrol forces tried to remove an illegal roadblock occupied by another government force in the recently secured town of Lambar-Konton (KM50), once an al Shabaab stronghold in the area.
Local residents told Shabelle radion by phone that the fighting was fierce and raged on for several hours in the day, leaving dozens of combatants injured. The exact figures of the casualties are still unclear. Ahmed Omar, a government official in the region confirmed the fighting, but did not state the exact number of casualties.
Somali Journalists in Galka’yo protest harassment by regional admin
18 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Kulmiye – 129 words
Some of Somali Journalists in Galka’yo Town, the headquarter of Mudug region in central Somalia have announced that they are will stop work due to harassment from Galmudug administration which controls South Galka’yo. The journalists complained that some top official in the administration have made their working condition miserable, thus forcing them to lay down the tools.
Gunmen assassinate local official in Mogadishu
18 Oct – Source: Mareeg Online/Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online/Bar-kulan – 93 words
Unknown gunmen have shot dead a local government official in Somali capital, Mogadishu on Wednesday night, the latest in series of killings in the city as the federal parliament approved a new Prime Minister.
According to the local residents, three assailants armed with pistols shot dead the Municipal official who was only identified as Burus in Mogadishu’s Wadajir district. “The assailants armed with pistols gunned down the man after Esha (night) prayer, and then fled from the crime scene,” said a witness.
Puntland to build Water catchment facilities in Sool region
18 Oct – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 195 words
Puntland’s Planning and International Cooperation Daud Mohamed Omar on Wednesday laid the foundation stones of several sites demarcated for the construction of water dams in remote parts of Sool region. The minister who visited the region held meetings with local leaders in effort to reach the locals and tabled his administration’s plans to build water reservoirs and dams in some parts of the region to tackle shortage of water in the entire region.
urged locals to take part in maintaining peace in the region as his administration continue addressing biting water shortage in the region. The minister and the local leaders including elders agreed to cooperate in establishing developmental projects in the region as well as bolstering security, according Eng. Mohamed Abdi Jamaa who is a member of the local leaders.
A local aid organisation, SVO, is reportedly implementing the construction of these water catchment facilities through WFP which is funding the project in order to tackle water shortage in the region. The project has already started in areas like Dabatag, Karin-dabayl-weyne and Sahdher. Locals welcomed the plan hopping that such plans will permanently put an end to their suffering during dry seasons.
‘Somalis Fleeing Syria Stopped At Egypt Airport’ – Ambassador
18 Oct – Source: Garowe Online/ Universal TV – 226 words
Somalia’s ambassador to Egypt Abdullahi Ali Hassan stated that Somalis with legitimate travel documents escaping Syria’s increasing violence were sent back to Syria after arriving at the international airport in Cairo. During a Tuesday interview with Somali satellite station Universal TV, ambassador Hassan stated that Somalis escaping the war in Syria were told to return to Syria after arriving at Cairo International Airport.
The ambassador said the Egyptian embassy in Syria issued “valid visas” for a group of traveling Somalis, but Egyptian authorities at the airport in Cairo turned the travelers back to Syria. Ambassador Hassan added that he had requested Egyptian authorities including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow up on this issue.
Egypt has attempted to play an intermediary role in the Syria conflict that has continued for 20 months. Syrians and other nationals escaping the conflict have sought refuge in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq even as far as Egypt. Although Egypt has opened its doors for Syrian nationals escaping conflict, this incident gives the perception that Egypt has closed its doors for Somalis also escaping conflict, a Somali national living in Cairo told Garowe Online.
Egypt was one of the most pivotal countries in the Arab Spring that swept through North Africa and the Middle East has progressed rapidly despite economic woes.
Launch of Somali Week Festival 2012
17 Oc t- Source: Wardheer News/Somaliland Press – 178 words
Kayd Somali Arts and Culture and partners would like to invite you to the launch of Somali Week Festival 2012 which will take place on Friday 19th October 2012, 6.00pm to 10.00pm at Oxford House, Bethnal Green. Somali Week Festival 2012 will focus on the theme of ‘COURAGE’.
Our understanding of ‘courage’ is not one of gun-toting aggression, but a belief in peace and tolerance as essential principles; about dreaming the seemingly impossible, challenging the status quo in the name of collaboration and fruitful coexistence.
In that sense it emphasises empathy, tolerance and personal integrity in a context of uncertainty. The acceptance that this kind of courage must necessarily exist without the security of knowing that ‘everything will be all right in the end’ is paramount. Tolerance and empathy in the certain knowledge of a positive outcome do not require courage. We are delighted that the theme of this year’s festival, ‘courage’, will be introduced by a great playwright, educater and poet, Said Saleh and the festival will be launched by Hon Rushanara Ali, MP for Tower Hamlets.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Regional police summit opens in Kampala
18 Oct – Source: New Times – 369 words
The 14th East Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPPCO), kicked off yesterday in Kampala with officials calling for an end to poor policing, arguing that it was affecting the region’s economic development. The summit was preceded by a technical meeting drawing officers from 12 countries who deliberated on ways of combating terrorism, border crimes and gender-based crimes, among other issues.
It has attracted over 1,000 delegates who include police chiefs and security experts from Africa and beyond. In a speech read for him by Uganda’s Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi, President Yoweri Museveni said that the critical challenge facing police forces in the region was the question of ideology.
Interpol Secretary General, Ronald Noble, called on EAPCCO member states to share evidence with regional law enforcement agencies on suspected individuals from their countries.“These individuals could be those who have directly joined al Shabaab in Somalia, or have indirect ties with this terrorist group as facilitators, and therefore enablers, of its deadly attacks,” Noble said.
EAPPCO member countries include; Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Comoros Islands.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Operations at Kismayo pick up as UN urged to lift ban on charcoal trade
17 Oct – Source: Xinhua – 783 words
Kenyan troops in the UN-backed Africa Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Wednesday operations at the port of Kismayo was picking up after the capture of the key from al Shabaab city two weeks ago.
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said relative peace was also steadily returning to the port city once the bastion of the militants as residents appealed to the United Nations to lift ban on charcoal it imposed early this year.
“Seaport operations are picking up as residents appeal to the UN to lift the ban on charcoal business,” KDF said in its official Twitter account on Wednesday. The charcoal business had become al Shabaab’s most lucrative source of income, according to the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea.
FAO seeks to revive agriculture to end food crisis in Somalia
17 Oct – Source: Xinhua – 634 words
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Somalia newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud have vowed to work together to prioritize reviving Somalia’s agricultural glory waned by 20 years of war as the new leadership.
FAO said in a statement issued in Nairobi on Wednesday, that Mohamud, who became Somalia’s first democratically elected president in 20 years, said agriculture forms a key tenet of his development strategy.
“Somalia’s agricultural performance is a crucial part of my government’s recovery plan, which seeks to help hardworking Somali communities to be able to increase local food production to end poverty for ever,” President Sheikh Mohamud while meeting Luca Alinovi, FAO’s representative to Somalia late on Tuesday as part of celebrations to mark World Food Day.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Although, there have been a few instances when some of officers have been accused of attacking and even killing civilians, by and large KDF has so far been professional. As some have pointed out, perhaps even more professional than some acclaimed Western forces. Now, that’s something to be proud about.”
KDF’s discipline in Somalia should make all of us proud
18 Oct – Source: Standard Media – 172 Words
It has been one long year since the Kenya Defence Forces entered Somalia. During this period, huge gains and losses have been made both at home and in Somalia.
Due to the sacrifices of KDF and AMISOM, al Shabaab is now on its toes and Somalia is on the threshold of a new dawn. The war hasn’t been won yet but peace is definitely beckoning in Somalia.
In Kenya, however, we must constantly look over our shoulders for the cowardly fighters, who can’t fight real wars, occasionally hurl explosives at innocent citizens and run away.
Top tweets
@DynamicAfrica VIDEO: Peace building efforts. Faisal Abdi Artan from #Somalia received Generations for Peace Samsung Award for Innovation http://tmblr.co/Z8SipvVUocs-.
@MohamedMascud #SOMALIA:- Lobster on the menu in #Mogadishu‘s restaurant scene – #Somali http://fb.me/1WcEtMXZt.
@State_DRL Creating the conditions for effective & legitimate governance is foundation of sustainable security for #Somali people. http://ow.ly/eyjkT.
@Hamza_Africa The best bed a man can sleep on is peace – #Somali #proverb. #Somalia #Somalia2012 #Africa.
@ahmedsas20 The biggest threat to da new #Somali government is the thousands of Soldiers who have not been paid for six months!
@UNPOSomalia UNPOS focuses on political facilitation, mediation and good offices http://bit.ly/dYf67h.
Image of the day
Somali and AMISOM officials hover around plane carrying IGAD officials that landed in Kismayo airport. It is the first chartered flight to land in Somalia’s southern port city for more than 4 years. Photo: Aljazeera.