January 9, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali Defense Minister Unveils Foreign Support for Somali Pirates
09 Jan – Source: Al Shahid/FARS News Agency – 357 words
Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Mohamud Fiqi said pirates in his country are backed by foreign states which seek to undermine security and stability in the African country, and meantime said Iran can improve law and order along Somali coasts.
In an interview with FNA on Tuesday, Fiqi pointed out the possibility of the link between Somali pirates and al Qaeda terrorist network, and stated, “That is possible … it is clear that these groups are funded by foreign parties and governments but they seem to be seeking to weaken the country’s security and stability in a bid to gain financial wealth by hijacking vessels which are passing through Somalia’s coastal waters.”
The minister stressed the Somali government’s opposition to piracy, and added that Mogadishu plans to boost its naval forces in a bid to confront piracy. He called on the international community to support Somalia’s Navy as part of a plan to end piracy in the region.
Key Headlines
- Somali Defense Minister Unveils Foreign Support for Somali Pirates (Al Shahid/FARS News Agency)
- Somali foreign minister meets Italian counterpart in Rome (Radio Galkacyo)
- Ugandan contingent commander praise work done by AMISOM (Radio Mustaqbal)
- Nine senior police officers reshuffled (Standard)
- Kenya to open a new embassy in Somalia (Radio Kulmiye)
- Missing terror suspect escaped in London cab May told (Bloomberg)
- Consolidating Peace In Somalia Still ‘Not Easy’ say UN envoy (Hiiraan Online)
- OCHA says some parts of Mogadishu still experiencing humanitarian situation (Radio Mustaqbal)
SOMALI MEDIA
Ugandan contingent commander praise work done by AMISOM
09 Jan – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 161 Words
The commander of the Ugandan army which is part of the African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM] has talked about the recent operations carried out by his troops, saying they have broken the backbone of Somali militant group, al Shabaab in the last 7 months.
In an interview with Mustaqbal Radio, Michael Ondoga also said that the Ugandan soldiers are now in control of area estimated to be 75,000 km square. The commander said this is a victory for Uganda and AMISOM at large who have dedicated their army to Somalia.
Kenya to open a new embassy in Somalia
09 Jan – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 114 words
The Kenyan government has said that it will open an embassy inside Somalia. Kenya will also send its ambassador to Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia.
The consul of Somalia to Kenya Mr. Siyad Mohamed Shire who spoke to Kulmiye radio in Mogadishu said they are now carrying on with the efforts to assist Kenya to open its embassy inside Somalia.
The government of Kenya is preparing to appoint an ambassador to its seat in Mogadishu, the consul said. Shire mentioned that the Kenyan government is pushing initiatives of how its embassy could soon be operational within Somalia.
Somali foreign minister meets Italian counterpart in Rome
08 Jan – Source: Radio Galkacyo – 156 words
Somalia Foreign Affairs Minister Fowsiyo Haji Adan has held talks with her Italian counterpart Gulio Maria Terzi di Sant’agata in Rome, privately-owned Radio Galkacyo reported on 8 January. The two discussed bilateral relations between Somalia and Italy, the source said.
Speaking at joint news conference in Rome, the ministers said that the two countries would revive previous cooperation and trade agreements, the source added
The two officials also discussed how Italian government would continue to support the Somali government on the areas of social service development and training of the national army, the report further said. Italy has had good relations with Somalia before the last central government collapsed in 1991.
Injured gov’t, ASWJ soldiers to be airlifted to Addis Ababa for treatment
09 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 134 words
Injured government soldiers and Ahlu Sunna fighters are today expected to be airlifted to neighbouring Ethiopia for treatments, according Ahlu Sunna official. The allied soldiers were injured in a deadly fight with al Shabaab militant group at an area between Luq and Garbaharey towns of Gedo regions.
Ahlu Sunna spokesman in the region Mohamed Hussein Issack told Bar-kulan that six severely injured soldiers serving the allied forces will be airlifted to Addis Ababa from Garbaharey town for specialised treatment.
Issack said he was confident that they will be treated accordingly and resume work soon in order to serve the nation and continue the fight against the militant group. In most cases, soldiers injured in combat or targeted explosions are treated inside the country, with few of them getting the opportunity to get specialised treatments abroad.
OCHA says some parts of Mogadishu still experiencing humanitarian situation
09 Jan – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 173 words
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs “OCHA” has released a press statement in which the office has stated that some areas in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu still experiencing difficult humanitarian situation, whereas some provinces inside Somalia are currently experiencing insecurity. The report added that insecurity has affected the communities. The insecurity had caused the communities residing in such regions feel urgent need of assistance.
The report from OCHA mentioned that the past year 2012, some of the relief operation in Somalia have met difficulties including threats against humanitarian agencies and some other atrocities, which made it difficult for the humanitarian relief to reach the needy areas properly.
Locations captured from al Shabaab militants by AMISOM and government forces have been identified as being dangerous places where the security is not 100 percent. OCHA has told the Somali government and the authorities of the regionally autonomous states to have attention to disasters prone areas.
Puntland marks fourth anniversary of Farole’s administration
09 Jan – Source: Bar-kulan/Garowe Online/Universal TV – 107 words
A ceremony to mark the fourth anniversary of Puntland’s current administration has been held in the commercial city of Bosaso, northeastern Somalia. The Tuesday night celebration was attended by Puntland president Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, local elders and civil society groups.
Speaking at the ceremony, president Farole praised his four year-old administration for being in the forefront in strengthening security and developing the region.
In his speech, Farole said his administration has since 2009 successfully managed to implement anti-piracy efforts and curbed of illegal immigration. He also mentioned Puntland’s bid to move from clan politics to multiparty system of politics and the enactment of the new regional constitution.
Banadir Province administration says it will build city roads
09 Source: Radio Kulmiye – 159 words
Banadir Province administration has said that it will build the roads of Somalia’s capital city. The administration told reporters that they are road projects will commence as soon as possible.
The chairman of the Banadir regional administration Ahmed Nur Tarzan , who is also the mayor of Mogadishu said his administration will get rid of small hawking businesses around the streets and around the main commercial roads.The mayor said the road projects are part of efforts to reclaim the lost glory of the seaside city.
Consolidating Peace In Somalia Still ‘Not Easy’, say UN envoy
08 Jan – Source: Hiiraan Online – 110 words
The top United Nations official for Somalia has called for the need for uninterrupted international support for Somalia. Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, said that the support is set to advance the country which remains a state in need of support from the international community.
“For the first time in a generation, a safe, secure and prosperous Somalia at peace with itself and its neighbours seems more like a reasonable aspiration than a distant dream,” He also said that “the road to stabilization will not be easy. Somalia will need to re-invest comprehensively and generously if it is to capitalize on its massive investment of time and resources.”
Somali prisoner commits suicide in Italian prison
08 Jan – Source: Bar-kulan/Hiiraan Online – 119 words
Italian Penitentiary Police Union (OSAPP) said on Monday that a 38-year-old Somali man committed suicide Sunday afternoon in the Borgo San Nicola penitentiary near the southern city of Lecce by hanging himself in the prison’s infirmary cell. Mohamed Abdi, who was serving time for theft, had been in the Lecce prison for approximately one year, according media reports.
It is not clear why Abdi sought to hang himself but OSAPP representative Domenico Mastrulli was quoted as saying that the prison, located in the region of Puglia, is “beset by several problems, first and foremost overcrowding”. Roughly 60 prisoners in Italy commit suicide each year, approximately 20 times average for the general population, according to a study released in December.
Puntland govt vows to ‘defend’ stability, condemns al Shabaab
08 Jan – Source: Garowe Online – 104 words
Officials in Somalia’s Puntland government have vowed to defend the region’s peace and stability, while condemning al Shabaab as a “bloodthirsty violent group” in Somalia, Garowe Online reports.
Dressed in military uniform, Puntland Security Minister Gen. Khalif Issa Mudan told a Monday press conference in the port city of Bossaso that Puntland “strongly condemns” remarks by al Shabaab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage (Ali Dheere), who threatened to “destroy Puntland” in a recent recording posted on the Internet.
“The Government is mandated to defend the stability of Puntland and to protect the public,” said Minister Mudan at the press conference in Bossaso, Puntland’s commercial city.
Security forces conducts operation in Adado district
09 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 97 words
Dozens of people were Tuesday arrested in Adado district in a security operation conducted by Himan and Heb’s security forces, according to area security chief.
Speaking to Bar-kulan, Elmi Kulane Ali confirmed the arrest of around 30 people linked to insecurity in parts of the region, adding that some were later released after they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Ali said the operation followed a spate of incidents of insecurity reported in parts of Adado district. He said two suspects are still being held in custody and will be taken to court in the next few days.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somali Defense Minister Unveils Foreign Support for Somali Pirates
09 Jan – Source: Al Shahid/FARS News Agency – 357 words
Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Mohamud Fiqi said pirates in his country are backed by foreign states which seek to undermine security and stability in the African country, and meantime said Iran can improve law and order along Somali coasts.
In an interview with FNA on Tuesday, Fiqi pointed out the possibility of the link between Somali pirates and al Qaeda terrorist network, and stated, “That is possible … it is clear that these groups are funded by foreign parties and governments but they seem to be seeking to weaken the country’s security and stability in a bid to gain financial wealth by hijacking vessels which are passing through Somalia’s coastal waters.”
The minister stressed the Somali government’s opposition to piracy, and added that Mogadishu plans to boost its naval forces in a bid to confront piracy. He called on the international community to support Somalia’s Navy as part of a plan to end piracy in the region.
Nine senior police officers reshuffled
09 Jan – Source: Standard – 280 words
North Eastern PPO Philip Tuimur is among nine senior police officers who have been moved in new changes announced by the National Police Service Commission. Tuimur has been replaced by the director of police personnel Charlton Mureithi. Tuimur has been moved to police headquarters, Vigilance House.
North Eastern has been hit by a series of terror incidents in the past months and since Kenyan troops crossed to Somalia to hunt for al Shabaab militants.
US army trainers head to Africa
07 Jan – Source: Africa Review – 509 words
Units from a US Army brigade will soon begin training Kenyan troops as part of a major expansion of American military capabilities throughout Africa. Plans call for teams of trainers from the Army’s 2nd Brigade, known as the “Dagger Brigade,” to be deployed to as many as 35 countries in Africa beginning in the next couple of months, according to the Associated Press. The team heading to Kenya will likely consist of fewer than 200 US troops. And the US Army units being dispatched to Africa will not be permitted to conduct combat operations without specific approval from the Pentagon.
But the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has recently added a rapid-response force capable of direct military interventions by American troops. Africom head Gen Carter Ham revealed the establishment of the “Commander’s in-Extremis Force” during a talk earlier this month at a university in Washington DC.
Intensified US military attention to Africa reflects concerns about Islamist armed groups in Somalia, Mali, Nigeria and Libya. Gen Ham said recently that his biggest worry is collaboration among these various groups, which, he declared, “poses the greatest threat to regional stability more broadly across Africa, into Europe and the United States as well.” The US also assigns more than 2,000 troops to a base in Djibouti. The American forces there carry out air and sea patrols all over the Horn.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Missing terror suspect escaped in London cab, May told
08 Jan – Source: Bloomberg – 359 words
A man suspected in Britain of terrorism offences, Ibrahim Magag, escaped surveillance by ringing for a black London cab, U.K. Home Secretary Theresa May was told.
The opposition Labour Party’s home affairs spokeswoman, Yvette Cooper, citing a Twitter posting from a taxi firm, told lawmakers that Magag picked up the ride less than half a mile (800 meters) from Euston station in London on Dec. 26. She had called May to Parliament to answer an emergency question about the suspect’s escape.
Cooper said the government had made it easier for Magag, who is suspected of attended terrorist training camps in Somalia, to escape by allowing him to come back to London from western England, where he had been made to live under a so- called control order restricting his movements.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“After 20 years of sliding backwards, Somalia has taken a step in the right direction. Together with international efforts and adoption of a new federal constitution by the 825-member Assembly of Somali Elders, the country has renewed hopes for the return of peace.”
Somalia: peace prospects
09 Jan – Source: The News International – 1081 Words
Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) came to an end in August and the new dispensation has taken over the process of political reconstruction. However, Somalia, with millions living in displaced camps and with the country inundated with arms and ammunitions, faces an uphill task in restoration of peace and stability. Lack of dedicated leadership and absence of good governance, widespread resource conflicts, economic disarray, and external pressures are serious challenges that today’s Somalia is confronted with.
Somalia’s new constitution, adopted on August 1, 2012, introduces a new federal model for the country. Somalis, who lived under the unitary form of government for decades, are sceptical about the idea and consider federalism to be less viable for the homogeneous Somali society.
From 1969 to 1991, President Mohamed Siad Barre’s highly over centralised rule led Somalia to the current state of affairs. During the general’s unitary government Somalia experienced major armed conflicts, including a war with Ethiopia, and indiscriminate use of force against the Issaq clan. That led to the secession of the northern part of Somalia, which became Somaliland.
In addition to these wars, many legacies of Barre’s over-centralised period fuelled conflicts in Somalia. First, the state had been oppressive and exploitative and was used by some political leaders to dominate others, to monopolise state resources and appropriate valuable land and other assets.
A constitution based on the principle of federalism and decentralisation can best suit Somalia, as the country is already divided into many self-proclaimed regions with their own administrations.
Top tweets
@Hamza_Africa Is Turkey about to get involved in #Somaliamilitarily? I understand 25 militarily officials from Ankara to visit#Mogadishu on the 15th.
@amisomsomalia Our PHOTO of the DAY: #AU Special Rep for#Somalia (SRCC) Mahamet A. Saleh in #Mogadishu on 08/01/2013. #AMISOM http://twitpic.com/btp1mf.
@t_mcconnell Here’s Omar Hammami aka Al #Amriki on a donkey, enjoying his sojourn in #Somalia: http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/
@OCHASom Good news! UK announces a new contribution of £9m to the 2013 Common Humanitarian Fund for #Somalia@UKinSomalia @HMAMattBaugh @DFID_UK #CHF.
@DrMaryanQasim A country is built by a nation.The #Somalination must rise again and re-build its country.It’s time the#diaspora returned home.
Image of the day
Boarding team from French frigate FS Surcouf, serving in EU anti-piracy Naval Force apprehends suspected Somali pirates off the Somali Coast, on January 8, 2013. Photo: EU NAVFOR.