March 14, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Over 12,000 Somali refugees returned home in two months
14 Mar – Source: China News/Xinhua – 192 words
About 12,000 refugees crossed the border back into Somalia in January and February, the majority from Kenya although conditions back home are not yet viable for large-scale returns, a UN agency said on Wednesday. In its latest Humanitarian Bulletin released by UN Office for Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued in Nairobi said the returns to Somalia continue at slow pace since conditions in the Horn of Africa nation are not yet viable for large-scale voluntary return.
“The numbers, however, do not indicate intentions and many refugees cross back and forth, sometimes to check on property or find seasonal work,” the report said. The UN says there has been a gradual increase in the number of international aid workers operating in southern Somalia, following the withdrawal of al Shabaab from key towns.
Relief agencies working in Dadaab attribute the movement to refugees crossing the border back to Somalia as that of refugees returning in search of work in Somalia as well as to check up on their farms and the assess the situation on the ground, especially as al Shabaab has ceded many towns and areas following the offensive by the AMISOM forces.
Key Headlines
- Somali Navy officer killed in Mogadishu (Bar-kulan/ Radio Mogadishu/Hiiraan Online)
- Egypt’s ambassador to Somalia relocates to Mogadishu (Al Shahid/Sada Al Balad Online)
- Over 12000 Somali refugees returned home in two months (China News/Xinhua)
- EU political and security panel meets with Security Council members (Kuwait News Agency KUNA)
- Arab Interior Ministers Council Issue Statement on Combating Terrorism 2 Riyadh (Saudi Arabia Press Agency)
- Somalia: Thousands of people still looking for relatives (ICRC)
- Turkish Red Crescent sends humanitarian aid to Somalia (Anadolu (Anatolia) News Agency Ankara)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali Navy officer killed in Mogadishu
14 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan/ Radio Mogadishu/Hiiraan Online – 88 words
Gunmen on Wednesday evening shot and killed a navy officer in Mogadishu’s Dharkenley district under unclear circumstances. Col. Mohamoud Gafow was shot dead shortly after leaving a mosque in Dharkenley where he performed his evening prayer. The assailants managed to escape on foot immediately after the incident. It is not yet known the motive behind the killing of the officer.
Confirming the incident, Somali Navy Commander Farah Ahmed Qare said the officer was a station commander in Mogadishu. No group has yet claimed the responsibility of the killing.
Egypt’s ambassador to Somalia relocates to Mogadishu
14 Mar- Source: Al Shahid/Sada Al Balad Online – 166 words
Egyptian ambassador to Somalia Ayman Magdy is scheduled to move the embassy in capital, Mogadishu within days. According to the Sada Al Balad Online, the members of the Egyptian embassy and heads of offices are moving within days to the embassy in Mogadishu, and have been preparing the necessary security arrangements with the Egyptian security services concerned to secure embassies.
The Egyptian Embassy to Somalia was temporarily based in Nairobi because of the security situation that was taking place in Somalia over the past two decades. The Egyptian embassy in Somalia was inaugurated last Sunday during a historic visit by a high-level Egyptian delegation to Mogadishu headed by Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister in a statement to reporters in Mogadishu this week that the visit will pave the way for the restoration of bilateral relations between the two countries on the basis of what it was in the sixties of the last century.
Somaliland Security Forces Seize Weapon Material on a raid In Hargeisa
13 Mar – Source: Qaran News – 104 words
The Somaliland Security Forces have seized substantial amount of weapon grade materials at a raid on a house in the Little Jig’Jiga district of Hargeisa. According to sources within the Security Forces the raid came after a tip from neighbours regarding suspicious movements from the villa whose residents are all foreign nationals.
Sources indicate that the material include some used for mining purposes and the house had been rented to a Chinese Exploration company. It is not clear whether the material in question could be used to fabricate “suicide-belts” similar to the ones used by various terrorist organisations across the region and the globe.
REGIONAL MEDIA
EU political and security panel meets with Security Council members
14 Mar – Source: Kuwait News Agency KUNA – 174 words
Ambassadors of the European Union’s (EU) Political and Security Committee (PSC) met with Security committee (PSC) met with Security Council members to discuss the situation in Syria. The Middle East, Mali and Somalia, it was announced here on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the members of the two bodies discussed and exchanged views on the situations in Mali, Syria, Somalia and Middle East Peace Process, including with the view exchanging EU-UN coordination in these theaters.
Arab Interior Ministers Council Issue Statement on Combating Terrorism 2 Riyadh
13 Mar – Source: Saudi Arabia Press Agency – 281 words
The Council announced its categorical rejection of any foreign attempt against the security of any Arab country and expressed condemnation of the logistical support provided by Iran for terrorist operations in Bahrain and Yemen, valuing efforts exerted by the Bahraini and Yemeni security agencies in the fight against terrorism and their role in detecting terrorist cells and plans. The Council also condemned acts of terrorism and piracy in Somalia, calling for supporting the efforts of the Somali government in dealing with these acts.
The Council commended the efforts of the Arab security agencies to eradicate terrorism and the development of the agencies’ capability in the field of counter-terrorism, especially in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Iraq. The Council called to benefit of their experiences in these fields, particularly the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in combating extremist ideology, especially Mohammed bin Naif Centre for Advise and Care.
The Council called upon the concerned authorities in the Arab countries to take advantage of the United Nations Centre for Counter-Terrorism in New York, established at the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, lauding the opening of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna as a step to promote human values, achieve international peace and security and lay down a global mechanism for spreading lasting peace and social cohesion.
The Council also welcomed the invitation of the Republic of Iraq to hold a special conference on terrorism and ways to combat the phenomenon in the Arab countries, urging Arab countries and specialized research centers of violence and terrorism issues to participate effectively in this conference.
Private children’s centre in Mogadishu seeks funding
13 Mar – Source: Sabahi Online – 441 words
Thousands of parentless children live in the streets of Mogadishu, taking shelter in abandoned buildings and often using drugs. Others may have parents, but still lack schooling or food because their parents cannot afford such necessities.
o ameliorate this situation, the Birri Centre for Somali Child Rescue in Hodan district has housed, fed and educated as many as 900 boys and girls since it opened in 2011.
Assistant manager Qadar Abdi Ali, 26, helped found the centre with Abdiqani Abdullahi, 30. Ali works as an accountant for a private company, while Abdullahi owns a store at Bakara market.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Over 12,000 Somali refugees returned home in two months
14 Mar – Source: China News/Xinhua – 192 words
About 12,000 refugees crossed the border back into Somalia in January and February, the majority from Kenya although conditions back home are not yet viable for large-scale returns, a UN agency said on Wednesday. In its latest Humanitarian Bulletin released by UN Office for Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued in Nairobi said the returns to Somalia continue at slow pace since conditions in the Horn of Africa nation are not yet viable for large-scale voluntary return.
“The numbers, however, do not indicate intentions and many refugees cross back and forth, sometimes to check on property or find seasonal work,” the report said. The UN says there has been a gradual increase in the number of international aid workers operating in southern Somalia, following the withdrawal of al Shabaab from key towns.
Relief agencies working in Dadaab attribute the movement to refugees crossing the border back to Somalia as that of refugees returning in search of work in Somalia as well as to check up on their farms and the assess the situation on the ground, especially as al Shabaab has ceded many towns and areas following the offensive by the AMISOM forces.
Somalia: Thousands of people still looking for relatives
14 Mar – Source: ICRC – 546 words
Although the humanitarian situation in Somalia has improved slightly, there remain significant concerns: among them, the fate of more than 10,000 Somalis separated from their families. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working to restore contact between family members.
“After two decades of conflict, the task of re-establishing contact between members of dispersed families and of establishing the whereabouts of people who are unaccounted for is immense,” said Asha Ismael, the head of ICRC tracing activities for Somalia.
Together with the Somali Red Crescent Society and other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world, the ICRC has been conducting a major operation to reunite people separated by conflict.
University architecture students design ways to rebuild Mogadishu, Somalia
13 Mar – Source: Daily Illini – 481 words
University students enrolled in Architecture 476 — Architecture Design and Exploration— are designing models of structures, such as permanent houses and markets, for the 400,000 refugees in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The theme for this class, taught by professor Camden Greenlee, is Post-Conflict Urban Microcosms. The project is centered on demonstrating a way of rebuilding this society, which has endured civil war for 20 years and has little infrastructure and a poor economy.
“The goal of the studio is to challenge students to design in an environment that they are not used to at all so that they have a heightened sensitivity towards sustainability, building practices, building materials and techniques, but also the social systems that take place, such as the culture of the area,” Greenlee said.
Minister says Turkey ready to share industrialization experience with Somalia
13 Mar – Source: Anadolu News Agency – 201 words
Turkey ready to share experience in industrialization, says Turkish science minister – Ergun met with Somali minister of trade and stated Turkey was ready to assist Somalia in industry and technology related issues”]. ANKARA (AA) – March 13, 2013 – Turkish Minister for Science, Industry and Technology Nihat Ergun on Wednesday stated that Turkey was ready to share their experience especially in the field of industrialization with friendly states.
Ergun received Somali Minister of Trade and Industries Mohamud Ahmed Hassan in Turkish capital Ankara. Stating that there was mutual love and respect between the peoples of Somalia and Turkey, Ergun said, “There is much that we can do together. We should plan our moves well in industry, technology and the development of small and medium sized enterprises.”
“Our ministry is ready to share its experience and support our Somali friends,” Ergun added. Stating that Somalia was facing many problems and needed support in the areas of agriculture and marine, Hassan said, “We feel small as a state. We would like our older sibling to hold our hand and teach us how to walk.”
Turkish Red Crescent sends humanitarian aid to Somalia
13 Mar – Source: Anadolu (Anatolia) News Agency, Ankara – 232 words
[Unattributed report: “Turkish Red Crescent relief ship off to Somalia – The Turkish aid vessel due to set sail for Somalia later on Wednesday”]. A humanitarian aid ship of the Turkish Red Crescent carrying food and construction materials was set to depart on Wednesday for Somalia as part of Turkey’s drive to contribute to the African nation’s efforts to fight starvation and to reconstruct their country.
The aid vessel is loaded with concrete plant and paving stone factory supplies, relief supply kits, sugar, flour, and it is set to leave the Derince Harbour in the northwestern province of Kocaeli in the evening. “We want to make Somalia a more livable country. Within this context, we have loaded about 11 thousand tons of supplies,” said Utku Calim, Turkish Red Crescent’s chief official in charge of international programmes.
Calim said that the ship was expected to reach the Mogadishu Harbour in 15 days and it would take another 15 days to unload the supplies. He added that the relief supply kits would be distributed to 2,700 Somali families. The Turkish Red Crescent said the relief materials consisted of heavy construction equipments, canned food, five tons of sugar and five tons of flour, 2,700 relief supply kits, furniture equipments, air conditioners, garbage dumpsters, concrete plant and paving stone factory supplies, and a water pump.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“And we need to ask for the help of each, on grounds of common humanity rather than religious affiliation, clan or color. The Somali public is highly appreciative of Israel’s assistance to those in dire need, and will remain close friends with the people of Israel forever.”
Somaliland and Israel
13 Mar – Source: Jerusalem Post – 918 Words
Ever since I was born I could hear the waves of hatred and prejudice pouring upon Jews for unexplained reasons, but apparently associated with the Arab-Israeli conflict, which Somalia was not a part of.
During Siad Barre (Somali dictator from 1969 to 1991), there was an Arabization program in Somalia that entailed the hatred of Jews as part of a standardized process of Arabization of our formerly non-Arab country.
When crisis erupted in Somalia and the lights went out in the 1990s, it became obvious that Somalia had been abandoned; no country acted to alleviate the Somalis’ enormous suffering.
Somalia has received various kinds of aid over the years, from various sources, but in the post-Cold War era, as Somalia’s strategic importance to the great world powers has waned, the country has effectively been left to rot. Its healthcare infrastructure, for example, is damaged to a degree which seems irreparable. Somalis seeking urgent medical care thus must often cross the border into Ethiopia, or seek treatment further abroad.
“Centuries of Arab influence and decades of Italian colonization are reflected in the architecture of Mogadishu. The name on a popular bar bears witness to Somalia’s tendency to swim against the tide.”
You wonder if Somalia doesn’t die a bit more each day
13 Mar – Source: Cana Denver Blog – 747 Words
To me, pausing a few days in Mogadishu, the dusty city seemed oddly complacent. It closed down every afternoon in the humid East African heat, streets empty by 2 p.m., shops shuttered until dusk, government gone home. This is a tomorrow country; people, said an official, are used to waiting. The bureaucracy reopens at 7 a.m.
Few nations are poorer. There is little industry. Most people live at subsistence level and looking for their gold mine. A startling number of the best minds and skilled hands, you learn, have gone for good to the Arab world for oil money (“black gold”). Read more information about Gold and cash from ideapractices.org. At 7 a. m. in front of the passport office the usual long line of applicants will be waiting. You wonder if Somalia doesn’t die a bit more each day.
A few months before his death, I strolled at nightfall along the esplanade with the scholar Musa Galal. The Indian Ocean sent a sweet breeze, and the Southern Cross brightened overhead. Here it blesses a Muslim land.
Top tweets
@UNPOSomalia #Somalia‘s new Chief of Defence, Gen. Aden Dahir Elmi at this week’s #MTWG with #UNPOS and partners @UN @UN_DPA pic.twitter.com/s4Nt6f6Kc8.
@OCHASom #Somalis continue to return home, mainly from #Kenya and #Ethiopia, says UNHCR. 12,000 so far http://j.mp/YaT2b4 @UNHCRSomalia #Somalia.
@SomaliInterior “My country #Somalia hosted 1 of the historic changes so far, we need your help as brothers, we want build a new #Peace #Somalia again”.
@philippesibelly #Mogadishu nightlife. Splendid video of #Somalia‘s rebirth. Love this! http://vimeo.com/61718073 HT @gathara +1
@ActForSomalia Amin Amir @aminarts1 is a genius among us.His drawing of Somalis is very authentic&His timing is perfect. #Somalia pic.twitter.com/FqljF8Py5F.
@OCHASom GOOD NEWS from #Somalia: 9% decline in malnutrition over the last 6 months, but the situation remains fragile http://bit.ly/12RE66n.
Image of the day
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara, Turkey on March 14, 2013. @MFATurkey.