July 8, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

President’s plane makes emergency landing moments after take-off in Mogadishu airport

08 Jul – Source: Radio Shabelle/Risaala/Radio Mogadishu/Kulmiye/Mustaqbal – 213 Words

A plane carrying Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urgently landed at Mogadishu’s Adan Adde International airport moments after took off due to what the pilots described as mechanical problem. The president and his delegation was heading to South Sudan when the plane developed mechanical problem mid air, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.

“Our plane made emergency landing at the airport, because the pilot informed us that one of the engines was not functioning properly and they shut down the engine” Abdirahman Omar Osman, Presidential Press Secretary told reporters at the airport.

“The president and the rest of the delegation are safe and we will continue with our trip to South Sudan where the president will meet his counterpart, the president of South Sudan and will attend the second anniversary of the South Sudan’s independence from Sudan” he added.

Key Headlines

President’s plane makes emergency landing moments after take-off in Mogadishu airport (Radio Shabelle/Risaala/Radio Mogadishu/Kulmiye/Mustaqbal)
UNSC urges global support for Somalia; Pakistan pledges to be ‘steadfast partner’ (Bar-kulan)
Air Uganda makes inaugural flight to Mogadishu (AMISOM)
Al Shabaab official ‘in talks’ with Somali government (Garowe Online)
Armed men kill Somali reporter in Galkayo (Raxanreeb/Qalin News/Bar-kulan/Radio Galkayo)
Two years later families await soldiers’ release (Daily Nation)
Somali American caught up in a shadowy Pentagon counter-propaganda campaign (Washington Post)
Al Shabaab killed 3 persons in Lower Shabelle region (Radio Mustaqbal)

PRESS RELEASE

Air Uganda makes inaugural flight to Mogadishu

08 Jul – Source: AMISOM – 472 Words

The wheels of an inaugural Air Uganda flight touched down in Somalia today (July 8) at about 8 a.m. local time. The maiden voyage from Kampala to Mogadishu this morning, makes Uganda’s premier airline the latest carrier to invest in Somalia’s economic recovery, with the three weekly flights it has announced. African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) firefighters – stationed at the Aden Abdulle International Airport – welcomed the jet with the symbolic ‘water cannon salute’ they give to all airlines on their maiden voyage to Mogadishu.

Aden Abdulle International Airport, located in the seaside capital, is recording a sharp increase in travellers and air traffic, thanks to the relative calm that has returned to the city and other parts of the country, over the last two years. Extremist group al Shabaab has been forced out of most urban areas in sustained operations by the Somali National Army (SNA) with the support of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

During Somalia’s conflict years, the only aircraft that braved its airspace were hired by daring businessmen to bring in khat – a plant grown in neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia that has a stimulating effect when chewed. Somalia’s Minister of Information recently announced that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had removed the airport from the ‘Zone 5’ list of airports ‘deemed to pose a security risk to aircraft, crew and passengers’.

Air Uganda’s managers say they’re targeting Somali travellers, government officials, military personnel and a growing number of entrepreneurs from around the region who are keen on seeking opportunities in the country, after two decades of war. The Deputy Ugandan Ambassador to Somalia, Nathan Mugisha, was onboard the flight.

“After sweating, after shedding blood and then followed by this, it’s an illustration that there is peace, and peace is going to be maintained, and this is going to reduce time for Somalis and the Ugandans who want to come here and this will help to cement our relationship further, and will promote communication between the people, business, goods and so life will be greatly improved,” he said.

In March last year, international carrier Turkish Airlines began twice-weekly flights between the Turkish capital Ankara and Mogadishu. “This is the second international airline that comes to Mogadishu, the first is Turkish airline, the second African airline is Air Uganda, the others are local airlines. This is a very good day for Mogadishu, it’s very good day for the Mogadishu travellers,” said Mogadishu mayor Mohamed Nur shortly after receiving the landmark flight.

Several private airlines based in East Africa, including Kenya’s African Express and SAX, as well as Somali-owned private carriers like Jubba Airways and Daallo Airlines, all currently fly into Mogadishu. Flight schedules and regular updates can be found on Aden Abdulle’s website – mogadishuairport.com – which now sports a banner promoting the 600 US dollar Air Uganda flights.

SOMALI MEDIA

President’s plane makes emergency landing moments after take-off in Mogadishu airport

08 Jul – Source: Radio Shabelle/Risaala/Radio Mogadishu/Kulmiye/Mustaqbal – 213 Words

UNSC urges global support for Somalia; Pakistan pledges to be ‘steadfast partner’

08 Jul – Source: Bar-kulan – 164 words

The UN Security Council has called on the international community to support Somalia in the process to establish long-term stability, while recognizing recent progress in the northeastern African country.

In a statement unanimously adopted on Thursday, the 15-member body underlined the importance of global support to the Somali government in building professional, accountable and capable security forces as part of a comprehensive approach to security sector reform, including reform of the justice sector, human rights and establishing the rule of law.

At the same time, the Security Council statement warned that al-Shabaab extremists still pose a threat to peace in Somalia. In the course of a debate which preceded the adoption of the presidential statement, Pakistan U.N.

Ambassador Masood Khan had drawn the council’s attention to al-Shabaab’s threat. “The most serious of all challenges is security and stability of Somalia, which is threatened by a defiant and recalcitrant Al-Shabab and other militant outfits,” he said. “Somalia cannot overcome these problems on its own.

Al Shabaab official ‘in talks’ with Somali government

07 Jul – Source: Radio Garowe – 211 Words

Governor Tall also stated that Muktar Robow Abu Mansur, a senior member of al Shabaab, had “contacted” Somali government officials in Bakool region. Governor Tall said Abu Mansur is currently in El Barde area of Bakool and that he is “in talks” with government officials.

“We have agreed to fight al Shabaab led by Ahmed Abdi Godane,” said Governor Tall. Abu Mansur, along with senior al Shabaab members including Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys who is now inside a government jail in Mogadishu, escaped Barawe coastal town of Lower Shabelle region last month after Godane sent death squads to kill them.

Governor Tall declined to mention whether or not Abu Mansur will join Somali government forces in Bakool region to fight al Shabaab militants in the region Somali government in Mogadishu has not yet publicly responded to Governor Tall’s claims of talks with al Shabaab official Abu Mansur.

Robow and other senior al Shabaab leaders, including Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys who was recently jailed in Mogadishu, have been involved in an escalating internal power struggle with Godane. Last month, fighters loyal to Godane attacked members of a rival al-Shabaab faction in Barawe, Following the battle that left a number of militants dead on either side, Godane loyalists reportedly executed al Shabaab co-founder Ibrahim al Afghani.

Armed men kill Somali reporter in Galkayo

07 Jul – Source: Raxanreeb/Qalin News/Bar-kulan/Radio Galkayo – 220 Words

Reports from Galkayo town in central Somalia confirmed that gunmen killed Sunday evening TV reporter Liban Abdulahi Farah aka Liban Qaran who was working for Kalsan TV channel as well as SBC radio. Witnesses confirmed that the reporter was on call arguing with the potential killers before they started shooting him.

“The reporter was shouting, telling someone on his phone that he will die only when his time comes” said Ismail Nur Maslah, who witnessed the killing. “He was coming from the northern side of the city where Puntland administration rules and heading to the southern part of the city, which Galmudug administration controls, and he was killed in Garsor area” he added.

Witnesses say that the two men armed with pistols shot the report at least 5 times and left him dead. Kalsan TV confirmed the killing of their reporter but were not ready for more comments. The Galmudug administration police surrounded the area and started searching the killers who escaped the place after the killing. Bystanders rushed the reporter to a hospital operated by Medecins Sans Frontiers-MSF, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival, medical officials confirmed.

The National Union of Somali Journalists condemned the brutal killing and called for urgent investigation to be carried out. Liban becomes 5th Somali Journalists killed this year in Somalia, and the third assassinated, while 18 journalists were killed in Somalia last year. No one was prosecuted yet for the targeting of the journalists in Somalia.

7 Killed in Bakool clashes

07 Jul – Source: Garowe/Radio Kulmiye – 132 Words

At least seven persons were killed on Friday in Bakool region of southern Somalia in battles between Somali government forces and al Shabaab militants. Bakool Governor Mohamed Abdi Tall told local media that Somali government forces launched the attack on a location controlled by al Shabaab, between Huddur and Wajid districts of Bakool region.

“The fighting lasted for two hours and 3 al Shabaab members were killed,” said Governor Tall, while adding that there were “casualties on our side”.

Witnesses reported on Somali media that they saw seven dead bodies belonging to the fighting sides, and that Somali government forces were in control of the area. An al Shabaab spokesman on Mogadishu media confirmed the fighting on Friday, saying that al Shabaab had “repulsed” an attack by government forces.

Ras Kamboni leader seeks Puntland support

07 Jul – Source: Radio Shabelle – 126 words

Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Ahmed Madobe), teh president of the newly inaugurated Jubaland administration flew to Garowe, the capital of Puntland state to increase their campaign in efforts to recognize the newly established region.

Ahmed Madobe who attended the Burial of a tradition Somali king in Garowe also requested the Puntland president to support his new administration.

Ahmed Madobe urged and welcomed the opposing side to come to the table and discuss their differences with his administration to pave way for a federal state that is nationally recognized by the federal government and other states in Somalia.

Al Shabaab killed 3 persons in Lower Shabelle region

07 Jul – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 138 words

Al Shabaab, the anti-government element in Somalia has killed 3 persons in Lower Shabelle region in Southern of Somalia. The governor of Lower Shabelle region for al Shabaab Sheik Mohamed Abu Abdalla told pro-al Shabaab media that they have killed 3 teenagers whom they accused of spying for the enemy, the federal government of Somalia and AMISOM. Abu Adala said the 3 teenagers were seized by their forces, adding that spies 7 other persons, whom they accused of espionage were on the run.

Somaliland’s UCID Leader Warns Mogadishu that Agreement in Turkey will not be Honoured

06 Jul – Source: Somaliland Sun – 516 Words

The leader of Somaliland’s opposition party of UCID Eng. Feisal Ali Warabe is hotly contesting exclusion from the Somaliland team to negotiations with Somalia. In an overtly treasonable interview with the Mogadishu owned Universal TV channel the UCID boss informed the Somalia government that the negotiators send by Hargeisa lacked public support thus any agreements made during forthcoming talks with the Mogadishu authorities in Turkey will not be honoured.

“I am informing Somalia that since am not a member of the team send from Hargeisa it is of low calibre thus cannot represent the country in important matters” Said Eng. Warabe. The UCID party boss who has been a member of the three earlier somaliland-Somalia talk’s team (Chevening house, Dubai & Ankara) predicated that the talks will spend the three days of talking in dinner meetings thus conclude with nought results.

“How can state affairs be conducted in my absence” wondered the Engineer. The talk’s team that is already in Turkey for meetings with their Somalia counterparts is led by the Minister of Commerce and international Investment Dr Mohamed Abdilahi Omar who despite change from the foreign ministry still retains his position as chief negotiator with Somalia.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Two years later, families await soldiers’ release

07 Jul – Source: Daily Nation – 641 Words

Even after nearly two years of waiting and undergoing unprecedented anguish and gloom, two families whose loved ones were abducted by al Shabaab insurgents are not about to give up hope for their return.

Two Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers — Sergeant Jonathan Kipkosgei Kangogo and Corporal Evans Mutoro — were taken away on July 24, 2011 while delivering food to famine-stricken families in a border town in North Eastern province. Two weeks after the abductions, KDF troops entered Somalia to battle al Shabaab militants.

Although details of the events leading to the capture of Sergeant Kangogo and Corporal Mutoro are scarce, it is believed the truck they were travelling in came under gunfire from the militants after they defied an order to stop. For the families of the two officers, it has been two years of agony, pain and psychological trauma as they anxiously wait for their release.

Kenya Police arrest 12 aliens in Msambweni, Kwale county

07 Jul – Source: Star News – 102 words

Police in Kwale County have arrested 12 aliens at Kwaks bar and restaurant ,Milalani -Msambweni Constituency. Kwale county commander Kennedy Kimani said the twelve aliens are Ethiopians and a Somalia citizen. Police say the Ethiopians, who had fake Kenyan IDs, were trafficked into the country by the Somalia national who had a South African passport.

“We are yet to ascertain whether they are wanted people and their intention in the country , since they had fake travel documents,”said Kennedy. Police were tipped-off by members of the public who said the men were acting suspiciously.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali American caught up in a shadowy Pentagon counter-propaganda campaign

08 Jul – Source: Washington Post – 2275 Words

Two days after he became a U.S. citizen, Abdiwali Warsame embraced the First Amendment by creating a raucous Web site about his native Somalia. Packed with news and controversial opinions, it rapidly became a magnet for Somalis dispersed around the world, including tens of thousands in Minnesota.

The popularity of the site, Somalimidnimo.com, or United Somalia, also attracted the attention of the Defense Department. A military contractor, working for U.S. Special Operations forces to “counter nefarious influences” in Africa, began monitoring the Web site and compiled a confidential research dossier about its founder and its content.

In a May 2012 report, the contractor, the Northern Virginia-based Navanti Group, branded the Web site “extremist” and asserted that its “chief goal is to disseminate propaganda supportive” of al Shabaab, an Islamist militia in Somalia that the U.S. government considers a terrorist group. The contractor then delivered a copy of its dossier — including Warsame’s Minnesota home address and phone number — to the FBI. A few days later, federal agents knocked on the webmaster’s door.

Although he did not know it, Warsame had been caught up in a shadowy Defense Department counterpropaganda operation, according to public records and interviews.

Journalist killed in Somalia

08 Jul – Source: eNCA/SAPA – 283 Words

A Somali journalist was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Sunday, the fifth media worker to be killed in the conflict-ridden country this year, a colleague and witnesses said.

Liban Abdulahi Farah, also known as Liban Qaran, worked for the newly launched Kalsan satellite television station. He was attacked on his way home in the central town of Galkayo, on the border between the semi-autonomous region of Puntland and the region of Galmudug.

“We are really devastated with the information about the death of Liban Qaran,” said his colleague Abdukadir Ahmed. “Four armed men opened fire and killed him,” he added. Mohamed Gelle, a witness, said the victim died instantly. “They shot him several times in the upper part of his body,” he said. “The killers escaped the scene.”

Somalia is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, with at least 18 media workers killed last year. The murder of Liban Qaran follows the deaths of at least four other reporters in shootings or attacks since January, all of them in the capital.

Al Shabaab comments on Morsi ousting

06 Jul – Source: eNCA – 02.52 mins

The ousting of Egypt’s Mohammed Morsi has received thought provoking comments from Somalia’s radical insurgents. The al Shabaab said the civil unrest in Egypt showed that power only comes through force, not through democracy.

They expressed themselves via twitter. “It’s time to remove those rose-tinted spectacles and see the world as accurately as it is, change comes by the bullet alone; NOT the ballot,” read the post.

Elected Islamist president Morsi was ousted by the army this week. Egypt is but one example of a former African dictatorship where democratic rule has failed. While economies may seemingly benefit from autocratic rule in the short-term, political analysts warn that the longer-term benefits of democracy far outweigh the legacies of dictatorial rule.

Pirate-Held MV Albedo is Sinking, Extreme Situation

08 Jul – Source: Oceanuslive/Neptune Maritime – 655 Words

The depth of the bow and stern is further depressed and increasingly raising concerns. The pump cannot cope and increasingly more water is embarked. The submersion is irreversible, it’s just a matter of days.” In an abandoned part of the hot airport of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, Delgado commander gives the last part on the status of MV Albedo, Malaysian a container ship hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2010 when adrift.

There is no solution for this freighter, anchored 2.2 miles (4 kilometers) off Grisby pirate base in northeastern Somalia, in the longest known hijack/kidnapping. The other vessel still retained is the fishing vessel, Naham III, Oman flag, whose fate is linked to Albedo, as both are engaged by a rope tying them together.

A total of 54 hostages Vietnamese, Bengali, Chinese, Indonesians, Filipinos, Indians, Iranians and Sri Lankans, who have seen their tedious wait for ransom, could see another not so happy ending. In that group, seven Pakistanis, who were released last year after payment of $ 1.1 million, reported on the torture and brutality they received during their captivity.

They, at least, saw the light. But for their fellow seafarers on Naham III and Albedo the die is cast. “We have been warning for several days in 24 hours”, recognizes the Sergeant Lopez, who runs the aircraft’s radar of the P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft that Spain brings to Operation Atalanta against piracy.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Khat is believed by many to be one of the biggest barriers to integration for Somali community, if not the biggest. In the late 1990s, a report jointly commissioned by Ealing Council and Metropolitan Police has concluded that Somali youth were not only unemployed but unemployable due to their heavy dependency on Khat.”

Khat and its Catastrophic Impact on Somali Community

07 Jul – Source: Wardheer News – 1502 Words

Khat, or Qaad in Somali, is a green-leafed shrub that has been chewed for centuries by people who live in the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula, particularly Somalia and Yemen. It has recently turned up in Europe, including the UK, particularly among emigrants and refugees from the aforementioned countries as well as Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Khat consumption – which is traditionally chewed by male adults though women have lately been picking up this destructive habit in greater numbers – goes back to thousands of years as a social custom. Nowadays, Khat is being chewed almost everywhere a Somali, or a Yemeni can be found, even in countries where its use is punishable by fine or imprisonment such as the US and Canada. If you think Khat is consumed by Somalis and Yemenis, think again.

The ancient Egyptians are believed to have used Khat and even considered it a divine food which was capable of releasing divinity i.e. making its user a god-like. Nobody knows for certainty the exact origin of Khat, but it is believed Harar, the medieval city of Ethiopia, which borders the Somali-inhabited region of Ethiopia, is the birthplace of this plant.

Khat (Catha Edulis) is a stimulant drug with effects similar to amphetamine, a banned substance in most countries, including the UK. Chewing Khat makes people more alert, talkative and suppresses the appetite, though users describe an ensuing calming effect (mirqaan in Somali) when used over a few hours.

“Somaliland’s obsession with mere recognition has distracted the people from the overriding issues: to ask the government of efficient management of public funds and the foreign aid which might improve the ever deteriorating situation.”

Somaliland: With or Without Recognition; The Time to Rethink

07 Jul – Source: Somaliland Press – 1193 Words

Somaliland born June 26, 1969 and tragically died following the poor vision of those who bloodlessly met the independence “easy comes easy goes” but reborn at the high price in May 18, 1991. Many present generations, however; are confused of what kind of flag, Somaliland political amateurs at the time of independence had hoisted in Hargeisa in National Liberation Garden? If the blue banner, the Somalia’s current flag, why they did so?

Haji Ibrahim who led a bunch of sycophants, mainly, drivers and other ignorant, to Mogadishu startlingly admitted when asked what went wrong with them during the unification of the two colonial-left-behind administrations, why he did not write legal note that guide exit if political crisis arises between the two. His answer to foreign journalist interview is this “there was so much stupidity from our side”.

But whether we learnt anything of that “stupidity” or if today’s Somaliland incumbent politicians are smarter or more foolish than their ancestors or a simply a chip off the old block remains to be seen? or whether Somaliland leadership would stick to the same political approach ” people chose unity in the sixty and then we, the political class, naively rushed to Mogadishu, but now people chose, based on the past atrocities, to stay out of Somalia, then, we followed them and accepted their dictation” but what about if Somaliland people choose to join to Yemen, a nation off radar, will they accept it?

“Rather than face court and conviction, some would argue that Aweys could be an effective voice in denouncing al Shabaab and discouraging youth from joining the group. However, even though Aweys disliked his marginal role in al Shabaab and some of the group’s tactics, Aweys has given no indication that he is willing to renounce his extreme views or support the government.”

Sheikh Aweys, al Shabaab, and the Prisoner’s Dilemma in Somalia

05 Jul – Source: Somalia Newsroom – 860 Words

Amid violent infighting between forces loyal to al Shabaab top leader Ahmed Abdi Godane and dissenting leaders, media reports and security analysts were quick to pose Aweys’s negotiated surrender to central Somalia’s Ximan & Xeeb administration as a big victory for the Somali Federal Government (SFG) and a blow to al-Shabaab. However, a closer look reveals the implications are not that simple.

First, the mere act of hosting Aweys was not without its drawbacks. Central Somalia’s Ximan & Xeeb administration, which is dominated by the Hawiye-Habar Gadir-Saleeban clan, wanted to get Aweys out of their hands as soon as possible as to avoid making the region the site of conflict between Aweys’s enemies (ASWJ, Ethiopia, al-Shabaab) or allies (Habar Gadir-Ayr elders and militiamen). While it was reported that Aweys was seeking asylum in Qatar (or Norway/Turkey), Ximan & Xeeb negotiated with the SFG to finally transport Aweys to Mogadishu.

Aweys might not have brought any carry-on luggage on his chartered plane, but the SFG has been burdened with heavy baggage upon Aweys’s landing. Habar Gadir elders who thought they had secured Aweys safe passage received various injuries when they fought Somali security forces who whisked Aweys to prison away upon arrival.

“This could be well coordinated message from the group to send message that they can reach Somali president if they wish so, though many others may believe coincident.”

Somalia: Al Shabaab twitter handle master is in Mogadishu airport

08 Jul – Source: Camel Talk Blog – 225 Words

Al Shabaab terrorist group, alleged twitter handle operator has claimed to be in Mogadishu airport, tweeting about fire caught on plane carrying Somali president, Monday morning. “For those interested, a plane carrying the apostate Somali president to Nairobi was forced to return after a fire broke out in mid-flight,” he tweeted.

Al Shabaab twitter handle operator was not known his/her exact location before today. He said the plane took off from Aden Adde airport at 9:00 in the morning heading to neighbouring country Kenya.

“I can still see the plane on the runway as a group of ill-equipped firefighters try to douse the flames. Next time it would a missile!” another tweet read. President Hassan escaped the fire and he is due to hold press conference, which appears that al Shabaab twitter would participate.“The apostate president had a lucky escape and is to hold a press conference shortly. He was struck close by invisible soldiers of Allah.”

Top tweets

@Rooble2009 Talks between #Somaliland and #Somaliaresumes in Turkey for the second day. The two delegations are engaged in tough discussions.

@INSInews A fifth journalist was killed in #Somalia yesterday. In this interview, INSI speaks to a journalist about the dangershttp://bit.ly/18IVQQz.

‏@PJvanEggermont Al Shabab tweet on Morsi removal “change comes by the bullet alone; NOT the ballot” #somalia #egypt.

@UNDPSomalia Check out the Somali Peacebuilding site, a community-driven info sharing tool for peacebuilding practices in #Somalia http://www.somalipeacebuilding.org/spb/.

@shephardm With the fate of #Somalia‘s Shabab leader Aweys still uncertain, a look back on my 06’ #Mogadishu interview with him: http://bit.ly/17ZNP9K.

Follow the conversation →

Image of the day

Image of the day An Air Uganda aircraft is sprayed with water by firefighters at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, during an inaugural flight on July 8, 2013. Photo: AMISOM.