August 19, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Security operations underway in Marka town

19 Aug- Source: Radio Shebelle/Bar-kulan-145 Words

Residents in the city of Marka town in southern Somalia say that a joint security operations by Somali and African Union forces is underway in the town.
The security swoop which has been conducted in Abu-Ras neighborhood in Marka district is aimed at removing any security hurdles that may exist in the city as residents in Marka told Bar-kulan. Youths suspected to be in connection with al Shabaab fighters were arrested during the operation, according radio Shabelle.

Confirming the report, Marka district commissioner of the Somali Federal government Mohamed Osman Yirisow said that the security operation is underway as Somali forces and their allies from AMISOM will be moving around carrying out search operations. Series of security operations had been conducted in the southern port city of Marka by the Somali national forces backed by AU peacekeeping troops in Somalia.

Key Headlines

Security operations underway in Marka town(Radio Shabelle/Bar-kulan)
Mogadishu Mayor accuses some politicians of undermining peace(Radio Shabelle)
Federal Govt of Somalia ‘plans to release’ terror chief Aweys(Garowe Online)
Puntland regional administration bans state media from its regions(Radio Dalsan)
SOMALIA: World Humanitarian Day falls exactly two months after attack on UN compound(Raxanreeb)
Traffic lights to be installed at busy intersections in Mogadishu(Somaale)
Somali parliament speaker meets with Somali community and students in Uganda(Radio Mustaqbal)
UAE set to turn the focus on piracy(The National UAE)
Turkey reaffirms commitment to Somalia’s security(Turkish Weekly Journal)

PRESS STATEMENT

UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay on the allegations of rape in AMISOM facility

18 Aug – Source: UNSOM – 168 words

SRSG Nicholas Kay expresses grave concern over allegations of rape at an AMISOM military facility. He welcomes the announcements by the Federal Government of Somalia and by AMISOM of the establishment of an investigation into the allegations.

“It is important that any investigation is rigorous and prompt. I am encouraged by the President of Somalia’s commitment to a zero-tolerance policy” says SRSG Kay. “If there is a case to answer, any perpetrator should be prosecuted and held fully accountable while basic rights are protected”, SRSG Kay added.

Sexual violence in Somalia is one of the most serious and urgent human rights challenges facing the government and people of Somalia. UNSOM continues its mandated activities to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law, especially in the area of sexual violence. UNSOM also promotes access to justice, monitoring and reporting of human rights violations in Somalia.

These endeavours include support to AMISOM troops’ pre-deployment training with induction courses on human rights, International Humanitarian Law and Refugee Law.

SOMALI MEDIA

Security operations underway in Marka town

19 Aug- Source: Radio Shebelle/Bar-kulan-145 Words

Mogadishu Mayor accuses some politicians of undermining peace

19 Aug- Source: Radio Shabelle-129 Words

Mohamud Ahmed Nur Tarsan who is the mayor of Mogadishu has accused some Somali politicians of undermining the relative peace currently enjoyed in Mogadishu. He accused the politicians of spreading propaganda about the situation of Somalia’s capital which is recovering from the devastation caused in the 20 years of civil war.

“You cannot measure the security of Mogadishu based on two hand grenades thrown; we know what happens in the world,” said Mr. Tarsan. The mayor further accused the politicians of financing conflicts aimed at creating chaos in the capital. “They use media stations to divide the Somali public and we shall hold (Media stations) them accountable,” said the mayor. The mayor’s words come at a time when some Somali politicians used the media to criticize the government.

Federal Govt of Somalia ‘plans to release’ terror chief Aweys

19 Aug – Source: Garowe Online – 129 words

The Somali Federal Government in Mogadishu is planning to free top al Shabaab official Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who has been in custody for the past two months according to independent sources, Garowe Online reports.

The source, which is close to Villa Somalia, noted that Sheikh Aweys was temporarily released from an intelligence base in Mogadishu on Saturday night, a first move to be reported since late June when Aweys was detained by the Federal Government.

The source added that a meeting held at a building near Villa Somalia brought together self-proclaimed Hawiye clan elders, Aweys’s close allies, ex-warlords, and government officials including Somali Interior and National Security Minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled, who together discussed the fate of Sheikh Aweys and the methods needed to release him from custody.

Puntland regional administration bans state media from its regions

19 Aug – Source: Radio Dalsan – 11 words

In a letter signed by Puntland’s information minister the regional administration based in Garowe has bannedon Sunday the state media including Somali National TV and Radio Mogadishu from its region. “Until ongoing investigations against SNTV and Radio Mogadishu, we inform the journalists working for SNTV and Radio Mogadishu to stop operating in Puntland regions”. The letter dated on 18 August 2013 said.

The letter which its subject line was “Banning STNV and Radio Mogadishu” was directed to the security minister, Puntland presidency and the region’s new radio directors. Puntland is a semi-autonomous region on the northeastern of the country and was not immediately clear why this region under the Federal Government of Somalia banned the state run media.

SOMALIA: World Humanitarian Day falls exactly two months after attack on UN compound

19 Aug- Source: Raxanreeb-424 Words

World Humanitarian Day is marked each year on 19 August. The United Nations General Assembly designated the day to acknowledge humanitarians’ unwavering dedication and aid workers who lost their lives while working to help people in need. “This year, World Humanitarian Day falls exactly two months after the deadly attack on the United Nations Common Compound in Mogadishu. We remember our colleagues and friends who were killed in that horrific attack. They are all deeply missed,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini.

The humanitarian situation in Somalia has continued to improve gradually since the famine in 2011, largely due to the delivery of assistance and consecutive good rains. The gains are fragile, however, and the magnitude of the crisis remains enormous. “Over 2.7 million people are still in need of life-saving assistance and support to build up their livelihoods. We are redoubling efforts to invest in Somalia’s people and communities to break the cycle of crisis and response,” Lazzarini said.

Since the last World Humanitarian Day, 15 national and international aid workers have been killed in Somalia. “Somalia is one of the most difficult and dangerous environments in the world for aid workers. It is Somalia’s civilians who bear the brunt of the conflict. Far too many innocent Somalis suffer, especially women and children,” Lazzarini said.

Vaccination campaign begins in Jowhar

18 Aug – Source: Bar-kulan/SNTV – 99 words

A large scale health drive to vaccinate children against polio started in Jowhar town, capital of Middle Shabelle in southern Somalia on Sunday after cases of polio outbreak was seen in the area.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the vaccination campaign, Jowhar district commissioner of the Somali Federal government Mohamed Hajji Abdulle Aqil has urged parents to take their children to the vaccination centers.

Mr Mohamed called on health institutions and the public to work together on preventing polio and other dangerous diseases. Polio is a virulent that is mainly transmitted through contaminated water, food or human waste.

Traffic lights to be installed at busy intersections in Mogadishu

19 Aug- Source: Somaale-452 Words

Traffic lights are coming to Mogadishu for the first time in more than 20 years. The Somali capital currently has no traffic lights at all, but the municipal government plans to start installing solar-powered ones at 54 intersections in October. For the time being, police officers have to direct cars and other vehicles at busy street crossings.

“We hope that once we install them at the intersections of Mogadishu, drivers will adhere [to traffic rules] and orders issued by traffic police,” Benadir administration spokesman Mohamed Yusuf.

Installation of the Chinese-made lights will take three months, Yusuf said. The first signals will go up at Mogadishu’s busiest intersections: Kilometre 4, Kilometre 5, Sayidka, and Jubba. The project will create jobs for 100 young people who will be tasked with installing the signals, Yusuf said. Drivers who do not know the traffic code will receive special training on how to negotiate through the green, red or amber lights so they obey the law, Yusuf said.

“In conjunction with the road safety police, we will conduct an awareness campaign to help drivers, who learned how to drive during the chaotic years [after the civil war], understand how to follow the directions of the light,” Yusuf said. Lights will improve city driving.

Somaliland: Fire razes down ship in Berbera port

18 Aug – Source: Somaliland Informer – 105 words

A Syrian ship that was to carry livestock burned to ashes on Sunday morning on the outskirts of port o Berbera town in the Republic o Somaliland.It was reported that the ship docked the port before it caught the fire. Firefighters and port authorities failed to extinguish the fire which eventually burned to ashes.

The source of the fire was reported to have originated from the pasture intended to feed the livestock. There are no independent reports from the ship that caught fire. The livestock that the ship was about to carry was owned by local group company named Indho Deero.

Al Shabaab calls on Mogadishu residents to fight against government and AMISOM

17 Aug – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 106 words

The general spokesman of al Shabaab Ali Mohamud Rage Known as (Ali Dhere) speaking to pro-group radio has called on Mogadishu residents to fight against the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and The federal government of Somalia.

The spokesman called on the people in Mogadishu to carry out suicide blasts and face-to-face attacks to the bases of AMISOM in Mogadishu in order to revenge for atrocities committed by AMISOM soldier in Mogadishu. He also encouraged the youth in Mogadishu to prepare themselves for suicide explosions targeting AMISOM bases in the capital.

Somaliland Journalist Association (SOLJA)laud’s President Silanyo Intervention

18 Aug – Source: Somaliland Press – 141 words

Somaliland Journalist Association has on behalf of all those in the media fraternity welcome the decision by President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud to intervene and pardon in a case involving the owner of the Hubaal Media Group and Hubaal newspapers after a local court suspended the newpaper and convicting both the manager and editor of the independent daily Hubaal for alleged defamation charges.

On the 3rd of July, 2013 Hubaal‘s editor, Hussein Hassan Abdullahi, received two years, while the paper’s manager, Mohamed Ahmed Jama (Caloolay), was sentenced to one year in jail on charges of defamation and false publication of news capable of disturbing public order, the court also issued a fine of 2,000,000 Somaliland shillings (US$300) to Hussein the Editor and 1,000,000 shillings (US$150) to Mohamed the chief editor and owner of Hubaal Media Group.

Somali parliament speaker meets with Somali community and students in Uganda

17 Aug – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 134 words

The Speaker of Federal Parliament of Somalia Mohamed Osman Jawari and his delegates have met Somali Community and Students in Kampala, the capital of Uganda . The meeting has taken place at the hall conference of Hotel Africa in Kampala.

Members of Somali community expressed warm welcome to the speaker of Somali Parliament for their visit in Uganda and sharing information with them in the meeting and known their condition of life.

After the remarks by members of Somali community, some Somali students who are studying in Kampala were given a chance to ask questions and suggest advises to the speaker of Somali parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari.

Somaliland’s International Book Fair commences in Hargeisa

17 Aug – Source: Somaliland Informer – 121 words

The sixth annual Hargeisa International Book Fair kicked off in the main venue of the working men’s club in central Hargeisa on Friday. Somaliland’s Minister for presidential affairs Hirsi Haji Ali Hassan, UCID opposition Chairman, Faisal Ali Warabe, Chairman of Good Governance and Anti Corruption Commission’s Ahmed Muhumed Madar, British ambassador to Somalia and Somaliland Neil Wigan, renowned poets, scholars and other guests attended the event.

Jama Muse Jama, the brainchild made the opening remarks at the kick off and said that many writers across the world attended this year’s annual event and added that the theme is Immigration. British ambassador to Somalia and Somaliland Neil Wigan has hailed the annual International Book Fair to kick off which promotes community awareness.

REGIONAL MEDIA

UAE set to turn the focus on piracy

19 Aug- Source: The National (UAE)-1257 Words

Piracy costs the shipping industry about US$18 billion a year, according to a report by the World Bank. It was the seizing of a Greek ship called Irene in 2009, off the coast of Somalia, that alerted the world to the escalating piracy problem in east Africa. The ship was carrying 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti oil bound for the United States – equivalent to a fifth of the country’s daily oil imports – and was attacked off the coast of Somalia, astonishing the shipping industry.

Today, the UAE is at the forefront of tackling the scourge of piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. The Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dubai’s global ports operator DP World and the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) on Wednesday announced they would co-convene the third international counter-piracy conference in Dubai on September 11 and 12. At this year’s conference Captain Juwaid Saleem, a former captive of pirates in Somalia, and his family will relate their experiences.

Capt Saleem and his Pakistani crew were aboard their ship Albedo when they were hijacked by Somali pirates as they sailed towards Kenya in November 2010. “The pirate boat came somewhere around this area … they had their own ladder, a steel kind of ladder,” Capt Saleem told Voice of America, the US state broadcaster. Overpowered by armed pirates, Capt Saleem surrendered.

Ray of hope as security improves in Garissa

17 Aug- Source: The Standard Media-484 Words

Business has resumed in Garissa County after improved security situation, following the coming in of the new county government. Garissa County Governor Nathif Jama in an interview with The Standard on Sunday said normalcy has returned and the town has gone back to 24-hour business, giving hope for development activities.

“A period of relative calm has given residents hope for a bright future, and we hope we will continuously improve our security and regain our previous glory where it was touted by an Interpol report as one of the safest towns in East and Central Africa,” said Mr Nathif. The Governor says the county government is preparing to hold an investors’ forum in the next few weeks.

“Our administration is prepared to deliver on its development agenda and to effectively deal with matters pertaining to security so that the residents can reap the fruits of devolution,” said Nathif adding that the county administration has great ambitions for development but this will not be possible without peace and security. “My administration will work closely with national government organs and dedicate efforts towards preventive and pro-active security measures to guarantee the safety and well-being of the people,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Turkey reaffirms commitment to Somalia’s security

19 Aug- Source: Turkish Weekly Journal-608 Words

Despite a recent bomb attack on the Turkish mission in Somalia by the al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist organisation al-Shabaab, Turkey is committed to helping stabilise and build institutions in war-ravaged African nation by helping train police and intelligence forces.

The agreement between the two countries to establish co-operation mechanisms in security force training was signed in May 2010 and was approved by Turkish Parliament last November.

“This co-operation is very important for Somalia. After 20 years of instability, such a proposal from a big country like Turkey is appreciated by the Somali people,” the Somali ambassador to Ankara, Mohamed Sheikh Abdirahman, recently told Today’s Zaman.

Amanda Lindhout book reveals Somalia captivity despair

19 Aug – Source: Toronto Star – 201 words

After about a year of being starved, beaten and sexually brutalized, Amanda Lindhout decided it was time to kill herself. The Alberta woman, taken hostage in Somalia in August 2008, says she reached her breaking point after spending three days trussed up like an animal, her hands and feet pulled so tightly behind her back that she could barely breathe.

When her captors did untie her, they told her it was only a reprieve. They promised to use the same torture technique on her again each day until they got their ransom money. Left alone, Lindhout resolved she was better off dead. She would take a rusty razor to her wrists.

But as she held the blade in her hand, a small brown bird flew into the doorway of the room where she was being held. It hopped on the dirty floor, looked at her and flew away. It was the first bird she’d seen since shortly after she was taken. “I’d always believed in signs … and now, when it most mattered, I’d had one,” she writes. “I would live and go home. It didn’t matter what came next or what I had to endure. I would make it through.”

Despair as Somalia eyes future without MSF

17 Aug- Source: IOL/ Sapa/dpa-617 Words

Maryan Muse sits with her four children in front of the closed doors of the Jaziira medical facility in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, tearful and discouraged.
“Who will now help my family?” the single mother asks, throwing up her hands as she contemplates a future without the assistance of medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Like thousands of other Somali families, Muse and her children have been relying on the free health care services provided by MSF. A public health system is as good as non-existent in the war-torn East African nation. But on August 14, MSF closed all its operations, citing recurring attacks on its staff, including murders and kidnappings. In the 22 years the charity has been working in Somalia, 16 staff members have been killed by armed groups.
“The closure of our activities is a direct result of extreme attacks on our staff,” explained MSF President Unni Karunakara.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Aid groups are leaving because of violent attacks. But the biggest problem is that the West is undermining any progress.”

Somalia on the Brink

16 Aug- Source: Daily Beast-1139 Words

Despite the news that Doctors Without Borders is quitting Somalia after 20-plus years in the country, due to an increase in violent attacks, the biggest war waged in Somalia right now is not between the rebel group al Shabaab, the fledging government of Somalia, and the African Union’s military mission. It is the war between the Western world and the Somali people.

This may be hard to imagine but it is true. Last week, during meetings in Mogadishu, it became painfully apparent that the real victims in the “war on terrorism”—and specifically how the West is choosing to combat it on the Horn of Africa—are the Somali people. After meeting with the prime minister, the ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Interior and National Security, and Natural Resources, members of Parliament, the speaker of the Parliament, and civil society leaders, the path toward rebuilding Somalia became clear.

As the recently installed Somali executive and parliamentary branches of government are scrambling to prove their mettle to a very skeptical populace, what the West is doing is actively undermining potential for this poor country’s political, economic, and social progress. If Western actors—whether in the U.S., the EU, or elsewhere—care about the future stability of Somalia, they had better change their approach, and fast.

“Doctors Without Borders has played an integral part in Somalia’s child health care system for more than 20 years. In the wake of the international NGO’s decision withdraw from the country this week, other NGOs are scrambling to come up with a plan to fill in the gaps.”

Doctors Without Borders pullout: What will become of Somalia’s children?

16 Aug- Source: Global Post-920 Words

Doctors Without Borders’ decision to pull out of Somalia this week after 22 years of medical humanitarian work is sobering news for hundreds of thousands of Somalis who relied on the NGO for healthcare, but it could be particularly troubling for children.

The international group, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is withdrawing from the country in response to repeated violent attacks on staff members. It’s too soon to predict exactly how the move will affect children in Somalia, but the sheer volume of child-centered programs that MSF is shutting down leaves little doubt that they will suffer.

MSF runs the capital city’s only pediatric hospital, where — until this week — doctors operated a general ward, an inpatient feeding program and isolation units for measles and acute watery diarrhea. In addition to providing mobile healthcare, the NGO supported a maternity hospital in Jowhar and offered mother and child heath care, including nutrition and vaccinations, in a number of clinics across the country. In 2012 alone, MSF cared for 31,000 children, administered 60,000 vaccines and delivered 10,300 babies.

Only Dialogue Will End Africa’s Political Woes

19 Aug- Source: Tanzania Daily News-1531 Words

THERE is some truth in the saying that Africa is being manipulated into chaos by some developed country for the good of that foreign state. However, most economic harm, political mayhem and social instability that many African states have suffered have been cause by greed, vanity and lack of patriotism of the leaders of those African states.

Being good orators, these leaders can convincingly defend their despotism with the common but now hackneyed slogan of “The people still love me.” They allege that the superpowers, particularly the western ones, are interfering in their countries to look for market for industrial products of those western powers. Moreover, the foreign state has plan to plant stooges who will “lick the boots” of their masters.

African dictators say they have clung to power to protect their people from exploitation by some colonial regime. Defending their rule for generations and generation, they say without them, their state will be turned into some milk cow of the industrialised world. But the basic truth lies somewhere else and we may launch our search for that truth by looking at some African countries which have for decades remained plunged in deep political turmoil of heavy bloodshed. Take, for instance, Somalia.

Top tweets

@OCHASom @UNLazzarini: #Somalia’s civilians bear the brunt of the conflict. Too many innocent Somalis suffer, especially women and children #WHD2013

@DrMaryanQasim Today, the Ministry and Private Education Umbrellas celebrate the unification of secondary education syllabus in South & Central #Somalia.

‏@gcmcSomalia #Somalia World: World Humanitarian Day: the European Union’s support for humanitarian workhttp://bit.ly/16BHcww #crisismanagement

@tika_english1 Deputy PM @bybekirbozdag : #Turkey is in#Somalia only for #humane and #conscientious reasons

‏@Somaale More Than 54 traffic lights to be installed at busy#intersections in #Mogadishu #Somalia http://fb.me/3d6fspGA4

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Image of the day

Image of the day The press conference on Turkey’s aid to Somalia chaired by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ. Today is the second anniversary of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Mogadishu. Photo: @tika_english1