October 30, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali government says slain terrorist was danger to Somalia
30 Oct – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Kulmiye/Somali Current – 101 words
Somali Federal Government has welcomed Monday’s drone strike that killed top al Shabaab commander in the southern town of Jilib in Middle Jubba region. Ibrahim Ali Abdi, explosives specialist and Warsame Balle, a top commander were killed, in a suspected US drone strike, while on their way to remote village in the area to solve clan dispute.
Somalia cabinet Spokesman Ridwan Haji Abdiwali said that Ibrahim Ali Abdi a.k.a Anta Anta was a danger to Somalia’s fragile peace. “The [drone] operation was a successful and step taken towards the country’s peace and stability,” Ridwan said.
Key Headlines
- Somali government says slain terrorist was danger to Somalia (Radio Mogadishu/Kulmiye/Somali Current)
- Al Shabaab ambushes on AMISOM convoy in Dhoobley (Radio Shabelle/Radio Risaala/Dhanaan/ Mareeg Online)
- Solar power lights up Garowe IDP camps (Radio Ergo)
- Puntland President concludes training for custodial corps officers (Garowe Online)
- South Africa deports illegal Somalis home (Radio Ergo/Kulmiye)
- Al Shabaab claims US drones killed innocent civilians in Southern Somalia (Radio Mustaqbal)
- 40 UPDF officers face trial over theft (Daily Monitor)
- Al Shabaab burns car sentence driver to one hundred lashes (Al Shahid)
- Uganda Arrests Somalia Peacekeepers Over Theft (AP/ABC News)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali government says slain terrorist was danger to Somalia
30 Oct – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Kulmiye/Somali Current – 101 words
Somali Federal Government has welcomed Monday’s drone strike that killed top al Shabaab commander in the southern town of Jilib in Middle Jubba region. Ibrahim Ali Abdi, explosives specialist and Warsame Balle, a top commander were killed, in a suspected US drone strike, while on their way to remote village in the area to solve clan dispute.
Somalia cabinet Spokesman Ridwan Haji Abdiwali said that Ibrahim Ali Abdi a.k.a Anta Anta was a danger to Somalia’s fragile peace. “The [drone] operation was a successful and step taken towards the country’s peace and stability,” Ridwan said.
Al Shabaab ambushes on AMISOM convoy in Dhoobley
30 Oct – Source: Radio Shabelle/Radio Risaala/Dhanaan/ Mareeg Online -110 Words
Heavy fighting between al Shabaab and Sierra Leone troops which are part of AU mission in Somalia “AMISOM” broke out in Dhoobley in lower Juba region, reports said.
The fighting erupted after al Qaeda linked al Shabaab militants ambushed a military convoy which was travelling from Somali border town of Dhoobley to Tabda. Al Shabaab and AMISOM forces exchanged heavy and slight weapons including mortar shells during the fighting.
No independent report on casualty figures from the fighting that continued for hours. However, al Shabaab claimed it has killed 7 soldiers in the fighting.
Solar power lights up Garowe IDP camps
29 Oct – Source: Radio Ergo- 191 Words
Solar powered lighting in the Jowle IDP camps on the outskirts of Garowe has been welcomed by families as an improvement in living conditions. Adar Hussein, a mother, said the lighting made her feel safer than ever before in her eight years in the camps. She said it deterred the criminal gangs who had been terrorizing the camps.
“The gangs will not dare to come now because they will be recognized,” Hussein told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. She said the solar lighting saved money as families had been using kerosene lamps and other basic fuels for lighting, which were also fire hazards in the crowded camps.
“We now have sustainable lights that cost no money and our children can now study at nights. And we can even do the same work that we do during the day in the night,” Hussein said.
A medical worker at the mother and child clinic, Fos Omar, said the lighting would cut down the incidences of rape. More than 2,000 displaced families in the Jowle camps benefit from the project, which was implemented by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Puntland President concludes training for custodial corps officers
29 Oct – Source: Garowe Online – 143 words
The President of Somalia’s Puntland government Abdirahman Mohamed Farole Tuesday concluded a three-week long training for 40 custodial corps officers in Puntland capital of Garowe, Garowe Online reports.
During the training session, Puntland custodial corps officers were educated on prisoners treatment, how to apprehend crime perpetrators and insecurity incidents prevention, facilitators from United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNDOC) said. Also in attendance were Justice Minister Abdi Khalif Ajayo and Puntland Custodial Corps Chief Col. Ali Nur.
President Farole who spoke at the closing event held for the trainees stressed the need for effective and well-trained prison guards and thanked the training instructors for providing the officers with good skills and knowledge. “A great change is of key priority and my administration remained committed to construct prisons across Puntland regions so that we can hold prisoners at safe place,” said President Farole.
South Africa deports illegal Somalis home
29 Oct – Source: Radio Ergo/Kulmiye – 229 words
The first undocumented Somali citizen living in South Africa for several years has been sent back to Somalia, after the South African Home Affairs ministry denied his request for asylum. The man, identified only as Yahye, was deported to Mogadishu on Thursday 24 October.
Radio Ergo’s reporter in South Africa said Yahye’s case had been going on for several years and was finally quashed by the Refugee Appeals Board six months ago. Yahye was detained in Lindela centre for illegal immigrants in Johannesburg for three months. Around 10 other Somalis facing deportation remain in the centre, Radio Ergo’s reporter said.
Amir Sheik, the chairman of the Somali Community Board in South Africa, was unhappy with the move, saying there was a perception that Somalia was stable under the new federal government and that South Africa now had no need to offer Somali refugees asylum.
“It is not the right time to deport people back to Somalia. The increasing number of Somalis returning home voluntarily is an excuse for the authority’s belief that Somalia is stable and safe for the deported refugees,” Sheikh said.
Somaliland government urged to release Street Children Home Matron
29 Oct – Source; Somaliland Sun – 122 words
Opposition party UCID spokeswoman, and also the boss of ODHA a local NGO Ms Fatuma Saeed Ibrahim has accused the government for imprisonment of mother Teresa of Somaliland Ms Luul Ali Matan for no reason and asked for her immediate and unconditional release from custody.
Mrs. Luul Ali Matan was arrested on orders from the minister of labour and social services Mrs. Shukri Haji Ismail banadiri.
Mrs. Fadumo criticized the government for her arrest and condemned it for double standards in dealing with woman ” this government was a busy hunting man on the streets, sending crooks to assassinate them now they have turned their attention to house wives who have no power to defend themselves ” the opposition spokes woman said.
Al Shabaab claims US drones killed innocent civilians in South of Somalia
29 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 144 words
The militants of al Shabaab which fights in Somalia has talked about the Monday attack conducted by US drones in South of Somalia. The group published reports on its twitter site in which it said the attack which took place in Jilib district areas targeted innocent and vulnerable communities in areas near, refuting claims saying it killed two of the commanders.
The United States military carried out a missile strike against a top al Shabaab operative in Somalia on Monday, according to Defense Department officials, three weeks after a Navy SEAL raid in another part of the country failed to capture a senior leader of the Somali Islamic militant group.
REGIONAL MEDIA
40 UPDF officers face trial over theft
30 Oct – Source: Daily Monitor – 82 words
The number of UPDF officers accused of selling fuel and food meant for military operations in Somalia has risen from 24 to 40. The increment followed President Museveni’s directive to extend and widen the scope of military intelligence investigations by interviewing foot soldiers to tell their experiences.
Earlier, the investigators were meeting operational commanders who include battalion and platoon commanders but now the investigations have been widened to include foot soldiers that were allegedly spending days without food and water.
Al Shabaab burns car, sentence driver to one hundred lashes
29 Oct – Source: Al Shahid – 157 words
Al Shabaab fighters in middle Shabelle region in southern Somalia on Sunday burnt land rover car after alleging it was transporting Khat to the region from Mogadishu and also sentenced the owner of the car who was driving it to be lashed 100 times, an inhabitant of Adale district confirmed.
The source who requested anonymity for security reasons said, “Al Shabaab fighters in Adale district seized the car when it came from Mogadishu and accused the driver of carrying khat which the group banned in the areas it controls. They arrested the driver and his assistant and they took the car to the suburb of the village. They poured a fuel on it and set on fire”.
He added, “The driver has been sentenced to one hundred lashes in a public place while his assistant will be lashed 50 times”.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Uganda Arrests Somalia Peacekeepers Over Theft
29 Oct – Source: AP/ABC News – 159 words
At least 40 Ugandan soldiers, including an army brigadier who held a position near the top of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, have been recalled from Somalia and arrested as a Ugandan military panel investigates allegations they stole from the mission, Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for Uganda’s military, said Tuesday.
Some allegedly sold guns and ammunition on the black market. Others hoarded gas to sell, trying to avoid using the fuel-guzzling armored vehicles, endangering the lives of many peacekeepers.
Critics have long accused Uganda’s military of entrenched corruption, but the seriousness of the allegations against some Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia underscores the limitations of Ugandan-led African forces as they try to keep al Qaeda-linked rebels at bay in the Somali capital.
“We take these allegations very seriously: that some officers and men were involved in selling food and fuel, logistics for operations,” Ankunda said. “We can’t allow individuals to spoil the bigger mission for the African Union.”
UNESCO chief deplores murder of Somali journalist
29 Oct – Source: UN News Center – 124 words
The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today denounced the murder of Somali television journalist Mohamed Mohamud, who was gunned down in the capital, Mogadishu.
“I deplore the murder of Mohamed Mohamud,” said the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova. “His name joins the long list of Somali media professionals who have paid with their lives to defend the right to information. Such acts must not remain unpunished.”
Mr. Mohamud, 26, was also known as Tima’ade. He worked for Universal TV, a private television channel based in the United Kingdom that serves Somali diaspora. He was shot six times by unknown assailants near his home in the district of Wadajir, on 26 October.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“While political stability and electoral accountability in Somalia are to be welcomed for many reasons, we should not expect that it will solve the piracy problem. The international community needs to help the Somali government to incentivize local elites to deny safe anchorage to pirates, using the stick of law enforcement and the carrot of development money.”
In Somalia, Political Stability Benefits Pirates
29 Oct- Source: Global Observatory Blog-817 Words
Many hail the efforts of the new Somali government to bring greater political stability to Somalia and hope that this will result in a crackdown on illegal activity in general, and piracy in particular. Yet October 2013 saw the resumption of pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean. So why doesn’t statebuilding help solve the issue of piracy?
In my work with Sarah Percy of the University of Western Australia and Federico Varese at Oxford, we found that political stability is a crucial element in the hijack-and-ransom piracy business model. To squeeze the maximum ransom from ship owners, pirates need to keep the ship safe and the crew in reasonable condition for periods of up to three years in territorial waters–effectively in plain sight of the coast.
Ship owners would not pay up if rival gangs contested possession of ships during the negotiation or re-hijacked ships after their release. Based on the vessel tracks reconstructed from the signals sent by the ships’ automated information systems, we can see that the necessary security guarantees often cut across different clans’ territories.
“Somali Americans vote. Perhaps it’s because they especially appreciate the opportunity to participate in a democracy when their homeland has lacked a functioning government for decades. Or maybe, like earlier immigrant groups, Somalis excel at machine-style politics. Regardless, their turnout rate often tops 80 percent.”
For Somali Immigrants, All Politics Really Is Local
29 Oct- Source: WESA FM-871 Words
Politics in Minneapolis is about to change. Not only is the city electing a new mayor on Nov. 5, it’s also possible that a majority of the members of City Council will be freshmen. Among their number could be Abdi
Warsame, who would be the first Somali American elected to the City Council there — or anywhere else. “The community has realized we can turn to each other to address issues of education, housing and health, which are mainly controlled by the politicians,” says Mohamud Noor, a Warsame ally.
As Noor points out, previous immigrant groups have also turned to politics as a means of gaining representation and improving their status. It happened a century ago with the Irish and the Italians in the Northeast, and far more recently in the Southwest and elsewhere with Hispanics. And now it’s happening in Minneapolis, home to the nation’s largest Somali community.
“This is a process we’ve seen over and over again in American cities,” says Daniel Hopkins, a political scientist at Georgetown University. “Once immigrant communities reach political mass, they start to engage in local politics.”
“…..the government caved in to threats from al Shabaab and moved all the officers to urban centres, leaving rural areas unprotected. The primary duty of any government is to protect its people. Making ad hoc decisions to shift vulnerable groups to towns is not the solution. Beefing up security certainly is.”
This is total surrender
29 Oct- Source: Daily Nation-194 Words
Any pretence by the authorities that the activities of al Shabaab militia have not profoundly affected Kenyans and the way they live should be debunked, judging from the sense of insecurity that has engulfed those who live on border areas.
This situation seems to be so bad that, according to reports, at least 261 Certificate of Primary Education examination candidates in 11 schools will have to be moved from the border areas in Mandera County to the town for their own safety.
This is because Mandera borders al Shabaab infested Somalia, and considering the frequency of attacks from extremists, there is no guarantee the pupils can sit their exams in any comfort.
Top tweets
@amisomsomalia “Firefighters in #Somalia are the busiest in the world.” Story about working in the Somalia fire and rescue unit http://on.fb.me/YJ6HUd
@Salfordlife#Somalia: President wants greater support for SNF and #AMISON http://bit.ly/Hu4Ksh #UN
@Rooble2009 Satellite rainbow shows where Earth is splitting apart. The Somali plate is splitting away from Africahttp://www.newscientist.com/
@IPI_GO Dr. Anja Shortland has a fresh perspective on the#Somali piracy issue: Stability benefits the pirates! Her analysis:http://theglobalobservatory.
@AbdirizakOm To eleminate Shabab the #Somali army must be strengthened. While AMISOM is helping they cannot be a viable solution http://mad.ly/e1fd24?o=tm
Image of the day
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, second right, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, third right, and Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul, third left, wait inside a train to cross the Bosporus after the inauguration of the tunnel called Marmaray in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Photo: AP