February 3, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

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Somali PM: my government will focus on improving security

03 Feb- Source: BBC Somali Service/Radio Bar-kulan/VOA/Hiiraan Online/Shabelle- 119 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has said that his government will focus on improving security and leading the country into fair and free elections in 2016. In an interview with BBC Somali Service, the prime minister said that his new government has the ability and the experience to achieve tangible goals in the next few years.

He noted that his government’s main priorities are, among others, restoring peace and security to the war-ravaged country and intensifying the fight against al Shabaab. The prime minister added that the national army and the police will undergo vast reforms as part of government’s plans to restore peace and stability to the country.

Key Headlines

Somali PM: my government will focus on improving security (BBC Somali Service/Radio Bar-kulan/VOA/Hiiraan Online/Shabelle)
Bomb explosions heard parts of Mogadishu Sunday night ( Radio Dalsan)
Confrontations between Gov’t forces al Shabaab troops results heavy casualties( Radio Shabelle)
Hormud Telecommunication offline for second day remaining in Juba regions( Radio Dalsan)
Al Shabaab fighters attack Somali government troops in Hiiraan Region (RBC)
Somaliland releases three Somali government staff members ( Radio Dalsan)
Warring sides in Lower Shabelle region urged to end hostilities (Radio Bar-Kulan)
Somalia: Fluctuating insecurity key constraint to aid delivery report says (RBC)
Minnesota governor sends his condolences over Former Somali PM’s death (Somali Current)
District level official gunned down in Mogadishu (RBC)
Puntland cabinet ministers sworn-in in Garowe (Radio Garowe)
Three feared dead as al Shabaab militia engage officers in Mombasa shootout (Standard)
My night of terror in Kismayo as al Shabaab attacked KDF camp (Daily Nation)

PRESS STATEMENT

Letter to the Prime Minister from SRSG Kay on the passing of Former PM Abdirisak Hajji Hussein

03 Feb- Source: UNSOM-160 Words

Excellency,

It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of former Somali Prime Minister Abdirisak Hajji Hussein on 31 January 2014. His integrity and commitment to justice and good governance inspired generations of Somalis.

From his early years as a member of the Somali Youth League to his service as Prime Minister and his role as Somalia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, former Prime Minister Hussein showed himself to be an exceptional man, a leading nationalist who devoted his life to serving his nation.

His legacy will live on, and it is my hope that it will motivate a new generation of Somali leaders dedicated to peace, unity and public service. Please accept, Excellency, my sincere condolences to his family and to the Somali people, and the assurance of my highest consideration.

Nicholas Kay
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali PM: my government will focus on improving security

03 Feb- Source: BBC Somali Service/Radio Bar-kulan/VOA/Hiiraan Online/Shabelle- 119 words

Bomb explosions heard parts of Mogadishu Sunday night

03 Feb- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Risaala/BBC Somali Service/RBC/Shabelle- 104 words

Residents of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu report hearing sound of bomb blasts and gunfire on Sundayevening in at least two districts in the city centre. Hand grenades were thrown at police station and district commissioner’s home in Wadajir neighborhood near the Aden Adde International Airport. The hand grenades’ explosion was followed by ten minutes gun fire at around 7:50 pm local time on Sunday evening.

No casualties were reported as Wadajir District Commissioner Ahmed Hassan Addow known as “Daci” blamed the attack on al Shabab militant group.

“Unidentified men have thrown hand grenades to create insecurity,” Mr Addow said adding that the police were investigating the case. “Terrorist groups will be eliminated and they can not make us fear.” he vowed.

Two other explosions were heard near the Ambassador Hotel in Hodan neighborhood around 8:30 pm in the evening. Residents said the explosions were heard at once without identifying where it was from. The situation was very calm an hour later as police were deployed into the whole area. The were no comments from the top police officials of the Somalia Federal Government.

Confrontations between Gov’t forces, al Shabaab results heavy casualties in Jowhar

03 Feb- Source: Radio Shabelle- 100 words

News reports from Jowhar, the capital town of the middle Shabelle region say that heavy fighting between the Somali Government forces and al Shabaab fighters took place Sunday night at the outskirts of the agricultural town.

The fighting sparked off when al Shabaab fighters carried out attacks on a government base located few kilometers away from the town. The fighting is said to have caused casualties but the number has not yet been established.

Shabelle radio tried to contact the Government officials in the middle Shabelle region but were unreachable for comments about last night’s heavy confrontations.

Al Shabaab fighters attack Somali government troops in Hiran Region

03 Jan- Source: Radio RBC- 130 words

Heavy confrontation between Somali government forces together with AMISOM forces and al Shabaab militants broke out in the evening hours of Sunday in Salah settlements area 35 kilometers north to the Beledweyne town in Hiran region.

The confrontation came after al Shabaab fighters attacked the AMISOM and Somali government forces who were on the route to Beletweyne city as told by colonel Mohamed Adan Amen, a commander of tenth section of Somali troops in Beletweyn.

Colonel Ammin said that they have defeated the al Shabaab fighters and have no casualties from their side. These troops of Somali government forces and AMISOM were said to have being escorting military equipments imported at the Bossaso port and was transported on road to Beledweyne.

Hormud Telecommunication offline for second day remaining in Juba regions

03 Feb- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Shabelle- 166 words

Al Shabaab militia in Somalia have switched off the telecommunication service of Hormuud Company in Jubba regions. The cell phones services of the company has been shut down since Saturday following the militants’ order to switch off the telecommunication.

The affected regions are Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba, and the al Shabaab controlled areas of Lower Shabelle region including the town of Barawe which is al Shabaab’s largest stronghold city.

People in Gedo region also said that the telecommunication cut off had eventually affected them on Sundayafter the militant group stormed the centres of Hormuud Company. It was unclear why the militants cut off the telecommunication but the decision came after the group’s call to ban the mobile internet and Fibre Optic service later last month.

Al Shabaab also demanded large amount of money from Hormuud Company which the company failed to pay and was followed by arrest of senior Hormuud employees in Jilib town. Hormuud management have refused to comment on the issue when contacted.

Fighting sparks in Galgala Mountains

03 Feb- Source: Radio Shabelle- 96 words

News reports from Bosaso town in Bari region say that heavy fighting occurred in the Galgala mountains between al Shabaab fighters and Puntland forces. Heavy gunfire and the exchange of artillery was hard from miles as the two opponent sides fought each other.

Puntland forces took control of major bases manned by al Shabaab fighters a week ago but withdrew immediately after that. The confrontations between al Shabaab fighters and Puntland forces comes at a time when the newly elected president of Puntland state promised to fight the militant group in the region.

Somaliland releases three Somali government staff members

03 Feb- Source: Radio Dalsan-183 words

Somaliland administration has released three senior Somalia government staff members arrested in Hargeisa late on Saturday. According to local sources the three people from Somalia Presidency, Office of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Ministry were detained by the Somaliland police in Hargeisa airport shortly after their flight from Mogadishu landed.

Sources in Hargeisa confirmed that the three government employees were released on Sunday and were allowed to continue their flight to Addis Ababa. Somaliland information minister has said that they have released the employees after they investigated the reason for their travel.

The detained individuals were identified as; Jama Mohamed Jama, a senior protocol officer for Somalia Presidency, Abdiasis Adan woring for the Foreign Ministry and Fahima Urur Nageye, a female assistant working at the Prime Minister’s office.

Warring sides in Lower Shabelle region urged to end hostilities

03 Feb- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 124 words

Somali elders and politicians in the Baidoa Conference which is designed for the creation of a semi-autonomous state for southwestern Somali regions have called on the immediate cessation of the renewed clashes in parts of the Lower Shabelle region.

Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail, a member of the federal parliament said that the politicians and the traditional elders in Baidoa are urging all sides in the region to lay down their weapons and to immediately end the hostilities.

Some of the traditional elders have also called on the federal government to play its part in ending the renewed clashes in the Lower Shabelle region. The elders also expressed their concern over the renewed clashes in the region and urged all sides in to respect previous agreements.

Somalia: Fluctuating insecurity key constraint to aid delivery, report says

03 Feb- Source: Radio RBC-157 Words

The security situation remained volatile and unpredictable in parts of the country, including in the capital, according to UNOCHA recent Humanitarian bulletin.

The beginning of the year was marked by an attack at the Jazeera hotel in Mogadishu causing numerous casualties. The continued insecurity and use of asymmetric warfare tactics has adversely affected the ability to plan and carry out aid work. Aid workers have also increasingly been targeted through arrests and detentions by other armed groups. In late December and early January aid workers were detained in Bakool, Bay, Lower and Middle Juba regions, allegedly by armed groups.

The release of the people is negotiated at local level and some aid workers were freed early January. In parts of southern Somalia, humanitarian access has been further impacted by bureaucratic impediments imposed by regional administrations, including instructions to seek approval for recruitment of staff or renting of premises or paying a registration fee for providing humanitarian assistance.

Somalia’s Parliamentary committee on foreign affairs says citizens face difficulties in Kenya airports

03 Feb- Source: Radio Shabelle- 124 words

Mohamed Omar Dalha who is the vice chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs told Shabelle radio station that Somali citizens travelling from Kenya airports are often frustrated by airport authorities.

Mr. Dalha lamented that travellers from Mogadishu’s Adan Adde international airport are searched severely but when they land at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta’s airport, Somali citizens are searched and frustrated unlike other citizens who hold other passports.

The vice chairman added that Somalis in Kenya often get arrested because they are suspected of having links with al Shabaab fighters. Mr. Dalha has urged the Somali federal Government to intervene as it is has received it’s international recognition from the world but countries like Kenya are yet to respect the Somali authorities.

Minnesota governor sends his condolences over Former Somali PM’s death

03 Feb- Source: Somali Current- 154 words

Minnesota State Governor Mark Dayton sends his condolences to the Somali People for the loss of former Prime Minister Abdirizak Haji Hussein. Late Hussein, who was at the age of 89, suffered pneumonia and hospitalized in the Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis for seven days, before he passed away on Friday.

Governor Dayton offered his sympathy to the family of Somalia’s Former Prime Minister and Somali-Americans in Minnesota. “Prime Minister Abdirizak Haji Hussein was a pioneering leader in the liberation movement in Somalia. He contributed significantly to the advancement of good governance and democratization during his service as both Prime Minister and a Cabinet Member.” Mr. Dayton said.

“I offer my deepest condolences to the Prime Minister’s family, to Minnesota’s Somali-Americans, and to the people of Somalia.” he added. Minnesota is the home of the largest number of Somali community in United States and one of the largest in the Somali diaspora.

District official gunned down in Mogadishu

02 Feb- Source: Radio Shabelle/RBC- 143 words

Unidentified gunmen have shot and killed a district official Sunday in Mogadishu’s Dharkenley neighborhood, the district commissioner confirms. Ali Hussein Osman who was chairman of the Second Bloc of Dharkenley District Administration was gunned down near his home shortly after he left home as he was heading to the District Office.

Dharkenley District Commissioner Mo’alim Abdulle Hilowle has blamed the assassination on al Shabaab militants. Police reached the area of the crime and started investigating the murder case. The security forces have later managed to arrest several suspects and are now being interrogated in the police custody.

Numerous district level officials have been assassinated in Mogadishu in the past years while the government officials always blamed the assassinations on al Shabaab, which is a militant group waging war with the Somalia Federal Government.

Puntland cabinet ministers sworn-in in Garowe

02 Feb- Source: Radio Garowe/Halgan Online/Horseedmedia- 207 words

The new cabinet nominees of Somalia’s Puntland government have been sworn-in in the state capital of Garowe on Saturday with President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas present.

Vice President Abdihakin Abdullahi Omar Amey, Parliament Speaker Saed Hassan Shire, chairman of the Supreme Court and Islamic scholars also attended the swearing-in ceremony that was held at Puntland State House.

In his opening remarks, Parliament Speaker Shire urged the cabinet members to comply with the state constitution and safeguard the interests of their people: “You will be held accountable for your work,” he said.

While reiterating his government’s commitment to rooting out the corruption, the newly inaugurated President Abdiweli Gaas on his side said that the cabinet nominees are expected to serve Puntland people.

“In order to speed up the administrative efficiency, we appointed you to ministerial posts. I encourage you to execute your routine duties with honest and ease,” noted Puntland president.

The swearing-in event concluded with President Gaas along with the Vice President and Parliament speaker posing for photographs with the cabinet ministers in the State House.

Gaas named 46 choices consisting of former presidential candidates, technocrats and politicians last Tuesday after he was elected as Puntland president in the recent presidential elections on 8th of January 2014.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Three feared dead as al Shabaab militia engage officers in Mombasa shootout

03 Feb- Source: Standard- 383 words

A police officer and two Islamic militants are feared dead following an assault on the controversial Musa Mosque, in the sprawling Majengo slums of Mombasa. Militant youth sources claimed police stormed the mosque while worshippers were having lunch and without provocation, but police said they moved after being fired upon from several directions inside the mosque. By 6pm Sunday, the nearby Sakina mosque was also under security lockdown. Hundreds of police officers were brought in from across the coastal city to patrol the streets amid reports that militants were also beefing up their numbers from Kisauni, Likoni and Kwale to confront the police. The two mosques have been under the control of what the police said are militant Islamic youth including returnees from Somalia who have trained with al Shabaab. The severely injured police officer at the Musa Mosque was slashed with a sharp object and sustained deep cuts on the head. Police reports, confirmed by independent eyewitnesses, indicated that the militants, who barricaded themselves in bathrooms, toilets and minarets fought back with guns, machetes, meat cleavers, scissors and iron bars. The storming of the mosque sparked protests by youths who barricaded the streets with burning tyres and shut down Mombasa’s downtown for hours.

Somalia’s Kiss Of Life Part 4: KDF Soldiers

02 Feb- Source: Citizen TV Kenya-05:25mins

The common perception of a soldier’s life is that of an easy, fun-filled career of cheap afco-bought goods. But as the deployment of Kenyan Defence Force in Somalia proves, being far away from home and for long periods in an environment where death from an enemy bullet is a constant threat is a harsh reality in a soldier’s life. For combat forces, that means separation from loved ones and the agony of not knowing if you will return alive to see them again. Judy Kosgei spent time with KDF in Somalia and found out that behind the tough, battle-hardened faces are spouses, parents, children and siblings with nostalgia for home and family.

My night of terror in Kismayo as al Shabaab attacked KDF camp

02 Feb- Source: Daily Nation- 1865 words

Before departure from Nairobi, we were asked to sign a document indicating our next of kin and who else should be informed in case anything happened to us. It’s eerie signing off such detail but such is our job at times.

This was a day after the News Editor telephoned me on January 18 inquiring if I could accompany the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops to Somalia. I quickly responded in the affirmative. This would, however, haunt me for the next 48 hours before we assembled at the Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi, for the trip. The fact that my family was uneasy about my taking the trip and were worried about my safety, did not make it easy for me.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Elephant Campaign: How Africa’s ‘white gold’ funds the al Shabaab militants

03 Feb- Source: independent-749 words

Transporting “jihad’s white gold” from the African bush to Asian cities is no small feat, but under the watchful eyes of the Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab, but the process runs like clockwork.

That is the claim of Andrea Crosta, executive director of the Elephant Action League (EAL), who has spent years investigating al Shabaab, which made international headlines last year after it claimed responsibility for the attacks on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre, in which 67 people lost their lives.

He claimed that up to three tons of ivory was bought and sold every month through a co-ordinated supply chain. Activists and conservationists have claimed that al Shabaab derives a significant portion of its funding from the ivory trade. Information on exactly how this is achieved is being pieced together by conservationists and security experts.

Aid worker kidnapped by pirates to speak in Mich.

03 Feb- Source:wlns/AP- 129 words

An American aid worker kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2011 and rescued by Navy SEALs is to speak in Michigan. Jessica Buchanan is scheduled to appear Monday at the National Day of Courage event at The Henry Ford in Dearborn.

Buchanan and a Danish colleague were abducted by pirates on October, 25, 2011. They were held for three months in harsh conditions before the Navy team freed them. Buchanan had received little to eat, and fears for her health were a factor in President Barack Obama’s decision to approve the rescue attempt.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“There should be no surprise if Abdiweli continues some or most of Faroole’s policies. Thomas Jefferson and Adams philosophical differences did not lead to drastic changes in the United States. Abdiweli’s changes may just be as moderate as they should be for the sake of continuity and the unity of Puntland. (Nothing will change – just a further improvement as President Faroole said in his last speech).”

Puntland 5.0: A Social Norm and Continuity

02 Feb- Source: Wardheernews-1286 Words

January 8th 2014, those who follow events in the Horn of Africa were astonished by Puntland’s presidential election which was televised live. They had not expected the process to be peaceful, transparent, and fair. Nor did they expect the incumbent and the other candidates who lost to accept the result without a murmur and to congratulate the winner, although he won by a whisker. This flies in the face of the forebodings of many “wannabe analysts” and self-proclaimed “veteran Somalia experts” in the US and Europe. Puntland had proved to be more democratic than many non-western states.

Puntland’s presidential election was unquestionably transparently fair and free and democratic. No scholar or dabbler should ever question how and why I call these elections democratic ? but “the curious” may ask why? I do not reject nor resist an honest question for the sake of inquiry, for I believe ignorance is overcome by sharing information with all !

While many in the Horn of Africa were amazed and surprised by the recent election in Puntland, most Puntlanders were not in the least surprised because for them – these democratic, resilient people – had seen held successful elections a number of times before – Puntland style of course.

This de facto African country is printing beasts on its currency to gain global recognition

02 Feb- Source: Quartz-229 Words

As cyber-currency magnates promote bitcoins festooned with hypnotic barcodes, spare a thought for the officially non-existent nation of Somaliland. Its 3.8 million inhabitants insisted that something more inspirational adorn their country’s equally tenuous global tender and bankroll its quest for global recognition. So they went with goats, sheep and the often petulant dromedary camel.

The trade in barnyard critters is the cutting-edge business in Somaliland, whose leaders regularly refer to livestock as the barrels of oil that drive the economy of a nation that’s been seeking sovereignty since the overthrow of Somali President Siad Barre in 1991.

Although Somaliland president Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo says the United Nations continues to defer the country’s 22-year-old dream to become a member of the international community apart from Somalia, tax revenue from exported animals underwrites half of all government expenditures. And when local chefs mix goat meat with garlic, cloves and cumin, it all makes for a mighty tasty stew.

“History has a stunning way of repeating itself, and there is no better illustration of this than Puntland’s Jan 8 2014 election. Though the anatomy of that voting system was corruptible secret ballot, and to the fact that performances were less stellar…..but the process has been fascinating to say the least, politics is that and so much more.”

What we should learn from Puntland’s presidential election?

01 Feb- Source: Wardheernews-939 Words

Crossing the mid lines of the book “Once and Future King“, T.H. White, note down “The best thing for being sad, beginning to puff and blow, “is — to learn pasts. That’s the only thing that never fails. Learn why the world wags and what wags it.

Let’s Pause and think on the day of 8th January 2014….Hmm! turn of the day….. A big Moment for Puntlanders, and no doubt, to all Somalis; the election was replete with symbolism and hyperbole. Historians, political scientists and journalists will be writing about this election for many years to come.

Following this further, Puntland is a region I’ve come to venerate profoundly for its traditional democratic credentials over the three elections. And now, I have seen that state has successfully transferred power for the fourth time in a row without an implosion. Puntland has done it again… it pulled off yet another peaceful election on this January 8!.

Top tweets

‏@nuurist In case u missed our event on #IGAD‘s role in#Somalia, here is the audio & mtg reporthttp://riftvalley.net/event/igad-and-somalia … @igadsecretariat @amb_mahboub

@HLooyaan Coming soon on http://faosomalia.org …a commodity price index on selected farm produce from various markets across #Somalia.

@Guuleyste #AlShabaab understand fully that time is running out for them in #Somalia and that this is the beginning of the end of their corrupt project

@SomaliPM Thanks to volunteer lifeguards at #Mogadishu’s Lido Beach, ppl can safely enjoy beach #Somalia http://bit.ly/1bgzDwj pic.twitter.com/ZSox7TLjgI

@WaaberiProject Emerging communities: #Somali families learn to assimilate #New York http://fb.me/2CyOdFtr2

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Image of the day

Image of the day @SomaliPM chairs the #Somalia Development & Reconstruction Facility steering committee meeting in Mogadishu today. Photo: @UNSomalia