March 11, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia ‘s military court executes three soldiers
11 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Dalsan/Hiiraan Online – 108 words
The Military court of Somalia Tuesday executed three soldiers who were found guilty killing innocent civilians in Mogadishu. The soldiers were shot at Somali police training academy in the early morning.
Senior military, police officers and officials from Banadir region were present at the scene where the soldiers were executed.
The men were previously found of deliberately killing innocent civilians in Mogadishu. Also large public gathered where the shooting occurred to watch how the execution was going on. This is not the first time military court executes soldiers, last year the military court shot dead over five soldiers who were found of killing other soldiers or civilians.
Key Headlines
- President Sheikh Mohamud leaves for Japan (Radio Mogadishu/SNTV)
- Somali federal parliament delegations arrives in Kampala (Somaliweyn)
- Somali army AMISOM open new frontier in Lower Shabelle region(Mareeg Online)
- Somalia ‘s military court executes three soldiers (Radio Mogadishu/Dalsan/Hiiraan Online)
- Several bomb explosions heard in Mogadishu (Radio Dalsan/RBC)
- Security forces resume operations in Wadajir district (Radio Shabelle)
- 19 Belgians in court on jihadi recruitment charges (Arab News)
- Hardline Kenya cleric the face of homegrown radical Islam(AFP)
- Al Shabaab leader urges Somalis to battle old enemy Ethiopia(Reuters)
SOMALI MEDIA
President Sheikh Mohamud leaves for Japan
11 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Bar-kulan – 83 words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has left the country Tuesday on his way to Japan. The president is leading a delegation of Somali government officials including cabinet ministers and other high ranking government officials.
According to Government Spokesman Abdirahman Omar the president and his delegation received an invitation from the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
During three days state visit the two leaders are set to discuss the bilateral ties of the between the two states and how to strengthen the cooperation among others.
Somali federal parliament delegation arrive in Kampala
11 Mar – Source: Somaliweyn – 128 words
High level delegates led by the first deputy speaker of the federal parliament of Somalia Jeylani Noor Ikar arrived Kampala, the capital of Uganda. In this official visit to Kampala the deputy speaker is accompanied the chairman of parliamentary committees, they are expected to participate at a workshop which opens in Kampala to speed up the experience of the committee.
Mr. Jeylani held press conference in Entebbe international airport immediately after they landed, mentioning that their visit will take five days and all the standing committee will participate in the workshop which focuses on the expansion and development activities of the federal parliament of Somalia. The workshop is starting today.
This move is the start of implementation of the agreement signed between the speakers of Somalia and Uganda last year.
Somalia ‘s military court executes three soldiers
11 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Dalsan/Hiiraan Online – 108 words
The Military court of Somalia Tuesday executed three soldiers who were found guilty killing innocent civilians in Mogadishu. The soldiers were shot at Somali police training academy in the early morning. Senior military, police officers and officials from Banadir region were present at the scene where the soldiers were executed.
The men were previously found of deliberately killing innocent civilians in Mogadishu. Also large public gathered where the shooting occurred to watch how the execution was going on.
This is not the first time military court executes soldiers, last year the military court shot dead over five soldiers who were found of killing other soldiers or civilians.
Several bomb explosions heard in Mogadishu
11 Mar – Source: Radio Dalsan/RBC/Hiiraan Online – 163 words
Several bomb explosions were heard in Mogadishu during the evening hours on Monday night, reports from Mogadishu said. According to residents the explosions seemed to be mortar shelling hit near KM4 junction and Maka al Mukarama road. Also another bomb explosion was heard in Wardhigley neighborhood, on the suburb of the Presidential Compound and in Bondhere district.
No casualties were reported yet from the bomb explosions which left the residents of the capital terrified. Our reporter in Mogadishu says the blasts were heard after the evening prayer just around 7.25pm local time forcing many people in the streets to leave and run for shelter.
The police were seen in the streets after the explosions and begun investigating the explosions which hit parts of the capital. There is no yet any official comment from the security officials of Somalia government. Pro- al Shabaab Facebook account immediately took the responsibility of the attack claiming al Shabaab fighters carried out an operation in Mogadishu.
Somali army, AMISOM open new frontier in Lower Shabelle region
11 Mar – Source: Mareeg Online – 168 words
AMISOM and the Somali National Army seem to open new frontlines amid heavy military offensive against al Shabaab.The joint forces on Monday attacked al Shabaab bases near Bulomarer and Qoryoley towns in the rich farmland region of Lower Shabelle. This becomes the third frontline of the war on al Shabab.
The governor of the Lower Shabelle region Abdikadr Nur Sidi said the Monday’s battle came after AMISOM and Somalia National Army went on attack against the bases of al Shabaab. He said four soldiers, two of them were AMISOM soldiers were wounded in the battle. At least nine al Shabaab fighters were killed, according to the governor.
Residents of Bulomarer said they could hear the roar of heavy machine guns and sometimes stray bullets could reach their town making them to fear of possible confrontation in their town. But the AMISOM Spokesman Colonel Ali Aden Houmed said he does not expect more resistance from al Shabaab “because they have no power to encounter the ongoing offensive”.
Puntland leader heads delegation to Djibouti
11 Mar – Source: Puntland TV/Bar-kulan – 90 words
Puntland president Abdiweli Ali Gas who spoke to members of the press at Garowe international airport before his departure to Djibouti has said he got an official invitation from Djibouti government.
Abdweli has praised the role of Djibouti military in Somalia saying they are playing an important role in returning peace and stability in Somalia by eliminating al Shabaab militant group.
President Abdiweli visit to the boat shaped country is expected to take four days and this is his first visit to Djibouti since sworn to office on January 14th.
Security forces resume operations in Wadajir district
11 Mar – Source: Radio Shabelle – 97 words
In response to increasing insecurity in Mogadishu Somali security forces launched massive crackdown in some districts of Mogadishu to beef up security in the capital. The security official stated that they will continue with the operations to eliminate the anti peace elements who are hiding amongst Somali population.
Many people mostly youth were arrested in the operation in Wadajir district, the main roads in Wadajir were blocked as most people students and businessmen were seen going to workplace and schools on foot. This comes a time when explosions and mortar shell rocked Mogadishu last night.
Somaliland: Current Government Should Make sure Elections are Held In Due Time, Says Cirro
10 Mar – Source: Somaliland Press – 16 words
The Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairman of Waddani Hon Abdurrahman Mohamed Abdillahi Cirro has urged the current government to hold a free and fair elections in the country when the time comes.
The Speaker also urged the media and members of the public to shun talk of the possibilities of an extension of the current government tenure at the same time strongly warning the KULMIYE government not to extend by even one day and that elections should be held in time.
The chairman of WADDANI and party’s Presidential favorite said the remarks while speaking at a recent event organized by party supporters held in the UAE where he was visiting. Hon Abdurrahman Cirro said, “We in Somaliland are lucky to have the Guurti who we always turn too when complex political problems arise unlike our fellow Somali neighbors. The speaker went on to applaud the maturity of the house of elders (Guurti) and for their intervention which was crucial in solving the recent parliamentary deadlock.
Somaliland Ministry of Finance denies existence of corruption
10 Mar – Source: Somaliland Informer – 153 words
The Director General of Ministry of Finance Hon. Suleiman Jama Direi has sent warning to business ownerson Monday that import illegal electronic stuffs and said that they do not intend to pay taxes on imported goods and also spoke on corruption in the ministry of finance that the local media run articles.
He said that certain business people are accustomed of bringing electronic stuffs in luggage with passenger planes and bring them without paying the taxes and called upon them to comply with the taxes.
The DG has also refuted that there is corruption regarding the collection of taxes that the ministry of Finance conducts. He said the reports were totally baseless and vehemently denied that there is corruption within the ministry of Finance. The DG has announced that the MOF is building new premises for the Auditor General without getting help from any other organization.
REGIONAL MEDIA
19 Belgians in court on jihadi recruitment charges
11 Mar – Source: Arab News – 157 words
The trial of 19 Belgians on terrorism charges began Monday under tight security amid concerns the 15 men and 4 women were part of a local jihadist recruitment network.
They face charges of either fighting alongside jihadist groups in Somalia, having attempted to go to Somalia or Syria, or of having provided support to a Belgian-based recruitment operation. All 19 face the charge of “belonging to a terrorist group.”
One of the accused, Brussels hairdresser Hassan Khafi, has admitted to the court that he left Belgium in 2011 in an attempt to join the Somali al Shabaab militant group, which has links to al Qaeda.
Khafi, 39, told the criminal court in Brussels that he had not taken part in fighting in Somalia and the al Shabaab militants he met had not trusted the Belgians and had confiscated their passports, the Belga news agency reported. He was arrested in Kenya in May 2012 and was extradited to Belgium last year.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Hardline Kenya cleric, the face of homegrown radical Islam
11 Mar – Source: AFP/Global Post – 715 Words
When Islamist gunmen stormed Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall on a busy Saturday in September, the ensuing carnage also intensified fears that Kenya’s homegrown Islamists were on the rise.
Although the attackers were from Somalia’s al Qaeda-inspired al Shabaab rebels, the group’s ability to infiltrate and operate in Kenya, as well as find a stream of willing recruits, has focussed attention on radical Islamists based down the coast in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.
At the heart of the steamy port hub sits the Musa mosque, seen by Kenyan authorities as the epicentre of a new terrorist threat. Its key figure, Abubaker Shariff Ahmed, better known as Makaburi, does little to hide his firebrand leanings.
“It’s our innocents for your innocents. It was justified. As per the Koran, as per the religion of Islam, Westgate was 100 percent justified,” the Muslim cleric said of the attack that left at least 67 dead, among them women and children cut down by machine gun fire or grenades.
Al Shabaab leader urges Somalis to battle old enemy Ethiopia
11 Mar – Source: Reuters – 460 words
The leader of the al Qaeda-aligned Islamist group al Shabaab has urged Somalis to wage holy war against Ethiopia, Somalia’s Horn of Africa neighbor whose forces are preparing to lead an African Union offensive against the militants.
Ethiopia fought an ill-fated war in Somalia in 2006-09 but sent troops back in 2011 to fight al Shabaab. In 2013 it became part of AMISOM, a 22,000-strong AU peacekeeping force that includes troops from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Sierra Leone.
Ethiopian forces have in the past two weeks pushed al Shabaab out of several towns, including Hudur, the capital of the Bakool region in south-central Somalia. Analysts say these advances could presage a planned countrywide offensive.
In a recorded voice message released on Sunday, Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane, also known as Mukhtar Abu al-Zubayr, said Mogadishu’s Western-backed government and Ethiopia were acting at the behest of the United States and would be defeated.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Clan federalism forces each clan to devote time, energy, and resources to pursue short-term advantages over other clans. The security concern of each clan instigates border and trade disputes, restriction of movements of people, revenge killings and harassment, and introduce the temptation for deterrent and preemptive strikes.”
Clan Violence Vested in Somali Clan Fiefdoms
11 Mar – Source: International Policy Digest – 1062 words
The practice of the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) of allegedly leaking reports to the media on “systematic abuses” has done a disservice to the efforts of statebuilding in Somalia.
It has also reinforced public distrust about the intentions of outside groups. Equally, it has also tarnished the reputation of UNISOM. SEMG, supposedly an independent Auditor-General for assessing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, has violated a number of rules for the integrity of its work. Impartiality and an apolitical stance with respect to interested parties is key, investigators should show impartiality towards the groups they are monitoring and accountability is key.
The latest report issued by SEMG on Feb 6, 2013 assesses the implementation of UN Security Resolution 2093 (2013) concerns the partial lifting of the arms embargo to achieve the goal of statebuilding in Somalia.
The resolution, adopted against the vigorous objection of Kenya and Ethiopia, was intended to implement the UN approved plan for the creation of a Somali National Army (SNA), necessary for a sovereign Somali state.
Top tweets
@amisomsomalia Twitter Q&A with Col Ali Eden Houmed (AMISOM Spokesman) on Wednesday 12th 2014 from 10.00 AM to 12.00 Noon #AskAMISOM pic.twitter.com/LbQLzR7CDg.
@UNSomalia #UN Envoy to #Somalia Nick Kay (@Somalia111) will brief today the UN Security Council on Somalia at 5pm #Mogadishu time.
@IOM_news Here is the latest situation report on the forced retunees from #SaudiArabia http://ow.ly/us2sX @UNICEF@WHOsom @reliefweb #migration.
@BBCAfrica .@FCBarcelona launches a programme aiming to revive sport in #Somalia by training coaches and young people.
@LailaInNairobi This pictures of a #Somali female farmer at work is one of my favorites. We need more farmers, especially women! pic.twitter.com/DvKwGSBbyB.
Image of the day
Foodstuffs are offloaded from a UN helicopter at Baidoa Airport on 8th March 2014. Following the UN 2024 resolution, it was decided that SNA would receive support whenever they are involved in joint operations with AMISOM. Photo: @amisomsomalia.