11 Aug 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- UN warns warlords to revive in Mogadishu after al Shabaab withdrawal
- Somalia militants weakened could regroup UN says
- Arms smuggling rife in Somalia despite UN embargo claims report
- Somali famine: Ghana schoolboy raises aid money
- Turkey: PM set to visit Somalia
- AMISOM sacrifice deserves applause
- U.S. relies on contractors in Somalia conflict
- South Africa vows to protect Somali refugees in the country
SOMALI MEDIA
UN warns warlords to revive in Mogadishu after al Shabaab withdrawal
11 Aug – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Shabelle – 135 words
Augustine Mahiga, the UN special envoy to Somalia, who visited Mogadishu on Wednesday after al Shabaab’s retreat, said in a telephone conversation with UN officials that faction leaders may return if the Somali government does not quickly extend its administration throughout the areas al Shabaab fled over the weekend. He said the government must act rapidly to disarm all armed militias in an effort to ensure the overall security and tranquility of Mogadishu after twenty years of civil war. Mahiga noted the transitional government has the opportunity to take advantage of al Shabaab’s pull out from the capital.The envoy spelled out the extremists could be even more dangerous as al Shabaab officials declared they made the withdrawal for military tactics.
South Africa vows to protect Somali refugees in the country
10 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 140 words
South African vice-president Galema Motlante has pledged to support and protect Somali refugees in his country. Motlante noted the challenges faced by Somali refugees in South Africa who are braving indiscriminate killings in the country they sought to seek refuge in. The South African vice-president was speaking at Eastern Cape, during a meeting aimed at reaching locals in persuading them against xenophobic attacks against Somali nationals in the country. The meeting was attended by South African government officials, South African Police service in the region and Somalis conducting business within the region. Somali Association of South Africa’s Gauteng regional chairman Abdihakin Mohamed Hadi, attending the meeting, told Bar-kulan that participants focused on refugees’ safety in the country. Hadi said during the meeting that they revealed pictures illustrating Somali shops looted recently as well as murdered Somalis, adding that the pictures moved government officials in attendance.
Military officer: Somalia gov’t soldiers making advances in southern Somalia
11 Aug – Source: Shabelle – 127 words
A military officer on Thursday said the Somali government soldiers made huge gains after heavy battles with al Shabaab fighters in parts of southern Somalia. Mohamed Farah Dahir, Lieutenant-colonel, said the fighting took place on Wednesday as Somali soldiers attacked the village of Hawina, about 20 kilometers north of Dhobley town which is very close to the Kenyan border with Somalia. The official stated the forces of the government have established main bases in the village, adding that they are ready to counter and prevent any offensive from al Shabaab. He said they inflicted heavy and irretrievable losses on their armed opponents. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s fighting in southern Somalia killed one person and injured three others. Al Shabaab officials did not comment on the battles and their aftermath.
http://www.shabelle.net/
Three people killed as pirates fight in Hobyo town
11 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 120 words
At least three people have died and two others were injured following a heavy fight within a group of Somali pirates in Hobyo district, Mudug region. All those killed during the fight were said to be pirates, while the other two who sustained injuries were bystanders caught up in the cross fighter. Galmudug area police boss Abdiwali Farabadan told Bar-kulan that they successfully managed to mediate the warring pirates to curb further hostilities within their group, with each side withdrawing from the area. Farabadan also revealed that they have imposed a curfew on Hobyo town, emphasizing police commitment to boost security in the area. Locals in the pirates-infested Somali coastline have been raising concern over the subsequent clashes between sea pirates in their area.
Hormud winds up its humanitarian aid operations
11 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 90 words
A Telecommunication Company, Hormud, on Thursday announced that it has winded up its aid operations in some pockets of Bay and Bakol regions. The company said it has distributed relief aid, including wheat flour, rice, sugar and cooking oil to almost three thousand needy families who have been affected by the drought situation in these regions, where United Nations has earlier declared famine. Areas where the company has delivered desperately needed humanitarian aid includes districts of Wajid, Rabdure, Yed, Hudur, Tiyeglow and El-bon area in Bakol region and Baidoa town, Bay region.
REGIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM sacrifice deserves applause
10 Aug – Source: Daily Monitor – 649 words
The excellent job done by Uganda and Burundi troops in Mogadishu – of ensuring that there is a state – deserves applause from all Africans and sympathizers worldwide. Somalia is still one of the most dangerous places on planet earth. But why would the chaos there be of concern to Ugandans or Burundians? Why not let the Somalis sort themselves out? Aren’t they homogenous in terms of ethnicity and religion? The truth is that what has gone on in Somalia since 1991 has gradually grown into global terrorism.
In a bid to deal deadly blows to what the authors of al-Qaeda deemed Western imperialism, they found Somalia a perfect base for their operations in Africa. After being forced out of Sudan, al- Qaeda chief architect Osama bin Laden, established a base in Somalia in the 1990s. Unfortunately, this fight has sucked in innocent folks in East Africa.
Hundreds of people in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala have either lost their lives or been maimed! The entry of al-Qaeda into Somalia and the subsequent birth of al-Shabaab should be viewed against a backdrop of wanton destruction of lives in parts of Africa that the terrorists see as subservient to the West’s agenda. By mooting and expanding al-Shabaab, its authors, who are religious bigots in the Middle East, did win a psychological battle in Somalia. According to Somalis, the word al-Shabaab is very alien in their vocabulary.
The chaos that has reigned supreme in Somalia has not been premised on ideological or tribal differences among key actors in Somalia. Neither has it been about resources but rather about pseudo nationalism with a religious tinge. The global community was sucked into the fray because of the threat the al-Qaeda-sponsored fighters posed to the more than 1,800-kilometre Somalia coastline.
The confluence of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean is of major concern not only to the West, but also to poor nations such as ours, which depend on the sea for key imports and exports. Somali pirates have rendered voyages across this ocean not only more expensive but also dangerous. Therefore, the expansion of al-Qaeda into Yemen and Somalia was not accidental.
Neither was the fanning of religious bigotry in mosques in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (with the latter giving more clout to the ADF guerrilla outfit). The seed of religious bigotry and disrespect for the sanctity of human life, which was and continues to be disseminated in our part of the continent, was and is still something more serious than most local politicians care to admit.
Therefore, the decision by President Museveni, the UPDF High Command and the subsequent endorsement by the 7th and 8th parliaments to fight for pan-African ideals, deserves applause. I also salute the AU and the UN for having shouldered the financial burden of keeping our troops in Somalia. Though our soldiers continue to lay down their lives in the trenches of Mogadishu for and on behalf of Somalis, their sacrifice is for Africa’s greater good.
For the first time in 14 years, Somalia flag can now fly at State House in Mogadishu, the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, and at the UN in New York. All this has been possible because of the ultimate price paid by Ugandan and Burundian troops. It takes a lot of effort, actually a dare-devil resolve, to fight on behalf of others. A similar resolve was made by former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere (RIP). Hadn’t he taken a pan-African stance and contribute immensely to fight colonialism, it is possible that the political independence of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, and South Africa, would have been attained much later.
It is a sacrifice premised on Africa’s sovereignty. These gallant troops have demonstrated that a problem imposed on Africa can have a local solution. I pray that other African countries come on board and help expunge al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab’s evil schemes. In conclusion, African problems need African solutions. Aluta continua!
http://www.nation.co.ke/page/
Arms smuggling rife in Somalia despite UN embargo, claims report
11 Aug – Source: Africa Review – 202 words
Arms are still being smuggled into Somalia despite a United Nations embargo, a report released by an international security think tank yesterday indicates. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) arms continue to be illegally brought in from Yemen into Somalia as imports which end up with Somali opposition and criminal groups.
“Arms purchases by opposition groups have reportedly been facilitated by financing from Eritrea, private donors and Somali diasporas groups,” the report says. It adds Transitional Federal Government forces are also considered a major source of arms for non-state armed groups in Somalia.
In 2008 the UN Monitoring Group estimated that as much as 80 per cent of the arms, ammunition and other materiel supplied to support the transitional government had been diverted for private purposes or either to the Somali arms market or to opposition groups.
“Judging by reports of the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia, non-state actors in Somalia have acquired arms and ammunition from a variety of sources and by a variety of channels. “In general such acquisitions have involved low volumes of ammunition, small arms and light weapons (SALW) and a few heavier, crew-served infantry weapons such as portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons,” the report adds.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Turkey: PM set to visit Somalia
11 Aug – Source: Turkish Weekly – 228 words
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday announced plans to visit drought-hit Somalia with his family, slamming developed countries for benefiting from Africa’s natural resources while remaining indifferent to the continent’s struggles. “Every day hundreds of our African brothers are dying. Where is the world, the developed countries? Do they extend their hands?” Erdoğan asked his party fellows at a meeting in Ankara.
Accusing some countries that have “plundered for centuries and made these regions bloody hostages of dictatorial regimes for their own interests” of just watching the famine disaster from the sidelines, Erdoğan asked when the international community would help Africa if they did not do it now.
“If they don’t take upon the burden of conscience in the world, then which civilization, which universal values can they talk about?” he asked. Emphasizing that Turkey is carrying out an ongoing campaign to aid the hungry in Somalia, Erdoğan said he and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, along with their families, would soon pay a visit to the stricken country.
Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate has collected 31 million Turkish Liras to help Africans suffering from hunger, Director Mehmet G�¶rmez told the Anatolia news agency Wednesday. Noting that all members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC, would convene in Istanbul on Aug. 17, Gormez said they would ask for the cooperation of Islamic countries to help Africa.
http://www.turkishweekly.net/
Somalia militants weakened, could regroup, UN says
11 Aug – Source: Reuters – 231 words
Somalia’s Islamist militants who fled the capital this week may regroup and resort to “terrorist tactics” but they have been severely weakened, the U.N. special envoy for the African nation said on Wednesday.
Augustine Mahiga was speaking days after al Shabaab, which has been fighting to overthrow Somalia’s government for four years, pulled most of its forces out of Mogadishu amid signs of deepening rifts among its senior commanders. “In their tactical retreat, so to speak, al Shabaab seemed to have fragmented into three columns,” Mahiga told reporters via video link from the Somali capital.
“One column going southwards, other going westwards and another going northward,” he said. “And they’re still on the move. This already weakens their consolidated strength.” Before al Shabaab’s decision to leave the city, Mahiga said, the group’s funding sources had been drying up. He said that al Shabaab has been “starved of financial support.” “Most of it was coming from the Gulf and from the Middle East, not from states but from benefactors and the events in those regions seem to have had a negative impact on their sources of financing,” Mahiga said.
“And there’s also financing locally, like in Bakara market, which has also been taken by AMISOM and the TFG forces,” he said, referring to an African Union peacekeeping force and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government. Bakara market is the “economic hub of Mogadishu,” he said.
http://af.reuters.com/article/
Drought in East Africa puts millions on the brink of starvation
11 Aug – Source: Herald Sun – 393 words
TEN per cent of Somali children aged under five are dying every 11 weeks in the country’s devastating famine, which is spreading faster than aid agencies can cope with. The UN Representative to Somalia also told the UN Security Council that warlords will take control of areas of Mogadishu abandoned by Islamist insurgents last weekend unless the transitional government quickly gets a grip.
The envoy, Augustine Mahiga, said about half the Somali population, about 3.7 million people, is now at risk from famine. The UN estimates that more than 12 million are affected across East Africa. Across the famine zone, more than 13 children out of every 10,000 aged under five die each day, Mahiga said.
“This means that 10 per cent of children under five are dying every 11 weeks. These figures are truly heart-wrenching,” the envoy told the council, appealing for greater international assistance. The UN has asked for one billion dollars for Somalia, but Catherine Bragg, the deputy UN emergency relief coordinator, said less than half the sum has been raised. “We have not yet seen the peak of the crisis as further deterioration is considered likely,” she told the council.
Bragg said 1.2 million children need urgent assistance. “Tens of thousands of children have already died and many more will die in the coming days unless aid is provided to them.” The UN considers the famine the worst in Africa since about 500,000 people died from food shortages in Somalia in 1991-92. More regions of southern and central Somalia are expected to be designated famine zones in coming days and weeks, UN officials and diplomats said.
The famine has become a critical new problem for Somalia’s transitional government which is battling for control of the country with the Shabaab Islamic insurgency. Mahiga told the UN Security Council that a UN-backed African Union force desperately needs extra resources to help it establish government control in areas of Mogadishu that Shabaab abandoned last weekend.
The transitional government must quickly stamp its authority, he said. “Without the immediate action to fill this gap, a real danger exists that the warlords and their militia groups will move forward to fill the vacuum created by Shabaab’s departure,” Mahiga said.
Diplomats said that while Shabaab’s withdrawal was good for the transitional government, they recalled how the insurgent’s hard-line predecessor, the Islamic Courts, withdrew from Mogadishu in 2006 but returned one month later.
Somali famine: Ghana schoolboy raises aid money
10 Aug – Source: BBC – 428 words
An 11-year-old Ghanaian schoolboy has so far raised more than $500 (£300) for victims of the famine in Somalia. Andrew Andasi launched his campaign last week after watching footage of people walking in search of food. He told the BBC he wanted to raise a total of $13m during his school holidays from private donations.
After a meeting with the UN World Food Programme Bank director in Ghana to ask for advice, Andrew set up a bank account for donations on Tuesday. “I’m very sure that I can raise it in just one month,” he told the BBC. “I want individuals, companies, churches, other organizations to help me get 20m Ghana cedis.” He said that UN organizations had advised him to raise money rather than food for his Save Somali Children from Hunger campaign.
The BBC’s Samuel Bartels in the capital, Accra, says the boy’s determination has impressed Ghanaians and he has been appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows in recent days.” If they send it to Somalia they can buy it [food] somewhere around Somalia… because if we gather the food items it will take a long time and the plane will cost a lot,” he said.
Ismail Omer, the WFP representative in Ghana, said he was impressed with his efforts. “He is doing a lot of work and that is laudable,” Mr. Omer told the BBC. “When he came to my office and said this is what he is doing, I was so delighted – I became emotional.
“I hope he can be a good leader to his generation.” Andrew, who has printed flyers and stickers for his campaign, said he was moved to act by seeing the images of Somali women and children walking for days in search of food. He said he wanted to use his time off during his summer school holidays to help them. “There has been serious hunger and death for [a] long time [in Somalia] – and if it goes on their country will be useless,” he told the BBC at the headquarters of Ecobank Ghana in Accra after setting up a special bank account for donations.
“If I get the opportunity to go to Somalia I will talk and I will let the UN to make an announcement the warring groups in Somalia should stop because of the sick children and women,” he said. The UN says about 3.6 million people are at risk of starvation in Somalia. More than 11 million people across the Horn of Africa have been affected by drought this year – the region’s worst for 60 years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
U.S. relies on contractors in Somalia conflict
11 Aug – Source: The New York Times – 2400 words
Richard Rouget, a gun for hire over two decades of bloody African conflict, is the unlikely face of the American campaign against militants in Somalia. A husky former French Army officer, Mr. Rouget, 51, commanded a group of foreign fighters during Ivory Coast’s civil war in 2003 was convicted by a South African court of selling his military services and did a stint in the presidential guard of the Comoros Islands, an archipelago plagued by political tumult and coup attempts.
Now Mr. Rouget works for Bancroft Global Development, an American private security company that the State Department has indirectly financed to train African troops who have fought a pitched urban battle in the ruins of this city against the al Shabaab, the Somali militant group allied with Al Qaeda.
The company plays a vital part in the conflict now raging inside Somalia, a country that has been effectively ungoverned and mired in chaos for years. The fight against the Shabaab, a group that United States officials fear could someday carry out strikes against the West, has mostly been outsourced to African soldiers and private companies out of reluctance to send American troops back into a country they hastily exited nearly two decades ago.
“We do not want an American footprint or boot on the ground,” said Johnnie Carson, the Obama administration’s top State Department official for Africa. A visible United States military presence would be provocative, he said, partly because of Somalia’s history as a graveyard for American missions — including the “Black Hawk Down” episode in 1993, when Somali militiamen killed 18 American service members.
Still, over the past year, the United States has quietly stepped up operations inside Somalia, American officials acknowledge. The Central Intelligence Agency, which largely finances the country’s spy agency, has covertly trained Somali intelligence operatives, helped build a large base at Mogadishu’s airport — Somalis call it “the Pink House” for the reddish hue of its buildings or “Guant�¡namo” for its ties to the United States — and carried out joint interrogations of suspected terrorists with their counterparts in a ramshackle Somali prison. The Pentagon has turned to strikes by armed drone aircraft to kill Shabaab militants and recently approved $45 million in arms shipments to African troops fighting in Somalia.
But this is a piecemeal approach that many American officials believe will not be enough to suppress the al Shabaab over the long run. In interviews, more than a dozen current and former United States officials and experts described an overall American strategy in Somalia that has been troubled by a lack of focus and internal battles over the past decade. While the United States has significantly stepped up clandestine operations in Pakistan and Yemen, American officials are deeply worried about Somalia but cannot agree on the risks versus the rewards of escalating military strikes here.
“I think that neither the international community in general nor the U.S. government in particular really knows what to do with the failure of the political process in Somalia,” said J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa program at the Atlantic Council, a Washington research institution. For months, officials said, the State Department has been at odds with some military and intelligence officials about whether striking sites suspected of being militant camps in Somalia’s southern territories or carrying out American commando raids to kill militant leaders would significantly weaken the al Shabaab — or instead bolster its ranks by allowing the group to present itself as the underdog against a foreign power.
Lauren Ploch, an East Africa expert at the Congressional Research Service, said that the Obama administration was confronted with many of the same problems that had vexed its predecessors — “balancing the risks of an on-the-ground presence” against the risks of using “third parties” to carry out the American strategy in Somalia.
The al Shabaab has already shown its ability to strike beyond Somalia, killing dozens of Ugandans last summer in a suicide attack that many believe was a reprisal for the Ugandan government’s decision to send troops to Somalia. Now, though, thanks in part to Bancroft, the private security company, the militants have been forced into retreat. Several United Nations and African Union officials credit the work of Bancroft with improving the fighting skills of the African troops in Somalia, who this past week-end forced Shabaab militants to withdraw from Mogadishu, the capital, for the first time in years.
Like other security companies in Somalia, Bancroft has thrived as a proxy of sorts for the American government. Based in a mansion along Embassy Row in Washington, Bancroft is a nonprofit enterprise run by Michael Stock, a 34-year-old Virginia native who founded the company not long after graduating from Princeton in 1999. He used some of his family’s banking fortune to set up Bancroft as a small land-mine clearing operation.
In recent years, the company has expanded its mission in Somalia and now runs one of the only fortified camps in Mogadishu — a warren of prefabricated buildings rimmed with sand bags a stone’s throw from the city’s decrepit, seaside airport.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/