April 15, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

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Italian parliament speaker pledges to visit Mogadishu, after meeting with her Somali counterpart

15 Apr – Source: Hiiraan Online – 172 words

Italian parliament speaker pledges to visit Mogadishu, after meeting with her Somali counterpart. Italy’s speaker of the lower house of parliament Laura Boldrini said she was planning to visit Somali capital Mogadishu to foster the creation of a greater co-operation between Italian and Somali parliaments.

Mrs. Laura Boldrini made the announcement at the end of a high profile meeting with the visiting Somali Parliament Speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawaari in Rome on Monday. During their talks both leaders raised issues relating to the establishment of a greater cooperation between both parliaments to help strengthen the decades-old bilateral ties between the two nations.

Mrs. Boldrini praised the work of Somali parliament here in Mogadishu saying the legislative council was accomplishing its duties in a very professional way adding that Italy was ready to help the Somali parliament in different ways.

“We are very hopeful that both parliaments will soon launch their co-operations” Somali parliament speaker told a joint news conference adding that delegates from both parliaments will exchange visits to Mogadishu and Rome.

Key Headlines

Italian parliament speaker pledges to visit Mogadishu after meeting with her Somali counterpart (Hiiraan Online)
‘Al Shabaab Militia on the Run’ – Banadir Governor (Somali Current)
Lawmakers threaten to table motion against Somali Prime Minister (Radio Goobjoog)
Roadblocks removed from Lower Shabelle (Radio Shabelle)
Kenya plans digital registration amid al Shabaab threat (IT Web Africa)
Gunmen kill students in Kismayo town (Horseed Media/Kismayo Online)
British Firm to Explore Somalia Billions of Oil Barrels (Al Shahid)
Qoryoley ‘inaccessible’ due to border blockages (Radio Shabelle)
MPD Somali officers answered the call of duty (KARE 11)
55 arrested in Mombasa police swoop (Daily Nation)
2 Kenyans ‘freed’ not ‘rescued’: Al Shabaab (Turkish Press)
Al Shabaab on the verge of elimination (Radio Shabelle)
Somaliland: ‘Sorry’ for the Arrest of Ethiopian Diplomats (Somali Current/Somaliland Sun)

SOMALI MEDIA

Italian parliament speaker pledges to visit Mogadishu, after meeting with her Somali counterpart

15 Apr – Source: Hiiraan Online – 172 words

Roadblocks removed from Lower Shabelle

15 Apr – Source: Radio Shabelle – 126 words

Deputy Governor of the Lower Shabelle regional administration endorsing community spirit for the Somali Federal Government Omar Mohamud Elmi Arabey, highlighted that the troops serving under the region have removed the illegal roadblocks that were erected in some districts under Lower Shabelle.

Arabey spoke after the operations and mentioned that the regional administration was required to act upon the consistent complaints of the civilians living in Lower Shabelle.The Deputy Governor added that the operations will continue until all of the illegal checkpoints are removed in all towns and districts under the region.

In the Lower Shabelle region, there have been numerous complaints from civilians and public transportation drivers criticizing the incompetence of the regional administration for not dealing with the people responsible for the checkpoints.

Gunmen kill students in Kismayo town

15 Apr – Source: Horseed Media/Kismayo Online – 188 words

Unknown gunmen shot and killed two pupils in the port town of Kismayo, Southern Somalia, on Mondaymorning. Residents of the port town told the media that the gunmen who had their faces masked opened fire to both students and died at the scene. A female who was a passerby was injured also in the incident. No one has yet come forward to claim responsibility for the killings.

“They opened fire and escaped immediately… their ages is between 17-20,’’ said a witnesser who requested not to be named because of security reasons. It’s not yet clear what motivated the killings. Officials of Jubba Administration, which control the town haven’t yet commented about the incident.
Security forces arrived at the scene after the gunmen had already fled.

The attack comes as Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed is on a tour visit to the city and met Jubba administration senior officials. Security of the town has been tightened since the Prime minister arrived last Saturday. Last month, two senior security officers of the Jubba administration were gunned down and Somali militant group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the killing.

‘Al Shabaab Militia on the Run’ – Banadir Governor

15 Apr – Source: Somali Current – 264 words

Governor of Banadir region Hassan Mohamed Hussein (Muungab) has warned the people in Mogadishu to show no mercy to the waves of defeated al Shabaab militia members who have escaped from the recent defeats and the heavy military security operations constantly conducted by the Somali national armed forces and the African peacekeeping troops in the other regions of the country.

The governor has also urged Somali community in general and people in Mogadishu in particular to cooperate with country’s different sections of the security forces. “Waves of the remnants of the militia who have run away from the regions that are under the heavy military operations are entering Mogadishu. We are vigilant and carefully watching their movements and the techniques that they have used when entering to the city.”

He also pointed out that they will take tough actions against the militant group members entering Mogadishu in search of a safe haven. Mr. Muungaab added that the security condition of Banadir region and particularly capital city of Mogadishu is much better than before.

Somali parliamentarians, intellectuals, politicians’ in their media briefings have several times predicted the possibility of al Shabaab militia members escaping battle fields and entering the capital after complete defeat by the armed forces of the country.

Qoryoley ‘inaccessible’ due to border blockages

15 Apr – Source: Radio Shabelle – 142 words

Armed assailants from the al Qaeda affiliated al Shabaab movement stormed a strategic military baseMonday night where dozens of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops were stationed in Qoryoley, a town in the Lower Shabelle region. After the forceful provocation from the al Shabaab Islamist militants, an intense battle broke out resulting in the sudden retreat of the insurgents.

Furthermore, Said Ali, an official representing Qoryoley for the Somali Federal Government claimed that the security situation in the district is deteriorating due to the blockages of focal roads leading to the town.

“All the main roads leading to Qoryoley have been blocked by al Shabaab,” Said Said Ali. It was not too long ago when the strategic stronghold foral Shabaab was liberated by the allied forces of AMISOM and Somali National Army. This town adds to the string of towns seized in the Lower Shabelle region.

Al Shabaab Condemns Kenya’s Eastleigh crackdown

15 Apr – Source: Horseed Media/RBC – 138 words

Somali Islamist group al Shabaab has described Kenya security crackdown against the Somalis in Eastleigh suburb as a campaign against Islam in their country. Spokesman, Ali Mohamud Rageh has also dismissed claims from the Kenyan security Officials linking Somali refugees residing in Eastleigh to al Shabaab.

He has also denied that Somali refugees in Kenya are involved in the terror attacks. “Kenya has proved its hatred towards Muslim people in its country. They have been targeting children, women and Old men… How can those vulnerable people be part of al Shabaab?’’ said the Spokesman.

Since the beginning of the security crackdown, more than 1000 Somalis have been detained and taken to temporary Police custody. Some of the people released have been forced to pay bribes in order to get back their freedom while others are still being held.

Somali woman becomes unconscious inside Kasarani detention of Nairobi

15 Apr – Source: Radio Dalsan – 144 words

Somali woman detained by Kenyan police in Kasarani detention of Nairobi became unconscious after spending nine days in a very dirty place. The Kenyan police have been using Kasarani Stadium as concentration camp since a large swoop against ethnic Somalis in Nairobi started in Eastleigh three weeks ago. Safiya Ali Nur, a mother of two lost her conscious while taking her ninth day in the concentration camp.

Fardawsa Sheikh Hassan, a Somali woman who campaigned for the Somali rights said the woman was still in her unconscious situation since Monday, and that there was no any health service she has received so far.

She said, some of those detained begun to feel stress and depressed as the brutal Kenyan soldiers continue to intimidate and harass the Somalis detained.

Lawmakers threaten to table motion against Somali Prime Minister

15 Apr – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 147 words

The parliamentary foreign affair committee stated that they will table a motion against the Prime Minister of Somalia Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed after they accused him of violating the constitution.

The deputy chairman of the committee Dahir Amin Jessow stated that anyone who infringes the law will automatically lose his position according to the constitution of Somalia. The vice chairman stated that the Prime Minister sided with Juba administration leader Ahmed Madobe while the tensions caused by recent clashes between Ahmed Madobe and the rivals is still at its climax.

The federal parliament of Somalia voted against former Prime Minister of Somalia Abdi Farah Shirdon after he was blamed of wrangling over corruption allegations and personal loyalties. The federal government of Somalia has not yet given comment about this issue.

Somaliland: ‘Sorry’ for the Arrest of Ethiopian Diplomats

15 Apr – Source: Somali Current/ Somaliland Sun – 320 words

Minister for Foreign Affairs & International Relations of Somaliland Administration Mr. Mohamed Bihi Younis has expressed his administration’s regret of the arrest of 2 Ethiopian diplomats at Gabiley region 2 weeks ago. The minister told the arrest of diplomatic staff in the country was contrary to international diplomatic etiquette. Mr. Bihi has sent an official apology letter to Ethiopian Federal Government to the infringement of the immunity privilege of its diplomats. Immunity.

“The arrest of the 2 diplomatic staff in Somaliland was deplorable, and we have expressed our regret on the incident of arrest of 2 Ethiopian diplomats at Gabiley. We have contacted Ethiopian Liaison office representative in Hargeisa and Somaliland has submitted an official apology letter to him. We told them that how diplomats were treated inside our country was “despicable”.” Said Somaliland Foreign Minister,

Minister Bihi has also confirmed that government officials and police officers behind the arrests of the diplomats are being held in detention, as investigation is underway. He likewise called Somaliland people to respect diplomats’ immunity particularly those from neighbouring Ethiopia.. Answering Ethiopian complaints regarding the arrests of its diplomats; Somaliland vice president Abdirahman Abdilahi Ismail (Seyli’i) has paid visit to Addis-Ababa in order to officially express his administration’s regret as well as concern over the arrests of the Ethiopian diplomats and that the mistreatment act by Somaliland police not to stain the relations between two parties.

Vice President speaking to the media at Egal International Airport before he left from the country stated, “Somaliland is here expressing its regret and concern over the arrests of the Ethiopian diplomats in Somaliland and that we won’t allow that such despicable issues to hurt our vital and close tie with Ethiopian government.” Local press in Somaliland similarly reported the 2 Ethiopian diplomats were physically forced before handcuffing them and then taken to the police station in Gabiley, but were suddenly transferred to Hargeisa CID Headquarters.

Al Shabaab on the verge of elimination

15 Apr – Source: Radio Shabelle – 158 words

The Minister of Information for the Somali Federal Cabinet Mustafa Sheikh Ali Dhuhulow, participated in a special ceremony in London hosted by the Somali community residing in England. During the gathering, the Minister updated the audience on the development of Somalia’s security as well as highlighting the positive progress it is going through.

The Minister explained that al Shabaab are on their last legacy with the majority surrendering themselves to the government, and that the rest will be eliminated by the military offensives launched by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali National Army.

“The insurgents of al Shabaab that are staging stealth attacks in Mogadishu are a minority; with the greater part of the Islamist militants in the process of being eradicated,” mentioned Dhuhulow

The speech by the Minister comes at a time when the Somali National Army backed by the AMISOM force are performing their military offensives to wipe out the al Qaeda affiliated al Shabaab terrorist cell.

Somaliland: European Registered Plane Initiates Maiden Flight to Hargeisa

14 Apr – Source: Somaliland Informer – 185 words

Daalo Airlines has become the first local aviation company in Somaliland to lease European registered airplanes which has an international insurance. The new plane an Air Bus A 321 can carry 230 passengers. It will make direct flight to London and Paris. This will reduce burden to travelers whom were forced to transit in Djibouti.

The Airline top managers informed SomalilandInformer.Com of their new strategy to introduce such airplanes to the country. The minister of Civil Aviation and Air Transport Mr. Mohamud Hashi Abdi was among the passengers en route to Dubai. He praised Daalo Airlines for her ever improving services and commended them for this new initiative.

This comes after the line ministry of Civil Aviation and Air Transport implemented various development projects aimed at uplifting the status of the airport to an international standard by jointly working with ICAO, a move that lift quality of the service provided by the facility from category 2 before the Kulmiye party’s ascension to power to the current category 7 with the ministry visualizing to progress till category 10 before the regime’s first term of office.

Al Shabaab claims victory in fight against Ethiopian troops in Bakol

14 Apr – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 93 words

Al Shabaab has claimed victory over a fighting that occurred in some areas of Bakol region. A military spokesman of al Shabaab Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musaab stated that they ambushed Ethiopian troops who were heading to areas in Bakol region and heavy fighting broke out between al Shabaab and Ethiopian troops.

Other Ethiopian troops from Wajid district to give reinforcement to the ambushed troops were also attacked as the spokesman reiterated. Finally the spokesman said that they killed five Ethiopian soldiers during the fight.

REGIONAL MEDIA

55 arrested in Mombasa police swoop

15 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 365 words

More than 50 people were on Monday night arrested in a fresh police crackdown in Mombasa County in what the officers say is their quest to eliminate criminals and illegal immigrants. Mombasa police boss Geoffrey Mayek confirmed they had arrested 55 people saying that most of them had no identification.

“Yesterday between 10 and 11 pm we conducted a swoop within Majengo, King’orani and areas of the Central Business District whereby we netted 55 people who did not have any form of identification,” He said.

The suspects spent the night at the Makupa police station where they were sorted out and the police identified 11 of them who did not have any documentation at all. Among them, four Somalis, one Tanzanian and six others who claimed to be Kenyans.

British Firm to Explore Somalia Billions of Oil Barrels

15 Apr – Source: Al Shahid – 121 words

British oil giant British Petroleum signed concessions with the Petrol Department for the Somali Federal Republic to explore oil and gas in the war raven East African nation.

Intelligence reports existence of significantly large oil deposits in Somalia which could change global prices if tapped. The Somali shores of Indian Ocean could be having some of the worlds largest oil deposits. Experts geographical assessments point out billions of oil barrels are reserved untapped in Somalia.

Intelligence collected by Strategic Intelligence shows Somali Puntland province has 10bn barrels of oil reserves, making one of the top 20 countries holding oil. A company that drilled wells in Puntland estimate 4bn barrels (about $500bn worth at today’s prices) in its two discoveries in Somalia.

Allied forces attack al Shabaab bases in Bakol, kill 43 militants

14 Apr – Source: Sabahi Online – 222 words

Somali troops backed by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces attacked al Shabaab bases in Bur Dhuhulle and Boogan villages in Bakol region on Sunday (April 13th), reportedly killing 43 al Shabaab militants.

“The operation’s objective was to free civilians from al Shabaab,” Bakol regional administration spokesman Abdinuur Mohamed Hassan told Sabahi. “Some [fighters] were killed and two are under custody and are being investigated.” He said security forces were also pursuing other suspects who fled the scene.

The allied forces killed 15 al Shabaab militants in Bur Dhuhulle, Somalia’s RBC Radio reported. Hassan did not comment on the Bur Dhuhulle operation, but said 28 al Shabaab militants were killed in nearby Boogan. No injuries or casualties were sustained by civilians during the 15-minute firefight between allied forces and al Shabaab, he said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

2 Kenyans ‘freed’, not ‘rescued’: Al Shabaab

15 Apr – Source: Turkish Press – 116 words

The Somali militant al Shabaab group on Saturday denied Kenyan claims about the rescue of two aid workers, saying it had released the two hostages. In a statement, al Shabaab group the two Kenyan aid workers had been released on the occasion of the mass conversion to Islam by the residents of Barawa, a city in the Lower Shabelle Region.

“The Kenyan troops try to deceive the public opinion by spreading false news,” the militant group said in the statement published by Somalimemo news portal.

Al Shabaab claimed that it had helped the freed Kenyans to reach their country’s border. On Friday, Kenyan army forces said that they had rescued two aid workers taken hostage by al Shabaab group.

MPD Somali officers answered the call of duty

15 Apr – Source: KARE 11 – 268 words

Minneapolis Police Officer Mohammed Abdullahi didn’t always dream of a badge. “I actually wanted to go to dental school, so I did a big 360 somehow,” Officer Abdullahi said while on patrol Monday night.

He spent some time growing up in Cedar Riverside after he emigrated from Somalia when he said he started to notice a problem. “The community was being victimized by gang members from the Somali Community,” Abdullahi recalled. So in 2006 he decided to protect and serve his own.

“People were not trusting the police, and I thought I could be a good ambassador to be a bridge between the police department and the community,” Abdullahi said. Mohammed Abdullahi became the first Somali police officer in the state of Minnesota. It made a difference and created a following.

“We see him as a role model for us, for all the Somali police officers,” Abdullahi’s patrol partner, Officer Ali Abdiwahab said. The pair patrols for MPD in the first precinct, which includes the Cedar Riverside community.

Kenya plans digital registration amid al Shabaab threat

15 Apr – Source: IT Web Africa – 431 words

Kenya plans embarking on a fresh digital citizen registration drive following high profile terrorist attacks in the country by Somali armed militant group al Shabaab. In September last year, members of al Shabaab stormed Nairobi’s Westgate shopping complex and killed dozens of people while over 100 were left injured.

And in February this year, at least one person was killed and two security officers seriously injured in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa after police stormed a mosque that raised an al Shabaab flag.

The al Shabaab group, which is said to have links to al Qaeda, has demanded that Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta pull Kenyan troops out of Somalia. Kenyan troops have been stationed in Somalia as part of an African Union-backed peacekeeping mission.

Kenya; then, is looking to curb the terrorist threat within its borders. And Kenya’s deputy president, William Ruto, has said that a digital registration drive of the country’s citizens could help fight the rising tide of terrorism in the country.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Rather than a blanket assault on Somalis and a mass eviction of refugees, Kenya should identify al Shabaab operatives through a targeted intelligence operation. These clumsy and indiscriminate security sweeps are causing long-term strategic damage to Kenya.”

Anti-Somali Sweeps Are Strategic Error

15 Apr – Source: Star-Kenya – 204 words

THERE are still an estimated 4,000 Somalis being held in Kasarani stadium. Government wants to first return all Somali refugees to Dadaab but and then move the camp back into Somalia.

This is a colossal strategic error by government. Only a small minority of Somalis support al Shabaab yet they are all assumed guilty. During the Mungiki crackdown of 2007, the state did not cordon and search all Kikuyu neighbourhoods because it knew that Mungiki only represented a tiny fraction of Kikuyu. There is no reason to harass all Somalis.

Somalis, including refugees, support the Kenyan economy. They have started businesses and keep their savings here. Eventually Somalia will stabilise. Then these Somalis will run away since we have treated them so badly, taking their savings with them. Kenya will be the poorer.

“Given the complexity of the situation, it is very difficult to predict the outcome of the negotiations to be held in Baidoa; however, the undeniable truth is that the cost of reconciling with Baidoa and bringing it in line with the federal government is much higher than it would have been had Villa Somalia not taken it for granted.”

Villa Somalia Paying the Price for Taking Baidoa for Granted!

14 Apr – Source: Wardheernews – 2327 words

Speaking on the third anniversary of the launch of the Somali National Television, Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed praised the staff and executives at the Ministry of Information for shaping the SNTV into a mirror that best “reflects the reality on the ground in all corners of the country”.

PM Abdiweli’s words ring true in the ears of some SNTV viewers. The daily news reports pouring in from local bureaus in small towns such as Bal’ad, Adado and Abudwaq as well as some sizable cities like Beledweyne, Galka’yo and Bosaso lend his words some substance that all government controlled areas receive a fair share of state-run media coverage.

While events in small towns such as Bal’ad and Adado continue to make headlines on SNTV, the only mention of Baidoa in the state-run media comes during official visits by high profile ministers who bring media crew with them. The government has shrugged off repeated requests by elders and regional authorities to establish a similar local bureau in Baidoa, the third biggest city in Somalia. The government put Baidoa off the radar and events occurring in and around its environs were deemed not newsworthy.

Top tweets

@EdPomfret EVENT:Keeping the Lifeline Open:Remittances to#Somalia 12 May Minneapolis w/ @RealBarkhad @Adesoafrica @ScottTPaul pic.twitter.com/WfMktYCOXE.

@GenoWorldview PHOTO: Children in #Somalia have the right to grow up in a safe environment. @ElmanPeaceCentr pic.twitter.com/fOsQwPRu0M.

@Rooble2009 Why war ended in #Somaliland but continued in#Somalia: A political settlements approach –http://ips.cap.anu.edu.au/cap-events/2014-05-06/why-war-ended-somaliland-continued-somalia-political-settlements-approach#.U0zUm6D7rHs.twitter …

@thosjleeper Great article in current Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology on surveying in #Somalia http://jssam.oxfordjournals.org/content/2/1/78.abstract …@AAPOR @AmstatNews.

‏@Abdikarim_Abdi3 #Kuwait to reconstruct #Garowe airport and Makhir University after an agreement was signed. #Puntland #Somalia pic.twitter.com/mXn3rpPDaD.

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Image of the day

Image of the day SNA soldiers march during a military parade near a refurbished part of the Ministry of Defense in Mogadishu. Photo: @HLooyaan.