June 9, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Floods threaten Somalia’s displaced families
09 Jun- Source: Al Jazeera English-01:32mins
Families in Somalia are facing the threat of disease after a camp for internally displaced people was flooded. Food is scarce and medical supplies are running low. Al Jazeera’s Tim Friend reports.
Key Headlines
- Inter-clan fighting flare up in Marka town (Radio Goobjoog/Radio Mustaqbal/Kulmiye)
- Somali President meets with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo (Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu)
- “We welcome the surrender of Atam but we have not forgiven him” Says Puntland president Prof Gaas(RBC/VOA Somali Service)
- Turkish delegation visits Puntland State of Somalia (Horseed Media)
- Somali clerics calls on federal govt to intervene and stop inter-clan clashes in Lower Shabelle region(Radio Goobjoog)
- Islah movement criticizes president Hassan to attend Gen. Sisi’s inauguration (Horseed Media/Radio Goobjoog/Wehehl media)
- Federal Govt troops conduct clean-up operation new areas seized (Garowe Online)
- Fatal car accident kills four soldiers near Bosasso (Radio RBC/Allpunatland Online)
- Himan & Heb administration rescues ship crew near Hobyo town (Radio Goobjoog)
- Floods threaten Somalia’s displaced families (Al Jazeera English)
- Report cautions US citizens on rising insecurity in Kenya (Daily Nation)
- Somalia floods kill 3 displace hundreds (World Bulletin)
PRESS RELEASE
Prime Minister calls for immediate ceasefire in Lower Shabelle
09 Jun- Source: Office of The Prime Minister-366 Words
The Prime Minister of Somalia His Excellency Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed today issued an urgent message to the clan militia fighting in lower Shabelle region and called on them to immediately cease hostilities. He also announced that his government will send a ministerial level delegation to the region to bring the conflict to an end.
The Cabinet Committees on Security and Politics met to analyse the situation and issued the following points:
1. All parties involved in the conflict should commence an immediate ceasefire as of today’s date of09/06/2014 and end the conflict.
2. All the armed militia should be removed immediately from the conflict zone and turned over to the government’s forces.
3. The Somali Joint Security Forces will assume immediate responsibility for the security of Marka and the entire region of Lower Shabelle.
4. To ensure implementation of these urgent priorities, the Minister of Interior Affairs and the Minister of Defence, who is also the current Acting Minister of National Security, will lead a high-level delegation that will visit Marka.
5. We call upon the senior command of AMISOM to take a significant role in supporting an immediate ceasefire and the stabilization of Lower Shabelle.
Addressing the issue, the Prime Minister said:
“I am calling on the fighting groups in Lower Shabelle to immediately ceasefire. This country does not need any more bloodshed. The people who are dying are all brothers and sisters. There is no conflict that cannot be solved through dialogue.
“My government is committed to fostering dialogue and reconciliation among the people of this country. In this spirit, we are sending to Marka a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Interior Affairs and the Minister of Defence, who is also the current Acting Minister of National Security. This delegation will focus on resolving the conflict and re-establishing open dialogue among the parties involved in the conflict.
“To ensure immediate ceasefire in Marka and to ensure the stabilization of Lower Shabelle region, the Somali National Army, with support from AMISOM forces, will do all in its power to bring the conflict to an end. We are committed to the wellbeing of our communities and will continue to work towards their protection.”
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali President meets with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo
09 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu- 109 words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has on Sunday held talks with the newly inaugurated Egyptian President Abdel fattah Al Sisi in Cairo. The two leaders discussed on various issues including strengthening relations between the two countries and the role of the Egyptian government in the stabilization efforts in Somalia.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who attended the inauguration ceremony in Cairo on Sundaycongratulated the new Egyptian President, Abdel fattah Al Sisi for his election. Abdel fattah Al Sisi was inaugurated on Sunday as Egypt’s new president after beating his only challenger Hamdeen Sabahi in the country’s recent presidential elections.
“We welcome the surrender of Atam but we have not forgiven him” Says Puntland president Prof Gaas
09 Jun – Source: RBC/VOA Somali Service – 140 words
Prof Abdiwali Mohamed Ali Gaas, the president of Puntland state of Somalia has welcomed the surrender of former al Shabaab commander in GalGala Mountains, the al Shabaab’s hub in Puntland regions. The President however stated that Puntland has not forgiven him.
President Gaas speaking to Voice of America said that Puntland government is welcoming the surrender of the man who launched al Shabaab group in Gal Gala Mountains in Puntland regions and is ready to welcome anyone who wants to leave the al Qaeda linked al Shabaab militants.
Meanwhile discussions within Puntland government leaders on how to deal with Atam, the former senior al Shabaab commander in Puntland states is about to commence according to President Gaas and will give out decision soon. The president however assured that Puntland will stay firm in fighting the remnants of al Shabaab in Gal gala.
Inter-clan fighting flare up in Marka town
09 Jun- Source: Radio Goobjoog/Radio Mustaqbal/Kulmiye- 121 words
Heavy inter-clan fighting erupted in Marka, the headquarters of Lower Shabelle region after militias fighting in the outskirt of the town entered the city on early Monday. The casualties of the fight in Marka is not clearly known.
Witness told Goobjoog FM that heavily armed militias are patrolling the major streets of Marka town. On the other hand many people in Marka fled from their houses fearing that the fighting might start in their home area.
Over ten people died and many others wounded during the inter-clan clashes in Lower Shabelle region. The fighting is between two rival clans that reside in the region, it is one of the several inter-clan clashes that occurred in the region.
Turkish delegation visits Puntland State of Somalia
09 Jun- Source: Horseed Media- 119 words
On Sunday, 20 Members delegation from Turkey, Lead by the Turkish Consul General in Somalia Mr.Omar Faruk visited Puntland State of Somalia. The delegation from Turkey included representatives from major Turkish companies and businessmen who are interested in the investment possibilities in natural resource-rich Puntland, northeast of Somalia.
The ministers of Finance and commerce of Puntland were among those who welcomed the delegation at Bander Qassim International Airport in Bosaso city. The Turkish delegation toured parts of the city, including the seaport and Marero Beach east of the commercial capital of Puntland. Later the delegation had lunch with the President of Puntland Dr.Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas at the Bosaso Presidential palace.
Somali clerics call on federal govt to intervene and stop inter-clan clashes in Lower Shabelle region
09 Jun – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 94 words
Somali clerics urged the federal government of Somalia to quickly act and end the inter-clan violence that claims the lives of innocent people. Sheikh Noor Barud Gurhan called on the federal government of Somalia and African union peacekeeping troops to intervene and immediately stop the clashes in the region.
Sheikh Gurhan stated that its unacceptable for new clashes and bloodshed to embark in the region. He called the residents in the regions to go far from anything that may activate the ongoing clashes. Over ten people died after inter-clan clashes embarked in Lower Shabelle region.
Islah movement criticizes president Hassan to attend Gen. Sisi’s inauguration
09 Jun- Source: Horseed Media/Radio Goobjoog/Wehehl media-131 words
Somalia’s Islah movement has criticized the decision of Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to attend the inauguration ceremony of Gen. Abdifatah Al-Sisi in Cairo.
The chairman of Islah movement Ali Bashi Omar told Goobjoog FM that president Hassan went against the needs of his people by taking part in an unlawful ceremony of a dictator who massacred many innocent people.
He called on the federal parliament of Somalia to ask the president why he attended the illegitimate ceremony without consultations with government institutions.
The chairman also urged the cabinet to apologize to the public over the wrong decisions of president Hassan that might lower the confidence of the people to his rule. Many leaders all over the world including Somali president attended the inauguration ceremony of Gen. Abdifatah Al-Sisi in Cairo.
Federal Govt troops conduct clean-up operation, new areas seized
09 Jun – Source: Garowe Online – 93 words
The Somali Federal Government troops aided by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers conducted a cleanup operation near Lower Shabelle regional district of Qoryoley of southern Somalia, dismantling al Shabaab hideouts, Garowe Online reports.
According to Qoryoley Mayor Osman Mohamed Burale, the allied forces seized Abdi Ali and Furuqweyn vicinities in the surprise operation overnight on Saturday.
Burale noted that the army alongside African union forces engaged in deadly battle with al Shabaab militants during the clean-up exercise. He only confirmed that at least fifty persons from the opposing sides sustained injuries.
Fatal car accident kills four soldiers near Bosasso
09 Jun- Source: Radio RBC/Allpunatland Online- 161 words
At least four soldiers died and three others were wounded after their battle wagon vehicle turned off the road late on Sunday at the main road that links Bosasso town to Garowe in the semi-autonomous state of Puntand, Somalia.
The armored vehicle was transporting security forces who were sent to Qayadsame area where armed militias abducted a civilian owned vehicle a day before in order to release it back to the owner.
According to senior security officer at the Puntland Presidency, the four dead soldiers and the three wounded were from the security guards of Presidency.
The victims were evacuated to Bosasso General Hospital where one of them was later proclaimed dead, according to the officer who spoke with RBC Radio in anonymity condition. Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas has been in Bosasso town in the past weeks holding meetings with the community in Bari region. On Sunday, the President received a Turkish delegation from the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu.
Himan & Heb administration rescues ship, crew near Hobyo town
09 Jun – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 124 words
The administration of Himan & Heb regional administration in Central Somalia sent emergency maritime troops to rescue a cargo ship near Hobyo town. The spokesman of Himan & Heb regional administration speaking to state owned Radio gave reports about a ship and crews they rescued at the coastal area after they received alarms from the crews.
He stated that they immediately sent special forces with boats who succeeded to rescue the crews and now are safely in the hands of Himan & Heb administration in Hobyo district.
He reiterated that the forces managed to rescue the ship through they were hit by strong winds in the sea. Finally the spokesman stated 10 crews were on board of the rescued ship, seven Pakistans, two Indians and an Iranian.
Severe food shortage hits Buloburte
08 Jun- Source: Radio Ergo- 146 words
A severe food shortage is threatening the lives of hundreds of people in Buloburte district, about 200 km north of Mogadishu. Ali Nur Abukar, a humanitarian worker in the district, said the food stores had already been emptied after more than four months of an al Shabaab blockade on the town.
The al Shabaab group lost control of the district to Somali and AMISOM troops in March and then blocked all the roads leading to the town, effectively cutting it off from supplies. Trucks bringing food or other good have been refused access.
A similar blockade has also been imposed on Wajid and Hudur districts in Bakool, and Burdubo in Gedol. Abukar said about 50 sacks of food aid were flown into the town last week, but the food was not enough to feed the hundreds of people now at risk of starvation.
Somaliland Minister of Civil Aviation meets with ICAO delegation
08 Jun – Source: Somliland Informer – 151 words
Somaliland Government & officers from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have jointly spelled out of meeting on future airspace control which took place in Hargeisa on Sunday.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation & Air Transport held a press conference at Ambassador Hotel along with ICAO officers & spoke about the Somalia/Somaliland to take control of her airspace is now being implemented.
Director General of Civil Aviation & Air Transport Mr. Omar Abdilahi has stated that they bid a farewell to UN delegation that has been in the country for the past two days.
He said that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) delegation trip to the country is to assess the capabilities of major airports, the smooth functioning of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and her assets. The delegation paid a visit to the port city of Berbera and inspected new brand terminal which is under construction and is nearing completion.
Three children die of hunger in besieged district of Wajid
07 Jun- Source: Radio Ergo- 254 words
Three children have died from hunger and dozens more are at risk of starvation in the besieged district of Wajid, about 300 km northwest of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
Mohamed Abdi Hassan, the chairman of a local youth association in Wajid, said the children died earlier this week. He said stocks of food and other supplies including medicines were almost exhausted in the district.
He added that no food supplies nor other goods had been transported in since al-Shabaab imposed a blockade around the district four months ago. Around 5,000 families live in Wajid.
“The group has positioned itself on all the main roads leading towards Wajid and is refusing access to the trucks and vehicles travelling to the district,” Hassan told Radio Ergo’s reporter in Baidoa by phone.
Al Shabaab has lost the control of the district to the allied Somali and Ethiopian troops in February.
The price of the little food available in the market has already more than doubled, forcing many poor families to stay without food for days.
However, the Somali federal government said it is planning to deliver food aid to besieged towns and villages including Wajid. The director general of the Interior and Federalism Ministry, Ali Abdidoon Halane, told Radio Ergo that more than 25 trucks and vehicles carrying food aid and medical supplies had been parked at Baidoa, about 90 km from Wajid, since 3 May because the roads to Wajid, Hudur and Burdubo were all closed by al-Shabaab.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Floods threaten Somalia’s displaced families
09 Jun- Source: Al Jazeera English-01:32mins
Families in Somalia are facing the threat of disease after a camp for internally displaced people was flooded. Food is scarce and medical supplies are running low. Al Jazeera’s Tim Friend reports.
Report cautions US citizens on rising insecurity in Kenya
09 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 134 words
A US advisory agency has cautioned American citizens about terrorism and crime in Kenya.
The Overseas Security Advisory Council (Osac) in its latest “Kenya 2014 Crime And Safety Report” circulated to the American business community rates crime and road safety as the greatest threats.
The report, dated last month, links local, regional and international terrorism threats in the country to the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Somalia in 2011 to fight al Shabaab insurgents.
Osac says attacks on various targets in Kenya including Westgate Shopping Mall on September 21, 2013 and Eastleigh explosions are revenge missions carried out by al Shabaab.
“In response to the Kenyan intervention, in Somalia, al Shabaab and its sympathisers have conducted retaliatory attacks against civilian and government targets in Kenya,” says the report.
QRC opens full-fledged health centre in Somalia
09 Jun- Source: Gulf Times-215 Words
The Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has opened a health centre in a village in Somalia. The health centre, located in the Mareerey village in the Afgooye district in the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia, some 40 km south of the capital Mogadishu, has been opened in co-operation with the Islamic Da’wa Organisation office.
The construction cost of the centre was QR451,578 ($123,720) of which the Islamic Da’wa Organisation contributed QR 175,200 ($ 48,000). The QRC contributed QR 276,378 ($75,720) to cover the cost of equipment.
The centre houses several sections, including outpatient clinics, antenatal care, children’s immunisation, and short -term health monitoring, in addition to a medical laboratory and a pharmacy. It is estimated that about 30,000 people in rural areas will benefit from the health services to be rendered by the centre.
AMISOM troops hand over water projects to the Somalia nationals
06 Jun- Source: KTN Kenya-01:22mins
After years of being in control of the administration of several water projects in Somalia, the AMISOM troops have handed over the water projects to the Somalia nationals.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia floods kill 3, displace hundreds
09 Jun- Source: World Bulletin-217 Words
Three people have been killed and hundreds displaced after flash floods hit the port city of Kismayu in southern Somalia, a government official said Sunday.
“The three killed are all children who lived in an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp. All [the camp’s residents] have been displaced now with no shelter, food or medicine,” Nur Omar, a Kismayu region administrator, told Anadolu Agency on Sunday.
“With no shelter, IDPs have to endure the ongoing rain and cold. They need assistance immediately,” Omar added.
Most roads in the Lower Jubba and Lower Shabelle regions have been rendered impassable by the floods.
The flash floods have been on for a week now. Most of those affected are displaced people living in makeshift shelters in Tawakal camp with the floods having washed away most of the camp’s structures.
Thousands of new refugees (asylum seekers) in Northern Kenya
09 Jun – Source: Xinhua – 261 words
The UN refugee agency said Saturday it has registered 5,860 new Somali refugees and asylum seekers in 45 days at the Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Kenya government’s Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA) said 772 persons were registered in Hagadera camp, followed by 1,501 in Ifo camp and 616 in Ifo 2, adding up to a total of 2,889 persons.
“Between April 14, when registration resumed, and May 31, a total of 5,088 refugees and 701 asylum seekers were registered in the Dadaab camps,” UNHCR said in its latest report on Dadaab refugee camp. Since the first forceful relocation of urban refugees on April, UNHCR said it has received more than 600 persons in Dadaab.
“In addition, an unknown number of refugees who had left Dadaab for urban areas came back to the camps voluntarily and reunified with their family and relatives residing in the camps,” it said. The UN refugee agency said it plans to finally move the registration center to Dagahaley camp as more refugees continue to trickle in from urban centers in Kenya.
Kenya’s security forces have been carrying out a countrywide swoop on illegal aliens since April 2 following increased terror attacks by suspected al Shabaab militants.
EXCLUSIVE: Pirate hostages fly to freedom
08 Jun- Source: eNCA-07:51mins
Eleven hostages held by Somali pirates for more than three years have been released, and eNCA’s Robyn Kriel was there when they got their first taste of freedom. The cargo ship MV Albedo was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Kenya in November 2010 when it was taken by Somali pirates, who diverted the vessel to Somalia.
In July last year, four crew members and seven pirates died when the ship sank. The fate of the surviving crew was uncertain until Saturday morning, when a United Nations task force airlifted them out of Somalia. The hostages, from India, Iran, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, are now safely in Kenya, soon to be repatriated to their home countries.
Somalia: Rebuilding Efforts to Overcome Water Shortages
07 Jun- Source: CCTV Africa-01:51mins
After two decades of civil war, Somalia is gradually rising from the ashes. The government has been trying to rebuild the country and provide its citizens with basic services. Recently, newly rehabilitated water wells were opened. It is hoped they will provide clean water to 260,000 households.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“We need to know the facts about our involvement in Somalia. If we do not, we will continue to believe that Al-Shabaab wants to destroy our way of life, as one columnist put it, and is jealous of our freedoms. The truth is that we really do not know the truth.”
To understand why we are targets, we must ask some hard questions
09 Jun- Source: Daily Nation-693 Words
Most Kenyans are not aware of this, but Kenya’s comrade-in-arms in Somalia, Sheikh Ahmed Madobe, is a protégé and brother-in-law of Hassan Turki, a career jihadist who has been designated by the United States as a terrorist.
Madobe split from Turki’s Ras Kamboni Brigades when it joined forces with al Shabaab and laid claim to the prized port of Kismayo. In 2009, Madobe formed the Ras Kamboni movement that later joined Kenyan forces to fight al Shabaab in southern Somalia.
Why should this worry us? Well, first, how can the Kenyan Government trust a person who has previous links with terrorists and has a history of defecting? Was the Mwai Kibaki administration coerced, perhaps by Ethiopia, and by extension the United States, to back Madobe?
Both Ethiopia and the United States are known to support warlords in Somalia. Some of these warlords even have links with al Qaeda (read Jeremy Scahill’s book Dirty Wars and my forthcoming book, War Crimes). Was Kenya following these two countries’ orders?
Secondly, having secured Kismayo, why are the Kenyan forces still there? United Nations and other reports suggest that both the Kenyan forces and the Ras Kamboni militia are continuing with “business as usual” at the port.
“Photography is only one way of telling a story. My way is writing. But it boggles my mind to imagine all the children in Somalia who have never had the chance to express themselves through any art form. Creativity is stimulated by experiences, and based on their experiences could you imagine their thoughts? There are new Martin Luther Kings, Barack Obamas and Maya Angelou’s, among them, surely.”
Dreaming of Realities
06 Jun- Source: Hiiraan Online-866 Words
“Who here is from Somalia?” I hesitantly put my hand up, almost ashamed of the fact that I came from a war-torn country. I was in the 8th grade, and being outspoken wasn’t exactly my greatest attribute. I also was the only Somali-American in the class, and that didn’t help put me at ease either. “I am, I’m from Somalia,” I half stuttered. To alter the common misconception in the class, I quickly added, “You know, Somalia used to be a tourist attraction, it wasn’t always like it is today.” I expected my teacher would follow his question with some grim statistics. I was trying to sound proud, but even that felt hard.
Outside of school, I also had so-called “friends” who made me feel uncomfortable with the problems my country faces today. They would laugh about how Somalia appeared in pictures to be just “grass and dust.” I would pull my phone out of my backpack and Google for images of Somalia in ’80s before the troubles. “See, it was beautiful,” I’d tell them hopefully. “It was,” they’d answer and walk away. I cherished the past and our country’s beauty then, not trusting in its ability to recover from its present problems.
Being born and raised outside of Somalia gives individuals like me a different cultural experience, one that can be both lost and found in the stories of our elders, their voices so vibrant with memories that it seems we shared those moments together. Briefcases packed with albums and loosely kept photos with creased edges. If our parents had known one day their children would know their homeland only through such pictures, they would have kept them in better condition.
Top tweets
@UNLazzarini Wondering what the #humanitarian com is doing to prevent a new crisis in #Somalia? Read our strategic response plan: http://bit.ly/1mjavI7
@LaetitiaBader In London #Somalia gov.& partners should commit to preventing reprisals against those reporting rape,#TimeToAct , http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/
@WaaberiProject #Somalia, Bantu children were denied education for decades, but this Somali Bantu boy, a new Tanzanian citizen,… http://fb.me/2m9NURemE
@robynleekriel #piratehostages #somalia. The convoy escorting the rescued hostages courtesy of Galmudug Gvt.@eNCAnews pic.twitter.com/lcjuDZ8E43
@harunmaruf Reports: Clan militias that controlled #Marka town overpowered by rivals, fears grow that new armed hostility will flare up in K-50.#Somalia
Image of the day
#AMISOM peacekeepers assisting as many as 350 families affected by the heavy rains in Kismayo #Somalia. Photo: @amisomsomalia