June 30, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

China to reopen Somalia embassy, sees strong ties

30 Jun- Source: Reuters-233 Words

China will reopen its embassy in Somalia after signs the East African country was making progress in its efforts to restore peace decades after the end of its civil war, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China will send a team to Somalia on July 1 to reopen the embassy, which was closed in 1991 as Somalia descended into chaos.

“China’s reopening of the embassy in Somalia is a signal that China attaches great importance to relations with Somalia,” Hong said at a daily briefing.

Once written off as a failed state, Somalia now has its most legitimate government for decades since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s election in 2012, but the government still struggles to exert influence beyond the capital and is plagued by recent attacks by al Shabaab.

China’s announcement comes just over three weeks after the United States said it will appoint a new ambassador to Mogadishu for the first time since closing its embassy there 23 years ago. Britain and Turkey have both opened embassies in Somalia and other countries, including Iran, are also vying for influence in the Horn of Africa nation.

Key Headlines

Explosion Happens in Kaaraan Market (Radio Dalsan/Radio Goobjoog)
Somali Prime Minister returns from African Union Summit (Radio Mogadisu/Radio Bar-kulan)
AMISOM and SNA beef up security in Baidoa during Holy Month of Ramadan (AMISOM)
Somali PM calls on security forces to “be more alert” (Radio Shabelle/Radio Dalsan)
Hilowle Adan: “ Gedo region is part of the interim administration of Juba” (Radio Goobjoog)
Somali President urges citizens to help the needy during Ramadan (Radio Mogadishu/Bar-kulan)
Italy seeks to rebuild Somalia by implementing development projects (Radio Shabelle)
China to reopen Somalia embassy sees strong ties (Reuters)
Himan and Heeb authorities start tax collection in major towns (Bar-kulan)
Italian delegates due to reach Mogadishu (Radio Goobjoog)
Deputy Mayor of Galmudug’s Section of Gaalkacyo Resigns (Radio Dalsan)
Media seminar and sensitisation of stabilisation strategy held in Beledweyne (AMISOM)
Somaliland: Wadani party accuses Silanyo government of failure to convince the UN to control her airspace (Somaliland Informer)
Kenya: Lamu Governor Timamy freed on bail (Capital FM/Daily Nation)
IGP: Entebbe airport at the mercy of terrorists (Daily Monitor)
Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister hosts DGs and PSs to push for civil service reforms ahead (Al Shahid)
12 Pakistanis trafficked to Somalia reach home (The News International)
Somalis concerned by US decision to end Hawala system (Press TV)
At least two killed in Somali market bomb blast: government official (Reuters)
Fear that US banks may ban sending money to Somalia (bdlive)
Survivor of kidnapping in Somalia tells of compassion forgiveness in bestselling book (Bangor Daily News)

SOMALI MEDIA

Explosion Happens in Kaaraan Market

30 Jun- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Goobjoog- 91 words

Reports from Kaaraan Market in Mogadishu say that and explosion has rocked the place, causing casualties and demages. An explosive device exploded in that market’s meat section, killing two people and injuring seven others. No one knows the real target and motive of the explosion. The situation in the market is tense at the moment. Security forces and staff members of Banadir Regional Administration rushed to the explosion scene.

Somali Prime Minister returns from African Union Summit

30 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadisu/Radio Bar-kulan- 147 words

Somali Prime Minister, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed and his delegation has on Sunday returned to Mogadishu from African Union Summit in Equatorial Guinea.

Speaking to the press at the airport, the prime minister gave more details about the outcome of his meetings with the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon and other African leaders during his time in Equatorial Guinea. He said that they presented his government’s vision and plans including agricultural development, economic growth and creating more jobs for the Somali people.

This year’s African Union Summit in Equatorial Guinea focused on food security and the role of agricultural development in transforming Africa.

Meanwhile, East African leaders on the sidelines of the 23rd African Union Summit in Equatorial Guinea signed a protocol for the establishment of East African Standby Force.

The prime minister and his delegation were warmed received at the airport by officials from the federal government.

AMISOM and SNA beef up security in Baidoa during Holy Month of Ramadan

30 Jun- Source: AMISOM-314 Words

With the onset of Ramadan, AMISOM together with the Somali National Army and the Somali Police Force have beefed up security in Baidoa to counter al Shabaab’s attempts to cause disorder and disrupt civilians from their religious duties during the holy month.

Leaving nothing to chance, the Ethiopian contingent along with SNA and SPF are taking utmost vigilance and necessary precautions on security with the view of maintaining security of the population.
“We are currently undertaking joint night patrols and security operations to maintain security in Baidoa and in the areas that come under our jurisdiction. The operations are also meant to thwart Al-Shabaab from waging attacks on civilians during the month of Ramadan to allow the residents to freely and peacefully perform their worship,” explained SNA operations commander Col. Yasin Adan Hiirow.

According to Sector 3 commander, Brig. Gen Gebremedhin Hailu Fikadu, the extensive operations will continue throughout the month. “Ramadan is al Shabaab’s favourite time to mount attacks on civilians. We will not let them have the opportunity to do that,” said Brig. Gen. Fikadu adding that the joint operations with local security forces was mutually beneficial and aimed at presenting a united force against all theats.

Somali PM calls on security forces to “be more alert”

30 Jun- Source: Radio Shabelle/Radio Dalsan- 129 words

The Prime Minister of the Somali Federal Republic, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, has said that the Somali Federal Government including the security forces must take precautionary actions to prevent planned assassinations in Mogadishu.

Mr. Ahmed called on the Somali security forces such as the Somali Police Force and National Intelligence & Security Agency to increase their attention of potential mishaps in the city to thwart probable murders and terror attacks in the capital city.

The Prime Minister added that the residents living in all neighborhoods of Mogadishu should have the right to start and end their fast peacefully.

The Somali Prime Minister, Mr Ahmed’s speech comes at a time when three of Somali security forces were killed In Mogadishu – two of them traffic cops gunned down at a busy road.

Hilowle Adan: “ Gedo region is part of the interim administration of Juba”

30 Jun- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 127 words

A politician who hails from Gedo region stated that the tensions between government forces and Ahlu suna has been officially solved. Hilowle Adan, a former member of transitional federal parliament speaking to Radio Goobjoog stated that the forces were integrated and are now directed to areas in Gedo region under the control of al Shabaab especially Bardere district one of the strongholds of the group.

Mr. Hilowle added that Gedo region is part of the interim administration of Juba in Southern Somalia led by Ahmed Mohamed Islan aka Ahmed Madobe.

He thanked the elders and intellectuals who actively took part in resolving the hostilities and tensions between the sides in the region.

His remarks comes a time when Gedo reconciliation conference was concluded in Doloow district before weeks.

Somali President urges citizens to help the needy during Ramadan

30 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Bar-kulan – 123 words

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has extended his Ramadan wishes to the Muslim community, especially to the Somali people. The president urged the financially able Somali people to assist their needy brothers and sisters in the country who are unable to meet their daily needs.

He further stated that the government has implemented a new scheme dubbed “Break your fast with peace” which is designed to maintain law and order in the capital and in other parts of the country under the control of the government.

The president accused al Shabaab militant group of terrorizing civilians during the holy month of Ramadan and urged Somali people to work with the government and its security agencies in maintaining law and order in the country.

Italy seeks to rebuild Somalia by implementing development projects

30 Jun- Source: Radio Shabelle- 102 words

State Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation for the Somali Federal Government, Bur’I Mohamed Hamza, said that that the Italian government wants to implement development projects in Somalia.

Mr. Hamza told the press that the Italian government will support the Somali Federal Government by implementing these projects as part of the goals of rebuilding state institutions and improving infrastructure in the war-torn nation.

Nonetheless, the Somali government received the credentials of the recently appointed Italian Ambassador to Somalia.

President Hassan Sheikh and the State Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation accepted his credentials at the Somali State House in Mogadishu, Villa Somalia.

Italian delegates due to reach Mogadishu

30 Jun- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 125 words

Delegation from Italy led by deputy minister for foreign affairs are expected to visit Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia as reliable sources confirm to Radio Goobjoog.

The delegates will hold meetings with the top leaders of the country including the president and officials of foreign affairs ministry.

The motive behind the delegation’s visit to Mogadishu is not clearly known but foreign affairs state minister Buri’ Hamza said it’s a sign of good progress of bilateral ties between the two nations and Italy is anticipated to resume assistance and developmental projects in the country.

President Hassan has on Sunday received credential letters from the newly appointed Italian ambassador to Somalia and urged to strengthen the relations between the two nations.

Himan and Heeb authorities start tax collection in major towns

30 Jun – Source: Bar-kulan/Radio Goobjoog – 110 words

Himan and Heeb authorities in central Somali regions have officially started to collect tax money from businesses in some of its administered areas.

Adado district commissioner for Himan and Heeb Administration, Abdullahi Abdirahman Hussein told Bar-kulan that the collection of taxes came after the authorities and the business communities in the area agreed on the subject.

He added that the collection of taxes have already started in several towns including Adado, Godinlabe and Bahdo.

Hussein underlined that the money will be used to provide essential services to the people in Himan and Heeb administered areas. He finally urged the business people in the area to pay their taxes on time.

Deputy Mayor of Galmudug’s Section of Gaalkacyo Resigns

30 Jun- Source: Radio Dalsan- 124 words

The Deputy Mayor of Gaalkacyo, Mohamed Ali Hassan resigned on Sunday due to what he termed as malpractices from his senior administrators.

He said, they were interfering with his work in the recent past. ‘I resigned from my post as the Deputy Gaalkacyo Mayor.. I managed to tender my resignation today (Sunday).”

There is no information from the Gaalkacyo Administration, Galmudug Side regarding this. We tried to contact the mayor himself but our call could not go through.

Media seminar and sensitisation of stabilisation strategy held in Beledweyne

29 Jun- Source: AMISOM-334 Words

Beledweyne, the capital of Hiiraan region hosted the first media seminar and sensitisation of the stabilisation strategy for the newly recovered areas. The well attended function was sponsored by the AMISOM Political Unit and attended by representatives of the Interior and Information, Hiiraan regional administration, local media and a cross-section of the community.

The Governor of Hiiraan, Abdifatah Hassan Farah who spoke at the opening of the event thanked the organizers for reaching out to the community. “I am very grateful to AMISOM, the Federal Government, the participants and organizers of this important event,” he said adding that his administration had prioritized stabilization of newly recovered events. “We have deployed caretaker administrations in Bulla Burde and Jalalaqsi with a new deployment to Matabaan coming soon,” said Governor Farah.

Speaking on behalf of AMISOM, Senior Political Officer Ssebirumbi Kisinziggo thanked residents for their warm welcome and reiterated AMISOM’s support to the Federal Government of Somalia as it seeks to re-establish law and order in the newly recovered areas.

Somaliland: Wadani party accuses Silanyo government of failure to convince the UN to control her airspace

29 Jun- Source: Somaliland Informer- 172 words

Wadani party Spokesman and an MP of Somaliland House of Assembly Ibrahim Mahdi Buubaa has accused the current Silanyo led government of completely failed to live up to her expectations when it comes to the undertaking the airspace management control in which the United Nations has handed over to the weak Somali government in Mogadishu.

He revealed this in a press conference and stated that the agreement reached in Turkey by Somalia and Somaliland was total sham and ended in vain. He blasted that Silanyo has failed to convince the UN that Somaliland should manage her airspace separately.

He pointed an accusatory finger to the government of not consulting with political parties and the national house of parliament.

He announced that Wadani believed in the outset that this agreement will not produce tangible results and that the agreement was not inclusive. He added that the go alone policy now backfired to the government led by Silanyo and his Civil Aviation Minister.

He further stated that this will be a diplomatic defeat in the hands of the current regime.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya: Lamu Governor Timamy freed on bail

30 Jun- Source: Capital FM/Daily Nation/Standard Media-307 Words

Lamu County Governor Issa Timamy has been freed on a Sh5 million cash bail by the High Court in Mombasa following murder, forceful eviction of population and terrorism charges.

Timamy can alternatively post a bond of Sh20 million with a surety of similar amount to secure his freedom.

High Court judge Martin Muya ruled on Monday that the prosecution had not given sufficient reasons for Timamy’s continued detention.

The Lamu Governor is expected back in court on July 16, when his case will be mentioned.

Timamy was arrested last Wednesday in connection with the violence that rocked Mpeketoni in Lamu County mid this month leaving over 60 people dead.

IGP: Entebbe airport at the mercy of terrorists

30 Jun- Source: Daily Monitor- 354 words

Security readiness at Entebbe International Airport does not measure up to the emerging threats, especially terrorism, the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, has said.

“We are seating on a time bomb. At night, there are no security lights. Someone can shoot without our officers seeing him,” Gen Kayihura said during the passing out of 49 Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officers at Police Training School in Masindi District at the weekend.

Last week, police issued a list of names of nine suspected al-shabaab terrorists and rallied the public and security agencies to be on the lookout and block the suspects from entering the country.

The police chief, however, said the airport has either obsolete equipment or its completely unavailable, describing the security situation there as being at God’s mercy.

Emphasising his dismay at the situation, Gen Kayihura said: “I think we don’t have serious terrorists.”

Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister hosts DGs and PSs to push for civil service reforms ahead

29 Jun – Source: Al Shahid – 184 words

Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister Omar Hassan Osman on Saturday hosted a meeting with Director Generals and Permanent Secretaries of the ministries of the government of Somalia to expedite the civil service reforms and the public policy development initiatives of the Federal Government of Somalia, telling them “it’s important for the civil servants to remain separate from politics”.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs H.E. Abdalle Haji Ali, the Director Generals and Permanent Secretaries of the ministries, senior advisers for the prime minister and other government officials. It was organized by the office of the Prime Minister in conjunction with the ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

China to reopen Somalia embassy, sees strong ties

30 Jun- Source: Reuters-233 Words
China will reopen its embassy in Somalia after signs the East African country was making progress in its efforts to restore peace decades after the end of its civil war, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China will send a team to Somalia on July 1 to reopen the embassy, which was closed in 1991 as Somalia descended into chaos.

“China’s reopening of the embassy in Somalia is a signal that China attaches great importance to relations with Somalia,” Hong said at a daily briefing.

At least two killed in Somali market bomb blast: government official

30 Jul– Source: Reuters- 199 words

At least two people were killed and seven wounded when a bomb ripped through a busy market in the Somali capital on Monday, a government official said.

It is not clear who carried out the attack but in the past similar attacks in Mogadishu have been claimed by al Shabaab militants, who have vowed to wage a series of attacks during Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month which started on Sunday.

Islamist al Shabaab gunmen shot dead three people on Sunday and said the killings were just the start of the group’s Ramadan campaign.

“It was a bomb they planted in a small room in the market that the local government staff used as they collected tax,” Ahmed Hassan, the district commissioner of Kaaraan district, told reporters.

12 Pakistanis trafficked to Somalia reach home

30 Jun – Source: The News International – 155 words

The 12 Pakistanis out of 20, who were trafficked from Pakistan to Somalia by cruel agent for slavery, returned to Pakistan on Saturday with the kind efforts of former Federal Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney and Ansar Burney Trust International.

The Ansar Burney Trust International that was endeavouring hard to save the lives and to bring back 20 Pakistani nationals, who were trafficked for slavery and were stuck at the Berbera Port in Somaliland, has thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad for their kind assistance in this regard to bring them back.

The Ansar Burney said that 20 Pakistanis were trafficked for ‘Modern day Slavery’ by cruel agents in Pakistan to Somalia, via Dubai, about one month ago by way of cheating and fraud as they were promised by the agent to be taken to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the good job of fishermen but conversely they were taken to Somaliland, Somalia.

Somalis concerned by US decision to end Hawala system

30 Jun – Source: Press TV – 138 words

Millions of people in war-torn Somalia are feared to lose remittance they’ve being receiving so far, following a decision by the US to end services of its money transmitter clients by the end of July.

According to a study published last year by human aid organizations, about 40% of Somali families rely on remittance from another country. The US regulatory agencies say they fear that money launderers or militant groups would exploit them. However, Somalis say they’re concerned about their future in case of losing the money also known as Hawala.

Demonstrations have already been held outside the US Department of Treasury office in the Somali inhabited city of Minneapolis to protest Washington’s decision. The demonstrators called on American lawmakers to change their policies, so that Somali families can receive money from their relatives in the United States.

Fear that US banks may ban sending money to Somalia

30 Jun- Source: bdlive- 974 words

Each month, 42-year-old Abdirizak Alibos shows up at a money transfer business in the heart of Minneapolis to send $500 to his three children in war-torn Somalia. “I send them money that they can pay for… groceries, school fees, that they can buy health insurance, medication,” said Mr Alibos, who escaped to the US seven years ago and now has a business driving people to medical appointments. “I can say that 50% or 60% of my children’s lifeline is remittance,” he said. But he and other Somali expatriates fear that they soon might not be able to give their families any more financial help. It is not money that they are about to run out of but the legal options for sending it home.

Survivor of kidnapping in Somalia tells of compassion, forgiveness in bestselling book

29 Jun – Source: Bangor Daily News – 154 words

Amanda Lindhout said she survived more than a year of captivity in Somalia by remembering the many countries she visited as a freelance journalist and imagining what life might hold if she were ever set free.
“The ‘House in the Sky’ for me was my memory and my imagination,” she said, referring to the title of her bestselling book. “They helped me survive.”

On Aug. 23, 2008, Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan were kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists outside Mogadishu and held captive for 460 days. They were held in brutal conditions, which only worsened for Lindhout following a failed escape attempt.

Lindhout told a crowd at the Skidompha Library on Thursday that she found compassion and forgiveness for the men who tortured, starved and raped her during the darkest days of her captivity. Months after her release in 2009, she founded a nonprofit organization to support education, community and food relief in Somalia.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Kenya’s leaders, particularly President Kenyatta, must grasp the scale of the challenge they face and not jeopardize our country’s position as East Africa’s bastion of stability and progress. Al Shabaab’s effort to have Kenyans make scapegoats of one another is an obvious trap, one we must be careful to avoid.”

Al Shabaab lays a trap for Kenya

29 Jun- Source: New York Times-994 Words

For much of the past half century, Kenya has cultivated an image as a peaceful oasis in a region dogged by violence and unrest. “Kenya, hakuna matata” (“No worries in Kenya”) is the unofficial motto on T-shirts peddled to the thousands of tourists who flock the East African country’s sandy beaches and safari parks every year.

But the image has frayed. The frightening brutality of the al Shabaab terrorists who killed 67 shoppers during the four-day siege of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi last September shocked the nation. Then, in another brutal rampage, on the night of June 15, dozens of attackers swept into Mpeketoni, a town near the tourist resort of Lamu Island, and mowed down 48 people, many of them dragged from a hotel where they had been watching a World Cup soccer match. A second attack on the nearby town of Majembeni on the following night left nine people dead.

It did not help matters when President Uhuru Kenyatta went on national television the morning after the second attack and speculated that leaders of the opposition may have been involved. His ill-considered words threaten to turn a security crisis into a political one which could very well boil over into communal fighting between opposition and government supporters — exactly the kind of scenario the Islamic extremists of al Shabaab appear to be aiming for.

“The tradition of sharing and spreading a game across cultural and national boundaries is ancient, and using that arena of friendly competition as a platform of diplomacy is just as old. While many fans and players outside al Shabaab would not react well to a flogging for misbehavior, perhaps al Shabaab fighters’ continued passion for the “beautiful game” presents an opportunity for rapprochement and reconciliation in the future.”

Soccer: African Islamism and the “Beautiful Game”

27 Jun- Source: Council on Foreign Relation-488 Words

When al Shabaab, the violent Islamist group in Somalia, took control of the capital city Mogadishu, it actively destroyed buildings and overt displays of Western institutions and influences. This included outlawing soccer. The group destroyed cinemas and viewing centers in Mogadishu during the 2010 World Cup to stop residents from watching the matches. Their first successful international attack was the twin explosions in Uganda’s capital Kampala at viewing stations during the tournament.

When regional and international forces ousted al Shabaab from the city in 2011, the city’s soccer stadium was one of the first things to be restored. Al Shabaab had dug trenches in the field and used it as an operations base. Soccer is played and enjoyed throughout sub Saharan Africa, and is not commonly associated with Western or colonial influences, but is seen as thoroughly African.

Al Shabaab’s condemnation of soccer as haram is also not a commonly held categorization among Islamist groups or nations with conservative Muslim governments. In Afghanistan under the Taliban, the game was discouraged but not outlawed for example. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran all have national teams. The Iranian team is playing in the World Cup in Brazil this year; they tied in their match with Nigeria on June 16, and lost to Argentina on June 21.

“In order to move forward constructively and overcome political instability, the country needs to start building institutions and identities that span regional and clan divides. Only then will Somalia stand a chance of achieving the ‘Vision 2016’ that the FGS devised last September.”

Somalia: Heading from Fragility to Fragmentation?

26 Jun- Source: African Arguments-768 Words

Somalia has achieved important progress since the onset of the year of 2014. Most prominent among the positive developments is the push-back of al-Shabaab, realised by a joint military offensive of the Somali Armed Forces (SAF) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). While security remains precarious, the territorial gains have provided the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) with an opportunity to extend its administrative reach – a crucial precondition for its long-term state-building project and endeavour to hold country-wide elections by 2016.

However, it remains questionable whether the government of Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed will succeed in reaping sufficient benefits in order to be able to propel the country’s state-building process. Although advances against the terrorist organisation are crucial, the fight against al-Shabaab constitutes only part of the equation. Another basic element lies in the process of erecting functional structures of governance in the context of Somalia’s federal agenda. Yet, recent quarrels at the sub-national level raise the fear that Somalia may be heading from fragility to fragmentation.

The EU-ISS policy brief ‘Somalia’s federal agenda: From fragility to fragmentation?’ takes a closer look at this proposition. The paper critically assesses the recent trajectory the country has embarked upon, putting a particular focus on Somalia’s federalism process and its implications for the state’s endeavour to establish lasting peace and stability. The paper shows that the political ‘transition’ that Somalia officially terminated with the formation of the FGS in September 2012 is in full swing, and that this process carries centrifugal tendencies that risk renewed conflict.

Top tweets

@Adesoafrica Tell @USTreasury to keep the #SomaliLifelineopen, join our Thunderclap: http://thndr.it/1mm15cO #Somalia

@WFPSomalia Humanitarian assistance must be scaled up from now to Dec 2014 to mitigate worsening food insecurity in#Somalia .bit.ly/1qq8fVd

@amisomsomalia PHOTOS: DSRCC visits Beletweyne, the third of her familiarization visits to the sectorshttp://on.fb.me/QqTSeN pic.twitter.com/VY6S0dNCI4

@DalmarMillenium Really nice new decor of the office of the President #Mogadishu #Somalia whole lot more presidentialpic.twitter.com/Atti2FspSf

@SomaliPM The Secretary-General and I discussed political and security developments in the country. #somalia pic.twitter.com/D6cx80RtfL

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Image of the day

Image of the day A donkey stands in the middle of a roundabout in Baidoa, Somalia, during a night patrol conducted by the Ethiopian contingent of the African Union Mission in Somalia. Photo: AMISOM / Tobin Jones