July 30, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Ambassador Abdirashid meets Somali Diaspora community in Minnesota
30 Jul- Source: Radio Mogadishu/ Radio Goobjoog/SNTV-146 Words
The newly appointed Somali ambassador to the United States of America Abdirashid Ali Sharmaarke arrived Minnesota, where the largest number of Somali diaspora in the world reside to meet Somali community and their leaders in the region. Ambassador Abdirashid discussed the situation of the country with the community leaders, urging the leaders to work together as a whole and take part in the reconstruction of the country.
He confirmed to the community that a delegation led by the President of the republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will visit Somali community in Minnesota, where he will discuss the current situation in the country with the community.
Meanwhile, Somali community leaders religious leaders,scholars, intellectuals, businessmen people, students and politicians gave reports of the diaspora community to the ambassador. The diaspora community leaders said they are ready to collaborate with ambassador and take part in the reconstruction of the country.
Key Headlines
- Ambassador Abdirashid meets Somali Diaspora community in Minnesota (Radio Mogadishu/ Radio Goobjoog/SNTV)
- National Security outlines plans to restore peace in Mogadishu (Radio Dalsan/Risaala)
- Military officials in Bakool say govt. troops ready to attack al Shabaab (Radio Dalsan)
- Eastleigh business chair faults Kenyan government for security operation (Somali Current)
- Leaders in Lower Shabelle Blamed for Reluctance in Terms of Restoration of Peace (Radio Dalsan)
- Al Shabaab vows to increase attacks on MPs (Radio Al Furqaan/Radio Dalsan/Somali Memo)
- Sh12.8tr award for US embassy blast victims (Citizen TZ)
- Somali woman released before trial on terrorism charges(Seattle Times)
SOMALI MEDIA
Ambassador Abdirashid meets Somali Diaspora community in Minnesota
30 Jul- Source: Radio Mogadishu/ Radio Goobjoog/SNTV-146 Words
The newly appointed Somali ambassador to the United States of America Abdirashid Ali Sharmaarke arrived Minnesota, where the largest number of Somali diaspora in the world reside to meet Somali community and their leaders in the region. Ambassador Abdirashid discussed the situation of the country with the community leaders, urging the leaders to work together as a whole and take part in the reconstruction of the country.
He confirmed to the community that a delegation led by the President of the republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will visit Somali community in Minnesota, where he will discuss the current situation in the country with the community.
Meanwhile, Somali community leaders religious leaders,scholars, intellectuals, businessmen people, students and politicians gave reports of the diaspora community to the ambassador. The diaspora community leaders said they are ready to collaborate with ambassador and take part in the reconstruction of the country.
National Security outlines plans to restore peace in Mogadishu
30 Jul- Source: Radio Dalsan/Risaala- 174 words
The spokesperson of the Ministry of National Security, Mohamed Yussuf Isman pointed out that their ministry came up with a plan to restore peace in the city. Speaking to the local media, Mr. Mohamed Yussuf said in the recent operations, they weakened al Shabaab despite the fact that al Shabaab still carry out attacks in some areas within Mogadishu.
“Many of them wearing army uniform were captured..They hide in the neighbourhoods. No one except a government soldier can carry weapon on the streets. That was something which is needed and that will assist in the security of Mogadishu. Perhaps the groups that spoil peace try hard to harm the people whereas we try hard to prevent such harm to occur,” He said.
Mogadishu was relatively calm in the last couple of weeks despite assassinations of certain persons. Yesterday, Ministry of Security displayed a vehicle loaded with explosives which was nabbed at Liido Beach. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Security Mohamed Yussuf said the security forces received information on the car and acted upon it. They managed to foil the planned car bomb.
Military officials in Bakool say govt. troops ready to attack al Shabaab
30 Jul- Source: Radio Dalsan-174 Words
The spokesperson of the military in Bakool Region Abdirahman Mohamed Isman said the army was preparing for attacks against al Shabaab in the recent past and now is ready to attack and take over areas in that region which still remain under the control of al Shabaab.
Speaking to Radio Dalsan, Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Isman said there are no other militias in the region. He however opted not to mention the actual time when they will wage the attack against al Shabaab, saying that it is a military secret. “We are together with AMISOM. Those operations will begin soon..We shall occupy a vast land in this action.. We are ready. There is no doubt in that,”Mr. Abdirahman said.
At the onset of Ramadan, the government troops in Bakool announced that they would halt their attacks against al Shabaab due to the holy month of Ramadan. Now that Ramadan ended that they say they plan to resume the attacks. It is worth remembering that the government troops and al Shabaab clashed several times in Bakool region in the past.
Eastleigh business chair faults Kenyan government for security operation
30 Jul – Source: Somali Current – 119 words
Eastleigh business association chairman Mohamed Hussein has faulted the government of Kenya for not investigating the abuse by the Kenyan security agencies during the Usalam watch security operation in Eastleigh.
Speaking during eid prayers in Eastleigh high school grounds Hussein said despite the amnesty international report documenting the abuse and harassment in the neighborhood and Kasarani concentration camp in the outskirts of Nairobi the government just kept silent.
“It is very sad that despite the abuse and discrimination the residents faced in the hands of the Kenyan police during the operation no one was brought to book,” He said. “No one was spared both the citizens and refugees with legal documents that tell us there was target,” He added.
Leaders in Lower Shabelle Blamed for Reluctance in Terms of Restoration of Peace
30 Jul- Source: Radio Dalsan-194 Words
Mohamed Ilmi Dhaqane who is an intellect in Lower Shabelle criticised the leaders in the administration of the government who are in that region. Mr. Mohamed said the administration lagged behind when it comes to its duties in restoring peace for the benefit of the residents in the region. He lamented that there is worsened security situation in Lower Shabelle at the moment. He also said that something needs to be done in order to bring a positive change so that restoration of peace and security can be achieved.
“The leaders were appointed by the government and were supposed to work on the restoration of peace in the region. They will be held accountable for failing to deliver..and the people are feeling that they failed the government duties,”Mohamed said.
There has been security problems in Afgoye town and other place in Lower Shabelle in the recent past. Peacemakers were even murdered in the region recently. There were clashes between rival militias of rival clans. Many civilians were killed in cold blood and movement of people and traffic was affected. On the other hand, al Shabaab were ambushing bases of government troops and AMISOM there.
Somali Government Steps Up Efforts to Curb Corruption
29 Jul- Source: Radio Dalsan-170 Words
The finance minister of the Federal Government, Hussein Ali Halane said the financial governance plan (FGP) accommodates the joint focus by the Somali government and donors on the most critical problems. He pointed out that the plan also puts up how the development of the economy and the financial system of Somalia would be achieved in future. The government is doing a brilliant effort so as to prevent the factors that hinder the FGP, including corruptio, the minister was qouted as saying by public finance international journal.
He however expressed concern that the international donors postponed the releasing of the financial support for the Somali government amid claims by UN monitoring group that the Somali government mismanaged the financial support. On the other hand, Minister Halane expressed optimism that the international community will increase the financial support it gives to the Somali government when they realise the good governance practiced by the Somali government without any further delay. The Swedish government, DFID and Development Bank of Africa are implementing a plan to transform the FGP.
IOM backs efforts to combat Human Trafficking in Somalia
30 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 357 words
In commemoration of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, IOM is calling on all stakeholders to strengthen synergies in order to break the silence on human trafficking. According to the United Nations Convention Against Organized Crime, human trafficking – which is the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them – is a virulent cancer that is spreading across the globe.
“Virtually every country in the world is affected by human trafficking. The challenge for all countries, rich and poor, is to build synergies and target the criminals who exploit desperate people, and to protect and assist victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants, many of whom endure unimaginable hardships in their bid for a better life,” says Ali Adi, IOM Somalia’s Chief of Mission.
Hiroko Nishino, Programme Manager of IOM Somalia’s Counter-Trafficking Unit adds, “It is very difficult for victims of trafficking to speak up because of the stigma that is related to social ills like rape, but we need to break the silence so that solutions to human trafficking can be sought at the community-level.
We also need to strengthen government’s capacity to prosecute offenders within a clear legal framework, so that Somalis have more confidence in the local authority.”
Even though it has been difficult to ascertain the prevalence of human trafficking in Somalia, anecdotal evidence suggests that vulnerable women, men and children are trafficked for domestic servitude and labour in the agricultural sectors, as in the case of 15 children trafficked from Mogadishu and rescued by Puntland Authority with support from IOM.
Most of them experience cruelty, abuse and inhuman treatment, with Puntland being a transit point to the Middle Eastern countries. A case in point is a teenage girl who was kidnapped, raped, and impregnated by traffickers, before she was rescued by IOM and local government authorities.
To combat human trafficking in Somalia, IOM has been working closely with Puntland Authorities over the last two years to build their technical capacity to comprehensively respond to human trafficking. IOM’s counter trafficking program in Somalia is funded by the Government of Japan and the European Union.
Al Shabaab vows to increase attacks on MPs
30 Jul- Source: Radio Al Furqaan/Radio Dalsan/Somali Memo- 186 words
The overall spokesman of Alshabaab Sheikh Ali Dheere vowed that al Shabaab will increase the attacks targeting members of parliament. Speaking to people in Barawe town which is under the control of al Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Dheere said they will increase their operations.
“Our men kill officials in the army; they cut the heads of infidels; they destroy the lives of those who associate others gods with Allah; the mujahidin are ready to kill those who change the law of Allah with satanic laws wherever they find them,”. Ali Dheere said. Al Shabaab have already killed many members of parliament in Mogadishu the last one being Saado Ali Warsame. Saado was a Somali singer too. Al Shabaab however said they killed her not because she was a singer but because she was a member of parliament.
Al Shabaab spokesperson also said the group will from now onwards target the planes carrying weapons and other things for AMISOM when they are landing at the airports in Mogadishu. Sheikh Ali Dheere said AMISOM can hardly come out of their bases at moment due to fierce fight they engaged with them.
Puntland parliamentary speaker visits Dhahar
29 Jul – Source: Somaliland Informer/Radio Mogadishu – 120 words
Puntland parliamentary speaker Mr. Siad Hassan Shire leading a delegation consisting of Ministers and MP’s performed Eid Al-Fitr prayers with Dhahar Township residents and made speeches unconfirmed reports stated this.
Somaliland Fisheries & Marine Resources Hon. Ali Jama Farah alias Bured is reported to be staying in Dhahar. The parliamentary speaker is accompanied by Minister of Livestock, Assistant Justice Minister and members of the parliament.
The visit was intended to show Puntland that they still administer Dhahar. Somaliland Minister of Fisheries & Marine Resources held ministerial portfolios in Puntland previous administrations.
Somaliland government has not issued a statement refuting the presence of puntland parliamentary speaker in her soil or confirming it as says it as clear violation of her sovereignty.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Sh12.8tr award for US embassy blast victims
30 Jul – Source: Citizen TZ – 125 words
A US court has raised the amount of compensation to victims of the US embassy bombing in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi to a staggering $8 billion (Sh12.8 trillion).
Furthermore, the monetary award will go to, not only those who died or were injured in the twin terror attack, but also all the then employees in the two embassies that were hit on August 7, 1998.
The landmark ruling will be welcomed as a big relief to the surviving family members of the victims, some of whom life never went back to normal following the killing or maiming of their loved ones.
Earlier, a similar case by Tanzanian bombing victims had seen a compensation of more than $400 million awarded for death or injury.
Somali women ‘untapped resource’ in fight against al Shabaab
29 Jul- Source: Sabahi Online-860 Words
For years women in Mogadishu have been on the side-lines in the fight against al Shabaab, but more recently they have begun to play a more active role by providing critical information about suspicious activity and people to security agencies, officials told Sabahi.
Women are an untapped resource and could play a more decisive role in defeating al Shabaab, but have been so far underused in security efforts, said Jawahir Barqab, the director of the Benadir Women’s Association, a Mogadishu-based non-governmental organisation that works to advance women’s issues such as equal representation in politics and job opportunities.
Barqab said her organisation has been trying to change that situation since last December by facilitating the collaboration of security agencies with civilian women, and training women on how to monitor and report suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods.
“[So far] we have trained about 500 women who are reporting if they witness suspicious activity that could jeopardise [public] safety. We have also established a women’s group in each of the 17 districts of Benadir region to manage security and cleaning efforts in the districts,” Barqab told Sabahi.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali woman released before trial on terrorism charges
30 Jul – Source: Seattle Times – 158 words
A local Somali woman accused of raising money for the terrorist group al Shabaab was released from custody, pending a trial in Virginia, after more than 100 community members packed a Seattle federal courtroom Tuesday in her support.
The decision to release 44-year-old Hinda Osman Dhirane, of Kent, on her own recognizance was made over the objections of federal prosecutors. They said the court should have “grave concerns” about community safety after a three-year investigation had shown Dhirane a “leader and organizer” of a conspiracy to support the terrorist organization. Prosecutors allege she ran a “fundraising conspiracy” that funneled money to the al Qaeda-linked extremist group al Shabaab in Somalia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said the government had wiretaps of telephone conversations in which Dhirane, a U.S. citizen since 2009, is reported to have praised news reports of al Shabaab suicide attacks, including talking “gleefully” about the September 2013 assault on a mall in Kenya that killed 67 people.
Hani Garabyare’s Journey From Somalia to the Senate
29 Jul- Source: Roll Call-594 Words
When Hani Garabyare was a little girl, she prayed that she would be an American. The 27-year-old Somali native is now a U.S. citizen and finds herself walking up Capitol Hill each day to work in the Senate. When Garabyare was 3 years old, Somalia descended into civil war. Both her parents were members of the warring clans, so the ensuing chaos forced her family to flee the country.
“Everything that I knew collapsed,” said Garabyare. Her mother recalled Garabyare praying each night to become an American. Even at a young age, Garabyare believed she would have a better life in the United States. “America is always put on this high pedestal,” said the young Senate staffer. “It’s a land of freedom with an opportunity to rise.”
Garabyare and her family lived in the Utanga refugee camp in Kenya for four years. Her older brother had previously been sent to New York for schooling, so he helped the family through the asylum process that brought them to the United States.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“If the Kenyan government is to be believed, tourist arrivals are down a little bit on last year. Hotel operators tell a different story, speaking of a crisis rather than a decline. It’s a potentially devastating blow for Kenya’s economy. For this, Kenyan has got al Shabaab and an increasingly misguided invasion of Somalia to thank.”
Kenya’s tourism crisis: Al Shabaab hits where it hurts the most
30 Jul- Source: Daily Maverick-858 Words
There was some bad news this week for Kenya’s tourism industry, a vital driver of the country’s $41 billion economy (the Economist estimates that tourism provides up to 15% of GDP). According to the state-run Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), international arrivals for the first five months of the year are down 4%, from 398,000 in 2013 to 381,000 in 2014. In other words, 17,000 less people have opted to travel to Kenya this year, largely as a result of travel warnings issued against Kenya by the UK, US and other western nations.
But this news is not bad enough, apparently. In a scathing attack, one of the country’s major hotel chains accused the government of grossly misrepresenting the figures. Headed “4% DROP IN TOURISM! WE MUST BE JOKING!”, the statement from Rosemary Mugambi, head of sales and marketing for TPS Eastern Africa, which operates the Serena group of hotels, did not pull any punches.
“When we come across such statements which are not in touch with reality on the ground, we wonder if KTB and the Kenya tourism industry ‘live in the same Kenya’,” said Mugambi. She argues that the 2013 figures were already a 30% drop on the 2012 figures, and that the situation was even worse in 2014. According to the company’s own statistics, tourism this year was already 30-50% down in Kenya’s coastal regions, and 20% down in its safari parks. “WHEN ONE DOES NOT ACCEPT THERE IS A PROBLEM – ONE NEVER SEEKS SOLUTIONS,” concluded Mugambi, the frustrated caps all hers.
“What explains Mombasa’s status as a critical battleground in Kenya’s war against terrorism? The answer, according to Herman Butime, lies between the role the city plays in linking regional secessionist and religious tensions together, and the contradictions fueling Jihadist activity in East Africa and beyond.”
Assessing Mombasa’s Credentials as a Battleground in Kenya’s War on Terror
30 Jul- Source: ISN Zurich-4444 Words
In the post-Cold War era, Kenya has emerged as one of East Africa’s hotspots for terrorist attacks mounted by radical Islamist groups. Since 1998, terrorist operatives have conducted high profile attacks that have elevated the country’s profile as a critical theatre in the Global War On Terror (GWOT). Among others, in 1998, suspected operatives of al Qaeda, a global Islamist terrorist franchise, bombed the United States (US) embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; four years later, the same organization masterminded the bombing of Paradise Hotel and attempted to shoot down an Arkia Airlines aeroplane in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa.
More recently, in 2013, operatives of al Shabaab, an affiliate of al Qaeda, mounted a brazen attack on Westgate Mall in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. In the East African region, Kenya as a target of Islamist militant groups is only rivalled by Uganda which has had to contend with the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) insurgency in the western part of the country and attacks mounted by al Shabaab.
Although attacks in Kenya have occurred in Nairobi and the north eastern part of the country, Mombasa has grabbed the spotlight as the country’s terrorism and counterterrorism focal area. The city’s apparent credentials primarily derive from its being the scene of the 2002 al Qaeda attacks and a suspected springboard for operatives who were involved in the Westgate attack and some of those participating in the al Shabaab insurgency in Somalia. The al Qaeda attacks would seem to link Mombasa’s state of instability to contradictions fuelling the global Jihadist campaign. However, this notion is unsettled by the area’s secessionist tendencies.
Top tweets
@UNLazzarini ‘#Food crisis in #Somalia set to deteriorate warn analysts’. Read @OCHASom’s hum bulletin:http://bit.ly/1tMySSH pic.twitter.com/2xCc38humF
@SalahOsman0 30 years before, Mogadishu was peaceful, clean, beautiful and growing, unfortunately now it down and destroyed pic.twitter.com/RsGg9rF1Vw
@amisomsomalia Eid in Baidoa, #AMISOM Ethiopian forces worked with the SNA to ensure peaceful celebrations.pic.twitter.com/LhvbxlIOOH
@tres_HOA #Somalia RT @Omaar_nor Hiiraale & his commanders held a meeting in Goobweyne near #Kismayo to prepare an offensive against Jubba admin army
@tres_HOA “Of Somali origin” strikes again. http://www.the-star.co.ke/
Image of the day
A member of Somalia’s Bomb Disposal Unit removes explosives from car intercepted on Tuesday in Lido Beach, Mogadishu. Photo: @evolvingprimate