August 4, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Car bomb in Mogadishu explodes prematurely, casualty unknown

04 Aug- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Kulmiye- 88 words

A car which was loaded with explosives went off at a garage in Mogadishu’s Hodan District. The car exploded at midnight on Monday. The casualties that resulted from the explosion is still unknown. The car was a luxury one and sources said the plan was to detonate it at important places in the city. Reports say, security forces later on apprehended the owner of the garage as well as the owner of the vehicle. However, there are no details from the government regarding the incident.

Key Headlines

Car bomb in Mogadishu explodes prematurely casualty unknown (Radio Dalsan/Radio Kulmiye)
Juba security forces claim victory over clashes with al Shabaab (Radio Goobjoog/BBC)
President announces new youth initiatives for Somalia (OP)
Somalia announces death punishment for parents of al Shabaab fighters (Hiiraan Online)
Somalis find new option on airwaves: sports radio (AP)
Somalia: Emergency relief continues where possible based on assessed needs (Radio RBC)
Parliamentary interior committee warn of fresh violence caused by the new administrations in country(Radio Goobjoog/ saadaalnews)
Turkish company donates modern equipment to Mogadishu port (Radio Mogadishu/Somali Current)
Kenyan President Determined to Prevent Nigeria-Type Insurgency (Source: businessweek)
At least 50 people hospitalized after diarrhea outbreak in Balcad district (Radio Goobjoog/Radio Bar-kulan)
Prime Minister Abdiweli commends security forces operations in Mogadishu following seizure of arms(Radio RBC)
Somalia executes three suspected militants by firing squad (Standard Media)
At least 50 people hospitalized after diarrhea outbreak in Balcad district (Radio Goobjoog/Radio Bar-kulan)
IGAD Delegation Arrives in Somaliland (Somaliland Informer)
Somaliland on high alert over Ebola outbreak in West Africa (Somaliland Informer/BBC)
Three women killed in blast in Mogadishu (Oman Tribune)
Late to the party Obama seeks bigger U.S. Africa role (Reuters)
Secretary-General appoints Omar Abdi of Canada Deputy Executive Director of United Nations Children’s Fund (UN)
Somali candidate eyes milestone in US race (AP)

PRESS STATEMENT

President announces new youth initiatives for Somalia

04 Aug- Source: Office of the President- 87 words

HE The President of Somalia will today announce a range of innovative new initiatives for youth, highlighting the Federal Government of Somalia’s commitment to investing in the next generation.

The President is leading the Somali delegation’s participation at the historic US-Africa Summit.

The President will address Summit media at 1045-1115 (EDT/UTC-4) from the Carlucci Auditorium in the International Media Center (IMC) at the U.S. Institute for Peace located at 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037.

SOMALI MEDIA

Car bomb in Mogadishu explodes prematurely, casualty unknown

04 Aug- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Kulmiye- 88 words

Juba security forces claim victory over clashes with al Shabaab

04 Aug- Source: Radio Goobjoog/BBC- 135 words

The security officials of interim administration of Juba in Southern Somalia claim victory over clashes with al Shabaab and stated that it has captured areas that has been under the control of the militant group.

Ismail Kheyre Dhuxulow, senior Juba security official told Radio Goobjoog that the recent clash with al Shabaab has enabled Juba forces to take over large areas in the outskirts of Kismayo.

Mr. Kheyre added that the operation against al Shabaab in the region will continue until the remaining areas under the miliatnts will be brought back to the administration’s control.

He also stated that the administration will tighten the security of the areas taken over by Juba administration. The exact casualties of the clash is not known but Juba administration forces claimed victory.

Somalia announces death punishment for parents of al Shabaab fighters

04 Aug – Source: Hiiraan Online – 151 words

The Military Court of Somalia’s federal government said that the parents of any captured al Shabaab militants will be dealt with as ‘terrorists’ and will be prosecuted in accordance with the counter terrorism law. The announcement was made in Mogadishu early on Sunday by the military court chairman Colonel Abdirahman Mahmoud Tur-yare. He talked to reporters before the execution of three al Shabaab members.

He accused parents of al Shabaab fighters of hiding their sons while knowing they were al Shabab members and were killing many innocent Somalis.

“I call on the fathers and mothers of al Shabaab fighters to report to us that their sons were al Shabaab, if they don’t do so, I am telling with a loud voice, that if any al Shabaab member is captured his parents will also be arrested and they will be executed together.” The military supreme court chairman told the media on Sunday.

Somalia: Emergency relief continues where possible based on assessed needs

04 Aug- Source: Radio RBC- 195 words

Humanitarian assistance continues to reach people in those newly recovered areas where access has improved and rapid assessments have taken place.

On 10 June, an estimated 1,000 metric tons of food donated by the Turkish Red Crescent was transported from Baidoa in Bay to Xudur and Waajid in Bakool. The arrival of the food is expected to reduce food prices in these towns and improve the food security.

On 13 June, cold box and vaccine carriers were delivered to Xudur Hospital, and 90 cartons of nutrition supplies were provided to 90 malnourished and lactating mothers for one month.

In Kismayo, where an inter-cluster mission conducted a visit to assess the needs of flood-affected displaced people and the host community, over 10,000 people have been provided with livelihood investments including seeds, cash-for-work, food-for-work to rehabilitate small scale agriculture infrastructure and rehabilitation of water points, and safety-net programmes of wet feeding and supplementary feeding programmes.

Vulnerable people in Kismayo also received some 1,000 household kits, cash grants for 4,000 families and 200 hygiene kits. In Baidoa, 6,000 people received a one-month supply of vaccines and nutrition supplies.

Parliamentary interior committee warn of fresh violence caused by the new administrations in country

04 Aug- Source: Radio Goobjoog/ saadaalnews – 159 words

The parliamentary committee of interior and security warned fresh violence that might be caused by the establishment of new administrations in the country. The vice chairman of the committee Dahir Amin Jessow stated that all the established administrations in the country are unconstitutional adding that the federal government should time and act according to the provincial constitution of the country.

Mr. Jessow also stated that the newly formed regional state has created tensions and misunderstanding between regional states in the country.

He reiterated that the committee will leave no stone unturned until the forming administrations will act as per to the constitution of Somalia.

The remarks of Amin Jessow comes a time when Puntland has announced that it has cut ties with the Federal Government of Somalia following the announcement of the formation of new administration in the Central regions of Somalia which Puntland termed it as unconstitutional and consequently unacceptable to the Government and people of Puntland.

Turkish company donates modern equipment to Mogadishu port

04 Aug – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Somali Current – 81 words

A Turkish owned company has donated equipments loading and unloading machines to the Mogadishu seaport. Speaking during handing over ceremony Al Beyrak company director Mustafa Tafeynte has said the equipment is part of the larger Turkish support to their Somali brothers.

Mogadishu seaport director Abdullahi Ali Nur has thanked the company saying the equipment will facilitate and improve the operation of the port. Turkish government and companies have implemented various developmental projects to improve social services in Somalia since the outbreak of the devastating famine in 2011.

At least 50 people hospitalized after diarrhea outbreak in Balcad district

04 Aug- Source: Radio Goobjoog/Radio Bar-kulan- 142 words

At least 50 people mostly children were hospitalized after diarrhea outbreak in Balcad district and nearby areas in middle Shabelle region as the administration confirmed.

The district commissioner of Balcad Mohamud Mohamed Mohamud told Goobjoog FM that every 24 hours many patients reach the hospitals in the district but the hospital is not treat due to acute shortage of medicine.

The administration of Balcad states that the number of people suffering from the disease is increasing day after day claiming that the people in the region have fear that the disease might spread to new areas in the region if immediate is not taken.

He called on the federal government of Somalia and international aid agencies to deliver emergency relief to the hospital so as to save the lives of the children.

Prime Minister Abdiweli commends security forces operations in Mogadishu following seizure of arms

03 Aug – Source: Radio RBC – 164 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has commended the ongoing operations by the security forces in the capital city, Mogadishu following the seizure of cache of arms from a house in Wadajir district on Saturday night.

The Prime Minister visited the Headquarters of the National Security and Intelligence Agency [NISA] late on Saturday night after the operation to confiscate the cache of the arms ended. “I commend the role played by our security forces to make sure the security of our citizens,” Prime Minister Abdiweli said as he watched the confiscated arms displayed at the the Headquarters of the National Security and Intelligence Agency.

“This is a big blow on the terrorist groups who are committed to destabilize our country and terrorize our people,” he added. The Prime Minister said any collaboration between the security forces and the citizens will make the situation better and that no government will succeed to secure the country if it does not gain the support of its people.

IGAD Delegation Arrives in Somaliland

03 Aug – Source: Somaliland Informer – 132 words

A delegation from Intergovernmental Authority & Development (IGAD) arrives in Hargeisa on Sunday. Foreign Affairs, Interior & Health Ministers conferred with the delegates and the meeting was held at the Ministry of foreign Affairs premises.

The discussion that the two sides held focused on boosting the cooperation between Somaliland and IGAD. IGAD delegation has asserted that they will support Somaliland during elections and are in the country to now to urge President Ahmed Silanyo to hold free and fair elections once his term expires by 2015.

Mr. Mohamed Afay, IGAD ambassador to Somalia & Somaliland is heading the delegation and this will be the first visit made to the country. Somaliland’s Foreign Minister & International Cooperation Mr. Mohamed Bihi Yonis has received the delegation and told that they received a formal invitation from the Silanyo administration.

Somaliland on high alert over Ebola outbreak in West Africa

03 Aug – Source: Somaliland Informer/BBC – 176 words

Health Ministry is working round the clock and has announced that it has put in place strategy that will pave the way for taking the important precautions against the outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in West Africa.

Mr. Suleiman Esse Ahmed has made clear that trained medical teams dispatched and are currently stationed at ports, airports and borders that are screening people whether they contracted the Ebola disease. Mr. Suleiman has added that prevention is better than cure and is conducting an awareness raising program to the public about the disease. He went on to say that the health Ministry is working in conjunction with Immigration and Interior Ministry.

The Minister has further explained that the ministry kicked off a program to broaden the knowledge of health workers who are about to be sent to borders, ports and airports. The health workers will be taught on ways that they can recognize its signs of the Ebola. The Minister has stated that the concentration is the airports and added that several health workers will be dispatched.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Three women killed in blast in Mogadishu

04 Aug – Source: Oman Tribune – 180 words

Three men were executed by firing squad on Sunday after a Somali military court found them guilty of killing civilians in a series of recent attacks in the country blamed on al Shabaab militants. Also on Sunday, at least three women were killed and several others injured in Mogadishu after a bomb went off in a pile of rubbish, the authorities said.

The men were hooded and tied to poles with their hands behind their backs in a field in the capital Mogadishu, where a crowd gathered to watch the execution. “Anyone who kills a person or a militant who kills people and is arrested will also be taken to court and executed,” Abdirahman Turyare, the chairman of the military court told reporters at the scene.

He said two of the men had pleaded guilty to charges of killing, while the third was accused of facilitating an attack on July 8 by driving the attackers into the presidential palace. The executions were part of a crackdown in which suspected al Shabaab members have been tried by military courts since 2011.

Somalia executes three suspected militants by firing squad

03 Aug – Source: Standard Media – 161 words

Three men were executed by firing squad on Sunday after a Somali military court found them guilty of killing civilians in a series of recent attacks in the country blamed on al Shabaab Islamist militants. The men were hooded and tied to poles with their hands behind their backs in a field in the capital Mogadishu, where a crowd gathered to watch the execution.

“Anyone who kills a person or a militant who kills people and is arrested will also be taken to court and executed,” Abdirahman Turyare, the chairman of the military court told reporters at the scene.

He said two of the men had pleaded guilty to charges of killing, while the third was accused of facilitating an attack on July 8 by driving the attackers into the presidential palace. Al Shabaab could not be reached for comment. The executions were part of a crackdown in which suspected al Shabaab members have been tried by military courts since 2011.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenyan President Determined to Prevent Nigeria-Type Insurgency

04 Aug- Source: businessweek- 351 words

He rejected calls by opposition leader Raila Odinga for the withdrawal of Kenyan forces from Somalia because he said it may lead to an onslaught similar to the one by Boko Haram militants in northeast Nigeria.

“It is those types of actions, pulling out of Somalia, that can ultimately result in a Boko Haram-type of environment in Kenya,” Kenyatta said. “That is what we are determined to ensure doesn’t succeed.”

Kenyan forces began an incursion into southern Somalia in October 2011 to combat al-Shabaab militants it blamed for a series of attacks on aid workers and tourists. Al Shabaab threatened to retaliate unless the forces were withdrawn and in September it claimed responsibility for a raid on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi that left at least 67 people dead. The group has carried out a series of subsequent bombings and gun attacks in the country.

Late to the party, Obama seeks bigger U.S. Africa role

04 Aug- Source: Reuters- 1310 words

Ask Major-General Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., the top U.S. military officer in Africa, how he thinks U.S. and European-backed African troops are faring in their war on Islamist militants in Somalia, and his answer comes back smartly: “Pretty darn good!”.

But when “son of Africa” U.S. President Barack Obama hosts 50 African leaders in Washington this week, the admiration may be less than mutual. Many Africans feel America is lagging behind China and others in its engagement with their continent.

The Aug. 4-6 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, billed by U.S. officials as a first-of-its-kind event, looks like a belated imitation of Africa gatherings hosted in recent years by China, India, Japan and the continent’s former colonial master Europe.

Pointing to an Africa map showing hotspots like Somalia, Major-General Grigsby toes the line of a cautious security policy that involves keeping U.S. “boots on the ground” to a minimum while financing African peacekeeping and local training.

“My responsibility from a regional approach is to assist my East African teammates to be able to neutralize violent extremists and conduct their crisis response,” Grigsby told Reuters at the Africa Command’s Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, where some 3,500 U.S. service personnel are based.

Obama said last year during his Africa trip his country put “muscle behind African efforts” to fight Islamist militants or brutal warlords in the Sahel, Central Africa and Somalia.

Secretary-General appoints Omar Abdi of Canada Deputy Executive Director of United Nations Children’s Fund

03 Aug- Source: UN- 138 words

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Omar Abdi, a Canadian national born in Somalia, as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Mr. Abdi is currently serving as UNICEF’s Comptroller. Prior to that role, he served as UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Management (2007-2010), Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa (2006-2007), and UNICEF Representative in several countries.

He brings a deep understanding of UNICEF’s programmes and operations. Additionally, he has helped pioneer streamlining systems to strengthen results on the ground.

Mr. Abdi has a doctorate degree in development economics and a masters in international development, both from Cornell University, as well as a bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) in civil engineering from the Somali National University.

Somalis find new option on airwaves: sports radio

03 Aug- Source: AP-499 Words

For decades Somalia’s airwaves have been filled by radio stations broadcasting news of the country’s long-running violence or troubled clan politics. But now Somalis can listen to a dedicated sports radio station.

Gool FM airs sports only, no politics. The station’s managers believe an increase in sports coverage can promote peace and boost economic opportunities in a country long in need of both. The station covers international sports, new local sports leagues and other sporting developments, such as the opening of a new fitness center.

Launched in 2012, Gool — which means goal in Somali — has increased attention on local soccer leagues by broadcasting some games live. “We had to change the impression toward the local leagues first, because people got used to the international matches only,” said Abdullahi Osman, the radio station’s director.

Unlike other Mogadishu radio stations, where most visitors are politicians who come to studios to get their voices heard, Gool FM has a different atmosphere. On a recent weekday, dozens of young boys in skinny jeans and girls with badges in hand sat in the studio, waiting to participate in a sports quiz.

Somali candidate eyes milestone in US race

03 Aug- Source: AP-718 Words

In a neighborhood dubbed “Little Mogadishu,” Mohamud Noor can’t walk more than a block without being stopped by someone who wants to shake his hand. Juggling two cell phones and a stack of campaign fliers, he chats them up on his bid for a seat in Minnesota’s House of Representatives. They already know. He’s one of theirs. “You’re going to succeed, keep on going,” Noor said, translating the encouraging words of an elderly Somali woman.

Noor, 36, has been door-knocking, phone-banking and fundraising in a race that could make him the first Somali-born state lawmaker in the U.S. With the backing of many in the city’s growing Somali-American population, Noor is pressing the longtime incumbent Democrat in a hotly contested primary.

Minnesota has become home to an estimated 30,000 Somalis who began fleeing civil war in their homeland a generation ago, drawn here by welcoming churches and social services. Many have settled in Minneapolis in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, where ethnic restaurants, markets and shops huddle in the shadow of massive high-rise apartment buildings.

So established is the community that members are rising in politics, with Somali-Americans capturing a Minneapolis school board seat in 2010 and a Minneapolis City Council seat last year. A win by Noor in November could add another milestone. Somali-American leaders said they know of no other state legislators.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Our leaders must rise above partisan party politics and promote the public good. They need to come together in the national interest. They must realise that this country is in a state of war, not between Jubilee and Cord, but with al Shabaab on one hand, and the numerous internal challenges facing us, on the other.”

Our country’s national security under great threat: This is what must be done

03 Aug- Source: Daily Nation-674 Words

Kenya is embroiled in a multiplicity of conflicts which are shaking the nation to its core. The incursion into southern Somalia, retaliatory terror attacks by Al-Shabaab on Kenyan soil, insurgency by armed militias, inter-tribal and inter-clan conflicts in Tana River, North Eastern Kenya and Baringo/Pokot boundaries, are cases in point.

Cattle rustling among the Turkana and Samburu, extra-judicial killings, including those of both extremist and moderate Muslim clerics, and suspected al Shabaab sympathisers at the Coast, as well as the ravages of illicit killer brews are the others. It is the government’s duty to maintain the security of the State and its people through the use of economic power, diplomacy, and political power projection.

National security implies a circumstance that exists as a result of military or defence positions capable of successfully neutralising or repulsing hostile actions from within or without. It is threats to our national security which led us into Somalia to uproot al Shabaab from their strongholds in that country and secure our borders. It is well over three years since the incursion, and al Shabaab are hitting back.

“For me, the lowest point was realising that the Kenya Defence Force soldiers could steal during a national crisis. Recent reports indicate that the charcoal trade, previously controlled by al Shabaab, is now in the hands of the KDF and the Ras Kamboni militia.”

Corruption, politics and tribalism have neutered our security services

03 Aug- Source: Daily Nation-582 Words

Two of the most consistent questions I am asked when I travel abroad are: “How is the security situation in Kenya?” and “Is Kenya really as corrupt as they say it is?”

I usually don’t know how to respond to these questions because admitting that yes, Kenya is insecure and yes, it is corrupt, puts me in the awkward position of having to explain why Eastern Africa’s economic powerhouse is a failing state where the most critical organs of security have been politicised and tribalised and where corruption has become a way of life.

It is not easy admitting to foreigners that you come from a dysfunctional country. It is deeply embarrassing, especially when the foreigner is from a neighbouring country. Recently, a taxi driver in Dar es Salaam, upon realising I was Kenyan, gave me a lecture on ethics and citizen responsibilities. In his perfect Kiswahili he told me: “Sisi watu wa Tanzania tulishangaa na uchaguzi wenu.”

At a workshop I was attending, an Ethiopian academic shamed his Kenyan and Somali colleagues when he declared: “We Ethiopians have a long and rich history, and we are proud of it. We do not easily sell our heritage or our country for a few shillings, unlike you Kenyans and Somalis.”

“What is in store for Uhuru Kenyatta, when there is an insurgency threat in all the counties along Kenya/Somalia border and the Coastal strip? Does it only have to do with sovereignty and tourism? My take is a no. Unlike his father, President Uhuru is ruling Kenya at the moment when discoveries have been made of viable amount of hydrocarbons from Mandera down to Kwale county, and off shore in the Indian Ocean.”

President Uhuru, His Father and the Troubled Muslim Lands in Kenya

03 Aug- Source: Star-Kenya-876 Words

In the wake of Shifta campaigns in former North Eastern Province (NEP) in the 1960s, President Jomo Kenyatta declared that Kenya would not give an inch of its territory to anybody. Further, he dared any Kenyan who desired to change his citizenship to do so, minus any land. By then, there was what you would refer to as identity crisis in NEP, where a good number of Kenyan Somalis felt more Somali than Kenyan, due to their shared cultural history and neglect by the colonial government.

It would be interesting to note that the attitude of the President was not informed by the economic importance of this region to Kenya but the hullabaloo of sovereignty at independence. Fast forward to March 3, 2013 when Uhuru Kenyatta was elected the President of Kenya. The economic prospects of North Eastern region has changed with the discoveries of oil or gas. Also present, is the incremental threat of al Shabaab.

What comes to picture is a father and a son both fighting insurgencies on the same space. However, because of time and technological advances, the son attaches more economic value to the space. Additionally, the geographies where this insurgency is taking place seem to have extended southwards to cover Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale counties.

Top tweets

‏@FAOSWALIM Somalia humanitarian and development statistics, July 2014 http://shar.es/LxLda via @reliefweb

‏@PoetNation Photo essay about #Minneapolis Somali youth by our friend @alexkpotter http://bit.ly/1p3Uzxq @Vocativ #Somalia pic.twitter.com/RNXQ14pAer

‏@EdPomfret Live From #Mogadishu: Somali HipHop’s Journey to Help End The War http://livefrommogadishu.com/ #Somalia pic.twitter.com/GfAIGefXaX

@UNSomalia Omar Abdi, a Canadian national born in#Somalia, is @UNICEF‘s new Deputy Executive Director:http://bit.ly/1s1eaRq pic.twitter.com/Pjw4wxxNki

@UNLazzarini Every yr thousands of children in #Somalia die from preventable diseases. @unicefsomalia & @WHOsom are changing that: http://uni.cf/1qXlQ4T

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Image of the day

Image of the day Ag. SRCC Lydia Wanyoto visits Kismayo, interacts with #AMISOM troops & officials of the Jubba Interim Administration. Photo: @amisomsomalia