October 7, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Defected Al Shabaab members surrender to the government

07 Oct- Source : Radio Mogadishu – 182 words

Members of Al-shabab fighters are reported to have surrendered to Somali federal government following the government’s amnesty promise period for members of Al-shabab. At least 10 members of Al-shabab have surrendered to Somali federal government security forces in Bulo-burte district of the Hiran province, officials says.

Abdiaziz Durow Abdi, the district commissioner said the Al-shabab members had surrendered to Somali government troops in the region with their weapons, noting that this is not the first time Al-shabab member defect from the group to join the government.

On the other hand, reports from goofgaduud in Bay region indicates that at least five Al-shabab fighters defected from the group and surrendered to the administration in the region.

Al-shabab members surrendering to the federal government of Somalia has been increasing since Prime Minister Abdiweli Shiekh Ahmed offered amnesty to the Al-shabab members who surrender to government in 45 days started from September 3.

Somali government forces backed by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops have captured several towns and villages from al-Shabaab since their latest offensive, Operation Indian Ocean, began August 30th.

Key Headlines

Somalia PM says aid will be taken to Barawe (Radio Mogadishu)
Somalia National Army and AMISOM forces liberate Bula-Gaduud town (AMISOM)
Egypt offers scholarships to Federal Government (Garowe Online)
AMISOM and al shabaab Fight on the outskirts of Elbuur (Radio Dalsan)
Puntland Highway Authority warns of road damages ahead of heavy downpour (Horseed Media Online)
Allied forces seize Garsoy village on the outskirts of Tiyeglow (Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali al-Shabaab militants desperate and losing support – envoy (Coastweek/ Xinhua)
Defected al Shabaab members surrender to the government (Radio Goobjoog)
Senior police ferried guns to Mpeketoni – IPOA report (Star-Kenya/Daily Nation)
Somalia tries to sway Al Shabaab stronghold (Aljazeera English)
Somali online news editor under arrest in Kenya (The Guardian/IFEX)
Signs of hope in Somalia but the mission goes on (The National)

PRESS STATEMENT

Somalia National Army and AMISOM forces liberate Bula-Gaduud town

07 Oct- Source: AMISOM- 213 words

Troops of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) together with the Somali National Army (SNA) have registered more success against the Al-Shabaab, with the capture of Bula-Gaduud town in the Lower Juba Region. Bula-Gaduud town is located approximately 30 km North of Kismayo along the Kismayo-Jamaame-Jilib road.

The joint operation by AMISOM Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and SNA managed to clear minor resistance mounted by the militia a few kilometers to the town. The Acting Head of AMISOM, Hon. Lydia Wanyoto has applauded the troops for their commitment towards securing Somalia. She says the success of the ongoing operation against the terrorists attests not only to the resolve of the forces, but also the Somali people in ensuring an end to the suffering perpetrated by the insurgents.

“I congratulate the AMISOM and SNA troops that have liberated Bula-Gaduud. The fall of the town is a major victory that will provide opportunity to its residents to access government services and enjoy the freedom they have been denied for years,” she said.
Bula Gaduud has been a gateway for al Shabaab militia coming from Jamaame and Jilib heading towards Bullo Xaaji and into the Lacta belt. The town has been severally used to spring attacks on Kismayo town and its environs in the past.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somalia PM says aid will be taken to Barawe

07 Oct – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Dalsan/Radio Risaala – 134 Words

The Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed said aid will be taken to Barawe where SNA and AMISOM seized a couple of days ago. Addressing journalists in his office, the premier said it was a great achievement that Al shabaab were forced to abandon Barawe.

He called for the residents of Barawe to work with SNA and AMISOM. The premier said that they are cautious of the Al shabaab members who are fleeing to Mogadishu. He also called for the security forces to tighten security. On the other hand, the commander of SNA Gen. Abdirizak Khaliif Elmi told people of Barawe to support the federal government.

However, it is not clear whether Al shabaab will come back to and attack Barawe as they are not that far away from it.

Egypt offers scholarships to Federal Government

7 0ct – Source: Garowe Online – 141 Words

Egyptian President General Abdul Fetah Al Sisi has offered 200 scholarship positions to the central government in Mogadishu despite deeply embedded political division in the war ravaged horn of Africa nation, Garowe Online reports. President Sisi directed Education Minister Mahmoud Mohamed Mahmoud Abo El Nasr to approve 150 scholarships for Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion and 50 grants for the country’s embassy. Egypt’s highest authority for Islamic affairs, Al Azhar keeps a school in Qardo town, 122 km northeast of Puntland capital of Garowe running.

Defected Al Shabaab members surrender to the government

07 Oct- Source : Radio Mogadishu/Radio Goobjoog- 182 words

Members of Al-shabab fighters are reported to have surrendered to Somali federal government following the government’s amnesty promise period for members of Al-shabab.

At least 10 members of Al-shabab have surrendered to Somali federal government security forces in Bulo-burte district of the Hiran province, officials says.

On the other hand, reports from goofgaduud in Bay region indicates that at least five Al-shabab fighters defected from the group and surrendered to the administration in the region. Al-shabab members surrendering to the federal government of Somalia has been increasing since Prime Minister Abdiweli Shiekh Ahmed offered amnesty to the Al-shabab members who surrender to government in 45 days started from September 3.

Livestock lost in Puntland downpours and floods

07 Oct- Source: Radio Ergo – 193 words

Pastoralists in Uus-kure village, 180 km south of Garowe, incurred huge losses after heavy rains pounded the area for three days causing flooding. Abdi Farah Yussuf, a pastoralist in the area, told Radio Ergo he lost 650 goats in the storms and was now left with just 50 goats all in weakened condition. Uus-kure was one of areas of Puntland badly by the tropical cyclone that struck in November 2013.

Puntland’s disaster management agency called on people living in low-lying areas to move to higher ground and herd their livestock to sheltered areas to avert further losses during the rainy season.

Head of the agency, Abdirahman Ayrow said further heavy rains were still expected in parts of Nugal, Bari, Karkar and Sanag regions. He added that torrential rain in Qardo and its surroundings caused floods that washed away unknown numbers of livestock.

The authorities have yet to provide details regarding the damage caused by the rain that started in Qardho last Friday [3 October 2014]. Ayrow warned that rains might turn out to be heavier than forecast. They coincide with the fierce drought and scarcity of water prevailing in large parts of Puntland.

AMISOM and Al shabaab Fight on the Outskirts of Elbuur

07 Oct – Source: Radio Dalsan- 75 words

AMISOM together with SNA fought Alshabaab in the villages of Ceel-garas and Ceel-la-hel on the outskirts of Ceel-buur. Witnesses say the fighting erupted after Alshabaab fighters suddenly attacked AMISOM. The AMISOM soldiers who took part in the fight included the Ethiopian troops. Light weapons and heavy artillery were both used. There are no independent reports on the casualty figures which may have resulted from those clashes.

Puntland HighwayAuthority warns of road damages ahead of heavy downpour

07 Oct- Source: Horseed Media Online – 194 words

Puntland Highway authority agency has warned damages of roads ahead of predicted heavy rainfalls in the coming weeks. Predictions made by the meteorological agencies indicate that the semi-autonomous region will receive above normal rains and may herald another flooding same as like last year and disrupt transport.

Heavy rainfalls have fallen in some of Puntland regions in the past week, have already caused several damages in some towns. “We call on drivers to drive with precaution and inform us about any damages they come across the highway,’’ said Mohamud Abdinur, head of the authority.
Some parts of the coastal areas are expected to experience massive flooding and erosion.
In November last year, a tropical cyclone which brought strong winds, heavy rain and flash floods led to the deaths of almost 300 people and many more missing, mostly in coastal areas.

The flood led to the damages of public infrastructure – washing away important roads like Middigar Bridge which connects Garowe & Gardo towns. The bridge was reconstructed a few months before following a fund raised by the government, businessmen, Diasporas and local communities.

Allied forces seize Garsoy village on the outskirts of Tiyeglow

06 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 130 words

A government soldier and seven others believed to be al Shabaab fighters were on Sunday night killed in clashes between the two sides in Garsoy village, 16 KM out of Tiyeglow town in Bakol region according to government officials in the region.

Sheikh Hassan Ibrahim Lugbor, a senior government official in Bakol region told Bar-kulan that Somali government forces backed by African Union troops in Somalia (AMISOM) attacked and seized the village from al Shabaab fighters.

He added the capture of Garsoy village is part of a wider military offensive against al Shabaab militant group in the region by the joint forces of Somalia and the African Union. The village is now under the full control of the allied forces.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Al Shabaab weakening, says Somalia envoy

07 Oct- Source: Star-Kenya/Coastweek- 253 words

The al Shabaab is now desperate and losing more ground after the recent liberation of key towns by Somali troops backed by African Union peacekeepers, Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur has said. Speaking in Mombasaon Saturday during a talk show on Radio Salaam, Nur said Amisom troops have defeated the group and taken over strategic towns. He said the recapture of Barawe, the last major port held by the al Shabaab and a key source of revenue for the Islamist militia, is a clear setback for the group’s activities.

“We believe in the next few weeks we are going to liberate most of the area that used to be under their control. The al Shabaab is on the run and they are going to lose. People want peace and stability,” Nur said. According military sources, the loss of Barawe is a major blow to al Shabaab. This comes one month after their supreme leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US air strike.

A senior Kenyan military officer told the Star, the fall of Barawe will hamper logistics operation of the militant group. Nur said Somalia is working with Kenya to ensure their borders are properly patrolled to prevent the fighters from sneaking back into the two countries. Police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi said the government has heightened surveillance at the Kenya-Somalia border in Lamu and northern Kenya to avert cross border invasion by the insurgents. Mwinyi told the Star yesterday that security agencies are on high alert.

Senior police ferried guns to Mpeketoni – IPOA report

07 Oct- Source: Star-Kenya/Daily Nation- 397 words

A senior Anti-Terrorism Police Unit officer at the Coast helped al Shabaab terrorists smuggle the weapons from Somalia that were used in the Mpeketoni massacre, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority report on the June attack has revealed.

However, despite receiving reports on the activities of the ATPU officer and the impending Mpeketoni attack from the National Intelligence Service as early as May 2014, police failed to act and instead engaged in apportioning blame.

Police officers on the ground received the intelligence and even held a meeting in Mpeketoni, but never bothered to conduct an operation to seize the weapons which were to be later used in the June 16, 2014, night attack in which over 67 people were killed.

“Prior to the incident, the team was informed that, in May 2014, intelligence was received about an arms cache at Witu and another hotel within Witu town. It was reported that an ATPU officer based at Witu was coordinating the activities of the arms smugglers who were said to be al Shabaab operatives.The arms were brought in from Liboi under escort of that police officer,” the IPOA report says.

Somalia tries to sway Al-Shabab stronghold

06 Oct- Source: Aljazeera English – 2:15 mins

Government forces call on residents of former rebel stronghold of Barawe to stop supporting the al-Qaeda related group. Somali forces have called on the people of Barawe to support the government, now that it is back in control of the southern coastal town. The port in the Lower Shebelle region had been a stronghold of the armed group Al Shabab for six years. Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi reports from Barawe in southern Somalia.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia’s first cash machine opens in Mogadishu

07 Oct- Source: BBC- 85 words

Somalia’s first-ever cash withdrawal machine has been installed in the capital, Mogadishu.
Some people are confused about how the machine works because they have never used one before, reports the BBC’s Mohamed Moalimu from the city.

The machine, installed by Salaam Somali Bank in an upmarket hotel, allows customers to withdraw US dollars. Somalia has a rudimentary banking sector, with many people relying on remittances from abroad.

Its development has been thwarted by more than two decades of conflict involving clan and religious-based militia groups.

Somali online news editor under arrest in Kenya

07 Oct – Source: The Guardian/IFEX – 136 Words

A Somali journalist working for an online news network is under detention in Kenya. Ibrahim Said Salah, who edits www.allcarmo.com, was arrested on 27 September after travelling to Nairobi from Puntland.

A Kenyan court granted police permission to hold Salah and to question him about the website. The motive behind his arrest remains uncertain. Salah has angered some politicians in Puntland, the autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, due to his reports on the formation of political parties.

Omar Faruk Osman, secretary general of the National Union of Somali Journalists, said: “The arrest of Ibrahim Said Salah is a disturbing development and we suspect it as an attempt to censor coverage of important political issues in Puntland. We call on the Kenyan authorities to release him immediately.”

UN in Somalia welcomes recovery of port city from insurgents

06 Oct- Source: UN News Centre- 215 words

The top United Nations official in Somalia today welcomed the recovery of the port city Barawe from Al-Shabaab fighters, the first time it has been in Somali control for more than two decades.

“I encourage any remaining Al-Shabaab to lay down their arms. Now is the time for peace and political progress for all Somali people,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay.

He called the recovery by the Somali National Army (SNA) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces a “critical milestone” in the country’s path to peace and stability.

After decades of factional fighting, new Somali national institutions emerged in 2012, as the country ended a transitional phase toward setting up a permanent, democratically-elected Government.

The SNA and AMISOM have been pursuing a renewed offensive against Al-Shabaab insurgents, who in 2011 were forced to retreat from the capital, Mogadishu.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Until his sudden death, Ambassador Omar was active in various intellectual forums expressing his views and imparting knowledge to the old and the young. May God have mercy on Ambassador Omar.”

Ambassador Mohamed Osman: an obituary

07 Oct- Source: Wardheernews- 510 words

Ambassador Mohamed Osman Omar, who had represented Somalia in many countries including Yugoslavia, India, Iran, China, Tunisia, Tanzania, and Sudan, died in London this past weekend at the age of 77.

He was also the head of protocol in the Foreign Ministry, and played an instrumental role in the Organization of the African Union summit that was held in Mogadishu in the early 1970s.

Ambassador Omar was one of a few Somali diplomats I had the honor of personally knowing. His son, Jeylani, and I attended the same elementary and intermediate school, Moallim Jama, and were classmates. Jeylani and I lost touch after our school days, but in 1976 our two families became neighbors in the Hamar Jajab District. By that time, Jeylani and his younger brother Osman were in India for vocational training. My sister was also a diplomat and hence was a colleague of Ambassador Omar in the Foreign Ministry. She had done a small favor for his family while he was stationed abroad, and my family was amazed that Ambassador Omar’s family never forgot it. On holidays, Ambassador Omar’s family would bring us cake, Halwo, and other Reer Hamar pastries as a gesture of appreciation. This continued for many years, even after my sister had been posted abroad.

“Somalia is already reaping the benefits of its increased stability, with the diaspora beginning to return from the places where they sought refuge during the darkest hours of the past 20-plus years. Their presence is a powerful bolster to the Somalian economy. Just as military defeats seem to indicate the beginning of the end for Al Shabab, this is the start of the next phase in Somalia becoming a functional country once more.”

Signs of hope in Somalia, but the mission goes on

06 Oct- Source: The National (UAE) – 403 words

When Al Shabab fighters withdrew from Barawe this week as Somali and African Union troops converged on the port town south of Mogadishu, it meant the Al Qaeda-affiliated militants had lost their capital. Charcoal exports from Barawe generated an estimated $25 million (Dh28.8m) a year for Al Shabab, helping fund its aim of toppling the UN-supported Somali government, and the port was also used to bring in fighters and weapons.

Barawe’s fall represents the latest in a series of significant setbacks for Al Shabab, coming a month after US air strikes killed the group’s supreme leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane. This is by no means the end of Al Shabab, which will probably change tactics to become more of a traditional guerrilla force based in the rural areas where it retains control, it seems to be the beginning of the end for a group that just three years ago controlled Mogadishu.

Just as it represents a blow to Al Shabab’s prospects, it serves as a vindication for the international community – and especially the African Union, six member states of which have contributed forces to fight alongside the Somali national army since 2007. They have helped stabilise a country that until very recently was the archetype of a failed state.

Top tweets

@robynleekriel Barawe absolutely beautiful. Blue sea, gorgeous beaches, stunning lighthouse. Much like rest of#somalia coastline.

@onkod24 #Somalia: Puntland Highway Authority (#PHA) warns of Road damages ahead of heavy downpour @puntsom

@radiogarowe #Somalia: Puntland leader meets EU envoyhttp://bit.ly/1nbiA70

@OCHASom Over 1 million people need lifesaving food assistance in #Somalia. See how aid agencies are helping: //bit.ly/1Ejr9lK

@Eye_on_Somalia #hiiraanShabaab weakening, says Somalia envoy: The al Shabaab is now desperate and losing more groun… http://bit.ly/1tuEejv #somalia

@SaraMojtehedz Today #Somalia‘s first ever ATM is opening in Mogadishu. Operated by Salaam Somali Bank, it allows customers to withdraw in US dollars

@LailaInNairobi #China‘s New Ambassador to #Somalia speaks#Somali. I am impressed, the game is over: http://bit.ly/1s6NpLK

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Image of the day

Image of the day Somali Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur at Shimo La Tewa Prison, Mombasa, on Saturday. He addressed Somalis serving jail terms. Photo: Star-Kenya/Hiiraan Online