October 21, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Government forces in Hudur arrests dozens in dawn operations
21 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 124 Words
The federal government forces have launched dawn security operations in Hudur district, the headquarters of Bakol district on Tuesday. The house to house search conducted by government forces has affected all the villages of Hudur district
Dozens of people mostly youth were arrested during the operations as our correspondent in the region reports. The apprehended people were packed on pickups and moved to police stations where their investigations are underway. The operations started after Al-shabab members attacked government bases in the district last night. Hudur administration has not commented on the security operations in the town.
Somali national army together with African Union peacekeeping troops have captured Hudur district at the start of the offensive military operations against Al-shabab earlier this year.
Key Headlines
- Mogadishu port security seized large amount of alcohol and then destroyed it (Radio RBC/Radio Muqdisho)
- Luq administration demolishes illegal buildings along the road (Radio GoobJoog)
- Puntland to provide medical services to four million animals in Somalia (Radio RBC)
- African investment conference in London enters its second day (Radio Goobjoog)
- UN Monitoring Group concerned by Somalia black-market oil contracts (Radio RBC)
- Government forces in Hudur arrests dozens in dawn operations (Radio Goobjoog)
- International rescue committee hands off successful projects in twenty villages (Radio Goobjoog)
- 1700 bags of sugar from Somalia burnt at the Wajir military camp (The Star )
- Cleric says KDF should stay in Somalia ( News24)
- Seychelles joins international monitoring committee to assess detention facilities in Somalia (Seychelles news agency)
- Kenya police said to use shoot-to-kill policy to fight islamists (Bloomberg.com)
SOMALI MEDIA
Mogadishu port security seized large amount of alcohol and then destroyed it
21 Oct – Source: Radio RBC/Radio Muqdisho – 184 Words
Mogadishu Port Authority on Monday seized large amount of wine imported from abroad which was destroyed later that afternoon. Mogadishu Port officials confirmed that the port security seized two containers full of wine which the officials suspect that foreign and local people were involving its shipment.
All alcohol is forbidden under the Somalia laws which are all subject to Islamic Sharia. Those who are found using, selling and distributing alcohol and other drugs face long term jail sentence and the the alcohol is destroyed.
Somalia’s Attorney General Ahmed Ali Dahir warned business people to avoid putting their business in jeopardy by selling alcohol. The Attorney General witnessed the place where the two containers of wine were destroyed.
Meanwhile, Benadir police commander General Ahmed Ali said the police were investigating those involved the shipment of the large amount of alcohol into the country, and that they will be punished.
Luq administration demolishes illegal buildings along the road
21 Oct – Source: Radio GoobJoog – 117 Words
Luq district police commander has on Monday launched operations to demolish buildings along the main roads. The commander of Luq police Diyad Abdikadir said that the operations in the district are going smoothly.
Mr. Diyad stated that the operations are intended to fight illegal building that has been increasing in recent months and restore the beauty of the district. He underlined that the administration has relocated some of the businessmen whose premises were demolished during the operations to continue with their business activities.
The operations in the district have the business activities, Some of the business people who spoke to local media outlets said the administration has not given them enough time to vacate the affected areas.
Puntland to provide medical services to four million animals in Somalia
21 Oct – Source: Radio RBC – 91 Words
Puntland government had launched today a program that will provide vaccinations and treatments to over four million animals in Somalia. Ministry of livestock in joint with the Puntland’s health ministry had opened the program today in Garowe, Puntland Capital.
This program will provide vaccinations to over four million animals and also treatments to at least a million animals in Somalia. Puntland’s livestock ministry in line with Health ministry had stated, the program will also provide vaccinations to children under ten years. The Semi autonomous Puntland government launches such programs twice annually.
African investment conference in London enters its second day
21 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 176 Words
African investment conference in London attended by many African leaders and international companies from across the world has entered its second day. The invited countries attending the African investment conference include Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda,Tanzania and Ghana and many others.
Somalia is represented by the president of semi autonomous regional state of Puntland, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas. President Gaas is scheduled to speak at the conference on the importance of foreign investment in Somalia. He is anticipated to encourage foreign investors to come take part in government’s efforts to broaden the sector and rebuild the country.
Last week addressing the media in Garowe airport, president Gaas urged both local and international investors to invest in Somalia particularly Puntland as he described it as a business hub.
UN Monitoring Group concerned by Somalia black-market oil contracts
21 Oct – Source: Radio RBC – 780 Words
The Monitoring Group described some of the risks associated with increasing commercial activity in the oil and gas sector in Somalia without a resolution to constitutional and legal disputes surrounding the control of natural resources, according to the group’s report on October this year.
It also highlighted transparency and accountability issues in the key Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) petroleum institutions that would govern capacity building and regulation, notably the Somali Petroleum Corporation and the Somali Petroleum Agency (SPA).
During the course of 2013 and 2014, the FGS has nonetheless continued to engage in private negotiations with oil and gas companies and other corporations, resulting in a number of secret contracts and cooperation agreements that in due course are likely to exacerbate legal tensions and ownership disputes and stunt the transparent development of Somalia’s oil and gas sectors.
Government forces in Hudur arrests dozens in dawn operations
21 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 124 Words
The federal government forces have launched dawn security operations in Hudur district, the headquarters of Bakol district on Tuesday. The house to house search conducted by government forces has affected all the villages of Hudur district
Dozens of people mostly youth were arrested during the operations as our correspondent in the region reports. The apprehended people were packed on pickups and moved to police stations where their investigations are underway.
The operations started after Al-shabab members attacked government bases in the district last night. Hudur administration has not commented on the security operations in the town. Somali national army together with African Union peacekeeping troops have captured Hudur district at the start of the offensive military operations against Al-shabab earlier this year.
International rescue committee hands off successful projects in twenty villages
21 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 268 Words
The International Rescue Committee, as a member of the Governance and Peacebuilding Consortium, is formally handing over 20 community-driven development projects to Village Committees in each of the 20 villages across Burtinle and Garowe districts in the Puntland State of Somalia.
The ceremony will take place in Burtinle town in partnership with the Puntland Ministry of Interior on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 9 a.m. Among the accomplishments to be celebrated are the building of schools and health posts, and presenting to the wider community initiatives for inclusive, transparent leadership and participatory decision-making.
Funded by UK Aid, IRC is implementing Hogaan Iyo Nabad “Strengthening Governance and Peacebuilding in Somalia” through activities to support village institutions to clearly define roles and responsibilities and ensure upstream linkages are forged between the village institutions and the districts. The program is designed to focus on strengthening local leadership and supporting communities to become capable to continue projects started without Consortium support.
The community projects have taken place in twenty villages, 18 in Burtinle district and 2 in Garowe. Beginning in late 2013, the District Council exercised its mandate of confirming the Village Committees of seven members, whose duty is to continually consult the community on priorities for development and on-going projects. The Committees then each chose a project to implement with IRC’s support – many chose schools and health facilities, some markets.
With the handover of the projects in the October 22 ceremony, it is expected that communities will continue to work closely with the Village Committees, and District Councils to advocate support from central government in sustaining development initiatives.
REGIONAL MEDIA
1,700 bags of sugar from Somalia burnt at the Wajir military camp
20 Oct – Source: The Star – 186 Words
The Kenya Defence Forces soldiers in Wajir county last Thursday destroyed more than 1,700 bags of contraband sugar. A Wajir court ordered that the sugar seized last month be destroyed, after the owner lost the battle.
The soldiers seized the sugar, packed in 50kg bags and labelled Products of Dubai, being smuggled into the country from Somalia. The sugar worth more than Sh9 million was burnt at the Wajir military camp. Residents have accused security officers of corruption and allowing the entry of contraband goods, explosives and light weapons into the country.
Markets in North Eastern Kenya are flooded with contraband goods, including food, construction materials, petroleum products, vehicle spare parts. Residents said the goods are smuggled in from neighboring countries. Illegal cross-border trade by the al Shabaab militants has been a concern of security officers.
The security officers suspect that the trade is a key income for the terror group after Amisom and KDF soldiers flashed them out of the Somalia coastline. Several deaths in some parts of Northern Kenya have been linked to fighting between sugar cartels out to ensure the business continues.
Cleric says KDF should stay in Somalia
21 Oct – Source: News 24 – 210 Words
A cleric in Kwale County has supported the continued stay of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Somalia to fight the Al Shabaab militants. Bishop Wilber Gogo of Gospel Revival Center Church in Coast region said that KDF should continue crushing the militants who have been a problem to Kenya.
He said that the soldiers should not leave Somalia until they stamp out the last element of Al- Shabaab in the country. Kenyan forces that are now fighting under the AMISOM command moved into Somalia in 2011 and have continued to boast of major success in neutralising the Al-Shabaab militia.
“Our officers went there to fight the militia and we tell them to continue defending our country until they crush the last militant,” the bishop said. He said since the officers are paid by taxpayers’ money they should not be thinking of withdrawing when the enemy is still there. “We have to defeat the enemy but not the enemy to defeat us as a country. I encourage our brothers to soldier on and face the militant until the last one,” he added.
His sentiments come as Coalition for reforms and democracy leader Raila Odinga said that it is time for Kenya to withdraw its troops from neighboring Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Seychelles joins international monitoring committee to assess detention facilities in Somalia
20 Oct – Source: Seychelles news agency – 669 Words
How are the authorities in Somalia’s autonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland faring in implementing international standards at the prisons built for convicted Somali pirates to serve their sentences?
This was one of the main objective of a recent visit of members of the International Monitoring Committee (IMC) to the Garowe (Puntland) and Hargeysa (Somaliland) prisons, two detention facilities built by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), as part of its Piracy Prisoner Transfer Programme.
It was in the UNODC’s 2011 report of the secretary general’s special advisor on legal issues related to piracy off the coast of Somalia that calls were initiated to build two prisons in Puntland and Somaliland respectively, each with a 500 bed capacity.
In accordance with the agreements between the UNODC and the governments of the two autonomous regions the International Monitoring Committee, IMC, was also established with the aim of governing the operation of the mentored prisons where pirates convicted in regional prosecuting countries are transferred to serve their sentences.
Kenya police said to use shoot-to-kill policy to fight islamists
21 Oct – Source: Bloomberg.com – 1149 Words
As Kenyan police seek to counter attacks by Islamist militants from neighboring Somalia and crack down on spiraling crime, they’re increasingly pursuing a policy of shoot first and ask questions later, according to human rights monitors.
Law enforcement officers have committed at least 176 summary executions so far this year compared with 143 in the same period last year, according to the Nairobi-based rights group, the Independent Medico-Legal Unit. It didn’t provide a breakdown of how many were suspected militants and criminals.
Such methods risk stoking public anxiety about insecurity among the general public and fueling sympathy for the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants among young Muslims, said Jonathan Horowitz, legal officer at the George Soros-funded Open Society Justice Initiative.
“Extra-judicial killings are part of a tapestry of human-rights abuses that may feel like an appropriate short-term solution, but it’s deeply misguided because it creates more instability,” Horowitz said by phone from Zanzibar. The violations are taking place “in the context of Kenyans combating terrorism,” he said.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“It’s said that you should never shoot the messenger, but in Somalia the messenger is routinely shot, because of the ethos of the radio station he works for,”
Somalia: Journalism in Somalia – booming but beset by dangers
20 Oct – Source: African Arguments – 2, 618 Words
Mogadishu — Mohamed Abdi Warsame’s hand shakes as he places it on my knee. “Some say my brother was killed over a woman,” he says. “That’s not true. He was killed for the sake of the truth.”
After the evening prayer on October 21, 2012, Mohamed’s brother, a local journalist named Yusuf Warsame, was leaving a mosque in Mogadishu’s Medina neighborhood. As he made his way to a pharmacy to find relief for an earache, two pistol-wielding men stepped out of a doorway and shot him multiple times in the back.
Mohamed was turning a corner onto the same street when the shots rang out; close enough to witness the gunmen fleeing the scene. “I saw them with my own eyes,” he says. “But I was too far away to gaze on their faces.”
Yusuf succumbed to his injuries one week later in nearby Medina Hospital, becoming the 11th Somali journalist to be assassinated in 2012. He was 22 years old. Though the attack occurred in broad daylight, no witnesses came forward, and no arrest has been made. Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked Islamist group, al-Shabab, is often fingered for killing journalists, but there is rarely enough evidence to determine guilt.
“If Somalia believes in the spirit of good neighbourliness and values Kenya’s immense contribution towards its reconstruction, why sue before all channels of negotiations have been exhausted?”
After all we’ve done, Somalia is very ungrateful
20 Oct – Source: The Star – 588 Words
A few days ago, the media reported that the Federal Government of Somalia has sued Kenya at the International Court of Justice. The country is seeking the court’s intervention in resolving a long-drawn maritime boundary dispute.
If this case succeeds, Kenya risks becoming a landlocked country as Somalia has laid claim to almost all of Kenya’s territorial waters in the Indian Ocean. Though it is widely believed that the case does not stand a chance, the government has assembled a team of renowned legal experts to represent Kenya.
The government is handling the matter with caution because it does not want to jeopardise its relations with our war-torn neighbour. However, this approach has generated a number of questions.
If Somalia believes in the spirit of good neighbourliness and values Kenya’s immense contribution towards its reconstruction, why sue before all channels of negotiations have been exhausted?
“A lot of money is involved. There are hydrocarbon deposits all along the coast from Mozambique up to Yemen.”
Somalia doesn’t need to alter Kenya border
21 Oct – Source: The Star – 209 Words
THIS case makes Migingo Island look like a storm in a tea cup. Somalia believes its border with Kenya should follow the same diagonal direction as its border where it reaches the Indian Ocean. This would put gas exploration licences awarded by Kenya off Lamu under Somali jurisdiction. Historically the maritime boundaries of East African nations have followed the line of latitude for 200km straight out into the ocean, rather than continuing the line of the land border.
Top tweets
Elmileedo #AlJazeera: Gunning down the taxmen of Somalia.
http://hiiraan.com/news4/2014/Oct/66758/gunning_down_the_taxmen_of_somalia.aspx#sthash.kGMO4qve.dpbs
@allsscnews Somalia aims to produce oil and gas within six years: Somalia to get oil flowing by 2020 The Africa Report. LO… http://bit.ly/1r6bjSm
@ferigom69 EU Notes Decrease in Piracy Near Somalia Coast | @scoopit http://sco.lt/92vFtB #somalia#piracyift.tt/1r6gzp8
@Abdi_AlSheikh SOMALIA: UN Monitoring Group concerned by Somalia black-market oil contracts – Raxanreeb Online http://dlvr.it/7Gd8Jw #Somalia
@amisomsomalia Today, on #AMISOMtalks we’ll be discussing about the #Somalia oil & gas industry, investment opportunities & how this will aid development.
@nationtv World oil companies business executives eye investment potential in Somaliahttp://fb.me/6N7F2eshJ
Image of the day
African Investment Conference opens in London, UK attended by many African leaders and international companies.
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