February 9, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

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Amid rifts, Somali MPs table motion against speaker

08 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 205 Words

As MPs are set to vote on the new cabinet line-up by the prime minister on Monday, Somali legislators have filed a motion resisting the speaker’s moderation for that session further exacerbating for the country’s political crisis. The MPs accused the speaker of the parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari of undermining their efforts and expressed doubt in his leadership. They say their aim to prevent Mr. Jawari from chairing their meeting before cabinet’s vote started on Monday.

In their motion letter, MPs have censured Speaker Jawari of snubbing legislators’ inputs, and being biased to one political rival against the other by helping the president and the prime minister to form the new cabinet ministers. With the signature of two of the speaker’s deputies, parliamentarians rebuked the speaker of being in the centre of political rivalry that left the current government gridlocked. “Having seen your failure…we can’t be convinced in trusting you with the parliament’s chair,” the MPs said in the motion letter against the speaker.

Key Headlines

AMISOM troops allegedly kill Somali doctor (Radio Dalsan)
Gunmen attack NGO workers in Mogadishu (Radio Goobjoog)
Puntland police capture three militants alive two killed (Garowe Online)
Amid rifts Somali MPs table motion against speaker (Hiiraan Online)
Somalia’s PM calls on US banks to reconsider their decision (Horseed Media)
Gunmen attack army checkpoint in Bossaso (Garowe Online)
Free medicals as UPDF in Somalia celebrate Tarehe Sita (New Vision)
At least two killed in militant attack in Somalia (Reuters)
Minn. politicians seek time with Obama on money transfers to Somalia (MPR News)

SOMALI MEDIA

AMISOM troops allegedly kill Somali doctor

08 Feb – Source: Radio Dalsan – 81 Words

African Union peacekeeping troops in Somalia AMISOM have been accused of killing a well known doctor in the Somali city of Beledweyn. Journalist Abdiaziz Okey who is brother of the slain doctor has confirmed to Dalsan radio.The killing of Doctor Abdinassir Ibrahim Ahmed came following clashes between two tribes in the area. Djiboutian troops who are part of AMISOM are said to be behind the alleged killing. AMISOM has not responded to the claims.

Gunmen attack NGO workers in Mogadishu

08 Feb – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 97 Words

At least one person has been killed and another one sustained injuries after unidentified gunmen attacked Al-Manhal agency workers, a local NGO operating in Mogadishu. The NGO workers were driving through Hodan district in Mogadishu on Sunday when the attack happened. As their car was approaching towards Taleh Road, the gunmen blocked their way opened fire. The security forces reached the scene and launched operations to seek out the assailants though no group has yet claimed the responsibility of the attack. The administration of Hodan district has not yet commented on the incident.

Puntland police capture three militants alive, two killed

08 Feb – Source: Garowe Online – 503

Puntland security forces intensified search operations in the Gulf of Aden port city of Bossaso, arresting over a dozen suspects and launching a manhunt, Garowe Online reports. The move has come after five militants in mini-van overnight on Tuesday attacked bodyguards manning a security checkpoint near Panaroma hotel that houses high ranking government officials including Deputy Police Commander-in-Chief Gen. Mohayadin Ahmed Musse. Armed with hand grenades and AK-47 rifles, the five terrorists killed a soldier and wounded three others in brief gun battle according to officials. Four of the five Al Shabaab gunmen immediately sped-off in Toyota Noah, leaving heavily armed militant behind, Gen. Musse told Garowe Online. However, security forces are said to have shot and killed the latter who refused to give himself in in Raf and Raho neighborhood.

The vehicle carrying the fleeing militants suddenly overturned on 30th street which stretches from water wells to Qoyan neighborhood, killing an assailant and wounding two others while a man identified as Mohamud Rashid Ali escaped unharmed. Speaking to reporters in Bossaso, Puntland Police commander, Gen. Mohamed Saed Jaqanaf disclosed that the militants disguised themselves, and carried out the pre-planned attack on security checkpoint approximately at 8:10 PM in the evening. “We killed Al Shabaab militiaman in shootout after he tried to escape,” said Jaqanaf, adding that the police seized four vehicles and nearly ten people suspected of being responsible for the simmering terror attacks on military targets and key figures. The captured militant who escaped unhurt from the car accident on the newly constructed road, Ali told the media that one of the wounded led the team of five during the operation. “I crossed Galkayo into Bossaso and I came from southeast Somalia. Firstly, I started working as a waiter at a restaurant in Bossaso, I had been living here for many years,” said the attacker.”Al Shabaab official in southern Somalia ordered us to launch raids on checkpoints over the phone. I joined Al Shabaab in 2013, I fought alongside Al Shabaab once while in southern Somalia.Whenever I carry out attack, I used to receive money from Al Shabaab officials and pledges of around $1000 are made for attackers”.

Puntland has accused Somaliland, a breakaway region in northwestern Somalia and arch rival of throwing financial and military support behind Al Shabaab fighters operating hideouts along Golis Mountain Ranges. Bari regional police Commander Abdihakin Yusuf Musse displayed Somaliland shilling currency into which he said was stashed the pockets of the Al Shabaab militants. Earlier, on January 30, Security Minister Hassan Osman Allore blamed the separatist administration for providing Islamist insurgents battling the Puntland forces with cash and military gears, allegations categorically denied by Somaliland. Puntland has been grappling with growing insurgency and unprecedented surge in extremism. As a result of intense military campaign by African Union peacekeepers and federal government forces in central and southern Somalia, militants began to migrate northwards towards the stable state.

Amid rifts, Somali MPs table motion against speaker

08 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 205 Words

Somalia’s PM calls to US banks to reconsider their decision and continue to support Hawalas money transfers

08 Feb – Source: Horseed Media – 379 Words

Somalia Prime Minister and former Ambassador to the US, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke says he is fully aware of the devastating impact of Merchant Banks’ decision against Somali money transfer companies will have on the well-being of many Somalis and is determined to finding permanent solutions to the crisis.. “I have personally spoken to the US Government on this pressing issue and repeated my calls to US banks to reconsider their decision and continue to support Hawalas money transfers. No one in the money remittance sector disputes the vital importance of remittances to developing countries and I fully understand the limitations imposed on them by government regulations. Through good open negotiations, I will seek to appease their concerns and I will do everything in my power to find a permanent legitimate and transparent solution in the interests of the Somali and regional economy.” said Prime Minister Sharmarke.

The prime minister further said: “This situation has been a concern of mine for many years and we need to find a permanent solution to keep open this vital humanitarian lifeline. The security situation is one the main challenges and I am committed to bring stability and security to Somalia. Unfortunately as many know, this alone will not do. Somalia also requires a robust financial and banking system in order to reassure the money remittance sector, governments and key stakeholders. In the meantime, we cannot remain passively inactive and I will ask my government to quickly develop and implement new ways to support the millions of ordinary Somalis relying on the program….Finally, as the situation in Somalia continues to improve, I call on Somalis from all walks of life and on our international donors to remain positively committed. Money transfers are not only a lifeline but a family-to-family voluntary support system which helps to reduce reliance on official foreign aid, reaches poor individuals and communities and serves as an insurance blanket funding unemployment in regions mostly affected by drought and floods. Without this engine, many Somalis risk to lose their autonomy and ability to pay rent, buy food and clothes, access medical services or even afford to send their children to school,” the Prime Minister concluded.

Gunmen attack army checkpoint in Bossaso

07 Feb – Source: Garowe Online – 141 Words

Gunmen firing machine guns and rocket propelled grenades attacked a military checkpoint in the Puntland’s commercial hub town of Bossaso on Saturday night, killing one soldier and wounding two others, Garowe Online reports. The attack, the latest in Puntland which faces a stubborn Al-Shabab insurgency raises security concerns in a region known for stability during the two decades of war in Somalia. Details of the attack near Panorama hotel remain sketchy, as soldiers are still battling the assailants in the area. The attack, the second in the town since last week comes at a time militants fighting Puntland forces have stepped up attacks in the region. Suspected militants have also attacked a Police station in the region last week, killing one soldier.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Free medicals as UPDF in Somalia celebrate Tarehe Sita

08 Feb – Source: New Vision – 198 Words

Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) contingent in Somalia on Saturday commemorated the 34th anniversary of Tarehe Sita by offering medical services to Somali community at De Martino Hospital in Mogadishu, reports AMISOM. The day marks the first armed attack by the National Resistance Army that started the guerrilla war which brought President Yoweri Museveni to power in January 1986. The armed attack was on 6th February 1981. The Ugandan contingent cleaned and painted the hospital premises, and the medical team diagnosed and treated patients at the hospital’s Out-Patient unit, an AMISOM press release stated. Soldiers of UPDF serving under AMISOM in Somalia distribute leaflets of peace to Mogadishu residents during an event held to mark Tarehe Sita.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

At least two killed in militant attack in Somalia

08 Feb – Source: Reuters – 208 Words

At least two people were killed when Somali militants al Shabaab attacked the house of a senior police official in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, police said on Sunday. The militants have carried out several attacks in the region in recent weeks after they were driven out of their strongholds in central and southern Somalia by African Union troops and the Somali army. Abshir Mohamed, a policeman in charge of security at the deputy police commander Muhidin Ahmed’s home, said the rebels drove up to a checkpoint near the house in a minibus late on Saturday. “They opened fire and hurled grenades at us once when we stopped the car to check,” Mohamed said. Two policemen were killed and five others injured, he said, adding that one militant was also killed.

Minn. politicians seek time with Obama on money transfers to Somalia

08 Feb – Source: MPR News – 152 Words

Members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation are among those calling for a meeting with Obama administration officials to discuss an emergency plan to restore money transfers to Somalia. Lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry to address how Somalis can safely send money back to their home country. Last week, Merchants Bank of California closed the accounts of Somali-American money service businesses. Mohamed Idris, executive director of the Columbia Heights-based American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa, says the move cut off a financial lifeline to many in Somalia. “This is the backbone of Somali economy,” Idris said. “And for sure it will have a devastating effect if intervention [does] not occur.” The letter requesting an emergency plan was signed by U.S. representatives Keith Ellison and Erik Paulsen, as well as senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken.

Somalis push Minnesota officials to help after bank halts money transfers

07 Feb – Source: Star Tribune – 841 Words

Somalis living in the Twin Cities are begging Minnesota’s elected officials to help find a way to safely wire money back to families living in the Horn of Africa after a California bank abruptly ceased wiring cash to the troubled country over the weekend. The decision by Merchants Bank to stop that part of its operations last Friday caught Somalis, who use money service businesses to wire money abroad, off-guard in communities across the United States. Of the more than 30,000 Somali immigrants living in the Twin Cities, 80 percent of them use money service businesses to send money abroad, according to the Somali American Money Service Association. “It’s affecting my life, I need President Obama to know this,” said Abdi Nour Barkad, a 31-year-old St. Paul resident and organizer for the Service Employees International Union. “My brother called me last night. I promised him I would give him money. I told him I don’t know how to give him money. He cried.”

Only a handful of Minnesota banks work with money service businesses to facilitate cash transfers to Somalia. The exact number is unclear because some banks don’t publicize it. One popular Twin Cities money service business called Dahabshiil has mostly shut down its cash transfers to Somalia because its partner bank was Merchants. Well-known money service businesses, like Western Union, do not operate in that part of the world. Barkad sends about $400 a month to his parents and siblings in Somalia. His brother was supposed to get married over the weekend — an event Barkad promised he’d help pay for — yet he has no way of getting the money there.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is resounding its commitment towards supporting the political processes especially aimed at aiding reconciliation and preparations for the 2016 general elections.”

AMISOM SRCC Media Briefing

07 Feb – AMISOM – Video – 4:01 Minutes

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has reiterated its commitment towards supporting Somalia’s political processes aimed at aiding reconciliation and preparations for the 2016 general election. Addressing a press conference in Mogadishu on Saturday, the Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of AMISOM Ambassador Maman S. Sidikou listed AMISOM priorities for the year 2015.

“Most Somalis disapprove the constant political infighting between the president and his appointed prime ministers and now the parliament is joining in the political squabble, which could only mean that the road to 2016 national elections is paved with thorns and Somalia is set for a rough ride. Nevertheless, if Somalia is to become a true democracy, it cannot afford a one-party rule that bribes the rest into submission.”

The Welcome Evolution of the Somali Parliament

06 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 791 Words

Somalia’s new Prime Minister, Omar A. Sharmarke will soon try again to get a confirmation for his new Cabinet in place after the parliament rejected his first lineup amid political turmoil. The Prime Minister complemented in his new Cabinet with several members of the parliament in order to appease them and get the necessary votes for confirmation. Yet, to most MPs the new Cabinet of mostly political novices seems suspicious because they believe the “real” Cabinet is in the kitchen and it’s made up of Dam-Jadid advisors of the President who are planning a political coup, unlike anything Somalia has ever witnessed before in its political history. Perhaps, in the face of these legislators uniting into viable political caucuses (Kutlad), we are witnessing the rebirth of an effective Somali parliament that might positively influence the political course of Somalia’s trudge towards democracy.

This is certainly a breath of fresh air in the dawn of Somali politics that might restore the credibility and reliability of a viable political system that has been destroyed by decades of dictatorship and civil war in the country. In fact, Somali MPs working together in political caucuses will benefit the country in propelling towards a more democratic government accountable to the rules and regulations in the constitution rather than being corrupted by the ruling party. Further incentives for coalescing in political blocks in the parliament include enforcing much-needed oversight to growing bilateral and multinational agreements in a country emerging from protracted civil war and predisposed to foreign exploitations.