February 16, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Khat traders in Kenya suspend all exports to Somalia

16 Feb – Source: Sahal News – 215 Words

Khat traders in Kenya have suspended the exports of the herbal stimulant khat to the neighbouring Somalia, complaining of high taxes and overpricing. Khat, a multi-million dollar business for countries across the Horn of Africa and in Yemen, consists of the succulent purple-stemmed leaves and shoots of a bush whose scientific name is Catha edulis. Chewing it for hours produces a mild buzz. The traders told journalists that the Somali government has imposed extra taxes on the drug. They also said that the Kenyan farmers who produce it have increased the price. “[Somalis] are now charging $200 for each bag. The farmers in Kenya have doubled the price and selling to us $600 each bag.

We can’t continue in this kind of situation and we will try to find a solution,’’ said a female Khat trader of Somali descent. Every day, 16 planes carrying bags loaded with khat travel from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi to Mogadishu. Kenyan farmers generate over $100m per year for the export of khat to Somalia which large communities heavily dependent on it. Upon hearing the news, many Somalis welcomed and wished the suspension to be forever.

Key Headlines

Khat traders in Kenya suspend all exports to Somalia (Sahal News)
Somali radio journalists mark World Radio Day despite security challenges (Somali Update)
Somalia president vows to fight against corruption (Horseed Media)
Puntland government speaks on anti-terror raid in Galgala (Garowe Online)
Barkhad Abdi makes TV debut as Congolese warlord (Sahan Journal)
MCAs now take up teaching roles in Mandera County (Standard Digital)
Rubén Rosario: their goal is to make Minnesota youths deaf to Islamic State’s call (Twincities.com)
Somalia’s Puntland military claims 16 Al-Shabaab militants killed (Global Post/Xinhua)

Khat traders in Kenya suspend all exports to Somalia

16 Feb – Source: Sahal News – 215 Words

Somali radio journalists mark World Radio Day despite security challenges

16 Feb – Source: Somali Update – 225 Words

The event was organized by the Somali Independent Media Houses Association (SIMHA) and sponsored by Centre for Community Awareness (CCA). The theme of this years event was dubbed “the role of the Somali youth in peace building” in the war torn state that is still recuperating from more than two decades of civil war. Several directors of key radio stations in Somali capital, Mogadishu attended the event. The Chairman of SIMHA Hassan Ali Gesey has called upon Somali radio journalists to take the opportunity to remember their colleagues who lost their lives in line of duty. “We need to pay our tribute to Somali radio journalists who lost their lives and those who sustained injuries while on their professional duty,” he said.

He added that the annual event should also recognize other challenges faced by Somali radio journalists across the country including arrest and death threats. Mogadishu court was postponed for the fourth time on Sunday regarding the hearing of a case against two radio journalists from Shabelle and Sky FM who were detained in August last year. Somali Presidential Spokesman, Daud Aweys, appealed to Somali radio stations to generate content that is relevant to Somali rural population since majority of the citizens live in remote areas due pastoral economic nature.

Somalia President vows to fight against corruption

15 Feb – Source: Horseed Media – 254 Words

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Sunday that his administration remained very resolute in the fight against corruption in the country. The remarks from the President came after an investigation and report from the Auditor General that revealed that 19 ministries of the Somali government were involved in corruption. “It is the first time such steps have been taken…. It is huge progress that people should be aware of,” he said while speaking about the Auditor General’s report. Mr Mohamud added that his government will not tolerate individuals involved in corruption and those that are will be taken to justice.

“Our position on fighting corruption is very clear and that is we are bent on fighting it from different angles,” he added in an interview with the BBC Somali service. The President who is currently in Germany for medical check-up dismissed concerns regarding his health condition insisting that it is part of his “routine.” A UN report released in October last year claimed the Somali government of “underlying corruption as a system of governance,” but the Somali government denied accusations. In 2013, UN investigators said that Somalia’s central bank has essentially become a “slush fund” for patronage networks, with 80% of withdrawals made for private purposes rather than running government programs and much of the funds transferred into the bank not traceable at all– it led to donors stop the direct cash aid given to the Somali government.

Puntland government speaks on anti-terror raid in Galgala

15 Feb – Source: Garowe Online – 182 Words

Puntland government in northern Somalia for the first time spoke on raid on Al-Shabaab bases in Madashoor vicinity, 23km west of restive Galgala on Saturday, Garowe Online reports. Puntland Security Minister Hassam Osman Mohamud (Allore) told a news conference in the state capital of Garowe that Puntland Defence Forces killed 16 Al-Shabaab militants and wounded 26 others in Friday’s assault. “Security Minister and Army command confirm that 16 Al-Shabaab militants were killed and 26 others were wounded,” said Mohamud. “Minor losses of two deaths and 6 injuries were inflicted on army troops”. Security Minister noted that the raid was aimed at rescuing civilians being kidnapped by Al-Shabaab. He said, Puntland troops will be pressing ahead with major offensive in the coming days to cleanse hideouts of Al-Shabaab remnants. On Friday, security sources told Garowe Online that Puntland carried out pre-emptive attack on Madashor terrorist hotbed. The north eastern state has been battling Al Qaeda-inspired militants in the rugged terrain of Galgala and hideouts along Golis Mountain Ranges since mid-2010.

Barkhad Abdi makes TV debut as Congolese warlord

16 Feb – Source: Sahan Journal – 394 Words

Barkhad Abdi, the 29-year-old Somali-American star of “Captain Phillips” movie, has made his television debut this week as a Congolese warlord on the 15th episode of the CBS police drama “Hawaii Five-0.” The Oscar-nominated actor plays Roko Makoni, a Congolese warlord who faked his death during a 2011 bombing by the Zaire Air Force on his compound. However, the Five-0 team discovers that Roko has been hiding in Hawaii’s Oahu island and has become a taxi driver. After a brief shootout with the Five-0 team, Roko creates a volatile hostage situation. He ends up being shot and is eventually sent back to Congo. Barkhad, who is still at the beginning stage of his acting career, told The New York Post that he is not worried about portraying a bad guy. “To me, if the storyline is good, that’s when you know whether you’ll take the job or not,” he told The Post. “I’m an entertainer, you know? If you would like to see me doing bad, I guess I should do that again.”

Peter Lenkov, executive producer of the Hawaii Five-0, told Entertainment Weekly that Barkhad’s character is inspired by the elusive Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony. “He plays basically Kony, that African warlord who was in the news a few years ago,” he said. “He plays a character like that hiding on the island here, and somebody discovers that he’s here. And our guys end up confronting him.” “It’s a big, big episode,” he added. “We were so lucky to get him, and we wrote it with him in mind. We were able to get him to the island and that was a big coup for us.” According to The Post, Barkhad will appear in two upcoming movies, including “Eye in the Sky,” a thriller shot in South Africa, starring “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul.“There’s a lot that I want to show and a lot that I want to accomplish, you know?” Barkhad said. After he was nominated in 2014 for an Oscar as the lead pirate in the movie “Captain Phillips,” reports surfaced that the Somali-born actor was struggling to make ends meet. He reportedly earned $65,000 for his role in the 55-million-dollar movie. For his role, Barkhad also won the Best Supporting Actor at the British Film and Television Awards.

REGIONAL MEDIA

MCAs now take up teaching roles in Mandera County

15 Feb – Source: Standard Digital – 531 Words

It is an extraordinary scenario in an extraordinary situation. Never before in the history of independent Kenya have teachers deserted an area en masse, citing insecurity. And never before have politicians taken to the classroom to teach. But this is the case in Mandera County as some Members of County Assembly (MCAs) with a teaching background set aside time for classroom stints. To sample the problem first hand, I visited Moi Girls Secondary School in Mandera town, a boarding facility of 714 girls with 25 teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission. But on this day, only five were at work. “The absent teachers are crucial to learning here and teach almost all key subjects. Six are heads of departments and the school is paralysed without them,” says Deputy Principal Mohamed Ibrahim Hillow.

Mr Hillow says languages, sciences and humanities have been badly affected. Absent were six departmental heads, the dean of studies, the library master and the boarding mistress. “We have 190 KCSE candidates this year whose success is heavily dependent on these key teachers. We are at a loss for what do so,” rued Mr Hillow. The school is now relying on volunteers, among them former students who are waiting for KCSE results. “We are grateful to the MCAs who have volunteered to teach” he adds. Among the MCAs is Barre Mohamed Shabure of Kiliwehiri ward who is teaching English literature in Form Four. Said Mr Shabure, wiping away chalk dust from his hands after the lesson: “I hold a Bachelor Education degree (B.Ed) from the University of Nairobi. I taught for 16 years before I went into politics. I cannot sit and watch as candidates go without lessons.”

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Rubén Rosario: their goal is to make Minnesota youths deaf to Islamic State’s call

16 Feb – Source: Twincities.com – 890 Words

The deeply moving discussion took place a while back during a meeting at Karmel Square, the oldest Somali shopping mall in Minneapolis. There, she bared her soul about her cousin, one of 15 men and one woman federal counterterrorism officials believe headed to Syria in recent months to join the Islamic State, the terrorist group. U.S. intelligence officials estimate they are among the 150 Americans from across the country who were recruited or went voluntarily to the unholy hell taking place thousands of miles away. “He wasn’t the kind of person who would engage in this,” she told Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger and others at the gathering. “When we saw it happening, we did not know what to do, who to call, who to reach out to. “Frankly,” the woman added, “we were embarrassed and wished it away. And then he left and then he was gone. We wish we had taken action sooner.”

Action. That was the theme of a meeting last week in which Luger related the woman’s words in an attempt to drive home the point that a community-wide response, with some help from Washington, is what’s needed to curb, if not eradicate, the radicalization of local young Somali and Muslim men and women. “It’s time for action,” Luger told an assembly of about 70 mostly Somali community and religious leaders and top law enforcement officials as he unveiled the start of what likely will be a federally funded pilot program. The Beltway calls it “Countering Violent Extremism. ” Locals have come up with a more Minnesota-Nice name to it: “Building Community Resilience.” On Wednesday, Luger and a 15-member delegation will present Minnesota’s action plan as part of a White House conference on global terrorism that includes representatives from roughly 50 countries grappling with similar recruitment problems. Belgium (population 11 million), for example, with 440, has the highest number per capita of Somali youths leaving the country to join the fight in Syria and elsewhere.

Somalia’s Puntland military claims 16 Al-Shabaab militants killed

15 Feb – Source: Global Post/Xinhua – 201 Words

Authorities in the semi autonomous region of Puntland in Somalia have claimed their military forces killed at least 16 Al-Shabaab militants and injured scores of others in a military offensive. Security Minister Hassan Osman Mohamud told journalists late Saturday that Puntland military launched an assault on the Al- Qaida linked militant group Al-Shabaab bases in Madashoor area, killing 16 of them and inflicting injuries on 26 others on Friday. The minister said the raid at the bases was to rescue citizens who had been kidnapped by the militant group in the mountainous region which is considered the launching pad for Al-Shabaab in the northern part of Somalia. But in a swift rejoinder, Al-Shabaab claimed they killed 24 Puntland soldiers and injured several others. Abdi Aziz Abu Muscab, the militant group spokesman, sent statement to local media claiming they inflicted heavy losses on the Puntland soldiers. Puntland region of Somalia declared itself semi autonomous with a fully fledged military force following the collapse of the Somali state in 1991. However it has not sought independence from Somalia though its neighbor Somaliland which broke off the same time has been clamoring for independence from Somalia.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“With no immediate solution in sight, people like Hawa Jama, a widow with seven children is worried that she will not be able to feed her children and send them to school in the upcoming weeks. She is being supported by her cousin sister who lives in Ohio.”

U.S banks move ruining the lives of families in Somalia

15 Feb Source: Horseed Media – 1,300 Words

Last week, a U.S based bank, Merchants Bank of California, announced that it is closing the bank accounts of companies that transfer money to Somalia, despite calls for reconsideration. The move stunned the entire Somali community across the world and the international community that supports the state, calling the decision a “catastrophe.” Now they are concerned for their relatives’ welfare and effects of the shutdown have started to emerge. Somalia lacks an international banking system which makes difficult for citizens abroad to send money back home to their relatives. So, they use remittances to send the money every month that provides the families to meet their immediate needs for food, shelter, clothing, and other basic necessities as well able to set up small businesses, send children to school and support their communities during difficult moments.

However, since the central government of Somalia was overthrown in 1991, majority of the Somali people have been relying on money sent by relatives and friends living abroad becoming the single most important source of income. It is believed that each year Somali citizens across the world send about $1.3 billion back home. These flows represent a significant share of Somalia’s economy and help to reduce Somalia’s reliance on assistance from foreign governments and international organizations. This exceeds the total sum for humanitarian aid to Somalia, which reaches $800 million at its highest. Somalis based in the U.S. send approximately 214 million dollars each year to support their families, relatives and friends that have been affected by the civil wars, nearly the same amount the U.S. sends in foreign assistance to Somalia estimated at 242 million dollars, a report delivered by international organizations says. More than 150 million dollars are sent from the Britain.

“In the midst of economic, political instability and being finance minister, Halane developed strategies to address key government priorities in the finance sector. His target in the short run was to develop a new financial management, legal framework, new more streamlined financial approvals and restructuring the way the ministry of finance used to function.”

Halane, the man who transformed financial system in Somalia

13 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 693 Words

The aim of this piece is to shed light on the ministry of finance and its outgoing boss Honourable, Hussein Abdi Halane. It is fact that the collapse of the central government not only did lead to civil war but also it terribly destroyed all functioning institutions including finance ministry. The continuation of the anarchy and chaos in Somalia and without the hope of government to provide basic services, people found that there is no other alternative but to rely on themselves where they became self -serving(muruq maal) or self dependent (isku tiirsan). Somalia had experienced a series of transitional governments but the chaos and severe human rights violations remained at large. However, today, Somalia has an approved provisional constitution, a functioning parliament that has assumed powers. In the new constitution great power is also devolved from the centre to regional governments.

The ministry of finance across transitional governments in Somalia lacked a clear strategy to handle various macroeconomic and structural reforms. The ministry staff used traditional methods where teams put in a lot of time to get the job done. These practises led many staff to end up in fulfilling non -financial functions and job roles became increasingly undefined inviting earlier leaves from the finance building. Also, Interventions from the leaders in the financial matters were at stake, all of these resulted in inconsistent and unreliable financial practices in the country. In this economic crisis and financial mess, Hussein Halane had come to occupy the finance portfolio as its minister.

Top tweets

@Daudoo: Around 20-25 planes used to deliver #Khat drug leaf from #Kenya to #Somalia daily, none has arrived today.

@Oxfam: A clumsy US effort to de-fund terrorists is creating a humanitarian crisis in #Somalia http://ow.ly/J4jwh #IFundFoodNotTerror
@Hornexpert115: #AMISOM Police Unit 3rd division has donated crime investigation equipments to @SomaliaPolice in#Baidoa #Somalia.
@oilnewskenya: Horn Petroleum halts exploration in #Puntland,#Somalia http://wp.me/p5JWkQ-EM #oilandgas #Energy #Africa
‏@MuhiimaB: #Over 800 #children were recruited by armed groups in #Somalia in 2014. 1 out of 10 were girls via@unicefsomalia: http://on.fb.me/1uNgs9d ”

‏@Aynte: My predecessor handed Ministry of Planning & Intl Cooperation to me. Look forward to working w/vibrant team #Somalia
@IamIdris1: Public Financial Management Self-Assessment Report & Proposed PMF’s Strengthening Initiativehttp://www.mof.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Somalia-PFM-Self-assessment-report-strategy-April-4-2013-Final.pdf … #Somalia #MoFinance
@m_boding: #Somalia air force in #Blackhawk simulator in#Turkey: via @Daudoo pic.twitter.com/RmOIV4WCjl

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Image of the day

Human Rights Rally in Mogadishu- Valentines Day. Photo: Elman Peace & Human Rights Centre