February 26, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

173 People Die In Extremist Attacks In Kenya In 2014: Police

25 Feb – Source: AP – 354 Words

Islamic extremists killed 173 people in Kenya in 2014, the highest number in the three years that Kenya has experienced violence blamed on neighboring Somalia’s al-Shabab militants, Kenya’s police force said Wednesday. The 2014 death toll is even higher than that of 2013 when extremists killed 67 people in the assault on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall. Kenyan police said 312 people were killed in the country in militant attacks since 2012 and 779 people were wounded during the period. It is the first time police have categorized Kenya’s extremist attacks in their crime report. Nairobi, Mombasa, Garissa, Mandera and Wajir were towns where the attacks took place between 2012 and 2014. The targets included security officials, tourist spots, buses, churches, malls and other crowded places, said acting police chief Samuel Arachi.

Al- Shabab has vowed retribution for Kenya sending troops to Somalia. Kenya deployed its troops to Somalia in October 2011 to fight the extremist rebels who had carried out cross-border attacks including the kidnapping of four Europeans. Kenyan troops are now part of a multinational African Union force bolstering Somalia’s weak government against an insurgency by al-Shabab which is linked to al-Qaida. Al-Shabab, in a video releasedSaturday, threatened more attacks on Kenya. Al-Shabab gunmen shot dead at least 60 non-Muslims in two separate incidents in northern Kenya in late November and early December.A Kenyan official said Tuesday the government is looking at new options to control the threat including constructing a wall or gullies on parts of the 682 kilometer (423 mile) border with Somalia. The official who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press said there are discussions about how to create a buffer zone with Somalia. Systematic corruption prevents Kenya from effectively tackling extremist attacks, said an analyst. “The systemic corruption that afflicts all our institutions infects our security services, too. This continues to be the dead weight our efforts against terrorism have to carry,” Kenyan corruption expert John Githongo wrote by email from Stanford University, California, where he is a visiting scholar.

Key Headlines

Prominent Somali Scholar Dies In The US (Hiiraan Online)
Three Children Die Of Thirst In Bakol (Radio Ergo)
Elders In Dolow To Be Flown To Kismayo For Assembly Selection (Radio Goobjoog)
Woman’s Dead Body Collected from Liido Beach (Radio Danan)
Somalia’s New Information Minister Takes Office (Radio Bar-Kulan)
President Hassan Meets The Ambassador Of Netherlands To Somalia (Radio Danan)
Colonel Olanya Handed Six Month Jail Term (New Vision)
Infographic – How Remittances Move From Overseas To Somalia (The East African)
173 People Die In Extremist Attacks In Kenya In 2014: Police (AP)
Sumaya Ysl Death: Toronto Police Investigate Death Of Young Somali Trans Woman In Canada (The Independent)
Labour Choose British-Somali Londoner To Stand Against George Galloway (The Guardian)
My Friend The Suicide Bomber: Meet The Men Recruited To Kill – Video (The Guardian)
After Nominating New Ambassador Is the U.S. Really Deepening Ties in Somalia? (Somalia Newsroom)

SOMALI MEDIA

Prominent Somali Scholar Dies In The US

25 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 277 Words

A Somali professor known for his rich oral poetry writing and nationalism died in New Jersey on Tuesday, aged 72, relatives told HOL on Wednesday. Prof. Said Samatar who co-authored ‘Nation In Search Of A State’ with David D died after hours he fell into a coma after falling off his home’s stairs. Born in Somali Region of Ethiopia in 1943, Prof. Samatar spent his early years in a nomadic environment, having completed his early education with a stint at a middle school in Nazareth, Ethiopia before moving to Mogadishu in 1970 to start working at the National Teaching College. His death is a big loss for Somalia’s poetry society which besides him has lost many other legends.

Coming to the United States on a scholarship, Samatar commenced studies at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana. He attended early morning and night classes, while working during the day as a welder to support his wife, who at the time was pregnant with their two children. Samatar graduated from Goshen College in 1973 with a degree in history and literature. He followed that with a Master’s degree in Northeast African history, and received a graduate certificate in African studies. In 1979, he obtained a doctorate in African history from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Soon after, a job offer arrived from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, where Samatar taught from 1979-1981. In July 1981, he accepted a post at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, where he remained since. His daughter is award-winning author Sofia Samatar Prof. Samatar saw one of the most important literary phases for Somalia, a nation often described as a nation of poets.

Three Children Die Of Thirst In Bakol

25 Feb – Source: Radio Ergo – 244 Words

Three children died of dehydration in the border town of Yeed in Bakol region this week, according to a local official. Yeed district commissioner Abdifaqid Duwane told Radio Ergo the only generator-powered well, which was the main source of water, had broken down. Duwane said the children had been waiting for several days for family members to return from the broken well 25 km away with water supplies. He said a vehicle had been sent to the area where the children died, and rescued nine elderly people in bad condition, who were brought to Yeed. Women are usually responsible for fetching water. Many of them remained at the well not knowing what to do.

Fartun Abdi Adan, 45, a mother of five, said they were desperate for water. “We have been gathered near the well for the past several nights. We used to fetch water for our families. But the well is broken, and we left our thirsty children behind our homes. There is nowhere near that we know of to get water, we don’t know what to do,” she said. As a result of the water crisis, Duwane said more than 1,000 families fled across the Ethiopian border where machine-powered boreholes are said to be functioning. He further said that, due to the blockade on roads connecting the town to Tiyeglow, Rabdhure, Wajid and Hudur, water could not be trucked in to Yeed as in the past.

Elders In Dolow To Be Flown To Kismayo For Assembly Selection

25 Feb – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 107 Words

Traditional elders who were meeting in Dolow, Gedo to select MPs for the Jubbaland assembly will be flying to Kismayo together with Interim Jubbaland Administration leaders, said IJA spokesman Abdinasir Serar. Serar said that all the necessary intended outcomes were achieved during the meetings in Dolow and those elders are required to gather in Kismayo to conclude the selection there. “We were here for a while, we managed to have many elders here in Dolow, we followed the due process, now is the time for them to go to Kismayo to finish the process” Serar said.

Woman’s Dead Body Collected from Liido Beach

25 Feb – Source: Radio Danan – 112 Words

A woman’s dead body was found at Liido Beach in Mogadishu on Wednesday. The body was spotted and collected by young people who went to play at the beach, and is being kept at Iqra hospital in Hamarweyne District. The body has not yet been identified, nor has the cause of death — there was reportedly no physical injury to the body leading to speculation about how the woman died. One of the managing staff members of Iqra Hospital has called on anyone who has a missing female relative to attempt to idetnify the body.

Somalia’s New Information Minister Takes Office

25 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 137 Words

Somalia’s new Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir took office following a handover ceremony held in the ministry’s headquarters in Mogadishu on Wednesday. The handover ceremony was attended by Somalia’s Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and other government officials. Mustaf Ali Dhuhulow, the outgoing minister, was not present at the ceremony. Mohamed Abdi Hayir commended the outgoing minister for his achievements during his tenure in office, and promised to work hard to improve the ministry and media in the country. He promised to revive the Somali Film Agency, the National Theatre and the National Publishing House. Deputy Information Minister Abdullahi Olad Roble, who was reappointed to his position, spoke on behalf of the outgoing minister, and said they completed key tasks in improving the quality of life for journalists in the country.

President Hassan Meets The Ambassador Of Netherlands To Somalia

25 Feb – Source: Radio Danan – 111 Words

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with the Ambassador of Netherlands to Somalia, Joost Reintjes. The president and the ambassador discussed enhancing relations between the two nations; President Hassan said Somalia welcomes any assistance and investment from the Netherlands that would contribute to the rebuilding of Somalia. Amb. Reintjes said his government will work with the Government of Somalia and will take part in various developmental projects across the country. Also present at the meeting was the Minister for Security, Abdirizak Omar Mohamed, the Minister for Petroleum, Mohamed Mukhtaar Ibrahim, and other officials.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Colonel Olanya Handed Six Month Jail Term

25 Feb – Source: Observer – 519 Words

LT. Col. Benson Olanya, the ex-commander of the Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF) 343 battalion under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), has been sentenced to six months in jail after he was found guilty of diverting fuel meant for peace keeping operations. Olanya will serve his sentence at the Military Police headquarters in Makindye, a Kampala suburb.Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, the court chairman, Maj. Gen. Levy Karuhanga, said the court’s decision is reflective of the pleas of the defense and prosecution made after Olanya was convicted on Monday.

The court, he explained, took into consideration the fact that Olanya is a first-time offender without a known previous criminal record and his HIV positive status.He said the court also took into account pleas from the state to hand down a deterrent sentence because such crimes are rampant among UPDF officers and that the convict’s actions were injurious to the image of the Ugandan army at the international stage. “You are hereby sentenced to six months in detention. It is your constitutional right to appeal against the decision of this court in 14 days if you are not satisfied,” Karuhanga ruled.

Olanya was found guilty of diverting 720 liters of diesel fuel in Somalia where Uganda has peace keepers under the auspices of the African Union in June and July 2013.The fuel was collected from the military units under his battalion on two occasions by two Somali nationals on his instructions. His battalion was under battle group 11+ whose commander, Col. Hassan Kimbowa, is facing similar charges. Olanya said he shared his “own fuel” (meant for the commander) with a man who lent UPDF a power generator when theirs broke down. He said he shared part of the fuel with interpreters, local leaders and informers who snooped on Al Shabaab in areas formally under the control of the terrorists before UPDF overran them.

Infographic – How Remittances Move From Overseas To Somalia

25 Feb – Source: The East African – 109 Words – Infographic

Somalia could face a financial crisis with close to $1.3 billion in annual remittances as the last major US bank stopped money transfers to the country and to the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in Kenya. A fortnight ago, California-based Merchants Bank closed all its accounts with Somali MTO’s; Australia’s Westpac Bank has also announced that it will close Somali remittance accounts soon. The move follows a decision in 2013 by Barclays, one of the biggest banks in the UK, to cut its ties with a company in Somalia that had been a recipient of large amounts of remittances.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Sumaya Ysl Death: Toronto Police Investigate Death Of Young Somali Trans Woman In Canada

25 Feb – Source: The Independent – 462 Words

Police in Canada are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a young transgender Muslim woman after the news that she had been found dead prompted a remarkable response via social media. Sumaya Dalmar, also known by the name Sumaya Ysl, was 26 years old and an active member of both Toronto’s LGBT and Somali communities, the National Post reported. Her death was first mentioned in a post on Twitter late on Monday, saying she was a “Somali trans woman murdered in Toronto.” That message has since been shared more than 3,000 times, while Facebook and blog posts relating to Ms Dalmar’s death have received tens of thousands of shares and interactions. Toronto Police said that they would not normally issue a public appeal or release details of an incident in a case of a suspected “sudden death” where there was no initial evidence of homicide. But with the backdrop of shocking statistics on violence against the trans community in North America and amid all the online speculation, police issued a statement on Facebook saying officers “are conducting a thorough investigation.”

Using the hashtag adopted by many members of the public, officers said the statement came “in response to concerns and questions regarding #SumayaYsl”. It said a woman “was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene” at an address in Toronto’s east end. Police added that an autopsy had been inconclusive but stressed: “At this time, we have no evidence to indicate the death is suspicious. If the investigation leads us to believe otherwise, we will provide an update.” A police spokesperson told the National Post that the release of information came in direct response to the social media outcry. He said: “We certainly are sensitive to the relationship between the Toronto Police Service and trans communities. We’ve worked very hard over the last little while to improve that relationship.”

Labour Choose British-Somali Londoner To Stand Against George Galloway

25 Feb – Source: The Guardian -6 45 Words

The Labour candidate chosen to fight George Galloway in the general election in Bradford has resigned after just three days.Amina Ali, a councillor in Tower Hamlets, east London, was selected by Labour in a meeting of the Bradford West Labour party on Saturday night.But within 72 hours of her selection Ali tweeted: “I would like to stop the rumour mill, I have stepped down.” The tweet was subsequently deleted. She later released a statement saying: “It is an honour and privilege to have been selected by members of Bradford West as the Labour candidate for the general election. In all the years I have been a member, being chosen to fight a seat for the party I love has been my dream.“However, I am the mother of two children and despite my best efforts to make arrangements to bring them to Bradford for the next 70 days, particularly as one of them is doing her GCSEs, this would have caused massive disruption at a critical time. I would not be able to do justice to the members of Bradford West CLP and the people of Bradford.

“Bradford West needs a candidate who is going to live in Bradford and be involved in the campaign for every moment of every day and I am unable to fulfil this commitment despite a strong wish to support the Labour party to victory. The decision taken now will enable a new candidate to be selected for Bradford West to win the seat back for Labour. “I remain very proud that I was the first British Somali woman ever selected to contest a target seat and I will continue to work within the Labour party in the future and during the campaign. I am sure everyone will understand I need to put my children first.” The only outside candidate to make it to the final vote, Ali easily beat the two locals on the all-women-shortlist – councillor Naveeda Ikram, who was the first Muslim woman lord mayor in Bradford, and campaigner Naz Shah. Of the 238 votes cast, Ikram got less than 75, and Shah just 13, according to one member present. Though Ali is of Somali background and has no profile in Bradford, her selection was mired in controversy amid allegations of so-called biraderi interference – a system of Asian family and tribal patronage harking back to clans in the Kashmiri villages where most of Bradford’s Pakistanis have their roots.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

My Friend The Suicide Bomber: Meet The Men Recruited To Kill – Video

Source: The Guardian – 87 Words – 12:10 Minutes

Al-Shabaab targets young vulnerable men across Scandinavia, inviting them to embrace jihad and become suicide bombers in Somalia. Seeking a sense of belonging, and encouraged by preachers on online videos, a group of Danish Muslims gathers in a small Copenhagen apartment and makes plans. When one man doubts the cause and sees his friends planning carnage, can he escape the call of al-Shabaab? If so, what next?

This is an extract from ‘Warriors From the North’ made by Made in Copenhagen

Warning: This film contains graphic images.

“The U.S. cannot force groups opposed to al-Shabaab to magically come together, but it has not appeared willing to put substantial resources on the ground that can expend the diplomatic capital necessary to make more progress. Envoys from the UN, UK, European Union who travel frequently in Somalia have made their fair share of mistakes in probably the toughest diplomatic environment in the world.”

After Nominating New Ambassador, Is the U.S. Really Deepening Ties in Somalia?

25 Feb – Source: Somalia Newsroom – 578 Words

U.S. President Barack Obama nominated career diplomat Katherine Dhanani as Ambassador to Somalia, eight months after Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman revealed the intent of the U.S. to do so at a USIP event in Washington, D.C. The State Department hailed the nomination as a sign of “deepening ties” with the Horn of Africa country, amid ongoing speculation about the current status of U.S.-Somalia engagement. The fact that it took eight months for the U.S. to nominate an ambassador — who must still go through a confirmation process — could have taken quite some time for numerous reasons. But, it is partly evidence of a post-Black Hawk Down approach that shifts between remote control and laissez-faire.

Drones have been a consistent and often effective tool used to take senior al-Shabaab leaders off the battlefield. Operations from the skies in Somalia have been much more frequent and successful these days compared to ground raids by special forces (unless the targets are pirates.) While drone strikes are “efficient wins,” the offensive that has stalled against al-Shabaab has allowed the group to recuperate and stage “retaliatory” attacks rather than become further embattled after losses of key leaders. More importantly, long-term security gains can only be made through rebuilding Somalia’s fractured security apparatus. On one hand, the U.S. has trained arguably Somalia’s most effective fighting units in the form of the army’s Alpha Group and the intelligence service’s Gaashaan, which comprise the country’s elite Special Forces. On the other hand, there is much more significant work to be done in encouraging the Somalia National Army (SNA) and the disparate armed groups in the country to integrate and collaborate, rather than continue to engage in direct combat with each other.