April 13, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Suspected Members Of Al-Shabaab Kidnap French NGO Staff In Gedo
13 April – Source: Wacaal Media – 78 Words
Reports from Gedo region indicate that up to four staff members of an International NGO serving in the area were kidnapped between Garilley and Faafahdun by suspected members of Al-Shabaab. French owned NGO Solidarity was giving financial stipends to local administrations to boost their living standards over the last few days. Sources say those abducted were commandeered to Baardheere, which is under the control of Al-Shabaab militia.They are all reported to be Somali nationals.
Key Headlines
- Suspected Members Of Al-Shabaab Kidnap French NGO Staff In Gedo (Wacaal Media)
- South West Assembly Selection Process To Start Soon (Goobjoog News)
- African Union To Help In Rebuilding Somalia National Army (Somali Current)
- Lower Shabelle Governor: “Al-Shabab Gunmen Attacked My House Last Night” (Goobjoog News)
- Educational Challenges In Post-transitional Somalia: Case Study Mogadishu (Somali Update)
- Northeastern Leaders Tell Parents To Reveal Names Of Terrorists (The Star Kenya)
- Kenya Vows Not To Withdraw Troops From Somalia (China.org)
- Kenya: Ensure Due Process On ‘Terrorism List’(Human Rights Watch)
- We Are At War But Who Exactly Is The Enemy Mr President? (Standard Media)
- Uhuru Can Take Lessons From Obama In Finding Exit Strategy From Somalia (Daily Nation)
- Sign Art In Somaliland: Walls And Their Stories In Hargeisa (Sahan Journal)
SOMALI MEDIA
South West Assembly Selection Process To Start Soon
13 April – Source: Goobjoog News – 64 Words
Elders in the South West region have told Goobjoog that preparations are on for the start of the South West assembly selection process. Elder Malaq Ali Abdirahman Shino has said that most of the elders were in Lower Shabelle to negotiate peace between warring clans, and that task has since been completed. “They are heading back to Baidoa. and soon we [will] start the assembly process” said Malaq Ali.
African Union To Help In Rebuilding Somalia National Army
12 April – Source: Somali Current – 150 Words
The African Union said it will continue supporting and rebuilding the Somalia National Army. Special Representative of the African Union in Somalia, Amb. Maman Sidikou has assured the Somali government that AMISOM is committed to supporting the army in the ongoing training, adding they will provide necessary equipment . Maman Sidikou praised the national army’s contribution in the fight against Al Shabaab, adding that the army plays a key role in stabilizing the country. In his speech marking the 55th anniversary of the Somalia National Army, the ambassador highlighted the need to rebuild Somalia national army as it is vital to maintaining security in the country. The Somalia National Army was established in 1960, and in the 1980s was regarded as one of the leading armies in Africa. Recently, the SNA and AMISOM have been recapturing key towns from Al Shabaab in central and southern Somalia.
Lower Shabelle Governor: “Al-Shabab Gunmen Attacked My House Last Night”
12 April – Source: Goobjoog News – 127 Words
Lower Shabelle Governor, Abdikadir Mohamed Noor Sidii has detailed an attack carried out in his house by suspected Al-Shabab gunmen last night.The governor said five suspected Al-Shabab fighters died and 7 others sustained injuries after gunmen and his bodyguards engaged the militants in a gun battle. He added that he lost one of his bodyguards and five others were injured during the skirmish. “The attackers [were] from Fon-Buraale village which lies between Qoryooley and Kuntuwaaray town, [and] their leader was a foreigner hailing from Morocco” he said. He said that the combat erupted at midnight after his bodyguards concluded a sweep of the town. He underscored that most of Al-Shabab leaders in Lower Shabelle region have been killed, and attributes that to that the initiatives undertaken to annihilate Al-Shabab members from the region.
Educational Challenges In Post-Transitional Somalia: Case Study Mogadishu
12 April – Source: Somali Update – 81 Words
The study investigated major educational challenges facing Somalia in its post-transitional era. Research took place in the Benadir region, and focused entirely on formal basic schooling, or the K-12 education system.Qualitative research methods were used, and data was collected through interviews with 32 participants and document analysis. The study found that Somalia is facing complex and multidimensional challenges in the areas of curriculum, teacher training, school infrastructure, lack of public education, unregulated private education, school finance and untrained educational professionals.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Northeastern Leaders Tell Parents To Reveal Names Of Terrorists
11 April – Source: The Star Kenya – 306 Words
We will keep our promise to name terrorists and their sympathisers in Northeastern, a group of political leaders has said. The leaders held a crisis meeting in Garissa town yesterday to discuss the terror threat to the region. “We will not go back to Nairobi without the names of all terror suspects and their supporters,” said Fife MP Barre Shill. “Chiefs, county commissioner, religious leaders and parents must know something. Give us the details now.” They were led by National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale and Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Aden Mohamed. Those who attended the meeting included MPs and governors from the three Notheastern counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera. Provincial administration officers, religious leaders, women’s representatives and MCAs were also present. The meeting came in the wake of the Garissa University College attack on April 2 in which 147 people were killed and 79 others injured.
“The enemy is within us. The Garissa (University College) attack is the stroke that broke the camel’s back,” Duale said. He accused chiefs of of illegally issuing identification documents. “In case you don’t know, the recently passed Security Bill gives a 30 year prison [sentence to] whoever is found guilty of issuing the documents to aliens,” Duale said. The leaders said they play a central role in maintaining law and order. “We are here to contextualise the problem. We cannot wait any longer for more lives to be lost,” said Duale. The meeting is biggest ever held in the region. The leaders are expected in Wajir on Saturday and Mandera on Sunday. Garissa Governor Nadhif claimed there is plan hatched to sabotage development in the regions. The leaders later held a closed door meeting with chiefs and county commissioners.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya Vows Not To Withdraw Troops From Somalia
13 April – Source: China.org – 350 Words
The Kenyan government on Sunday maintained it will not withdraw its troops from Somalia as being demanded by Somali militants.Deputy President William Ruto said the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) instead urged Kenyans to be united in the fight against global terrorism.”Terrorists are telling us to withdraw our soldiers in Somalia so that they can take part of our country. What are leaders showing when they join hands with the terrorists in calling for the withdrawal of our forces in Somalia?” Ruto said in Kakamega, Western Kenya. “We are not going to allow even an inch of our land to be taken by terrorists,” the deputy president warned. Ruto asked Kenyans to discourage the culture of blame game on matters of security and called for concerted efforts in the war against terrorism. He said issues of security required the support and participation of all Kenyans if the war against terrorism has to be won, saying it was not time for blame game.
“It is our collective responsibility as Kenyan to participate in the war against insecurity. Let’s stop blame game and work together in addressing security challenges facing the country,” Ruto said. “It is upon all of us to participate in fighting insecurity in any part of the country instead of engaging in blame game,” he added. “We are going to use every resource and equipment to ensure security for all Kenyans,” Ruto said. He added that the government has moved with speed to ensure police officers are provided with vehicles among other equipment crucial in the fight against insecurity. He said there is shortage of 30,000 police officers, noting that the government plans to recruit more officers to help in the war against insecurity in the country.”We recruited last year 7,000 police officers and planned to recruit another 3,000 officers this year but some individuals who are comfortable in their Nairobi offices went to court to block the recruitment,” Ruto said. He said the government would employ 10,000 officers on April 20 so as to report for training within the shortest time possible.
Kenya: Ensure Due Process On ‘Terrorism List’
13 April – Source: Human Rights Watch – 887 Words
The Kenyan government should urgently review the inclusion of human rights organizations on an official list of alleged supporters of terrorism and ensure full respect of due process, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. The list is comprised of 86 individuals and entities, and includes two human rights groups, Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) and Haki Africa. The list was published in the official government gazette on April 7, 2015, days after the attack on Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya in which 147 people, including 142 students, were killed. The militant Islamist group, Al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The Kenyan government list raises many questions as well as serious concerns that Haki Africa and MUHURI are being targeted for their important work documenting human rights violations committed by the security forces,” said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Kenyan authorities should ensure due process for all persons and entities included in the list and guarantee that human rights organizations are not targeted for their legitimate work.” Haki Africa and MUHURI are highly respected groups that have focused on documenting human rights violations by the Kenyan security forces, including in the course of counterterrorism efforts. In November 2013, MUHURI and the Open Society Justice Initiative published a report that documented extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of terrorism suspects and Muslim clerics in coastal areas by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit. The then-executive director of MUHURI, Hussein Khaled, received credible threats to his life soon after the report was released. The publication of the list raises serious concerns for due process, including proper time and opportunity to contest the designation and the right to be informed. The directors of Haki Africa and MUHURI told Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch they received no official communication and only heard about the order against their organizations through the media. The gazette notice gave listed entities and individuals one day’s notice to demonstrate to the authorities “why it should not be declared as a specified entity.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“It is not good enough to admit that mistakes were made in responding to the Garissa attack. It is not good enough to take care of burial expenses for the children killed in Garissa. It is not good enough, Mr President, to write letters condoling with families of the massacred children. It is not good enough to say that important lessons were learned from Westgate and Mpeketoni and Mandera and now Garissa. It is not good enough Mr President.”
We Are At War But Who Exactly Is The Enemy, Mr President?
12 April – Source: Standard Media – 863 Words
Kenya is at war. This is a statement of fact, well-articulated by President Uhuru Kenyatta himself and repeated by top government officials. And on this one, the opposition is in full agreement. The enemy has been identified and profiled as the terrorist – a faceless character who strikes to kill and die in pursuit of a weird ideology. The response to terror by the Kenyan State has become so predictable that it would be laughable were it not for the devastating effects of every attack. It begins with top security personnel, including civilian government technocrats, rushing to the scene of crime to coordinate rescue operations; followed by chaotic military intervention long after the terrorist has accomplished his heinous mission; and then a presidential address to the nation that sets the stage for all manner of political statements in support of or in opposition to the president’s directives. Convinced that the terrorist who continues to hurt Kenya has a base in Somalia, all manner of security interventions have been launched to defeat and/or contain the terrorist at source. The latest innovation is a plan to erect a perimeter wall along the Kenya-Somalia border and the repatriation of all Somali refugees in Kenyan camps.
The tragedy of our time is that we do not seem to appreciate the fact that we are largely dealing with homegrown terror; that the face of the terrorist is as Kenyan as it can get complete with very familiar names. We have refused to address ourselves to the reality that these cowards feed on our collective failures – the failure to appreciate one another beyond narrow tribal cleavages, the failure of leadership across the political divide to inspire pride in our nationhood, the politicisation of our security organs and our collective greed for self-gain at the express expense of national good. So who exactly is the enemy we are at war with? The war on terror will be fought and won on the platform of actionable intelligence at the disposal of capable and patriotic security personnel. This war is not a game of numbers. It is acceptable to recruit thousands of police officers and invest billions of public funds to equip them with guns, combat gear and vehicles. But that investment must go hand in hand with greater investment in building capacity within the service to gather accurate intelligence and promptly act on it without the need to fire a single bullet. Every time the enemy strikes, the various security organs take the cue to put on show their shameful blame game on what intelligence was available, who received it and how actionable or vague it was. This game has gone on for far too long with catastrophic impact on innocent citizens of the republic.
“This is not an easy thing to say but it might be time for a strategic retreat. It makes sense for Kenya to test the enemy. Organise a phased withdrawal from Somalia, empower allies who operate in southern Somalia and warn the Shabaab that Kenya will not tolerate any further atrocities on its soil. This is not to endorse the easy opportunism of the Cord leaders who we learn from WikiLeaks were enthusiastic supporters of the war project. But some moments call for a dose of realism.”
Uhuru Can Take Lessons From Obama In Finding Exit Strategy From Somalia
11 April – Source: Daily Nation – 736 Words
Test your enemies. That, distilled, seems to be the Barack Obama doctrine. And it is working quite well for the man Kenya will host in July. So Iranian leaders describe America as the “Great Satan”. Their agents have carried out countless terror atrocities that have taken scores of American lives down the years. The Ayatollah and his friends humiliated Washington when they toppled America’s puppet in Tehran in 1979. Tehran, moreover, is the greatest strategic foe to America’s main ally in the Middle East, Israel. But it is obvious that America can’t afford another war with a Muslim country. The Iraq adventure has been little short of catastrophic, not just for America, but for all the other countries in the world bearing the burden of growing radicalisation among Muslim youth. So what does Obama do? He decides to test the enemy. The framework deal agreed with Iran and major world powers has been described by commentators such as Roger Cohen of the New York Times as “the most important American diplomatic achievement” since the accord which ended the war in Bosnia.
In return for the easing of sanctions, world powers will have the right to enforce a rigid inspection regime to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. If the test fails, the implication is that America will explore the military option to stop Tehran’s nuclear programme. We can take lessons from this in figuring out an exit strategy from Somalia. Let’s face it, this war has now proved too costly. Kenya is simply too historically open a society, too ethnically divided a place, to effectively counter blood-thirsty marauders such as the Shabaab. A friend from abroad observed that while other nations rally together in the immediate aftermath of an attack and open an inquest a few days later, Kenyans turned their guns on each other on social media immediately after the Garissa killings. This is great territory for the Shabaab to operate in. This “war on terror” business is simply too murky and complex for Kenya.
“An artsy American working for the World Bank in Hargeisa quotes the Arabic proverb, “The donkey doesn’t know the value of the honey on his back.” He attaches great value to the paintings and hopes the hard-working Hargeisa residents will grow to see the rich heritage they have in what feels to many like an arduous, underpaid trade.”
Sign Art In Somaliland: Walls And Their Stories In Hargeisa
11 April – Source: Sahan Journal – 499 Words
Hand-painted signs in Hargeisa are beautiful, unique and everywhere. “I never took pictures of billboards back in the U.S. but here that’s pretty much all I photograph,” says Naqib, a returning Somali diaspora in a teahouse in downtown Hargeisa. He has lived in the West for decades and, as an outsider, is more sensitive to the mastery in the hand-painted artwork. There are hundreds of vibrant paintings on the walls of little shops, barbers and restaurants. Foreigners who visit Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, are often surprised by how “visual” the city is. The saturation, vitality and style of the paintings are captivating from a cultural and also artistic viewpoint. A wide-open mouth showing shiny teeth outside a dentist, a lion holding a camera on the wall of a photo studio or a grocery store with the whole stock painted on its front – from Lipton Yellow Label Tea to Kellogg’s Cornflakes. The wall painting of a small neighborhood restaurant makes one crave camel meat with pasta more than a photograph ever could.In most cases sign paintings are a purely functional. They advertise a business and show pedestrians what’s on stock.
However, the exteriors and interiors of a lot of restaurants are embellished with very imaginative landscapes. In both cases the refined paintings are often great compositions and have a unique texture given by the surface they are painted on. Why images speak louder than words on the streets of Hargeisa has a simple reason: Illiteracy used to be a big problem and people had to see rather than read what the respective business had to offer. Hanad, one of over a dozen self-taught sign painters in Hargeisa, remembers how artists began painting on the ruins, after they returned from the end of the civil war. Some of them even drew their history as a way to deal with their hard past. “Doing art cooled them down,” says Naqib. He passionately describes a long-gone painting on a school wall in the outer city, as it showed the history of the sixties, and the scene of the planes bombing Hargeisa in 1989. Today vibrant paintings contrast the rough walls and sand roads of Hargeisa, a rising but still under-developed city in this breakaway state.
Top tweets
@BBCAfrica LISTEN: Somali minister opposes Kenyan government’s call to close #Dadaab refugee camphttp://bbc.in/1JC6Ilh
@irinnews: Editorial cartoon from @TheStarKenya by@ndula_victor on #Dadaab closure threat #Kenya #Somalia#refugees https://twitter.com/irinnews/
@RVInews: ‘Hosts & Guests’ #land #conflicts in #Somalia by#Horn course teacher Lee Cassanelli now on #Kindle:http://www.amazon.com/dp/
@EdPaiceARI: @lhammondsoas Excellent resume of #Somalia#remittances problem. No room for complacency. Durable solution needed. http://bit.ly/1y0FLpU
@ASSIYYA: The first of a weekly photo-essay series sharing Mogadishu’s best kept secrets https://somaliagenda.com/
@mary_harper: #Somalia foreign minister says there’ll be serious consequences if Kenya sends home hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees #Dadaab.
@yhassan_ : Integrating local SF & militia into #Somalia Army is a difficult process. But w/out healing, justice & strong laws, it is an impossible task
Image of the day
Somali National Army soldiers march past during the SNA 55th Anniversary held at the Defence Headquarters. Photo: AMISOM