May 15, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Al Shabab Attacks Somali Towns
15 May – Source: VoA News – 150 Words
A local official in Southern Somalia says Al-Shabab militants have captured two government bases in the Lower Shabelle region.Lower Shabelle Governor Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur told VOA Somali service that heavily armed militants launched attacks on the towns of Awdhegle and Mubarak in the early morning hours on Friday.
The sites are about 75 kilometers west of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Nur said several government soldiers were killed in the attack. He said he is mobilizing troops to retake the territory.The attack sites were guarded by African Union troops until two months ago. As AU troops vacated the area, security responsibilities were handed over to Somali soldiers.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry paid an unprecedented visit to Somalia, where he said the U.S. would be willing to help build Somalia’s national army and help integrate regional forces into it.
Key Headlines
- Somali Youth League Day Anniversary Celebrations Are Due To Take Place in Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Minister For Information Calls Somali People To Help Refugees Trapped In Yemen (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland Parliament Speaker Accused Of Not Accepting Motion Against Cabinet(Shabelle News)
- Somali Government Challenges Regional Administrations’ Status (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia Cabinet Approves Counter-Terrorism Bill (Garowe Online)
- Al-Shabaab Attacks Somali Towns (VoA News)
- Uganda on Alert Over Terror Threat (The Statesman)
- Somali Women Stalked By Rape As They Migrate (Times of Malta)
- UN Refugee Chief Visits Kenya and Somalia to Discuss Further Future of Dadaab Camp (UN News Centre)
- Refugee Elders Escape Somali Strife – Now struggle to Escape U.S Beauracracy (New American Media)
- The Road to Independence SYL (Warya Post)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Youth League Day Anniversary Celebrations Are Due To Take Place In Mogadishu
15 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 223 Words
Somali youth league day anniversary celebrations are underway in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu.The 72nd anniversary of Somali Youth League day is scheduled to be celebrated in the city where youth groups, women associations, singers and local residents are to come out in large numbers to commemorate this important day “Somali youth day”. Meanwhile other celebrations are also expected to take place in many parts of the country especially, places far away from the capital city.
This highly arranged ceremony to mark the Somalia’s first political party which has played a key role in the country’s road to independence which was founded on 15th May, 1943 is also to be attended by Somali leaders and expected to deliver speeches concerning patriotism.Through various activities Somali Youth League brought the community together and taught them what independence is to them.The influences of the Somali Youth League, which in the 1950s were instrumental in ensuring that Somalia’s struggle for independence has beared sweety fruits. The founders of the Somali Youth Leagues have since passed on .Somalia optimistically wishes to get and witness the resurrection of SYL ideas and works to rebuild a country whereby people used to say “ My tribe” and threw the word “my country” into a hole.
Somali Minister For Information Calls Somali People To Help Refugees Trapped In Yemen
15 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 392 Words
Somali minister for information, Mohamed Abdi Hayir Mareeye has urged Somali people to support and help Somalis trapped in Yemen.
Speaking at ceremony held in Howl-Wadaag district the minister said that Somali people are capable help their brotherly Somalis if they carry out that as intentionally.
“Somali refugees who fleeing from the violence of Yemen need our help as to return back their country safely, years back when Somali country was hit by the severe drought, it only the traders and Somali people who stepped forward help the needy, same way we can now play very important role to evacuate Somalis in Yemen. If each of us donate one USD it can turn be millions which could use to hire planes and ships for the evacuation of Somalis in Yemen” he said.
Yemen became home for ferocious fighting between the internationally recognized government and the Houthis, who have taken control of large swaths of Yemen.The conflict claimed thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands including Yemenis and Somali refugees who escaped the conflict and hardships in their country before civil war eruption in Yemen.
Since 1st April, 2423 of Somali refugees started to return home by themselves with small boats. They accused the government of ‘’failing’’ to intervene the situation of the trapped citizens. Life went from bad to worse for the Somalis living in Yemen after the federal government revealed that it is supporting the on-going Saudi-led military offensive against the Houthi rebels who are fighting to take over internationally recognized government.
Samzam Mohmmed who is in Yemen currently told Goobjoog News that Somali immigrants in country live under extreme distress and fear.She described the life in Yemen as unbearable and she demanded urgent help from Somali federal Government.
Somali government promised to dispatch ships and planes for the evacuation of Somalis caught in Yemen’s conflict.It was on 27th April when Director of the Parliament Mohamed Iyow told Goobjoog that the parliament has approved to send two ships to evacuate Somalis in Yemen.
While other foreign nationals have been evacuated from the impoverished gulf nation, the federal government has not yet moved to evacuate its citizens despite announcing plans to bring back them home.
Puntland Parliament Speaker Accused Of Not Accepting Motion Against Cabinet
15 May – Source: Shabelle News – 104 Words
Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland parliamentarians has accused parliament speakers of not accepting “No Confidence” motion against current cabinet led by the regional President , according to lawmakers.Number of Puntland members of parliament told journalists in Garowe that parliament speaker would have been responsible any the consequences that are resulted from halting motion against current cabinet ministers. Meanwhile, hundreds of Puntland residents including clerics, Intellectuals, local elders and representatives from the civil society groups are expected to take streets in Garowe to demonstrate insecurity acts that had been occurred in north east of Somalia.
Somali Govt Challenges Regional Administrations’ Status
14 May- Source: Hiiraan Online – 341 Words
The central government of Somalia faces tough choices in dealing with regional states whereby some regional states’ leaders call the Somali President as their ‘counterpart’.The issue has also created a hot debate among Somalis who took to the social media to match up to the Somali leaders with top regional state officials.Somali government which maintained tolerance towards the stimulating situation thus far seems to be losing forbearance at last, with the parliament speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari nixes calling them as regional states but rather a more belittled title: interim administrations. He stated that calling some ‘interim’ administrations as regional states violates the country’s constitution.
“They are not regional states, but rather interim administrations – you can fittingly call a regional state as an administration which has at least two regions under its control.” He said at a parliament meeting on Thursday.He didn’t refer certain administrations; however, his caveat indicates the government’s intolerance towards the number of regional administrations in Somalia.Mr. Jawari told the legislators that only states endorsed by the parliament can be referred as ‘regional states’.
As Somalia started adopting federal system across the country, rival clans have formed their own administrations, raising concerns of further fragmentation among the Somalis who have been fighting each other in civil war since 1991. Somalia currently has a central government; and imposed a relative stability in large parts of the country after the ouster of militants from the capital and surrounding regions.
According to a recent research project by the Heritage Institute for Policy studies, a think tank based in Mogadishu, majority of Somalis favor a federal system of governance, despite serious misgivings. The survey said that the majority of those surveyed consider federalism as the best way to achieve a power-sharing mechanism among Somali clans whereas a vertical system of governance with a highly centralized unitary state is seen as inherently undemocratic and oppressive. People demand horizontal power structures where they can retain a fair degree of influence at the local level.
Somalia Cabinet Approves Counter-Terrorism Bill
14 May – Source: Garowe Online – 176 Words
Federal Government of Somalia’s Council of Ministers unanimously approved repealed anti-terrorism law in a bid to curb extremism on Thursday, Garowe Online reports. Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Omar Arte chaired the weekly cabinet meeting for the first time since he recuperated from injuries afflicted on his body by Al Shabaab suicide bomber in Central hotel bombing. Mogadishu-based federal government said, the new bill addresses security challenges facing Somalia by now, and would let government deal with radicalization within the society.
“As you know, terrorists are detrimental to the regional and global stability. Terrorists are accustomed to brutal acts against civilians, and they chose to impede the development of the country,” said government spokesman, Ridwan Haji Abdiweli. Minister for National Security, Abdirazak Omar Mohamed on his side stressed the need for much attention to the people fleeing from Yemen with whom terrorist elements can mix. The counter-terrorism bill was repealed by the 275-seat-chamber of parliament. Al Shabaab militants lost a string of strategic towns in central and southern Somalia to Somali government forces alongside African Union
peacekeepers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Uganda On Alert Over Terror Threat
15 May – Source: The Statesman – 180 Words
The Ugandan police are on high terror alert following a video allegedly posted by the Somali militants, Al-Shabaab, on YouTube calling for Jihad- inspired attacks on Uganda and Burundi, media reported on Friday.The Police, in a statement issued here, said the 12 minute video uploaded on Monday on the link “the final message of the Kampala warrior”, can not be taken as a joking matter, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The police and their sister security agencies are actively examining the contents and authenticity of a YouTube link ‘the final message of the Kampala warrior’,” said the statement.
“As the public already knows the threat of terrorism whether real or perceived has never been taken for granted by security,” the statement added. It noted: “Although the threat has no specific information about what might be planned, the security and intelligence community continues to gather credible intelligence on the general threat.”.
Somali Women Stalked By Rape As They Migrate
15 May – Source: Times of Malta- 745 Words
When three members of a militia raped a woman in a Somali town, she was accused of adultery and sentenced to stoning.Luckily, she managed to escape and arrived safely in Malta, where she followed a programme run by the Jesuit Refugee Service to empower migrant women.The experiences of this woman and her fellow migrants have been assembled in a booklet that will be launched today.
“One afternoon three militia men raped me. There was a bad clash between Al-Shabaab and another group that day. The news that I had been raped spread and I was ashamed,” the woman’s entry reads. She returned to her farm two months later. One day a young man whom she knew went to her farm just as she was finishing the day’s work.“People from Al-Shabaab said ‘You have been raped and now you have committed adultery.’ They declared I would be stoned as a punishment.”
This was not the first such incident where she lived, and her neighbours helped her leave the country immediately. This excerpt is one of the contributions published following group sessions with Somali women held by JRS Malta, which over the past couple of years has increased its focus on women in detention and within the community. Alexia Rossi of JRS said that the NGO usually advocated on behalf of people, but this time it wanted to encourage women to speak up for themselves.
UN Refugee Chief Visits Kenya And Somalia To Discuss Future Of Dadaab Camp
14 May – Source: UN News Centre- 601 Words
The United Nations refugee chief has completed a visit to Kenya and Somalia where he held successful meetings with the Presidents of both countries and discussed issues related to refugees and returnees, particularly regarding the hundreds of thousands of people in Dadaab camp.“We reached a common understanding with the Presidents of Kenya and Somalia on three things,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres in Nairobi. “Firstly, the need to ensure return from Dadaab is voluntary and that it takes place in safety and dignity, and in accordance with the Tripartite Agreement; secondly, on cooperation to boost security in Dadaab; and thirdly, the expansion of additional areas for people to return to in Somalia.”
Mr. Guterres expressed deep appreciation to President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta for his “courage and wisdom” in handling the refugee situation, even as emotions in the country run high following the attack on Garissa University.Shortly after that 2 April assault on the campus, for which Somali-based Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility and which reportedly left scores of people dead, the High Commissioner’s Office (UNHCR) urged Kenyan authorities to reconsider their decision to shut down within the next three months Dadaab refugee camp, which lies along Kenya’s border with Somalia.
Following the recent visit, which wrapped up on 9 May, UNHCR said Mr. Kenyatta was committed to the aim of making return to Somalia an attractive and sustainable option for those in Kenya, while Mr. Guterres said he would mobilize the international community to boost security in Dadaab, where nearly 350,000 people are living.Mr. Guterres also met Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as Prime Minister Sharmarke, in Mogadishu where the possible future return of Somali refugees in Kenya was also discussed.He also travelled to Kismayo, in south central Somalia, which is a key refugee return destination. There he met regional leader Ahmed Madobe and discussed scaling up the current voluntary return project and ensuring that returns are sustainable.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Last September, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sent Said a letter stating, “We are writing to let you know that we have paid you $21,896.20 too much Supplemental Security Income (SSI),” due to an overpayment for the period December 2011 to June 2014. (The amount was later reduced to $19,000.) The government granted Said his SSI in January 2011, because of his kidney failure. However, refugees and other legal alien residents who qualify for SSI due to disability lose those benefits if they do not become U.S. citizens within seven years of arrival in this counrty, regardless of age or disability–unless they are granted a special waiver. Neither Said nor those helping him were aware of that rule.”
Refugee Elders Escape Somali Strife–Now Struggle to Survive U.S. Bureaucracy
14 May-Source: New American Media – 1386 Words
Since arriving in the United States in 2004, Sugow Said, a Somalian refugee, has desired to become a U.S. citizen.But the Saids, who fled Somalia’s murderous militias and famine in 1994, endured a decade in Kenyan refugee camps, and finally were resettled by the U.S. State Department to Fort Wayne in 2004, now find themselves ill, impoverished and trying to survive their latest challenge: U.S. bureaucracy.
Said and his wife, Salimo, were taking English classes at several community locations until Said developed kidney failure. He had no schooling in Somalia and cannot read or writes. But unless he can either learn English well enough to pass the U.S. citizenship interview and tests — or get approved for a disability waiver exempting him from completing the naturalization process in English — he will not regain his only source of income – $721 a month in federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for low-income elders or people with disabilities that was suddenly revoked nearly a year ago.
“It was 15 May 1943 and after a long discussion they agreed to create a youth club named as “Somali Youth Club” where young generation could meet and attain the idea of the struggle as well as build up their knowledge and communication skills. Though the reason behind the Club was to engage political activities in encouraging people about freedom, yet they couldn’t declare it as a political party since British colony wouldn’t have allowed it by that time.”
The Road to Independence SYL
15 May – Source: Warya Post – 1, 117 Words
No wonder each generation knows less of its origin and history than the preceding one. Yet as many Authors and writers say knowing the past is part of your future; “If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday” Pearl Buck. “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree” Michael Crichton. Thus SYL, Somali Youth League, is a political party that has a great history among Somalis. This party was not only the first political party in Somalia but it was the first party that has stood against colonization and worked for the common interest of the people of Somalia as well.
SYL’s struggle against colonization is indeed a broad topic, since it has been going for decades with lots of ups and downs. The efforts to stop colonization and search for independence made by SYL began during the Second World War, when Italy which colonized Somalia since late nineteenth century was defeated by the Allies Power. The Italian colony was in fact very harsh to Somali people and has left unforgettable events in the hearts of this population. Thus, after the war Somalia became a protectorate of Britain and in some ways the situation was better than that of Italy’s rule.
TOP TWEETS
@garsoornews:#Alshabab regains control of #Awdhegle,#Mubarak towns outside #Mogadishu after deadly battle with Govt military.10 Soldiers killed:Reside
@Aynte :Studies show that 85% of #Somalia population is under the age of 35. Youth can and must reclaim their leadership role to revive nationalism
@mary_harper :A Somali friend suggests that – as Burundian peacekeepers are in #Somalia – Somali troops should start a peacekeeping operation in #Burundi.
@farahblue:The cabinet ministers are delivering on their promises so far, despite the conflicting orders from the@TheVillaSomalia & @SomaliPM #Somalia
@DrumChronicles:#Somalia Reports say at least 9 Govt soldiers were killed, others fled as Al Shabaab took over the two areas, 75km west of #Mogadishu
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President Mohamud joins thousands of #Mogadishu residents to celebrate national youth day. #Somalia