June 2, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report

Government Forces and AMISOM Take Over Taaratorow

02 June – Source: Wacaal Media – 124 Words

Federal government forces assisted by their AMISOM colleagues yesterday took full control of Taaratorow division in Lower Shabelle region where Al-Shabaab called the shots in the area for the last 5 years. Eyewitnesses told Wacaal Media that commandos raided the area from different angles including from Awdheegle and Qoryooley with Al-Shabaab reportedly fleeing the area and making it possible for the national forces to take over the town without firing a single shot. Uneasy calm has prevailed in the town overnight with government forces and AMISOM placing themselves strategically to deal with any ambushes from the militants. Taaratorow served as an important base to Al-shabaab as it was from there that they launched attacks on government and AMISOM forces in Awdheegle and Buur-hakaba in Bay region.

Key Headlines

Government Forces and AMISOM Take Over Taaratorow (Wacaal Media)
Tension High As Juba Admin Tries To Seize Hosingow Township (Radio Danan)
UN Human Rights Expert Urges Somalia to Further Protect Human Rights Defenders Including Journalists (Somali Update)
Somalia PM Opens Second Phase Of Adado Conference (Garowe Online)
Construction Work Started On Erigabo Tar Road (Goobjoog News)
Somali Government Raises Alarm Over Deteriorating Situation Of Yemeni Refugees (Somali Current)
Al-Shabaab Graft Top List of threats to Kenya: Uhuru (Daily Nation)
Somali Refugees Not Moving Out Of Kenya Any Time Soon Says United Nations (Standard Digital)
Department Of Homeland Security Extends Somali Nationals’ Temporary Protected Status Designation(Breitbart News)
My 977 Days Held Hostage By Somali Pirates (The Guardian)
Minnesota Painter’s Art Captures Scenes Of Pre War Somalia (Star Tribune)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Tension High As Juba Admin Tries To Seize Hosingow Township

02 June – Source: Radio Danan – 130 Words

Tensions are high in Hosingow town in Gedo region, after the Kismayo-based Juba administration deployed troops to wrestle control of the small town. Hundreds of residents are reported to have been mobilized for a potential resistance against the troops as local elders called for calm to avoid confrontation. Hosingow is under the control of local militias who warned against attempts to capture the town by Jubbaland forces. Jubbaland officials could not be reached for comment. According to elders, dozens of residents have already started fleeing the area before possible clashes began. Jubbaland officials have earlier told the media that the town serves as a launching pad for militants, a claim dismissed by local officials.

UN Human Rights Expert Urges Somalia To Further Protect Human Rights Defenders Including Journalists

02 June – Source: Somali Update – 576 Words

The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Bahame Tom Mukirya Nyanduga, urged the Federal Government of Somalia to continue putting in place measures aimed at improving the human rights situation, while commending them for the gradual improvement in the political and security situation in the country. Mr. Bahame Nyanduga urged the Somali federal and regional authorities to ensure civil society and the media can enjoy freedom of expression. “Somali journalists are often harassed, arrested, censored, even imprisoned, and media organisations are closed down,” he said after his second mission to the Federal Republic of Somalia, from 22 to 29 May.

“Such incidents risk having a chilling effect on this basic right, particularly essential at a time when Somalia moves towards finalising its State-building process,” the expert said. “I call on the Government to put in place a legal framework that guarantees the freedom of the media, to practise their profession free of intimidation, harassment and imprisonment.” The Independent Expert also expressed concern at the continued application of the death penalty throughout Somalia, despite the commitment to adopt a moratorium on capital punishment made by the Government to the UN Human Rights Council during the Universal Periodic Review in 2011. “I encourage the Somali authorities to put in place that moratorium,” he stressed. Mr. Bahame Nyanduga drew attention to the apparent weakness in security and justice institutions, particularly the failure by the police to provide adequate security for the civilian population, including in camps for internally displaced people.

In response, the Government explained its efforts to increase police recruitment, particularly of female police officers and to enhance their technical capacity. Officials also outlined the efforts undertaken to provide protection to victims of rape and gender-based violence, and to encourage victims to use the formal justice system rather than the traditional justice system. The UN Independent Expert commended Somalia for agreeing to grant access to the Human Rights Section of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to monitor conditions at the Serendi Rehabilitation Centre. He urged the Federal Government and regional authorities to improve the conditions in detention facilities and to particularly address the problem of overcrowding and ensure the construction of separate facilities for juvenile offenders. Mr. Bahame Nyanduga encouraged the authorities to carry out wide consultations throughout the country to complete Somalia’s report to the Human Rights Council. Somalia’s human rights record will be reviewed in 2016 by other UN Member States through the Universal Periodic Review process.

The Independent Expert urged the Federal Government and the regional authorities to engage in dialogue with traditional and religious leaders in the lead-up to the constitutional referendum and elections in 2016 to encourage inclusive participation of women, minorities and persons with disabilities in the political process. During his eight-day mission, the UN Independent Expert held discussions with various government officials from the Federal Government of Somalia, the Administrations of Puntland, Jubbaland, the Interim South West Administration as well as with Somaliland. He also held meetings with representatives of various UN agencies, UNSOM, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and engaged with civil society including the media, and representatives of persons with disabilities, women, children and minority rights organisations. Mr. Bahame Nyanduga will submit a comprehensive report with recommendations to the Human Rights Council in September 2015 aimed at assisting government to fulfil its human rights obligations.

Construction Work Started On Erigabo Tar Road

02 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 83 Words

The local government of Erigabo in Sanag region has commenced construction work of tar road that runs through the city. The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction was attended by official from different levels of Somaliland. The mayor said that the road will be 6km long and would be vital for the city’s development. He called upon the residents and business people to take part the construction. There has been developmental projects like this across the region which has seen relatively peaceful period.

Somalia PM Opens Second Phase Of Adado Conference

01 June – Garowe Online – 160 Words

Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke of the Federal Government of Somalia opened the second phase of Adado conference on Monday as the deadline for the country’s 2016 benchmarks draws near, Garowe Online reports. “Today, it’s a pleasure for me to officiate the second phase of the central state conference. This gathering is part of the government’s efforts in realizing vision 2016,” said Sharmarke while praising delegates for resilience over the course of Adado conference. Somalia Prime Minister unveiled the regional convention which is expected to produce a provisional constitution, and called on the technical committee and Minister of Interior to appease clans feeling dissatisfied with the process. On Sunday, Sharmarke’s delegation was welcomed by the Minister for Internal Affairs Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein (Odawa), Defence Minister Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali Diini, Deputy Ministers, State Ministers, Parliamentarians, President’s Himan and Heeb and Galmudug, politicians as well as cheering crowds. On April 16, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud launched the Central State formation in Adado conference where members of the international community were also present.

Somali Government Raises Alarm Over Deteriorating Situation of Refugees From Yemen

01 June – Source: Somali Current – 161 Words

The Somali government has warned of the deteriorating situation of the Somali refugees fleeing the ongoing conflict in Yemen. Somalia Minister of Women and Human Rights Development, Sahra Ali Samatar urged the international community and aid agency to help the refugees since the influx of refugees seeking help are greater than what Somalia government can offer. “The world will witness one of the most serious human [catastrophes] should we fail to address the deteriorating situation of the refugees”, she said. The minister commended the Somali community in Somalia as well as Somali Diaspora for extending their hands to the refugees and urged them to double their efforts. Meanwhile, the Minister said the government is set send more ships to evacuate 4,600 refugees from Yemen in the coming days. Since the conflict started early this year, thousands of Somalis have been forced to flee their homes with dozen others killed in the ongoing conflict.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Al-Shabaab, Graft Top List of threats to Kenya: Uhuru

02 June – Source: Daily Nation – 838 Words

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday announced a new strategy aimed at combating the growth of radicalisation amongst the youth as key plank in the war against terrorism. That was one of the highlights of the Madaraka Day address from the Nyayo National Stadium. Among the measures he outlined was a raft of programmes to reduce inequality, better equip the police force and new measures to curb radicalisation. “We must accept that we are faced with a new kind of enemy against whom the conventional methods of fighting crime will not work,” he said. “We have amongst us radicalised youths who appear innocent which makes us believe that they are doing God’s work while they are busy planning evil against other Kenyans in the name of religion.”

He said the biggest enemy the country faced was a radicalised young man or woman who appears innocent but is devoted to death, division and destruction. “To deal with this enemy, we must keep improving our methods and tactics. Prevention is better than cure: and that is why we must stop them from being radicalised and we can’t do this without the complete cooperation of parents, guardians and religious leaders,” the President said. The president said that while security agencies have been well equipped to respond quickly to crime, the fight against terrorism still posed the greatest challenge to his administration. He said the government had strengthened various security agencies including the police, the National Intelligence Services (NIS) and the criminal investigations department, all of which had led to a considerable reduction in the general crime rate in the country.

The de-radicalisation programme, the President said will heavily rely on the support of parents, religious organisations, civil society organisations, teachers and community leaders. “Together, we can meet our joint duty of vigilance against those who would harm us. The enemy is cunning, but if we work together, we shall overcome. “I salute those who give information, who voice their suspicions and who stay vigilant for the sake of our security and safety because in doing so you have saved lives,” he said. Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, who also attended the celebrations, said Kenya and Uganda were working closely in the war against Al-Shabaab. “They have been defeated if they cannot face the armed forces but only attack civilians who have nothing to do with politics,” Mr Museveni said.

RAF Delegation Reviews Progress Of Charitable Projects In Somalia

02 June – Source: Gulf Times – 224 Words

A delegation from Sheikh Thani Bin Abdulla Foundation for Humanitarian Service (RAF) has visited Hargeisa in Somalia to review the progress of a couple of ongoing charitable projects there. The Al Sehaba Centre project, funded by Qatari philanthropist Sheikha Um Khalifa, comprises a mosque that could host 1,200 believers, a Qur’an memorisation and religious sciences teaching centre that can house 600 students, a training hall that can accommodate 100 female students and a library that can seat 100 researchers. The Al Sehaba Centre, which is located in the heart of the city, is spread over 7,000sqm.

The project is estimated to cost QR2mn. The centre also includes five commercial shops on the ground floor, a house for the Imam and the administrative offices of the building. The second project is the Al Sehaba Bridge, which will connect the two parts of the city. The bridge that will span a ravine is 51m long and 12m wide. The project was originally scheduled to be opened this year, but due to some technical and engineering difficulties, work was delayed. The RAF team inspected the progress of the work and assessed the required finances to complete the project. The bridge will benefit around 1.2mn people living in the two parts of the city of Hargeisa.

Somali Refugees Not Moving Out Of Kenya Any Time Soon, Says United Nations

02 June – Standard Digital – 548 Words

Somali refugees are not moving out of the country any time soon. The United Nations says no other country is willing to take the refugees for resettlement because of security concerns while those in Nairobi and Dadaab do not want to go back home. The UN now wants Kenya to take more responsibility for the refugees as the international law requires including allocating more finances to refugee programmes. A new report prepared by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees wants refugee issues separated from political rhetoric. “The process needs to be clearly separated from political discussions and be purely based on legal, technical and practical considerations,” reads the document. According to the UN document, the Government seems to have been telling the public one thing over refugees’ stay in the country while practically doing the opposite in the background. For example, when last year the former Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku was publicly chasing away refugees, on July 1 the same year, the local commissioners for refugees affected the Kenya Refugees Act 2006.

The Act spells out the right of refugees, making it impossible for the country to legally kick them out The UN also throws cold water on Kenya’s much hyped voluntary repatriation as a significant option to get the Somalis back home. Last year, the Government had targeted at voluntarily repatriating 80,000 Somali refugees but only 485 were willing to return. The UN says that one of the reasons there are few volunteers is the limited financial assistance they are being offered. Each volunteer is given Sh9,800 along with transportation to the border, shelter items and food support for three months. The other option of Kenya getting rid of the Somalis legally, the UN says, would be their resettlement in industrialised countries. But this widow is also closing fast. “The readiness to continue to take refugees in large numbers, notably Somalis, out of Kenya, after many decades of doing so has declined among resettlement countries,” says the UN document. The appetite to take Somali refugees, says the UN, among the resettlement countries has declined due to security concerns just as the case is in Kenya. “Security concerns have also limited the readiness of some resettlement countries to conduct selection missions to Kenya, especially at the Dadaab camp.

Department Of Homeland Security Extends Somali Nationals’ Temporary Protected Status Designation

01 June – Source; Breitbart News – 223 Words

The Department of Homeland Security is extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals for another 18 months. DHS Sec. Jeh Johnson announced the extension of TPS and the continued availability of work permits for eligible nationals of Somalia Monday. TPS is a designation the Homeland Security Secretary may grant a foreign nation “due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains. There are three conditions a country may have for that distinction to be made including armed conflict, environmental disaster and “[o]ther extraordinary and temporary conditions.” Somalia’s most recent designation date was in 2012. The designation means a Somali national approved for TPS “cannot be detained by DHS on the basis of his or her immigration status in the United States.” They are also eligible to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Somali nationals desiring to extend their TPS must apply between June 1 and July 31. Their status will be valid through March 17, 2017. According to the announcement there is also the opportunity for Somali nationals who have not already obtained TPS to apply for it now.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“I flew to Somalia in early 2012 to write about a pirate gang jailed in Hamburg. They had been captured two years earlier when they tried to hijack the MV Taipan, a German cargo ship, near Somalia. Their marathon trial represented the first proceeding on German soil against any pirate, Somali or otherwise, in more than four centuries. I had reported on the case for Spiegel Online, where I worked in Berlin, and it seemed to me that a book about the case and some underreported aspects of Somali piracy might be interesting.”

My 977 Days Held Hostage By Somali Pirates

02 June – Source: The Guardian – 7, 716 Words

One afternoon two years into my captivity, in a dirty villa, I sat up on the mattress and noticed that my guard had left the room. His rifle lay on a mat. I considered grabbing it. The pirates were holding me in Galkacyo, a regional capital in central Somalia. They told me it was Haradheere, near the coast, but I knew Haradheere had no commercial airport, and at first the pirates would giggle every time we heard passenger planes take off and land. I had seen the dull and dusty buildings of Galkacyo’s airport as a free man, and now the aircraft noise inspired baroque dreams of freedom – fantasies ranging from a quiet release on the tarmac to a clandestine gathering of Black Hawks and commandos in the dead of night.

My guard, Bashko, came in and noticed the gun. He picked it up by the muzzle, nimbly, and sat down with a brilliant smile. “Problem!” he said, meaning the unattended firearm. He rested it behind him and munched a stem of khat, a leafy green plant that acts as a stimulant. His eyes were fervid. I had just been wondering how many of the guards I could shoot before they shot me. I smiled. I was – or had been – a peaceful man. I didn’t want to kill him, or anyone. But I was going nuts. “Michael,” Bashko said with good humour. “If the Americans come, you will be killed.” I travelled with Ashwin Raman, a Indian-born film-maker, whose documentaries about Afghanistan and Somalia had won several awards. We had arranged security through Mohammed Sahal Gerlach, a Somali elder, in Berlin. Gerlach had lived much of his adult life in Germany, but he came from Galkacyo, which had become a latter-day pirate supply town. Gerlach had good relationships with the dominant Sa’ad clan elders in the region. He had also guided a German TV correspondent through the same region about eight months before.

Minnesota Painter’s Art Captures Scenes Of Pre War Somalia

01 June – Source: Star Tribune – Video – 1:55 Minutes

When artist Abdulasis “Aziz” Osman arrived in Minnesota in 1991 as part of the first wave of Somalis to resettle here, he could not afford art supplies. So he fashioned canvas out of old cereal boxes — painting vivid scenes of the people and land he left behind directly onto the cardboard. He sold many of his cereal box paintings. A few he kept, including one in a gilded frame displayed prominently in his Columbia Heights home. “When you don’t have money, you have to be creative,” the acclaimed painter and potter explained with a grin. Survival is a recurring theme in Osman’s art and in his life. He escaped death by a firing squad during the civil war that ravaged his native Somalia. He struggled to start over in Minnesota — toiling for years as a parking lot attendant while continuing to create art. Even now, at 67, he is fighting for survival — cultural survival. He paints the pictures of a place and time he remembers, so that no one will forget.

He’s focused on teaching Somali-American youths about their roots. “I want to remind these kids where they come from, to tell them: You have a lot of treasure,” said the artist, an avuncular figure with graying hair at the temples and a pensive look. His oil and acrylic paintings — signed simply “Aziz” — have adorned community spaces across Minneapolis, from Hennepin County Medical Center to the Thrivent Financial building downtown to the African Development Center in Cedar-Riverside. At the Midtown Global Market, a mural he created with fellow artist Richard Amos decorates a large wall.

“He is one of the best Somali artists,” said Osman Ali, founder of the Somali Cultural Museum in Minneapolis, where 20 Aziz paintings are part of the permanent collection. “He is well-known in Somalia and in the diaspora also.” Last summer at the fourth annual Somali Entertainment Awards at the Cedar Cultural Center, Aziz Osman was named best professional artist. Influenced by Italian painters from the 1500s and 1800s, he paints traditional landscapes and portraits, as well as bold abstracts in geometrical shapes. One of his best known paintings is a colorful abstract titled “Civil War. Like a puzzle, its meaning is hidden in the jagged, overlapping shapes. Standing in front of the painting, he explains that there are two girls standing behind their mother. It is a scene he saw many times during the war.

TOP TWEETS

@NationFMKe Over 30 foreigners suspected to be from Somalia have taken over a village in #Mandera http://bit.ly/1QjR8wq #Kenya

@UNSomalia UNSOM celebrates 2 years of progress in#Somalia on Wed 3rd June 2015. We will hold a live Q&A with@Somalia111 same day, at 1600hrs EAT

@somalia_oa #somalia Minnesota painter’s art captures scenes of prewar Somalia – Minneapolis Star…http://bit.ly/1GSZsCG – http://ohalright.com

@AmbAmerico This picture shows hope in #Somalia, our next generation of leaders are taking pen instead of gun.@iBelieveInSoma

@alijira #Somalia faces 3 major challenges”security,tribalism & public policy reforms.

@NationFMKe Al-#Shabaab are hypocrites & cowards who target non-Muslims in Kenya while killing Muslims in Somalia: Ali Roba http://bit.ly/1ERhijm

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

Somali students taking notes from their teacher in the class at the Somali National University.

Photo: AMISOM