July 27, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Somalia Blast: Mogadishu Hotel Rocked By Bomb

26 July – Source: BBC News – 303 Words

At least 10 people have been killed in a huge bomb explosion at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu. A BBC correspondent in the city says a lorry was used to attack the Jazeera Palace Hotel near the airport. Ambulances have been collecting the dead and wounded in what he describes as one of the worst scenes of destruction he has seen in Mogadishu. Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack. The al-Qaeda linked group said it was responding to assaults by an African Union force and the Somali government. The blasts came as President Barack Obama was leaving Kenya for Ethiopia, at the end of a trip during which he had discussions about dealing with the threat from al-Shabab.

International diplomats often stay at Jazeera Palace Hotel, which has been targeted in the past. It also accommodates several embassies including those of China, Qatar and Egypt. “A suicide car bomb exploded at the gate of Jazeera Hotel,” Major Nur Osoble, a police officer, told Reuters news agency. A government security officer was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying hotel security guards were among the dead. Al-Shabab is battling Somalia’s government for control of the country. While security in Somalia has improved, the group still attacks Mogadishu regularly. On Saturday, a member of the Somali parliament and an official from the prime minister’s office were killed in separate attacks in the capital claimed by al-Shabab. In recent days the group has lost two of its remaining strongholds – the south-western town of Bardere and the south-eastern town of Dinsor. Both had been under al-Shabab control since 2008. The militants have also targeted neighbouring countries, killing almost 150 people in an assault on Garissa University College in Kenya in April.

Key Headlines

Somalia Blast: Mogadishu Hotel Rocked By Bomb (BBC News)
Somali President Condemns Al-Shabaab Attack On Hotel Jazeera (Somali Update)
Al-Shabaab And Government Forces Battle In Gedo Region (RBC Radio)
President Hassan Witnesses Army Integration in Kismayo (Goobjoog News)
Let The Muslim Community Be Part Of The Anti-terror Campaign Obama Tells Kenyan Government(Somali Current)
Newly-Appointed Kenya Ambassador Arrives In Somalia (Horseed Media)
Somali Legislator Killed In Drive-by Shooting In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
Obama Commits U.S. To Intensified Fight Against Terrorists In East Africa (Washington Post)
The ‘Back Door’ To Kenya: Security Threat From Porous Somali Border (CNN)
As Health Needs Rise In Somalia Funding Hits New Low Cutting Off 1.5 Million From Care – UN (UN News Centre)
AMISOM Police to train 600 Somali Police Force officers in Jubbaland (AMISOM)
UNSOM Trains Journalists In Kismayo (UNSOM)

PRESS STATEMENT

Update On Operation Jubba Corridor

26 July – Source: AMISOM – 1, 204 Words

Mogadishu, 25th July 2015: On 19 July 2015, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) announced the resumption of active military offensive operations against the Al Shabaab. This offensive, code named Operation Juba Corridor is aimed at further degrading the Al Shabaab by removing them from their strongholds in the Gedo, Bakool and Bay regions of Somalia.

Since the start of Operation Juba Corridor, which involves troops from the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) contingents of AMISOM, supporting units of the Somalia National Army (SNA), and acting in collaboration with some of our strategic partners, major towns and villages such as Taraka, Jungal, Duraned, Eel-elaan, Habakhaluul, Meyon, Magalay, Duraned and the major town of Bardhere in the Gedo region have been recovered from the Al Shabaab. In the Bakool region, the operation has resulted in the recovery of Buur-dhuhunle, Kulun-jareer, Moragabey, Legaly and Gelewoyni while Ufurow, Eesow, Hasanow-Mumin, LIidaale, Makoon, Dhargo and Manaas have been liberated in the Bay region.

The SNA and AMISOM troops were warmly welcomed by the population in these towns and villages and at their request, the local authorities only imposed some limited curfew during the night times to facilitate the necessary clean-up exercise against Al Shabaab elements to further guarantee the security of the population. The recovery of these villages and towns, especially Baadhere and Dinsoor, is a major boost to efforts at freeing the populations hitherto living in these areas from the tyrannical and savage rule of the Al Shabaab which has been in charge of these towns for the last seven years. The residents of Baadhere, for instance, which is home to vast agricultural farms of sorghum, mangoes, tobacco, bananas, watermelon, oranges and papaya among others as well as livestock are now free from the illegal taxation and extortion burdened on them by the Al Shabaab. Dinsoor, which served as a main base for the leadership of the Al Shabaab since their ouster from Barawe in October 2014, will no longer be available for the Al Shabaab as a recruitment and training centre.

Today, these towns and their key infrastructure as well as the resources generated therein are no longer available to the Al Shabaab but to the local communities and the Somali authorities to facilitate the strengthening of their local economies as part of the government’s peace, security and stability efforts. It is in this regard that the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud in a statement earlier this week reiterated the importance of this operation in the fight against the Al Shabaab, noting: “Let there be no doubt anymore, the fight to secure our country may be hard, but my commitment and those of our partners and the resilience of this nation has never been stronger.” In addition to the recovery of these towns which now places them under the Somali Government control, AMISOM and SNA troops killed 72 Al Shabaab fighters, while 24 were wounded and 9 others were captured. The Al Shabaab camps in Dolono and Elalan including an assortment of weapons and ammunition were also captured. All of the wounded and captured Al Shabaab fighters as well as the weapons and ammunition are being handled in adherence to the African Union (AU) Standard operating Procedures for such matters.

Given the fact that this operation is being conducted in a very difficult terrain and in challenging weather, the AU Special representative for Somalia and Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Maman Sidikou commends the discipline, commitment and gallantry of all the SNA and AMISOM soldiers. Ambassador Sidikou shares the sentiments expressed in the statement issued by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and stresses that the actions of the SNA troops in particular attests to the inherent potential of the SNA if the soldiers are well motivated and provided the requisite equipment. In this regard therefore, as the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and representatives of the international partners gather in Mogadishu for the High Level Partnership Forum to review progress on the New Deal Compact for Somalia, AMISOM would like to reiterate its appeal for more coordinated international support to the SNA to facilitate their preparedness to eventually assume primary responsibility for their country’s security.

During this operation, AMISOM troops have also de-mined some roads such as the roads from Baidoa through Manaas to Farnooley; Raxoole and Dinsor route; Baidoa through Barow; Qansax Dheere, Buulo bilaan, Cilaan to Bardhere as well as Bakhtiti, through Faafax duum, Tawakal to Baardhere. These roads had been mined by the Al Shabaab in flagrant disregard of applicable international laws and protocols including the Convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines. In addition, these mines and improvised explosives devices planted along the roads linking communities have over the years made it impossible for the population to engage in local trade thereby limiting economic growth in these areas.

While this operation has contributed to further degrade the Al Shabaab, it is instructive to note that they still retain the capability to carry out terrorist attacks against innocent citizens, the Somali Government and her officials as well as the international partners including AMISOM. AMISOM is particularly aware that some of the leadership of the Al Shabaab have, in a cowardly manner, fled and are most likely to be in or around the towns of Jiliib, Buale and Saakow from where they intend to continue their terrorist and inhumane acts against harmless Somali citizens. The SNA and AMISOM will not relent in their pursuit and will seek them out from hiding.

AMISOM appeals to the community and religious leaders as well as the population across the country to work more closely with the SNA and AMISOM troops on the ground including in providing them with useful information to prevent the remnants of the Al Shabaab who are now disguised as civilians and living amongst them from perpetrating any terrorist actions such as cowardly suicide attacks, whether vehicular or human borne. AMISOM assures the population that, as indicated in the press statement by the Minister of Information, Honourable Abdi Hayir: “…the military operations will continue until we have retaken all areas currently occupied by terrorists. The military operation is going very well and Somali government forces and AMISOM are making advances, liberating town after town. We are very grateful for the support from public and their rejection of the terrorist’s brutal, oppressive rule. While we are making significant gains and advancing into Al-Shabaab controlled areas, at the same time the security forces and the Somali people must remain vigilant everywhere and at all times.”

This evening’s shameful attack on the Jazeera Hotel, a place which among others, symbolizes the determination of peace loving Somalis to rebuild their country, and has come to be used for recreation by Somalis from all walks of life, amply demonstrates the demonic agenda of the Al Shabaab to want to deny Somalia the peace that is beginning, despite such unfathomable acts, to be enjoyed across the country. AMISOM has despatched a team to assist Somali security agencies with the required support including evacuating the wounded to the AMISOM hospital as well as bringing out the members of the international community residing in the hotel.

NATIONAL MEDIA

Somali President Condemns Al-Shabaab Attack On Hotel Jazeera

26 July – Source: Somali Update – 343 Words

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has strongly condemned Al-Shabaab suicide car bomb that targeted to Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu on Sunday afternoon where at least 15 were killed and 21 wounded. “Terrorists are defeated, they have no power to take citizens as hostages,” the President said in a statement released shortly after the attack. He said the attack on Jazeera Hotel as a civilian target only meant that terror group is trying to reject the desire of the Somali people to live in peace and prosperity. A spokesman for the militant group Al-Shabaab Abdiasis abu Mus’ab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack saying that they killed foreigners and Somali government officials. “We have carried this successful operation to avenge for our brothers and sisters massacred by Ethiopians in Bakool region.” Abu Mus’ab said.

According to initial reports, the truck loaded with explosives hit the front gate of the hotel, which is one of the most protected buildings in Mogadishu. Somali Update reporter in Mogadishu reports that among those killed were bystanders civilians. A TV journalist was also among those killed while other one was wounded. The security forces cordoned off the road that links Aden Adde International Airport to KM4 junction to prevent possible second attack as the militants often do.

Jazeera Hotel is home to the Chinese, Egyptian and Qatari embassies in Mogadishu and is frequented by foreign diplomats, African Union (AMISOM) officials and Somali government members. It is also few metres away from the UN’s biggest compound in Somalia. The new Kenyan Ambassador to Somalia Lucas Tumbo and the Uganda’s Army Chief Brig Sam Kavuma reportedly survived the attack as they left the hotel shortly before the attack. Spokesman of the Uganda’s People’s Defence Forces “UPDF” Paddy Nkunda later tweeted that both men were at SKA hotel inside the heavily protected AMISOM base at Halane Camp in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab And Government Forces Battle In Gedo Region

26 July – Source: RBC Radio – 107 Words

Somalia Islamist militants Al-Shabaab and the Federal Government’s military along with African Union forces have battled in Southern Somalia, RBC Reports. Unknown number of people were killed in a tough battle between the joint forces and Al-Shabab in villages in Gedo region, Southern Somalia. A local resident told Raxanreeb Online said that the battles began after Somali Federal Government forces backed by African Union troops attacked the Al-Qaida linked militants’ base in Carra-case village near Garbahaarey, the provincial capital of Gedo region. The joint forces have recently captured Baardhere, strategic town in Gedo region from Al-Shabaab.

President Hassan Witnesses Army Integration in Kismayo

26 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 172 Words

Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamoud today witnessed the commencement of training for 1, 350 soldiers who would be part of the ongoing national army integration exercise. The new recruits were drawn from Jubbaland regional forces and members of the public who were willing to join the army. The commencement ceremony took place in Kismayo University’s main campus which AMISOM uses as a military base. “Our first priority is to integrate the army and build strong national army, this training and the pledge you made today has sealed your place in the national army, remember you are not tribal militia, you are the sons of this nation” the president told the new soldiers.

Jubbaland president Ahmed Mohamed Islam and Somalia defence minister also witnessed the training. Under the army integration process, Jubbaland would contribute some 3 thousand soldiers, as is done by Puntland and other regional states, and these would be incorporated into the already existing national army which are mainly based in the federal government controlled areas such as Mogadishu.

Let The Muslim Community Be Part Of The Anti-terror Campaign, Obama Tells Kenyan Government

26 July – Source: Somali Current – 282 Words

President Barrack Obama warned Kenyan government against sidelining the Muslim community in Kenya as it engages in the war on terror. Obama said engaging in community marginalisation and blanket condemnation could give platform to terror groups to recruit more members. Speaking at State House in Nairobi during joint conference with the Kenyan President, the US President urged Kenyan government to change its tactics in the fight against terrorism.

Obama stated that in the US, the counter-terrorism agencies are winning the war through community engagement and working with them. This, he said, has reduced chances of terror cells sprouting up in the US. “One of the things we learn as Americans is that you can’t fight terrorism with the police or Military. You need to get them to believe that they are part of the whole process he said while addressing Kenyans at Kasarani Stadium. Speaking to the nation after the deadly Garissa University attack, President Uhuru blamed Islamic religious institutions on the attack.

“Radicalization that breeds terrorism is not conducted in the bush at night. It occurs in the full glare of day, in madrasas, in homes, and in mosques with rogue imams,” said Kenyatta. Kenyatta’s comments put more pressure on Kenya’s Muslim community, who make up about 10 percent of the 44-million-strong population. At least four hundred people have been killed by the militant group Al- Shabaab on Kenyan soil since Uhuru took power two years ago, including 67 people who died during a siege in September 2013 on a Nairobi shopping mall and the Garissa attack that left at least 150 dead, mostly students,

Newly-Appointed Kenya Ambassador Arrives In Somalia

25 July – Source: Horseed Media – 188 Words

The Newly appointed Kenya ambassador to Somalia has arrived in Mogadishu. Amb. Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) Lucas Kyonze Tumbo met Somalia’s minister of Foreign Affairs Abdisalan Hadliye. Their talks focused on bilateral relations, according to a Press statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a joint press conference following their meeting, both sides said that Kenya and Somalia were ready to enhance their historical diplomatic relations which has existed since 1961. The new Kenyan ambassador is expected to hand over his credentials to the Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud. Kenya closed its embassy in Somalia at the fall of Siad Barre regime in 1991.

Somali Legislator Killed In Drive-by Shooting In Mogadishu

25 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 223 Words

A Somali lawmaker was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Mogadishu on Saturday, the latest in series of attacks targeting members of the country’s legislative body, officials said. Abdullahi Hussein Mohamud Bantu was killed in Wadajir district after gunmen travelling in a car blocked his way and sprayed bullets on his car. His bodyguard was also killed in the attack, highlights the security challenges facing members of the Somali parliament. At least ten MPs have been killed since last year. Mr. Bantu has replaced his father, himself an MP who died of natural illness in Mogadishu in April this year.

The area in which the MP was killed has been the scene of multiple killings, mostly journalists. The Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack. Somali parliamentarians often complain of insecurity in the Somali capital as militants stepped up attacks against them. Al-Shabab which is waging years of insurgency in Somalia has vowed more attacks against the parliamentarians. The attack has shattered a period of calm in Mogadishu following the deployment of troops across the capital, inspecting cars and frisking passengers, a move the city residents believe contributed to the recent decline in militants attacks.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Obama Commits U.S. To Intensified Fight Against Terrorists In East Africa

25 July – Source: Washington Post – 458 Words

President Obama on Saturday committed the United States to an intensified fight against terrorists in East Africa, announcing here that his administration would expand support for counterterrorism operations in Kenya and Somalia, including increased training and funding for Kenya’s security forces. “We have to keep that pressure going even as we’re strengthening the Somali government,” he said at a joint news conference with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Obama acknowledged that Al-Shabaab terrorists retain the capacity to attack “soft targets” in both countries, even after years of American drone strikes and efforts from a regional, U.S.-backed counter terrorism force based in Somalia. But he said al-Shabab’s territory had been “systematically reduced.” Obama came to office vowing to move the United States off a perpetual war footing and promising to wage a smarter, swifter war on international terrorism. But his East African sojourn this week serves as a stark reminder that seven years into his presidency the long, difficult fight against terrorism remains a central and vexing component of his foreign policy.

“As is true around the world, what we find is, is that we can degrade significantly the capacities of these terrorist organizations, but they can still do damage,” Obama said at the news conference. “And part of our announcement today involves additional funding, additional assistance that we’re providing the Kenyan security forces to deal with these very specific counterterrorism threats.” Obama’s discussions with Kenyatta have been dominated by the question of how best to counter Islamist extremists engaged in regular attacks against civilians. “We are deepening that democracy while fighting global terrorists who seek to destroy our way of life,” Kenyatta said. “Left undefeated, they will redraw the international system and make room for violent extremism and tyranny.” Kenyatta said his country is new to the fight against terror and is learning from partners such as the United States, and added: “This is an existential fight for us.” Security will also be similarly dominant during the president’s time in Ethiopia, a nation that has worked to keep the instability in Somalia from spilling across its borders and that has dispatched peacekeeping forces to South Sudan and elsewhere.

The ‘Back Door’ To Kenya: Security Threat From Porous Somali Border

24 July – Source: CNN – Video – 2:28 Minutes

Dirt tracks criss-cross the bush, leading through the dusty, rust-colored soil and scrub-dotted no-man’s land of northern Kenya and across the border into Somalia. They’re known as “Panya,” or “Rat Routes,” and they are the paths used by smugglers — and, we’ve been told, by Al-Shabaab militants. This is the “back door” to Kenya. Away from the official border crossings, here there are no government officials, no checkpoints, no patrols, no security searches: you can bring whoever and whatever you want in and out. One man who spoke to CNN told us he uses the back-roads regularly, ferrying people back and forth to the Southern Somali port town of Kismayo: No passports, no questions.

That’s despite the fact that some of the tracks run just 20 kilometers from a major military base and the Dadaab airstrip. In the aftermath of the Al-Shabaab attack on the Westgate Mall in September 2013, the Kenyan government said the militants involved had crossed through from Somalia using the Panya. Two years on, though, the routes are even busier than before, in spite of an increased security drive by the government. “We are not denying that there are problems and there are smugglers in those areas,” says Mwenda Njoka, spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, who notes that ensuring proper controls along the entire length of the 800km border is a “serious challenge.”

The government says it plans to build a wall along the border, put up security cameras, and expand its new border patrol units — but that it is an international problem, and needs international support. “There is a boundary that is being constructed around the Kenya Somali border,” says Njoka. “It has been porous for a long time because the previous government have not taken serious action. [But] in the recent past we have established a border patrol police, a specialist police.” But Al-Shabaab’s attacks and ambitions have been spilling over into Kenya with deadly frequency. In April, members of the Somali militant group stormed Garissa University, killing 147 people in a dawn raid on an early morning prayer service and student hostels.

Iqra Abdi Haji was one of the students caught up in the bloodshed. The 21-year-old was in her first year of an economics degree when gunmen stormed her dormitory. “My first thought was that I’ll die, I’ll not escape from this place,” Abdi Haji says. She was shot in the shoulder, and her friend was badly injured. “I was bleeding from this side, and also bleeding from my leg — I couldn’t move at all.” She and her friend are now studying at a different university. Six days after the Garissa massacre, Abdelrashid Bare’s older brother Hamza Mohammed disappeared. Security camera footage from a telecoms shop in the center of the town appears to show Hamza Mohammed, 26, sitting behind a cash register when four men walk in. As Hamza Mohammed hands a phone to one of the men, the man grabs him, jumping over the counter to handcuff his arms behind his back. A camera trained on the front of the shop shows him being led away, cuffed, in broad daylight.

As Health Needs Rise In Somalia, Funding Hits New Low, Cutting Off 1.5 Million From Care – UN

25 July – Source: UN News Centre – 328 Words

Somalia – a country where every two hours a mother dies due to pregnancy complications – is facing cuts in life-saving health services because of the lowest funding levels in seven years, according to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). “We cannot afford to let the country slide back into a humanitarian crisis,” WHO Representative for Somalia Dr. Ghulam Popal said. “Otherwise, we would undermine all gains made until today.” UN health partners in Somalia are expressing concern that they will face difficulties in continuing to provide life-saving health services at the scale required as a result of declining humanitarian funding for 2015 and the forecast for 2016, WHO warned in a press release issued Thursday.

The lack of funding for UN’s humanitarian response plan in 2015 has left more than 1.5 million people cut off from primary or secondary health care services, according to the press release. As of July 2015, out of a required $71.5 million, only $6.1 million (8.5 per cent) has been received, the lowest since 2008, despite ongoing early warnings and appeals for adequate funding. According to WHO, there are currently 3.2 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Somalia, where every 2 hours a mother dies due to pregnancy complications, every hour, 8 Somali children below the age of 5 die; one in 4 children suffers from chronic malnourishment; and only 1 in 3 Somalis have access to safe water. “Over the past 3 months, at least 10 hospitals in Somalia have either been closed or have majorly curtailed their services across the country, and at least 3 other hospitals are at risk of closure in the near future,” the agency said. “Basic health posts and clinics are currently struggling to meet primary health needs, and many aid agencies have withdrawn health workers from high-need areas.”

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“We have already prepared a number of the police personnel that are to be trained. We requested AMISOM Deputy Police Commissioner and the officers of AMISOM Police in general to start the training as soon as possible. It is important for SPF Police in Lower Jubba Region.’’

AMISOM Police to train 600 Somali Police Force officers in Jubbaland

26 July – Source: AMISOM – Video – 2:17 Minutes

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Police unit is engaging with the Interim Jubba Administration on plans to train at least 600 officers of the Somali Police Force. This is in fulfillment of its mandate to train and build the capacity of the Somali Police Force. The AMISOM Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Alalo led a delegation to Kismayo to discuss modalities for vetting and screening of the recruits in Kismayo.

Similar meetings have been held in Baidoa and training is expected to begin early next month. The aim is to train at least 1800 recruits in the three regions of Jubaland, ISWA and Hiraan. The AMISOM delegation also visited the proposed training camp to finalize the arrangements. The AMISOM delegation met with the Interim Jubba Administration Security and Interior Minister H.E: Mohamed Warsame Darwsih and other officers from the IJA.

“This is an opportunity for Somali journalists to improve their knowledge of journalism. We have not had such trainings in Somalia before. This training of journalists gives a signal of the progress taking place in Jubbaland and will inspire the international community to provide even more support.”

UNSOM Trains Journalists In Kismayo

July 25 – Source: UNSOM – Video –

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) together with the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) organized training for that focused on personal safety, reporting on the New Deal and ongoing political processes. More than 30 journalists in the Jubbaland region participated in the training, the first of its kind to be conducted in Kismayo.