October 13, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Galmudug Forces Recapture Amara From Al-Shabaab
13 October – Source: Shabelle News – 84 Words
The forces of the newly formed Interim administration of Galmudug State have wrested full control of Amara village in southern Mudug region, after battle with Al-Shabaab militants, reports said. Reports indicate that Al-Shabaab fighters left the area after they were overpowered by Galmudug State forces. The casualties of the fighting is yet unclear and residents say the situation is under control. Al-Shabaab militants have been controlling the village for nearly two weeks after capturing it from Galmudug troops, according to the residents.
Key Headlines
- Galmudug Forces Recapture Amara From Al-Shabaab (Shabelle News)
- Somaliland To Investigate Incident At Football Stadium (Goobjoog News)
- Speaker Set To Hold Another Round Of Talks With Proponents Of Anti – Hassan Sheikh Motion (Wacaal Media)
- 8 Ethiopian Migrants Killed In Road Accident (Horseed Media)
- Nairobi Police Now Interrogating Eight ‘Al-Shabaab’ Terror Suspects (Xinhua)
- UN Boosts El Niño Preparedness And Relief Urges More Funding (UN News Centre)
- Al-Shabaab Takes Teacher Hostage In Garissa (Daily Nation)
- Critical Factors To Be Considered In Somalia’s 2016 Election (RBC Radio)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland To Investigate Incident At Football Stadium
13 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 288 Words
The breakaway region Somaliland has commented on clashes that erupted during a regional tournament in the Northern part which left one football fan dead and injuring several others, Goobjoog News reports. Speaking to journalists in Hargeisa town, Somaliland’s Deputy Security Minister Abdi Dahir said that investigations are being conducted on what happened in Borama town. He stated that the incident has caused casualties and the government had no other alternatives to use. “When the soldiers fear for their life, you can guess what can follow, it compels the soldier to save his life but the government has now imported rubber bullets which will be used during riots” he said.
This comment comes after hundreds of angry young football fans and residents of Borama town went on a rampage on Monday and burned down residential house of Awdal police commissioner while protesting against killings of football fans that occurred at Borama Stadium 2 days ago. At least one football fan was killedon Sunday after supporters of two clubs Awdal and Maroodi-Jeeh chanted Somalia’s National Anthem inside Borama Stadium prompting the police to open fire on the supporters.
One of the locals in Boroma town told Goobjoog News that the violence started after the police of breakaway Somaliland killed two people in the stadium in the last two days. “The soldiers in Borama have killed two football fans in the town’s stadium in two days prompting livid residents to set fire on the commissioner’s house” he said. He added “Latest incident started on Saturday evening in the town of Borame after supporters of one of the teams playing stormed onto the pitch protesting against a decision by match officials” Every year, regional football tournaments are held across Somaliland bringing together football fans.
Speaker Set To Hold Another Round Of Talks With Proponents Of Anti – Hassan Sheikh Motion
13 October – Source: Wacaal Media – 118 Words
Parliament Speaker of the Federal Government of Somalia is today set to hold another round of meeting with the proponents of the motion tabled against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The motion which was tabled on August 12, 2015 raised political temperatures in the country splitting the Federal Parliament into two factions – proponents and opponents. “All members who appended their signatures on the motion are hereby invited for the second round of talks to be held on Tuesday October 13, 2015 from 11am. The meeting will be held at Villa Hargeisa,” a notice by speaker to the members read in part. The meeting was said to be exclusive to only the members who lodged the motion to unseat the president.
8 Ethiopian Migrants Killed In Road Accident
12 October – Source: Horseed Media – 235 Words
At least eight Ethiopian migrants died and dozens were injured in a horrific road accident in Northern Somalia, witnesses and health workers confirmed. The accident happened after the lorry they were riding in overturned in an area close to the town of Gardo due to high speed, witnesses told Horseed Media. “The lorry was over packed and the driver was over speeding… some of the injured are in critical conditions,’’ said one of the survivors. Road accidents are common in Somalia, where highways lack safety features like guard rails or reflective paint.
Most of the roads are notoriously dangerous, with passenger vehicles badly maintained and often overloaded so operators can maximise profits. Ethiopian migrants determined to cross to the war-torn Yemen continue to stream into the Somali region of Puntland. On the main highway linking Garowe, Puntland’s capital to the commercial hub Bossaso, hundreds of migrants are seen enduring a road journey in the searing heat of summer that will take not less than two weeks.
Yemen is mainly used as a transit country, with African migrants often aiming to move on to neighbouring oil-rich Gulf nations to find work. In July, the U.N. refugee agency warned refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa not to make the perilous journey across the Red Sea to Yemen. The UNHCR says thousands of people continue to arrive in the country despite the dangers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Nairobi Police Now Interrogating Eight ‘Al-Shabaab’ Terror Suspects
13 October – Source: Xinhua – 203 Words
Kenyan authorities are interrogating eight terror suspects after being arrested at a Nairobi residential estate with high-tech communication gadgets.”We arrested eight terror suspects on Sunday – five Somalis and three Kenyans of Somali origin – and also intercepted the two cars they were travelling in fitted with high tech communication gadgets,” said Starehe divisional police commander Bernard Nyakwaka. “We also recovered eight phones that were found in their possession.
“We have handed them over to anti-terrorism police officers for further questioning,” he said. The divisional police commander said the three Kenyans of Somali origin had no proper identification documents and will be arraigned in court this week once investigations are completed. The incident came as security in key towns in Kenya has been put on a high alert following Kenya’s military operations in Somalia which sparked threats from the ‘Al-Shabaab’ group that it will retaliate deep in Kenya.
The trend of the attacks particularly in northern, coastal and Nairobi regions, which seemingly are well coordinated since few suspects have been arrested, has heightened worries among Kenyans. Nyakwaka said security had been stepped up and appealed to city residents to be extra vigilant and take security measures seriously, regardless of their status in society.
UN Boosts El Niño Preparedness And Relief, Urges More Funding
13 October – Source: UN News Centre – 305 Words
Efforts have been ramped up recently to mitigate the impact of floods and draughts in Somalia driven by the El Niño phenomenon between now and December, which may worsen the food security and humanitarian situations, the United Nations has said, while stressing the urgent need for more financial support to continue its relief work in the country. “Humanitarian partners have developed contingency plans and are scaling up preparedness activities,” said Peter de Clercq, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Somalia, adding that these operations include “pre-positioning aid supplies and boats in areas most likely to be affected by flooding.”
El Niño could cause devastating effects in Somalia, such as heavy rains and flooding along Juba and Shabelle rivers, flash floods in central Somalia and Puntland, and worsening droughts in parts of Somaliland, which will put over 600,000 people at risk, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).These impacts, however, might be severe for the vulnerable communities already facing dire humanitarian situations in Somalia. Over 3 million people need humanitarian assistance, 1.1 million of whom are internally displaced.
“Since communities in the flood-prone areas will be the first to respond, partners are working with local authorities and community leadership to strengthen local response capacity, reinforce river embankments and raise awareness, including through distribution of climate monitoring information,” said Mr. de Clercq.
Al-Shabaab Takes Teacher Hostage In Garissa
12 October – Source: Daily Nation – 226 Words
A teacher was on Monday kidnapped at Hagadera refugee camp in Dadaab, Garissa County, by people suspected to be members of the Somali-based militant group Al-Shabaab. Area OCPD Raphael Kimilu said they are yet to trace the teacher who is an employee of an NGO, Windle Trust International. Mr Kimilu said he has dispatched a contingent of police officers to the border where they believe the militants could be holding the victim, identified as Judy Mutua.
Initial reports indicate that a vehicle belonging to the NGO was on its way towards the refugee camp when it was shot at by armed men at the junction between Hagadera and Dadaab. The attackers reportedly took over the vehicle and abandoned it minutes later together with the driver, a local Somali. However, they forced Ms Mutua into their vehicle and sped off.
Activities at the camp have been halted following the Monday morning incident save for essential services such as distribution of food and provision of health care services. The militia group has made northern Kenya its playground with the many attacks and kidnappings it has been orchestrating. On April 2, the militants raided Garissa University College and shot dead 147 people, most of them students. Refugee camps in the area have been blamed for harbouring the terrorists and the Kenya government has been pushing for their closure.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The potential risk of bribery in the 2016 election cannot be ignored because it will not only encourage a cycle of corruption in the government, but also the worst scenario is the potential of ‘Alshabab terrorist’ to buy the presidential position to a proxy leader, and indirectly rule the country in the following years. The use of corruption in the 2016 election will be catastrophic to the international security, national instability, reconciliation process and it may hinder Somalia from any desired progress.”
Critical Factors To Be Considered In Somalia’s 2016 Election
13 October – Source: RBC Radio – 635 Words
Somalia has been in political turmoil for the last 25 years, and the successive governments in the country did not make the desired progress due to poor leadership, massive corruption in the government and the adoption of clan based policy leading to frequent dispute and distrust among government sectors, leaders and regional administrations. As Somalia is in the process of determining of which electoral system to be adopted in 2016, the Somali Academic Forum in Norway hereby presents the following three suggestions that, we think, are decisive for fair and free election in Somalia in 2016.
The 4.5 method that has been used for the last 16 years systematically denied the constitutional rights to be a full citizen of large number of Somali citizens, while it provides excessive power to some groups. As a result, we have witnessed a significant distrust to the government by ordinary Somalis who feel excluded. Therefore, as 4.5 system markedly failed to promote equality and unity, the country should move to an alternative system in 2016 where members of the parliament are selected through regionaldistrict based process. This method will take the country one-step forward from clannism and 4.5 based system, to ‘one man one vote’ election.
The country has experienced a barefaced corruption by top government officials and indications pointed that one of the factors motivating the corruption is individual’s group’s’ strong desire to come-back to power in the next election. This is partially motivated by members of parliament’s vulnerability to bribery from presidential candidates where parliamentarians’ vote often go in favor of the candidate who pay most amount of cash, and not to those who can deliver best to the nation. Consequently, instead of focusing on nation building, government officials may concentrate looting public funds to save enough money for the next election; a behavior that has become a norm in both regional and central governments of Somalia.
TOP TWEETS
@amisomsomalia : Cargo aircraft crew have been rescued by SNA and AMISOM troops after the crash. All six crew members are safe with injuries. #Somalia
@UNSomalia : We wish the Somalis a happy#NationalFlagDay. A great day for #Somalia, a Day of Peace and Unity
@Daudoo : #AlShabaab calls Muslims to attack Jews & their allies interests in every place “in support for Aqsa Mosque”#Somalia
@unicefsomalia : @ 98%, #Somalia‘s #FGM is the highest in the world. Time to make it 0. Not 49 or 0.1, but ZERO! #EndFGM#dayofthegirl
@45Eyes: The Saudi Ministry of Labor to allow the recruitment of domestic workers from #Somalia
@gcmcSomalia : #Somalia Kenya: Kenya: Registered refugees and asylum-seekers (as of 01 October 2015)http://bit.ly/1ZxM5A1 #crisismanagement
@CallMeGelle : Galmudug troops roll in and take control of Camaara forcing Alshabab terrorist to retreathttp://ln.is/mudug24.net/2015/
@LaetitiaBader: Ongoing impunity for murders of journalists puts #Somalia at top of this year’s @pressfreedom global impunity index http://bit.ly/1NrRRiN
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Police Commissioner of Somalia Police Force (SPF), Mohamed Sheikh Hassan, officially concluded a 45-day refresher training at the Armo Police Academy in the Bari Region of Puntland State, for 750 Puntland Police forces, including 50 policewomen, from all regions of Puntland.
Photo: UNSOM