October 14, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Despite Opposition, Somali Parliament Again Discards Anti-President’s Motion
13 October – Source: Hiiraan Online – 326 Words
Speaker of Somalia’s Parliament has yet again reiterated that the decision to end the controversial impeachment motion against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, after a consultative with some of the legislators who led the campaign to unseat the President. The development follows two days of consultative meetings aimed at resolving the political crisis as the Speaker, Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari, highlighted the importance of ending the stalemate, which he said risks reversing the political and security gains by the government.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Jawari also ruled out treason and corruption allegations against the President, an argument MPs largely depended on to file the impeachment motion. But the Speaker maintains, “the impeachment motion was not filed in line with the statutory procedures of the country.” He called on lawmakers to accept the decision of the Parliament’s chair.
Despite the Speaker’s conclusion, lawmakers leading the impeachment motion against Sheikh Mohamud have dismissed this initial verdict by the Speaker and further brushed aside warnings by the international community that the impeachment process could lead to political turmoil in Somalia. The President Hassan has subsequently warned against the campaign, calling on the legislators to reflect on the country’s interests and avoid creating political mayhem, “which could derail progressive political and security gains in Somalia.”
The United Nations has also added its voice to the debate by calling for a resolution to the impeachment crisis through dialogue. In the meantime, Somalia, which faces a deadly insurgency by Al-Shabab, has proposed holding presidential elections in 2016, However, the President has dismissed the likelihood of holding popular elections due to security reasons. Somalia’s donors have lately expressed concern over perpetual political wrangling involving the President, Prime Minister and Parliament. The trend, they fear, could inflame tensions and undermine the country’s recovery path from an over two-decade period of conflict.
Key Headlines
- Despite Opposition Somali Parliament Again Discards Anti-President’s Motion (Hiiraan Online)
- Somali Army Regains Gandershe Village After Al-Shabaab Retreat (Shabelle News)
- Somali President Terms Flag Modification Reports ‘Baseless’ (Hiiraan Online)
- Ceasefire In Bala’ad Following Elder’s Intervention (Goobjoog News)
- Al-Shabab Seemingly Shifts Strategy As Fighters Dwindle (Voice Of America)
- Four Al-Shabaab “Brides ” Freed on Ksh 500 Bond Each (The Star)
- Imported Rape Culture: Somali Refugee Charged With Rape Of 10 Year Old (Breitbart Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Army Regains Gandershe Village After Al-Shabaab Retreat
13 October – Source: Shabelle News – 149 Words
A Government official has reported that Somali Government troops backed by African Union troops recaptured Gandershe village after Al-Shabaab militants pulled out of the area on Tuesday morning. Ali Nur Mohamed, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region confirmed to Radio Shabelle the capture of the area, adding that the allied forces will continue driving the militants out of the remaining strongholds in the region.
Al-Shabaab commanders were unavailable for comment on the capture of Gandershe settlement located near Marko city by SNA and AMISOM forces. Separately, Mohamed has urged locals to work closely with the government security forces and AMISOM soldiers in fighting off the Al-Shabaab threat in the Lower Shabelle region. Somali National Army, along with AU troops in Lower Shabelle region lost to several key towns, including Kurtunwarey to Al-Shabaab following Leego and Janaale attacks in June and September by the militants.
Somali President Terms Flag Modification Reports ‘Baseless’
13 October – Source: Hiiraan Online – 351 Words
As Somalis around the world celebrated the Somali Flag Day, reports of a potential flag alteration seems to have overshadowed the important event, with thousands taking to the social media, calling on the central government to reverse what they termed as “attempts to re-write history”. For many, the development meant undermining the history of the single white five-pointed star centered on a light blue field flag, which serves as an ethnic flag for Somali people.
The report, which sent shockwaves across Somalia, has fuelled suspicions among the Somali nationals, who have accused the government of “selling the country’s history”. This has forced the Somali government to immediately shed light on the matter: “The report on the internet, which points out a modification of the star on our flag is fabricated,” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said assuring Somalis to take no notice of it.
Designed during the trusteeship of the nation’s history in October 12, 1954, upon unification of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland, the flag was used for the nascent Somali Republic before the country has gained its independence in 1960: “I am telling the Somali people: This is the flag which was hoisted on 26 June in 1960 and there are never plans aimed at transforming it at any point.” The president Mohamud said during a ceremony celebrating for the national Flag Day on Monday.
The President’s remarks followed reports carried by Somali portals that reported that the government had submitted a new design of the Somali flag version to the African Union for approval. The reports claimed that the new flag was designed in response to complaints by neighbouring countries that the flag’s star meant that some of their regions are legitimately parts of the Somali territory.
However, the flag’s design explains it all. The five-pointed white Star of Unity in its center represents the Somali ethnic group found in Djibouti, the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland territories in present-day Somalia.
Ceasefire In Bala’ad Following Elder’s Intervention
13 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 125 Words
Clan-clashes in the outskirts of Bala’ad town, which claimed lives of over ten people and wounded several others, have ended after some Somali federal MPs and traditional elders successfully brokered a ceasefire deal. Several MPs including Omar Mohamud Finish brokered a ceasefire deal which bore fruits.
“We have succeeded to secure a ceasefire and both sides have agreed to live peacefully with each other” said Mr Finish. The clans have over the time gone into conflict over grazing and land disputes for almost a decade now. The recent clashes have left dozens dead and scores injured, before the intervention of respected clan leaders. Hundreds of families fled their homes in the area, where fighters loyal to two clans were battling it out.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Al-Shabaab Seemingly Shifts Strategy As Fighters Dwindle
13 October – Source: Voice Of America – 438 Words
As it loses ground in Somalia, militant group Al-Shabaab increasingly has turned to attacks needing just a few fighters to make an impact. The biggest of these — such as the assault on Garissa University in northeastern Kenya in April — have left dozens of people dead. The group now is calling on Muslim youth in East Africa to take up this strategy. In a 21-minute video sermon, a man in a black uniform surrounded by about 50 Swahili-speaking fighters acknowledges the dwindling number of fighters within Al-Shabaab.
But the man in the video, Ahmed Iman Ali, a Kenyan Al-Shabaab leader, had a message: “How many times have we heard of operations carried out by three or four brothers in Mogadishu that have defeated troops from different countries that are also receiving assistance from Western nations? A few boys, four, six, can go in. They are able to take up a camp,” he said. It’s not clear if he is referring to a specific attack.
Independent analyst Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad said this new video appears aimed at disillusioned youth: “The guy is boosting the morale of the fighters. In fact, he admitted they lost ground, [that] they have lost some of their fighters in operations. He is building the morale of the fighters by telling them be patient, victory is near, we will overcome all these problems sooner than later,” said Abdisamad.
Head of the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, Jasmine Opperman, disagreed: “What we are seeing is al-Shabaab in a stronger position as previously. If one looks at the video and the person talking, we see a person relaxed. We see fighters in a good spirit. We see a message of patience being conveyed. As if al-Shabab is in full control, knows what is doing and is under no threat,” she said.
Four Al-Shabaab “Brides ” Freed on Ksh 500 Bond Each
14 October – Source: The Star – 183 Words
A Kenyan court sitting in Mombasa city yesterday the released on bond of four women accused of trying to cross the border to join the Al Shabaab terror group in Somalia. Khadija Abdulkadir, Mariam Aboud, Ummulkhayr Abdulla and Halima Aden Ali will be released upon payment of Sh500,000 bond each and a surety of a similar amount. The four were nabbed at the Mandera border in April as they tried to cross to Somalia.
Mombasa senior principal magistrate Richard Odenyo said “they have the right to be released on bond as stipulated in the constitution”. “Since the accused persons have been in custody for six months and have deposited their passports with the court, I find it reasonable to grant them bond pending hearing of their case,” he said. Odenyo had in May declined to release them saying “it would not be wise to do so at the moment”. The suspects’ lawyers Hamisi Mwadzogo and Oduor Okumu told the court the four should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Mwadzogo, who represents Abdulkadir, Aboud and Abdulla said terror charges are not sufficient.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Somalia is by far the most dangerous country in the world, and one with a raging childrape epidemic. What women and children suffer in that country is gut-wrenching and makes for hellish reading. Transplanting Somalis en-masse has only perpetuated the rape crisis, and worse, made it average Americans’ problem.”
Imported Rape Culture: Somali Refugee Charged With Rape Of 10 Year Old
13 October – Source: Breitbart Online – 527 Words
In the latest incident of America’s immigrant sex crime epidemic, Minnesota authorities charged Somali man Ahmed Hersi Abdi with two degrees of first-degree sexual misconduct for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl in her apartment. Somali witness reportedly heard blood-curdling screams from the hallway and found the victim undressed and crying. Shocked, they sought out two off-duty cops working security nearby.
The victim told police Abdi followed her into the elevator and up to the third floor hallway. The stranger asked for the victim’s name and shook her hand. When she tried to let go, she says he held on to her, demanded she turn around and pull down her pants, and raped her. In a stroke of criminal genius America has come to expect from its imported Third World rape culture, Abdi was unaware of the surveillance tape in the elevator and didn’t change his clothes after allegedly assaulting his victim. Police later found him in St. Paul.
Police and local media rushed to reassure indigenous Minnesotans that child rape is in not indicative of immigration policy failure and that capturing an imported child rapist is proof of its success.: “The Somalian community who came across this girl in crisis stepped up and helped her,” Minneapolis Police Dept. spokesperson John Elder said. “They trusted the officers enough to get them, to bring them into this situation to provide aid.”
Somali community leader Mohamud Noor blamed Americans for not giving enough money to Abdi. One Somali community member raping another community member is not the fault of the Somali community, he explained.: “You know it’s somebody who is mentally ill, and he has been seeking help and services and we feel that there’s a huge gap in mental health services, a huge unmet need,” he complained to KARE11.