December 30, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Joint Forces Kill Three Militants In Gun Battle With Al-Shabaab Following Ambush
30 December – Source: Wacaal Media – 75 Words
Up to three members of Al-Shabaab were killed in a bloody gun battle between the militants and the joint forces of the Somali National Army and AMISOM. Confirming the incident to Wacaal media, District commissioner of Bulla-burde, Abdiaziz Durow said the clashes took place in Doonkadiide town, 25km west of the town. He said this came after the militants ambushed a convoy of government forces as they passed the area killing one officer before they were overpowered.
Key Headlines
- Joint Forces Kill Three Militants In Gun Battle With Al-Shabaab Following Ambush (Wacaal Media)
- Government Deploys More Troops To Qoryoley Following Al-Shabaab Attack (Shabelle News)
- Government Of Iran Refutes Claims By NISA (Goobjoog News)
- President Abdiweli Awards Students Upon Completion Of Public Finance And Management Special Courses (Villa Puntland)
- Galmudug State Extends An Olive branch To Ahlu Sunna (Shabelle News)
- Somalia New Law Offers Much Needed Protection For Journalists (CCTV)
- ISIL’s First East African Affiliate Conducts Attacks in Somalia Kenya (Defense News)
- Muslim Migrant Debate Reverberates In Heartland (Stars and Stripes)
- Somalia 2016: An Upgraded New Deal A New SRSG And The Role Of Somaliland (Wardheer News)
- For Somali Families A Bridge Between School And Home (MPR News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Government Deploys More Troops To Qoryoley Following Al-Shabaab Attack
30 December – Source: Shabelle News – 125 Words
A contingent of fresh troops were deployed to the southern conflict-hit district of Qoryoley in Lower Shabelle region, a day after Al-Shabaab briefly seized the town, a police officer said. Amadi Gaabow Buule, Qoryoley Police Commisioner, told Radio Shabelle that they put additional forces in all the entry & exit points of Qoryoley to stop Al-Shabaab from carrying out any hit and run raids in the town.
“The city’s overall security is 100% secured and under Govt troops control,” said the police commissioner during a phone interview with Radio Shabelle station in Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab militants overrun Qoryoley, 120Kms north-west of Mogadishu on Monday evening and seized it briefly from Somali National Army (SNA) who retreated back to African Union troops base outside the town.
Government Of Iran Refutes Claims By NISA
30 December – Source: Goobjoog News – 107 Words
The Iranian government refuted the recent claims by the National Intelligence and Security Agency of Somlia which accused Iranians of spreading the Shiitism doctrine. Spokesman for Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hussein jabir Ansari said that the allegations are baseless and hearsay. “That is a false report. We are confirming to the media that what was said is purely false allegation aimed at tarnishing our work,” Hussein said. The spokesman called on the Somali government to give an apology for the statement made. The move comes days after NISA announced the arrest of Iranian nationals and their Somali counterparts whom they said were spreading the teachings of the Shia sect in Mogadishu.
President Abdiweli Awards Students Upon Completion Of Public Finance And Management Special Courses
30 December – Source: Villa Puntland – 376 Words
Puntland President Dr. Abdiweli Ali Gas has today attended the graduation ceremony of government employees who received training in Management and Finance from East Africa University and Puntland State University. The colorful event was held at the East Africa University campus in Garowe, Villa Puntland Reports. The training of the civil servants was a collaborative initiative between the two universities, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and the World Bank which is part of the pledges made by the president to revamp the civil service through trainings and capacity buildings.
President Dr. Abdiweli Ali Gas also said the program was part of changes being introduced in the civil service and especially in the management and finance departments. He noted improving the quality of service was part of his pledges when he was seeking election. “The basis of this program was the objective to have the right employee in the right place which means proper job placement of employees. The second objective was to reward hardworking employees and identify those in wrong placement so that they give way to the right employee” said the president. Mr. Gas disclosed plans by the government to recruit new employees which he said will be done through a transparent and competitive process.
“Sixty jobs vacancies have been posted by the government and I would like to tell you that they will be subjected to an open selection process that will see the best to be selected. They include staff to be recruited for my office and I want my office to be a good example in this process, said the president.President Dr. Abdiweli Ali Gas thereafter awarded the students with certificates and other prizes. Three of the students emerged the best in Somalia in the fields of Management and Finance. The Management of the University of East Africa also has awarded an honorary degree to the President of Puntland State Dr. Abdiweli Ali Gas and the Puntland Minister of Finance.
Galmudug State Extends An Olive branch To Ahlu Sunna
29 December – Source: Shabelle News – 133 Words
The Minister of Security for the newly established Galmudug interim administration, Osman Tardhuled said they want to open talks with Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a based in Dhusamareb, Galgadud regional capital. Speaking to Radio Shabelle, Tardhuled extended to have a dialogue with Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama (ASWJ), saying there was no way they could take up arms against them and lead to a fresh bloodshed in the region.
“We call upon ASWJ to join in the peace talks aimed at uniting the rival sides in Galgadud and Mudug regions. Galmudug state is determined to seek a way out for any differences with Ahlu Sunna through dialogue,” said Mr Tardhuled. The minister has urged Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama to participate in the Galmudug state administration since they played a big role in security and stabilization of central Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia New Law Offers Much Needed Protection For Journalists
30 December – Source: CCTV – Video: 1:43 Minutes
Somalia’s parliament has approved a new media bill to provide some much-needed protection for journalists. The country is one of the most dangerous places in the world for media professionals and it’s not just criminal activity that’s the problem.
ISIL’s First East African Affiliate Conducts Attacks in Somalia, Kenya
30 December – Source: Defense News – 634 Words
More than 200 fighters of the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab have reportedly defected from the al-Qaida affiliate and established the first coherent Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL) military brigade in East Africa. In a terror alert issued over the Christmas holiday, the Kenyan Police Service (KPS) Inspector General Joseph Boinnet said Al-Shabaab has split into two groups with one remaining loyal to al-Qaida while the new unit, which is made up mainly of foreign fighters, has pledged its allegiance to ISIL.
He said intelligence reports show that the split has led to competition for recruits with one faction keen to prove its power by staging attacks on soft targets including crowded places, shopping malls, entertainment spots, restaurants, buses, airports, college campuses and places of worship.
“They (Al-Shabaab) have split. As a result of the splits, particularly the ones along ideological and religious lines, are very keen to promote that internal competition by proving a point. They plan to prove a point by staging attacks.They are competing to spread an international jihadist agenda, which could be deadly if and when their attacks happens,” Boinnet told media in Nairobi on Christmas Eve.
Further, Boinnet said al-Qaida- and ISIL-affiliated groups are among the estimated 100 Al-Shabaab members operating on either side of the Somali-Kenyan border, which they regularly cross to attack targets in both countries. Police say the pro-ISIL group has established itself in the Lafey area of Mandera county in northeastern Kenya, while the pro-al-Qaida group largely operates from the Boni Forest in southern Kenya.
Muslim Migrant Debate Reverberates In Heartland
29 December – Source: Stars and Stripes – 2,023 Words
After the fire, the patrons of Juba Coffee and Restaurant gathered behind yellow police tape and mourned the charred remains of a place they called their own. Dressed in hijabs and tunics and speaking their native language, the Somali refugees said they’d long been comfortable in this overwhelmingly white, Protestant city. But now they were upset and frightened.
“We can not let them see us angry,” the owner, Abdulaziz Moallin, 36, told his fellow Somalis after the Dec. 8 fire. “We have to be sure they see us as good neighbors. Let’s not try to blame anyone.” The advice was difficult to follow. The fire, which erupted when someone tossed a 40-ounce can of Bud Light filled with the gasoline into the restaurant, happened hours after Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. Although the motive was unclear, many of the customers could not help but wonder whether this was the latest attempt in the city to intimidate those who practiced Islam.
The echoes of presidential politics and global tragedies are reverberating in the heartland. Here in Grand Forks, population 60,000, friendliness is advertised with a giant smiley face on a water tower. Residents, descended mostly from Norwegian Lutherans, were accustomed to coexisting with the Muslim refugees who have settled in town over the past decade. But a confection of events – recent terror attacks carried out by Islamic extremists, the global refugee crisis and a presidential campaign debate over whether “political correctness” has led the United States to be too welcoming to Muslims – has made both sides increasingly fearful of their neighbors.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“And with the good news that an experienced new UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia to guide it all through will be taking up office in the New Year, nothing should be left to chances.”
Somalia 2016: An Upgraded New Deal, A New SRSG And The Role Of Somaliland
30 December – Source: Wardheer News – 1,601 Words
The year 2016 has been often talked about by the Somalis and others who are working with them since the 2012 London Conference on Somalia. And it has been reminded and emphasised for the Somalis and their leaders again and again for the past two years, in order to meet the goals set out at that conference including holding general elections for Somalia. But some in the Federal government have recently voiced concerns that nationwide elections – involving the population in the safe areas – may not be possible in 2016. In fact this has had a negative impact on the enthusiasms surrounding the recent Somalia state building programme.
However, if changes had to be made, an expanded electoral consultative process, increasing the number of representatives from the regions who are electing members of parliament and the executive branches of the government could be put in place. This is for minimising the perceived corrupt practices by individual candidates and for general accountability purposes. In this respect, the Somali people, their leaders and the international community had a fairly good head-start and therefore, although no tangible progress was made so far, an urgent clarification is awaited by all who are interested in the Somalia stabilisation programme. And with the good news that an experienced new UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia to guide it all through will be taking up office in the New Year, nothing should be left to chances.
Michael Keating, the new UN SGSR who is currently thought to be in Afghanistan, may be heading home to the UK this December, probably not to celebrate the holiday season, but to reflect on what had been achieved in the conflict-ridden south Asia nation (well, Afghanistan may not be the preferred model for Somalia after all). He may be reading about Somalia and what worked in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world’s fragile states that could be incorporated into the Somalia project. Keating is not a stranger to Africa. In fact he was born in Kampala, Uganda and worked for the Africa Progress Panel in Geneva.
“The surge in confidence among the parents is encouraging. During the first session of their program at Andersen United, Mohamed Mohamud, SAPA’s executive director, and his staff ask the parents whether they believe they can help their children, even though they cannot read or write. In the beginning 99 percent say no, but at the end [of the training] 99 percent say yes, he said.”
For Somali Families, A Bridge Between School And Home
29 December – Source: MPR News – 659 Words
A year-old program is helping newly immigrated Somali parents overcome cultural differences to become an important part of their children’s education. Waalidow Indhaha Furr, Somali for “parents open your eyes,” was created by the Somali American Parent Association in January to address the barriers Somali parents struggle with in the American educational system.
“We know the child is learning, and that the teacher is ready, but who is teaching the parent?” said Mohammed Abass, a family and community liaison at Andersen Unity Community School in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, where Waalidow Indhaha Furr is held. The six-week program is offered for free, with costs covered through a grant from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Abass said education in the United States is totally different from the Horn of Africa, where parents are not typically involved. He said it’s extremely important — particularly at schools with large immigrant populations — for parents to learn about the support and strategies they have at their disposal. The challenge is especially marked if the parents have had no formal education themselves — a circumstance quite often the case given the widespread destruction of schools, universities and libraries during the Somali civil war.
TOP TWEETS
@garsoornews: #Somalia: additional forces deployed in all the entry & exit points of #Qoryoley to stop #Alshabaab from carrying out any raids in the town.
@engyarisow : 1980 #Somalia was peace and youth had good time as you can see the below video http://fb.me/JG2gzjSs
@US2SOMALIA: Soccer in #Puntland, #Somalia: Giving kids a chance: http://www.dw.com/en/soccer-
@SomaliaNewsroom: Interesting: #Somalia‘s border commission holds a conference to discuss controversial regional boundaries https://www.youtube.com/watch?
@Limettamelitta: #Guardian The cost of dying in the diaspora: Why so many bodies leave the UK for burialhttp://bbc.in/1R71vHp #Somalia
@Kadarnouh: #Somaliland Orders Its Citizens to Enter#Somalia With Its Unrecognized Passport
@Camell_Rider : As long as the injustice continues there Will be no lasting peace, #Marka. #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay waves to United Nations staff members as he boards the plane at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu on December 29, 2015.
Photo: UNSOM