February 10, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Major Internal Security Conference Opens Its Doors In Mogadishu
09 February – Source: Wacaal Media – 115 Words
A major conference to discuss internal security matters and create harmony between Federal and Member State police forces has today kicked off in Mogadishu , officials confirmed. In a press briefing, police commissioner Gen. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud said the function brings together Ministers of security from all the Federal member states and officials from the Federal ministry of Security.
Gen. Hamud expressed optimism the conference will come up with modalities to improve the quality of internal security and police force capacity. Since coming to office, Gen. Hamud has been at the forefront of giving the police force a capacity building which has led to improved policing standards. The same efforts have been replicated in Puntland.
Key Headlines
- Major Internal Security Conference Opens Its Doors In Mogadishu (Wacaal Media)
- Somalia Invites Moderate Islamists To Negotiating Table (Garowe Online)
- Puntland President Receives Top Int’l Community Ambassadors In Garowe (Villa Puntland)
- 58000 Children ‘Facing Death’ In Drought-hit Somalia (Al Jazeera English)
- Military Chiefs In Meeting To Boost Somalia War On Terror (Daily Nation)
- The Islamic State Is Running Out of Time In Somalia (Warisboring.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Invites Moderate Islamists To Negotiating Table
09 February – Source: Garowe Online – 188 Words
Somali Federal government has urged paramilitary group of AhluSunna Wal Jamea to embrace peaceful resolutions to disputes with Adado administration, Garowe Online reports. Speaking in Mudug regional district of Hobyo, Interior Minister Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein (Odawa) said, he wants that Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamea be united with Interim Galmudug Administration headquartered in central Somalia town of Adado.
He pressured Galmudug leader Abdikarin Hussein Guled into fresh endeavors aiming at ending the standing differences between both sides. “Mr. President, we encourage you to give attention to Dhusamareb issue, especially Ahlu SunnaWal Jamea with which we held talks during the formation of [IGA). We firmly believe that those in Dhusamareb are part of Galmudug people, and they should come to the negotiating table,” said Odawa.
The Minister asked Ahlu Sunna to resolve every grudge through peaceful means. Remarks have come after months-long standoff over an inclusive administration in central Somalia. The paramilitary group refused to join state-formation convention in Adado in mid-2015, and in subsequent opposition, clashed with Galmudug troops in Guri’el.Ahlu Sunna, moderates linked to Sufi tradition fought in many battles against Al Shabaab militants in central Somalia.
Puntland President Receives Top Int’l Community Ambassadors In Garowe
09 February – Source: Villa Puntland – 271 Words
Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas along with deputy President and members of the cabinet and Parliament has today 09-Feb-2016 received a large delegation consisting of high ranking International community diplomats led by Special Representative of the Secretary General of United Nations, Michael Keating at the state house in Garowe, Villa Puntland Reports.Ambassador from Italy, UK, USA, Ethiopia, IGAD and European Unions among the high level delegation.Shortly after their arrival, the delegation were escorted to Puntland Presidential Palace in Garowe where they held a meeting with President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Deputy President Abdihakin Abdullah Haji Omar Amey and a number of senior government officials.
Speaking at a press briefing immediately after the meeting, His Excellency Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas said that the aim of the visit of this delegation is to hear the opinion and the stand of the people of Puntland towards the process of the upcoming elections in Somalia later this year.“They have come to see the feeling of the people of Puntland whether they are politicians, traditional elders, civil society concerning Somalia peace process and the elections,” said the President.
Similarly, The President has commended the visit of such large number of International diplomats.“I’m happy to receive such a large number of ambassadors here, seeking to know our feeling and listen to our people’s opinions,” The President said.The President has finally unveiled his enthusiasm on helpful results from a three-day long conference that will open in Garowe.The conference between Puntland and the International community will mainly focus on the stand of the people of Puntland on the upcoming elections in the country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
58,000 Children ‘Facing Death’ In Drought-hit Somalia
09 February – Source: Al Jazeera English – 248 Words
More than 58,000 children in drought-hit Somalia will starve to death if they do not receive urgent support, the United Nations has warned.The situation in the country, where dry conditions are exacerbated by an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern, is “alarming and could get worse”, the UN said on Monday.It added that an estimated 4.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and some 950,000 people “struggle every day to meet their food needs”.”The level of malnutrition, especially among children, is of serious concern, with nearly 305,000 children under the age of five years acutely malnourished,” said Peter de Clercq, the UN aid chief for Somalia.”We estimate that 58,300 children face death if they are not treated,” he added
The warnings, based on the latest data collected by the UN, come four years after intense drought and war sparked a famine killing more than 250,000 people.Northern Somali areas, including self-declared independent Somaliland along the Gulf of Aden and semi-autonomous Puntland, are especially hard-hit.”We are deeply concerned … with severe drought conditions intensifying in Puntland and Somaliland, many more people risk relapsing into crisis,” the UN said, calling for $885m in aid.The warning comes as neighbouring Ethiopia struggles to combat its worst droughtfor 30 years.At least 10.2 million people need food aid in Ethiopia, a figure the UN has warned could double within months, leaving a fifth of the population to go hungry.
Military Chiefs In Meeting To Boost Somalia War On Terror
09 February – Source: Daily Nation – 203 Words
Military chiefs from the countries contributing troops in Somalia are in Nairobi to discuss strengthening in their forces in the war-torn country.Military action is expected to be stepped up ahead of elections to be organised by the federal government later this year.
African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) head Francisco Madeira praised Kenya and other countries for helping the fragile administration to build Somalia after more than 20 years without a government.“I would like to pay tribute and acknowledge the efforts of all our soldiers and police officers in the ranks of Amisom, who, in very trying circumstances, are presently holding the Pan-African banner and fighting Al-Shabaab with courage, dedication and enormous personal sacrifice. I thank these are living African heroes,” he said.
Kenya joined Amisom in February 2012, months after sending its troops to Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab.The other countries have been serving under Amisom since 2007.Chief of Defence Forces Samson Mwathethe represented Kenya in Amisom’s military operations coordination committee.The event was also attended by Commissioner for Peace and Security at the African Union Commission Smail Chergui and acting Amisom force commander Mohammedesha Zeyinu. A similar meeting was held in Addis Ababa on September 1, last year.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Godane lived with a seven-million dollar bounty on his head for three years until an American drone strike killed him in 2014. During his tenure, he maintained a strict counter-intelligence regime to keep order, in contrast to Diriye, who is more restricted, ”
The Islamic State Is Running Out of Time In Somalia
08 February – Source: Warisboring.com – 1064 Words
The Islamic State wants to spread its influence wherever it can, and propaganda efforts aimed at the Somali insurgent group — and longtime Al Qaeda affiliate — Al Shabaab have resulted in both high and low-level defections.Yet the Syria and Iraq-based terrorist army has failed to outbid Al Qaeda for control over the group. Al Shabab’s leadership is committed to Al Qaeda, and has attempted to stamp out I.S. influence within its ranks with arrests and assassinations.
Following from these developments, terrorism analysts believe it’s unlikely that the Islamic State will expand significantly in Somalia, at least in the short term. The inter-jihadi conflict shows, in Somalia at least, that there are limits to Islamic State’s model of expansion and recruitment.Thus far, the Islamic State has attempted to divide Al Shabab internally, producing and distributing six videos which the group has distributed inside Somalia, according to Veryan Khan of the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium. “I.S. in [Syria] has put in a strong media effort courting Al Shabab membership,” Khan said.
Other broadcast sources come from within. Shaykh Abdulqadir Mumin — a prominent Somali religious leader — has distributed pro-I.S. sermons, although with more of a footprint in the online world. “Mumin’s influence within Al Shabab is limited, essentially confined to Puntland area, but […] his sermons distributed on the Internet also have [a] moderate following,” Khan added.In October, the Somali splinter group “Sons of Calipha” reportedly distributed pro-Islamic State propaganda materials within Al Shabab’s territory.Al Shabab’s leadership has not taken these moves lightly. Al Shabab chief Ahmed Diriye called for the arrest of 30 alleged Islamic State sympathizers in October. Mohammed Makkawi Ibrahim, a high-ranking Sudanese Al Shabab terrorist who was responsible for the 2008 assassination of a USAID diplomat, was himself reportedly assassinated in 2015 by Al Shabab following his pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State.
Al Shabab’s actions have the growing appearance of a political purge, yet Kahn rules this out. “A purge within Al Shabab does not seem likely. So far, Ahmed Diriye has prioritized ‘arrests’ out of the ‘negotiate, arrest, or purge’ options.” Under Al Shabab’s more loosely-distributed leadership arrangement, a widespread purge may not be possible. “A renewed purge now would probably shift more fighters toward [the Islamic State] and not benefit Ahmed Diriye, as was the case with Al Shabab’s former leader [Ahmed Abdi] Godane, because there are likely more mid- and senior-level independent thinkers now than in 2013 Godane years.”
Godane lived with a seven-million dollar bounty on his head for three years until an American drone strike killed him in 2014. During his tenure, he maintained a strict counter-intelligence regime to keep order, in contrast to Diriye, who is more restricted. “Diriye can’t kill all his opposition like Godane did,” Khan said. “Not without many more negative consequences.”