February 17, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali Troops ‘Repel’ Major Militants Attack On Town Near Mogadishu
17 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 231 Words
Somali troops have repelled a large scale attack by the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group on the agricultural town of Afgoye, near the Somali capital Mogadishu, officials saidTuesday. Residents in the town said they heard blasts and gunfire as dozens of armed militants attacked checkpoints manned by Somali troops and military bases before troops pushed them back. It was the largest attack by Al-Shabaab to recapture the town, one of Somalia’s abundant agricultural areas they lost to the allied forces in 2011, with officials said that suicide bombers were involved in the attack.
The attackers have reportedly occupied parts of the town during the overnight attack before Somali forces have counter-attacked and retaken the full control of the town. However, Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Muscab, a military spokesman for Al-Shabaab has claimed his fighters captured the town ‘fully’ and killed a ‘number’ of soldiers during the attack, a claim dismissed by Somali military officials. The latest assault shows that the militants group is retaining capability to move across the country as parts of its deadly insurgency aimed at recapturing the areas it lost to the allied forces in the past few years. Despite the challenges, Somalia’s prime minister has vowed in September last year that his government would push militants out of the areas still under their control in 2016, a year Somalia proposed to hold presidential elections.
Key Headlines
- Somali Troops ‘Repel’ Major Militants Attack On Town Near Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- Al-Shabaab Kills Young Man In Buloburde District After Being Hostage For Five Months (Goobjoog News)
- Slow Internet Casts Doubt On Somaliland’s Voter Registration Process (Hiiraan Online)
- Jubbaland Parliament Passes 2016 Budget (Goobjoog News)
- Leaders of Galmudug Interim Administration Share Views On 2016 Electoral Process With International(UNSOM)
- Somali Security Forces Trained On Safety Of Journalists And Freedom Of Expression (Reliefweb)
- Centralized Somalia Aid Fuels Conflict (Garowe Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Al-Shabaab Kills Young Man In Buloburde District After Being Hostage For Five Months
17 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 202 Words
A man abducted from Buloburde town by Al-Shabaab was killed after the group pulled him from his house five months ago, officials said Wednesday. According to the administration, the body of the man with four bullet wounds was found in the outskirt of the town. Sources said negotiations to release the man were led by local elders who however, failed to convince the group. Buloburde District Commissioner, Abdiaziz Durow who spoke to Goobjoog News said the man was not a government employee or NGO worker.
“It is true, he was killed in cold blood. The gunmen knew they were being pursued and were under pressure to escape,” said Durow. Al-Shabab has laid one year siege on Buloburde town, as well as several other towns recovered by AMISOM and SNA in the past one and half years. The siege has brought inconsiderable amount of suffering to the local population, food prices have skyrocketed, aid agencies couldn’t access the hunger stricken people. There are no ongoing initiatives to reopen the blocked roads by Al-Shabaab in the district as to improve the accessibility of the major town by humanitarian aid agencies and large trucks transporting essential goods and services.
Slow Internet Casts Doubt On Somaliland’s Voter Registration Process
17 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 245 Words
As the breakaway state of Somaliland continues registering voters across the enclave for the upcoming presidential elections, some potential voters in the enclave were frustrated by long lines and poor internet connections that led to hours of delays. The region now heads into the final months of an election season which would see the ruling party contesting against coalition of opposition parties. Elders and residents in Awdal region complained that the process did not meet their expectations, urging the electoral commission to address the persistent problem.
“Whether the problem is the internet or the people they employed is a matter that should be address without delay.” said Ibrahim Jama Samatar, one of the region’s elders at a press conference Tuesday. The elders warned that further delays to address the technical problems would discourage people from participating voter registrations. No comment could be reached from the electoral commission on the development.
Opposition parties have earlier endorsed the ongoing registration process, urging the electoral commission to assist the government in facilitating the exercise in order for the election to go ahead on schedule. President Ahmed Silanyo has earlier declared Togdher region as the launching point for the voter registration process, despite challenges facing the region which was recently engulfed by draughts and water shortages. Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia has declared a unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991; however, no country has yet recognized it as an independent state.
Jubbaland Parliament Passes 2016 Budget
17 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 133 Words
Lawmakers in Somalia’s Jubbaland parliament have passed a new budget totaling USD $12,372,273 for 2016 fiscal year after hours of intense debate on Tuesday. Of the 51 MPs in the parliament, 40 lawmakers voted in favor of the new state budget 9 members rejected, while two others abstained. The endorsed budget was submitted by the Ministry of Finance weeks ago. This moves comes after the ministry of finance was grilled about the financial records of Jubbaland state.
The Finance Minister set higher expectations in the revenues of government and international assistance over the upcoming year while speaking in the parliament. The chairman of the financial committee and audit in the assembly Ali Abdi Mohamud also confirmed the budget ratification. Government is heavily dependent on the revenues being generated from Kismayo seaport.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Leaders of Galmudug Interim Administration Share Views On 2016 Electoral Process With International
17 February – Source: UNSOM – 212 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in Somalia, Michael Keating, led a delegation of ambassadors and senior representatives of the international community – the African Union, the European Union, Sweden, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya – on a visit to Cadaado today for meetings with Galmudug Interim Administration President Abdikarim Hussein Guled and local leaders.
Members of the delegation heard views on the Federal Government’s decision on an electoral model for 2016, plans for its implementation, and proposals for a Road Map to 2020 which will eventually lead to ‘one person, one vote’ elections. In addition to President Guled, the delegation met with members of his cabinet, the Deputy Speaker and members of the Galmudug Regional Assembly, leaders from civil society and traditional elders.
Concerns were expressed about the method for selecting that legislature’s Upper House but all affirmed their acceptance of the Federal Government’s decision on the electoral model. They expressed concern that as a new Administration, Galmudug should receive particular attention for its security and development needs. “We had a healthy exchange of views in Cadaado,” said SRSG Keating at the end of the visit. “Leaders from the regional parliament, elders and civil society were clear about their expectations, both of the Federal Government and of the international community”.
Somali Security Forces Trained On Safety Of Journalists And Freedom Of Expression
16 February – Source: Reliefweb – 481 Words
UNESCO, in cooperation with United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), organised a three-day training workshop for security forces on safety of journalists and freedom of expression from 28 to 30 January 2016 in Mogadishu, Somalia. The training was based on UNESCO’s Training Manual on Freedom of Expression and Public Order that aims at promoting transparency, facilitating and improving relations between security forces and the media, and also encouraging respect for the safety of journalists in the field to promote freedom of expression, particularly in the context of democratic transitions and post conflict situations.
The training attracted 30 participants comprising of 26 men and 4 women drawn from the Ministry of Security and National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) in Mogadishu, Somalia. It was a follow up to a similar training workshop held last year from 2 to 4 June 2015 and was also a direct follow-up to the implementation of a priority identified by stakeholders on the safety of journalists so that lines of dialogue can be opened and agreement between media, government and key state institutions with a common strategy to deal with the media can be found.
During the workshop, participants were taken through thematic topics on how to communicate with the media; operational safety procedures when dealing with the media; journalism, democracy and freedom of expression; and how security forces can ensure that journalists can access the information they need. The workshop was facilitated by an expert from the Montreal Police, Canada, who employed a mix methodology comprising of presentations, group discussions, question-and-answers sessions, and practical exercises aimed at assisting participants to understand the various concepts and issues raised during the workshop.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“For instance, the World Bank through negotiation with all stakeholders allocated funds for each Zone in Somalia, by maintaining balance in working with the federal government and member states. This balanced decentralization and harmonization model of the World Bank has been producing fair resources distribution and smooth implementation of projects with tangible results.”
Centralized Somalia Aid Fuels Conflict
16 February – Source: Garowe Online – 581 Words
Aid resources and its distribution are critical issues in Somalia which can complicity exacerbate conflict if not handled well. Anyone with basic knowledge about the history and dynamics of Somali conflict knows well that violence has often been fueled by grievances over inequalities of resources distribution mainly due to abuses in powers concentrated in the hands of corrupt authoritarian regimes and other actors in the post conflict.
I trust that international partners are acting in good faith. However, I am inclined to believe that operating with humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence as well as context specific strategy is the best instruments for aid resources management ensuring best results for beneficiaries. Therefore, I would like to call the attention of the international partners on the importance of fair resource distribution in Somalia. In reference to this issue, there is serious concern over how aid resources have been allocated and distributed in Somalia over the last few years.
First, donations from the non-traditional donors (Middle East countries and Turkey) have been disproportionately concentrated in and around the Capital city (Mogadishu) creating imbalance and marginalization of the peripheral regions including Puntland state of Somalia. Furthermore, these donations are usually channeled through the Federal government which either lacks the capacity or the political will to fairly distribute donations received in the name of Somalia.
Secondly, inequalities in aid resources distribution have severely worsened in the last few years due to the New Deal Architecture emphasizing centralized aid management system. In risk voyage from the humanitarian principles the New Deal placed aid resources management under the incompetent and corrupted leadership of the Federal government with the intent to contribute state and peace building goals.
TOP TWEETS
@SFRSomalia : #Somalia‘s Information #Minister Mr. Mareye meddles with the Union of Somali National Journalists#leadership. #Fact
@DroneReads: A Somali official says an armed US drone has crash in #Somalia, contradicting
@USAfricaCommand http://leadership.ng/news/
@Rooble2009 : Somali Plane Bomber Was Known as Religious but Not Extremist – http://abcn.ws/1QjI765 #Somalia
@AbdulBillowAli : My report: Security at #Mogadishu #Airporttightened after #Daallo Airbus #bombing in #Somalia.https://youtu.be/TKbvC6aWo8k
@Vatescorp : #Somalia: #AlShabaab kills man in Buloburde district after being hostage for 5 months http://ow.ly/YpR0V
@littlebytesnews : RT @MFS001: #Somalia plane bomber used ‘fake’ letter from Somali Embassy in Ankara, #Turkey.http://www.mfs-theothernews.
@yhassan_ : #Mogadishu‘s centralized federalism will not work. #Somalia needs rebuilding trust, credible institutions & addressing war legacy & autonomy
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Police female band plays the Somali national anthem at a ceremony in Mogadishu
Photo: @SalahOsman0