14 Oct 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- MP targeted in bomb attack
- A New Zealand army colonel to advice Somalia defence force and police
- Jerry Rawlings visits Somalia condemns extremist attack
- Government forces place parts of Lower Jubba under their control
- Somalia Premier condemns kidnapping of aid workers
- Kenya: Spanish kidnap victims may already be in Somalia
- Aid work curtailed at Kenyan camp after kidnapping
- Chinese food aid arrives in Somalia
- Somali shops looted in Pretoria South Africa
SOMALI MEDIA
Somalia Premier condemns kidnapping of aid workers
14 Oct- Source: Horseed Media, SONNA, Jowhar Online – 349 words
The Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, has expressed his strong condemnation of the kidnappings of two Spanish doctors, two Kenyans and the injury of their Kenyan driver by gunmen at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya.
“I am deeply saddened by this senseless criminal act. I sympathize with the families and friends of all the victims,” said Prime Minister Dr. Ali. “We do not know yet who was behind the kidnapping; nevertheless, these criminals must be caught and held responsible. The continuous threats of al Shabaab terrorists and bandits to refugees and aid workers in camps are intolerable.”
Prime Minister Ali applauded the Kenyan Police’s pursuit of the kidnappers and expressed his government’s willingness to support the Kenyan authorities in capturing the kidnappers. Dr. Ali also stated that the TFG will work with the crisis team set up to deal with this incident by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
Dadaab Refugee Camp houses 450, 000 refugees and the incident happened near the Ifo camp, one of the three areas that make up Dadaab.
In response to the famine in Somalia, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia created a high-level cabinet committee and, as per its recommendations, established several camps to house and feed Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The Government also established a Disaster Management Agency, comprising members of civil society to work with the United Nations agencies such as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Food Programme to synchronize the efforts of dealing with the famine. Food and other aid were distributed to IDPs without incident in the past month.
Prime Minister Dr. Ali stressed the urgency of strengthening the security in and around all Refugee Camps, particularly, in these times when the people of the region are experiencing the worst drought in more than half a century and hundreds of thousands are housed in these camps.
Prime Minister Dr. Ali said that the protection of vulnerable people and aid workers must be prioritized.
http://horseedmedia.net/2011/
Government forces place parts of Lower Jubba under their control
14 Oct- Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA- 161 words
Somali government forces have taken control of new bases that used to be al Shabaab strongholds in the Lower Jubba regions in a massive military offensive that took place on Thursday night.
The government forces dismantled road blocks that were placed on roads that served as a revenue collection for the extremists militant group.
Al Shabaab put up a fierce fight but later succumbed to the government forces, losing most of its fighters in the assault.
Ahmed Mohamed, a senior TFG military commander stationed in Tubta village, Lower Jubba, said that the forces killed 40 radical militants allied to al Shabaab and seized a large batch of weapons and explosive devices.
“The operations will last until the extremists and their sympathizers are flushed out completely from Somalia” Ahmed told radio Mogadishu.
Elsewhere, calm has returned in that region after the government forces took control of most regions.
Local residents have welcomed the government operations in Mogadishu and the other regions of the country and have denounced al Shabaab.
Kenya police hunts kidnappers in the border
14 Oct- Source: Radio Kulmiye – 124 words
Two female Spanish aid workers have been taken at gunpoint from a refugee camp in Kenya in the third kidnapping of foreigners in the country in just over a month.
Police has blamed Islamic rebels from neighbouring Somalia.
Kenyan and Somali security forces are searching for the women along the border region which has been sealed off.
Kenyan authorities have previously expressed fears that Islamist extremists would infiltrate the Dadaab camp from Somalia, which lies about 100 kilometres away.
A New Zealand army colonel to advice Somalia defence force and police
14 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 171 words
The United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon has on Friday appointed a New Zealand Army colonel to advise the Somali defence force and police.
Colonel Anthony Howie who will be based in the neighbouring Kenyan capital, Nairobi will take up the 12-month position next month.
He will regularly visit the Somali capital Mogadishu and travel throughout the war-torn country. Colonel Howie said that despite some progress, Somalia continued to be a failed state which made the UN Mission a particularly difficult.
He said the security situation fluctuates and peacekeeping forces struggle with limited resources to create secure conditions for political reform and is further exacerbated by the ongoing drought.
Colonel Howie has led overseas deployments twice before: in the Sinai in 1993 and in Iraq in 2004.
He is a senior officer in the Army’s Reserve Forces and has been granted special leave from his current employer, the Department of Corrections.
Somali ambassador to Kenya condemns kidnapping of two aid workers at Dabaab refugee camp
13 Oct- Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somliareport- 74 words
The Somali ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Noor condemned the kidnapping of two MSF aid workers which took place in Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya. Two humanitarian aid working for MSF Spain were abducted and their drivers shot and injured. The Somali ambassador expressed his disappointment of how Somali individuals would kidnap humanitarian workers helping the displaced Somalis “I’m urging those who did this actions to release them as soon as possible”.
Somali shops looted in Pretoria, South Africa
14 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 118 words
At least two Somali nationals have been injured and a hundred Somali-owned shops looted in Artridgeville, 15 km from Pretoria city, South Africa.
The chaos erupted shortly after a Somali shop-owner allegedly shot dead a South African woman who was part of a group of people trying to loot his shop on Thursday afternoon.
South African police have reportedly managed to salvage the remaining Somali-owned properties as hundreds of Somalis and Ethiopians sought refuge in the area’s police stations.
Reports say armed police were sent into the area to protect the foreigners but angry residents pelted the police vehicles with stones when they arrived at the shops.
Police evacuated foreigners including, mainly Somalis and Ethiopians from the area.
MP targeted in bomb attack
14 Oct- Source: Somaliareport, Jowhar Online, Radio Mogadishu- 55 words
A member of the Somali parliament has been targeted by a bomb blast in Mogadishu, losing a leg in the incident near Banadir Hospital. “The bomb targeted the vehicle of the legislator as he was going to his home near the Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu” Abdi Noor Mohamud, a shopkeeper who witnessed the blast told Somaliareport.
REGIONAL MEDIA
UN coordinator in Somalia speaks to AJE
13 Oct- Source: Aljazeera- 52 words
The UN coordinator in Somalia, Mark Bowden speaks to al Jazeera about the impact the spate of kidnappings are having on the international relief movement that is helping the displaced.
The interview comes after members of the Somalian rebel group al Shabaab abducted two female Spanish aid workers from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Peacekeepers deny killing journalist
14 Oct- Source: Daily Nation (Kenya) – 91 words
The Burundian army today rejected the conclusion of an inquiry commission indicating that its peacekeepers killed a Malaysian journalist in Somalia.
The report said four Burundian troops from African Union Peacekeeping mission in Somalia killed a Malaysian journalist on September 2.
“The military of national defense and war veterans has not welcomed news reports by foreign and international media accusing four Burundian peacekeepers serving for AMISOM (of Killing the Malaysian journalist) while conclusions of investigations have not yet published” said the press release signed by Colonel Gaspard Baratuza, Burundi’s army spokesman.
Jerry Rawlings visits Somalia, condemns extremist attack
14 Oct – Source: Ghanaweb – 701 words
Former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings, who is the African Union High Representative for Somalia, visited Mogadishu to console bereaved families of a recent suicide attack as well as to inspire the government to keep up with its political and military transformation in order to prepare the country for elections scheduled for August next year.
Speaking after meeting Somali President Sheikh Sharif and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali as well as AMISOM commanders, Rawlings noted that Mogadishu is slowly recovering from the protracted war and condemned a recent suicide attack in Mogadishu by Al-Shabaab extremists which killed over 80 people and wounded more than 100 others. Most of the fatalities were Somali students hoping to pursue further studies in Turkey.
“My main reason for coming was to come and express my condolence to the parents through the government for those who lost their lives and to actually make them understand that this kind of cowardly and brutal behavior by the extremists is an admission of their military failure and this is why they had to resort to picking on some target, to picking on innocents which am afraid will only cost them politically,” Rawlings said after his one day visit to Mogadishu before away.
The former Ghanian leader said that he discussed with Somali leaders about the ongoing peace efforts and hopes to see Somali politicians coming together to steer the country past the current transition period which is impeding the much needed reconstruction efforts the war ravaged country badly needs.
“The military push seems to be far ahead of the political move, the political transformation, the political process that should be taking place. The sooner we close the gap the better it will be for all of us. I think in itself will generate a very healthy atmosphere among the public that we are serious about going through the transition and ending the transition as early as possible so that we can have a nationally elected institutions into the executive offices,” He said, referring to the recent military successes by Somali forces and AU peacekeepers against Al-Shabaab militants who have now been pushed out of the city.
Mr. Rawlings, whose first visit in January coincided with a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of a severe drought, said that he was pleased with the humanitarian response but called for robust mechanism to make sure the aid reaches the worst affected regions in south and central Somalia. The pathetic conditions of tens of thousands of Somalis affected by a severe drought in Somalia many of who have fled into Mogadishu and living in squalid camps with little food or medical care has attracted world attention prompting many leaders to visit Somalia in a bid to show solidarity with the affected population.
“There is a much healthier atmosphere in terms of the social and economic activity. There is a very busy environment which I think reflects a very healthy sign. Some areas are receiving the necessary humanitarian assistance and medication but it is how to get the aid into the needy areas in the hinterland that really matters now,” he added.
The 63 year old former President of Ghana was named as the Africa Union’s High Representative to Somalia in October 2010 and tasked with mobilizing the continent and the rest of the international community to fully assume its responsibilities and contribute more actively to the quest for peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia.
He believes African countries are positively contributing towards helping Somalia attain peace but calls upon more support in order to help the once powerful country of Somalia to stand on its feet and claim its rightful place among other nations.
“There is a lot of hope otherwise Africans would not have deployed their troops on the ground suffering, sacrificing and dying for fellow Somalians to see a nation stand back on its feet. In terms of the contributions that also took place I think it is a very healthy sign that this is the first time we have embarked on this kind of request for Africans to give up themselves and I think they have done pretty well. It may not be that much but it is a beginning,” Rawlings added with a smile looking relaxed.
http://www.ghanaweb.com/
Brothers in Arms: a paradise lost
13 Oct- Source: Nairobi Star- 1317 words
It’s too bad more of us don’t suffer from nostalgia. The anguish in Somalia over the last two decades has become so awfully commonplace it’s virtually invisible to the rest of the world. In a war-torn country infested with al Shabaab, clan warlords and an imperceptible central government, it’s difficult to remember the castles, citadels, stone cities and celebrated culture that once permeated this paradise lost.
As a peacekeeping operation, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), effective through the approval of the United Nations, was created by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council in 2007. Consisting of 9,000 peacekeepers in Mogadishu currently, it comprises of military, political, police and humanitarian workers. In an attempt to stabilize the upheaval, their mandate is to secure access for the provision of humanitarian assistance. AMISOM endeavours to create conditions that are conducive to reconstruction and sustainable development in Somalia.
Together with the Transitional Federal Government forces (TFG), AMISOM also works to free key points in the city from the Al Shabaab terror campaign. Through mentoring and monitoring the Somali Police Force (SPF) to meet international standards, they allow the emerging administration breathing room to secure critical infrastructure essential to constructive change.
Photographed by AMISOM combat soldiers themselves, the ‘Brothers in Arms’ exhibition at the Nairobi National Museum consists of 28 photographs selected from a series of shots taken in Mogadishu over the last 12 months. The images are complemented by an impressionable film on the daily realities faced in Mogadishu. Both the photography and film are part of a travelling exhibition that will pass through Uganda to Burundi.
The majority of photographs at ‘Brothers in Arms’ were taken by Kate Holt, a photojournalist born in Zimbabwe, who earlier this year provided photographic training to the Ugandan and Burundian AMISOM soldiers. Stephen Mugambi, Emmanuel Mucunguzi, Jean Claude Mbayisenga and Baker Tumusime all photographed images examining the conflict in the region.
They were able to capture intimate details of the lives of both civilians and soldiers on the frontline.
It’s said that AMISOM troops live where they fight and fight where they live. The soldiers endure gruelling conditions in their genuine struggle to assist the innocent and Holt hopes to have portrayed their hard work in some of her photographs. In throwing an exhibition for social awareness, especially regarding a subject matter so controversial and so overcooked, the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team (AU/UN-IST) has to be very particular about the information propagated.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Aid work curtailed at Kenyan camp after kidnapping
14 Oct- Source: AP- 114 words
A spokeswoman says the U.N. has temporarily suspended all non-lifesaving aid operations in the world’s biggest refugee camp following the kidnapping of two Spanish aid workers near the Kenya-Somalia border.
Hundreds of staff have been confined to their offices while services like education, counseling and relocation of families have been canceled until further notice.
U.N. refugee agency spokeswoman Needa Jehu-Hoyah said Friday that only water, food and health services are being maintained. She says the ban on nonessential movement would remain in place until further notice.
Gunmen suspected to be from Somalia seized two Spanish women working for Doctors Without Borders on Thursday from the Dadaab refugee camp and drove toward the Somali border.
Senior UN official voices indignation as aid workers are abducted in Kenya
13 Oct- Source: UN- 164 words
The head of the United Nations refugee agency today voiced shock and indignation at the violent abduction from the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya of two female aid workers and the shooting of their driver.
“These MSF [Médecins Sans Frontières] colleagues were working to rescue lives,” said Ant�³nio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “It is wholly unacceptable that they should be made targets for kidnap. I appeal to those responsible to facilitate their immediate and safe return.”
The two MSF staff members were abducted from the Ifo extension area of the camps at around 1:20 p.m. local time. Their driver was shot and is receiving medical treatment in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Media reports quoted Kenyan police as saying that the hostage-takers are suspected to be members of the Somali militant group known as al Shabaab.
Kenya sealed the border with Somalia after the abduction and mobilized the military and the police to search for the hostages, according to the press reports.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/
Chinese food aid arrives in Somalia
14 Oct- Source: People’s Daily – 163 words
The World Food Programme (WFP) began to hand out relief grain to famine-stricken refugees in Somalia on Oct. 13. The 16 million U.S. dollars worth of support comes from China’s donations.
This is the second round of aid from China since the famine disaster broke out in the Horn of Africa this year. To date, people in this area have received a total of 443.2 million yuan of food aid and remittance of food aid, which is the largest sum in the foreign aid history of the People’s Republic of China. The aid made it to the affected area through both bilateral channels and multilateral channels.
It is reported that fund contributions from China to WFP have surpassed 20 million US dollars, which greatly helps this international organization in fighting against starvation. The aforementioned 16 million US dollars’ aid makes WFP capable of expanding its capacity to 1.7 million hungry people, which includes enough food to feed 100,000 malnourished children for a month.
http://english.peopledaily.
Kenya: Spanish kidnap victims may already be in Somalia
14 Oct- Source: Telegraph- 109 words
Air and land operations launched at first light along the unmarked frontier between the two countries.
But Leo Nyongesa, the regional police commander in the area, said that “there are all indications that that they are on the other side [of the border]”.
Life-saving work continues in Dadaab, a complex of four sprawling villages housing 480,000 Somalis fleeing war and famine in their own country.
But non-essential missions have been cancelled amid urgent reviews of security measures, said Emmanuel Nyabera, spokesman for the UN refugee agency.
Any further restrictions on the work of international humanitarian operations could have a severe impact on efforts to help the refugees, he said.