January 25, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia: Al-Shabaab Attack At Mogadishu Hotel ‘Kills 13’
25 January – Source: Al Jazeera – 320 Words
At least 13 people have been killed in a coordinated gun-and-bomb attack carried out by al-Shabab at a popular hotel in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, according to police.The assault on Wednesday morning began when attackers rammed an explosives-packed car into the gate of Dayah Hotel, which is near Somalia’s parliament in central Mogadishu, and then stormed inside exchanging fire with security guards.
A second massive car bomb blast went off after ambulances and journalists had arrived at the scene, leaving at least four reporters wounded, according to AFP news agency. “At least 13 people, including forces and civilians, died in two blasts at the hotel,” Major Mohamed Ahmed, a police officer, told Reuters news agency. Ahmed said that death toll was expected to rise, adding that at least 12 people were wounded in the attack.
Later on Wednesday, Colonel Abdiqadir Hussein told Reuters that security forces had entered the hotel and managed to secure the building. Witnesses said the powerful explosions caused extensive damage in the area near the hotel, shattering dozens of windows and damaging parked cars. “All the neighbouring houses have been destroyed,” Yusuf Hassan, editor of Somali newspaper Haqiqa Times, told Al Jazeera from the scene. “I see people crying because they have lost their relatives,” he added. “It is really a big tragedy.”
Key Headlines
- Car Bomb Attack Targets Mogadishu Hotel (Aljazeera)
- MSF Returns To Somalia After 3 Years (Kismaayo News)
- 5 Prisoners Freed In Badhaadhe Operation (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia To Hold First Presidential Candidates Debate (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia South Sudan Most Corrupt Uganda Improves In International Rankings (Daily Monitor)
- Reformist Technocrat Seeks To Unseat Somalia President In Upcoming Polls (Standard Media)
NATIONAL MEDIA
MSF Returns To Somalia After 3 Years
25 January – Source: Kismaayo News – 139 Words
Puntland’s Ministry of Health announced MSF will resume operation in Mudug following a recent memorandum of understanding between the regional government and the health organization. The Minister of Health, Dr. Abdinasir Osman Cuuke said there was a lot of effort put into bringing MSF back into Somalia as the non-profit organization pulled out of the country few years ago due to security reasons.
The minister encouraged the people in the areas to take advantage of the services, which are due to resume soon in Mudug. Guatam Chetterjee, the representative of MSF, also said the NGO is glad to resume services in Somalia following exhaustive talks. Doctors with borders (MSF) pulled out of Somalia in August 2013 after increased attacks on MSF employees was reported. MSF worked in Somalia for 22 years providing health services across the country.
35 Prisoners Freed In Badhaadhe Operation
25 January – Source: Hiiraan Online – 94 Words
35 prisoners held by Al-Shabaab were freed in Tuesday’s joint American and Kenyan forces raid on Badhaadhe, Jubaland minister of security has said. Abdirashid Hassan Janan said the prisoners held at the area’s prison were rescued following Tuesday early morning operation that saw the removal of Al-Shabaab militants from the border town of Badhaadhe. The minister welcomed the operation saying the freed hostages were facing imminent danger from Al-Shabaab.
Somalia To Hold First Presidential Candidates Debate
25 January – Source: Goobjoog News – 83 Words
The main contenders in the coming presidential elections will face the public in an open debate the first of its kind in Somalia. A parliamentary committee and the media organizations are finalising the event expected to be held in Mogadishu next week. At least 500 people from the civil servants , students , youth , political parties and civil societies will take part in the debate. The debate will be beamed live to all local TV stations and radios .
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia, South Sudan Most Corrupt, Uganda Improves In International Rankings
25 January – Source: Daily Monitor – 255 Words
Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea and Syria are perceived to be the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s latest annual review that draws on a mix of business and government sources for its rankings. Somalia has held the undesirable title as the world’s most corrupt country for the past 10 years, with a score of 10 on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2016, which ranks countries’ public sector from zero to 100.
Countries with a lower score are deemed to be more corrupt, and are generally characterized by impunity for corruption, poor governance and weak institutions, the report said. Second from the bottom is South Sudan, a relatively new country which only gained its independence from Sudan six years ago, with a score of 11.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Somalia is rich in natural resources including livestock, agriculture, marine and mineral resources. These needs to be tapped to expand economic opportunities for Somali nationals.”
Reformist Technocrat Seeks To Unseat Somalia President In Upcoming Polls
24 January – Source : Standard Media – 973 Words
Will Somalia finally get a reformist technocrat to replace incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the upcoming presidential elections and lift the country’s fortunes from decades of devastating conflict? This is the question dominating political discussions among many Somali nationals amid deep frustrations over failure by current and past politicians to fix security, tackle runaway corruption, restore vital services and enhance good governance. While the incumbent seeks to retain the seat, past leaders are also eyeing the Presidency including former President Sheikh Sharriff Ahmed, and former Prime Ministers Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, Mohammed Abdullahi Farmaajo and Ali Mohammed Gedi. But they all face a difficult task of convincing Somalis that they deserve another chance in office. Among the technocrats attracting growing public attention as a possible successor of the current President is 53-year-old Dr. Ali Haji Warsame, a long-time public finance management specialist with local and international experience.
The man, who served in various top private and public positions as an auditor in the United Arab Emirates and Somalia, insists that there is a serious leadership crisis in the country that is unable to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges including the recurrent devastating drought that has left at least 3.5 million Somali nationals in desperate hunger. “The aspirants who have served as Presidents and former Prime Ministers in the recent past have failed to deliver on what Somali nationals really need. Their past record in office is a clear vote of no-confidence against them,” he said. He further asserted: “All the different elements needed to rebuild Somalia to its former glory are there. The only element which has been lacking is a visionary and technocratic leadership.”
Dr. Warsame, who holds an MBA in Management Information Systems, from the American University in London and is an international certified public accountant, seeks to tap into his long-time professional expertise in public finance to reform what he sees as dismal management of public resources in Somalia. He asserts that precious government resources are getting lost through high-level corruption and bureaucratic wastage, with little action from the political leadership.
TOP TWEETS
@Daudoo: BREAKING: Massive truck bomb targets #Dayahhotel in #Mogadishu, gunmen storm the hotel, heavy exchange of gunfire ongoing. #Somalia
@Abdi_AlSheikh: Police: Gunmen Storm Hotel in Somalia After Bombing – Voice of America http://dlvr.it/NBwcBB #Somalia
@Cropperboyce: A secondary explosion after a suspected suicide car bomber rammed into the gates of a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia http://reut.rs/2krXJwb
@WhoseinMoulid: #Somalia was ranked most corrupt nation on earth, urgent action needs to be taken to thwart corruption!
@Vatescorp: #Somalia: Speaker Jawari Takes Over As The Acting President Ahead Of Presidential Electionshttp://ow.ly/jIMV308jgmx
@UNSomalia: .@UNSomalia strongly condemns today’s suicide bomb attack on Dayax Hotel in #Mogadishu, violent extremists will never triumph in #Somalia
@MikaelLindvall: Somali national bandy team playing World Cup game against China in half an hour. Fingers crossed. :hiiraan.com/news4/2017/Jan… @SweMFA
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali Deputy Minister for Planning and International cooperation Abdullahi Sheikh Ali led a delegation from his ministry to Kuwait City for capacity building training
Photo: Radio Muqdisho