03 Nov 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Djibouti to add 850 soldiers to AU Force in Somalia
- TFG reported increased income from the Mogadishu port
- Tribal elders denied al Shabaab ties
- Somalis brace for Kenyan air assault
- Kenya ‘enjoying freedom of action’ in Somalia
- Al Shabaab attack Somalia-Kenya border student killed
- Kenya says it will bomb planes with arms in Somalia
SOMALI MEDIA
Djibouti to add 850 soldiers to AU Force in Somalia
03 Nov – Source: Radio Kulmiye, Bar-kulan, Shabelle, Jowhar Online – 114 words
Djibouti will send about 850 soldiers to an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia this month, a spokesman for the mission said yesterday. The Djiboutian troops will join roughly 9,000 soldiers from Uganda and Burundi, serving the African Union mission in Somalia supporting the Somali government since 2007.
The tiny Horn of African country becomes the third country to sent troops to Somalia after a series of unmet promises from a number of African nations.
The AU peacekeeping force is currently set at 12,000 troops, but peacekeeping officials hope for at least 20,000. Uganda is said to be sending 2,000 more of its own soldiers to join the peacekeeping force in Mogadishu.
TFG reported increased income from the Mogadishu port
02 Nov – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 88 words
The director of Mogadishu port, Ali Mohamed Ahmed, said the financial income from the harbor has increased through taxation on imported and exported goods. The director also pointed out that the education of the workers and infrastructure has been improved. “The financial income we received last month is much better than what we used to received in the past few years. It`s due to the education given to the workers” said the director. Mogadishu port is one of the biggest sources of the venue for the TFG.
Tribal elders denied al Shabaab ties
03 Nov – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 194 words
A group of traditional tribal leaders from the Eyr sub-clan have apparently denied that they had talks with al Shabaab fighters in the outskirt of Mogadishu.
Speaking at a press conference the most important of these men responded to the groups claims of being negotiated with them outside the capital Mogadishu.
“We (are in) now way associated with al Shabaab; they kill our sons, our intellectuals, our lovers and they be headed our brothers; we condemn the groups assertion of spreading propaganda through the media” said one of the elders.
Somaliland police officer gunned down in northern Somalia
03 Nov – Source: Shabelle, Bar-Kulan – 159 words
A Somaliland police officer was gunned down by unknown and heavily armed men in the centre of Eri Gabo town of Sanag region in northern Somalia. Witnesses and officials said the gunmen escaped from the scene shortly after the shooting. The murder of the officer sparked tension and clash between armed men and Somaliland forces inside the town.
Col. Abdirashid Dhunkal, Somaliland official, told Shabelle Media Network that the armed confrontation erupted after the gunmen entered the town of Eri Gabo and opened fire, killing one Somaliland officer. Dhunkal added that they killed three armed men, whom he accused them of being SSC guerrilla, and injured four others. He noted they also seized seven individuals.
http://www.shabelle.net/
Pirates reportedly bribe their way out from Somaliland prison
02 Nov – Source: Somalia Report – 230 words
Two Somali pirates, including one of Somalia’s most famous seafaring criminals, have escaped from Berbera Jail after bribing their prison guards, officials and residents in the Somaliland Port Said. The two escapees – bumbling and publicity-hungry Farah Ismail Idle and Abdirashid Ismail Haji – and another six individuals were the first Somali pirates’ sentence to prison terms by Somaliland in 2008.
“Two pirates escaped from Berbera jail, and we are investigating how they escaped: I don’t want to talk deeply this case, we heard they escaped after paying a bribe, and we will investigate,” a police officer in Berbera told SomaliaReport.
Idle is still in Berbera, while Abdirashid Ismail Haji went to Puntland and joined his old friends, also pirates, in Bari Region, residents said. Pirates used some of the ransom from the MV Dover to release these two pirates from Berbera Jail, according to a member of the pirate group that received $3.8 million for the vessel.
“As a number of them are relatives of these two escaped pirates, they were planning how to get their relatives released,” Muhammad Ahmad told Somalia Report. “I heard last night that Farah and Abdirashid got out, it is good news.”
Ahmad said that more than $100,000 was paid to secure the release of the two men. In October, Somaliland officers denied that a number of pirates had escaped jails in Hargeisa.
Somaliland: Government crack down on so-called illegal workers
03 Nov – Source: Somaliland Press – 206 words
The Government calls upon and informs employers in the country to suspend and release the duties that foreign employees have in the country. Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Ms. Ilhan Mohamed Jama said that her ministry is hundred percent committed in fulfilling the decision of expelling all illegal foreigners in the country. For this reason, it is not necessary for companies and hotels where illegal workers that do not have work permits are employed; the Minister urges and calls on employers to order work permits for their employees.
The press release issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs states the following:
“After having convinced myself the importance of carrying out, putting in to effect and following up when it comes to the implementation of Somaliland civil labour law number 31/2004. After having seen the rampant and widespread unemployment in the country and the importance for creating employment opportunities for Somaliland people. After having seen that there are many foreigners who are staying in Somaliland or who do not have work permits and are doing tasks that citizens can.”
http://somalilandpress.com/
Injured militants die in Baidoa, Bay region
03 Nov – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 132 words
Reports from Baidoa town say three al Shabaab militants died of injuries they sustained on Tuesday night following a fatal road accident at Ramo Adey area, 40 km from Dinsor town, Bay region. The three were reportedly among five militants who were taken to Baidoa hospital for treatment after being involved in a road accident. Reports say the trio died in their hospital beds while still undergoing medical treatment.
On Tuesday night, at least five militants died and eight others were seriously injured when the vehicle they were travelling in crashed and rolled several times in an area between Baidoa and Dinsor.
The accident involved a pick-up-truck ferrying several al Shabaab militants from Baidoa to Kismayo who were allegedly reinforcing other militant fighters in Lower Jubba in preparation for battle with Kenyan troops.
Al Shabaab attack Somalia-Kenya border, student killed
03 Nov – Source: Shabelle, Bulshoweyn Online – 127 words Fighters loyal to Somalia’s al Shabaab have attacked the Somalia-Kenya border near Elwak town, Somali officials said today. Ahmed Abdi Arab, the Spokesman of Somali government forces in Gedo region told Shabelle that insurgent fighters launched a hit and run attack on a house settled by Kenyan official situated on the Kenya-Somalia border.
The attack took place while the Kenyan official was out of his house. Sources told Shabelle that the official’s family was inside the house at the time of the attack and that a student was killed. He stated that al Shabaab fighters inflicted more problems on women and children in the attacked house. The assailants escaped from the scene immediately after the attack.
http://www.shabelle.net/
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenya says it will bomb planes with arms in Somalia
03 Nov – Source: Gulf Today – 228 words
A Kenyan military spokesman said on Wednesday fighter aircraft will destroy weapons Kenya says were flown into Somalia on two planes and delivered to militants.
Kenya’s military on Tuesday said it had reliable information that two aircraft landed in the Somali town of Baidoa with weapons on board intended for al Shabaab militants. Spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir said on Wednesday that Kenyan military planes would target and attack those weapons so they cannot be used.
Chirchir has warned that the Kenyan military will attack 10 Somali towns where it believes al Shabaab has a presence and advised civilians to stay away from al Shabaab camps. Kenyan forces moved into Somalia in mid-October to attack insurgents.
Al Shabaab insurgents claimed on Tuesday that they attacked a convoy of Kenyan troops in the south of the war-torn country and caused casualties. Regional al Shabaab commander Sheik Mohammed Ibrahim and witnesses said the ambush occurred between the villages of Taabto and Dobley.
“We ambushed the enemy convoy this afternoon and inflicted heavy casualties on them. The mujahideen fighters destroyed several of the military trucks in the convoy,” Ibrahim said.
“We heard heavy gunfire and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) fired but we don’t know the casualties,” an elder in Taabto, Abdirahman Osman, told AFP. “The Kenyan troops often use that road which links Dobley and Taabto but the firefight this afternoon was very intense.”
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/
Kenya Armed Forces continue with operations against al-Shabaab
02 Nov – Source: Coast week, Xinhua – 415 words
Kenya’s military said it would push ahead with its advances into southern Somalia despite confirmations of arms shipment in support of Al-Shabaab.
Military spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said the troops will continue to launch major offensive against the insurgents blamed for a series of abductions in Kenya and who were receiving arms from unknown place.
“We are well prepared for a major offensive against Al-Shabaab. “The deliveries of arms will not deter us from moving ahead with our mission,” Chirchir said on Wednesday.
Speaking on a local radio station, Chirchir reiterated his Tuesday warning that air strikes against the Somali militia targets were imminent to prevent the weapons reaching militant bases.
“Today morning we have heard positive confirmation that there was another landing of aircraft with weapons.”This was delivered in areas around Baidoa.
“We are aware two other planes landed there yesterday (Tuesday),” the army spokesman told the station. He vowed that their troops are well equipped and will continue pushing forward and ensure that liberated areas are occupied by the Transitional Government of Somalia soldiers.
The military spokesman said Kenya was keenly tracing the armaments delivered to Al-Shabaab militants as part of Kenya’s strategy to “weaken the enemy.”
http://www.coastweek.com/3443_
Al Shabaab to use human shields
03 Nov – Source: the Standard – 930 words
Al Shabaab plans to use civilians as human shields in some of the 10 towns targeted for attack by the Kenya Defence Forces, and many are now living in fear. The militia is preventing civilians in the towns from leaving and fear has gripped many as they await possible air strikes.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said on Tuesday it planned “imminent” air raids on militant bases and warned residents to stay clear of them. “Al Shabaab ordered us to stay and die at the hands of Kenya, to dwell in paradise,” Abdikadir Weydow, a resident of the southern Somali town of Afmadow, told Reuters.
Afmadow, a rebel bastion and strategic transit point for contraband smuggled through rebel-controlled Kismayu port, is seen as a likely flashpoint for a confrontation between Kenyan forces and Al Shabaab militants.
Kenyan and Somali Government troops, as well as militia nominally allied to Somali Government, have set up forward positions close to Afmadow.
In numerous other towns, including Baardheere, Baidoa, and Afgoye, many people were preparing to escape, hoping to lie low in the bush or reach the Kenyan frontier.
“We are determined to flee to the jungle. We cannot stay in a town which is to be bombed,” said Baardheere resident, Yusuf Guled. Others too poor to afford transport, or with elderly relatives, were hunkering down, bracing for an aerial assault.
http://www.standardmedia.co.
Militants attack border guest house
02 Nov – Source: Daily Nation – 308 words
Suspected Al-Shabaab militiamen raided a lodge and a home in Mandera Central on Wednesday. According to police, the owner of the home could have been targeted owing to his links with Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
The militants struck E-Guest House in Elwak at 2.30am Wednesday before proceeding to the residence of a prominent Somali, seven kilometres from the Kenya-Somalia border. The 20-room guesthouse is said to be used occasionally by the TFG soldiers and the attackers used a Bazooka (rocket propelled weapon) to bomb the place.
A bomb that had not detonated could be seen still lodged in the walls of the guesthouse. However, no one was injured in the attack and the owner of the house is said to have been away on Hajj in Mecca. His metallic gate was partially blown off and the wall bullet-riddled.
The man is from Somalia, but has settled in Kenya where he is doing business. The local administration told the Nation that it is suspected he could have been targeted as the TFG soldiers use some of his facilities at Burhache Town in Somalia.
North Eastern Police boss Leo Nyongesa confirmed the incident, but said since the attackers were not seen, the missile could have been propelled from the border.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/
Kenya’s Department of Defence has said it is confident its troops ‘will enjoy freedom of action in Somalia for a long time’ because they have effectively suppressed Al Shabaab threats.
Army Spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir told Capital News in an interview that even if the Al Qaeda-linked militant group continued to arm itself, the war against them will not stop. “Let them bring as much [arms] as they can and we are going to reduce them as much as we can,” Chirchir said.
He was confident the troops will dominate the war front despite massive armament sourced by Al Shabaab and delivered to them in Baidoa since Tuesday.
Two planeloads of weapons landed in Baidoa, Southern Somalia on Tuesday and the third was sighted on Wednesday, according to the army spokesman who has warned of imminent attacks deep inside the war torn country.
“We are going to enjoy freedom of action in Somalia for a long time. In these particular areas where our troops are we are going to enjoy freedom of action for a long time,” he boasted, citing minimal weapons in the hands of the enemy.
“Any threats that they might imagine to deliver to our troops, we are going to ensure we reduce it to a level that they won’t be able to function as a coherent force,” he said.
Citing intelligence reports on the ground, Chirchir said they were aware that Al Shabaab were running out of military hardware “and that is why they are flying in weapons.”
“Right now we know that Al Shabaab is running low in terms of military hardware. We have managed to considerably reduce their effectiveness so what they are doing now is trying to build up and in targeting these towns, we want to reduce their effectiveness completely,” he declared.
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalis brace for Kenyan air assault
02 Nov – Source: Reuters – 748 words
Somalia braced for Kenyan air attacks on Wednesday and Islamist militants stopped civilians from fleeing at least one likely strike zone.
Kenya, which sent troops into lawless Somalia nearly three weeks ago to crush the al Shabaab militant network, said on Tuesday it planned “imminent” air raids on militant bases and warned residents to stay clear of them.
Kenya’s warning of air bombardments was prompted by reports the al Qaeda-linked militants had received two consignments of weapons, flown into the rebel-controlled town of Baidoa. Eritrea dismissed media reports it had delivered the arms cache as “outright lies” meant to dirty its reputation.
Some 24 hours after Kenya gave its warning, there were no raids reported in the ten rebel strongholds where it had advised civilians to stay clear of insurgent bases. “(Al Shabaab) ordered us to stay and die at the hands of Christian Kenya, to dwell in paradise,” Abdikadir Weydow, a resident of the southern town of Afmadow, told Reuters.
Afmadow, a rebel bastion and strategic transit point for contraband smuggled through rebel-controlled Kismayu port, is seen as a likely flashpoint for a confrontation between Kenyan forces and al Shabaab militants.
Kenyan and Somali government troops, as well as militia nominally allied to Somalia’s government, have set up forward positions close to Afmadow.
http://www.reuters.com/