14 Nov 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Missiles hit Somali Islamist stronghold near Mogadishu ( Source: Radio Mogadishu)
- Parliament denounces government security agencies (Source: Shabelle)
- Former Somali president Abdi Kasim opposes Kenyan military operation in Somalia (Source: Mareeg Online)
- Kenya warning on youths returning from Somalia (Source: Radio Bar-kulan)
- TFG administration in Lower Shabelle calls Govt AMISOM to relocate IDPs (Source: Shabelle)
- Puntland warns Universal TV and Somali channel TV (Source: Garowe Online)
- Families in Southern Somalia in dire need of food (Source: NTV )
- 30 Al Shabaab recruits surrender (Source: The Standard)
- Kuwaitis deliver aid to Al-Shabaab port (Source: Africa Review)
- Somali rebels change tactics against Kenya forces: army (Source: AP)
SOMALI MEDIA
Missiles hit Somali Islamist stronghold near Mogadishu
14 Nov – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA, Shabelle, Kulmiye, Risaala, and Bar-kulan – 141 words
A missiles attack which caused large explosions has tonight, 13 November, hit Afgoye, Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia. Afgoye is a stronghold of al Shabaab and is about 30 km from the capital Mogadishu.
Reports received from Afgoye say two missiles hit the area. According to local residents one missile landed behind an orphanage called Tadaamun and the second hit Number 50 which is a military base. The number of casualties in the attack is not yet known. People in the area are worried and al Shabaab has reportedly started mobilizing its forces.
Parliament denounces government security agencies
12 Nov – Source: Shabelle – 160 words
The Security Committee for Somalia’s Interim Parliament has condemned security agencies for failing to restore law and order in Mogadishu.
The Deputy Speaker of Somali parliament, Hussein Arale, lamented that security agencies have not done enough to maintain security in capital.
He said that the security for MPs is lacking and added they are vulnerable to attacks from al Shabaab. He called on security officials to secure the so that government institutions can do their work.
http://www.shabelle.net/
Eight killed as rival clans clash in north-eastern Somalia
13 Nov – Source: Radio Galkacyo – 145 words
At least eight people have been killed and 10 others injured in heavy fighting between rival clans in Raako district, Bari region in north-eastern Somalia. The two sides are reported to have “exchanged various kinds of weapons including heavy firearms mounted on battle wagons displacing hundreds of pastoralists in the area.
A traditional elder has said that the fighting between the two sides was triggered by a dispute over ownership of grazing land and water wells in the area.
Traditional elders in Bari Region are said to have started mediation efforts to diffuse hostilities and quell further bloodshed. Puntland authorities have not yet commented on the fresh clan fighting in the region.
Kenya warning on youths returning from Somalia
14 Nov – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 160 words
Kenyans were asked to be watchful of youths returning from al Shabaab training fields in Somalia as Kenyan troops continue their assault against the rebel fighters in southern Somalia.
Kenya’s Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Ndegwa Muhoro asked the public to report any persons who have resurfaced after the ongoing military operation against al Shabaab began.
Mr. Muhoro said the youths could have been in Somalia to train as al Shabaab militia during their long period of absence, hence the need for them to be interrogated for the purposes of enhancing security for all Kenyans.
The al Shabaab is believed to have some of its operatives in the country. Muhoro said that Kenyan youths from all over the country have joined the militia group contrary to belief that its members are drawn from people of Somali and Arab origin. He urged Kenyans to also report objects that resemble bombs or grenades to the police to ensure they are detonated before they explode.
TFG administration in Lower Shabelle calls Govt, AMISOM to relocate IDPs
12 Nov – Source: Shabelle – 161 words
The TFG administration in Lower Shabelle region on Saturday called for the government and AMISOM to help IDPs return to their homes.
In an exclusive interview with the governor of Lower Shabelle region, Mr. Abdikadir Mohammed Sidi, talked about the living condition of the IDPs in the makeshift camps in the capital.
Mr. Sidi also noted that his administration has asked the government and AMISOM for help to drive al Shabaab out of the region as the IDPs go back to their homes in the region.
The official said the main grounds that people are going back to their homes is to cultivate their farms and keep livestock months after famine and drought devastated south and central Somalia. Lower Shabelle region is one of the seven regions that severely hit droughts in Somalia according to United Nations assessment report early this year.
http://www.shabelle.net/
Puntland warns Universal TV and Somali channel TV
13 Nov – Source: Garowe Online, Somaliweyn – 232 words
A joint meeting attended by various government officials was held today to discuss media affairs and methods of implementing the Government’s order to suspend two Somali TV stations – Universal TV and Somali Channel TV.
Participants at the meeting including the Director-General of the Ministry of Information; Director-General of the Ministry of Security; Deputy Attorney-General; Police Official in charge of Communications; President’s Media Adviser; Presidential Spokesman; and other officials.
It has been confirmed that Universal TV and Somali Channel TV are continuing their work inside Puntland using secretive methods and the channel representatives have used the media to engage in blaming government officials, inciting the public and declaring inappropriate public remarks.
http://www.somaliweyn.org/
Former Somali president, Abdi Kasim opposes Kenyan military operation in Somalia
14 Nov – Source: Mareeg Online – 130 words
The former Somali interim president, Abdi Kasim Salad Hassan has strongly opposed the Kenyan military operation in Somalia against the rebel group al Shabaab, reports said.
Mr. Abdi Kasim Salad Hassan who lives in Egyptian capital city, Cairo spoke to one of local FM station in Mogadishu and said he was strongly opposed the presence of Kenyan forces in Somalia. “Kenya has the right to defend itself but not enter into Somalia and it must remain at border”, Abdi Kasim Salad said.
Mr. Abdi Kasim Salad Hassan called on the Kenyan government to withdraw its forces from Somalia.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.
Several Somali immigrants missing in the Mediterranean Sea
11 Nov – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 286 words
A small boat with at least 40 illegal Somali immigrants on board has gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea after sailing off the Libyan coast five days ago, reports say.
Reports say the boat was last contacted by people in Libya via a satellite phone on Thursday, but were not heard since then, adding that those onboard could be at risk due to strong tides in the high seas. A woman is said to have given birth to a baby girl inside the boast as it sailed through rough and strong tides.
Most immigrants take a dangerous route to reach Italy, with others proceeding to other European countries in search of a better life. Since the beginning of Libyan revolution, hundreds of Somalis heading to Europe were reportedly trickling into the country but many of them were later caught up in the fighting.
REGIONAL MEDIA
CID boss warning on youths returning from Somalia
14 Nov – Source: The Standard – 394 words
Kenyans have been put on alert over youths who may be returning from al Shabaab training fields in Somalia. The CID director Ndegwa Muhoro asked wananchi to report any persons who have resurfaced after the military operation against al Shabaab militants began.
Mr Muhoro said the youths could have been in Somalia to train as Al Shabaab militia during their long period of absence, hence the need for them to be interrogated for the purposes of enhancing security for all Kenyans.
The Al Shabaab is believed to have some of its operatives in the country. Muhoro observed that contrary to belief that Al Shabaab membership is drawn from people of Somali and Arab origin, it has emerged that Kenyan youths from all over the country have joined the militia group.
“It is, therefore, the duty of every Kenyan to promote security through giving support to the security agencies,” he noted.
Muhoro was speaking at Muthengera in Laikipia West Constituency during the burial of Nicholas Mbugua Mundia, 30, who died in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago.
http://www.standardmedia.co.
Uncovered: Somalia Al Qaeda terrorist camp
13 Nov – Source: NTV – 4:04 min
We can ascertain the existence of a terrorist training camp in Somalia, where the Al-Qaeda terrorist group trained its fighters for years. The camp, in Ras Kamboni,was ran by the late Fazul Abdallah who was Al-Qaeda’s Leader in the East African region. Now the camp is controlled by transitional federal government forces and Kenyan troops. NTV’s Yassin Juma has that exclusive report from the frontlines of southern Somalia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
30 al Shabaab recruits surrender
11 Nov – Source: The Standard – 249 words
At least 30 Al Shabaab recruits have denounced the terror group following an amnesty granted by the government two weeks ago.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said the youths including some Somali nationals living in Kenya were cooperating with the police and had given crucial information on the activities of the Al Qaeda linked gang. “They (recruits) have given us useful information regarding the activities of the terror group. We are working with them but I cannot divulge further information to the public,” said Kiraithe.
He made the revelations during a joint press briefing on the status of the ongoing military operation in Somalia. Colonel Cyrus Oguna and Major Emmanuel Chirchir of the Kenya Army, and Lindsay Kiptiness-the Foreign Affairs director in charge of Horn of Africa Affairs also addressed the press.
Kiraithe said the police force has intensified surveillance on activities of the Al Shabaab and that a number of youngsters who had been tricked to join the terror gang were working with the police to secure the country. “A lot of young men from this country and Somalia are working with us to secure this country,” he said.
Kiraithe challenged the management of hotels in Nairobi and other town not to reduce the security levels in their establishments. “I want to appeal to the manager of hotels to remain vigilant. We are dealing with extremely primitive criminals,” said the police spokesman. Kiraithe said the police was still on high alert regarding the threats posed by Al Shabaab.
http://www.standardmedia.co.
Families in Southern Somalia in dire need of food
13 Nov – Source: NTV – 3:33 min
As the war against the Al Shabaab militia rages on, Kenya Defence Forces have noted with concern the food situation in the region. Hundreds of families are facing starvation in Somalia and Kenya hopes that humanitarian organizations will move into the affected areas, once the militants have been flushed out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Kenya seeks support of Islamic nations in offensive
12 Nov – Source: The Standard – 345 words
Kenya is now seeking the backing of Muslim nations, including Turkey and Iran, in its ongoing joint military operation in Somalia against al Shabaab.
Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang’ula and Defence Minister Yusuf Haji are in the Middle East to seek support of the Arab States in the war against the militant Islamic group. Kenya views the Arab States as crucial in the war against the Al Shabaab as the rag-tag army, which has so far been subdued in a joint operation carried by the Kenya Defence Forces and Somali Transitional Federal Government soldiers, centres its illegal activities on Islam.
It is also crucial for Kenya to get the backing of the Islamic States following the recent revelations that Eritrea, an Islamic country, was arming Al Shabaab in Somalia. On Saturday, an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lindsay Kiptiness, said a delegation from Djibouti is expected in the country soon for talks over the operation.
He said Kenya has already secured regional support of the East African Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Kiptines said Kenya would next week ask the UN Security Council to enhance the African Mission in Somalia (Amison) so that they move to other regions of the war-torn country.
Kiptines revealed that the UN Security Council is scheduled to meet in New York to discuss the allegations that Eritrea was arming Al Shabaab.
“Of course, Eritrea has denied supporting Al Shabaab, but the country has a history of supporting warring groups in Somalia. Reports on the allegations are already in public domain. It is not enough for them to deny, but they should also renounce the activities of Al Shabaab,” he said.
http://www.standardmedia.co.
Kuwaitis deliver aid to al Shabaab port
14 Nov – Source: Africa Review – 202 words
A ship carrying humanitarian aid docked at Kismayu port, 500km south of Mogadishu on Sunday. The vessel was said to carry 250 tons of aid items donated by the Government of Kuwait, through the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society.
The consignment was the first of its kind since Somalia and the Horn of Africa region was reported to be experiencing severe famine this year.
Some reports said that on the same day, 1,500 households received the Kuwaiti aid items distributed through al Shabaab, the radical Islamist group ruling most of the southern and central regions of Somalia.
It is widely believed that Somali and Kenyan forces have been planning to blockade Kismayu harbour, believing that it was being used by the al Shabaab to earn revenue as well as import arms and goods for the movement’s fighters.
Kismayu is also one of 10 towns in southern Somalia that have been earmarked for possible raid by the Kenyan forces due to the heavy presence of al Shabaab fighters and migrant jihadists.
Kenyan troops crossed the border in mid-October, in hot pursuit of the fanatical Islamists that have been accused of endangering the East African country’s security and economy, following the kidnapping of foreign tourists and aid workers.
69 cars for Kenyan police in Shabaab war
11 Nov – Source: Daily Nation – 352 words
Sixty-nine new vehicles have been allocated to security agencies to help fight the al Shabaab threat in Kenya.
Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said other measures to improve the police’s capacity to carry out surveillance had been put in place, in addition to dealing with banditry and general crime.
“We will provide enough vehicles as lack of transport is the major hindrance to police operations,” the minister said.
Prof Saitoti was speaking at the AP Uhuru Camp where he flagged off the 69 vehicles — Land Rovers and Toyota Land cruisers — valued at Sh170 million to be used by provincial administrators and the AP. He said that another 19 Lorries will be given to police next week.
The minister said the money used to buy the vehicles was part of Sh330 million allocated to the ministry in May. He said Sh160 million had been used to buy 61 vehicles for various police departments. The Kenya Police, AP and GSU were given 20, 15 and 10 Land cruisers respectively, while the CID was given 16 saloons.
The minister said Sh13.7 billion would be used to buy vehicles in the next three years. Prof Saitoti said the ministry was not allocated funds to buy vehicles as the government was exploring the possibility of leasing.
About 100 district commissioners, 438 divisional district officers, 480 OCPDs and OCSs, and 220 District AP commanders, have no official vehicles.
Meanwhile, security forces will launch a door-to-door operation in all major towns in North Eastern Province to flush out aliens and recover illegal firearms and explosives.
Al Shabaab suspect quizzed in Mombasa
14 Nov – Source: The Star – 79 words
Kenyan police at the Coast are interrogating a youth suspected to be a member of the al Shabaab. This come as a crackdown on the terror group intensifies in the region following intelligence reports that some of the militants from Kenya could be heading back home.
It is still not clear whether the group of about 10 Kenyan youths coming back into the country from Somalia is on a retaliatory attack mission or wants to surrender to the authorities.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali rebels change tactics against Kenya forces: army
14 Nov – Source: AP – 401 words
Somalia’s extremist rebels have resorted to setting explosives and moving in small groups in a change of strategy against Kenyan forces battling them since last month, Nairobi officials said Saturday. Nearly one month after Kenya deployed forces into the Shabaab-controlled southern Somalia, Nairobi has also been rallying regional and international backing for the operation and moved to improve security at home.
“Initially when this operation began, Al Shabaab was concentrating in large groups, but in the last two to three weeks we have seen them changing from large groups to small groups of between two and five,” military information and operations officer Colonel Cyrus Oguna told reporters in Nairobi.
“We have also seen them moving away from using major weapons. They are getting into using small weapons like IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and landmines,” he added. Last month, one person was killed and several wounded in two grenade blasts in Nairobi, which the police blamed on the Shabaab.
At least six people have also died in grenade attacks and ambushes in regions near the porous Kenya-Somalia border in recent weeks. The attacks have also been blamed on the Al Qaeda-inspired Somali rebels. Kenya launched the offensive on October 14 following a series of kidnappings of foreigners and incursions into its territory by Shabaab elements, but the insurgents denied being behind the spate of abductions. The operation broke Kenya’s long-standing non-military approach to the two decades of civil war in Somalia. The abduction and killing of holidaymakers on Kenya’s coastal areas threatened its key tourism industry.
Kenya police spokesman Erick Kiraithe said security has been tightened and that since the cross-border operation started, some 30 people he said were local Shabaab sympathisers have renounced the group to cooperate with police. “The home front is the most sensitive … and therefore internally the surveillance we have put in place has been able to neutralise a lot of their activities,” Kirathe told reporters. Kenya is the latest country to deploy forces to Somalia to dismantle Islamist fighters. Ethiopia sent troops in 2006 and defeated an Islamist movement, but whose hard line fighters later regrouped to form the Shabaab.
A senior Kenyan foreign affairs official said Nairobi had secured the support of regional states and was seeking UN backing to boost the numbers of African Union troops backing the weak Somali government in Mogadishu.
“We have been able to secure regional support. We have the support of all IGAD member states,” said Lindsay Kiptiness, referring to the six-member East Africa bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.
Large blast heard near Somali rebel stronghold
13 Nov – Source: Reuters / AP-Alert Net – 498 words
A large explosion was heard near a Somali rebel stronghold about 30 km (19 miles) from the capital Mogadishu on Sunday, residents and a senior rebel official said. They said the blast hit near Afgoye, one of 10 Somali towns the Kenyan military said risked air strikes due to the presence of al Shabaab rebel bases.
“I’ve never heard such an explosion in my life,” Afgoye resident Mohamud Abdi Ali told Reuters. “It didn’t explode in the town, but I think it exploded near al Shabaab’s military camps.” A farmer, who lives near the rebel camps at Afgoye and gave his name as Abdi, said a missile struck buildings outside the town used by al Shabaab fighters for meetings.
Afgoye is a strategic junction on the road leading from the capital to the south of the Horn of Africa nation.
“I heard a huge explosion outside Afgoye myself, but I do not know what it is,” a senior al Shabaab official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. The United States has used drones in the past to target top al Shabaab officials.
Kenya’s military spokesman was not available for comment. Kenya, the region’s biggest economy, sent troops into Somalia five weeks ago to rout the insurgents it blames for kidnappings of Western aid workers and tourists on Kenyan soil, and frequent cross-border incursions.
After a fairly smooth advance, Kenya’s forces fighting al Shabaab have since been camped near several rebel strongholds, but have yet to have a major showdown with the insurgents, nor seize any significant strategic bases. Other residents living between Mogadishu and Afgoye said they saw a bright light streaking overhead in the night sky.
“After some seconds we heard a big explosion that shook all our houses. It either exploded inside Afgoye or nearby,” said Asha Ahmed, who lives outside Mogadishu. Four Kenyan soldiers were wounded in a fire fight with Somalia’s al Shabaab rebels overnight, the latest in a series of recent clashes near the border between the neighbours.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/
Kenyan soldiers wounded in Somali rebel clash
13 Nov – Source: Reuters – 166 words
Four Kenyan soldiers were wounded in a fire fight with Somalia’s al Shabaab rebels overnight, the latest in a series of recent clashes, five weeks after Nairobi first sent soldiers into its neighbour.
Kenya, the region’s biggest economy, sent troops into Somalia to rout the insurgents it blames for kidnappings of Western aid workers and tourists on Kenyan soil, and frequent cross-border incursions. Al Shabaab has denied responsibility for the abductions.
After a fairly smooth advance, Kenya’s forces fighting al Shabaab have since been camped near several rebel strongholds, but have yet to have a major showdown with the insurgents, nor seize any significant strategic bases.
The Kenyan army said on Saturday its progress had been hampered by heavy rain in an area with few tarmac roads, and because its troops were rooting out al Shabaab sympathisers in areas it now controls while feeding the famine-hit population.
“It takes time. When we are done with that we will be able to move forward,” said Colonel Cyrus Oguna.
http://af.reuters.com/article/
Puntland court sentences to death al Shabaab linked man
13 Nov – Source: All headline News – 190 words
A court in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland on Saturday sentenced a man found of guilty of having links with the al Qaeda affiliated group al Shabaab to death, officials said.
Osman Abdi Gabow confessed to being involved in security related activities in parts of Puntland towns, according to Puntland judge Ali Nur Jama in Garowe town.
The judge also told the media that there is evidence, including video, showing he took part in several vandalism activities.
“Mr. Osman sentenced to death for his involvements in roadside bomb attacks in Garowe, the capital of Puntland state and the port town of Bosaso, about 1,500 km north of Mogadishu” Jama was quoted as saying and added that several Puntland officials were killed in those bomb attacks.
It’s not the first time, a court in Puntand handed down death sentences people found guilty of having links with the militant group.
On Jan. 24, Hussein Mohammed Ali, who was dressed in women’s clothing and veil when captured, was sentenced to death by a court in Garowe, Puntland’s capital. Ali was convicted of planning terrorist attacks against Puntland and the breakaway republic of Somaliland.
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS
Why al Shabaab is recruiting our youth
13 Nov – Source: Daily Nation – 348 words
When history is finally written about Kenya today, the readers will be thunderstruck. This is because whenever disasters occur, we always seem to be caught napping. A case in point is the current push to weed out Al-Shabaab terrorists who have proved to be a threat to our security and economic interests.
In the past, whenever such threats loomed, security operations targeted selected groups. This was mainly based on ethnicity, religion and places of origin. Indeed, when such a threat comes from lawless Somalia, Kenyans of Somali ethnicity and legitimate refugees bear the brunt of these operations.
This explains the profound shock with which revelations by Police Commissioner Matthew Iteere that Al-Shabaab terrorists are now using local youths recruited from Kikuyu, Kamba and Luhya communities came as such a shock.
It is difficult to understand the shock. After all, reports about the recruitment of youths in Eastleigh, Majengo and other slums of Nairobi and Mombasa started emerging three years ago.
This information came from international agencies. Indeed, the Nation published a story last month showing that mosques in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate and Mombasa have been conduits for the recruitment of hundreds of youths to fight in the “holy war” in Somalia with promises of huge rewards.
The recruitment is an indicator that our youths are ready to kill their countrymen for material gain. All right-thinking Kenyans should take responsibility for this sorry state of affairs.
We have abandoned young people though we know they have been vulnerable to recruitment by local terror gangs. Now international terrorists have taken up the chore. The rot starts with the so-called progressive parents who, once they give birth, dump the children on the laps of house-helps.
Once they reach school-going age, they are dumped in schools to be taken care of by teachers. As a result, while growing up, they feel neglected. They have no one to stand with them, to mentor and support them.
This makes them grow up with a code of conduct set by those their peers. This code dictates that one pursues personal goals without any societal responsibility.
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/