February 20, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Al-Shabaab Defector Urges His Former Colleagues To Quit The Group
19 February – Source: Garowe Online – 237 Words
A senior commander of Somalia’s Islamic extremist group, Al-Shabaab has announced on Monday he has quit the insurgency and renounced violence. Speaking to the media for the first time since his surrender to Somali authorities in mid-January, Abdinur Moalim Hassan has urged his former colleagues to leave the group and take advantage of President Farmaajo’s amnesty.
Hassan regretted his actions whilst at Al-Shabaab as “wrongful” saying he has been in the group for years and operated in several regions in southern Somalia, including Gedo and areas under the Southwest administration. The deputy commander of Jubaland’s Intelligence forces in the Bardere town in Gedo region, Ahmed Mohamed Abdullahi, alias [Garab Goye] who received the defector said they are ready to welcome those ditching the group.
Al-Shabaab is yet to release a statement concerning the surrender of its former commander who has been displayed to the media today in Bardhere. Last week, a member of Al-Shabaab identified as Shuris Adam Dhinbil surrendered to the Somali government forces in Beled Hawo town in Gedo region, near Somalia-Kenya border.
The defection comes amid a high-level conference in the southern port town of Kismayo discussing the security of the country and on ways to drive out Al-Shabaab from the entire Gedo and Jubba regions under Jubbaland State. Despite losing major ground, Al-Shabaab continues to wage a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s government and remains a threat in Somalia and the East African region.
Key Headlines
- Al-Shabaab Defector Urges His Former Colleagues To Quit The Group (Garowe Online)
- Outspoken Traditional Elder Dies In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- Mogadishu Military Court Condemns Navy Officer To Death For Murder (Goobjoog News)|
- State Takes 40 Kilifi Shabaab Returnees For Rehabilitation (Daily Nation)
- Somalia Cabinet Approves First Telecom Regulator (Xinhuanet)
- Yesilcam Overtakes Hollywood And Bollywood In Somalia ( Al Jazeera English)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Outspoken Traditional Elder Dies In Mogadishu
20 February- Source: Hiiraan Online – 144 Words
An outspoken and prominent traditional elder has passed away in a Mogadishu hospital late Monday night. Ahmed Diriye Ali – famous for his fiery tongue and fierce opposition to Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia in 2006 – passed away at Erdogan Hospital (formerly Digfeer Hospital) at the age of 75. He has reportedly been ill these last few months and was receiving medical treatment at Erdogan Hospital.
The former spokesman for Hawiye traditional elders was vocal in his opposition to the Transitional Federal Government led by late President Abdullahi Yussuf. In a Twitter post, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire extended his condolences to Ali’s family. “May Allah have mercy on elder, Ahmed Diriye Ali who passed away in Mogadishu. I extend my condolences to his children and wives”. The mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Omar Osman has also extended condolences to the bereaved family of elder Ali.
Mogadishu Military Court Condemns Navy Officer To Death For Murder
20 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 113 Words
A military court in Mogadishu Tuesday sentenced to death a navy officer found guilty of killing his senior Admiral Sa’id Adan Yusuf. The first degree court condemned Abdinasir Hosh to face the firing squad for the murder of Yusuf following a scuffle in the port of Mogadishu on January 18.
Military judge Hassan Ali Shute ruled the court which found Abdinasir Hosh guilty of the charges. He was stripped of his rank and sentenced to death for killing Sa’id Adan Yusuf (Sai’d Marino). The two are reported to have had an argument in the port of Mogadishu before the defendant opened fire killing Sa’id Marino.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
State Takes 40 Kilifi Shabaab Returnees For Rehabilitation
20 February – Source: Daily Nation – 898 Words
Some 40 Al-Shabaab returnees in Kilifi County have been taken to various rehabilitation centres in Mombasa, the government says. Kilifi County Commissioner Magu Mutindika said: “Most of the returnees who surrendered themselves to the government are youth from Malindi, Mambrui, Kilifi Town and Mtwapa.”
Speaking to the Nation on the phone, he said: “We do not intend to prosecute them since they have come to us for help.” Mr Mutindika said most of the returnees have combat training. The young men and women were lured into the terror group in Somalia with the promise of a good life, he said. The county commissioner said the government had offered an amnesty to Shabaab returnees who surrender to the police or other government officials for counselling. They would then be reintegrated into society. The amnesty started in 2015 but most returnees have ignored for fear of reprisals.
Some of the returnees escaped killings in Somalia after falling out with Al-Shabaab leaders while others have run away from increased African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) operations. “We have not heard cases of notorious returnees who surrendered themselves but later turned to be dangerous,” Mr Mutindika said, adding that some of them were on the list for most-wanted criminals.
Somalia Cabinet Approves First Telecom Regulator
20 February – Source: Xinhuanet – 119 Words
Somalia Cabinet on Monday approved Abdi Sheikh Ahmed as the country’s first Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), tasked with regulating the country’s telecommunication sector. Abdi Ashur Hassan, minister for Post, Telecom and Technology, said Sheikh has requisite experience for leading Somalia’s first communications regulator. “This is another milestone by the ministry to have the director endorsed in due course because it will bring us closer to the establishment of the regulator,” he said in a statement.
He said Sheikh is multi-disciplinary technology leader with strong background in ICT. For over 23 years he worked for a large telecommunication company in the United States and has been an ICT adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Technology.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“When we are watching, it’s like we are part of the story. We shout at the characters telling them ‘do this, defend yourself, speak up’ and so on. We participate from our sofas.”
Yesilcam Overtakes Hollywood And Bollywood In Somalia
20 February – Source: Al Jazeera English – 788 Words
It used to be Hollywood. Then it became Bollywood. Now Yesilcam, as Turkey calls its film industry, has taken over silverscreens in Somalia. Turkish soap operas have gained so much popularity that some people have set up makeshift cinemas while others have started businesses of translating the films. Every evening, Somali families would gather in front of their tv screens to watch them. Anisa Ali, a 29-year-old mother of two, and her friends are watching Kara Para Ask (Black Money Love), a detective-romance Turkish TV series featuring fictional characters Omer Demir and Elif Denizer. Ali is glued to the screen, her hands buried inside the grey sofa she is sitting on. She inches forward, lifts her upper body suddenly, only to fall back into the sofa.
It’s as if her favourite football team just missed a crucial chance against an arch-rival. Ali is furious about what’s happening to Demir – her favourite character. In the scene, as Demir is enjoying his engagament party, the mother of his ex-fiance, who died mysteriously, gate-crashes the event to sabotage it. “They are full of twists and emotions,” Ali told Al Jazeera. “When we are watching, it’s like we are part of the story. We shout at the characters telling them ‘do this, defend yourself, speak up’ and so on. We participate from our sofas.”
This is the fifth series Ali and her friends have followed in the last five years. Yesilcam gained traction in the country after Turkey and Somalia renewed relations in 2011. The improvement in ties began during a devastating famine that killed more than 250,000 Somalis. Turkey showed compassion and provided emergency relief aid, built schools, hospitals and roads, and invested in Somalia where Turkish cinema is seen as an addition to Ankara’s soft power. And due to a group of translators and voice actors, there is no language barrier for the Somali audience.
Small production companies like Fanproj have spotted a gap in the market. They download Turkish films from the internet, re-edit, add Somali voiceover and sell them to local TV stations as well as uploading them onto their social media accounts. Somalis prefer Turkish drama series over Hollywood and Bollywood because they go on for months and provide daily entertainment. Actors are mostly Muslims and therefore the Somali audience can relate to many of their stories and they portray realistic characters that are full of twists and turns.
In contrast, Hollywood movies are seen by Somalis as full of violence and littered with nudity while Bollywood cinema is thought of as nothing more than well-groomed male and female actors dancing provocatively. The team at Fanproj has been working on Kara Para Ask for about a year now. It has been one of their most successful projects and they are determined to build on that. “Our main focus now is Turkish films,” Mohamed Abdulqadir, a voice actor and translator, said. “Somalis love Turkish films and they are more interested when it’s aired in Somali language. Our job is to translate for them.”
His manager, Mohamed Abukar, agrees that the demand for Yesilcam is huge. “Every time we post films online, we receive lots of positive comments on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. “The biggest benefit is that Turkish films are informative. Before we decide which film to translate, we consider the storyline and the benefit for our audiences.” Abukar added.
But not everyone is happy with the takeover by Turkish films. “As men, our family role is outside [the house], women do the housework and look after the children. They waste so much time watching these series and therefore neglect their husband who needs attention after coming home from work tired,” Abdi Qadir Sheikh, a 29-year-old father-of-two, told Al Jazeera. “While busy watching the films, they also neglect children. They don’t have time to give them milk and dinner. A child could crawl into the kitchen and burn itself or pour water on itself,” he added.
TOP TWEETS
@JMwanjisi: A lot more Somali Children are a out of school due to #Drought . Thanks to @shf_somalia support some were x. More resources are needed to keep them in school#SustainSomaliSupport
@HarunMaruf: BREAKING: Outspoken, influential traditional elder Ahmed Diriye Ali passed away in Mogadishu overnight after illness, he was 75. Ali is widely known for his strong opposition of Ethiopian troop intervention in Somalia and the govt of late President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.
@abdi_adaani: EXCLUSIVE: Traders have been arrested at#Jowhar town in middle Shabelle region after taken a meeting with #AlShabaab officials. #Somalia
@TC_Mogadishu: Mogadishu Alport (Albayrak Company) will construct the compound of the Ministry of Ports and Marine Transport in Mogadishu. Thanks Alport for this capacity building assistance.
@GEEL_Somali: From Somalia to the world; amazing products on display at the #SomaliaRising booth. It’s a new day at Gulfood, with new clients and business opportunities. Somali companies are making sales and sharing what Somalia has to offer.
#Booth992 #Gulfood2018 #BuySomali
@AbdulBillowAli: Somali traders oppose 5 percent tax, imposed to win debt relief. Bakara Market, the biggest in the country remains closed for the second day as trade unions continue to negotiate with the govt. A big challenge for @MofSomalia@DrBeileh. #Somalia.
@TC_Mogadishu: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Hospital in Mogadishu delivered medicine to the Beletweyne Hospital to increase their capacity in fighting against cholera outbreak.
@Fatumaabdulahi: In #Somalia, given that we are starting everything from zero, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to design an education system that can produce solutions to our complex problems. We can emulate the best instead on copying defunct systems.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman O Osman (Yarisow) holds talks with Chiefs of Benadir Court & Appeals Court.
Photo: @engyarisow