July 9, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Security Officers Arrested In Connection With Mogadishu’s Twin Blast
09 July – Source: jowhar.com – 172 Words
Reports indicate that officers from police and National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) have been arrested in connection with the Saturday’s heinous attack, which targeted Interior and Security ministries’ building. The 14 arrested officers, who were manning security checkpoints leading to the buildings, also include district security commanders. Minister of Security Mohamed Abukar Islow ordered the arrest of the officers and has launched an investigation on the matter.
Reports indicate that some officers were suspended from work for allegedly facilitating the attack, while others have been accused of neglecting the security checkpoints. The arrests come following a security meeting between the Minister and commanders of the security forces and the Banadir regional administration.
Often, when an incident occurs, only security officers face arrest for allegedly helping or neglecting the security. Many questions have emerged over the attack at the headquarters of Interior and Security ministries, considering that the area is highly secured with a heavy security presence. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack, which claimed more than 10 lives and injured dozens
Key Headlines
- Security Officers Arrested In Connection With Mogadishu’s Twin Blast (Jowhar.com)
- President Farmajo Travels To Ankara To Attend Erdogan’s Inauguration (Hiiraan Online)
- Kahda Traders Count Losses As Fire Razes Six Shops (Halbeeg News)
- Somali Blasts Condemned (GDN Online)
- How Civil Initiatives Will Help To Defeat Al-Shabaab (Asia Times)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Farmajo Travels To Ankara To Attend Erdogan’s Inauguration
08 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 238 Words
President Farmajo will be among the 22 heads of states who will attend Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Complex on Monday, according to Turkish state-owned media. Farmajo led a delegation that flew out of Mogadishu on Sunday.
Turkish media has confirmed that the Presidents of Bulgaria, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Guinea, Zambia, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, Mauritania, Gabon, Chad, Djibouti, Venezuela, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as well as Emir of Qatar, have confirmed attendance. A total of 28 foreign dignitaries – including prime ministers, vice-presidents, cabinet ministers and parliamentary speakers – are also expected to attend the ceremony.
Farmajo was among the first world leaders to congratulate Erdogan on his election victory in a statement on Twitter. “Congratulations to President @RT_Erdogan on his successful presidential election. The government & people of Somalia congratulate the people of Turkey on their historic presidential and parliamentary elections. Turkey a valuable partner of Somalia,” he wrote.
The two nations have longstanding ties and are closely allied. Turkey operates a military training base in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu that is among it’s largest overseas military facilities. The Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu is the largest Turkish embassy in the world. Erdogan will be sworn-in on Monday at 4:30 p.m, local time. After the swearing-in ceremony, he will visit Anitkabir, the mausoleum of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Kahda Traders Count Losses As Fire Razes Six Shops
09 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 130 Words
Traders at the Kahda market in Mogadishu today woke up to losses after a fire razed down property worth thousands of US dollars. The fire is said to have started late last night. According to the traders, the cause of the fire is still unknown. Mohamed Sheikh Ali, a shop owner, said he lost property running into thousands of US dollars: “The fire burnt six shops and mine was one of them. I don’t know if I may ever recover from this loss any time soon.”
Witnesses said they suspected an electric fault. But police said they are yet to ascertain the cause of the fire. Local residents and firefighters arrived at the scene hours later and helped put out the fire. No casualties have been reported in the incident.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Blasts Condemned
08 July – Source: GDN Online – 84 Words
Bahrain yesterday condemned terrorist bombings targeting the Interior Ministry in Mogadishu, Somalia and causing a number of deaths and injuries. The Foreign Ministry affirmed that Bahrain stands with Somalia and supports its efforts to restore peace and security, extending its condolences to the families of the casualties and wishing the injured speedy recovery.
It reaffirmed that Bahrain stands firmly against all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism and calls for concerted international efforts to eliminate this dangerous phenomenon and drain its sources of funding.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Let’s face it: In order to defeat al-Shabaab, first and foremost, it is necessary to be twice as creative, twice as sophisticated and as close as possible to people and their needs.”
How Civil Initiatives Will Help To Defeat Al-Shabaab
09 July – Source: Asia Times – 965 Words
On Saturday, militants of the terror group al-Shabaab set off two bombs and attacked a government building in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, with at least five people killed and 21 injured. This is another incident challenging the capacity of the Somali government and its allies to resolve the problem. A number of African countries have been fighting al-Shabaab for more than a decade, but now Western nations are leading this campaign.
Late last year, US-led air strikes against al-Shabaab increased, with the civilian death toll rising, The Guardian reported early this year. This was due to a new directive, signed by US President Donald Trump, which relaxed the rules aimed at preventing civilian casualties. And here is the other side of the coin – civilian casualties actually give legitimacy to the terror group as a resistance movement.
International assistance is important, but when it comes to combating terrorism, relying on military force seems to be a questionable practice. This is especially true for terror groups entrenched in the region and counting on support from a certain portion of the local population. This is where a “soft power” approach proves to be effective.
Al-Shabaab, one of the most lethal terror groups in Africa, clearly illustrates the complexity of the problem. This jihadist fundamentalist group has a largely domestic focus, taking advantage of people’s discontent with the Somali authorities. Although al-Shabaab’s capabilities are now limited and the group has suffered military losses, it still controls a significant portion of the territory.
In this context, supporting and developing civil initiatives will be an invaluable contribution to conflict settlement. The Hiraal Institute, a research organization focused on security problems facing East Africa, particularly Somalia, was established for this reason.
TOP TWEETS
@qayd2012: New displaced families arrive already deprived#Wajid district in Bakool region to avoid children recruitment. They also lost their livestock assets in last year’s drought. @RidwanAbdi17 #SouthWest #Somalia
@Tuuryare_Africa: BREAKING: Two soldiers shot dead by gunmen in #Mogadishu‘s Yaqshid – Witness #Somalia
@STN_KE: #Somalia : President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo will be among at least 22 heads of state who will attend Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Monday 9 June.
@adancabdulle: Too often, precise info is provided to FGS about Al Shabab attacks but info is always contained within select few ppl. The information is almost never passed on to checkpoint guards who are really the first line of defence and it most certainly is never shared with the public.
@HarunMaruf: In a letter to the Ethiopian PM, IGAD Executive Secretary Mahboub Maalim says he expects Eritrea to “rejoin” the organisation. Eritrea suspended its membership in April 2007 accusing Ethiopia of “manipulating” the bloc as the two countries clashed over Somalia issues.
@SomPressOnline: The 5th parliament session of the Southwest of Somalia opens today at Baido capital in the southwestern Bay region of Somalia South West State President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan will….https://somalipressonline.com/
@MowliidHaji: Somali government says 14 security officers were arrested following a weekend attack at the Ministry of Interior. Al-Shabab has claimed a two-hour gun battle in #Mogadishu in which at least 15 people are thought to have been killed.#Somalia
@ICRC_Africa: “I was a farmer in a town called Galweyn before a clan fight broke out & I had no choice but to run away with my 8 children,” says Fatuma. She is one of the people we are helping to make ends meet and grow their small businesses in #Somalia. http://ow.ly/GXJF30iP4zH
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo arrives in Ankara, Turkey, for the inauguration of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Photo: Radio Dalsan