05 Dec 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Somali president travels to Addis Ababa (Source: Radio Mogadishu)
- Somali PM meets Kuwaiti Emir (Source: Radio Bar-kulan Radio Mogadishu)
- Somali government to print new bank notes (Source: Jowhar Online)
- Somali Minister of Business and Industries departs for Turkey (Source: Somali National News Agency)
- Somali President meets Ocean stars (Source: Radio Mogadishu Somaliweyn)
- Kuwait Amir receives visiting Somali PM (Source: Kuwait News Agency)
- Explosion kills Kenyan policeman in Dadaab camp (Source: Reuters)
- Seychelles President calls on world leaders to urgently address Somalia situation (Source: Defence Professionals)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali president travels to Addis Ababa
05 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 70 words
Somali president sheikh Sharif sheikh Ahmed travelled to Addis Ababa this morning following an official invitation from Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The president and his delegation left Adan Cade Airport; they are heading for the Ethiopian capital for a series of meetings with Prime Minister Zenawi. The president is accompanied by Minister of Information Abdikadir Mohamed Hussein and other high level TFG officials.
Al Shabaab changes name to ‘ Somali Islamic Emirate’
05 Dec – Source: Jowhar Online, Somali memo, Somali Midnimo – 320 words
A major conference to discuss the future of al Shabaab which had been ongoing in Baidoa, Bay Region, and south western Somalia in the last five days has now concluded, after which a statement was issued.
The conference was attended by clerics from areas under al Shabaab’s control, as well as senior al Shabaab officials including Sheikh Hasan Dahir Aweys, Sheikh Muktar Robow and other prominent figures of the group.
Towards the end of the conference, religious clerics attending the conference addressed the gathering in which they all expressed their excitement in the participation of the conference dubbed “the future of al Shabaab”.
The statement issued at the end of the conference indicated seven major points, some of which the Somali public is already quite familiar; while others are new and are to reflect major changes in al Shabaab.
Some of the points include the fighting of foreign troops in the country who are backing the TFG, that drug abuse must be banned in all areas under al Shabaab’s control, that the TFG is an apostate administration, that an organization for Somali religious scholars must be formed and among other things, the changing of al Shabaab’s name.
The name ‘Movement for the Al-Shabaab Mujahidin’ is to be replaced with ‘Somali Islamic Emirate’. It has been said that as from the time of the release of the statement, the official name for al Shabaab will be ‘Somali Islamic Emirate’.
Some of the new points in the statement include the formation of a new organization for Somali religious scholars that is to be under al Shabaab’s control. It is believed that the whole point of this conference was to change al Shabaab’s name, given that the rest of the points are issues which have already been implemented in areas under the group’s control.
Two foreign women abducted by al Shabaab in Afgoye, Mogadishu
04 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA – 42 words
Two foreign women were abducted in Afgoye, Mogadishu on Sunday afternoon. The women are currently held hostage by al Shabaab militia in Afgoye. According to area residents, the origin of the two women is said to be Spain and France.
Somali government to print new bank notes
05 Dec – Source: Jowhar Online – 270 words
The TFG’s ministry of Finance and Treasury has said that it is working on a plan to print new bank notes in order to address challenges with the current currency, which only has a 1000 shilling note as both the highest and lower denomination.
The TFG’s Minister for Finance and Treasury, Dr. Abdinasir Muhammad Abdulle, who is currently visiting Djibouti, held a news conference in which he said the government plans to print new bank notes.
“We are working hard on the plan and we will soon print new currency that is to replace the one that is currently used” said the minister while talking to reporters in Sheraton Hotel.
The minister said the new currency that is to be printed will comprise of 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 bank notes and added that they will be lightweight and used to replace the ones currently in circulation.
The minister also said the TFG will start collecting taxes in Mogadishu, now that the Somali capital is fully controlled by the TFG. He said the government has already had discussions on the collection of taxes with Somali traders who have accepted it.
Ever since the collapse of the Central Somalia government led by Muhammad Siyad Barre over 20 years ago, there has been an increase in the number of Somali shillings being printed outside the country by politicians and businessmen, resulting in the currency’s loss of value and the disappearance of the Somali shilling’s other denominations.
Somali PM meets Kuwaiti Emir
05 Dec – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu – 184 words
Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali on Sunday night met with the Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and discussed several issues, including Somalia’s current political situation and the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
The PM briefed the Kuwaiti Emir on the current situation in Somalia and the TFG’s milestone achievements in the last five months, including security, good governance, humanitarian aid delivery and reconciliation.
The Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said his government will always be committed to the support of the Somali government and its public.
The Somali premier thanked the Kuwaiti government, saying that the country has played a great role in saving the lives of millions of Somalis during the recent drought and famine related crisis in Somalia.
The PM also met with the head of the Kuwaiti Fund, Abdiwahab Al-Badar. The two discussed the ways in which the Kuwaiti Fund can undertake developmental projects in Somalia.
During his stay in Kuwait, the prime minister is expected to meet other top Kuwaiti officials, including the business sector representatives and aid agencies, as well as the Somali community in that country.
Prominent Muslim religious leader shot dead in Bosaso
05 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA, Radio Galkacyo, and Shabelle – 79 words
A famous Muslim leader was killed by unknown gunmen on Sunday night in Bosaso town of Bari region, in Puntland, Somalia. The religious leader was killed as he was coming back from morning prayers at a nearby mosque in the area.
Area residents informed Sonna that the man was ambushed and killed by the gunmen after preaching in the mosque after the morning prayers. The deceased leader was well known in Bosaso as he preached in various mosques in the town.
Gunmen raid Turkish office in Mogadishu
05 Dec – Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Kulmiye, and SONNA – 74 words
Armed gunmen raided an office yesterday night in Mogadishu. The office was owned by the Turkey humanitarian agencies and issued medicines to needy people. The office is situated in Bulahubey area in the Wadajir region of Mogadishu.
The gunmen stole medicines and other medical resources from the office and escaped before throwing a hand grenade into the offices, which caused injuries to several people. TFG forces began a hunt for the gunmen and arrested suspects
Fresh fighting breaks out in Heliwaa region, Mogadishu
05 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Risaala – 91 words
Heavy fighting has rocked some parts of Heliwaa region early on Sunday night, according to local reports. The fighting was between al Shabaab and TFG forces backed by AMISOM forces. Heavy Gunfire, shooting and shells were heard from the battle ground by the area’s residents.
The fighting also spread to some parts of Yaqhshid region. Al Shabaab fighters were defeated and fled from the battlefield after enduring heavy losses. The fighting caused death and casualties to insurgents who reportedly escaped from the battle ground.
Government official: surrendered al Shabaab behind the blasts in Mogadishu
04 Dec – Source: Mareeg Online – 121 words
The TFG’s district commissioner of Wadajir has claimed that some al Shabaab fighters who surrendered to the Somali government and joined the national security army are behind the explosions in the Somali capital Mogadishu, reports said.
Ahmed Hassan Adow known as Da’i, Wadajir district commissioner said that ex-al Shabaab militias in the Somali national army are the ones who plant explosives in Mogadishu, adding that he has clear evidence for it.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.
2 al Shabaab militants killed in clashes in Middle Shabelle
04 Dec – Source: Somalia Report – 78 words
Two al Shabaab militants and one civilian died, along with four injured civilians, during clashes with locals in the Wanlaweyn District of the Middle Shabelle Region, residents informed Somalia Report.
“Local farmers gathered their guns and fought against al Shabaab on Sunday, two al Shabaab fighters died. The fight started when al Shabaab tried to take money by force. The farmers refused to pay and the fighting erupted” Tabarti Ali, a resident of Wanlaweyn district, told Somalia Report.
Somali Minister of Business and Industries departs for Turkey
04 Dec – Source: Somali National News Agency – 84 words
The TFG’s Minister of Business and Industries Abdiwahab Ugaas Hussein travelled to Turkey yesterday. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation of the TFG.
The minister is set to meet the Ministry of Business and Industries of Turkey in Istanbul. The minister will hold a series of talks with his counterpart in Turkey on various issues concerning Somalia. They will also discuss how they can enhance the business ties between Turkey and Somalia.
Somali President meets Ocean stars
04 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somaliweyn – 410 words
Somali Transitional Federal Government president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed who arrived in Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam on Friday afternoon met the Somali National Football Team before returning home late on Saturday.
Accompanied by deputy prime minister and minister for Defence Hussein Arab Isse as well as the Somali police Chief General Sharif Sheikhuna Maye, the Somali president said that he was happy meeting with the young Somali boys who have been the nation’s flag bearers for over the past two decades.
“You are really doing a good job for your country and people, because you have been holding up the Somali flag during a very difficult era and still you are carrying it—I encourage you to continue from here” president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed told Somali Football Federation (SFF) authorities and national team members during Saturday’s high profile meeting.
For his part, Somali deputy prime minister and minister for Defence Hussein Arab Isse said that the participation to international matches by the SFF and its young players was a historical achievement for Somalia in accordance with the terrible situation the country has been experiencing for more than two decades.
“In football, a team may win or loss, because we know that big countries with stable government and peaceful territories are sometimes defeated in football matches, but the most important thing is that Somalia is still among international football gatherings” the deputy PM and minister for Defence Hussein Arab Isse told the national team members.
http://www.somaliweyn.org/
Four Kenyan troops, 10 Islamists said to have been killed in southern Somalia fighting
04 Dec – Source: Somalia Report – 391 words
More than 10 al Shabaab militants died, with at least 10 others injured, in fierce fighting between TFG-backed Kenya Defensive Force (KDF) and the insurgent group of Al-Shabaab erupted in Taabta, a village in the Lower Jubba Region (southern Somalia), late on Saturday night. Three TFG soldiers were injured in the fighting, according to a TFG official who spoke with Somalia Report on condition of anonymity.
“The clash came after Al-Shabaab fighters launched hit-and-run attacks in between Taabta and Qoqani villages, where Kenya forces were patrolling, and the militants were ambushed and inflicted with heavy casualties,” said Abdirahman Warsame, a TFG official in the region.
“Al-Shabaab fighters were killed during the offensive, and they fled because they can’t resist the combined Kenyan military and TFG forces. The only thing they are capable of is hit-and-run attacks or bombings,” said Ahmad Muhammad Indho, a TFG official in Afmadow. The militants are struggling due to lack of finances and support from the people, he added.
An Al-Shabaab official in Lower Jubba speaking on Al-Shabaab Radio Andalus on Sunday, identifying himself as Abu Hamza, claimed that their fighters had killed more than 10 soldiers from Kenya and Somalia government. Al-Shabaab militants have frequently attacked convoys supplying equipment for Kenyan and Somali government soldiers in those areas of Qoqani, Taabta and Afmadow in Lower Jubba Region.
First Consultative Conference on conducting a comprehensive Security Sector Assessment (SSA) begins in Hargeisa
04 Dec – Source: Somaliland Press – 428 words
An international conference to assess Somaliland’s security in which the UN has a key role opened yesterday at Ambassador Hotel in Hargeisa. The conference is expected to last for two days and is being attended by Somaliland government officials, national security agencies, Somaliland’s armed forces, members of the Somaliland parliament, representatives of Somaliland civil society organizations, officials from the United Nations, representatives from IGAD and the Ethiopian special representative office to Somaliland.
The conference’s agenda is to discuss and debate Somaliland’s security and how it can be developed to fight the insecurity currently faced in the Horn of Africa. Somaliland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Mohamed Abdilahi Omar opened the conference as he enlightened the attendees on the country’s current security status. Dr. Mohamed Abdilahi Omar said, “This conference is (about) evaluating and enabling the security agencies of Somaliland be it by sea, land and or air in combating extremists and pirate groups.
NUSOJ welcomes Puntland’s government decision to lift the ban on Universal TV
04 Dec – Source: Somaliweyn, Bar-kulan – 309 words
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) welcomes the Puntland government’s decision to lift the ban on Universal Television; an independent Somali Television based in London and urges the Puntland government to allow Somali Channel Television, another Independent Television, to operate in the areas under its control.
The lift of the ban comes after NUSOJ and its affiliate, Media Association of Puntland (MAP) lobbied in the Puntland government, followed by talks between the channel’s management and the government.
At a ceremony held at the Universal Television office in Garowe on Saturday, the Supreme Council President, Burhaan Daahir alongside Television officials welcomed the resumption of the television activities in Puntland.
http://www.somaliweyn.org/
Senior al Shabaab officer surrenders to Ahlu Sunna fighters
05 Dec – Source: Shabelle – 122 words
The administration of Ahlu Sunna Waljama in central Somali regions disclosed that one of the al Shabaab officers defected today from the group and surrendered to Ahlu Sunna.
The second deputy of Ahlu Sunna Waljama’s decision-making council in central Somalia Sheikh Ahmed Abdullahi ilka Ase announced while speaking to Shabelle media that Abdinasir Garad Hashi, the officer who defected from al Shabaab, gave himself up in one of the Ahlu Sunna-administrated towns in central Somalia.
Mr. Ahmed noted that Ahlu Sunna welcomed cordially the submission of this officer from al Shabaab militants fighting against Ahlu Sunna Waljama and its allied forces in central Somalia. Al Shabaab has not yet said any word about Ahlu Sunna’s claims about the defector.
http://www.shabelle.net/
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kuwait Amir receives visiting Somali PM
04 Dec – Source: Kuwait News Agency – 104 words
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Sief Palace on Sunday in the presence of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the visiting Somali Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and the delegation accompanying him.
During the encounter, bilateral relations and ways to boost them in all aspects, were discussed.
Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah attended the encounter along with Advisor at the Premier’s Diwan Sheikha Dr. Rasha Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
Top al Shabaab leader held by military
03 Dec – Source: the Standard – 513 words
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is holding a top leader of the Al Shabaab militia group who defected as the terrorist group continued to suffer heavy losses following the military onslaught. The militia leader is being grilled by the joint forces leading the operation in Somalia in a bid to get more details about the militia and its networks in the country.
Speaking during the weekly briefing on the progress of Operation Linda Nchi Saturday, Department of Defence spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna also revealed that KDF has changed tact in its operations and had sealed off regions where the militias were seeking refuge.
“We have flushed the militias from the northern and southern sectors. We are now zeroing on the central sector since our intelligence show that they are fleeing to the area,” said Oguna. He said Shabaab insurgents had only three options – defecting, surrendering or getting out of Somalia.
“We are not compromising. Our mission is to crush them,” said Oguna. He said the forces on Monday, acting on a tip-off from locals, raided an Al Shabaab base in Bibi area, destroyed a cache of weapons and arrested four militiamen believed to be members of the al Qaeda-linked terrorist group.
http://www.standardmedia.co.
Twenty days in Somalia jungles hunting down al Shabaab
03 Dec – Source: Daily Nation – 495 words
It all started on the morning of Wednesday, November 2, with a call from the Daily Nation managing editor. I was in Parliament Buildings – my beat – and I was required back at the Nation Centre.
After a nervous 20-minute walk to the Nation Centre, I was invited to a meeting with the editors. We discussed going to Somalia, under the care and protection of the Kenya Defence Forces, to write about Operation Linda Nchi.
Operation Linda Nchi had been announced to the world at a small crowded board room on the fifth floor of Harambee House on the morning of Saturday, October 15.
Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti and Defence minister Yusuf Haji had not been very yielding to the questions journalists asked after their short statement and declaration that Kenya’s Defence Forces would be in “hot pursuit” of Al-Shabaab right into Somalia.
I remembered tweeting from the press conference that the two were “talking tough” and thinking that perhaps their intention was to merely send a message to the leaders of the militant group.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Explosion kills Kenyan policeman in Dadaab camp
05 Dec – Source: Reuters – 218 words
An explosion killed one Kenyan police officer and wounded three on Monday at the Dadaab refugee complex in the north of the country near Somalia, provincial police commander Leo Nyongesa said.
He said the blast occurred in the Ifo refugee camp, part of the Dadaab facility in North Eastern province that is home to more than 400,000 Somalis. The Kenya Red Cross confirmed the casualties.
The officers were in a convoy of police cars escorting United Nations officials to the camp. The blast took place when they stepped out of their car, Nyongesa said.
Seychelles President calls on world leaders to urgently address Somalia situation
05 Dec – Source: Source: Defence Professionals – 490 words
The President of the Republic of Seychelles, James Michel, has made an appeal to world leaders to give more attention to the situation in Somalia as a matter of urgency, following the increase in piracy attacks and recruitment of pirates that are ‘better armed, better organized and prepared to resort to more desperate measures.’
“The reality of the situation in the Indian Ocean is that despite the reduction in the success rate of pirate attacks, the number of assaults continues to remain relatively constant, and in the Southern Indian Ocean even increase,” said the President in his letters to world leaders.
The President has sent letters detailing his concerns to the leaders of China, USA, India, Russia, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, France, UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Turkey, Finland, South Africa, Luxembourg, Canada, Brazil, Egypt, South Korea, the European Union, the United Nations and NATO.
http://www.defpro.com/news/
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS
Someday, Inshallah, Mogadishu will be a vibrant holiday destination
04 Dec – Source: Daily Nation – 389 words
I am writing this column from a room at the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu’s K5 District. The hotel has all the basic amenities, including TV and Internet connection.
Occasionally, I hear gunshots outside my window, but my host, Fatuhdin Ali, the director of an international NGO, tells me that I need not be afraid – they are probably coming from the weapons market nearby where customers routinely test guns before purchasing them. I don’t believe him, but it’s a comforting thought.
I am not in Somalia’s capital to cover Kenya’s war against Al-Shabaab. Nor am I here as part of some humanitarian effort. I am here simply because I have wanted to visit this city for a long time, and when the opportunity presented itself, I hopped on the next flight.
I am also here to meet Mohamoud Nur, the mayor of Mogadishu, a dynamic man who is determined to bring this city back to its old glory when it was a cosmopolitan economic hub with some of the most beautiful architecture in the whole of Africa.
(Yes, Mogadishu has a mayor who has been in office for more than a year.) I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived here. I knew that large parts of the city had been totally destroyed by 20 years of war.
But I had no sense of what life was like in what has been described as one of the most dangerous places on earth. On the flight to Mogadishu, which is only one hour from Nairobi, I met a US-based Somali businessman who had the nerve to ask me if I was going to Mogadishu on holiday.
I half-jokingly told him that I probably would if there was a Lonely Planet guide that I could refer to. Turns out he was serious. He himself was on holiday and to see the relatives he had left behind when he fled the country.
Later, I found out that he is among thousands of Somalis in the diaspora who come to Mogadishu on holiday every year to escape the harsh winters of Europe and North America.
In November this year alone, 2,000 Somalis from North America visited Mogadishu, according to official records. Mogadishu has an air of Kabul about it, another war-torn city that was gutted by two decades of conflict and neglect.
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/