August 16, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report.
President Farmaajo Makes Major Reshuffle In The Security Sector
15 August – Source: BBC Somali – 151 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ‘Farmaajo’ on Thursday made a major reshuffle in the security docket and Villa Somalia in a presidential decree. Dr Amina Said Ali, who was the Deputy Chief of Staff at Villa Somalia was appointed as the new Chief of Staff to replace Fahad Yassin. Fahad was named as the Deputy Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). He replaces Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur (Jama) who was sacked.
Meanwhile, the new changes also affected the national security docket. SNA Chief Abdiweli Jama Gorod has been fired and is now replaced by Dahir Adan Elmi. Zakia Hussein Ahmed and Said Ahmed Kadiye were appointed as the deputies of the Somali Police Force Commander. Hassan Nur Ol-u-jog has been appointed as the Commander of the Somali Navy Forces. In the decree, the president called on all the newly appointed officials to transparently, diligently and professionally execute their new roles.
Key Headlines
- President Farmaajo Makes Major Reshuffle In The Security Sector (BBC Somali)
- Somalia US Forces Arrest 10 Militants In Basra Operation (Caasimada Online)
- Southwest State Leader Declares His Presidential Bid In Baidoa Town (Halbeeg News)
- Somali AU Forces Launch Joint Operation To Flush Out Al-Shabaab (Xinhua)
- Linda Boni Boss Accuses Lamu Locals Of Leaking Intel To Al-Shabaab (The Star)
- In South Africa’s Migrant Communities Food Offers A Sense Of Belonging (Quartz Africa)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia, US Forces Arrest 10 Militants In Basra Operation
16 August – Source: Caasimada Online – 211 Words
Somali military stated that its special forces, along with US troops launched joint military offensive against Al-Shabaab. A Somali military captain, Aden Hassan says the coalition forces carried out joint operation in Basra and other villages near Balad town, some 31 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu. Mr. Hassan said that Somalia, US forces managed to arrest a cell composed of 10 Al-Shabaab militants, who had sneaked into Basra area during the operation. “We came under an ambush attack by Al-Shabaab fighters, but we repulsed them with a surprise assault and arrested 10 of the Al-Shabaab fighters”, he said.
He accused the group’s fighters of destabilizing the security in the region. “The joint forces destroyed Al-Shabaab camps and seized ammunitions and weapons during the operation”, he added. US helicopters reportedly pounded targets held by Al Qaeda inspired group of Al–Shabaab, causing unknown number of casualties.
The U.S. military has carried out dozens of airstrikes against Al-Shabaab and Islamic State militants, in support of federal government of Somalia. Washington deployed dozens of its troops into Somalia in an advise-and-assist capacity, and U.S. security advisers regularly call in airstrikes on Al-Shabaab leaders and training camps in Somalia. However, Al-Shabaab, which once controlled much of Somalia, wants to topple the western-backed government in Mogadishu.
Southwest State Leader Declares His Presidential Bid In Baidoa Town
15 August – Source: Halbeeg News – 197 Words
The leader of Southwest State, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden has today announced that he will be contesting to retain his seat in the upcoming presidential election which are to be held in Baidoa. Mr. Aden who has been serving the office for the last four years has met with the members of the Southwest state Assembly at the presidential in Baidoa.
The president briefed the members on the achievements of his administration during his tenure as president. “We have done a lot and still struggling to do our best to make this state a better place. We are planning to hold the election this year and I am one of the candidates contesting for the Presidential seat,” he said.
Southwest State is expected to hold its presidential election in November this year. Born in Bardale district of Bay Region in the year 1946, Mr. Aden joined politics in 2004 when he was elected as the speaker of parliament at a reconciliation conference held in Nairobi, Kenya and held the post until 2007. In November 2014, he was elected as the president for South West State. He remains to be one of the most influential politicians in Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali, AU Forces Launch Joint Operation To Flush Out Al-Shabaab
16 August – Source: Xinhua – 143 Words
The African Union peacekeeping mission and Somali forces on Wednesday launched military operation in Lower Shabelle region to flush out al-Shabab terrorists. Abdiweli Jama Hussein, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of Somali National Army (SNA), said the operation is aimed at pursuing militants who fled north.
“The Somali forces and AMISOM are committed to ensuring the insurgents are wiped out, for peace and prosperity in the country and comply with International Humanitarian Law, while conducting military operations,” said Hussein according to a statement from the AU mission.
Hussein also directed the government forces to enhance collaboration with AMISOM and other partners in military offensives against al-Shabab. The latest operation comes amid heightened vigilance by Somalia’s stabilization security unit forces that have launched operation targeting the southern parts of the country, in response to the increasing terror attacks in the Horn of Africa nation.
Linda Boni Boss Accuses Lamu Locals Of Leaking Intel To Al-Shabaab
16 August – Source The Star – 212 Words
Kanyiri blamed the August 8 attack that left six KDF soldiers dead on the local al Shabaab network. Five other soldiers suffered severe injuries when the soldiers’ vehicle hit an IED at Kwa Omollo Bridge along the Bodhei-Bargoni road. “We feel every movement of security agencies here is reported to the militants by their loyalists and sympathisers. They must have reported the movement of the soldiers,” he said.
Kanyiri said most residents are uncooperative. They refuse to share information on terrorists. He rebuked the “see no evil report no evil” culture. “The enemy hibernates among them. There are also spies, reconnaissance parties, sympathisers, financiers and thriving resupply networks.We believe some residents are aware of the IEDs being planted, but they remain silent and let people die,” Kanyiri said.
He said his office is scrutinising some of the returnees who may be on devious terror missions in the country. “Some could be posing as returnees, but could only be here to plan attacks. The manner in which militants are operating points to the involvement of locals. Someone can’t come from Somalia and know their way around villages. They are definitely getting help,” Kanyiri said. He appealed to residents to assist security officials and promised that the information the give will be confidential.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“An informal network of Somali safe houses supported her through the journey. The network reflects the same spirit of solidarity that helped her set up a food kiosk in Cape Town on arrival. She now earns just enough to send money back to Somalia to support her two children, and her eyes light up as she recounts her mother’s recipes that form the basis of her trade here.”
In South Africa’s Migrant Communities, Food Offers A Sense Of Belonging
16 August – Source: Quartz Africa – 1430 Words
When it comes to food, you can start with whatever you have. Even if it’s just enough to buy two eggs. You can boil them and go to the street and sell them. Slowly you work your way up. We help each other here. That’s how it works,” says Fatima. She was born in Somalia but now runs a small kiosk in Belleville, also known as Somali Town, in Cape Town.
Stepping out of the car in Somali Town is like crossing a threshold into a different city. Though it is a mere 15 minutes’ drive from downtown Cape Town with its hustle and bustle, it seems far away. Repeated waves of xenophobic violence have swept across South Africa in recent years. Human Rights Watch estimates that in April 2015 alone, more than 2,900 people were internally displaced because of the violence. As a result, migrants have gathered together to form their own communities – Somali Town is one of these.
In the midst of the tension, between the shadows of crumbling apartment buildings and the flickering glow of fluorescent strip lights, these run-down inner-city blocks have become a rallying point and a place to belong. In South Africa, communities such as Somali Town serve as platforms for re-establishing some sense of normality, in a country where migrants face threats of violence and lack access to state support.
And globally, migration is at an all-time high. Now more than ever, people move across the planet, sometimes searching for adventures and new opportunities, but often to escape poverty, crises, and conflicts. Increased migration inevitably affects social and economic systems, creating both challenges and opportunities for society. The informal food economy, which falls outside official regulation, plays a key role in many migrants’ lives, as it offers opportunities for livelihoods and a way to stay connected to families and communities far away. The International Labour Organization estimates that the informal economy accounts for 85% of all jobs in Africa and that especially vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women and children, often find it is their only livelihood option.
In Between is a project that uses a collection of film and photography to explore the role of food in memory, migration, and livelihoods in Somali Town. Through interviews with migrants, the project raises questions around our understanding of informal livelihoods and remittance flows (the payments that migrant workers send to their families back home) that support millions of families globally.
While media attention on African migration has tended to sensationalise the “exodus” of Africans to Europe, current data shows that most of the migration takes place within the continent. Driven by conflicts, climate change, environmental degradation, or the search of a better life, these numbers are on the rise. People are on the move, and money flows along their migration paths. The annual global remittance flow in 2013 exceeded foreign aid funding worldwide – US$350 billion versus US$130 billion respectively. Global remittances have become central to questions of global development funding.
TOP TWEETS
@SahraCabdi: #BreakingNews: Col Zakia Ahmed, was nominated deputy police commander of #SomaliPoliceForces– and upgraded to General. She is the 1 & Only.
@MogBF: @Gubanburnt “we need to invest in local writers, we have many talented generations. No one else should be telling their stories when they are the center of every story in this country. Similarly, academic institutions should invest more in knowledge productions” #MBF2018
@DalsanFM: BREAKING President @M_Farmaajo Appoints Fahad Yassin as the New NISA deputy Boss
@UNHCRSom: Today, the 6th road convoy of 2018 brought 165 Somali @Refugees who voluntarily returned from #Dadaab, Kenya. @UNHCRSom, Government & partners provided assistance at Dhobley border waystation in #Somalia. Since 2014, UNHCR has supported 81,986 Somali refugees returning from Kenya
@husseinaddow: #Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has made a major security reshuffle that also affects senior presidential staff. A circular from the president’s office announced a shake up of… https://www.facebook.com/
@MogBF: Formal Education came into effect in early 1907 gradually improving towards independence 1960s via the military government before unfortunately collapse of the central government in early 1990s. Researcher Mahad Wasuge on Education development in Somalia. #MBF2018
@IranNW: The report found that Al Qaeda is still a global network showing resilience, and it is stronger than ISIS in places like Somalia, Yemen and South Asia — and its leadership in#Iran has grown more prominent http://www.foxnews.com/
@Eye_on_Somalia: #Garowe Somalia: President leaves for Djibouti to mend ties 16.08.2018. https://ift.tt/2MQycLP #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo met with President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh in Djibouti.
Photo: @DalsanFM