September 5, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali Militants Kill Soldiers, Kidnap Scores Of Elders
05 September – Source: Reuters – 217 Words
Gunmen from Somalia’s Al Shabaab group killed six people including at least four soldiers in the streets of the capital, a day after the Islamist movement kidnapped over 60 elders in a central region, officials said. The militants drove up to a tuk-tuk vehicle carrying the soldiers in Mogadishu’s Karan district and opened fire, killing all four of them on Tuesday, police said: “We heard the gunfire and we rushed to the scene but … the killers escaped,” police captain Farah Aden told Reuters.
Al Shabaab fighters also shot two people dead in the Wardigley district in the heart of the city, he added. The militants said the two were an officer and his bodyguard, in a statement claiming responsibility for both attacks. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, said the militants also set off a car bomb that seriously injured a man working for the finance ministry. There was no immediate comment from the authorities.
Al Shabaab – which is fighting to impose its form of Islam and topple the Western-backed government – has launched regular guerrilla attacks across the country since the army backed by African peacekeepers pushed it out of the capital in 2011. On Monday, the group kidnapped more than 60 elders from Galgaduud, in the central, semi-autonomous state of Galmudug, officials said.
Key Headlines
- Somali Militants Kill Soldiers Kidnap Scores Of Elders (Reuters)
- Mobilization against Al-Shabaab ongoing in Marka Town (Radio Dalsan)
- A Commercial Plane From Somalia Denied To Land At Jomo Kenyatta Airport (Halbeeg News)
- Militants Killed In Qoryoley Fighting (Garowe Online)
- Cheetah Cub Smugglers Jailed For Three Years In Raid On Gulf Gateway (The National UAE)
- Mogadishu Book Fair: A Cause For Celebration (Wardheere News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Mobilization against Al-Shabaab ongoing in Marka Town
05 September – Source: Radio Dalsan – 150 Words
Following yesterday’s arrival of the deputy Chief of Defense Forces Brigadier General. Odowa Yusuf Rage in Marka, serious mobilization has been undertaken to flush out Al-Shabaab fighters from the town and its environs. Marka serves as is the headquarters of Lower Shabelle.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen Odowa held several meetings with military commanders of 14 Octoberbrigade, who are currently situated in Marka town. The commanders were ordered to ready their officers for an all out war against Al-Shabaab.
He also thanked the soldiers for ensuring the security of the town and encouraged them in their fight against Al-Shabaab. The soldiers were also ordered to double up efforts in their war against the terrorist group. According to latest reports from Marka town, the Somali National Army are currently engaged in serious offensive against Al-shabaab remnants in the villages surrounding Marka town.
A Commercial Plane From Somalia Denied To Land At Jomo Kenyatta Airport
04 September – Source: Halbeeg News – 128 Words
A commercial plane from Mogadishu was denied permission to land Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Tuesday by Kenya airport authority (KAA), Halbeeg News has learnt. The plane which was en-route from the Somali capital, Mogadishu to the capital city, was carrying un unspecified numbers of passengers including Somali Minister for Security, Mohamed Abukar Islow.
Source told Halbeeg news that the plane was forced to make a U-turn and landed at Aden Adde International Airport, according to the captain of the plane. Reports say the captain of the flight told the passengers that the Kenyan authorities denied the plane to land over security issues. It was not clear why ocean airlines; a commercial plane had been denied permission and officials Nairobi were not immediately available for comment.
Militants Killed In Qoryoley Fighting
05 September – Source: Garowe Online – 133 Words
At least two militants were killed in Qoryoley district in southern Somalia during clashes between Al-Shabaab and pro-government forces on Tuesday night. Mohamed Abdi Abdullahi, a security official, said the fighting flared up following an overnight raid on army barracks in the town by heavily armed extremists from different directions. “We repulsed the attackers and killed two Al-Shabaab members during the counter-offensive,” said Abdullahi, adding that calm had returned to the district by Wednesday morning.
Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on the Somali official’s claims. Qoryoley lies in Lower Shabelle region, some 120 Km southwest of Somali capital of Mogadishu. The group, which lost major ground to Somali and African Union forces, has been carrying out hit and run attacks in key towns of Somalia, including staging deadly explosions in the Mogadishu capital.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Cheetah Cub Smugglers Jailed For Three Years In Raid On Gulf Gateway
05 September – Source: The National, UAE – 647 Words
Two cheetah smugglers were prosecuted in Somaliland, in the first wildlife criminal conviction of its kind in the country. Somaliland is considered a gateway in trafficking animals to the Gulf region. At least 35 cheetahs are reported to have been traded so far this year. Conservation groups welcomed the pair’s arrest and prosecution, saying it demonstrated a genuine commitment to preventing this trade.
Authorities caught the smugglers in a raid in the Berbera district, 140 kilometres north-east of the capital Hargeisa, on August 5. They seized six cubs aged between three and seven months. Patricia Tricorache, a spokeswoman for the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund, welcomed the arrests but said the authorities needed the continued international co-operation to intercept more cheetahs destined for the Gulf. “This recent conviction of two cheetah smugglers is a first in the region and demonstrates the willingness of authorities to counter illegal cheetah trafficking,” she said.
“However, while 10 cheetahs have been confiscated in Somaliland this year, this represents only a third of all reported cases known to us there. “The demand in the Gulf states appears to remain unchanged, with cheetah cubs still offered for sale there on social media. “This year alone, CCF has recorded at least 35 cheetahs for sale by 18 traders in the Gulf, including two sellers in the UAE.” The Cheetah Conservation Fund is rehabilitating the rescued cubs, who were suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“The Mogadishu Book Fair was a celebration of reading, writing, and sharing. Over the years, clamorous voices have said, with obvious relish, that Mogadishu was too dangerous to host an elaborate event such as a book fair”.
Mogadishu Book Fair: A Cause For Celebration
01 September – Source: Wardheere News – 1,136 Words
They came in droves: youth, writers, poets, educators, and government officials. All were jubilant, excited, and eager to hear, learn, or share. This was the scene at the Mogadishu Book Fair (MBF), held in the capital of Somalia from August 15 to August 17, 2018. Mogadishu is a major cosmopolitan city, with a population of over two million, but it has no single public library and no commercial bookstore. This is a city in a recovery mode, following more than two decades of civil war, in which many major institutions were destroyed. That’s why this book fair was a real cause for celebration.
The last four years have seen an annual book fair in Mogadishu, held in part to remind the world that there is more to the city than guns, Al-Shabaab, and the oppression of violence and fear. Hundreds of new books were on display, addressing countless subjects, from history, literature, literacy, and politics, to arts, self-help books, and studies of contemporary affairs. These books covered an immense range of topics, from love, courtship and family matters, to war, conflict, and migration.
The book fair attracted hundreds of youth—90 percent of attendees were between the ages of 16 and 25—who came to stand in long queues for security checks before being allowed entry to the event. They came to hear what their guests at the fair had to say, and they were not disappointed. Their enthusiasm for knowledge that they expressed was unparalleled, their love for reading knew no rival, and their desire to share their impressions of the book fair on social media was infectious.
One young woman boasted on Facebook that she was so excited with the book fair that she bought 100 books. Her striking claim will not be investigated, but then again no one will invalidate her unbridled enthusiasm and exuberance. Mahad Wasuge, a researcher at the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, a panelist at the fair, keeps a verifiable account of the number of books he purchases. Every year for the past four years, Mahad said, he has been expanding his modest personal library at the fair. This year alone, Mahad said, he bought eight books they’re, bringing the total number of books from the fair to 40.
Wasuge, who grew up in Beledweyne, recalled that his hometown had only a small library, established by a Somali man from the diaspora. It gave youngsters like him books to read and a safe place to gather. Moreover, he recalled the library volunteers handing out free pens and paper to the patrons.
TOP TWEETS
@MofaSomalia: A Triple summit in #Asmara between the President of the Federal Republic of #Somalia HE Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmaajo” , the President of the State of #Eritrea HE Isaias Afwerki and the PM of the the Federal Democratic Republic of #Ethiopia H.E. Abiy Ahmed.
http://www.mfa.gov.so/wp-
@Goobjoognews: Based on the conduct of President Farmaajo government, nothing indicates that they are interested in combating graft.
@hawelti: The President of the Republic of Somalia, H.E. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, will arrive in Asmara later today for a tripartite Summit with President Isaias Afwerki and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
@engyarisow: Turkish Embassy “Life in Mogadishu is the testimony of the resilience power of the Somali people. It has gradually been developing despite all the challenges that the people faces.” https://www.facebook.com/
@radiogarowe:#Somaliland frees a Secretary to #Somalia’s deputy PM Mahdi, Abdiqani Yasiin Mohamed who has been in police custody for “secretly sneaking into” #Hargeisa last month.https://www.garoweonline.com/
@UNHabitat_Som: In the spirit of realizing SDG 11, to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, senior officers from @MunicipalityMog attending#ugurbanexpo in #Jinja #Uganda to showcase investment opportunities in #Mogadishu @engyarisow
@radiogarowe: #AlShabaab arrests 62 #Somali traditional elders in the central region of #Galgadud for failure to pay 100 camels as blood money to the family over the killing of their son.https://www.garoweonline.
@RAbdiCG: Good to see the CIC meet in Kismayo and have strategic discussions on ways to improve federal system. CIC is a good vehicle for dialogue but must not become an adversarial power centre antagonistic to Mogadishu. A strong federal system depends on a strong centre.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The newly appointed Deputy Chief of the Defense forces, Brig. Gen Odowa Yusuf Rage visits Marka town, which was recently liberated from the control of Al-Shabaab militants. Brig Yusuf Rage was in the town to mobilize and encourage soldiers in their fight against Al-Shabaab.
Photo: Radio Dalsan