07 Dec 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Kenyan MPs to debate KDF proposal to join AMISOM ( Source: Daily Nation)
- President Sharif jets back home (Source: Radio Mogadishu Bariga Afrika)
- Somali government says it will pre-empt bomb attacks (Source: Radio Mogadishu)
- Puntland clerics blame al Shabaab for killing one of their colleague in Bosaso( Source: Radio Bar-kulan)
- UN envoy calls for expanded help to Somalia (Source: Xinhua China Daily)
- Kenyan cabinet approves AU request on Kenyan troops( Source: Daily Nation)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali government says it will pre-empt bomb attacks
07 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 104 words
The TFG’s Ministers of National Security and Defence Affairs said that they have set plans to protect civilians of suicide and roadside bomb attacks by al Shabaab fighters.
Hussein Arab Isse, Minister of Defence Affairs and Abdisamad Sheikh Mahamud both told reporters that they planned to pre-empt evil acts by al Shabaab in which they are dialling exploding bombs in Mogadishu, leaving civilians and government soldiers dead or wounded, state media reported.
Abdisamad denied that al Shabaab fighters who recently surrendered to TFG’s security agency were behind some of the ongoing roadside bomb attacks.
President Sharif jets back home
06 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Bariga Afrika – 204 words
High ranking government officials led by the Somalia president H.E Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed on Tuesday jetted back home after he attended an emergency session thrashing out Somali security held at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Somali president was accompanied by a high level ministerial delegation including Minister of Information Posts and Telecommunication H.E Abduqadir Hussein Mohamed “Jahweyn”, members of parliament and many other government officials.
H.E Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed and his high level delegation was highly welcomed at the airdrome by senior members of the government, including members of parliament, ministers and many other officials among the TFG.
Shortly after his arrival, the Somali president H.E Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told the journalists that their official trip to Ethiopia concluded in a good atmosphere and that they participated to an emergency session thrashing out safety measures of the country and how the AU will be possible to deploy extra troops to Somalia in order to wipe out the deteriorating al Shabaab extremists in the territory.
Last month, the Somali president H.E Sharif Sheikh Ahmed attended the IGAD summit regional bloc held in Addis Ababa and during which he discussed several issues including the current political, humanitarian and security situation in Somalia.
http://www.barigaafrika.com/
Al Shabaab claim responsibility for car bomb attack in Mogadishu
06 Dec – Source: Mareeg Online, Shabelle – 143 words
Al Shabaab officials yesterday night claimed responsibility of a car bomb attack against the TFG and AU forces that occurred in Mogadishu killing 5, injuring 5 others, reports said.
Spokesman of al Shabaab for military operations, Abdi Aziz Abu Mus’ab confirmed that failed suicide car bomb attack targeting the Somali National Army and the African union peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu killed a number of those soldiers.
“We were behind the attack and it was successful against our enemy, the civilians heard our warning to avoid military bases of Somali soldiers and AMISOM, they did so, we thank them how they abide by our orders”, Abu Mus’ab said. .
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.
Puntland clerics blame al Shabaab for killing one of their colleagues in Bosaso
07 Dec – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 194 words
Al Shabaab militant group is to be blamed for the recent assassination of a renowned cleric in Puntland, Sheikh Ahmed Hajji Abdirahman who was shot dead in Bosaso on Monday morning, clerics claim.
Meeting at Al-Rowda Mosque in Bosaso on Tuesday evening, the clerics produced what they claimed to be documents and messages sent to the deceased before his death to prove their accusation against the rebel group.
They said the brutal assassination was the work of al Shabaab. The meeting was attended by several renowned clerics in Puntland, including Sheikh Dahir Aw Abdi, Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah and Sheikh Fua’d Mohamud.
Unknown assailants armed with pistols shot dead the Sheikh as he came out of a Mosque in the area, where he joined other faithfuls in conducting their Morning Prayer. The attackers immediately fled the scene of the incident.
Earlier on Monday, Puntland president Abdirahman Mohamed Farole echoed the comments and accused al Shabaab militant group of masterminding the killing of the Sheikh.
Farole said the assassination was part of a rebel conspiracy to eliminate religious leaders who oppose its ideology, promising that his people will fight and defeat the perpetrator of the killing.
A new political party launched in Somaliland republic
07 Dec – Source: Hadhwanaag Press – 126 words
A new political party called “Nuur” has been launched in Hargeisa on Tuesday. A well-organized ceremony was held at Hargeisa’s Haraf Hotel and was attended by dignitaries, politicians, elders, women and young people.
Nur Sultan Hassan Sultan Abdurrahman, an elder, addressed the ceremony and said that the democracy in Somaliland has allowed him to participate in the launch of a new political party. The chairman of the organizing committee for the new party, Mohamed Odowa, said they established the party in order to lead the society the right way.
At the end of the ceremony, the interim leader of the Nuur party Ahmed Sandon Hassan said that the main principle of the party is to make a common reform in the political system by fighting corruption and power mishandle.
IED incidents on the rise in Mogadishu
07 Dec – Source: Somalia Report – 591 words
For many Mogadishu residents, the withdrawal of al Shabaab forces from key positions in the capital city means a chance to end their often arduous lives in exile and return to their homes. However, a dramatic rise in Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) attacks in the capital is making for a difficult homecoming.
While Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces backed by African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM) have defused large numbers of IEDs planted on the streets of Mogadishu, many more have claimed innocent lives. The increasing violence in Mogadishu has created anxiety among the population and even forced them to restrict their movements in the capital, especially in areas near Somali government bases.
“Whenever I walk in the streets of Mogadishu, I am worried about possible explosions,” said Ahmed Adan, a student at Simad University. “Sometimes it sounds like Baghdad. I’ve decided to stay indoors most of the night.”
“In a single day, nine explosions were reported,” Sadia Hussein, a businesswoman in Mogadishu told Somalia Report. “How can we live like this?” she asked. “I’ve started using alleys rather the main roads to avoid blasts.”
The IEDs have forced some to return to al Shabaab-controlled areas. “I have returned to Elasha (15km south of the capital) as the danger of roadside bombs has gone up,” said Abdirizak Abdi, a local bus driver. “Night time movement is also difficult in Mogadishu.”
Warsame Mohamed Jodah, the deputy secretary for security affairs for Banadir, told Somalia Report that the government plans to improve security in Mogadishu with the help of locals. “We are working very hard to secure the city and the support we receive from the population is extremely positive. We capture al-Shabaab fighters every day, we foil attacks. Our fight against them is relentless because they do not care about human lives,” he explained.
Olad Mohamed, a former Somali army official, told Somalia Report that al-Shabaab defectors within the government may be responsible for the insecurity and called on the TFG be more vigilant. “The government should thoroughly check the motives of the defectors,” he said. “How can you trust someone who was your enemy only a day ago? I think there is a close collaboration between the defectors and those who orchestrate the attacks.”
Residents also expressed doubts over the motives of the alleged al-Shabaab defectors. “How can I come forward with information about al-Shabaab if I do not know who is who,” asked another Mogadishu resident, Abdulkadir Jimale. “Yesterday’s al-Shabaab fighter is today’s government intelligence agent.”
“I do not know who to trust. If I tell the government about al-Shabaab, he will be released within a few days and he may take revenge against me because the government is unable to protect me,” said another resident who gave his name as Bashir.
However, Abdisamad Moalin Mohamud, TFG minister for internal affairs and national security, denied reports that al-Shabaab defectors are involved in the growing security problems in Mogadishu. “That is not true,” he said. “We do not arm future killers.”
Botan Rashid Awale, a teacher who lives in Mogadishu, said the growing blasts in the city are a sign that al-Shabaab is feeling pressure. “It simply shows how desperate the group is,” he said. “If eight attacks are foiled while two achieve their goals that itself is a success.”
An al-Shabaab commander who spoke on condition of anonymity warned that the attacks on government installations and African Union bases will be stepped up. “We will plant IEDs wherever there apostate soldiers and we call on civilians to avoid military centres,” he said.
Six infants die of diarrhoea in Bakol region
06 Dec – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 237 words
Six children have died of diarrhoea-related complications in parts of Bakol region in the last 24 hours, reports say. Over 60 other people, including elderly people who succumbed to the disease, are said to be in bad condition.
Reports say children in three districts including Hudur, Wajid and Tiyeglow are said to be the worst affected children in the region. Mohamed Hassan Tukow, a resident of Hudur told Bar-kulan that health facilities have no enough drugs to deal with the diarrhoea outbreak. Diarrhoea is common in the area during the rainy sessions.
The outbreak comes a week after aid workers in Somalia warned of a disaster after al Shabaab banned 16 aid groups from its territory, a decision they said will put tens of thousands of sick mothers and malnourished children at risk.
UNICEF said thousands of children could die if its operations in parts of south and central Somalia are stopped. Tens of thousands of Somalis have already died from drought and famine-related causes this year, and the U.N. estimates that 250,000 people still face starvation in a country plagued by violence.
Early last week, al Shabaab ordered UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the Danish Refugee Council, among others, to leave, with some offices already raided in southern Somalia.
The rebel group accused the 16 groups of misappropriating funds, collecting data, and promoting secularism, immorality and the “degrading values of democracy in an Islamic country.”
Hawiye clan elders expressed their disappointment with the Somali speaker
06 Dec – Source: Radio Shabelle, Somalia Report – 80 words
The committee of Hawiye traditional elder condemned the TFG Speaker of the Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan for misusing the power of the parliament and failing in his responsibilities. The spokesman of the Hawiye elders, Ahmed Diiriye Ali, said that the speaker is refusing to open the parliament to debate the UN road map and other important motions. MP Mahamad Omar Dalha said that the members of parliament have ability to axe any TFG top officials to avoid abuses of power.
Somali Police Commander: al Shabaab’s terror attacks show their weakness
07 Dec – Source: Mareeg Online – 92 words
Police Army Commander of Somali Transitional Federal Government, Sharif Shekuna Maye said that al Shabaab’s battle against them only means to terrorize civilians and humanitarian agencies coming to Mogadishu.
Sharif Maye, Somali Police Army Commander, said that the current suicide and bomb attacks in Mogadishu do not mean that al Shabaab were stronger but said that it was a clear evidence for their weakness.
He said that they brought police forces in every district in Banadir region, excluding Daynile district and added that their police officers are awake day and night.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan MPs to debate KDF proposal to join AMISOM
07 Dec – Source: Daily Nation – 301 words
The proposal to have Kenya’s military join the African Union forces in attempts to remove Al-Shabaab from Somalia will be debated in Parliament on Thursday.
The decision to have the matter discussed was made by Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim on Wednesday morning following the notification to Parliament by Defence minister Yusuf Haji.
Parliament is required to consider and possibly approve the request by the continental body for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to join the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).
The request to have the KDF reheat- to operate in Somalia at the behest of the AU and wear the green berets of their forces- was approved by the Cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday.
Parliament could be asked to debate the matter in camera as Kiema Kilonzo (Mutito, ODM-K) sought to have the Speaker ask for the discussions to be closed. But Mr Maalim cut him short and asked him to make the request when the time comes for the debate to proceed.
Kenyan troops crossed into Somalia in mid-October in hot pursuit of Al Shabaab who was accused of being behind the kidnap of two foreign tourists and the murder of another.
They have taken control of several towns in Southern Somalia and are working with soldiers from the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to remove Al Shabaab.
The ultimate target of this combined assault on the militants is the taking of the port city of Kismayu, from which Al Shabaab have been collecting the revenue they use to finance their activities.
Kenya will also host the Nairobi Summit on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia early next year, and the Cabinet also approved this.
Kenyan cabinet approves AU request on Kenyan troops
06 Dec – Source: Daily Nation – 182 words
The Cabinet has approved an African Union request that Kenya Defence Forces battling Somalia militia Al-Shabaab join the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). The move that is subject to Parliamentary approval is meant as a strategy to combat the Al-Shabaab.
“The Cabinet that met under the Chairmanship of President Mwai Kibaki at State House Nairobi also approved the re-hitting of the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia to Amisom, subject to approval by Parliament,” said an emailed statement Tuesday.
The Cabinet also approved the hosting of the Nairobi Summit on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia early next year. During Tuesday’s meeting, the Cabinet gave nod to the Public Private Partnership Policy and Public Private Partnership Bill 2011.
Both the policy and Bill seek to create a conducive environment for private sector participation in the provision of public services through investment of capital, managerial skills and technology. The Bill establishes institutions to regulate, facilitate, monitor, supervise and approve Private Public Partnerships.
The disposal of non-core assets by the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya in order to enhance its operational capacity was also approved.
Over 50 al Shabaab insurgents killed in Somalia operations
07 Dec – Source: Coast Week, Xinhua – 346 words
Over 50 Al-Shabaab members have been killed in the past four days in the dual military operation launched by Kenya in southern Somalia, Kenya’s military officials said on Tuesday.
Military spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said more than 40 militants were killed and dozens others injured in an attack in Hayo conducted by soldiers from the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, while the Kenya Navy warship sunk a boat with five militants on board on Monday.
Chirchir said the attack on Hayo left at least 11 TFG soldiers dead and 54 of those injured airlifted to Kenya for further medical attention.
“Early morning of Dec. 3, Al-Shabaab attacked TFG defensive position at Hayo which killed 11 Somalia government soldiers, 54 injured and 25 of those injured were airlifted to Garissa and Nairobi for treatment,” Chirchir said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
“In the Hayo attack, over 40 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed and many are believed to have been injured,” Chirchir said, noting that the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) did not take part in the attack.
The spokesman said five Al-Shabaab fighters aboard a boat fitted with weapons conducted a failed attack on the Kenya Navy warship along the coast of Kuday, south of Kismayu on Monday.
“The Kenya Navy engaged the boat and sunk it,” he said. Chirchir also said the KDF jets targeted two Al-Shabaab camps south of Afmadow town on Monday, killing a number of Al-Shabaab fighters and destroyed technical vehicles.
http://www.coastweek.com/3448_
Somalia from “famine” to “humanitarian emergency”
06 Dec – Source: Kuwait News Agency – 436 words
Despite the downgrading of some areas under the control of Al Shabaab group from “famine” to “humanitarian emergency” last week, humanitarian needs in Somalia persist, said the UN Office of humanitarian coordination (OCHA) in a press release.
Some 250,000 people remain at risk of starvation, out of the four million Somalis in need of humanitarian assistance. “The situation is also likely to lead to more displacements as people move in search of food, security and assistance both within and outside Somalia.
The security situation in Mogadishu remains precarious, with several explosions reported this week.” The ban imposed by Al Shabaab last week on 16 aid agencies poses a new challenge for humanitarian partners, which had made significant progress in delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected population.
The new ban threatens the lives of three million people in need of humanitarian assistance in southern Somalia. As of October, the cluster had reached 2.6 million people overall, an improvement from the 2.2 million people reached in September, and representing 65 percent of the targeted four million people countrywide.
The timely delivery of humanitarian assistance is further being hampered by the heavy rains resulting in impassable roads, especially in southern and central regions of Somalia. A joint meeting of the logistics and food assistance clusters was conducted on 25 November to look at mitigating measures.
In Kenya, humanitarian operations at the Dadaab refugee camp are still limited to the provision of essential services due to ongoing insecurity in the area, and refugee registration remains suspended. Dadaab hosts the majority of Somali refugees in the region.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN envoy calls for expanded help to Somalia
06 Dec – Source: Xinhua, China Daily – 302 words
UN Secretary-General Special Representative for Somalia Augustine Mahiga called on the international community Tuesday to increase humanitarian assistance to the African country.
“The international community must continue and expand its efforts, even as images of suffering fade from the front pages,” Mahiga said in a letter addressed to all the people of Somalia and copied to the media. And he warned Somalis against undermining the peace process.
Mahiga cautioned anyone trying to undermine an agreed framework outlining political actions required to restore peace and stability in the country that their actions would not be tolerated.
“The message is clear: the road map is the way forward and spoilers seeking to derail the process will not be tolerated,” Mahiga said.
The road map, adopted at a consultative meeting held in Mogadishu in September, spells out priority measures to be implemented before the current transitional governing arrangements end next August.
It covers security, the drafting of a new constitution and reconciliation. It also seeks to lay the foundation for good governance, and calls for coordinated international efforts to ensure implementation. The UN envoy said he believed there was a “buy-in” into the road map for large numbers of the Somali population and their leadership.
“I believe we are all working towards the same ends, to make Somalia a safe, secure and prosperous country once more. The road map will not solve all the problems but it is a central part of the solution and I look to all of you to help make it work,” Mahiga said.
He said the Transitional Federal Government forces and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) were doing what they could to help stabilize the nation and consolidate peace.
Somalia continues to face the largest humanitarian crisis in the world with over half of its population in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
New camp for Somali refugees opens in Ethiopia
06 Dec – Source: VOA – 300 words
Ethiopia has opened a new camp for Somali refugees in hopes of relieving the overcrowded conditions at the Dollo Ado camp. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says the new camp, Bur Amino, is the fifth one in the region.
“We will be moving people stage by stage. The first relocation of 384 people took place on November 30th,” said UNHCR spokesperson Stiofainin Nic Iomhaird, who is in Dollo Ado. Another group of about 500 was to moved Monday, December 5th, followed yet another on Thursday, December 8th.
“The reason is to keep the numbers manageable and to make sure the camp, which is still under development, keeps up with the number as they arrive.” Nic Iomahaird also said the number of Somali refugees moving into Dollo Ado has dropped significantly in the past two to three weeks.
“October was the fourth highest month in 2011 in terms of new arrivals, after having had a peak of new arrivals in the summer time, during drought and famine,” said Nic Iomahaird.
She said the peak in October is more related to conflict inside Somalia but the reason for the recent decrease in the number of refugees is hard to determine.
“We believe it’s the rain that we’ve seen. It’s been raining a lot both in Somalia and Ethiopia. That may be contributing to people’s lack of mobility,” said Nic Iomahaird. She said the UNHCR plans to house 60,000 refugees at the Bur Amino camp, but it’s always a challenge.