09 Dec 2011 – Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- UN Secretly General pays a landmark visit to Somalia (Source: Radio Mogadishu Shabelle and Radio Bar-kulan)
- UN to relocate Somalia office to Mogadishu next year (Source: Radio Bar-kulan Risaala and Kulmiye)
- Security beefed up as Ban Ki Moon jets in(Source: Radio Mogadishu SONNA Jowhar Online)
- Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with the President and Foreign Minister of Kenya (Source: Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General)
- Airstrike said kills 60 Islamists in southern Somalia (Source: Shabelle)
- 128 TFG soldiers injured so far in Somalia battle (Source: Star)
- Turkish Navy Disrupt suspected Somali pirates off Kenya coast (Source: Coast week)
- UN chief urges Somali Islamist rebels to stop violence (Source: AFP)
PRESS STATEMENT
Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with the President and Foreign Minister of Kenya
08 Dec – Source: Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General – 220 words
The Secretary-General met today with Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya, and Moses Wetangula, Foreign Minister of Kenya. They discussed the situations in Somalia, in Sudan and South Sudan.
On Somalia, the Secretary-General took note of the progress made since the adoption of the Somali Roadmap and reaffirmed the United Nations support in implementing it. Noting the regional implications of the situation in Somalia, he stressed the importance of the Transitional Federal Government’s implementation of the Roadmap as well as the international community’s support in this regard.
He welcomed the endorsement by the Parliament yesterday of Kenya’s decision to join the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). He also stressed the need for the Mission to reach its full mandated capacity. The Secretary-General noted that security developments in Somalia should be in support of the TFG and that interventions should be aligned with the political objectives of the country.
The Secretary-General also commended Kenya for its continued support to Somali refugees and welcomed the additional security measures taken in the camps hosting them.
On Sudan, the Secretary-General, the President and Foreign Minister discussed the need to resolve the outstanding post-Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) issues, and particularly the question of Abyei. He also underlined the importance of harmonizing the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan, including with the assistance of countries in the region.
SOMALI MEDIA
UN Secretly General pays a landmark visit to Somalia
09 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Shabelle, and Radio Bar-kulan – 172 words
UN Sec Gen. Ban Ki Moon has paid a historic visit to the Somali capital Mogadishu. Moon arrived at around 9am local time aboard a special jet that safely landed at the Aden Adde International Airport Mogadishu where the UN chief was welcomed by high ranking Somali government officials.
Moon proceeded later to the presidential palace where he met with the Somali President H.E Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Prime Minister H.E Abdiweli Mohamed Ali where they are set to address series of issues among them the threat posed by the militant group of al Shabaab as well as the piracy scourge, and he was expected to make an announcement about the U.N’s involvement in Somalia.
Mogadishu has witnessed top world leaders visits since August following the exit of the al Shabaab from their key strongholds in the capital following a joint successful AU and Somali national army operation.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan and Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Gelle were among the top world leaders to visit Mogadishu to assess the humanitarian crisis.
UN to relocate Somalia office to Mogadishu next year
09 Dec – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Risaala, and Kulmiye – 198 words
United Nations to relocate its Somalia Political Office to the war-torn capital, Mogadishu from Kenyan capital, Nairobi next year, UN chief says.
Addressing a press conference in Mogadishu on Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) offices will be moved to Mogadishu, January next year.
The UN chief also hailed the recent Roadmap agreed during the September consultative meeting in Mogadishu, calling it an opportunity for the Somali population in getting long lasting peace in Somalia.
Ki-Moon lambasted Somali rebel group, saying the group is a threat to peace and stability in Somalia. He also blamed the outlawed group for banning aid groups including UN aid agencies in areas under its control. The UN boss is said to be meeting African Union officials in Mogadishu.
Ban Ki-Moon who arrived in Mogadishu early this morning is the first U.N.’s top leader to visit a city known for a seemingly perpetual state of war in years. Immediately after he arrived, Ban met with Somali leaders and officials from the African Union force.
His visit to the war-torn capital was made possible after AU force weakened al Shabaab’s military capability by overrunning militant bases in the city.
Security beefed up as Ban Ki Moon jets in
09 Dec – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA, Jowhar Online – 177 words
Residents in Mogadishu and its environs woke up to a rude shock on Friday morning as there were no public vehicles to ferry them to their work places. This follows the preparation for the visiting United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The United Nations Secretary General is paying an official visit to Mogadishu today to meet High level TFG officials. This follows a crackdown on vehicles, passengers and pedestrians who are footing to workplace.
Somali National News Agency reporter Mohamed Hussein went to report and witnessed the crackdown on vehicles and people on Mogadishu streets.
Airstrike said kills 60 Islamists in southern Somalia
09 Dec – Source: Shabelle – 132 words
Lt Col Adan Hirsi Muhammad Rufle said between 50 and 60 al Shabaab officials and fighters have been killed in the attack, adding that three military vehicles belonging to al Shabaab were also destroyed.
Al Shabaab has so far not commented on the matter. Bardhere town, which was targeted by the warplanes, is under the control of al Shabaab. There are no independent sources to confirm the claims made by the Somali government.
Meanwhile, reports from Bardhere say tension is high between government forces and al Shabaab fighters after the latter deployed fighters in and around the town. The deployment has caused fear among the local residents.
Officials in Gedo Region said that they had carried out air strikes at Ceel Cade locality near Garbaharrey District in which a number of al Shabaab fighters and civilians were killed recently.
35 wounded militants taken to Baidoa, Bay region
09 Dec – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 103 words
Reports from southern Somalia town of Baidoa say 35 wounded militants were taken there for treatment after they were reportedly wounded in an airstrikes targeting rebel base in Bardera town, Gedo region on Thursday.
The wounded militants, some of them with serious wounds, were reportedly taken to a hospital outside the town, where rebel leaders used to seek treatments whenever they are injured.
Locals told Bar-kulan that they saw rebel owned battle-wagons carrying over 30 wounded militants reaching the hospital. Two fighter jets bombed ADC stores used by the militant group as a training camp, in a suburb of the town on Thursday.
Somali Islamists train 60 Women as fighters, suicide bombers
08 Dec – Source: Somalia Report – 197 words
More than 60 women recruited as al Shabaab fighters have completed three months of training in the former Labaatan Jirow military training camp, 25km north of Baidoa District in Somalia’s Bay region.
“More than 60 women, mostly girls, finished the training and were deployed in Baidoa District. Soon they will go to Mogadishu,” a local resident told Somalia Report on the condition of anonymity.
Locals reported that the women have been trained in a variety of skills including fighting, suicide attacks, and assassinations to be used against Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government [TFG] forces and African Union peacekeepers.
Whether these women voluntarily joined or were forcibly recruited remains unknown, but the militant group has been forcibly recruiting young men and students to join their jihad in recent months.
Muhammad Ali Bakir, a retired General of Siyad Barre’s military government, said it will be easy for the women to carry out attacks because they can hide weapons and explosive devices in their long clothes and veils. To combat this, the TFG is considering banning the veil in public places.
This comes as al Shabaab continues to conduct hit and run attacks in Mogadishu and re-deploys more fighters to the seaside capital.
Somaliland: SOLJA Condemns the Arrest of Their Chairperson
08 Dec – Source: Somaliland Press – 354 words
The newly elected leadership committee of Somaliland Journalists Association, SOLJA, had strongly condemned the arrest of their chairperson in a press conference held today in Hargeisa.
Speaking in a press conference, after he was released, Mr. Hassan told that he was arrested in association with allegations published last year by Hargeisa Star daily paper while he was its Editor-in-chief.
Hargeisa Star had previously published corruption accusations against Somaliland’s Minister of Presidency, Mr. Hersi Ali H. Hassan, nonetheless, the chairman claimed that he was taking medications in Djibouti hospital while the paper made this charges against the minister and for that case was not responsible for whatever happened.
http://somalilandpress.com/
REGIONAL MEDIA
128 TFG soldiers injured so far in Somalia battle
09 Dec – Source: Star – 124 words
The number of casualties is on the rise as Kenya-backed Transitional Federal Government troops and al Shabaab militias battle for control of large swathes of lawless Somalia.
The Garissa District Hospital in north eastern Kenya has admitted 128 injured TFG Soldiers since Kenyan operation “Linda Nchi” was launched in mid October. Multiple sources confirmed the soldiers have mainly gunshot wounds and burns from explosives.
“This people come to the hospital in very bad conditions from bullet wounds , burns and deep head cuts, injuries consistent with a situation of fierce gun fighting , use of explosives and other weapons between the TFG soldiers and the al Shabaab” one of the sources said. Critically injured troops are flown to Mombasa or Nairobi for special care.
Operation in Somalia gets UN nod
08 Dec – Source: Daily Nation – 316 words
Kenya’s military operation in Somalia has received crucial backing from the United Nations. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said the war against al Shabaab militia was necessary to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country and the region.
In a meeting with President Kibaki on Thursday, the UN boss welcomed Kenya’s decision to offer its troops to the African Union Mission to Somalia (Amisom).
A statement from the Presidential Press service (PPS) said that Mr. Ban welcomed Kenya’s leadership role in efforts to stabilise Somalia. He assured the government that the UN would fully back the military operation. President Kibaki asked the UN to take a more pro-active role in Somalia.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/
Turkish Navy Disrupt suspected Somali pirates off Kenya coast
09 Dec – Source: Coast week – 368 words
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship TCG Gediz of the Republic of Turkey, assigned to CMF’s counter-piracy mission, Combined Task Force 151 has disrupted a suspected pirate mother ship and a pirate skiff in the southern Somali Basin.
The task force received a report of an attack on the merchant vessel MV Jeanne as it transited international waters off the coast of the Somalia/ Kenya border. CTF 151 Commander, Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, Pakistan Navy taskedGediz, patrolling in the area, to search for the skiff that had participated in the attack.
http://www.coastweek.com/3449_
Somalis air views on country’s conflict
08 Dec – Source: Al jazeera – 01:55 min
In recent months residents of Somalia have struggled with a devastating drought on top of decades of armed conflict.
But the stories and views of Somalia’s people have largely gone unreported. Using mobile phones and social media, Al Jazeera has carried out the largest ever survey of the Somali people, to find out what they have to say about the situation in their country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Somali MPs demand rules of engagement for Kenyan troops
08 Dec – Source: Star – 448 words
Two Somalia MPs and two businessmen have demanded rules of engagement for Kenya troops who will join the African Mission in Somalia contingent.
The MPs Ahmed Awad who is also the Chairman of Somalia’s Parliamentary Committee on Information, Ibrahim Sheikh Ali, the chairman of a parliamentary committee on reconciliation as well as businessmen Jama Hassan Khalif and Hassan Isse, said Somalia needs a political solution not a military one by foreign governments, including Kenya.
“Interference by other government’s even Kenya in Somalia’s affairs is intolerable. Everything that goes on in Somalia has to be sanctioned. There is a Ministry of Interior and the parliament has to approve. The law must be followed. Somalia’s political problems cannot be solved by foreign troop intervention. It has been tested before and has not worked,” said Awad during a press conference in Nairobi.
He said foreign countries should not enter Somalia without clear rules of engagement. The MPs thanked all governments and individuals that have helped alleviate famine situation in the war torn country but said the country’s fate should be left to its people.
The legislators demanded the immediate removal of the United Nations Special Envoy to Somalia, Amb. Augustine Mahiga, for what they termed his attempt to fragment the country by making alarming statements during an interview in Hargesia.
“The UN Special Envoy to Somalia Augustine Mahiga made a wrong statement of choice in Hargesia when he suggested fragmentation of Somalia. His campaign to support secession is against Somalia’s territorial integrity. He is attempting to take the powers of the Somalia people which has been vested in the MPs,” they said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrives in Mogadishu
09 Dec – Source: AP – 115 words
A Somalia police official says U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Somalia’s capital, the first visit by the U.N.’s top leader to Mogadishu in years.
Ban’s arrival in the war-torn capital city has been made possible because of the military gains that African Union forces have made this year against al Shabaab militants, who last year at this time controlled most of Mogadishu. Still, the militants have been waging a campaign of roadside and suicide bomb attacks, injecting some risk into the U.N. chief’s visit.
The visit is the first in years to Mogadishu by the U.N.’s top official. A Somali police official confirmed the arrival of Ki-moon but said he could not be quoted by name.
UN chief urges Somali Islamist rebels to stop violence
09 Dec – Source: AFP – 126 words
UN chief Ban Ki-moon, on a surprise visit to the war-torn Somali capital Friday, urged Somali Islamist rebels to stop violence and join efforts to restore peace.
“We call on the opposition armed group al Shabaab to stop violence and participate in the peace process in the country,” Ban told reporters here.
Ban Ki-moon said his visit to the Somali capital was the first by a UN secretary general “since 1993”, two years after the start of the civil war.
“The UN will also open its political office in Mogadishu in January next year,” he said. Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who had earlier been reported to be out of the country, said the visit “encourages peace and development” and “demonstrates how security has improved in Mogadishu.”
Greek diplomat named EU envoy for Horn of Africa
08 Dec – Source: European voice – 118 words
A Greek diplomat, Alexander Rondos, has been appointed the EU’s special representative to the Horn of Africa. A rondo has held senior posts in the Greek prime minister’s office, the Greek ministry of foreign affairs and at the World Bank.
Special representative to the Horn of Africa is a new post, created by a decision by foreign ministers on 14 November. The SR’s job is to “contribute to efforts to achieve peace, security and development in Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda”. Rondos will be asked to focus initially on Somalia, regional conflicts and piracy. He will take office on 1 January and his mandate runs until 30 June next year but is expected to be renewed.
Flow of money from US to Somalia faces disruption
09 Dec – Source: AP – 1007 words
Tens of thousands of Somalis living in Minnesota might be forced to find another way to send money to relatives in their homeland after a bank that handles the majority of the community’s wire transfers said it was halting the service amid fears some funds could go to terrorists.
Sunrise Community Banks plans to close its accounts with several Somali money transfer businesses after determining it could be at risk of violating government rules intended to clamp down on terror financing. Without Sunrise, many money transfer businesses known as haw alas signalled they would close Friday or next week because they can’t execute transactions on their own.
Somalia, a country racked by war and famine, has not had a functioning government since 1991 and has no banking system. The U.S. Treasury says it’s estimated that Somalis in the U.S. send $100 million back home each year, and Minnesota represents the nation’s largest Somali population.
“It will touch every community member,” said Dahir Jibreel, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. “Everybody is scared. Everybody is worried. And they don’t know what will come.”
TA troops help secure future for Somalia
07 Dec – Source: British Forces News – 2:50 min
TA troops from Northern Ireland have been helping bring stability to Somalia by training African soldiers due to be deployed there.
They have spent a week in nearby Uganda training members of its Army who will become part of the African Union Mission in Mogadishu. Like Afghanistan, Somalia is seen by the British Government as one of the biggest threats facing the UK. In the first of three special reports Forces News looks at the vital role played by the TA at the Singo Training Centre in Uganda.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Rise of Twitter Terrorists and What it Means for Global Security
08 Dec – Source: International Business Times – 843 words
Al-Shabaab, the Islamist rebel group in Somalia with al-Qaida ties, opened its own Twitter account on Wednesday.
The English-language @HSMPress, officially listed as the Twitter feed of the Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen Press Office, has sent out more than 20 messages since its launch about 24 hours ago.
So far, al-Shabaab has used its account to report on battles with African Union forces and to taunt the Kenyan Military, which recently invaded parts of Somalia to push al-Shabaab away from its border. The Twitter account already has more than 700 followers.
Al Shabaab is a paramilitary group considered a terrorist organization by the United States, for good reason. The rebels, who control large parts of the generally lawless Somalia, are notorious for hijacking humanitarian aid during the worst famine in 60 years, regularly bombing civilians, and being extremely unfriendly to the West. And they are just the latest insurgent group to start using Twitter.
http://www.ibtimes.com/
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS
Al Jazeera launches the latest survey of Somali community
08 Dec – Al jazeera – 2:48 min
In recent months residents of Somalia have struggled with a devastating drought on top of decades of armed conflict. But the stories and views of Somalia’s people have largely gone unreported.
Using mobile phones and social media, Al Jazeera has carried out the largest ever survey of the Somali people, to find out what they have to say about the situation in their country. Al Jazeera’s New Media journalist Soud Hyder explains the program.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?