NATIONAL MEDIA
21 July – Source: Radio Shabelle – 174 Words
Somali Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire met the organizing committee of the upcoming Galmudug reconciliation meeting in Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of the state on Saturday. The meeting, which was also attended by the Interior Minister, Abdi Mohamed Sabriye and some members of the Lower House of the parliament and Galmudug Chief Minister, Sheikh Mohamed Shakir focused on the coordination and the success of the upcoming meeting.
Prime Minister Khaire reminded the technical committee about the challenges ahead, urging them to work towards the success of the crucial meeting. Khaire also called upon the communities living in Galmudug state to closely work with the committee.
The Prime Minister’s office in conjunction with the Ministry of Interior named a 12-member technical committee last week to organize a reconciliation meeting that brings together various parties in Galmudug to resolve political differences before upcoming regional leadership elections in forthcoming weeks. Hassan Ali Khaire spent the past four weeks in the state to spearhead his government plans on development, stability and political inclusiveness in the region.
21 July – Source: Goobjoog – 192 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Saturday contacted the President of Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, highlighting the importance of cooperation between the Government and the states. President Farmajo stressed that the Federal Government of Somalia will extend the country’s development programs to all national and regional development plans and programs for the development and dissemination of basic services for the people of Somalia.
Meanwhile, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said the Somali Federal government is deeply saddened by the arrest of some of the members of the Road Construction Commission in Bosaso on Thursday, calling on President Deni to unconditionally restore their freedom. President Farmajo has emphasized that the Federal Government of Somalia is committed to protecting the fundamental principles of governance and strengthening the federal system of cooperation, co-existence and nation-building.
Puntland’s Attorney General, Mohamud Hassan Osman, said that neither President Deni of Puntland or President Farmajo can release the arrested suspects and only the law has the power to release them and we would be charged according to the law. This comes after three members of the road reconstruction team in Bossaso were arrested on Thursday in Bosaso town, as many requests of their release were all rejected.
21 July – Source: Garowe Online – 297 Words
Jubaland’s electoral body on Saturday cleared incumbent President Ahmed Madobe to run for a third term in office in the next month’s highly anticipated election, Garowe Online reports. Madobe, who has been in power since the inception of the Southern Federal State in 2013 is now facing stiff competition from several candidates reportedly backed by the Somali Government in Mogadishu.
The much-expected regional presidential vote is slated for 24 August 2019, according to the election timetable released by the electoral commission of Jubaland last week. The sitting Jubaland state president has shown strong appetite to remain in office, saying he got an endorsement from key local clans to stand against other presidential candidates.
The electoral body has barred candidates married to foreigners, those without university degrees or leadership experience of at least 10 years and as well candidates who have not stayed in Somalia for the past two years. According to rules published on Thursday by the state’s electoral commission, male candidates must pay $30,000 registration fee and $15,000 for female runners and should resign, if holding parliamentary seats or ministerial dockets.
The upcoming parliamentary and presidential election will take place in the southern port city of Kismayo amid strained relations between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Jubaland state. As part of election preparedness, the security of the city has been extremely heightened since the July 12 Al-Shabaab attack at As’asey hotel that left 26 dead, among them a presidential candidate and two journalists while 56 others were hurt. During his Kismayo visit last week, UN’s new envoy James Swan informed Madobe that the international partners want the election to take place without violence, interference, on time, and that it follows a fair and transparent process broadly acceptable to all.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
21 July – Source: Standard Media – 395 Words
There was drama during a confrontation between locals and Al-Shabaab gunmen in Kutulo, Mandera County. At least three gunmen raided a construction site of a local hospital on Sunday in search for non-locals. But before they arrived at the site, the locals had tipped off the construction workers, most of whom were non-locals, and told them to vacate the area. Police and witnesses said there were about 20 workers at the site. And as the gunmen marched to the site, locals confronted them saying there was no non-local at the site. “They confronted the gunmen who proceeded to the site and failed to get what they wanted. They opened fire but no one was injured before they (gunmen) escaped,” said North Eastern Regional Commissioner Mohamed Birik. He added the action by the locals saved many lives. The targeted workers were later evacuated to nearby Elwak centre by police amid fears of more planned attacks.
This comes in the wake of pressure to re-open quarry mines in the region. Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i, had last month re-assured Mandera leaders that quarry mines in the region will be re-opened soon but in a structured manner. “It is not the intention of the government to sabotage or kill the economy of Mandera. Our only concern has been the level of insecurity at the quarries,” Matiangi said. The government announced the closure of quarries on May 4, 2018, after four miners were killed by suspected Al Shabaab militants at Shimbir Fatuma quarry in Mandera South. Several efforts by the quarry association and County Government to convince the security team to reopen the quarry fields were unsuccessful before the move. The High Court lifted the ban, but the stone mining has remained in limbo.
Matiang’i said the re-opening of the quarries will be done in phases and zones as per the guidance of office of county commissioner, the National Police Service and county government. “The increasing insecurity incidents in Mandera are alarming and are hampering development, but we have made good progress and an announcement will soon be forthcoming from the national government,” he said. Governor Ali Roba was concerned that the closure of the Kenya-Somalia border since 2014 had slowed economic growth and denied the county Sh3 billion revenue annually. Matiang’ said neighbouring Ethiopia was peaceful and told the leaders to ask themselves why peace lacked in their region.
20 July – Source: AMISOM – 536 Words
The African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, arrived in Mogadishu for high-level talks with Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo on pursuing the objectives of regional integration in the Horn of Africa. The visit on Saturday, 20 July, follows a mandate given to the panel by the African Union to ensure that the countries of the Horn of Africa deal with matters of peace and security and economic integration in a holistic manner, in order to enjoy the benefits that come with regional integration.
The panel, comprising officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations, will also interact with the leadership of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), the diplomatic community, civil society and other stakeholders. In his audience with President Farmajo and senior officials of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), former President Mbeki said that it was important that in discussing regional integration, the first and principal contact be the countries of the Horn of Africa themselves.
“One of the matters which the continent needed to look at was the issue of addressing, in a holistic way, the challenges facing the Horn of Africa. A decision (of the AU) said that it would help the Horn of Africa region, but also have a positive impact on the continent as a whole, if the Horn of Africa moved towards integration,” Mr. Mbeki stated in his remarks in the meeting held at Villa Somalia, which was attended by top African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and United Nations officials who included the Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson to Somalia (SRCC), Ambassador Francisco Madeira and the new UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia (SRSG), James Swan.
“That is essentially why we are here, to listen to what the Government of Somalia might say about the integration of the Horn of Africa and in that context, addressing all the other elements that need to be addressed,” Mr. Mbeki added. The planned integration of the Horn of Africa countries, Mr. Mbeki said, would be hinged on three pillars, which, among other things, would culminate in the countries of the region developing a common security architecture. “We need to focus on three matters; first, what needs to be done to ensure that the Horn of Africa region develops a common security architecture. The other one would be about economic integration and what needs to be done with regard to that particular matter and the third would be relating to the political matters that are relevant to this issue of regional cooperation and integration,” Mr. Mbeki explained…..
20 July – Source: Xinhua – 190 Words
Three Al-Shabaab militants were killed on Friday evening in an operation conducted by Somali forces in Awdinle town in the southern region of Bay, an official said on Saturday. Ibrahim Mohamed Nour, governor of Awdinle town, told journalists that Somali forces launched an attack on al-Shabab extremists following a tip-off from the residents saying the militants were forcing Awdinle residents to pay compulsory taxes.
“The operation resulted in the killing of three Al-Shabaab militants and the capture of another one alive. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the militants,” said Nour, adding that the captured militant is under the custody of government forces. “We heard the sound of gunflight late Friday afternoon and later leant it was a clash between government forces and al-Shabab militants, but we can’t give further details,” Hassan Gelle, a local resident told Xinhua by phone.
The latest military offensive came barely a week after Somali army killed 15 al-Shabab militants in an offensive in Wanlaweyn town in Lower Shabelle region. Somali forces have intensified operations on Al-Shabaab extremists in central and southern Somalia, conducting consecutive offensives to flush the militants out of those regions.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Security officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have been moving around our villages asking us to remain inside our houses since security is not good. They told us we should not even use the Ishakani-Ras Kamboni route at the moment to pave way for them to fight terrorists. We’ve also been hearing loud bursts and explosions from a distance towards Ras Kamboni,” Said Mr. Islam
21 July – Source: Daily Nation – 531 Words
Residents in Ishakani and Ras Kamboni on the border of Lamu and Somalia were on Saturday forced to remain indoors for hours as security agencies pursued suspected Al-Shabaab militants said to be planning attacks in the area. Locals who spoke to the Nation said security officers instructed them to limit their movements in the area to pave way for the security personnel to conduct massive crackdown on suspected Al-Shabaab militants who have been launching attacks and attempts in the areas in recent days. Ishakani and Ras Kamboni villages are within the ongoing multi-agency security Operation Linda Boni zone. The operation was launched in September 2015 and sought to flush out Al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding inside the dense Boni Forest. Mr Ahmed Islam, a resident in Ishakani, said they would, from time to time, hear loud gunshots and explosions coming from the Ras Kamboni direction, suggesting a possible attack.
“Security officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have been moving around our villages asking us to remain inside our houses since security is not good. They told us we should not even use the Ishakani-Ras Kamboni route at the moment to pave way for them to fight terrorists. We’ve also been hearing loud bursts and explosions from a distance towards Ras Kamboni,” said Mr Islam. Another resident, Mohamed Omar, said they had heard reports of a terror attack that had taken place between Ishakani and Ras Kamboni on Saturday.
“We’re informed that there was a terror attack that occurred between Ishakani and Ras Kamboni road today and that’s why there is the sudden directive that we should remain indoors. Security officers are pursuing the perpetrators of the attack. I am told it’s an IED attack by suspected Al-Shabaab militants,” said Mr Omar. A security source who talked to the Nation on condition of anonymity said there was indeed a terror attack that had happened in the area but refused to give details. “This is an operation area. Yes, there was an attack today morning but we’ve managed to contain the situation,” said the officer by phone before ending the call.
Residents also observed an increase in the number of security personnel and vehicles that were patrolling the area on Saturday and the early hours of Sunday. But another security official dismissed the attack claims, saying that the gunshots that residents heard were from a routine drill that was being conducted by security agencies in the various camps within the operation area. “There’s nothing like an attack here. Locals shouldn’t misunderstand security drills for an attack. This is an operation area and gunshots and all manner of explosions are inevitable. There is no cause for alarm,” said the officer who refused to be named.
A week ago, three Al-Shabaab militants were killed while two police officers from the Rapid Border Patrol Unit (RBPU) were critically injured during an explosive attack along the Kiunga-Ishakani-Ras Kamboni road. The device is suspected to have been planted on the road by Al-Shabaab militants. Efforts to seek a comment from Linda Boni Security officials concerning the Saturday incident were, however, futile as they were unreachable by phone. |
