January 18, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
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Battle erupts in Lower Jubba region18 Jan – Source: Shabelle – 86 words Fighting between al Shabaab and TFG backed by Kenyan Forces has broken out in outskirts of Qoqani town of lower Jubba in central Somalia, reports say today. The fighting comes after al Shabaab militants carried out attacks on bases of TFG troops and Kenyan Forces in the suburbs of Qoqani town; both sides used heavy and slight weapons. Reports say that 5 persons killed in the battle were from the fighting sides. |
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Key Headlines
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SOMALI MEDIASomalia’s Health Minister attends WHO session in Geneva18 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 190 words Somalia Minister of Health Abdiaziz Sheikh Yusuf and a high level Somali government delegation have flown to Geneva Switzerland to attend a World Health Organization session that will address the current health situation in Somalia and other African countries. Abdiaziz Sheikh Yusuf will represent the Somali government where all world health Ministries are set to attend as well as the International aid agencies that will tackle health issues that affect the continent. Somalia has been the worst affected nation health wise after an influx of displaced persons in the capital caused outbreaks of cholera, water diarrhea and severe cases of malnutrition. The Minister is set to meet the international aid agencies heads to discuss about the health situation in Somalia as well as the progress made by the Transitional federal Government of Somalia Health department despite the ongoing conflict in Somalia that has seen many killed and thousands wounded. UN officials arrive in central Somalia frontline region17 Jan – Source: Shabelle, Hiiraan Online, Bar-Kulan – 176 words High level delegation from the United Nations have on Tuesday arrived in parts of Hiiraan region of central Somalia, weeks after al Shabaab fighters withdrew from most strategic towns of that region, officials said. The delegation, which is headed by the Chief of the UN’s aid agencies advisors working in Somalia, held talks with members of Somali parliament in Hiiraan region, officials from Shabelle Valley administration and Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a. Mohamed Amin Hassan, a Somali MP told reporters that officials from (UN-OCHA) and WFP were also part of the delegation arrived in Beledweyne town on Tuesday. The UN officials were reported to have been assessing and monitoring the security situation in the region weeks after Somalia government troops backed by Ethiopian forces recaptured the town from al Shabaab fighters. ASWJ arrest an al Shabaab sympathizer in Guriel17 Jan – Source: Radio Kulmiye, Shabelle – 139 words Security forces in Guriel district of Galgudud region in central Somalia have apprehended a man suspected of throwing a bomb in the center of the town. The security forces believe that the man has close links with the militant group of al Shabaab. Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a security forces seized the man whom they say was indeed responsible for the attack. The attack caused no harm but ASWJ accuse the man of having ill motive and was planning on causing harm to the people of that area. Guriel commissioner Osman Noor told the press that the security forces manage to pin down the man and sent a message of warning to the area residents to remain vigilant and report to authorities any unfamiliar behaviour they notice in the town. Osman also condemned the al Shabaab for trying to cause insecurity in the region. Kenya’s Deputy Speaker visits Somaliland for talks18 Jan – Source: Somaliland Press – 328 words Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Farah Maalim Ahmed, arrived in the Somaliland capital on Tuesday for purely personal visit but stressed he will hold talks with senior government officials. He added the recent skirmishes in parts of Buhodle region and the bilateral ties between Kenya and Somaliland would be topics of discussion. He held a brief press conference at Egal International airport where he was received by senior government officials. Speaking to local media he expressed his pleasure visiting Somaliland once again and made it clear his visit was not politically motivated. The Kenyan MP described his trip as a peaceful mission to promote the strengthening of peace and harmony among the Somali population spread across the Horn of Africa. “I am here to discuss efforts to find peace and development for the general Somali populous,” he said. Former Information minister urges unification of Somali people17 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 142 words Former Somali Information Minister Abdikarim Hassan Jama has toured the troubled town of Buhodle days after bitter confrontations emerged between Somaliland forces and the area residents. Abdikarim Jama called on the area residents to restrain from fighting and appealed to the Somaliland forces to end their attacks on the restive town. The former Information Minister sent his deepest message of condolence to the bereaved families and reiterated his call to the Somaliland administration to end its attacks on the town that has affected many civilians. “The people of Sool are not ready to be split and I call on the TFG to spearhead the unity of the Somali people and condemn violence at all times.” Battle erupts in Lower Jubba region18 Jan – Source: Shabelle – 86 words Fighting between al Shabaab and TFG backed by Kenyan Forces has broken out in outskirts of Qoqani town of lower Jubba in central Somalia ,reports say on Wednesday. The fighting comes after al Shabaab militants carried out attacks on bases of TFG troops and Kenyan Forces in the suburbs of Qoqani town, both sides used heavy and slight weapons. Reports say that 5 persons killed in the battle were from the fighting sides. Locals in northern Kenya call for relocation of Somali refugees in Dadaab17 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 205 words A local District Security committee in Lagdera, northern Kenya, has appealed to the Kenyan government to relocate the Somali refugees in Dadaad, the world’s largest refugee camp, for security reasons. The committee made the request during a security meeting in Garissa, city security and environmental concerns. Committee chairman, Adan Dekow Omar, told Bar-kulan that committee members agreed to petition the Kenyan government to immediately relocate these refugees in their district since they are threat to their security. They proposed that the refugees be moved from the area to other parts of the country since they could not host them more than two decades. Locals in the area have been complaining of lack of security in the area due the high influx of Somali refugees into their area. They also cited environmental concerns, accusing the refugees of cutting down trees in efforts to construct houses or even used them for charcoal and for other environment degrading activities. REGIONAL MEDIAAl Shabaab resistance over – Kenya18 Jan – Source: Daily Monitor – 313 words Kenyan troops pushing deeper into the al Shabaab-controlled territories in southern Somalia have marked three months on the battlefield, making gains as they march towards strategic port of Kismayu. The battle for Kismayu is expected within a few days after the Kenyan military announced at the weekend that the troops have moved to within a striking distance of the port. But the military commanders said the troops would not strike until they are sure the time is ripe for the launch of such an operation, which is expected to change the activity on the battlefield, should the al Shabaab flee to other regions of Somalia. “The al Shabaab infrastructure in the liberated areas have been destroyed,” said Col. Cyrus Oguna, the Department of Defence operations commander, who issues weekly briefings on the advances on the battlefield. “We have surpassed our timelines with proportions. We have achieved a lot within a very short time.” Hospitals in al Shabaab-controlled towns like Kismayu were overwhelmed with casualties while the group’s fighting strength was getting downgraded, battlefield dispatches said. Kenyan commanders said although the al Shabaab believes a strike on the port of Kismayu would be the ultimate objective, tightening the control on the group’s former battlegrounds of Tabda, Hayo, Beles Qooqani and Afmadow, is key to success,” Oguna said. War-weary Mogadishu revels in new lease of life17 Jan – Source: Africa Review – 240 words The traffic signs are not the only things coming up in Mogadishu. After decades of war that reduced the Somali capital almost to rubble and banished all semblance of normalcy from the streets, there are now rumblings of awakening, much as they may resemble a drunkard rousing themselves from a deep stupor. The constant drone of cement mixers can often be heard as the reconstruction of shelled buildings picks up and many damaged structures get a much-needed facelift. Indeed the phrase “property development” is now beginning to be used in public discourse, albeit hesitantly. The marketplaces are fast springing to life, struggling to come to terms with the bustle of enthusiastic traders who are up at every sunrise.Previously sleepy trading centres such as Hamarweyne in the city centre and the long-abandoned Sinai in northern Mogadishu are packed with sellers and shoppers, despite the ever-present fear of suicide bombers who could materialise in this disorderly mix. Fundamentalist fear Even the badly affected Bakaraha market, the largest trading centre in Somalia, looks to have come to terms with months of shelling and street warfare, and is now home to a cacophony of trading activities. Ordinary street junctions like Banadir and Zoppe in southern Mogadishu have become strategic bases for merchants of popular commodities like khat, the stimulant herb widely chewed in Somalia. Women, who dominate the lucrative khat retail trade, hog the limited space on the kerbs while addicts and regular buyers of the “green stuff” mill around them. INTERNATIONAL MEDIACanada’s Africa Oil spuds oil well in Somalia17 Jan – Source: Reuters – 481 words Canadian oil and gas exploration company Africa Oil Corp. began drilling an exploratory well in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Tuesday, the first to be sunk in the country since civil war erupted two decades ago. While there has been speculation about finding oil in the anarchic Horn of Africa country for decades, it has no proven hydrocarbon reserves. The prospect of oil beneath Dharoor’s sandy, arid plains has excited officials of the impoverished region. “Soon Puntland will be out of hunger and shall stop asking assistance from the international community. We shall never beg, we shall be begged if the fuel comes out,” Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamud Farole said at the spudding ceremony. “This fuel well is not only for Puntland. It will benefit all Somalis if Somalia becomes one with a common constitution,” Farole said, while laying a foundation stone. Somalia, mired in conflict since warlords in the early 1990s and then Islamist militants reduced the government to impotence, represents one of the final frontiers in Africa to be explored. Africa Oil and its partners in the two Puntland licences, Australia’s Red Emperor and Range Resources, target prospective resources of over 300 million barrels of recoverable oil. Horn Petroleum, a newly created oil explorer focused on Puntland, is drilling the Shabeel-1 and Shabeel North-1 wells within the Dharoor Valley block. Africa Oil has a 51 percent stake in Horn Petroleum. “The drilling of Shabeel-1 fuel well is not a one-day decision; it came after much effort and agreement with Puntland,” David Grellman, Horn Petroleum’s president and CEO, said. Rights Groups Welcome Release of Journalists in Somaliland17 Jan – Source: VOA – 393 words International and local media rights groups have welcomed the release of 21 journalists in Somaliland and have called for authorities to release another four who are still detained. But some journalists in Somaliland are concerned for their safety and job effectiveness following the arrests. The autonomous region of Somaliland is facing intense criticism after the detention of 25 journalists last weekend. On Sunday, local journalists organized a peaceful protest in front of the state house, a day after police stormed and closed a local TV station. National Union of Somali Journalists Secretary General Mohammed Ibrahim says the group is convinced Somaliland authorities were angered by the independent media reporting on a tribal conference in the Taleeh district of the Sool region. “Somaliland authorities have systematically cracked down on journalists and media,” said Ibrahim. “They are doing this because Somaliland authorities believe that the outcome of this conference will cause insecurity to the Somaliland administration that are currently in control most of the region in Somaliland.” SOCIAL MEDIACULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDSIntervening in Somalia: risky business with no end in sight17 Jan – Source: Africa Arguments – 989 Words Military intervention in Somalia, whether unilateral, multilateral or under the auspices of some supranational body, has never achieved its aims nor led to long term peace let alone political and social harmony. In fact such interventions have achieved the opposite of their intentions – leading to civil strife, warlordism and further state collapse. Current operations conducted by the African Union, Kenya and Ethiopia are the latest in a line of foreign military actions in Somalia. So far international partners and the UN have hailed the interventions as successful. However, long term prospects are far from clear, no exit strategy exists for current operations and complacency will undo current gains. History Tells Us No! In the early nineties UN peacekeeping missions and a US-led task force entered Somalia after the fall of the dictator Siad Barre. Rebel leaders manipulating clan dynamics and international humanitarian relief efforts were given a seat at the negotiating table, which only served to further encourage their tactics. After 18 US servicemen were killed during ‘the Battle for Mogadishu’ international forces pulled out without completing their mission leaving Mogadishu and Somalia in a state of civil strife. Somalia is the new hotspot on the ‘jihadi tourism’ trail17 Jan – Source: French 24 – 1391 Words As international destinations go, Somalia has been off-the-charts for more than two decades. With no effective central government and a mindboggling array of clans, militias, Islamists and pirates, this Horn of Africa nation has turned into the farthest thing from paradise on earth. Except if you’re on the “jihadi tourism” trail, scouting for the perfect terrorism training spot. In a January 2010 cable on a classified meeting, then UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah warned that Somalia was turning into an “incubator” for terrorists, “including those holding US, United Kingdom and European passports”. But when it comes to Somalia, it’s easier to overlook the latest threat from a country that has turned into a byword for a failed state than to actually do something about it. In another leaked cable, for instance, senior British officials dismissed a request for peacekeeping troops with a terse, “there is not enough peace to keep in Somalia”. Operation Linda Nchi and Kenya in Somalia–are we missing the target?18 Jan – Source: Kenya Forum – 439 Words “When the Americans bomb al Shabaab they are very accurate”, a Nairobi-based Somali who is nevertheless broadly supportive of the Kenya Defence Force’s (KDF) military action in his home country, told the Kenya Forum, “but the Kenyan Air Force are not bombing with precision”, he continued, “and the killing of many civilians is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the Somali people”. This, admittedly, is the opinion of one man, although the Kenya Forum knows him to be well connected with leading figures in Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG). We fear that he is correct in his assessment. That the Americans, and indeed the French, have been bombing, or attacking with missiles in Kismayu and the area surrounding it, is not in doubt. At the onset of ‘Operation Linda Nchi’, Kenya’s ‘incursion’ into Somalia, that missiles were fired from US submarines off the coast and from ‘drones’, was stated in the media and never denied. |
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Somali president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed inaugurates the new offices of Somali National Security Agency in Mogadishu