January 25, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
American hostage in Somalia rescued by US Navy SEALs
25 Jan – Source: World News/AP/ MSMBC/ Reuters – 263 words
In a daring nighttime raid Tuesday, U.S. Navy SEALs rescued two hostages, including one American, who were being held by kidnappers in Somalia, U.S. officials tell NBC News.
American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, were working for a Danish relief organization in northern Somalia when they were kidnapped last October. U.S. officials described their kidnappers as heavily armed common criminals with no known ties to any organized militant group.
According to the U.S. officials, two teams of Navy SEALs landed by helicopter near the compound where the two hostages were being held. As the SEALS approached the compound on foot gunfire broke out, the U.S. officials said, and several of the militants were reportedly killed. There is no word that any of the Americans were wounded.
The SEALs gathered up Buchanan and Thisted, loaded them onto the helicopters and flew them to safety at an undisclosed location. The two hostages were not injured during the rescue operation and are reported to be in relatively good condition.
The two had been working for the Danish Refugee Council on a demining project in northern Somalia. The humanitarian group has been providing relief to some 450,000 refugees in the Somalia-Kenya border region.
News reports at the time said the two were kidnapped Oct. 25 along with a Somali colleague when their three-car convoy was stopped on the way to an airport. A self-proclaimed Somali pirate said they had been kidnapped for ransom by pirates stymied by Western nations’ efforts to stop the seizure of ships off the coast. The fate of the Somali colleague was unclear.
Key Headlines
- Somali president calls on world to re-open embassies in Mogadishu (Shabelle)
- TFG asks residents to vacate government buildings (Radio Bar-kulan Radio Mogadishu)
- Kidnapped Western aid workers freed in military raid (Radio Bar-kulan Shabelle Kulmiye Risaala)
- Victims of Kenya air raid in critical condition in Gedo say doctors (Star)
- American hostage in Somalia rescued by US Navy Seals (World News/AP/ MSMBC/ Reuters)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali president calls on world to re-open embassies in Mogadishu
25 Jan – Source: Shabelle – 145 words
The President of the Transitional Federal government (TFG), of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has Wednesday called on the international community to re-open embassies in the capital, Mogadishu.
While speaking at a ceremony held in Mogadishu to re-open UN’s political office for Somalia (UNPOS), President Ahmed emphasized that the country is in the moment of ‘a harmonic peace and development; which would allow the world countries to re-locate their embassies in Somalia.
Somali president thanked TFG soldiers and African union peacekeepers known as AMISOM for their struggle and tangible activities that made possible for the ouster the militants of al Shabaab out of Mogadishu.
TFG asks residents to vacate government buildings
25 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu – 108 words
Somalia’s Interior Ministry has called on people residing on government buildings in Mogadishu to immediately vacate as they will not be tolerated anymore. Speaking at a forum in Mogadishu, Interior Minister, Abdisamed Maalim Mohamud said that government still stands by its orders that people should immediately vacate government buildings.
He insisted that the government will not negotiate on the matter. The minister said there is no reason for people to refuse to vacate these buildings even after the government promised to build houses for them. The government has earlier urged people living in government buildings to hand over these building to the government, promising a housing scheme for them.
Kidnapped Western aid workers freed in military raid
25 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Shabelle, Kulmiye Risaala – 176 words
Two foreign aid workers kidnapped from central Somalia city of Galkayo three months ago have been freed in a U.S military raid, reports say. Reports say an overnight raid carried out by US military helicopters resulted in a shoot-out with the captors and the freeing of the two hostages.
The two, a US woman and a Danish man both working for the Danish Demining Group were seized last October in Galkayo town. Meanwhile the Danish Refugee Council confirmed that an American, Jessica Buchanan and a Danish, Poul Hagen Thisted have been rescued earlier Wednesday during an operation in Somalia.
In a statement the organisation said the two were on their way to be reunited with their families after three months of captivity. It added that the duo are both unharmed and at a safe location. There release comes four days after gunmen kidnapped a foreigner which was later said to be an American in the same city.
Grenade hurled at Mogadishu mosque
24 Jan – Source: Somalia Report, Radio Kulmiye, Shabelle – 172 words
More than 12 worshippers were injured when an unidentified man, operating as part of a larger group, hurled at least one grenade at a mosque in Abagado village in Mogadishu’s Dharkenley district, witnesses and officials told Somalia Report on Tuesday evening.
A senior Dharkenley official who asked not to be named said at least one grenade was thrown at the mosque as worshippers were preparing for evening prayers.“Several of them were bleeding badly and were rushed them to Madina Hospital for medical assistance,” said the official.
Residents said the attack appeared to be aimed at the mosque itself, a popular destination for Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa supporters, a moderate Sufi group that is battling against the hard-line militant group al Shabaab.
Somalia’s security forces in Wadajir district, not far from Dharkenley, arrested three suspects according to locals. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but locals are blaming the al Qaeda linked terrorist group of al Shabaab, which has been conducting hit-and-run attacks in the capital since they were forced to vacate last year.
Pro-democracy seminar held in Garowe, Puntland
25 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 179 words
A pro-democracy seminar organised by Puntland Non-State Actors’ Association (PUNSAA) has been held in Garowe, where officials from civil society groups and area government officials converged to take part. The seminar was aimed at discussing ways in which democracy can be nurtured in Puntland.
PUNSAA coordinator Fatuma Ibrahim Maltawa emphasised the timeliness of the seminar, saying that this is the time when democracy is much needed to overcome the current hitches in Puntland. She said during the two-day seminar participant will be discussing the way forward in flourishing democracy in the region.
Puntland’s State Minister for Democracy and Federal Affairs Abdi Hassan Jimale pro-democracy programmes should not only be confined to government agencies but also other stakeholders in the region. Early last September, Puntland’s Interior and Local Government Minister Gen Abdullahi Ahmed Jama’ Ilka Jir said Puntland was ready to flourish democracy by allowing other political parties to contest for leadership in the region during election times.
Somalia: Al Shabaab claim 33 killed in bomb blast in Beledweyne
24 Jan – Source: Garowe Online – 211 words
An al Shabaab agent packed his vehicle full of explosives and drove his car into a local government headquarters in Beledweyne, Radio Garowe reports. Early reports say that only the suicide bomber was killed in the blast as the al Shabaab agent did not manage to pass the barricade outside the headquarters.
An al Shabaab press release states that the “Martyrdom Operation” killed 33 Ethiopian soldiers including 4 senior commanders. The press release stated that this is a new tactic from al Shabaab emphasizing that a withdrawal by al Shabaab from Beledweyne does not prohibit the terror cell from carrying out operations.
Ethiopian forces alongside local authorities earlier this month carried out military operations that forced al Shabaab to retreat from Beledweyne capital of Hiiraan region which was a stronghold for the terror organization.
Although the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its allied forces have gained much progress in the war against al Shabaab including Saturday’s operation that pushed out al Shabaab from north Mogadishu, attacks still remain as the terror cell have been forced to flee from their strongholds in southern Somalia.
Somali lawmakers call for implementation of Somali Roadmap
25 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 70 words
The MPs who fired speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden met yesterday in the parliament house and called on the government to move towards implementation of the UN Roadmap within three days. The MPs voiced concern about the upcoming Somali Conference to be held in London this month. MP Sheikh Adan Mahamed Nuur Madobe, the new speaker, urged the international community to respect the freedom and decisions of the Somali government.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Victims of Kenya air raid in critical condition in Gedo, say doctors
24 Jan – Source: Star (Nairobi) – 87 words
Doctors at hospitals in Bardere town of Gedo region in southwestern Somalia say eight people injured in the latest Kenyan air strikes are in critical condition. Medics also noted that among the casualties are two young children aged six. Relatives of the victims told Shabelle Media by phone from a hospital in Bardere that the injured were unconcious.
This comes as Kenyan fighter jets over the weekend carried out raids on suspected Islamist bases near the southern town of Jilib, killing five children from the same family.
KDF Operation in Somalia continue to make big strides
24 Jan – Source: KTN TV – 1:30 min
The Kenya defense forces in Somalia continue to make big strides in the war against the al Shabaab, this is after killing eleven militia of the terror group in their latest attack on Sunday in areas of Delbio and Hosingo. In the engagement, KDF lost two personnel while TFG lost one. The mission by the Kenyan forces working with Somalia’s TFG forces is on its 15th week now.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
American hostage in Somalia rescued by US Navy SEALs
25 Jan – Source: World News/AP/ MSMBC/ Reuters – 263 words
In a daring nighttime raid Tuesday, U.S. Navy SEALs rescued two hostages, including one American, who were being held by kidnappers in Somalia, U.S. officials tell NBC News.
American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, were working for a Danish relief organization in northern Somalia when they were kidnapped last October. U.S. officials described their kidnappers as heavily armed common criminals with no known ties to any organized militant group.
According to the U.S. officials, two teams of Navy SEALs landed by helicopter near the compound where the two hostages were being held. As the SEALS approached the compound on foot gunfire broke out, the U.S. officials said, and several of the militants were reportedly killed. There is no word that any of the Americans were wounded.
The SEALs gathered up Buchanan and Thisted, loaded them onto the helicopters and flew them to safety at an undisclosed location. The two hostages were not injured during the rescue operation and are reported to be in relatively good condition.
The two had been working for the Danish Refugee Council on a demining project in northern Somalia. The humanitarian group has been providing relief to some 450,000 refugees in the Somalia-Kenya border region.
News reports at the time said the two were kidnapped Oct. 25 along with a Somali colleague when their three-car convoy was stopped on the way to an airport. A self-proclaimed Somali pirate said they had been kidnapped for ransom by pirates stymied by Western nations’ efforts to stop the seizure of ships off the coast. The fate of the Somali colleague was unclear.
US says East Africa famine easing but not over
24 Jan – Source: AP – 120 words
U.S. officials say the famine in Somalia has eased but 13.3 million people across the Horn of Africa still need emergency food, shelter or other aid.The State Department says there has been significant improvement in the 1 1/2-year-long emergency, still one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
David Robinson, acting assistant secretary for population, refugees and migration, told reporters Tuesday the flow of refugees out of Somalia into neighboring countries has diminished, but thousands are still trying to get out and new camps are opening in Ethiopia and Kenya.
The crisis was triggered by crop failures tied to a regional drought, but officials said it has been aggravated by the fighting between Somalia’s U.N.-backed government and al Qaeda linked insurgents.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“SSC” is the Last Hope to Bridge Somalia Back Together
24 Jan – Source: Journal of Foreign Relations – 876 Words
Like many nations in Africa, Somalia has endured the legacy of the foreign expedition of greed throughout the continent. After the Berlin Conference 1884, Western European powers sought to divide Somaliland—one of the most homogeneous regions of Africa—into British Somaliland, French Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, Ethiopian Somaliland (the Ogaden), and the Northern Frontier District (NFD) of British Kenya. Thus, sowing the seed for the current ongoing inter and intra-regional unrest of Somalia.
Fast forward to 1991: a mix of northern and southern clan-based militias armed, financed, and supported by Ethiopia toppled Somalia’s central government and, in due course, brought the strategic collaboration between these militia groups to an end as each went to secure its area of influence (read clan-based). This formula would work for some and not the others.
Stabilization has proven a difficult undertaking in a number of the southern regions while in the north-west and north-east regions (Somaliland and Puntland) clan militia groups and their clan elders were able to bring relative stability to those regions. This, some argue, was possible mainly because of the clear single clan dominance in both of those regions.
Though, both northwest and northeast regions of Somalia enjoyed relative peace that gained them much praise, they both fell short of playing a pivotal role in instilling hope in the hearts and minds of the majority of people in the rest of Somalia. Neither Somaliland nor Puntland has indicated any interest in mediating between their warring brethren in the South.
Many Somalis both in the homeland and in the Diaspora (including this writer) have envisioned that a modified version of the northern model of peace that is free of clan dominance could be duplicated in the rest of Somalia—creating a foundation of a homegrown national reconciliation that could ultimately save Somalia.
Resentment against Kenyan Somalis rising alarmingly fast
24 Jan – Source: Daily Nation – 671 Words
We will not admit it publicly. But this country is gripped by a new wave of resentment of the Kenyan Somali. This is what I came to learn recently from responses to an article I did in these columns, in which I made the case for the appointment of an outsider to replace the outgoing Kenya Revenue Authority CEO, Mr Michael Waweru.
Apparently, many readers interpreted what I had said to mean support for the candidature of the chief executive of Barclays Bank, Mr Adan Mohammed, who is the most high-profile outsider to have applied for the job.
I was surprised at just how much even top people in government had resorted to repeating popular stereotypes against the whole community when it was clear that their real motive was to shift discussions away from dealing with the credentials and integrity of the candidates who had applied for the job.
They would exploit and ride on the popular myth that Kenyan Somalis were over-represented in high-profile public positions in the public sector.
I received numerous e-mail messages with remarks reflecting intolerance and containing racist connotations.
Kenyan Somalis are vilified for ‘‘taking over’’ Eastleigh and Nairobi’s South C estate and promoting trade in uncustomed goods imported through Eldoret Airport and sold in “Garissa Lodges” in major towns.
The joys of investing in Somaliland
24 Jan – Source: BBC – 1048 Words
“How are you going to make money in a country that doesn’t even exist?” That was probably the question that many people had at the back of their minds when Mohammed Yusef told them he would invest in Somaliland.
Others perhaps did not even know Somaliland had declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and that, in spite of not having been recognised internationally, it does have – unlike Somalia – a working political system and a strong business sector.
Mr Yusef of course knew. Although he now manages a very successful investment firm in the United Kingdom, Invicta Capital Limited, he has always kept in touch with the land where he was born six decades ago, while it still was a British protectorate.
“If what my parents say is true, I always had a mentality for trade, for business, and it’s not inconsistent with the family history because the family originated from a fishing village on the Gulf of Aden,” he told the BBC’s series African Dream. “My great-grandfather was one of those people that would trade with Aden.”
Mr Yusef was educated in the UK where he trained as a solicitor and practiced as a commercial lawyer before starting his own law practice specializing in commercial law, copyright and media law in London. In 1999 he founded Invicta, a private equity firm providing finance for the media, commercial property and renewable energy sectors which, according to its website, has raised over £1.4bn ($2.3bn) of investment capital.
Somalia’s global diaspora
24 Jan – Source: Aljazeera Stream Conversation
Two decades of political turmoil, drought and famine have forced many Somalis to flee their country looking for a better life in Europe, the US and the Middle East. An estimated 1 million Somalis currently live outside of the country. Yet despite the geographical distance, most maintain strong ties with their homeland.
In this episode of The Stream, we speak to Sadia Ali Aden, co-founder of the Adar Foundation, and Somali journalist Idil Osman about the ongoing conflict and how the Somali diaspora continues to give back to their community.
What do you think? How much influence does the Somali diaspora community really have in changing the situation on the ground? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #AJStream. These are some of the social media elements featured in this episode of The Stream:
Top tweets@CamillaFuhr A Dane has been extracted from Somalia by Navy Seals. Note to self. If ever kidnapped, make sure there’s an American there. Seals will come @zainverjeecnn US President Obama confirms he authorised rescue operation of American hostage in #Somalia @AJStream Osman: One problem is “identity crisis that is quite rampant within the youth that al Shabaab have tapped into” #ajstream #somalia @faithcnn Obama on #Somalia raid: “US won’t tolerate abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure safety of our citizens” EastAfricaNet NEWS: Somalia: Citizens Return Home to Work in Farms bit.ly/yosOGH @USGovNews DoD] Statement by Secretary Panetta on Hostage Rescue Operation in Somalia: News Releases are official statemen… 1.usa.gov/wZKME1 |
Image of the day
|
Somali and UN flags flying high in Mogadishu after the opening of office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia by Ambassador Augustine P. Mahiga.