February 2, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Britain’s Hague in war-torn Somalia
02 Feb – Source: AFP/ Yahoo News/ Independent – 251 words
Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague visited MogadishuThursday, one of the highest profile visitors and the most senior British official to travel to the war-torn Somali capital in two decades. Hague met with Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, an AFP correspondent reported.
Security was tightened in Mogadishu, a city that has been battered by a bloody insurgency in which al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents have launched waves of grenade attacks and suicide bombers to unseat the Western-backed government. Hague’s surprise visit comes ahead of a London conference due on February 23 aimed at resolving the protracted crises in the lawless Horn of Africa nation.
Britain’s Foreign Office says the event “aims to bring together leaders of key partner countries and organisations… to help galvanise a common approach to address the problems and challenges ofSomalia that affect us all.”
This includes tackling the issues of extremism and the “underlying causes of instability and conflict in Somalia”. Piracy and how best to tackle “the terrorist threat emanating from Somalia” will also top the agenda, as will the humanitarian crisis resulting from conflict and drought.
Key Headlines
- Somali Prime Minister Meets with Italian Prime Minister (PMO Radio Mogadishu Radio Kulmiye)
- Al Shabaab vacates Badhadhe district (Somalia Report)
- Britain’s Hague in war-torn Somalia (AFP/ Yahoo News/Independent )
- Somalia: ICRC remains fully committed to helping Somalis (ICRC)
- UK appoints ambassador to Somalia (AP/ABC )
- KDF troops capture two al Shabaab strongholds (Standard)
- Italy on forefront of supporting Somalia: Monti (Xinhua)
- Somaliland Interior Foreign Ministers meet Ethiopian British officials (Hadhwanaag Times)
PRESS STATEMENT
Somalia: ICRC remains fully committed to helping Somalis
02 Feb – Source: ICRC – 272 words
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regrets the decision of the Office for Supervising the Affairs of Foreign Agencies of the Harakat al Shabaab al Mujahideen to terminate the agreement under which the ICRC was allowed to deliver emergency food aid in al Shabaab administered areas of Somalia.
“Under the agreement, we provided more than 1.2 million people living in central and southern Somalia with one-month food rations between June and December 2011,” said Daniel Duvillard, the ICRC’s head of operations for East Africa. “The food distributions helped address severe malnutrition among the population.”
Despite adverse conditions faced by the ICRC during this emergency operation, the organization succeeded in distributing more than 17,000 tonnes of rice, beans and oil directly to the neediest people in more than 1,600 different places. As a result of heat, moisture and exposure to heavy rain, six per cent of the food intended for distribution (nearly 1,000 tonnes of beans) was found to have deteriorated. “Those beans were either withdrawn by the ICRC or destroyed by the al Shabaab authorities,” said Mr Duvillard. “No food suspected to be unfit for human consumption was distributed to aid recipients in Somalia.”
In the current circumstances, the ICRC remains unable to retrieve a food consignment intended for distribution to 240,000 people in the Middle Shabelle and Galgadud regions that has been blocked by the al Shabaab authorities in Jowhar. This situation led the ICRC to suspend its food distributions in mid-January.
The ICRC remains fully committed to helping Somalis overcome recurrent humanitarian crises, improve their livelihoods and enhance their access to health care, as it has done for the past 30 years.
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali Prime Minister Meets with Italian Prime Minister
02 Feb – Source: PMO, Radio Mogadishu, Radio Kulmiye – 212 words
The Somali Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has today held long talks with his Italian counterpart Mario Monti. Abdiweli is on official visit to Rome, Italy where he met several government officials. The two premiers held talks revolving around the Somalia-Italy relations, security matters, piracy, Somali refugees, the roadmap and the London conference.
Abdiweli acknowledged the warm reception of the Italy premier and the official invitation. He also briefed Mario on the conditions of the country and breakthroughs made by his government in the last six months on security, reconciliation, creating relations with regional administrations, good governance, drafting of the constitution and also restructuring of the parliament.
Premier Mario pledged to help the people of Somalia in restoration of peace, law and order, humanitarian assistance, rebuilding the country and creating development projects that will benefit the Somali youth. Premier Abdiweli asked the Italy Prime Minister to stand by Somali people by supporting the roadmap and the Garowe principles. On his part, Mario expressed his government’s endorsement to the coming London meeting.
Cutting down the legislature’s numbers, creating viable government institutions and holding elections by August 2012 will be the tremendous changes and outcomes expected in the London meeting. The two leaders agreed to commit themselves to the issue of Somalia.
Al Shabaab vacates Badhadhe district
01 Feb – Source: Somalia Report – 274 words
Initial reports in Lower Juba suggest that the al Shabaab insurgent group vacated Badhaadhe district in Lower Juba after they had the information that Kenyan, government troops and Ras Kamboni fighters were advancing towards the town. Residents in Badhadhe confirmed that al Shabaab fighters started retreating from Badhadhe early on Wednesday.
“Last night, they have ordered all the people to remain in their houses and they restricted our movement, after that we heard the sounds of the vehicles seemingly going out of the town. This morning we woke up to see all their bases empty,” Hanad Ali Sahal, a resident in Badhadhe, told Somalia Report.
Kenyan military spokesman, Major Emmanuel Chirchir, confirmed the KDF and TFG forces captured Hosigow and Badhadhe in Twitter messages, “HOSINGO town south of TABDA falls to KDF/TFG troops today capture of BADHADE underway. al Shabaab mounting resistance.” An hour later he wrote, “KDF/TFG capture BADHADE!!” TFG spokesman for southern Somali regions, Mahamed Dahir Farah, explained the delay in capturing Badhadhe.
“Our plan was to capture Badhadhe this morning but we were delayed by searching and removing so many bombs which the terrorist group buried on the roads,” he told Somalia Report. “Every group has a start and an end and the time of al Shabaab ends here. We shall work hard to free the remaining of the people from this merciless group.”
Suggesting their next target, the major tweeted, “We want Kismayu we want Kismayu we want Kismayu,” referring to the al Shabaab stronghold and port city of Kismayo. Kenya sent its troops in Somalia last year to pursue al Shabaab insurgent group believed to be behind kidnapping three foreigners from inside Kenya.
NRC called for mediation between Somaliland and SSC militias
01 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 71 words
The Somali National Reconciliation Committee (SNRC) Chairman Isma’il Mo’allim Muse called on warring factions in Buhodle district of Cayn region to stop the fighting and solve their conflict through dialogue. Mr. Muse told the media on Wednesday that the SNRC is involved in nominating a mediation team and sending them to the disputed region as soon as possible. The chairman also called for the Somali lawmakers to end their political squabbles.
Somaliland Interior, Foreign Ministers meet Ethiopian, British officials
01 Feb – Source: Hadhwanaag Times – 128 words
Somaliland Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs Mohamed Nor Arale and Mohamed Abdullahi Omar said they have held talks with Ethiopian and British officials on their trip to Addis Ababa. After returning from neighboring Ethiopia, Somaliland interior minister told the local media that the minister of foreign affairs is still in Addis Ababa for further talks.
He said that during his trip to Addis Ababa, he met with Ethiopian government officials to discuss security related issues and the biletral ties between Ethiopian government and Somaliland. He spelled out cooperation of border crossing security has also been mooted in the talks.The minister added that they aslo met with the United Kingdom ambassador to Addis Ababa. He said they gave briefing about the latest developments in Somaliland to the ambassador.
Foundation stone laid for mental health facility in Borame, Awdal
02 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 137 words
Patients in Borame with mental illness have a reason to smile as the area regional health ministry set up a specifically tailored mental health facility in the area. Somaliland’s Awdal Health Co-ordinator, Abdirahman Jamaa Hadi laid the foundation stone for the facility within the main hospital compound. The facility will be caring and treating people with mental illness in the region.
Hadi said the proposed facility is desperately needed in the region, adding that it will positively change the ailing health condition of people suffering from mental illness. Locals welcomed the new facility, saying that it will help many people who are mentally sick in the area as the service will be much closer to them than before where they used to be taken to other health services specifically made for such people in far areas.
Somaliland: One day workshop for expats held in Hargeisa
01 Feb – Source: Somaliland Press – 142 words
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) and the Ministry of National Planning and Development (MONPLD) has organized the first workshop of its kind for expatriates working in Somaliland.
Dubbed as BIPE (Briefing and Induction Program for Expatriates), it was attended by expatriates from various UN, INGOs and private enterprises working in the country to learn more about the history, culture, religion and institutions of Somaliland as well as relevant security issues and priorities for development.
BIPE project was jointly sponsored by the above mentioned trio Ministries who have realized both the importance and the need to organize indigenous briefing and induction training for all expatriates coming to work in Somaliland, so that they become more aware about the people of Somaliland, their history, culture and what makes them different from Somalia.
Tensions High in Gedo, Bay and Bakol
01 Feb – Source: Somalia Report – 136 words
Meanwhile a large number of Ethiopian and TFG forces in Luuq district of Gedo region are preparing to move towards Bakol, Bay and parts of Gedo, which are controlled by al Shabaab insurgents.
“The forces halted the movement of people and vehicles as dozens of fighting vehicles and tanks headed to Baidoa road,” a resident in Luuq told Somalia Report. Ethiopian troops moved into Bohol-Bashir and Hano Weyn villages on Tuesday and urged the people to work with them in order to clean al Shabaab from those areas.
“Yesterday, the Ethiopian and TFG officials met with the elders and elites of Luuq and told them iti s time to eradicate al Shabaab from Bay, Bakool and Gedo. They also requested support from them and to create awareness for the youths who were misinformed by the group,” the source added.
REGIONAL MEDIA
KDF troops capture two al Shabaab strongholds
02 Feb – Source: Standard – 402 words
Kenyan troops captured more key towns in the battle to eliminate al Shabaab militants in Somalia.
Kenya Defence Forces and Transitional Federal Government soldiers took over Badhade and Hosingo south of Tabda as they headed to Afmadhow.
“KDF/TFG capture Badhade! Hosingo town south of Tabda falls to KDF/TFG troops today… al Shabaab mounting resistance,” military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir said on his Twitter Wednesday.
He said an air strike on Sunday in Hayo area had destroyed al Shabaab’s five technical equipment and a tractor. Kenya and Somali government troops are carrying out a joint military offensive against the al Qaeda linked fighters. The offensive was launched in October last year following a spate of kidnappings of foreigners in Kenya by the militants.
Kenya and Somali governments have accused the al Shabaab of being behind growing insecurity along the common border of the two countries. The next battlefield will be Afmadhow and Kismayu which the troops expect to capture in the coming week.
The development came, as it emerged that the militants are angered by last week’s killing of al Qaeda official of Lebanese origin fighting alongside insurgents in Somalia.
Probe starts on Kenyans spying for al Shabaab
01 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 354 words
Security agencies have launched investigations over reports that at least three Kenyan officers could have been spying for terrorist group al Shabaab. They are a lieutenant colonel with the Army and two junior police officers said to have been in regular contact with the Somalia-based militia.
Their association with the group is viewed to have compromised Operation Linda Nchi, the incursion by Kenyan military into Somalia aimed at defeating the al Shabaab on their own soil.
The military officer is said to have passed on secret information to the group while the police officers are accused of facilitating terror attacks including fatal explosions carried out in Kenya. According to the reports, the policemen worked with the al Shabaab at the Daadab refugee camp. Two explosions occurred at the camp late last year. The police officers are alleged to have received Sh200,000 for every attack they helped execute in Kenya.
The reports have however been denied by the military. Military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir, responded via his tweet account: “Treat the entire story as propaganda. Kenya Defence Forces officers, men and women remain committed to the mission to defeat al Shabaab.”
Kenya raid on al Shabaab wins praise
01 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 196 words
Kenya’s military operation has helped erode al Shabaab’s control of southern Somalia, the chief US intelligence officer said on Tuesday. The Islamist insurgents have been weakened by “internal divisions and diminished local support” due in part from military pressure from Kenya, Ethiopia, African Union forces and Somali government troops, director of national intelligence James Clapper said in an assessment of threats to US security.
The annual report cautions, however, that Kenya and other al Shabaab opponents must “win support of local clans” to consolidate the gains. Overall, the American intelligence network projects continued instability in Somalia. “We see few signs that Somalia will escape the cycle of weak governance,” Mr Clapper’s report declares. The country’s government “almost certainly will be bogged down with political infighting and corruption that impede efforts to improve security.”
Al Shabaab and other affiliates of al Qaeda now pose a greater threat to US interests than do the Pakistan-based “remnants” of Osama bin Laden’s original organisation.The intelligence projection also says South Sudan this year “will face serious challenges that threaten to destabilise its fragile, untested and poorly resourced government.” It says ethnic disputes will undermine national cohesion, and the government will struggle to provide security.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Britain’s Hague in war-torn Somalia
02 Feb – Source: AFP/ Yahoo News/Independent – 251 words
Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague visited MogadishuThursday, one of the highest profile visitors and the most senior British official to travel to the war-torn Somali capital in two decades. Hague met with Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, an AFP correspondent reported.
Security was tightened in Mogadishu, a city that has been battered by a bloody insurgency in which al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents have launched waves of grenade attacks and suicide bombers to unseat the Western-backed government.Hague’s surprise visit comes ahead of a London conference due on February 23 aimed at resolving the protracted crises in the lawless Horn of Africa nation.
Britain’s Foreign Office says the event “aims to bring together leaders of key partner countries and organisations… to help galvanise a common approach to address the problems and challenges ofSomalia that affect us all.”
This includes tackling the issues of extremism and the “underlying causes of instability and conflict in Somalia”. Piracy and how best to tackle “the terrorist threat emanating from Somalia” will also top the agenda, as will the humanitarian crisis resulting from conflict and drought.
UK appoints ambassador to Somalia
02 Feb – Source: AP/ABC – 118 words
Britain is appointing a new ambassador to Somalia, resuming its diplomatic presence after more than 20 years of upheaval. Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Mogadishu on Thursday and appointed Matt Baugh as a senior U.K.Somalia representative. Hague is the first British foreign secretary to visit Mogadishu in 20 years.
The appointment comes just ahead of a Feb. 23 global conference on Somalia that the U.K. is hosting. Hague met with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and said the U.K. will help Somalia during a year of political transition. The Somali government’s U.N. mandate expires in August.The U.N. last month sent its senior representative on Somalia to Mogadishu for the first time in nearly two decades.
Italy Asks Somalia for Help to Free Hijacked Ship
02 Feb – Source: International Business Times – 200 words
Italy has asked the Somali prime minister for help in freeing an Italian ship hijacked by Somali pirates in December. During a meeting in Rome, Prime Minister Mario Monti asked his Somali counterpart, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, for help in freeing the Enrico Levoli, which had 18 crew members on board.
The tanker was hijacked on 27 December off the coast of Oman while carrying 15,750 tons of caustic soda from the United Arab Emirates to the Mediterranean Sea. The same ship was attacked by pirates in 2006.
Ali assured Monti of “his personal engagement in aiding the liberation of the Italian ship and its crew, underscoring his government’s strong commitment to preventing the scourge of piracy”. Three hijacked Italian vessels were freed by Somali pirates in November and December, two of them reportedly following ransom payments.
Italy on forefront of supporting Somalia: Monti
01 Feb – Source: Xinhua – 158 words
Italy is on the forefront of supporting Somalia politically and economically, Prime Minister Mario Monti said Wednesday after meeting in Rome his Somali counterpart Ali Mohamed Abdiweli. Italy is accompanying Somalia in the “delicate process of pacification and reconciliation,” Monti said according to a statement released from his cabinet.
He pointed out the Somali reconciliation conference in London on Feb. 23 will be an important step to gain support from the international community for the pacification of the African country torn by a 20-year-long civil war. For his part, the Somali premier assured a commitment in fighting terrorism and piracy.
“Monti stressed the need for rapid and effective action against piracy, reiterating his hope that the Somali authorities do everything in their power to free the Italian ship Enrico Ievoli,”the statement said. The ship was seized by pirates off the coast of Oman last December with 18 people on board, including six Italians, five Ukrainians and seven Indians.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“By some crude measures, the ad-hoc alliance between Kenya, Ethiopia, and AMISOM has strained al Shabaab, forcing the movement to contend with attacks on three separate fronts. Al Shabaab’s decision to withdraw from Mogadishu last August might have been strategic, but its subsequent loss of Beletweyne and other towns along the Kenyan border has raised hopes that, although the group still controls large swathes of territory in southern Somalia, there may nevertheless be an end to the violence in sight.”
The Splintering of al Shabaab: A Rough Road From War to Peace
02 Feb – Source: Foreign Affairs Journal – 2032 words
For the better part of five years, much of Somalia’s long-suffering population has been caught in a deadly stalemate between al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group, and African Union peacekeepers, known as AMISOM. The peacekeepers are tasked with defending the country’s weak Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which, despite years of backing from regional powers and the West, remains politically dysfunctional and incapable doing anything resembling governing. Fielding an army of its own remains a distant aspiration.
That is why quelling the insurgency has fallen entirely on AMISOM. Over the last 18 months or so the 12,000 strong force has honed its tactics and made gains, however stilting, against al Shabaab. Insistent that no American boots hit the ground in Somalia, Washington has backed the mission. (That is, of course, no American boots on the ground with the exception of last week, when a Navy Seal team rescued two aid workers in central Somalia, some 500 kilometers north of Mogadishu.) In return for their troop contributions toAMISOM, the United States has given Burundi and Uganda several hundred million dollars in salary, equipment, training, and logistical support. Perhaps more importantly, Washington now calls both countries allies.
“This would have proved futile if not overly expensive or impossible had it been done using traditional news gathering techniques. Furthermore the information collected provides more insight on the realities of life in Somalia.” “Crisis mapping and journalism are both in the nascent stages of collaborating on real-time news connecting diaspora and citizens alike. Al-Jazeera is leading the fray in testing and implementing live maps into their fast-moving news cycle toolkit.”
Somalia Speaks: Lessons From Novel Journalism
01 Feb – Source: Ushahidi blog – 1184 Words
The first 72 hours of the SomaliaSpeaks deployment were particularly intense. The purpose of this joint write-up with Al Jazeera and partners is to share some of our early lessons learned in this novel collaboration. Every deployment teaches us a multitude of lessons, so our partners at Al Jazeera, Souktel and Crowdflower joined us in this effort to share these. We look forward to future collaborations with them as we share this story with you.
This purpose of this pilot project was to let Somalis speak for themselves. For the first time ever, a prominent news organization, Al-jazeera, used crowdsourcing and SMS to let thousands of Somalis express for themselves how the crisis has been effecting their daily lives. More than 4,000 text messages were received within just a few days. Of these, over 1,000 were translated from Somali into English by about 80 translators. The resulting map of Somali voices received over 25,000 page views.
“Somaliland, sitting along with regional governments such as Puntland , Somalia TFG , Ahlu Sunna Wal Jimaa and Gal Mudug in-front of representatives from 50 nations will be ridiculed among these regional states and considered as an equal of them rather than an independent state of Somaliland.”
Somaliland should not participate in London Somalia conference
1 Feb – Source: Medeshivalley Blog – 306 Words
The World still sees Somaliland as part of Somalia and we should, therefore, not make our free state present in an environment where it will be seen as part of this failed state.
It is already clear in the invitation forwarded to the SLD government by the British government that Somaliland is invited to this meeting as a region from Somalia and not as the Republic of Somaliland. Somaliland will gain nothing from participating in this meeting that was organised to solve the problems of the failed state of Somalia. The conference is also organised to safeguard the interests of both the Western and Eastern states that use the waters of the Indian Ocean and the red sea that are prone to Somali pirate attacks.
How do you view London Meeting?
SomaliNet Forum
“It’s not going to work. The reason it is not going to work is everybody is gonna want to be represented and that is just not how you can build a viable state.
The solution in Somalia is not the creation of a state for every subclan of Daarood or Hawiye. We’re not going to be part of that, as far as Somaliland is concerned. Now when it comes to piracy, terrorism, development maybe something positive will come out of that.”
“The London meeting….. I can’t believe 40 countries are coming together to divide Somalia into clans. They think since we don’t want to be united that it will be easier to secure our waters and take our resources if they use our tribalism against us. Just give money to each clan leader and take all the resources. No government. No recognition. No way out of poverty. It is just a way for them to protect their ships from pirates and steal. Every Somali person in London needs to go to the meeting and speak up. Somalia is our country and not theirs. How can Italy, England, US and these places take our country? It is ridiculous and makes me angry just thinking about it.”
“Same old same old that’s what. Things will only change when Somalis themselves come together to solve their differences. What will London do that Djibouti or Nairobi didn’t do?”
Top tweets
@BBCBreaking William Hague visits #Somalia, the first British Foreign Secretary to visit for 20 years. Details soon: bbc.in/ww1tPT
@Aynte #Britain appoints ambassador to #Somalia for the first time in 21 years – a milestone of sorts
@Abdiesel @Aynte MASHALAH that shows the peace progress the horn is making & an example to many western countries. Well done to #Britain.
@secwatchigss William Hague Makes Landmark Trip To Somalia, ‘Base Of Terrorism And Piracy’: The foreign secretary said Somalia… bit.ly/AmrJt2
@MinisterHashi Puntland strongly supports Foreign Secretary @WilliamJHague
@SomaliThinker1 I keep saying this: Peace-making in #Somalia is more realistic under the boughed acacia tree; than in cozy, foreign conference halls.
@jonemmans William Hague is off to Somalia. If he gets kidnapped I fully support the government’s stance on not negotiating with pirates.
@PeterBiles #Somalia. William #Hague in #Mogadishu
@Dan_Bedell RT icrc_english: ICRC regrets #Shabaab decision to terminate food distribution & remains committed to helping #Somalis goo.gl/ayTm5
Image of the day
British Foreign Secretary William Hague makes landmark trip to Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday, became the first British foreign secretary to visit the war-torn state for 20 years. Photo: BBC