April 11, 2018 | Morning Headlines

Jawari Stepped Down Unconditionally – President Farmaajo

10 April – Source: Goobjoog News – Words

Immediate former Speaker Mohamed Jawari resigned without conditions, President Mohamed Farmaajo revealed Tuesday evening, a day after the veteran politician hung his boots. Speaking in a joint conference with Jawari, Farmaajo praised the outgoing speaker terming his decision to quit amid a month long political crisis in Mogadishu ‘historic’. “The decision he (Jawari) has taken is historic one without conditions, and I encourage him to keep on his duties of government and complete the the review of the provisional constitution,” Farmaajo said in his first public address since the motion against the speaker surfaced early March.

Farmaajo also thanked Jawari for his service to the nation for the last five decades heralding a new turn of events in Mogadishu days after Jawari lashed out at Farmaajo for lack of commitment to resolving the ongoing impasse “I would like to salute the Somali people from here and thank Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari, for honestly working for this country for over fifty years where he held different positions and he is an expert of law and devoted most of his time to Somali government.” Jawari served as minister and MP during the reign of former President Siad Barre which ended with the collapse of government in 1991.

On his part, Jawari sounded conciliatory seeking forgiveness from the Somalia people ‘for the worry and concern in the past few days’. “I would inform them (the public) that the issue has now ended and I ask for an apology for the problems which arose as a result of the political crisis.” Emerging from a bruising battle with a faction allied to Prime Minister Hassan Khaire, Jawari said he had sacrifice his ambitions following advice from various people. Such advice however may not have come from his backers who read textbook betrayal in Jawari’s surprise decision to pull out from the frontline midway.

Key Headlines

• Jawari Stepped Down Unconditionally – President Farmaajo (Goobjoog News)
• Galmudug President Welcomes Resignation Of Jawari (Jowhar.com)
• UK Minister For Armed Forces Pledges Support For Somali Security Sector (Halbeeg News)
• Britain Lauds AMISOM Reducing Threat Of Terrorism In Somalia (CTGN)
• Kenyan Security Forces Grapple With Changing Face Of Terrorism (Daily Nation)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Galmudug President Welcomes Resignation Of Jawari

10 April – Source: Jowhar.com – 115 Words

Galmudug president Ahmed Du’ale Geelle Haaf welcomed the resignation of Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari. President Haaf praised the outgoing Speaker as an elderly peacemaker who rescued the country from possible destruction and political setback.

Haaf made the remarks at Dhuusamareeb airport upon returning from a visit to Djibouti. He told the press that during his visit to Djibouti, he attended a meeting attended by Djiboutian officials and international companies where they discussed the construction of the seaport in Hobyo town in Mudug region. Haaf becomes the first regional state leader to comment on the resignation of Speaker Jawari following weeks of political deadlock caused by the motion of no confidence against the outgoing speaker.

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UK Minister For Armed Forces Pledges Support For Somali Security Sector

10 April – Source: Halbeeg News – Words

United Kingdom (UK) Minister for the Armed Forces, Mark Lancaster has pledged to help Somali government in the security sector as Somali forces are planning to gear up operations against Al-ShabaAb. The minister who arrived in Mogadishu on Monday held talks with Somali security officials during his stay in Somalia.

Both sides discussed wide range issues including trainings for Somali forces, security and other financial supports. “UK Minister for the Armed forces MarkLancasterMK visited Mogadishu reaffirming the UK’s commitment of  supporting the Somali security sector, AMISOM & international efforts to deliver the Comprehensive Approach to Security & transition planning,” reads a post on the twitter account of UK’s embassy in Somalia.

Last year, UK pledged £21 million of funding which was a complement for the country’s support to Somalia including training by British Military Personnel to  Somali National Army and AMISOM forces, police mentoring and work on stabilization. UK which is among several European countries that train Somali forces also promised to help Somalia in the process of forces integration. Somali government started the integration of forces in a bid to place the security forces in the regional states under Somali National Army. The government aims to have 18,000 cohesive forces drawn from the regional states.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Britain Lauds AMISOM Reducing Threat Of Terrorism In Somalia

10 April – Source: CTGN – 218 Words

The U.K.’s Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster on Tuesday lauded the African Union troops in Somalia for their role in improving security in the country and reducing the threat of terrorism. Lancaster is on an official visit to Somalia, where he held talks with senior AMISOM officials and force commanders in Mogadishu.

The talks covered the transitioning of security responsibilities from AMISOM to the Somali security forces, and the British support to the AU mission. “We have discussed how potentially we can do more to support the mission, but equally talking about how we can progress the situation here in Somalia over the coming months and years,” he said in a statement issued by the AU mission.

Lancaster hailed AMISOM’s impact in Somalia, saying a lot of progress had been achieved in Somalia over the 11 years the mission has been deployed there. “Without doubt, unless the good work of AMISOM over the last eleven years had happened, then Somalia would not be on the course of progress that it is today,” he said.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“Some tell-tale signs which can help identify potential recruits include instantaneous wealth, an abrupt shift in schedule and sporadic unexplained journeys for days or weeks with no alibi,”

Kenyan Security Forces Grapple With Changing Face Of Terrorism

11 April – Source: Daily Nation – 824 Words

Details of a terrorist attack foiled by police last month show that al-Shabaab local operatives are increasingly posing a grave danger to Kenya. The plot by homegrown elements of the Somalia-based terrorist group targeted the Judiciary. Detectives are still processing the seized vehicles, which suicide bombers reportedly planned to use in the raid.

Those familiar with the sophisticated plot say it shows the changing face of terrorism. The classic picture of AK47-wielding men with bushy beards  behind a black flag is no longer the major focus in the war against violent extremism. Mr Tyrus Kamau Muya, a security consultant, says terrorism has evolved in recruitment, membership and tactics. “It is not easy to single out a recruit or recruiter. It is even more difficult because the stereotype of your typical terrorist has moved from an individual of Arabic or Somali extraction to just about anyone,” Mr Kamau said.

Terrorist groups are now made up of university students, young, charismatic and eloquent youths who have been brainwashed and ready to kill. The situation is complicated by the widespread availability and accessibility of social media. Counter terrorism support group, Epuka Ugaidi says: “With the changing face of terrorism, the enemy could be anyone.” Mr Muya says recruiters turn to unsuspecting groups and never expose themselves from the onset. “This is of course precautionary and as a result, they will use fellow students to get recruits. The chain of command is very long and convoluted,” he said. He adds that in recent times, technology has made recruitment even easier.

With apps such as Signal and Telegram, which guarantee almost complete anonymity, people are often approached by their peers then added to the group chat apps for more indoctrination and conversion. Al-Shabaab has recruited beyond its boundaries using the internet which demands few resources, little effort and time. The gangs also fight their battles on social media, where they easily evaluate their success by the number of likes, shares, views and comments. An example is the October 2013 Westgate attack in Nairobi that left at least 67 people dead and more than 100 injured.