April 16, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Aden Adde Airport In Mogadishu Left Flooding After Heavy Rainfall

16 April – Source: Goobjoog News – 123 Words

Mogadishu and surrounding areas witnessed heavy rainfall this morning and Aden Adde airport was one of the institution damaged in the rains. Rains at Aden Adde are affecting many parts of the airport including the runway and the new terminal. flights have been cancelled, a source confirmed. There are no sewages in Mogadishu airport to prevent the flooding rain water from running in to the new terminal. Turkish Company Favori constructed new terminal following an agreement with the Somali government in September 2013, and opened the new terminal last month.

Key Headlines

Elder: Clans Dissatisfied With Jubbaland MPs Selection (Garowe Online)
Aden Adde Airport In Mogadishu left Flooding After Heavy Rainfall(Goobjoog News)
UN Envoy To Somalia Reaches Adado (Wacaal Media)
Kenya Security Wall Invades On Somalia Territory (Somali Current)
Interior Minister Drafts Plan To Fight Al-Shabaab (Wacaal Media)
Fence Ditches For Somalia Border (The Star Kenya)
Tanzanians Lynch Suspected Al Shabaab Militant Police Arrest 10 Others With Explosives In A Mosque(The Star Kenya)
Al-Shabab Recruiting In Kenyan Towns (BBC)
Kenya Charges 31 Aliens From Somalia (Xinhua/IOL)
The Director-General Of UNESCO Condemns Attack On Ministry Of Culture And Higher Education In Mogadishu Somalia (UNESCO)
Cadaan Studies: Is Being A Somali Not Enough To Produce Quality Work? (Warya Post)

SOMALI MEDIA

Elder: Clans Dissatisfied With Jubbaland MPs Selection

16 April – Source: Garowe Online – 182 Words

Following the announcement of the 75-seat-chamber of parliament by the Interim Jubbaland Administration in southern Somalia, some clans said they are dissatisfied with the process, alleging manipulation, Garowe Online reports. Speaking on Puntland-based independent station, Radio Garowe, titled Harti clan elder Ahmed Sirad Hussein Boqow said that the process lacked even distribution of quotas and equal participation. Federal MP, Mohamud Ali Magan disclosed that Gedo clans will gather for a reconciliation conference in reaction to the formation of Interim Jubbaland Administration parliament in Kismayo. Gedo heavyweight Ugas Mohamed Ugas Hashi earlier last week walked out of Kismayo gathering. Ugas Hashi reportedly lodged complaint with UN envoy to Somalia Ambassador Nicholas Kay. It is yet unclear whether Jubaland President Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) will raise the controversy besetting the parliamentary selection process with local elders. As a result of intense bilateral talks in Addis Ababa, Jubaland gained official recognition from Mogadishu-based Federal Government. Convention delegates picked Madobe for Jubaland presidency on May 15, 2013 in landmark victory. With the existent duration of two years and half fading, the new MPs are set to elect permanent leadership.

UN Envoy To Somalia Reaches Adado

15 April – Source: Wacaal Media – 93 Words

A high delegation led by UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay reached Adado town on Wednesday. The delegation including the Somali Minister for Planning, Abdirahman Aynte, and UN delegates was warmly welcomed at the Adado airstrip by some government leaders, politicians and elders. Kay is expected to hold talks with government leaders, politicians and traditional elders. The Central State formation conference was scheduled to kick off on Wednesday afternoon. Delegates from Somalia’s central regions, the Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, potential presidential candidates of the soon-to-be formed state are in Adado town to participate the conference.

Kenya Security Wall Invades On Somalia Territory

15 April – Source: Somali Current – 219 Words

Part of the 700 kilometer Kenya security wall will allegedly rest inside Somalia territory. Speaking to The Star newspaper along the Kenya-Somalia border, Yassin Hassan, a senior commander in the Somali National Army said, “Kenya has taken advantage of the many years of Somalia’s lawlessness and encroached on our land. More than two kilometres of Somalia is now illegally inhabited by Kenyans.” Mandera County Commissioner Alex Nkoyo dismissed the allege saying beacons constructed throughout the colonial period still stand at the spot.“From Border Point One in Mandera all the way to Kiunga in Lamu, they are clearly demarcated. Such sticking points will be dealt with by the relevant authorities, such as surveyors,” he said. The land includes a Kenya police post, immigration office and customs department.

The wall will demarcate the Kenya-Somalia border and prevent access by al Shabaab militants, said Immigration Services Director Gordon Kihalangwa. “We will ensure that our borders are secure by preventing illegal immigrants and proliferation of small arms into the country.” He said the wall, which will run from the Mandera border, through Wajir, Garissa and Lamu, will not bar cross border movements, as there will be designated exit and entry points.The wall will have a surveillance road to prevent infiltrators using undesignated areas from accessing the country.

Interior Minister Drafts Plan To Fight Al-shabaab

15 April – Source: Wacaal Media – 84 Words

The Ministry of Internal Security has submitted a raft of proposals to the cabinet aimed at stopping Al-Shabaab’s terror attacks in the country. Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed said that he was looking forward to the cabinet’s approval in order to bring the increasing terror attacks in the country and especially in Mogadishu to a halt. The minister added that the government will compensate all the families of soldiers who were either killed or injured in terror attacks.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Fence, Ditches For Somalia Border

16 April – Source: The Star Kenya – 412 Words

The best available technology will be used to build the 700km Kenya-Somalia border fence to bar unwanted persons from illegally getting into the country, officials have said. Immigration Services director Gordon Kihalangwa on Tuesday said the fence will have CCTVs installed at strategic points. He is also the chairman of the Kenya Security Border Securitisation Project.The fence, Kihalangwa said, will not be made of concrete as there is no wall that will be constructed. “The fence will consist of various obstacles including a ditch and a patrol road for the security agents. We are putting up a fence and not a wall as some people has been saying,” he said. Kihalangwa was speaking during the groundbreaking of the construction of the fence at Kiunga in Lamu county. The fence will run across the whole Kenya-Somalia border from Kiunga in Lamu county to the Mandera-Ethiopia border at River Dawa. Kihalangwa said the government is committed to ensuring that the fence is completed in the shortest time possible.

He did not, however, state how much the fence and the security installations will cost, but said it will keep al Shabaab militants from sneaking into Kenya. “We have decided we want to know who are entering our country and want to control from which points they access the country,” Kihalangwa said. He said biometric data of all those entering Kenya from Somalia will be taken by security and immigration officers stationed at strategic points along the border, airports and other entry points. “We will have state-of-the-art equipment that will ensure we get the fingerprints, facial identification and other bio data,” Kihalangwa said.

Tanzanians Lynch Suspected Al Shabaab Militant, Police Arrest 10 Others With Explosives In A Mosque

15 April – Source: The Star Kenya – 249 Words

Tanzanian security forces have arrested 10 suspected members of the Somali militant group al Shabaab in a raid on a mosque and another was lynched by a mob, police said on Wednesday. Officials said Tanzania was on high alert for al Shabaab attacks after the group claimed an attack on a university in neighbouring Kenya this month that killed 148 people. Police Commissioner Paul Chagonja told Reuters the suspected members of the al Qaeda-linked group had been arrested on Tuesday night in Kilombero district, Morogoro region, about 200 km (125 miles) east of the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. Morogoro regional police chief, Leonard Paul Lwabuzala, said in a statement that one member of the group was lynched by a mob as he was pursued by the police.

“The suspects arrested at a mosque were found in possession of 30 sticks of explosives, detonating cord, a black flag, military uniforms, masks and swords,” Lwabuzala said. Tanzania has been spared the level of assaults by al Shabaab militants seen in Kenya although there have been sporadic attacks on tourists. Unlike Kenya, Tanzania, which is roughly evenly split between Christians and Muslims, has not sent troops to Somalia and it does not share a border with the Horn of Africa nation. Al Shabaab has said it has targeted Kenya to punish the country for sending troops to Somalia where they have battled the militants as part of an African Union peacekeeping force. It said other contributing African nations could also be targeted.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Al-Shabab Recruiting In Kenyan Towns

16 April – Source: BBC – 283 Words

Somalia’s Islamist al-Shabab militants are recruiting heavily in north-eastern Kenya, according to evidence gathered by the BBC.The recruitment marks a new tactic for al-Shabab, underscoring fears voiced by Kenyan intelligence services and MPs.In one town alone, the BBC has learnt of 26 young men whose disappearance was reported to police because they were suspected to have joined the militants. Al-Shabab attacked a Kenyan university two weeks ago, killing 150 people. The attack at Garissa was the deadliest yet on Kenyan soil by the militants. One of the gunmen was a Kenyan national.Al-Shabab’s recruitment of fighters in Kenya’s own backyard marks a change of tactic for al-Qaeda’s affiliate in East Africa.

The BBC has learnt of scores cases of missing young men in the north-eastern town of Isiolo, who later admitted in phone calls to their parents that they had joined the Islamist group. Only half of those cases have been reported to the police because of fears of reprisals. There are similar concerns in other parts of the country. As part of the Kenyan government’s efforts to enlist the help of the Muslim community to fight the radicalisation of Kenyan youth, an amnesty has been offered to young Kenyan men who have been lured into joining al-Shabab. But one of the most powerful Muslim leaders in the country, Sheikh Abdullahi Salat, warned that widespread mistrust of the security services in Kenya threatens to frustrate investigations.He claimed that corruption within the police, military and intelligence services was likely to hamper attempts to hunt down al-Shabab.But the Kenyan government, whose anti-insurgency campaign has focused largely on military efforts across the border in Somalia, have described the allegations as a “diversion”.

Kenya Charges 31 Aliens From Somalia

15 April – Source: Xinhua/IOL – 270 Words

Kenyan prosecutors on Wednesday charged 31 aliens from Somalia in a Garissa court for being in the country illegally. Two of the accused denied the charges before Garissa Resident Magistrate Victor Asiyo and were ordered remanded in police custody. The case will be heard on Thursday. The remaining 29 who pleaded guilty were facing about 540 US dollars fine each or serve a six-month jail term. They will be repatriated after paying or serving the jail term. The accused were arrested by the Anti-terror Police Unit inside a rented house near Garissa University College, the scene of the terror attack that left 148 people dead earlier this month. They had been brought the previous night and were awaiting onward transport arrangement to Nairobi.The trafficker, Yassin Ibrahim Leyal, a Somali national, was also arrested in his house with the aliens.

Police believe the suspects, 8 male and 23 female were on transit to Nairobi. The security forces have intensified patrols along the border with Somalia in the wake of terror attack at the Garissa University. The government on Tuesday also announced an amnesty for youth who joined Al-Shabaab to commit terrorist activities in the Horn and Eastern African region. The move comes as leaders from northeast Kenya have urged local residents to help the government identify Al-Shabaab criminals living amongst them. Since the Kenya military crossed into Somalia in 2011, several attacks believed to have been carried out by al-Shabaab have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa in northern Kenya even as the military reports gains against the Islamist group by capturing their military bases and killing scores of them.

The Director-General Of UNESCO Condemns Attack On Ministry Of Culture And Higher Education In Mogadishu, Somalia

15 April – Source: UNESCO – 178 Words

UNESCO Director-General has strongly condemned yesterday’s armed attack on the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education in Mogadishu, Somalia, which resulted in the death and injuries of civilians, members of the security forces and Government workers. “At this juncture, education and culture are among the most powerful resources to bring back hope, normalcy and cohesion within the Somalian society, in particular amongst its young people. I condemn this vicious attack, as a deliberate attack against all Somalis’ human right to education and access to cultural life. The intentional targeting of education and culture is a war crime – education and culture must be protected and kept out of any conflict”, declared Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. “I extend my deepest condolences to the Government of Somalia, to those who have been affected by this tragedy and to their families. I call on all Somalis to stand united for the protection of their education and culture and renew UNESCO’s commitment to support the Government in its efforts to provide access to quality learning and to culture”, added the Director-General.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“In other words, there have been few Somalis who were in a position to speak back, again with notable exceptions. This, however, is changing and this is what the #cadaanstudies controversy showed. With the formation of a relatively large Somali diaspora in the West, there is now a good number of young Somalis coming through the University systems of Western countries.”

Cadaan Studies: Is Being A Somali Not Enough To Produce Quality Work?

15 April – Source: Warya Post – 1610 Words

Over the past 2 weeks a heated and controversial debate has raged on social media centering on the dominance of Western scholars; who often appear incredulously unaware of the impact the current structures of power has on what they write and how they write it. The debate began after Safia Aidid, a Somali-Canadian doctoral student at Harvard University, highlighted the absence of Somalis from the editorial board of the newly launched Somaliland Journal of African Studies(SJAS).
This led to a response by Dr. Markus Hoehne, a German anthropologist specializing on ‘Somalis studies’, in which he claimed that the absence of Somalis from the editorial board was due to the lack of serious young Somali scholars because they, according to Dr. Hoehne, don’t value scholarship.This patronizing, condescending and unreflective remark was followed by an even more blatantly insulting comment when Dr. Hoehne told the group of young Somalis who were infuriated by his remark that he would no sooner leave the thread and they would go back to clannish in-fighting.

What does one make of this controversy? How is it possible that the so-called anthropologist who is relatively well known and self-established among those interested in and involved in Somali Studies make such opinions publicly? And what do we make of the tremendous amount of energy and anger shown by so many up and coming young Somali scholars, including myself? In Summary, why is this controversy happening now? In the following lines, I want to reflect a little on this issue. The critiques made of Dr. Hoehne and the SJAS in terms of the impact of the dominance of Westerners on Somali Studies are familiar in various fields in academia at least since the 1960s.
An understanding of Anthropology. Cultural or social anthropology as a discipline has rightly borne the brunt of these critiques, because of its historical, practical and theoretical intimacy with the encounter between colonizing Europe and the colonized other. As a consequence of these critiques, some anthropologists began to examine global structures that had made plausible the emergence of anthropology; as a discipline, and how the knowledge it produced were utilized, and by whom.

In the introduction to the edited volume Anthropology and the Colonial Encounter (1972) the distinguished anthropologist Talal Asad wrote: “It is not a matter of dispute that social anthropology emerged as a distinctive discipline at the beginning of the colonial era, that it became a flourishing academic profession towards its close, or that throughout this period its efforts were devoted to a description and analysis – carried out by Europeans for a European audience – of non-European societies dominated by European power. . . . We are today becoming increasingly aware of the fact that information and understanding produced by bourgeoisie disciplines are acquired and used by those with the greatest capacity for exploitation”.

Top tweets

@SomaliaJunkie Established in 1954, @SNU_University eyes high-quality research community & partnership with int’l universts #Somalia

@samirasawlani Kenya:UNHCR on Dadaab ‘forcing refugees back to Somalia wld hav extreme humanitarian consequences, ‘ a breach of Kenya’s intl obligations’

@UNDPSomalia Learn about youth employment and empowerment initiatives in Somalia jointly implemented by UNICEF, UNDP, and ILO. http://bit.ly/1J5ZeGq

@Somalia111 · Went to Cadaado today with international partners to encourage the process of state formation. Dialogue & cooperation will bring results.

@Aynte Major rainfall in #Mogadishu today brought about much needed breeze, but our infrastructure is incapable of handling heavy rain. #Somalia

@Refugees We are working on contingency plans to receive up to 30,000 refugees in Djibouti & 100,000 in Somalia over the next six months from #Yemen

Follow the conversation →

Image of the day

Every morning, Mogadishu’s fishermen bring their catch ashore upon which it is quickly unloaded and transported to Xamar Weyne’s market where it is sold for consumption on the local market and increasingly, for export to other countries. Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa and there is large-scale potential to harvest the bountiful waters and develop of the country’s fishing industry. Photo: AMISOM