April 20, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Al-Shabab Ambush Kills AU Soldier In Somalia

19 April – Source: VOA – 237 Words

An African Union soldier was killed by al-Shabaab militants who ambushed an AMISOM convoy Sunday in southern Somalia. The governor of Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Siidi, told VOA the militants attacked the convoy near the town of Leego. Another Somali official, who requested not to be named, confirmed a Burundian soldier was killed when the vehicle he was driving was destroyed. Three other AMISOM soldiers were wounded in the attack. The governor declined to comment on AMISOM casualty figures. He said 11 al-Shabab militants were killed during an exchange of heavy fire during the incident. An Al-Shabaab spokesman told Reuters the attack killed five soldiers and destroyed vehicles.Last week, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the bombing an assault that left 18 people dead and at least 15 others wounded at the Higher Education Ministry in Mogadishu. Somali officials say eight civilians were killed during the incident, along with seven attackers, two Somali security force members and one African Union soldier. Al-Shabab is attempting to overthrow the Somali government and establish an Islamic state. Earlier this month, Al-Shabaab staged an attack on Kenya’s Garissa University College, killing 148 people. Al-Shabab said that attack was revenge for Kenyan military action in neighboring Somalia.Somalia’s government has placed bounties on the heads of 11 Al-Shabaab leaders, including the militant group’s top leader and the alleged mastermind of the massacre in Kenya, Mohamed Mohamud, also known as Dulyadin.

Key Headlines

Kenya-Based Somali Muslim Scholars Vow Closer Collaboration After University Attack (Hiraan Online)
Jubaland Sets Date For Parliament Speaker Election (Garowe Online)
Somaliland Leader Fires High Court Chief Judge (Garowe Online)
Adado Administration Installs Solar Powered Lights (Radio Goobjoog)
Gunmen Kill Puntland Lawmaker In Mogadishu (Somali Update)
Government Soldier Shot Dead In Mogadishu (Radio Goobjoog)
Parents ‘Must Name Somali Returnees’ (The Star Kenya)
Al-Shabab Ambush Kills AU Soldier In Somalia (VOA)
Kenya Failings Drive Al-Shabaab Recruitment (BBC)
US Report Warned Of Links Between Somali Hawala Banks And Terrorism To Kenya (Standard Media)
Have Kenyan Forces Achieved Their Core Mission In Somalia? (Daily Nation)

PRESS STATEMENT

AMISOM Condemns Attacks On Its Troops In Lego

19 April – Source: AMISOM – 162 Words

Mogadishu-April 19th, 2015: The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia (SRCC) Ambassador Maman S. Sidikou has learnt with sadness news of an attack on AMISOM troops in the Lower Shabelle region.

The cowardly ambush on the troops took place this afternoon between Lego and Balidogle. Our gallant soldiers put up a spirited fight during which three of them lost their lives, while others sustained injuries.

“This attack on AMISOM peacekeepers is part of the continuous effort to subvert Somalia. It is an attempt at disrupting the growth that is evident across all regions, by the enemies of the Somali people. The blood of our brothers will however not be shed in vain. AMISOM will remain committed to pacifying Somalia,” said Ambassador Sidikou.

Ambassador Sidikou commiserates with the families of the soldiers who have lost their lives to the cause of stabilizing Somalia and wishes the injured quick recovery.

NATIONAL MEDIA

Kenya-Based Somali Muslim Scholars Vow Closer Collaboration After University Attack

19 April – Source: Hiiraan Online – 356 Words

The Kenyan-based Somali Muslim scholars have condemned Al-Shabab’s terrorist attack on Garissa University in which at least 147 people were killed two weeks ago, joining mainstream Muslim communities who stood by Kenyans in the fight against extremists. In an assembly held in the Somali-dominant Eastleigh on Saturday, the scholars showed heartfelt support to the Kenyan government and its population against ‘barbaric’ terrorist attacks in the East African nation. In the gathering, the scholars condemned the militants’ random attacks including mosques, urging Kenyans to avoid getting drawn into an ideological trap set by Al-Shabaab to stir hatred among the diverse communities in Kenya. “They (Al-Shabaab) execute Muslims in the mosques in Somalia and in Kenya they execute Christians in order to create hatred and animosity between communities.” said Mohamed Sheikh Kul, who spoke on behalf of the Muslim scholars in Kenya.

“We are asking Muslims to unite in the fight against terrorism which is an international problem and should fight them united.” He said. He called for Muslims to work closely with security forces to intercept terrorists who hide among the people and report their missing children to the security agencies. The scholars also expressed concern over the government’s proposal to shut down Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the world and the repatriation of refugees against their will to Somalia where militants are waging a deadly war against the government and the African Union forces in Somalia.

The scholars warned that such a move would radicalize many returnees to fill militants’ ranks and labelling the Kenyan government’s directive of shutting down bank accounts and remittance companies as ‘counter-productive’. “We don’t think that was a well-measured decision.” They said in statement, vowing an ideological war on terrorism by launching rehabilitation centers for the brainwashed youth. The development comes as pressure mounted on Somali community in Kenya after the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group carried out the deadly university siege. The killing of 148 students by Al-Shabab at Garissa, some 120 miles from the border, has put pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta to deal with the fighters who have killed more than 400 people in Kenya in the last two years.

Jubaland Sets Date For Parliament Speaker Election

19 April – Source: Garowe Online – 131 Words

Jubaland President Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) has set Sunday as the date for for picking a new speaker and two deputies, Garowe Online reports. Speaking at a press conference at Jubaland Presidential Palace in the southern port city of Kismayo, President Madobe has slated parliament speakers’ election date for25th of April. He called on the newly sworn-in MPs to remain loyal to public interests. Madobe noted that Somali Federal Government, federal member states and international community delegations have been invited to the upcoming event. The announcement follows the swearing-in ceremony held for 75 MPs selected by traditional leaders. Some clans have expressed dissatisfaction with the selection process, alleging manipulation and uneven quotas. Jubaland gained official recognition from Mogadishu-based federal government in August 2013 after IGAD-brokered talks in Addis Ababa.

Adado Administration Installs Solar Powered Lights

19 April – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 132 Words

100 Solar streetlights have been erected across Adado town in a bid to improve security and allow business activities along the roads to boom during the night. Adado district commissioner, Abdullahi Abdirahman Tooltoole said that his administration planned to install 100 solar streetlights for the first phase. “We have successfully completed the phase of the project therefore we shall commence the second phase soon” he said. The district commissioner also called upon people living round Industrial Road to make use of lights and to take responsibility to handle them and guard them against any harm by criminal elements. The projects to illuminate the streets have been going on in many towns across Somalia in recent years. Adado is currently hosting Somali central state formation conference which kicked off on 16th April 2015.

Somaliland Leader Fires High Court Chief Judge

19 April – Source: Garowe Online – 156 Words

The President of Somaliland’s separatist administration Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Siilaanyo has fired Chief Judge of High Court Yusuf Ismael Ali on the grounds of complaints from the public and the alleged arrest of Human Rights Commission Chairman on Sunday, Garowe Online reports. According to a decree from his office, judicial affairs commission members were consulted on the sacking, raising questions over the legitimacy of the move. No successor has been assigned to the top judiciary post. The sacking of Ali comes less than two days after authorities detained Somaliland Human Rights Commission head Gulled Ahmed Jama whose arrest was allegedly ordered by the sacked Chief Judge of Supreme Court. Similar presidential decree resulted in the removal of former Somaliland High Court Chief Judge Mohamed Hirsi Ismael (Omane) in June 2011. Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia declared its independence from the rest of the country as de facto sovereign state in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.

Gunmen Kill Puntland Lawmaker In Mogadishu

18 April – Source: Somali Update – 125 Words

Suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen have shot and killed Puntland Parliament Member Adan Haji Hussein in Mogadishu’s Taleh road, witnesses and colleagues confirmed. According to security sources, the gunmen blocked the car in which late MP Hussein was travelling and shot the MP and his driver. Both died on the spot, the sources said. Security forces reached the area and closed off the road but none of the attackers were arrested as they fled before any police reached the site, the sources added. Late MP Hussein came from Garowe a week ago and was visiting Mogadishu for health matters. No group has yet claimed responsibility of the attack, but it is commonly known for Al-Shabaab militants to carry out assassinations against government officials, aid workers and journalists in Somalia.

Government Soldier Shot Dead In Mogadishu

19 April – Source: Radio Goobjoog -79 Words

Unidentified gunmen armed with pistols have attacked two Somali Federal Government soldiers in Mogadishu’s Wadajir district. An eyewitness told Goobjoog News that a soldier was killed and another one injured by young men armed with pistols in Suuqa-Baarta of Wadajir district. The assailants fled the crime scene uncaught. Local authorities did not comment on the attack on the two soldiers. No one claimed the responsibility of the attack but Al-Shabab carries out attacks against Somali officials and soldiers.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

US Report Warned Of Links Between Somali Hawala Banks And terrorism To Kenya

19 April – Source: Standard Media – 344 Words

A report by the United States’ Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs published in March 2015, had indicated that Somalia’s remittance banks, or hawala which were blacklisted by Kenya after the April 2 terrorist carnage in Garissa were financing terrorism activities. Meanwhile the report by the US Department of State warns that despite Kenya being a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group, it still has deficiencies in controlling the flow of funds adding that Kenya is also not capable of adequately criminalizing terrorist financing. And the report alleges that the Kenyan authorities are not able to ensure a fully operational and effectively functioning financial intelligence unit in its midst.

Although many of the hawalas that send money to Somalia have branches in Kenya where a large Somalia diaspora lives the report notes that “Somalia does not have a commercial banking sector, and the Central Bank lacks the capacity to supervise or regulate the hawala” and warns that the warton nation does not belong to any of the regional and continental bodies created to combat money laundering. “Somalia does not have laws or procedures requiring the collection of data for money transfers or suspicious transaction reports. Somalia did not distribute the UN list of terrorists or terrorist entities to financial services.

Somalia lacked the funding and capacity to investigate and prosecute incidents of terrorist financing,” says the report. Even though the report does not mention specific agents which were susceptible to misuse to finance terrorist groups, it expressed concern over the growing number of hawala mostly used by ethnic Somalis in Kenya and East Africa some of which ended in Al Shabaab’s coffers. See also: Harrowing diary of guardian‘s week-long search for ‘blessing’ The State Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the 233 page document titled “International Narcotics Control Strategy Report Volume II on Money Laundering and Financial Crimes, observes that Kenya’s proximity to Somalia makes it an obvious and attractive location for the laundering of certain piracy-related proceeds and a financial facilitation hub for al-Shabaab.

Parents ‘Must Name Somali Returnees’

19 April – Source: The Star, Kenya – 260 Words

The government has warned landlords and families accommodating youths returning from Somalia will not be spared if they will not surrender the ten days amnesty period. Kwale county commissioner Evans Achoki said the parents should encourage their children to surrender before they are arrested. “The amnesty is genuine there is no need to doubt but once the days elapse their parents and landlord accommodating them will be dealt with,” he said. Addressing locals at Magutu village in Diani-Kwale on Thursday, Achoki said the government has no intention to arrest or prosecute those who surrender. “Parents will have to tell us where their children are if they fail to surrender during the amnesty period while landlord will explain why they accommodate such people,” he said.

Once the amnesty days elapse, Achoki said the Somali returnees will be traced because they are known. Bongwe Gombao ward MCA Omar Boga said the government should assure the youths that the amnesty is genuine so that they can surrender. “There are those who claim the plan is to identify them so that they can be eliminated and that is why we want the government to be very open,” Boga said. He said they are ready to assist the government in ensuring the youths surrender before the amnesty period elapses. “The government has a responsibility to control firearms and the communities but also take responsibility to report crime.They were accompanied by Msambweni deputy county commissioner Mwangani Mwania, Justus Maina, Hamisi Mwandaro,OCPD Joseph Omijah, Anti-terrorists police unit officer Hamisi Gereso among others.

Kenya Failings Drive Al-Shabaab Recruitment

19 April – Source: BBC – 845 Words

There is no doubt that Kenya has been deeply scarred by the attack on the University in Garissa, in which at least 148 people were killed. One senior police officer was reduced to tears in his office as he recalled in an off-the-cuff chat, the cold-blooded way the gunmen picked through their victims’ belongings, forced them onto the floor face down, then gunned them down. Kenyans are hard-working people who deeply care about security but many express a sense of being hamstrung. As one man I spoke to in Garissa put it, there is “a sense of disconnect between the government and its people” and its ability to provide security in the face of a-Shabab threat. Key to this is a deep mistrust of authority. Kenyan whistle-blower John Githongo, who in secretly recorded tapes exposed corruption under a previous administration, has been talking on social networks of “chickens coming home to roost”. He is not alone in that view. Porous borders, allegations of widespread corruption within the security services and even claims by the Muslim community of “extrajudicial killings” all sound remarkably familiar to Kenyan ears. It was no surprise then that many rolled their eyes in dismay, rather than marched in anger on the streets, at reports that the plane that was meant to bring commandos to storm the building during the deadly siege in Garissa, was delayed by several hours.

It had apparently been diverted, sent to collect a police chief’s family, from their holiday on the coast. The police are yet to comment on the allegation. Tactical shift Intelligence reports and parliamentary committees have warned of a tactical shift in the Somali Islamist group’s recruitment campaign. The evidence that al-Shabab is hiring in the “Kenyan homeland” shows it is exploiting the country’s Achilles heel – what people here call “graft”. A thoughtful Kenyan businessman of Somali origin I met in the arid north-east of the country told me bluntly that for a government to win the fight against terrorism, it needed to win its people’s trust first. The scramble to woo the Muslim community in the past few days in these remote dusty parts, by a posse of government envoys, appears to be a frank admission that it needs to make friends. Ali (this same Kenyan businessman whose name I have changed because like many others he fears his candour will lose him his job) told me he had spent a lot of time in the US and the Middle East since the 9/11 attack and had devoted much time to pondering about security. Building elaborate “fences” to seal the border with Somalia, a programme which got under way this week, sounds to many like Ali more like a money-making scam than a concerted effort to control cross border attacks by al-Shabab. What is needed, he believes, is not walls and fences but robust “intelligence gathering” and covert operations, which cannot be sabotaged by “graft”.

OPINION/ANALYSIS/CULTURE

“Despite victory on that front, there was a mess back home, where several small attacks were followed in September 2013 by the attack on Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi. It has also recently become apparent that while military under Amisom continues to hold the port at Kismayu and that Al-Shabaab’s strength has been greatly diminished, the attacks in Kenya have increased, with the highest casualties happening in the attacks at Westgate, Mpeketoni and most recently Garissa.”

Have Kenyan Forces Achieved Their Core Mission In Somalia?

19 April – Source: Daily Nation – 431 Words

On an ordinary Saturday morning on October 15, 2011, journalists gathered at a small boardroom on the fourth floor of Harambee House, the headquarters of the Internal Security ministry. It was for a press conference addressed by the late Prof George Saitoti and Mr Yusuf Haji, who were then the ministers for Internal Security and Defence respectively, and who appeared to be in a hurry that morning. “The government has decided to take robust measures to protect and preserve the integrity of the country and the national economy and security,” Prof Saitoti said, reading a statement prepared jointly with Mr Haji. Neither Prof Saitoti nor Mr Haji were very good at expressing themselves that day and few of the reporters, camera crews and photographers appeared to have grasped the magnitude of the announcement.

But on the floor above, newsroom bosses were getting a better understanding of the matter. Kenya had started a war, General Julius Waweru Karangi told them.The war was with Al-Shabaab and the intention of Operation Linda Nchi was to push them as far away from the border with Kenya by taking the fight right to their doorstep. And briefing the editors was the man who would become contemporary Kenya’s war general. A stern General Karangi told the editors that the government had invoked Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which pronounces self-defence as every state’s inherent right.

Fighting alongside the Kenyan forces was the Ras Kamboni Brigade under the command of Ahmed Mohammed Islam alias General Madoobe and the Somali National Army.. The Ras Kamboni Brigade and the Somali army were crucial for the Kenyan military in terms of providing intelligence on the location of the enemy and anticipating attacks. Often, it would be an angry relative in Al-Shabaab who would call their relative in the Somali army or Ras Kamboni Brigade and become the source of information on the next assault. The taking of Kismayu in September 2012 was proof of the strategy employed by Kenyan military and its Somali counterparts.