April 22, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Government forces took control a town in southern Somalia
22 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb/Bar-kulan/Shabelle – 121 words
Somali government forces in southern regions of Bay and Bakol took control Garas Weyne town in Bakol region on Sunday after al Shabaab fled from the town, RBC Radio reports.
According to residents in Garas Weyne, 50-kms south of Xudur town the region’s capital, the troops advanced after the extremists of al Shabaab fled from the town late on Sunday that led the governments to take control of it without resistance.
Officials of Bakol regional administration did not comment on the advance but military sources said that the government forces also seized small weapons from the militants. “Neither the Ethiopian forces nor AMISOM assisted the capture the town.” Colonel Ali Abdulle of Somali National Army told RBC Radio on the phone.
Key Headlines
- Government forces took control a town in southern Somalia (Raxanreeb/Bar-kulan/Shabelle)
- Mortar shells hurled at Galkayo airport (Radio Mustaqbal)
- Former Somali president wins prestigious Boston fellowship (Africa Review)
- Kagame Hails Somali President on Achievements (Irwanda News)
- Major police operation underway in Garissa (Standard Media
- Somali Women Cashing in on Business (IPS News)
- Somali Banking Starts From Ground Up (The Wall Street Journal)
PRESS RELEASE
AMISOM Head Condemns Assassination of Somali Journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh
22 Apr – Source: AMISOM – 144 words
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia (SRCC), Mahamet Saleh Annadif condemned the murder of Radio Mogadishu journalist, Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh who was shot and killed Sunday afternoon as he was returning home from work.
The SRCC extends his condolences to Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh’s family and friends, to Radio Mogadishu and to the Somali media community. “This is a terrible loss for Somalia,” he said. He paid tribute to the courage of Somali journalists noting that this is the fourth journalist to be killed this year. Eighteen journalists were killed in Somalia last year.
“The press is a fundamental part of any democracy and must be protected. AMISOM is ready to offer any assistance it can to help the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somali National Security Forces put a stop to these heinous attacks,” he added.
SOMALI MEDIA
Government forces took control a town in southern Somalia
22 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb/Bar-kulan/Shabelle – 121 words
Somali government forces in southern regions of Bay and Bakol took control Garas Weyne town in Bakol region on Sunday after al Shabaab fled from the town, RBC Radio reports.
According to residents in Garas Weyne, 50-kms south of Xudur town the region’s capital, the troops advanced after the extremists of al Shabaab fled from the town late on Sunday that led the governments to take control of it without resistance.
Officials of Bakol regional administration did not comment on the advance but military sources said that the government forces also seized small weapons from the militants. “Neither the Ethiopian forces nor AMISOM assisted the capture the town.” Colonel Ali Abdulle of Somali National Army told RBC Radio on the phone.
Mortar shells hurled at Galkayo airport
22 Apr – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 146 words
It was pre-dawn on Monday when armed men attacked Galkayo airport in Mudug region in the central of Somalia. It was reported that the armed group hurled mortar shells on the airport in the early morning.
The casualties caused by the shelling could not be known, however, eyewitnesses in Galkayo confirmed to Mustaqbal radio that the shelling occurred had caused minimal damage. The attack on the airport came after person from Galmudug State was killed near airport, and this event seems to be response to that killing.
The residents in Galkayo expressed deep concern over the killings in Galkayo and the attack on the airport on Monday morning. No comment still from Puntland and Galmudug about the latest accidents where both sides control.
Cross-border goods trucks bogged down by rains in Gedo
22 Apr – Source: Radio Ergo – 220 words
More than 80 heavy goods vehicles are stuck in mud in the border area between Gedo and northeastern Kenya. Heavy rains have made the poor roads impassable. Most roads have not been maintained in more than two decades.
Radio Ergo spoke to some of the truck drivers by phone, who said they have been trapped for more than 15 days in place including Qansahdere and Burdubo in Gedo region; Mido in Awdinle; and between Elwaq and El’ad in Gedo.
They said their vehicles are loaded with a variety of goods, some of them essential items such as medicines and food supplies, and are destined for locations deep in the interior of Somalia that have no other means of accessing supplies.
Abdulkadir Jemis, a driver, said his truck was in convoy with goods paid for by business people in Elwaq, El’ad, and Garbaharey. Others were stuck going in the other direction, towards northeastern Kenya. He said the state of the roads made it impossible for them to move.
Somali journalist killed by gunmen, NUSOJ condemns
22 Apr – Radio Mustaqbal/RBC – 238 words
A Somali journalist was killed by gunmen in Mogadishu on Sunday, the fourth reporter to be murdered in the war-ravaged capital this year, the nation’s journalism union said.
“The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns in the strongest terms possible the murder of the Somali journalist who was killed by armed assailants near his home in Mogadishu’s Dharkenley district,” the body said in a statement.
The victim, Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh, worked for state television and Radio Mogadishu. He was on his way home from work when he was attacked, the statement said. Somalia is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work, with at least 18 media workers killed last year.
In January, a journalist for Mogadishu’s Radio Shabelle was also shot dead. In March, another journalist was killed when he was caught up in a suicide bombing in the capital, while a female radio journalist was fatally shot later that same month.
New anti-terror law targets telecommunication, remittance companies
20 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb – 277 words
New counter-terrorism law in Somalia which the council of ministers approved last week is set to affect the telecommunication and money remittance companies in Mogadishu, sources told RBC Radio.
The legislation which was announced on Thursday, four days after a deadly terrorist attack in the capital that killed more than 30 people and wounded 58 others, is intended to become a key component to prevent terrorism activities including explosions and assassination killings which left hundreds of Somali citizens dead.
According officials familiar with the legislation, the new law criminalizes any telecom firm or remittance agency to deal with members of al Shabaab fighters. Hotel owners and car rentals are also required to identify their clients if they had involved any terrorist networks.
Authorities order stop to “pasture grabbing” in Nugal
21 Apr – Source: Radio Ergo – 265 words
Regional administrators, Puntland Ministry of Agriculture officials, traditional elders and NGOs, held a conference in Garowe recently to put a stop to the seizure of pasture land that has been causing tension between pastoralists and other communities in Nugal.
Large areas of public land traditionally used for grazing by camel herders have been fenced off and effectively seized by certain groups of people for private use and financial gain. In some cases, bulldozers have been brought in to carve up land, which is then used by the “grabbers” to harvest grass which is sold to livestock owners. At the conference, the authorities and other participants agreed that such land grabbing was illegal and should be stopped.
Fifteen of the most fertile areas of pasture land in Nugal have already been seized by such illegal methods, locl leader Bashir Abdi ali said. He named these grazing lands as Jibaha, Lulumo, Sharah qab, Woow, Bihin, Armale, Barde Dawaho, Halanley, Isu Faruran, Jillab, Jibagale, Jidnugul, Hamur, Salahley and Cel-wacaysed.
The commissioner of Nugal region, Abdi Hirsi Ali, described the land-grabbing practice as injustice against livestock owners. He promised measures would be taken to punish those behind such deals. He urged the elders to be vigilant and report to the administration any further infractions.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Former Somali president wins prestigious Boston fellowship
22 Apr – Source: Africa Review – 345 words
Members of the Somali diaspora living in the US city of Boston on Sunday feted the former president of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who is currently a resident at a leading local university.
Sheikh Ahmed is the latest beneficiary of the former-Presidents-in-Residence fellowship initiated by Boston University in Massachusetts, USA.
Sheikh Ahmed started his fellowship in January, four months after losing the presidential contest in Somalia, on September 10 last year. The scholarship is administered by the African Presidential Archives and Research Centre (APARC) based at the university.
Haji demands Garissa attacks probe
22 Apr – Source: Standard Media – 281 words
Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji has called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to form a Commission of Inquiry to investigate acts of lawlessness. Mr Haji condemned cruelty visited on the county. By yesterday, ten people had died from last week’s gun attack at a Garissa hotel.
He said such heinous acts had reached an alarming rate and doubted if terrorists had orchestrated the attacks because they had targeted only the county. “If these are terrorist attacks, then we would be seeing them across the country.
Why don’t we see them in places near Somalia like Wajir and Mandera? There is much more to this than meets the eye,” said Haji. The Senator said the commission of inquiry would be able to identify what was wrong and recommend the way forward.
Kagame Hails Somali President on Achievements
22 Apr – Source: Irwanda News – 307 words
The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been named in the Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people, 2013. His nomination hinges on his efforts for promoting policies that promote unity and reconciliation over clan-based politics in Somalia. President Paul Kagame wrote a letter to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud congratulating him upon his achievements;
CID boss sent home after Garissa attacks
21 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 305 words
The Head of Criminal Investigations in Garissa was on Sunday sent home after it was discovered that eleven security officers in the area were helping al Shabaab in carrying out atrocities in Kenya.
One of the area’s chiefs was also sent home following a visit by a top security team from Nairobi, which discovered that government officials on the ground had links with violent business cartels controlled by the Somalia-based terrorist group.
More officers, including police and customs officials who work at entry points on the vast Kenya-Somalia border, were also interdicted to pave the way for investigations.
Major police operation underway in Garissa
22 Apr – Source: Standard Media – 483 Words
A major police operation is underway in Garissa Town in a bid to boost security and arrest men behind serial killings that have left dozens of people dead in the town in the recent past. Police say they also want to get illegal immigrants who are in the town for conviction and repatriation on suspicion they could be behind the attacks.
Officials say security agents involved in the operation have so far detained more than 20 people. The operation began at 5am and it is ongoing. More General Service Unit and Administration Police’s Rapid Deployment Unit were deployed to Garissa Sunday night and are involved in the operation. Witnesses say the town is virtually in a standstill.
“We can see hundreds of police officers on the streets and they have been moving from house to house looking for suspected terrorists. I can see many people escaping this town,” said a caller.
Mogadishu launches neighbourhood watches
19 Apr – Source: Sabahi Online – 463 words
The Benadir administration has launched a neighbourhood watch programme that is enlisting the help of citizens to prevent terrorist attacks and other criminal activities.
The watch, dubbed the Fostering Neighbourhood and Social Integration Programme, is underway in the Hamar Weyne, Hamar Jajab, Waberi, Dherkenley, Bondhere, Wadajir, Huriwa and Howlwadag districts of the Somali capital, Benadir administration spokesman Mohamed Yusuf said. “We are planning to expand the project to all districts so that security is strengthened,” he told Sabahi.
Under the programme, each district is divided into blocks of 50 houses and assigned a block leader who is responsible for passing along any suspicious activity reported by neighbours to the police. In addition, block leaders will hold weekly meetings with residents to discuss security issues and promote a sense of communal responsibility for the neighbourhood’s security.
District commissioners who spoke to Sabahi welcomed the programme, saying it is helping Mogadishu’s residents take ownership of their own safety.
In Pictures: Mogadishu boosts security
19 Apr – Source: Aljazeera – 215 words
The landscape of Mogadishu, Somalia’s once war-torn capital, has changed. Two years ago, the armed hardline group al Shabaab controlled much of the city, and open warfare raged between their members and African Union (AMISOM) troops.
The were largely ousted from the city in August 2011, which marked an end to hostilities in the city. Since then, investment has led to development, and a relative sense of normality has returned to the city.
The environment is now “post-conflict”, but an insurgency is still being fought across the city, with regular blasts and assassinations. Last Sunday, a series of coordinated bombings and shootings claimed by al Shabaab killed at least 30 people in the capital. Although the group has officially left Mogadishu, it still remains a potent threat, inspiring fear and insecurity.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Women Cashing in on Business
22 Apr – Source: IPS News – 927 words
In the Hamarweyne market, Mogadishu’s largest, 24-year-old Maryama Yunis is finding success with her tiny cosmetic store. The young Somali entrepreneur has been in business for two years, selling everything from soaps and shampoos to lipsticks and eyeliners, and now she’s turning a decent profit.
“As more and more young women in Somalia grow increasingly aware of their looks and like to take care of themselves, the cosmetics business has naturally grown and I took the plunge to meet that demand,” Yunis told IPS in Mogadishu.
Yunis is one of a growing number of women in this traditionally conservative Muslim country who are going into business because of the opportunity to attain financial independence and upward mobility.
Even educated women in this Horn of Africa nation are expected to focus on raising families, but attitudes are shifting alongside women’s role in society, says Hawa Dahir, a social activist in Mogadishu.
Somali Banking Starts From Ground Up
22 Apr – Source: The Wall Street Journal – 992 words
Abdusalam Omer is a central bank governor without much to govern. The Central Bank of Somalia doesn’t hold reserves in the country’s currency, the shilling.
There are no functioning commercial banks in the strife-torn country for it to regulate. The 75-strong staff that still turns up for work after two decades of civil war is a motley crew of money men and handymen.
“I don’t know why the central bank employs painters,” says the 58-year-old who was named the country’s top banker in January. Not so long ago, the Somali-American bureaucrat was working in the mayor’s office of Washington, D.C., trying to pull the city back from financial ruin.
These days, his daunting task is helping to lead the economic reconstruction of Somalia, the war-shattered country of his birth now in a tenuous peace.
Wind Brings Light to Somaliland
22 Apr – Source: IPS News – 1079 words
A wind turbine, situated some 20 kilometres outside of Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa, has become a significant totem of the country’s changing energy landscape.
The breakaway semi-autonomous region that was once part of Somalia has struggled to develop its economy despite dilapidated energy infrastructure that makes it almost impossible for businesses to function.
But later this year, Somaliland’s first Electricity Energy Act will be launched. It will be the country’s first legal and regulatory framework aimed at managing energy production and distribution, with a focus on piloting alternative energy solutions, including wind farms in four major cities.
Thousands of Migrants Stranded in Yemen
19 Apr – Source: VOA – 593 words
Humanitarian agencies say thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa are living in harrowing conditions along the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border. Many have been robbed and tortured by traffickers.
Migrant workers from the Horn see Saudi Arabia as a place where they may find jobs. But getting there often means traveling to and through Yemen and becoming targets of smugglers and traffickers.
The routes to Yemen include long and dangerous boat trips from Somalia over the Gulf of Aden – and the much shorter trip from Djibouti across the Red Sea. But there, too, they are at the mercy of smugglers, who may rob them or even throw them overboard.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Overall, the recent actions by the Somali government show steps to strengthen the number of trained forces and legal frameworks available to counter al Shabaab more effectively. If these tools are complemented by an improved security strategy, military re-structuring and professionalization, adequate financial support, and better leadership within the security and intelligence agencies, the Somali government could continue significant gains in addressing the dynamics of violence in Mogadishu.”
Al Shabaab Attacks Bring New Forces, Laws to Mogadishu
22 Apr – Source: Somalia Newsroom – 796 Words
Since al Shabaab’s Supreme Court attack on 14 April 2013, the Somali government has been moving forward with efforts to improve security in the capital.
Large contingents of Somali soldiers have been training in Uganda, Djibouti, and Somalia by multiple partners—including the United States, the EU, and AMISOM. Training has been successful overall but at times hampered by a lack of equipment, including guns and combat gear, as pictured on the left.
The addition of 1,000 trained counter-terrorism forces, which have been equipped with the necessary arms and vehicles—could change the landscape of the security environment in Mogadishu.
Since the budget for these forces and their operations has not been allocated by the Ministry of Defence, it is unclear what the cost will be or if there are sufficient funds to support them. This is an ongoing problem for Somali security forces that could impact the new unit.
“Fatima’s hope is for her film to act as a much needed wake-up call that will shed some light on the crimes against Somali women, and the shame and stigma connected to acts of sexual violence. After all, the women of Somalia are the very backbone of its society.”
Women & Rape in Somalia: One Filmmaker’s Stance Against Sexual Violence
21 Apr – Source: Fair Planet – 961 Words
Somalia might no longer be thought of as a failed state: perhaps, today, we can instead refer to it as a fragile democracy.The presidential election of September 2012 heralded the troubled nation’s first, if awkward, steps towards a free democratic vote in several decades.
Somalis in and around Mogadishu rejoiced as a new government was sworn into office and militants of the al-shabaab group were driven out of the capital by African Union (AU) troops. And yet, despite this recent upward trajectory, the freedoms granted in Somalia are still so very fragile that a brave Somali filmmaker had to carry out her most recent project undercover.
This inspiring young woman – who prefers not to be named – is in the process of making a documentary shedding light on the continuing issue of sexual violence against women. In order to protect her identity, I refer to her as Fatima. Recent events prove this precaution is well justified.
In late March this year, a women’s rights reporter was the third journalist to be killed in what has been a series of deadly attacks. The case of Lul Ali Osman Barake, who was raped by five soldiers, and then jailed for allegedly defaming the government and the police, was another case that sparked worldwide outrage and acted as a stark reminder of the country’s fragility. Although Barake was later released after winning an appeal against her sentence, the Somali journalist who interviewed her remained in prison for two months.
“Somalia will present a challenging case but Mogadishu has enthusiastically embraced the state-building framework”
Somalia the yardstick in new deal for conflict-affected countries
19 Apr – Source: The Guardian – 1065 Words
Somalia is emerging as a litmus test for the new deal for fragile states as officials gather in Washington on Friday to discuss how the approach can be incorporated into the development agenda when the millennium development goals expire in 2015. The new Somali government has enthusiastically embraced the new deal and created a taskforce, bringing together the government, lead donors (the US, UK, EU, Norway and Denmark), the World Bank and civil society.
One of the taskforce’s first jobs is to assess the causes and features of fragility and conflict. This is more than an academic exercise. On Sunday, at least 35 people – including two human rights lawyers – were killed in the deadliest Islamist militant attack in years in Mogadishu, the capital. Such a fragility assessment is supposed to be inclusive of the Somali population, but the existence of al-Shabaab, the insurgency group, will pose tests for inclusiveness, though there are some early signs that the national army is beginning to deliver security.
Somalia is the ninth developing country to adopt the new deal since it was endorsed at an aid effectiveness conference in Busan, South Korea, in 2011. The new deal, put forward by the g7+ group of 19 conflict-affected countries, is supposed to put developing countries in the driving seat on development strategy.
At its core are five peace-building and state-building goals: legitimate and inclusive politics; security; justice; economic foundations (jobs); and revenues and services (managing revenue and delivering accountable and fair services). The thinking behind the new deal is that unless aid focuses on peace, money will go to waste.
Top tweets
@OCHASom ‘Somali journalists’ role in the fight for human rights in #Somalia is commendable. They need to be protected’#UNLazzarini @UNDPSomalia.
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@AbukarArman #Somalia The 4 most crucial elements in reconciliation R: Listening, Empathy, Compromise and Forgiveness. 2 difficult 4 the self-centric!
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@smgbristol #Video: Celebrating Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists: Nadifa Mohamed, author of Black Mamba Boy http://shar.es/JiDrU #Somali.
Image of the day
Italy donates vehicles to Puntland Police forces. @SomaliaNewsroom.