April 24, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Yemen FM meets UN monitoring panel on Somalia and Eritrea
24 Apr – Source: Yemen News Agency SABA – 138 words
Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi met here on Tuesday with the UN panel of experts monitoring compliance with the embargoes on the delivery of weapons and military equipment to Somalia and Eritrea.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister reviewed with the members of the UN panel, visiting Yemen currently, the possible means to enhance the existing cooperation between Yemen and the UN panel.
Al Qirbi stressed the importance that the embargo on the delivery of weapons and military equipment does not affect the Somali government’s efforts to achieve security and stability.
He expressed Yemen’s readiness to cooperate with the international community in the fight against the smuggling of weapons to strengthen the region’s stability. The UN experts valued highly the cooperation shown by the Yemeni government with the panel.
Key Headlines
- UN humanitarian coordinator to Somalia visits Bosasso (Raxanreeb/Bar-kulan)
- Somalia ambassador to Kenya reassures Somalis in Garissa (Radio Mogadishu/ al Shahid)
- Female candidate to contest Jubbaland presidential election (Radio Mogadishu/Radio Dalsan/Dhanaan Online/Hiiraan Online)
- Yemen FM meets UN monitoring panel on Somalia and Eritrea (Yemen News Agency SABA)
- Ethiopia to pull troops out of Somalia (Radio Mustaqbal/Hiiraan Online)
- Somaliland regional court sentences 9 for human trafficking (Sabahi Online)
- Over 100 arrested in massive Garissa police crackdown (Standard Media)
- Somaliland backs international intervention in troubled Somalia (BBC)
SOMALI MEDIA
UN humanitarian coordinator to Somalia visits Bosasso
24 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb/Bar-kulan – 132 words
The new United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) for Somalia, Philippe Lazzarini, who is paying his first visit to Somalia since he took office early this month has landed in Bosasso town, northeastern of Puntland on Tuesday, RBC Radio reports.
After landing at the main airport, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia was welcomed by regional administrative officials, officials from the region’s health ministry as well as several UN agencies’ representatives in Bosasso, which is the region’s main port town.
Bosasso town is home to largest Internally Displaced Peoples in Puntland regions. Speaking to the media after brief meeting with the regional officials, Mr. Lazzarini said his visit to the region will focus on the current humanitarian situation in the country as general and the circumstances the internal displaced peoples live.
Somalia ambassador to Kenya reassures Somalis in Garissa
24 Apr – Source: Radio Mogadishu/ al Shahid – 173 words
Somali ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur has reassured Somali citizens in Garissa town in northeastern Kenya, after the security operations carried out by Kenyan security authorities in the region. Somali ambassador expressed his deep regrets toward the killing of civilians in armed attack in the town of Garissa last Thursday.
The security operations came after killing last Thursday of nine people at a restaurant in Garissa town in one of the most daring attacks. Ambassador urged Kenyan security authorities to allow Somali nationals detained in operations to be investigated, and the return of refugees who prove their innocence to their camps.
He also urged the Somali refugees in the town of Garissa to work with the Kenyan security authorities and their commitment to calm during operations. Ambassador Nur called on Somalis nationals in the town to contact the Somali Embassy in Nairobi immediately when exposed to harm during ongoing operations carried out by the security authorities.
Female candidate to contest Jubbaland presidential election
24 Apr – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Dalsan/Dhanaan Online/Hiiraan Online – 185 words
Faduma Barre Ugas has announced that she is in the presidential race for Jubaland State which is supposed to set up for Juba and Gedo regions, Mustaqbal radio reported.
Faduma Barre, the only female candidate for the presidential election that is intended to be held in Kismayo, has expressed deep hope to succeed in that presidential contest.
“My expectations are 60%, I will succeed in the election,” Faduma told Mustaqbal radio on phone. Fadumo pointed out that she will do many things for Somali Women particularly the women in Juba regions as soon as she gets elected as president of Jubaland state.
Row over rent imposed on IDPs in Garowe
24 Apr – Source: Radio Ergo – 350 words
Displaced families living in camps on the outskirts of Garowe say they are being forced to pay rent to people claiming to be the owners of the land they are living on. But the authorities say any claims for rent are illegal. Around 180 families – mostly drought victims from southern regions – are living in the 13 IDP camps at Jowle, 2km east of Puntland’s main town, Garowe.
Saleeban Mohamed, Chairman of Banair Camp, told Radio Ergo that since the beginning of the year each family had been forced to pay 12,000 Somali shillings a month in land rent. “The government settled us here, and told us we could live here for the next10 years, free of charge, but there are individuals who claim to own the land, who make us pay rent. If we refuse they threaten us with eviction. We are poor IDPs, we don’t have the money to pay their imposed rent,” he said.
Isman Abukar, a resident of one of the camps, said many people had already been forced out for failure to pay the rent demands. “There are many shelters that have already been pulled down and the families living there evicted because they couldn’t afford to pay the rent, he said. “The residents here are poor and needy. Some of us go to town to do jobs for meager wages, and we have to pay the fare to town and back. We can’t afford these rents we are being forced to pay.”
The commissioner of Nugal region, Abdi Hirsi Ali, visited the camps and told IDPs it was against the law for anyone to charge them rent, as the land had been allocated to them by the local authority. He said: “The reported evictions are naked criminal acts; we shall bring any perpetrators of such crimes that we find to book.”
Ethiopia to pull troops out of Somalia
24 Apr – Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Hiiraan Online – 155 words
Ethiopia will withdraw its troops from Somalia soon, its prime minister said on Tuesday, voicing frustration with the Mogadishu government and African Union peacekeeping forces that are also battling Islamist militants there.
After waging an ill-fated war in Somalia in 2006-2009, Ethiopia in 2011 once again rolled troops into Somalia to fight al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab militants, opening a third front alongside Kenyan troops and an African Union mission. At the time Ethiopia pledged to stay in the war-ravaged country until Somali government could ratify a new constitution and its military was able to fend off the militant threat on its own.
However, last month Ethiopian troops unexpectedly withdrew from Hudur, the capital of Bakool province near the Ethiopian border, enabling al Shabaab to retake the dusty town. Hailemariam Desalegn, who replaced Ethiopia’s long-serving Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in September, stopped short of announcing a full withdrawal but voiced concern with the pace of progress in Somalia.
Puntland advises Galmudug ‘to help put a stop to violence’
23 Apr – Source: Garowe Online – 121 words
Puntland Security authorities issued a press release on Tuesday, advocating that Galmudug authorities and community leaders help curb the recent increase in attacks carried out by Galmudug residents, Garowe Online reports.
On Monday, a plane attempting to land on the Galkayo tarmac was shot at and three mortars hit residential neighbourhoods in the city, after a Galmudug resident was shot and killed by airport security detail as he attempted to forcefully enter Abdullahi Yusuf airport.
The shelling marks another attack to the growing incidents committed by Galmudug residents on Puntland jurisdiction. The Puntland Security press release stated that 6 kidnappings and carjackings in the past 6 months have been committed by Galmudug residents as well as a number of targeted assassinations.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Yemen FM meets UN monitoring panel on Somalia and Eritrea
24 Apr – Source: Yemen News Agency SABA – 138 words
Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi met here on Tuesday with the UN panel of experts monitoring compliance with the embargoes on the delivery of weapons and military equipment to Somalia and Eritrea.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister reviewed with the members of the UN panel, visiting Yemen currently, the possible means to enhance the existing cooperation between Yemen and the UN panel.
Al Qirbi stressed the importance that the embargo on the delivery of weapons and military equipment does not affect the Somali government’s efforts to achieve security and stability.
He expressed Yemen’s readiness to cooperate with the international community in the fight against the smuggling of weapons to strengthen the region’s stability. The UN experts valued highly the cooperation shown by the Yemeni government with the panel.
Somaliland regional court sentences 9 for human trafficking
23 Apr – Source: Sabahi Online – 164 words
A court in Gabiley on Sunday (April 21st) sentenced nine men convicted of human trafficking to between three and six months in jail, a day after the Immigration Department arrested them in Wajale on the border between the Somaliland region and Ethiopia.
“These men are now in the Gabiley jail and we are still investigating the people who are behind these kinds of actions,” Deputy Chief of the Immigration Department Mohamed Saleban told Sabahi, adding that the traffickers are part of a network.
The human trafficking network, which operates as a business, opened offices in Wajale to ease the secret migration of youth, Saleban said. “The network extends all the way to Libya to traffic young people out of the region illegally,” he said.
Over 100 arrested in massive Garissa police crackdown
23 Apr- Source: Standard Media – 288 words
A battle-hardened team from the National Police Service has rounded up over 100 people in Garissa in the on-going security operation in the town. The officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) and the Rapid Deployment Unit of the Administration Police began an operation to flush out suspects and search for illegal weapons.
It follows a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to the police to end the string of killings in the town targeting security officers and civilians. Police say they will sustain the operation until residents of Garissa can live without fear.
Many homes and business establishments were not spared as the heavily armed security officers engaged in a door-to-door search. Police have blamed the killings on sympathisers of al Shabaab and corrupt elements with links to the force and some powerful businessmen out to settle scores.
Locals integral to crackdown on violence in north-eastern Kenya
23 Apr – Source: Sabahi Online – 737 words
Deploying local security agents could be a more effective way to prevent al Shabaab militant from committing acts of violence in north-eastern Kenya, community leaders say.
On Saturday (April 20th), the National Advisory Security Committee (NASC), which is investigating a series of violent attacks in Garissa, met with leaders and residents in town hall meetings.
The meetings took place a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered top security officials to investigate last week’s shooting at the Holiday Inn Hotel that killed 10 people.
Since Kenya sent troops to Somalia in October 2011, numerous al Shabaab attacks in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera have often targeted citizens and religious leaders.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland backs international intervention in troubled Somalia
23 Apr – Source: BBC – 1:58 min
Somalia and Somaliland have been attending reconciliation talks brokered by Turkey, which is trying to extend its influence in the horn of Africa area by helping diplomatically and giving aid.
Somaliland broke away from the rest of Somalia in 1991 but while it has been far more stable than its southern neighbour, its independence has not been internationally recognised. Its President, Ahmed Silanyo, spoke to the BBC’s Mark Doyle about relations with Somalia.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Pursuing a policy aimed at reducing tensions both in Somalia’s domestic politics and in relations between Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan, Ankara is planning to open an embassy in Eritrea by the end of the year. This would make Turkey the only country with embassies in all of the Horn of Africa countries and enable it to play a more active role in restructuring regional dynamics.”
Turkey’s Somalia Policy Aims to Ease Regional Tensions
23 Apr – Source: Sabah/Al Monitor – 856 Words
Turkey’s Somalia policy has been expanding and deepening over the past two years. On April 13, Turkey brought Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Somaliland President Ahmed Silanyo together in Ankara in a sign that it is maintaining a proactive stance in developing serious policies for the Horn of Africa.
As a result of Ankara’s efforts, the two heads of state, who would not even speak to each other under normal circumstances, signed the Ankara Declaration and pledged to avoid using provocative language against each other.
When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan went to Somalia in August 2011 with a delegation that packed two planes, the prevalent perception at home and abroad was that the initiative would not go beyond a short-term effort of humanitarian assistance. Western states argued that Ankara would soon understand the complexity of the Somali problem, while in Turkey many people, including the opposition, attempted to use the humanitarian aid issue for domestic political purposes.
But two years on, one could say that Turkey’s Somalia policy has expanded beyond humanitarian aid and is evolving into a policy with political dimensions aimed at restructuring the region.
“The introduction of the book, though, almost had us skip it entirely- as it undercuts the title and the book itself, by the author’s explicit admission. It turns out that the world can move pretty quickly, and that Somalia has actually seen some very positive changes.”
Somalia: “The World’s Most Dangerous Place” And “The Project”
23 Apr – Source: Truly Net – 744 Words
It’s rare that we’re able to offer a truly multimedia review. For the past week or so, we’ve been bringing you coverage of the Tribeca Film Festival, happening through this weekend here in New York City. Recently, we caught a screening of an interesting documentary, and found it an excellent comparison piece to a book that’s currently in our hands for review as well.
Both focus on Somalia, often called the world’s most failed state, a country where the word Mogadishu recalls fears about “Black Hawk Down”, and where the coastline is a famed haven for pirates. Neither is widely available yet, but consider this a preview for what is sure to be in the news soon.
“The Project” is a documentary that covers the foundation of a sort of public/private military force, the Puntland Maritime Police Force. “The scourge of Somali piracy has been devastating the Middle East and North African shipping industries for nearly a decade. As a country with no functioning central government for over twenty years and no military training permitted under UN sanctions, Somalia has been largely powerless to curb the increasingly bold and violent actions of the pirates.”
In steps companies like Blackwater and the government of the UAE, who create a sort of task force to attempt to bring some order to the lawless front. At first, it’s an interesting story, largely thanks to the footage shot by Roger Carstens, who is there as a bystander and supporter. Director Shawn Efran clearly grabbed on early to an interesting idea, and kudos for sticking with it.
Top tweets
@ftissandier Launch ceremony in #Mogadishu. A historic day for #Somalia. People gather to celebrate http://ow.ly/i/1XwdJ @GAVIAlliance @WHOSom @UNICEF.
@AnalystSomalia Capital of #Somalia has no dialysis treatment, Hormud Foundation sent 9 nurses &3 doctors 4 training & will start a centre upon their return.
@amisomsomalia QUOTE OF THE DAY: People are now aware of the entrepreneurial potential of women in #Somaliahttp://bit.ly/141crQt , http://on.fb.me/11glzLn.
@GrammarMedia Once Upon A Time in #Mogadishu: Classic video showing #Somalia‘s capital in the ’80’s.http://www.youtube.com/watch?
@JamesGadin Interesting times ahead for #Kenya &#Somalia relations with two women leading their foreign relations.
Image of the day
Director of U.A.E’s Postal service, Fahad Eisa Al Hosani, with Universal Postal Union Director General Bishar Hussein and Somalia’s Minister of Information and Telecommunications Abdullahi Ilmoge Hirsi, after the signing of a pact to resume postal service for Somalia. Photo: Hiiraan Online.