April 26, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
American jihadi in Somalia tweets on kill attempt
26 Apr – Source: AP/Washington Post – 126 words
A most-wanted American jihadi in Somalia says a known assassin from the militant group al Shabaab has shot him in the neck. Omar Hammami posted on Twitter about what he labeled an assassination attempt late Thursday as he was sitting in a tea shop. He posted four pictures, one of which shows his face with blood on his neck and a blood-stained blue shirt.
On Friday Hammami tweeted that al Shabaab’s leader was sending forces against him. Hammami moved from Alabama to Somalia and joined al Shabaab in about 2006. He has since had a falling-out with the group and has previously publicized two al Shabaab death threats against him.
The U.S. named Hammami to its Most Wanted terrorist list in March.
Key Headlines
- American-born al Shabaab fighter survives assassination in Somalia (Raxanreeb/Radio Kulmiye/Radio Risaala)
- UN official recommends an in-country UN mission in Somalia (UN News Center)
- Mogadishu shooting: Top Somali legal official killed (BBC)
- Journalist Koronto praises defence lawyers killed in court bombing (Radio Ergo)
- Somalia Launching New Five-In-One Child Vaccines (Somaliweyn)
- Kenyan President: Our interest in Somalia is to restore peace there (Bernama News)
- Ethiopia denies ‘shirking responsibility’ in Somalia (Africa Review/AFP/Capital News)
- Kenya: Woman takes over powerful Defence docket (Standard Media)
SOMALI MEDIA
American-born al Shabaab fighter survives assassination in Somalia
26 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb/Radio Kulmiye/Radio Risaala – 175 words
The American-born al Shabaab member who has been fighting alongside militant fighters in Somalia since 2009 has revealed that he has survived assassination attempt by his fellow al Shabab men.
On his twitter account, Omar Hamammi, U.S citizen better also known as Abu Mansur al Amriki in Somalia says he was attacked with pistols and was shot on the neck but not dead. “Just been shot in neck by al Shabaab assassin. not critical yet.” he tweeted on Thursday. “Sitting in tea place than 3 shots behind to left. pistol i think. they ran.” he added.
One picture from Al Amriki’s account showed as the backside of his neck was bleeding. Another picture on Al Amriki’s twitter account shows his hands and legs with blood as he was wearing white trousers. “They are sending forces from multiple directions. we are few but we might get back up. abu zubayr [al Shabaab commander] has gone mad. he’s starting a civil war.” He blamed the al Shabaab commander was trying to kill him several times before.
Journalist Koronto praises defence lawyers killed in court bombing
26 Apr – Source: Radio Ergo – 273 words
Two human rights lawyers were among the victims of the bomb attacks that struck Mogadishu on Sunday, 14 April 2013, targeting the main court complex. Professor Mohamed Mahmud Afrah and Dr. Abdiaziz Hassan Gorod were both well known human rights lawyers in the city.
They had represented journalist Abdiaziz Ibrahim Koronto, who was jailed after interviewing a woman about her experience of rape by uniformed men. They were also defending the rape victim, Lul Ali, who was arrested for slander. Both the journalist and the woman were released in March, after an outcry by the world’s human right organizations and concerted pressure from diplomats and media everywhere.
Abdiaziz worked for Radio Dalsan in Mogadishu and was a correspondent for Radio Ergo. Speaking from outside Somalia, he described to Radio Ergo his enormous sorrow at the death of the two lawyers. Their loss, he said, would leave many helpless victims at the mercy of the so called justice system.
“I was in jail for 66 days. It was my first time in jail. I suffered a great deal of difficulties at that time, but at last I won back my freedom. I thank all those who worked so hard for my release – both the living and those who died, including the two lawyers who were killed in that agonizing incident.
Somalia Launching New Five-In-One Child Vaccines
26 Apr – Source: Somaliweyn – 132 words
Two dozen babies sat on the laps of their mothers, who dressed in a rainbow of headscarves at the Medina Maternal Child Health Center. They are among Somalia’s luckiest – the first to receive a new vaccine that protects against five dangerous diseases.
With more regions of Somalia, including the capital Mogadishu, at peace for the first time in 20 years, health care workers are expanding vaccination programs and can now access 40 percent of south-central Somalia, where the influence of hardline Islamic insurgents is highest. Three years ago, health workers could access only 15 to 20 percent of that territory.
With one in five Somali children dying before his or her fifth birthday, the international community is rolling out the new five-in-one child vaccine they say will save thousands of lives.
REGIONAL MEDIA
UN warns UNSC: Al Shabaab are reengaging forcefully in Somalia with foreign support
26 Apr – Source: Kuwait News Agency – 396 words
The UN political chief, Jeffery Feltman , late Thursday said the Federal government in Somalia has been implementing stabilization and peace-building policies , but al Qaeda-related al Shabaab group is regaining ground, with external support shortly after Ethiopian troops with withdrew from liberated areas.
Feltman told the council as it discussed the situation in Somalia, that “There have been several alarming reminders of the fragile security in Somalia” recalling that in Mid-March al Shabaab retook the town of the Hudur, hours after Ethiopian forces withdrew.
Ethiopia denies ‘shirking responsibility’ in Somalia
26 Apr – Source: Africa Review/AFP/Capital News – 393 words
Ethiopia denied Thursday that it was “shirking responsibility” by beginning to withdraw its troops from conflict-stricken Somalia. Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom told the UN Security Council that other countries were informed “months” ago about the withdrawal and also complained about the lack of “burden-sharing” for the foreign force in Somalia.
His comments came after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said Ethiopia was “anxious” to pull its forces out of Somalia and called on the African Union force in the country, Amisom, to speed up its deployment.
Ethiopian troops crossed into Somalia in November 2011 and have played a decisive role in routing al Shabaab militants and maintaining control over areas clawed back from militant groups. Amisom has played a key role in propping up a transitional government that is the first serious administration in the lawless country since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Kenya: Woman takes over powerful Defence docket
26 Apr – Source: Standard Media – 285 words
Former ambassador Raychelle Omamo becomes the first woman to be nominated to the powerful office of Defence Secretary. The docket is taken to be powerful as she will be indirectly in charge of the military in the country.
Kenya’s military is currently involved in an African Union Mission in Somalia in efforts to contain the spread of al Shabaab militants. If approved by the National Assembly, Ms Omamo, a Senior Counsel and also a former Law Society of Kenya Chairperson will take up the docket formerly occupied by Yusuf Haji.
Somali civil society groups to take on bigger role at London conference
25 Apr – Source: Sabahi Online – 774 words
A number of Somali civil society groups say they are hopeful that their influence on the upcoming international conference on Somalia in London will bring about lasting benefits for the country.
Set for May 7th, the London conference on Somalia will be the second one in the British capital in as many years, presenting an opportunity to follow-up on issues raised at the first conference in February 2012. The meeting will focus on security, transparency in financial management, justice and human rights.
Somalis had no role in chairing previous international conferences, but this time around, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will co-chair the conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, said Deputy Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications Abdishakur Ali Mire.
Somali government to rebuild municipal centres in Galgadud
25 Apr – Source: Sabahi Online – 628 words
The Somali federal government has started to rebuild municipal centres in Galgadud in partnership with the pro-government Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa (ASWJ) militia.
Local authorities will manage the day-to-day operations of the reconstruction projects, which the Ministry of Interior and National Security will oversee as its influence spreads over larger areas of Somalia.
Galgadud Governor Ahmed Yusuf Hassan said the projects, largely funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), would cost $1.2 million.
“USAID will pay $1 million and the additional $200,000 will be drawn from the regional treasury,” Hassan told Sabahi. “We will use it to build what is critical in each district. The amount allocated for the regional capital is $400,000 while each of the remaining districts will get $200,000.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
American jihadi in Somalia tweets on kill attempt
26 Apr – Source: AP/Washington Post – 126 words
A most-wanted American jihadi in Somalia says a known assassin from the militant group al Shabaab has shot him in the neck. Omar Hammami posted on Twitter about what he labeled an assassination attempt late Thursday as he was sitting in a tea shop. He posted four pictures, one of which shows his face with blood on his neck and a blood-stained blue shirt.
On Friday Hammami tweeted that al Shabaab’s leader was sending forces against him. Hammami moved from Alabama to Somalia and joined al Shabaab in about 2006. He has since had a falling-out with the group and has previously publicized two al Shabaab death threats against him. The U.S. named Hammami to its Most Wanted terrorist list in March.
UN official recommends an in-country UN mission in Somalia
26 Apr – Source: UN News Center – 175 words
While the Government of Somalia that emerged from last year’s political transition has advanced measures for stabilization and peace-building, multiple challenges require coherent international assistance, the United Nation’s political chief told the Security Council today, recommending the creation of an in-country UN mission.
“The new Mission represents a fresh start for the UN in Somalia and a renewed commitment by the Council to support Somali-owned peacebuilding,” Jeffrey Feltman, Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the 15-member body.
He said that the Federal Government, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has been implementing its Six Pillar Policy for stabilization and peace-building in the country, reaching out beyond Mogadishu in an effort to realize its vision of building a unified federal State for the country, which has been beset by conflict for over two decades.
However, he said that the Government’s approach to building new regional administrations is not accepted by all, with a draft charter ratified by three regions for the establishment of a so-called “Jubaland State in southern Somalia, which the Government regards as unconstitutional.
Mogadishu shooting: Top Somali legal official killed
26 Apr – Source: BBC – 300 words
Somalia’s deputy chief prosecutor has been shot dead by three masked men in Mogadishu, officials say – shortly after the UK reopened its embassy in the city. Ahmed Sheikh Nur Maalin was attacked after he left a city centre mosque.
He is the most senior official to be killed in Mogadishu since a new government took office last year. Foreign Secretary William Hague was in Mogadishu on Thursday to open the first British embassy in Somalia since 1991.
This is the latest indication that the security situation in the city is generally improving after two decades of conflict, despite the occasional attack.
Kenyan President: Our interest in Somalia is to restore peace there
26 Apr – Source: Bernama News – 300 words
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Kenya’s only interest in Somalia is to bring peace and stability to its neighbouring country, which had been devastated by civil war and al Shabaab militants for more than 20 years until recently.
Peace and stability in Somalia is in the interest of not only Somalia’s but the entire Horn of Africa region, the president said during a meeting with chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma here Thursday.
The president said Kenyan forces in Somalia were operating there under the umbrella of AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to restore normalcy to that country.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“With the security of the country improving and the diaspora community returning, the new government and the international community need to start establishing direct channels and thereby include the diaspora youths in all facets of nation-building.”
Diasporic youth: untapped asset in rebuilding Somalia
25 Apr – Source: Open Democracy – 1647 Words
For the last two decades, Somalia has been widely known for famine, anarchy and piracy. Since 1991, the Somali nation has been engulfed in a civil war between various tribes fighting for power and a radical militant group fighting to overthrow the newly elected government. Al Shabaab, the militant group whose name in Arabic means ‘The Youth” have managed to tarnish the image of Somali youths due to their recruitment of Somali youths from North American cities and other Somali diaspora communities.
This stigma of radicalization has stuck – especially when it comes to those from the diaspora – who are as a result the subject of numerous academic studies and controversies. However, there has been little consideration of the possible positive contributions of Somali youth from the diaspora.
During the last 22 years of Somalia’s civil war, thousands of Somalis fled to neighbouring countries as refugees, and those who were best educated resettled in the western world and in the Middle East. Throughout the civil war, the Somali diaspora population has kept the Somali nation alive, remitting more than $1 billion a year.
Today, educated Somalis from the diaspora serve or have served in the highest positions of government; including the former Prime Minister who is a Harvard graduate and a former Professor of Economics at Niagara University. This diasporic population is today estimated at around a million, or 14% of Somalia’s population, making it one of the largest such populations in the world.
“Shabaab has not been divided into a radical group that wants international action, and another group that just wants to reform Somalia – the two groups overlap, but with a mutual agreement that the focus should be on Somalia first, and after that on the region.”
Somalia: rumours of al Shabaab’s death are greatly exaggerated
25 Apr – Source: African Arguments – 1375 words
Harakat al Shabaab is an organisation that has, for many years, been misunderstood. This is perhaps most clearly illustrated by the frequent predictions concerning its fragmentation and imagined demise. These predictions first occurred in 2008 and have been repeated ever since. They overshadow a very important and, for Somalia, comparatively unique trait – namely its success in maintaining its unity relative to other Somali factions.
The second misunderstanding is the importance of the so-called ‘global-local divide’, where one part of the organisation is predicted to split of from al Shabaab because of a supposed difference in focus. By using local sources, and studying interviews with the organisation’s leadership, a more complex picture emerges. This is a picture of an organisation influenced by clanism and with differences over strategy, its degree of centralization and implementation of Sharia, but also with a local focus, whose largest contribution to international radicalism is probably its foreign fighters, and NOT a will to strike at international targets.
The confusion was in many ways a product of stereotyping, both of al Qaeda and of al Shabaab itself, coupled with a lack of access to Somalia in order to carry out local interviews. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to visit Mogadishu continuously from 2006 until the present day – this greatly aided information gathering, but also created considerable irritation (on my part) over some of the external “desk top” analyses on al Shabaab.
“Politicians often blame immigrants for not doing enough to integrate into society. But do they know what integration means? Jamal Osman shares his experience of moving to London from Somalia.”
Immigration Nation: one man’s journey from Somalia
25 Apr – Source: Channel 4 – 692 Words
Is integration about mixing with the Brits or speaking the Queen’s English? Is it about dressing in certain ways, eating certain food, listening to British music?
In my experience, integration has different connotations for different people. And in my 14 years of living in this country, my interpretation of it has been changing.
At first, I thought integration was about going down the pub and having a pint, which I couldn’t do for religious reasons. Then I developed an obsession with the weather but found it difficult to continue talking about it. Later, I became addicted to eating fish and chips but soon got tired of it.
Today, after all those years, I don’t really know what it means to be integrated. I came to this country from Somalia in my early 20s with no family and very little English. It took me two years to be comfortable with life in London: when I got my refugee status and started working full-time.
“Ethiopia doesn’t really want to keep its troops in Somalia much longer. It’s an expensive business, and they’ve got other engagements to deal with. But who will replace them, and make sure that those hard-won conquests don’t fall back into al Shabaab hands? No one’s particularly keen, which is why Ethiopia has had to resort to an empty threat.”
Ethiopia, Somalia and some gentle diplomatic blackmail
25 Apr – Source: Daily Maverick – 840 Words
The problem with being an occupying army, almost by definition, is that at some point you’re going to want to pack up and go home, leaving your hard-won conquests behind. America learned this lesson in Vietnam, where all the enemy really had to do was wait until the GIs were recalled. Vietnam is still communist, let’s not forget. They’re learning it again in Afghanistan, where, in some areas, territory changes hands every day as the Taliban creeps back into villages just as soon as it’s dark and American patrols have gone to sleep.
It’s not just the Americans. In Mali, France is desperate to withdraw its troops, who were only meant to be there for a few short weeks, but they’re stuck until they can figure out a way for either the Malian army or an African peace-keeping force to take over from them.
And in Somalia, where there has been significant progress over the last six months in appointing a new government and starting the immense (and immensely daunting) reform process, it’s obvious that the influence of the government is only as strong as its foreign muscle – the coalition of African armies which ousted the militant group al Shabaab from its major strongholds and has the power to enforce the government’s writ.
“The lawless waters off Somalia, however, are unique. They offer tantalizingly rich returns on anthropological and climatological research. And even Divins admits that the wait could be long.”
A Hidden Victim of Somali Pirates: Science
25 Apr – Source: National Geographic – 1536 Words
During 32 years of fieldwork in the deserts of Ethiopia, Tim White, the eminent American paleoanthropologist, has brazened through every conceivable obstacle to his research into human origins.
Flash floods have marooned his vehicles in hip-deep pools of mud. Grazing wars between groups of nomads have blocked access to promising fossil beds. And campfire visits by snakes and tarantulas are so routine they rank as minor nuisances.
Yet nothing has stymied White’s pursuit of knowledge—or thwarted his scientific ambitions—like the hard-eyed men in flip-flop sandals who, valuing doubloons above Darwin, set sail hundreds of miles away in skiffs stocked with machine guns and rope ladders: Somali pirates.
“No question, it’s been a serious setback,” says White, who has waited years, in vain, for a research vessel to drill crucial seabed cores off Somalia that would revolutionize the dating of East Africa’s spectacular hominid finds. “Piracy has stopped oceanographic work in the region. There’s been no data coming out of this area for years. Zero.”
Top tweets
@UNDPSomalia What is the role of diaspora in #Somalia? Here’s the link to our 2011 Cash and Compassion Report: http://www.so.undp.
@amisomsomalia PHOTOS OF THE DAY: British Foreign Secretary #WilliamHague opens new British embassy in #Somalia http://on.fb.me/
@mfaethiopia Statement by #DrTedros at #UNSC on the Question of #Somalia (the Report of the Technical Assessment Mission). http://goo.gl/klMrk
@Euroalert Council Decision amending Decision 2010/231/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against #Somalia http://is.gd/
@ferigom69 Oil Geopolitics in the Horn of Africa: Somaliland DNO Oil Deal | @scoopit http://sco.lt/
Image of the day
British Foreign Secretary William Hague stands with Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the opening of the newly built British Embassy in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Photo: AMISOM Facebook.