April 3, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Dutch authorities to deport 70 Somali asylum seekers

03 Apr – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 170 words

Over 70 Somali asylum seekers will be deported from the Netherlands after failing to secure refugee status in the country, reports say. Abdiweli Abdullahi Ahmed, one of the rejected asylum seekers told Bar-kulan that their lawyer informed them that they will be sent back to Mogadishu soon following the government’s decision reached mid last month.

Ahmed said 76 Somalis including children and women who arrived in the Netherlands illegally sought refuge only to find their application for refugee status rejected after one year of undocumented stay in the country.

The rejected asylum seekers urged the Somali government to intervene in the situation and asked the Dutch government to immediately halt all plans to deport Somalis back to war-torn Somalia, saying that the plan is contrary to UN refugee guidelines, which advise against all deportations to south-central Somalia.

Key Headlines

IDP killed in Mogadishu clashes ( Shabelle)
AMISOM and the TFG enhance information sharing to deal with security threats (AMISOM Force HQ)
Somali military court warns persons disguised as TFG soldiers (Radio Mogadishu VOA Somali Service SONNA)
Lawyer for al Shabaab suspects slams lack of evidence (National)
Ceasefire calls in northern Somalia after days of fighting (Radio Kulmiye)
20 Islamists killed in southwestern Somalia fighting (Somalia Report)
Somali pirates to face trial in Iran Rear Admiral (Iran Independent News)
Kenya forms special unit to probe attacks (Daily Nation)
Somali MPs oppose sacking of minister (Jowhar Online)
Iranian navy captures 13 Somali pirates (Trend)
Somali pirates release ship after just a week (National)

PRESS STATEMENT

AMISOM and the TFG enhance information sharing to deal with security threats

02 Apr – Source: AMISOM Force HQ – 183 words

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia have launched a Joint Fusion and Liaison Unit to ensure timely information sharing .The move will improve coordination between the TFG and AMISOM to deal with any emerging security threats.

Head of AMISOM Mission Analysis Cell, Mr. Fred Ngoga Gatereste said the establishment of the unit which is the vision of the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Boubacar Gaoussou Diara,will allow AMISOM and the TFG to have the same understanding of the situation and take timely action to prevent al Shabaab’s terrorist actions.

“Information sharing is already bearing fruits as joint AMISOM and TFG operations have enabled the defeat of al Shabaab terrorists in the Daynile area with minimum casualties. The Joint Fusion and Liaison Unit will further strengthen our coordination as we liberate more areas from al Shabaab terrorists.” He said.

The establishment of the Joint Fusion and Liaison Unit between AMISOM and the TFG follows the recommendation made during the Information Sharing Meeting held in Kampala, Uganda in November 2010.

SOMALI MEDIA

IDP killed in Mogadishu clashes

03 Apr – Source; Shabelle – 85 words

Heavy fighting rocked Somali capital, Mogadishu on Tuesday, as pro-government soldiers backed b AU troops clash with Islamist fighters who want to topple the Western-backed government, official said.
Officials said an Internally Displaced Person was killed while 7 others were injured the overnight fighting on the outskirts of Dharkeynley district near ex-control Afgoye check point. A hospital official said the wounded people, who included children and woman were admitted at the hospital this morning to get medical treatment.

Somali military court warns persons disguised as TFG soldiers

03 Apr – Source: Radio Mogadishu, VOA Somali Service, SONNA – 99 words
Somali national military court has warned a group of people dressed in Somali military uniforms who harm civilians. Speaking to VOA-Somali service, Chairman of National Military Court, Hassan Mohamed Hussein known as Mungab warned those masquerading as TFG soldiers and harming the civilians that they will face severe punishment.

Mr. Mungab said that there has been a great reduction in misguided acts committed by TFG soldiers against the people, adding that they are still some people who are involved in those acts to portary the military in bad picture.

Ceasefire calls in northern Somalia after days of fighting

03 Apr – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 130 words

Peace mediation started in northern Somalia that borders break-away region of Somaliland after fierce fighting between the troops of the Somaliland and pro-Khatumo militias in the region. Fighting for control Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions had been raging since the start of the year. Elders called for peace talks on both sides to avoid more conflict in the region.
The fighting first erupted in January after the leaders of the northern regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn decided to form a new state called Khaatumo and declare it as an independent region within a federal Somalia. Somaliland’s troops have since clashed with militia fighters loyal to Khaatumo, with reports of heavy casualties on both sides. Somaliland is unrecognized state that declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

Gunmen kill businessman in Bakaro market

03 Apr – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 105 words

Gunmen who are believed to be al Qaeda linked group, al Shabaab have on Monday night killed a Somali businessman inside Bakara market, in Mogadishu. The gunmen armed with pistols reportedly killed businessman named Abukar Qobay last night as he was heading home.
The assailants escaped from scene moments after security forces of Somali transitional government in Bakara market reached the area and begun investigation to pursue them. Sources say that the businessman had a close links with Somali government and that is why al Shabaab gunmen targeted the innocent civilian among Bakara business people.

Puntland forces fought in Buhodle town, minister says

03 Apr – Source: Raxanreeb – 239 words

Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland declared on Monday that Puntland forces aided Khatumo state in Buhodle fighting which killed at least 26 people on Sunday, RBC reports.

The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Puntland Eng. Mohamed Farah Aden confirmed that the forces took part Sunday’s battle to defend the region from Somaliland’s invasion.

“Our forces were on high alert since we knew the military movement in the region, so on Sunday when they attacked Buhodle our forces resisted back.” Mr Aden who hails from Sool region told reporters in Garowe town, the base of Puntland. “As far as we know, a high ranking military officer from Somaliland was killed in the battle and our side we lost six soldiers,” the minister admitted.

20 Islamists killed in southwestern Somalia fighting

02 Apr – Source: Somalia Report – 254 words

More than 20 were reported killed in fighting in Gedo Region [southwestern Somalia] on Monday [2 April], as Al-Shabab launched attacks on Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and [moderate Islamic group] Ahlu Sunna wa Jama’a (ASWJ) forces, and the allied forces returned fire, including the use of airstrikes upon Al-Shabab bases nearby. The towns of Eel Adde and Eel Buur both saw heavy fighting, and locals and ASWJ spokesmen spoke with Somalia Report.

The fighting near eel Adde began when al Shabab militants ambushed a convoy of allied troops from Ceel Waq District heading to Ceel Adde village. Sheikh Muhammad Husayn Al-Qadi, a spokesman for ASWJ in southern Somalia, told Somalia Report that the fighting took place 15 km from Eel Adde and their troops killed dozens of al Shabaab fighters.

“They launched a cruel ambush, but our troops with the help of Kenyan forces, repelled the extremists and forced them to run,” he said. Locals reported airstrikes carried out by the Kenyan planes, and the ASWJ spokesman confirmed.

Al Shabaab’s bases in the region had been struck. Al Shabaab’s casualties are unknown, but ASWJ and TFG sources claimed more than 20 were killed. At least four people were reported dead in the war from both parties. Six others were reported injured, two of them were civilians.

Somali party accuse government of planning to “handpick” MPs

02 Apr – Source: Shabelle – 218 words

The Chairman of Somali Alliance for Peace while speaking to Shabelle cautioned the Somali public against re-electing the current administration and said they have failed to address the challenges facing the country.

Abdullahi Sheikh Hasan, the Chairman of the Organization for Somali Religious Scholars cited the conflict in Mogadishu Port as an example of issues that the government has failed to address, saying the Somali public need to elect individuals who are able to effect change in the country.

He said with the current administration’s term in office now over, officials of transitional federal government are attempting to handpick members of parliament for the country in a bid to continue staying in power.

Abdullahi also said one of the agreements reached during the Garowe meetings was that the government appoints the elders who will select MPs forming the next parliament. He said it is quite surprising that the very officials wanting to run in the elections are appointing the elders to select the MPs who will in turn vote for them.

Dutch authorities to deport 70 Somali asylum seekers

03 Apr – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 170 words

Puntland government considers extension of office term

01 Apr – Source: Somalia Report – 365 words

The semi autonomous state of Puntland may postpone presidential elections for an additional one year if a referendum process for a current draft constitution is passed. It will allow the current administration to rule for an additional year in which a multi-party system is to be established as part of the enactment of the new constitution.

Opposition leaders have expressed their disapproval of the extension and identify this particular issue as one that they would prefer to be revised once the draft constitution is approved and finalized.

Somalia Report spoke to the state house spokesman Ahmed Omar Hersi (Libax Jora) who clarified the status of their stand. He stated that if the draft constitution is passed by selected regional representatives, the current government and its parliament are to automatically extend their leadership mandate for an additional year. This means that the current government will hold office until January 2014. Its previous reigning period was limited to January 2013 and a presidential election expected at that time.

Somali MPs oppose sacking of minister

02 Apr – Source: Jowhar Online – 169 words

Somali MPs that hail from Bay and Bakol Regions have opposed President Sharif’s dismissal of the Minister for Livestock and Agriculture who was also the Deputy Prime minister, Mohamud Haji Ibrahim. The MPs met in Mogadishu and said the dismissal was in contrary to the 4.5 power sharing agreement.

Ali Afgoye, a Somali lawmaker said the minister’s dismissal is unacceptable as he was in the position to represent his clan as per the 4.5 power sharing agreement. Another MP, Abdi Qaliq also said MPs from Bay and Bakol Regions are opposed to the ministers dismissal adding that only the parliament has legitimate authority to sack him. Other Somali MPs in Nairobi have also opposed the sacking of the minister for agriculture and livestock, saying neither prime minister nor the president has the authority to sack. The president’s office issued a decree on the 28th of March in which the minister for agriculture and livestock was dismissed having been moved from the foreign affairs minister in February.

Horn Relief Aid agency re-branded as ADESO

01 Apr – Source: Somalia Report – 684 words

The Horn Relief aid organization has announced that they have changed their name to ADESO (African Development Solutions) after two decades of operations in East Africa. The announcement was made at a 20th anniversary celebration held in Nairobi on Thursday, attended by more than 180 representatives from governments, diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector participants.

“Over 20 years ago, we began our work in one town, in Badhan, Somalia. Now we are working with communities in three African countries: Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan. We are a very different organization today than we were in 1991,” said Degan Ali, ADESO’s Executive Director. “We touch countless lives in Kenya and Somalia: women, youth and pastoralists, as well as returning refugees in South Sudan. Having worked with this new brand for over a year now, we feel it best captures where we came from, our growth, and where we are today.”

The founder of Horn Relief and current senior advisor to the organization, Fatima Jibrell was living in the US before 1991, but was devastated by what was happening to Somalia and decided to return to her country of birth. She founded a small grassroots organization dedicated to helping the Somalia pastoralist groups, particularly women and youth.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Lawyer for al Shabaab suspects slams lack of evidence

03 Apr – Source: the National – 418 words

A lawyer for three men accused of joining the militant Somali group al Shabaab said yesterday that there was not enough evidence linking them to the organisation.

Nashwa Al Kubaisy told the State Security Court that evidence linking her clients to the group – sometimes described as an offshoot of al Qaeda – was merely “bits and pieces from the internet”, and that they had not committed any offence under UAE law. AH and AA, both Sudanese, and MM, a Somali, are accused of joining the group and raising funds.

But Ms Al Kubaisy said they were merely philanthropic businessmen who sent medicine and medical supplies to several countries in Africa. “The evidence in the file does not reach the standards of tangible evidence. It is bits and pieces from the internet – not everything published on the internet is true,” she told the court.

“Even if they were members of a political party – the Somali president used to be a member of Al Shabaab – it is not a crime.” Ms Al Kubaisy said the prosecution needed to prove that the men’s activities threatened the UAE, but instead all it had shown the court was medical and ambulance bills that “show that the defendants are helping the people of Somalia”.

A fourth man, MA, also Sudanese, is accused of allowing AH, his cousin, to stay at his home despite being aware that he was involved in terrorist activities. His lawyer, Mohammed Al Khazraji, said that UAE law does not apply to the men’s alleged crimes because they took place outside the country.

Kenya forms special unit to probe attacks

02 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 354 words

A special team drawn from the anti-terrorism police unit, the CID and ballistic experts was on Monday formed to lead investigations into Saturday evening’s twin blast in Mtwapa and Mombasa that left a man dead and 30 people in hospital with injuries.

Head of Anti-Terrorism Unit Njeru Mwaniki on Monday visited the prayer rally site in Mtwapa and the View Stadium Bar and Restaurant, which were hit by the explosions that the government has since linked to al Shabaab, the Somalia-based terror group.

Mr Mwaniki later went to the Coast provincial police headquarters where he met provincial police bosses.
“It is during this meeting that the special team was formed with the specific mandate to track down those behind the explosions and have them brought to book,” a police source told the Nation. The move came even as the officers remained tight-lipped on whether any arrests had been made.

Somali pirates release ship after just a week

03 Apr – Source: the National – 256 words

Somali pirates have released an Iranian bulk carrier after a week, a British naval official based in Dubai said yesterday. The MV Eglantine, a Bolivian-flagged ship with 23 crew members was seized on March 26 off the south-western coast of India.

Hijacking this year has spread further east as the waters grow calmer, allowing pirates to travel further from Somalia, said James Cohen, a commander in the British Royal Navy and officer in charge of the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) based in Dubai. The seasonal trend continues until late June or early July, after which monsoons make the sea more difficult for piracy.

The UKMTO liaises with commercial vessels travelling through waters at risk of Somali piracy and with navies running counter-piracy patrols. In February, a hijacking took place off the coast of Oman, and in January, pirates struck in the Bab El Mandeb strait between Yemen and Djibouti.
Four of eight ships being held by Somali pirates belong to companies based in the UAE. Local companies also own two of the three ships that have been held the longest. The MV Iceberg 1 was captured in March 2010 and a crew member has died on board, while the MV Orna was hijacked in November that year.

Angola takes over AU Peace, Security Council

02 Apr – Source: Angola Press Agency – 433 words

The Republic of Angola assumes, from April 1, the Rotating Presidency of the Council for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU), a mechanism created with the aim of promoting peace, security and stability in Africa.

The Angolan extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Arcanjo do Nacimento is the new chairman of the body.

The chairmanship of Angola at the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, takes place at a time when there are still some areas of tension in the continent such as in Darfur in Sudan, the situation prevailing in Madagascar and the recent coup in Mali.
Thus, the presidency of Angola will be marked by the management and search for solutions to these major crises that disturb and affect the development of the African continent.

The agenda of its mandate set out the crisis in the Republic of Mali, following the alteration of the constitutional order due to military coup, the stabilization of Guinea-Bissau, the situation in Somalia, where the African Union has a peacekeeping contingent known as AMISOM, as well as the situation in Libya, as a result of the “Arab spring”.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Iranian navy captures 13 Somali pirates

03 Apr – Source: Trend – 200 words

Iranian navy has captured 13 suspected Somali pirates in late March, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Tuesday, Fars reported. Iranian navy arrested the pirates from 3,000-km distance of Iranian borders in free water

The commander of the Iranian navy added that the pirates were detained after they have tried to seize an Iranian oil vessel which however was failed after exchanging fire with an Iranian navy ship patrolling in the region. Sayyari added that the captured pirates are being taken to Iran. It was not mentioned which Iranian ship was attacked by the pirates.

On March 22 a speed boat attacked the Iranian tanker “Hengam” in the Arabian Sea. The tanker, which had off loaded its oil in Mediterranean ports and was headed to Kharg Island, managed to evade the pirates’ attacks for several hours. Iran’s navy came to the tanker’s aid.

Sea pirates roam the waters from the horn of Africa to Somalia and Kenya’s east coast to the north of Madagascar. About 12 million barrels of crude oil are transported through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait on the way to Europe and the United States and more than 40 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports pass through the Strait.

Somali pirates to face trial in Iran, Rear Admiral

03 Apr – Source: Iran Independent News – 142 words

Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of the Iranian navy says the 13 Somali pirates who were captured in the Indian Ocean will be put on trial at Iranian courts, IRNA reported Tuesday.

Sayyari added the pirates were detained after 48 hours exchanging fire with an Iranian patrolling ship and finally hand to hand fighting on the deck of the cargo ship Armis.

The ship which was carrying tens of tons cargo from the “South African route” to Iran was attacked by the pirates 2000 km off the Somali coast on March 26.

Iranian patrolling ships in the region could rescue Armis four days later; the Rea Admiral was quoted as saying. The pirates have killed two Iranian nationals of the Armis crew members and injuring one who had tried to defend the ship, Sayyari stated, “but no lost among the Iranian marines.

Yemen Officials: 14 Militants Killed in Clashes

02 Apr – Source: ABC/AP – 129 words

Yemeni officials say 14 al Qaeda-linked militants have been killed in government artillery shelling and air raids on their hideouts in the south. The shelling near al-Rahha in the southern province of Lahj Monday left eight militants dead. It followed a surprise attack by militants on a Yemeni army base in the area this weekend.

A local Abyan province official said six militants, including a Somali, were killed in another raid on a hideout in Zinjibar late Sunday. Al Qaeda-linked militants have taken advantage of a year of internal political turmoil to solidify their positions in south Yemen.

Also Monday, a security official said gunmen fired at the intelligence headquarters in Sanaa, wounding a guard. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Although the mechanics of the leadership of al Shabaab is a little murky, it’s obvious Aweys is one of the most important men in the group. So why is he launching broadsides at his own movement? The answer to this lies somewhere in that fault line. As much as they’d like to portray themselves as an ideologically unified movement, al Shabaab is not.”

Is al Shabaab cracking under the pressure?

03 Apr – Source: Daily Maverick – 864 Words

A fault line runs through al Shabaab. It’s well-understood, but rarely acknowledged by the Islamist militant group that still controls most of southern Somalia in the face of the slow but inexorable advances of the African coalition.

Ethiopia, Kenya and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have all made impressive gains in recent weeks, ratcheting up the pressure on al Shabaab. And as they’ve advanced, this fault line has slowly deepened, until a leading al Shabaab cleric this weekend cracked it wide open. The unprecedented outburst from Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys might just mark where the previously unified movement began to unravel.

“Since al Shabaab is a rag-tag outfit while the Kenya Government has well-oiled security machinery, it is critical that our Police Force deals with the militants ruthlessly. But this is only possible through effective intelligence monitoring and thorough policing. Public functions must be properly guarded and body searches enhanced.”

This is one war that terrorists mustn’t win

02 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 273 Words

The weekend warning by al Shabaab that it would continue attacking Kenyan targets to protest its involvement in the war in Somalia cannot be taken lightly.

Not when the group has consistently unleashed terror in different parts of the country, killed and caused mayhem, yet escaped without trace.
The twin explosions in Mombasa at the weekend were just the latest in a series of acts of cruelty being meted out by a group convinced that it can get its way by shedding blood.

“The pirates, depending on where they are based, are embedded among the local population. Analysts say they have contributed a share of the ransom money to poor communities, but they have also brought prostitution, alcoholism and other problems. Under threat from helicopters, the pirates could be tempted to use villagers as human shields for their boats. Or they could simply take their boats off the shore and transport them farther inland. And then what? How far would the European Union be prepared to give chase?”

The Risks of Chasing Pirates on Land

02 Apr – Source: New York Times – 954 Words

How wide is a beach? How long are internal waters? Whoever thought that German lawmakers would ask such questions? Yet that is what is going to happen in the coming weeks when the German Parliament will be asked to support what could turn out to be one of the European Union’s most dangerous missions.

The mission involves pursuing Somali pirates onshore, the first time the Union has considered such an option. So far, the E.U. mandate off the Horn of Africa, known as Operation Atalanta, has limited the pursuit of pirates to the sea.
The E.U. foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, set out her goal to foreign ministers when they met in Brussels in late March. The changes to the Atalanta mandate, Mrs. Ashton said, would allow it “to take more robust action on the Somali coast.”

“Al Shabaab is not a monolithic entity, after all. In fact, they are made up of several camps, all with their own views, nationalist and global Jihadists and consequently with their own views on negotiations and peace agreements. Then, there is small – but quite powerful – global Jihadist inspired hard-core contingent whose vision for Somalia, among other things, is to become a launching pad for terrorist activity and keep Somalia in anarchy for their own benefit and safety. There can be no accommodation room for this camp.”

The need to talk to al Shabaab

02 Apr – Source: Marka Cadey – 543 Words

The recent heinous attack in Mogadishu that claimed more than 70 innocent lives, mostly students queuing up for scholarship to Turkey demonstrates two facts: (a) al Shabaab’s ability to carry out as many cowardice suicide attacks on the civilians as they wish (b); the government’s inability to avert such attacks.

Yet the Somali government (TFG) is offering no alternatives other than wait the next attack. Both facts are disturbing. Despite recent setbacks, al Shabaab remains, whether we like or not, a potent force that controls a large swath of territory in south and central Somalia. A catastrophic famine of biblical proportions is wrecking havoc in the al Shabaab-controlled regions, and the group barred charity agencies to operate there, deepening the crisis.

Top tweets

@justinmarozzi A #Mogadishu Notebook for The Times – nutty British Islamist, interview with the PM, musings on al Shabaab #Somalia http://bit.ly/HgMLSu.

@UCLA_MightyMic National Geographic’s photography is legendary, and their coverage of the crisis in #Somalia is no exception…. http://fb.me/1bNBUA0uk.

@Moyusef “In #Somalia today If you don’t join either of the warring groups, then you are forced to leave the country.”http://bit.ly/HheK4l.

@SomaliThinker Is #AlShabaab cracking under the pressure?http://bit.ly/HHqRpm #Somalia.

@ferigom69 Ransoms? War of words between international shipping companies and US and UK governments.http://goo.gl/fDbs6 #somalia #esINT #piracy.

@vermonterluster We need to come together to work towards peace in our communities, @HSMPress terrorism is not the answer http://bit.ly/HJUG7k.

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Image of the day

Image of the day Somali Footbal Federation conducts a four-day regional development Course in central town of Galkayo. The course was attended by football association representatives from different regions of Somalia. Photo: Radio Mogadishu