April 30, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Ban Ki-Moon appoints new envoy to Somalia
30 Apr- Source: Radio Dalsan/Raxanreeb/Shabelle/RBC/
The British diplomat Nicholas Kay has been appointed as the UN Sec General’s Special Representative for Somalia, replacing Augustine Mahiga. Ban Ki-moon Secretary General of UN appointed Kay, who is currently the Africa Director at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
He replaces Augustine Mahiga of Tanzania, who has served as Special Representative and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) for the last three years and will complete his assignment on 3 June 2013.
Nicholas Kay, born June 1958 is a Britain diplomat who also worked in Sudan, Central African Republic and Afghanistan.
Key Headlines
- Floods displace 650 families in Buhodle (Radio Ergo/Universal TV)
- Ban Ki-Moon appoints new envoy to Somalia (Radio Dalsan/Raxanreeb/Shabelle/RBC/
Bar-kulan) - President Hassan concludes working visit to Puntland ( Office of the Somali President )
- Reports of shelling in Kismayo (Dhanaan Online/Shabelle/Hiiraan Online)
- Study warns of depletion of Somalia’s groundwater resources (FAO)
- President Silanyo lands in Heathrow UK (Qurbejoog/Horn Cable TV/Universal TV)
- Police prepare for regional terror attacks (Daily Monitor)
- Troops in Somalia ‘broke stadium promise’ (alJazeera)
- American militant in Somalia battles ex-comrades (Saudigazette/AFP)
- Terrorists On The Run But Not Yet Done (Strategypage)
- Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia Meets in New York (state.gov)
PRESS STATEMENT
President Hassan concludes working visit to Puntland
30 Apr – Source: Office of the Somali President – 301 words
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and his delegation of Ministers, MPs and other dignitaries, concluded their two day working visit with the President of Puntland, H.E. Abdirahman Sheikh Mohamud Farole and his Cabinet members in Garowe, Puntland.
At a joint press conference this afternoon both Presidents vowed to honour and implement the Memorandum of Understanding signed last month and other previous agreements, and to work together towards reconciliation and the unity of the Somali people.
The President of Somalia said: “I thank President Farole, his Cabinet and the people of Puntland for the warm welcome afforded to us during our two day visit. Puntland has played an important part in ending the transition process and continues to play a critical role in the future of Somalia.
“The Federal Government is in the process of implementing the constitutional process and improving stabilisation in the country and I ask Puntland to continue to work with us to see this through.”
The President briefed the President of Puntland on the London Conference (7th May), and stressed that this will be co-chaired by Somalia and the United Kingdom. The objective is to support the priorities of the Federal Government, namely security sector reform, judicial reform and improved public finance management.
The President said, “This London Conference is historic. For two years in a row, the UK has hosted the major conference on Somalia and all the people of Somalia will benefit greatly. I have asked President Farole and the Puntland government to work with the Federal Government to ensure that the outcomes of this second Conference are fully realized throughout the country.”
This working visit by the President continues the programme of political outreach by the President and the Federal Government to all parts of Somalia.
Somali Government concerned by the worsening situation of Somali refugees in Yemen
29 Apr – Source: Prime Minister’s Media Office – 233 words
The Somali Council of Ministers today expressed concern over the worsening situation faced by Somali refugees in Yemen. The council appointed a new ministerial level task force to investigate the conditions of the refugees and make recommendations, including, if necessary, the possible immediate repatriation to Somalia.
“The council of ministers has received a report from the Somali delegation that visited Yemen this week and are deeply saddened to hear of the worsening situation faced by Somali refugees in the country,’” Deputy Minister of Information, Telecommunication and Postal Services H.E. Abdishakur Ali Mire said at a press conference after the council meeting.
Chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting, His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon ordered an urgent response to this potential crisis and called on immediate action to be taken by all stakeholders to resolve the situation.
“The tragic situation of the refugees reported today in front of this council needs an urgent response to safeguard innocent lives and dignify many others,” Prime Minister said, as the council nominated a five member committee that will travel to Yemen seeking a humanitarian and diplomatic solution for the Somali refugee’s crisis.
The Council of Ministers also discussed bilateral relations with Kenya, including the renewed support of the new Kenyan Government to Somalia. The Ministers welcomed President Kenyatta’s reaffirmation of support to improve security and to combat collectively the threat of terrorism in the region.
SOMALI MEDIA
Floods displace 650 families in Buhodle
30 Apr- Source: Radio Ergo/Universal TV- 178 words
More than 650 families have been displaced from the town of Buhodle and neighbouring villages by heavy floods following heavy rains on Sunday night.
The floods hit the town unexpectedly early on Monday morning, caused by fast-flowing rivers of water gushing into town from the flooded plains of Qoriley Shangale, Maygagle and Kalshale areas on the western side of Buhodle. The floods washed away some 300 houses in Boodhlay neighbourhood west of town.
Around 10 grass-made shelters belonging to poor families and IDPs from other regionswere also destroyed. Aden Mahamoud Noor, an IDP, said the floods also swept away 15 goats.
West of Buhodle town, overflow from hilly ground flooded the Shangale lowlands, displacing 150 pastoralist families. Swollen streams from the Hagogane valley swept away 70 goats and sheep.
Radio Ergo’s reporter in Las‘anod said the displaced people moved to areas unaffected by the floods. The floods also hampered transport between Buhodle and neighbouring villages. Hassan Jama Farah, a resident, told Radio Ergo that the last time such flooding occurred was in the Deyr (autumn) rains of 1997.
Ban Ki-Moon appoints new envoy to Somalia
30 Apr- Source: Radio Dalsan/Raxanreeb/Shabelle/RBC/
The British diplomat Nicholas Kay has been appointed as the UN Sec General’s Special Representative for Somalia, replacing Augustine Mahiga. Ban Ki-moon Secretary General of UN appointed Kay, who is currently the Africa Director at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
He replaces Augustine Mahiga of Tanzania, who has served as Special Representative and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) for the last three years and will complete his assignment on 3 June 2013.
Nicholas Kay, born June 1958 is a Britain diplomat who also worked in Sudan, Central African Republic and Afghanistan.
Dengue fever outbreak in Elwaq, Gedo region
30 Apr- Source: Radio Ergo- 190 words
District health officials say they are dealing with an outbreak of dengue fever in Elwaq, Gedo region. Adan Abdi, administrator of the Red Crescent Society’s district medical department, told Radio Ergo more than 70 people had been infected with the mosquito-borne virus. Most of them were living in IDP camps around Elwaq.
Adan Abdi said most of the sick people exhibited clinical signs of being infected by the dengue virus, which produces fever and some general symptoms common to malaria. There are no specific anti-viral drugs to treat dengue.
Adan Kheyr, head of the local mother-and-child health centre, said they had distributed 13,800 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to families across the district over the past two weeks.
Abdi Weli Mohamed, an IDP, said the rains had left pools of stagnant water across the canps, which had become mosquito breeding grounds. Most IDPs did not have mosquito nets.
The mother and child health centre is the only health facility in Elwaq district. When people fall sick they usually have no access to proper health care and buy whatever drugs they can afford from local shops or chemists.
Floods kill four kids in Wanlaweyn district of Somalia
30 Apr- Source: Raxanreeb- 151 words
At least four kids, three of them boys dead after heavy rain-triggered floods overflowed their homes in Wanlaweyn district, Lower Shabeller region of Somalia on Monday, RBC Radio reports.
Dozens of homes were also destroyed by the floods which started on Sunday after heavy rains battered the district. Many residents of Wanlaweyn begun to flee from their homes with the fear additional flooding by the ongoing rains.
Wanlaweyn district commissioner had made urgent appeal to the central government and aid agencies in order to help the homeless families wrecked their homes by the floods.
Reports of shelling in Kismayo
30 Apr- Source: Dhanan Online/Shabelle/BBC Somali Service/Hiiraan Online- 154 words
News from Kismayo, the capital of the lower Juba says that there has been shelling at the city’s main airport. Suspected members of al Shabaab launched an assault at the bases of government troops near the airport.
Abdinasir Serar, spokesman for Ras Kamboni Brigade which controls the area said the militants fired some mortars at their base near the airport. He added that there has been no casualties resulted from the shelling.
Al Shabaab lost the control of the city to the allied forces late last year. However, the militant has been engaging in hit and run attacks with the forces.
President Silanyo lands in Heathrow, UK
30 Apr- Source: Qurbejoog/ Horn Cable TV/ Universal TV -255 words
Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silanyo” and his delegation on yesterday morning arrived at the Heathrow Airport, UK.
The president arrived from United States of America where he held talks with the U.S government officials and American businessmen. He was welcomed by thousands of somalilanders living in London, and Somaliland representatives in the UK.
Notable among Somaliland officials who were waiting to receive the President and delegation at Heathrow international airport were the Attorney General of Somaliland Hassan Ahmed Aden and other diplomatic officials
Somaliland’s Trade Ministry to forge closer collaboration with Local Industries
29 Apr – Source: Somaliland Press – 108 words
Somaliland Minister of Trade and industries Abdirisaq Ali Osman has today during a meeting with the committee representing local industrialist’s said.
“We are ready to foster close cooperation to home-grown manufacturers by offering guidance and assistance to industries of all types in order to create and forge new connections through commercial cooperation between Somaliland government and those in the manufacturing sector.
The Chairman of the Industrialist’s Union Mr. Mohamed Sheik Omar said,” We are ready to nurture closer collaboration with the ministry of trade and industries through the provision of market information, training and organization of trade events and opportunities both in the local and international market”,.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Police prepare for regional terror attacks
30 Apr- Source: Daily Monitor- 258 words
Police on Monday sealed off roads leading to Namboole Stadium in Wakiso District as they carried out terror attack simulation drills, catching motorists using nearby roads unawares. The exercise kicked off in the morning with officers shooting at men dressed in civilian clothes, then several blasts were soon heard.
But the exercise was not limited to human beings. Vehicles belonging to different police units, including Fire Brigade, counter terrorism, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence, and medical, were also used to demonstrate how such equipment would be used to respond to coordinated terror attacks.
Kenya Police boss: ‘We’ll stop at nothing to give Garissa security’
30 Apr- Source: Standard- 285 words
Kenya’s Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo has termed the ongoing operation in Garissa a ‘successful story’. Kimaiyo said they are interrogating a number of suspects in connection with recent security incidents that left scores of people killed and others wounded in the town.
“As far as I am concerned the exercise is successful and is going on well. We will restore peace in the town,” he said. Sources said police are now studying bank accounts of some of the suspects arrested in the operation. One of them is suspected of having ‘illegal’ Sh70 million in his bank account in Mwingi town.
Dahabshil, a financial institution in the town has denied their staff were among those arrested in the operation. A manager Abdi Sheikh Mahamud said his money transfer agency has no links with any terror group and that they operate within the law.
Troops in Somalia ‘broke stadium promise’
29 Apr- Source: al Jazeera- 942 words
Sports officials here have accused African Union peacekeepers of breaking a promise they allegedly made to move out of Mogadishu Stadium. “They told us they would leave December 30, but they are still in the stadium,” Abdullahi Mohamed Abdulle, the vice-president of the Somali Athletics Federation, told Al Jazeera.
AMISOM – the African Union mission in Somalia – has been occupying the stadium since August 6, 2011, when al Shabaab retreated from the Somali capital.
Reformed Somali pirates begin new lives
29 Apr- Source: Sabahi Online- 693 words
Hundreds of young Somalis who drifted into crime as seafaring hijackers are starting legitimate careers, thanks to governmental rehabilitation programmes. The Himan and Heeb regional administration in central Somalia announced that it has reformed more than 200 former pirates in its custody.
“The young people we have here are ready to begin new lives,” Himan and Heeb Interior Affairs Secretary Omar Gureye told Sabahi. “Some of them want to be fishermen, while the majority hope to join the armed forces. Therefore, we are waiting to transfer them to the federal government.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
American militant in Somalia battles ex-comrades
30 Apr- Source: Saudigazette/AFP- 328 words
An American militant in Somalia is fighting former comrades in the al Qaeda linked al Shabaab insurgent group, in what he says may be his final stand, he writes. Alabama-born Omar Hamami — better known as Al Amriki or “the American” — once fought alongside the hardline al Shabaab in Somalia, but last year fell out with the fighters who now want to kill him.
He is also wanted by the US government, who have placed a $5 million bounty on his head and is listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.
“We were forced to fight in self-defense and killed three and wounded others,” he wrote in a message on Twitter, posted late Monday.
“May not find another chance to tweet but just remember what we said and what we stood for. God kept me alive to deliver the message to the ummah (community).”
Terrorists On The Run But Not Yet Done
30 Apr- Source: Strategypage- 1138 words
Somalia has a population of about 11 million (including over half a million refugees in neighboring countries) but over 70 percent of those Somalis are not under the control of the new central government. The two statelets that comprise northern Somalia broke away from Somalia in the 1990s to form Puntland (2.5 million people) and Somaliland (3.5 million). The other half of the Somali population is in the south where the southernmost portion, containing 1.5 million people, is trying to establish itself as the independent statelet of Jubaland. Somaliland is suffering from increasing clan warfare while Puntland has been split between those who back (and profit from) the pirates, and those that don’t. The pirates have become much weaker in the last year because the international pirate patrol has prevented most attempts to capture ships. Without the large ransoms, most pirate gangs have disbanded. While Somaliland has signed a deal for a foreign firm to explore for oil off the coast, all these independent minded parts of Somalia are interested in forming some kind of federation.
Ban appoints British diplomat as new UN envoy for Somalia
29 Apr- Source: UN News centre- 366 words
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Nicholas Kay, a diplomat from the United Kingdom, as his new Special Representative for Somalia, it was announced today.
Mr. Kay succeeds Augustine Mahiga of Tanzania, who has served as Special Representative and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) for the last three years and will complete his assignment on 3 June 2013.
In the announcement of the new appointment, the Secretary-General paid tribute to Mr. Mahiga’s “exemplary leadership” in helping to steer the conclusion of Somalia’s eight-year political transition in the summer of 2012.
Study warns of depletion of Somalia’s groundwater resources
29 Apr – Source – FAO – 461 words
A hydrogeological study covering north and northwestern Somalia indicates that unguided drilling of boreholes puts the country’s groundwater in jeopardy. The report by Somalia Water and Land Information Unit (SWALIM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization follows a survey of 1,270 sites in Somaliland and Puntland, where more than half of the water sources are shallow wells. According to the report, unregulated, and in most cases, inappropriate drilling of boreholes in Somalia is leading to over exploitation and pollution of groundwater resources.
“This report is the first of its kind in many years to help in sustainable use ofwater as a key natural resource and we hope, from now on we can build upon this knowledge to manage Somalia’s natural resources more sustainably,” said Luca Alinovi, FAO’s head in Somalia.
Justine Greening MP visits Mill Hill-based charity BritSom
29 Apr- Source: Times- 482 words
The International Development Secretary has visited Mill Hill to meet with members of Barnet’s Somali community ahead of a major international conference on Somalia next month.
Justine Greening and MP for Hendon Matthew Offord met members of Somali non-profit organisation BritSom at the Eversfield Centre on Friday to hear their views on how the British Government could help make Somalia a more peaceful, prosperous and safer place.
She said: “British Somalis across the UK have tremendous links back to family, friends and businesses in Somalia. According to figures from the World Bank, they send remittances of $2bn to the country each year.
Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia Meets in New York
29 Apr- Source: state.gov -360 words
The United States will join partners from over 85 countries, international organizations, and the private sector at the United Nations in New York on May 1 for a plenary meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. The Contact Group is a growing diplomatic effort that is taking action against criminal activity that threatens commerce and humanitarian aid deliveries along one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors. On May 2, the Contact Group will hold a symposium, “Creating Economic Opportunities for Somalis,” at the Institute for International Education.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The government shall immediately take two steps that are crucially important towards the fruitful realization of this production mode: one, it should take the lead in the feasibility preparation process; and two, the government shall identify potential foreign creditors for the financial capital needed for this project.”
Somaliland: Changing the livestock production mode background
29 Apr- Source: Somalilandpress-1040 Words
Somaliland’s rural community is almost entirely pastoralist practicing livestock production in a traditional manner. The livestock produced by these pastoralists contribute 70% of the country’s GDP according to officials in the ministry of livestock development.
Moreover, livestock trading is a lucrative business which generates significant profits for the pastoralists and for the traders, while the government obtains the most tax revenues out of this trade. In this writing, I would like to point out the shortcomings in the existing livestock production system and at the same time try to suggest some technological innovations that need to be promoted by the relevant actors.
The current livestock production mode can be described as extremely backward and unsustainable. In the past, the pastoralists had plenty of grazing lands on which they could raise as many livestock as they pleased. They were not constrained by any factor except by their labour and by their financial capacity. Land was abundantly at their disposal.
Droughts affected the pastoralists once in 20 years. In those days, there were many wealthy pastoralists who were rich even by today’s standards. Owning more than 500 sheep/goats and over 200 camels with two BIRKAs in different locations constituted a wealth as large as owning a multi-storey building in today’s modern cities.
“For about six months, Hammami has engaged in a public colloquy with American counterterrorism professionals, on subjects both highbrow (the meaning of jihad), lowbrow (barbecue tastes) and personal (the wisdom of Hammami remaining in Somalia while al Shabaab hunts him).”
Surrounded by Somali Militants, American Jihadi Live-Tweets His Standoff
29 Apr- Source: Wired Blog-777 Words
Omar Hammami’s enemies appear to be closing in on him. The most wanted American jihadi in Somalia survived a Thursday assassination attempt only to tweet today that his former allies in al Qaeda’s Somali affiliate are stepping up their efforts to wipe him out. On Monday, according to what Hammami warned might be his last words, al Shabaab gunmen surrounded his home, marched him to “court” and opened fire in a Somali forest.
“Even if we die weve won,” Hammami tweeted from his @abumamerican Twitter account today. “May not find another chance to tweet but just remember what we said and what we stood for.”
Hammami is a 28-year-old Alabaman who has been waging jihad in Somalia since 2006, sometimes through rap music. (He later claimed he didn’t actually perform the jihadi rhymes that went out under his nom de guerre.) But last year he had a dramatic and very public break with his former colleagues in al-Shabaab, and since then he’s relentlessly trolled the Somali wing of al Qaeda, all while proclaiming he’ll be a jihadi until the day he dies. “I figure i can’t do much but wait 4 my time,” he told me via direct message last month.
Cash Transfers in Somalia and the Role of Gatekeepers
29 Apr- Source: davidshinn blog-182 Words
The Somalia Cash Consortium has been distributing large-scale unconditional cash transfers since 2011 to vulnerable households in South Central Somalia. Members of the consortium have had to deal with security problems and negotiate access to internally displaced person (IDP) sites through informal IDP camp authorities. An important actor among the informal camp managers/administrators is the “gatekeeper.”
The 31 January 2013 study titled “The Somalia Cash Consortium: Gatekeepers in Mogadishu” analyses the role played by gatekeepers–positive and negative–in providing protection and basic services to IDPs. It also looks at the perceived sources of power and the influence of the gatekeepers, their links and relationships with the government, local authorities and other community leaders. As a result, it offers a useful perspective on the dynamics of the situation in Somalia.
The authors are Erik Bryld, managing director of Tana Copenhagen, a consultancy company; Christine Kamau, director of iDC, a Kenyan-based consultancy firm; and Dina Sinigallia, an expert with Tana Copenhagen. The team tried to learn who the gatekeepers are, when they assumed their role and the factors that contributed to their rise.
Top tweets
@t_mcconnell Mogadishu in #Somalia has changed hugely since I started reporting from there in 2010. Here’s how muchhttp://thetim.es/ZZwdE1 for @thetimes
@voadeewa As security improves in #Mogadishu and much of south central #Somalia, hospitals are seeing fewer victims of violence than before.
@MarkJSimmonds Delighted to hear the UN has appointed#FCO Africa Director Nick Kay as UN Special Rep for#Somalia. Outstanding individual, crucial job.
@viewstatus The use of the Dollar will lower transaction costs in Puntland,thus lowering the barriers of doing#business http://bit.ly/ZZfIsE #Somalia
@UNHCRSom This month alone, 6K people have been displaced in #Somalia due to floods.http://data.unhcr.org/horn-of-
Image of the day
Men perform traditional Somali dance at Villa Somalia, Mogadishu. Photo: @amisomsomalia