August 13, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Ugandan army choppers crash in central Kenya

13 Aug – Source: Standard – 346 words

Two of the missing Ugandan attack helicopters which went off the radar on Sunday as they flew to Somalia to shore up the final attack on the port city of Kismayo have been sighted after crash.

Kenya’s Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said in brief statement: “one has been sighted on Mt Kenya and another in Meru area.” We are still trying to find out finer details of the crash and the search and rescue missions are on-going.” The choppers three are said to have gone missing within Kenyan airspace as they flew to Somalia, a source said.

A search on the three MI-23, which disappeared was concentrated near Mt Kenya while a fourth one landed in Wajir, initial reports said. The Kenya Defence Forces officials confirmed the incident but referred journalists to the police saying the incident was a homeland matter.

Key Headlines

Somali President Sharif hosts Turkish envoy to Somalia (Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu)
Uganda military helicopters missing en route to Somalia (Reuters)
UN Special Representative for Somalia statement on recent assassinations (UNPOS)
Somali Cabinet rejects newly created districts (Hiiraan Online/Bar-kulan)
Ethiopian troops in central Somalia accused of rape (Radio Risaala)
Coastal security procedures uptick to stave off Somali extremists to Yemen (Yemen Times)
Former Premier Farmaajo says gov’t not ready to grant candidates security (Radio Kulmiye)

PRESS STATEMENT

UN Special Representative for Somalia statement on recent assassinations

13 Aug – Source: UNPOS – 288 words

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Dr. Augustine P. Mahiga, strongly condemns the killings of Yusuf Ali Osman, aka “Yusuf-Farey”, Somali Government Official and of journalist Mohamed Ali, aka “Buniste”, yesterday in Mogadishu. Yusuf-Farey was working as Media Relations Director at the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications. He was one of the veteran Somali journalists and a past Director of Radio Mogadishu. Buniste used to work for Voice of Democracy and he was lately reporting for websites.

“It was only two weeks ago that the comedian and media worker “Marshale” was killed. Today we mourn two more members of the Somali media community, Yusuf-Farey and Buniste.” SRSG Mahiga said. “I send my deepest condolences to their families and to all Somali media professionals, who for too long have seen their colleagues targeted, injured and assassinated without a single perpetrator being brought to justice”, SRSG Mahiga said.

The UN has called repeatedly on full and independent investigations to these unacceptable and cowardly acts which have made Somalia one of the most dangerous places on earth for media professionals. “It is simply unacceptable that over the course of the year justice was not served for any of the victims of these crimes”, SRSG Mahiga added. “This culture of impunity must end. We must not allow the fundamental freedoms that a free press represents to be compromised by those willing to use violence to serve their personal agendas. This is a decisive time in the political process and the work of media needs to be protected so that the Somali people are fully informed”

UNPOS reiterates its call for the TFG to strengthen its police investigative capacity and stands ready to assist however possible in this regard.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali President Sharif hosts Turkish envoy to Somalia

13 Aug – Source: Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu – 139 words

Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Sunday hosted Turkish ambassador to Somalia Cemalettin Kani Torun at his Villa Somalia office where he received a message of congratulations from Turkish top government officials. The Turkish envoy was conveying a message from Turkish president and his Prime Minister who hailed president Sharif’s achievements in security and political matters in the country.

Torun said his government is congratulating Somalia for adopting the provisional constitution after more than two decades of civil strife in the country. Turkey also hailed government’s commitments in winding up the current transitional period on schedule.

President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on his turn thanked the Turkish government for its endless support for the Somali government and its people. President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on his turn thanked the Turkish government for its endless support for the Somali government and its people.

Ethiopian troops in central Somalia accused of rape

12 Aug – Source: Radio Risaala – 165 words

Ethiopian forces have being accused of harassing and raping civilians in the city of Baladweyne, the headquarters of Hiraan Province.An area resident, Sheikh Abdu rrahman Sheikh Abdulle told Risaala radio that the Ethiopian troops raped at least 3 Somali ladies in Baladweyne Saturday night alone. He added that the ladies were living in a refugee camp located in the western parts of the city.

He claimed that the Ethiopians have being causing distress to the Somali people. The Ethiopians seal off roads and paralyze business activities and arrest hundreds of civilians whenever a bomb blast targets them, much to the dismay of the Somali people.

Sheikh Abdurrahman Sheikh Abdulle warned that this may lead to civil strife and people to revolt if this continues. Such sentiments were echoed by Ahmed Hassan Ali, an elder in the region. He appealed to the Somali government to intervene and to compel the Ethiopians troops to stop their vices.

Former Premier Farmaajo says gov’t not ready to grant candidates security

13 Aug – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 104 words

Somalia’s former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo who is now a presidential candidate condemned the current government for not granting the candidate’s security.

Mr. Farmaajo rebuffed TFG officials who ordered the candidates to ask the government for security, noting that the government is not ready to offer security for the candidates.

It was earlier this month when government joint security committee issued a statement that said the candidates should ask the government for security instead of hiring local militia

NUSOJ Strongly Condemns murder of two journalists in Mogadishu

12 Aug – Source: NUSOJ – 723 words

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) strongly condemns the death of two Somali journalists in separate incidents in Mogadishu on Sunday, August 12, 2012, the latest in a string of attacks against the media workers and journalists in Somalia and numbered the total journalists and media workers killed in Somalia in 2012 to nine (9).

Three unknown gunmen dressed like school children shot to death Yusuf Ali Osman, a veteran Somali Journalist and former director at the Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunication, several times on the head on Sunday morning around 7:00am local time.

Osman was killed in Mogadishu Dharkenley district near a garage where he used to park his car to go for work, according to witnesses. the attackers immediately fled the area.

Somali Cabinet rejects newly created districts

10 Aug – Source: Hiiraan Online/Bar-kulan – 129 words

The cabinet has overwhelmingly agreed to reject newly created districts in the country calling it unconstitutional and inappropriate.The cabinet says it was not consulted during the elevation of small towns to district status, declaring them null and void. This comes after several statements from the office of the president has in the recent past elevated small towns in Middle Shabelle, Bay and Bakol regions to district levels.

The decision to reject these newly created districts was reached at a session in Mogadishu under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali on Thursday afternoon.

The cabinet said the creation of such district will jeopardize good governance and reconciliation process and instead called for restrain in making similar decrees during this time of heightened political temperature in the country.

UN, AU, IGAD issue final ‘unambiguous warning’ to spoilers

10 Aug – Source: Garowe Online – 169 words

The UN, IGAD and the African Union issued a joint statement on Friday to those using “nefarious means” to coerce positions in government in upcoming Somali elections, Garowe Online reports. The joint letter was signed by UN Special Representative to Somalia Augustine Mahiga, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia Boubacar Diarra and IGAD Special Facilitator for Somalia Peace and National Reconciliation, Kipruto Kirwa.

With less than two weeks left the international community released a joint statement that stated that it would be unacceptable for individuals to jeopardize the political process at such a critical stage, and said that those attempting to “manipulate, delay or derail this process”…. “would be dealt with as spoilers”.

The letter also singled out campaigning politicians who have a history of violence and criminality. The Technical Selection Committee (TSC) which are responsible for assessing if the MP-elects meet the agreed upon criteria, were given a warning to ensure that former MPs with a debauched record not be reelected.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Ugandan army choppers crash in central Kenya

13 Aug – Source: Standard – 346 words

Two of the missing Ugandan attack helicopters which went off the radar on Sunday as they flew to Somalia to shore up the final attack on the port city of Kismayo have been sighted after crash.

Coastal security procedures uptick to stave off Somali extremists to Yemen

13 Aug – Source: Yemen Times – 340 words

Yemeni coastal forces joined together to increase security measures along the Gulf of Aden through intensifying patrols and inspections of boats arriving from African nations.

Shuja’a Mahdi, the Operation Department head of the coastal forces, said these procedures were put in place in anticipation of the arrival of extremists from Somalia aiming to infiltrate Yemen and to support Ansar al Sharia, an al Qaeda-affiliated group in Yemen.

Coastal forces intensified security procedures in reaction to a pledge by Islamist Somalis to send a number of fighters in support of al Qaeda members in the Arabian Peninsula, centering in remote rural areas of Yemen, Mahdi said. The promise of support came following the last strikes directed at al Qaeda by Yemen’s military.

Kenyan troops gear up for Kismayo assault

12 Aug – Source: Daily Nation – 463 words

The long-planned assault on Somalia’s southern port town of Kismayo by the Kenya Defence Forces and their AMISOM allies is probably only days away in what will be a decisive week for Somalia.

Sources believe the massive build-up of troops, the escalating “probing attacks” to test al Shabaab defences, as well as the increased aerial surveillance, are all indications of an imminent large-scale offensive.

Kenyan Navy warships shelled al Shabaab targets overnight while AMISOM reconnaissance planes were spotted over Kismayo on Saturday. A Somali source well informed on developments in the Jubba Valley told the Daily Nation that many influential local actors in the region believe the attack will be launched later this week.

Military sources told the Daily Nation that aerial surveillance and reconnaissance flights conducted by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, started on Saturday. KDF refers to the initial attacks as “shaping-up operations”.

Three seized over links to terror group

12 Aug – Source: Daily Nation – 392 words

Three Tanzanians have been arrested at the Kenya-Somalia border in Lamu County for allegedly being members of the al Shabaab terror group. Area police boss Samuel Obara said the three were arrested on Thursday morning after officers received information about suspicious looking foreigners in the area.

The Tanzanians were taken to Kiunga Police Station, where were grilled by detectives from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, National Security and Intelligence Services and Criminal Investigation Department.

He said that the three got into the county on the 20th of July this year on a mission to preach in this holy month of Ramadhan. He said security officers in the area have been on high alert since Kenyan troops crosses into Somalia last year to pursue al Shabaab militants.

Two-horse race in Somalia’s August 20 top seat election

12 Aug – Source: Daily Nation – 506 words

Somalia’s presidential election scheduled for August 20 is likely to be a two-horse race and a match between two foes – President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.

Many observers believe the two have in the last two months used the power of incumbency, influence over Somali clans, personal slash funds and powerful links with some regional and international powers, to outflank the over 40 candidates vying for the top job.

A two chamber parliament made up of 275 deputies from the Lower House and 54 deputies in the Upper House from the 18 administrative regions (Upper House) will elect a new president for Somalia, but this date could change if the Idd ul-Fitr falls on that date.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Uganda military helicopters missing en route to Somalia

13 Aug – Source: Reuters – 201 words

A number of Ugandan military helicopters went missing in Kenyan airspace on Sunday on their way to Somalia to reinforce African Union peacekeeping forces battling al Shabaab rebels, the Ugandan military said.

The military said a team of helicopters had left a base in the Ugandan city of Entebbe but that only one had landed in the Kenyan town of Wajir, where they were scheduled to refuel before flying on to Somalia. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) did not say how many helicopters were missing or how many people were on board.

“The search is going on, we don’t know what exactly happened but we are investigating it and we will let you know when I get adequate information,” UPDF spokesman Felix Kulayigye told Reuters.

Ugandan troops form the backbone of the African Union peacekeeping force (AMISOM) in Somalia. The air force said on August7 that it was deploying transport and combat helicopters to Somalia to beef up the force.

Al Shabaab struck the Ugandan capital Kampala in mid-2010 when suicide bombers from the al Qaeda-linked group killed more than 70 people who were watching soccer on television, in revenge for the presence of Ugandan troops in Somalia.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“It is not acceptable that the world will support Arab Springs and invest money and sacrifice people on defeating leaders like Gadhafi, but legalize and fund few individuals with criminal backgrounds to hijack Somalia. I appeal to the UN and the international community to seriously look into these allegations and take the necessary steps to fix the process.”

The Last Appeal for Transparency

10 Aug – Source: Hiiraan Online – 825 Words

The world continues to wonder about the lack of peace in Somali after so many years. However; what they don’t know is that the international community always interferes on Somali affairs and invests on shady processes that polarizes the public and impoverishes the country. In 2008, the UN and the international community created a monster parliament of 550 MPs; though the UN celebrated this as a great step to the right direction, it was in fact a big disaster for Somalia.

The ongoing process to end the transition is fraudulent and is a shame to the UN and the international community who are supporting it both financially and militarily. The public has spoken and is overwhelmingly asking for transparency, accountability and inclusiveness. Up to now nobody knows, who owns the process? Is it a Somali owned or is it a UN process supported by the international community? The one thing that has emerged over and over is that the process seems to be owned by the roadmap signatories who have been given the liberty to design, and mismanage the entire process as they deem appropriate.

“The selection of the right person to be a leader is very important and the quality and effectiveness of a great leader/president is inevitable to come out and people will notice by the outcome of their actions in this critical time, where Somali people need to realize their dreams of getting a strong government and recover from the long suffering.”

Somalia: Will corrupted MP elect a genuine leader?

12 Aug – Source: Horseed Media – 1322 Words

Somalis currently discuss leadership qualities in every social setting. The question of leadership has emerged as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) mandate is coming to an end in this month. The TFG agreed to hold an election while there is no efficient electoral commission in place that can conduct free and fair election. Most of the Somalis are highly skeptical and believe that this election will be the toughest in the history due to the presence of many candidates including corrupted ones.

It is obvious that the parliament cannot produce a genuine leader that can make a difference to the country unlike the current ones who have their own selfish interest. Most of the MPs whose list have been submitted to represent their constituent or clan, what so ever, cannot represent the Somali people. They are tribal affiliated rather than common citizenship. Some of them are not academically competent and to make it worse, they did not complete secondary school education which is the least education qualification one can have.

Top tweets

@UNPOSomalia #Somalia. Yusuf-Farey & Buniste shot dead yesterday in#Mogadishu. #UN Envoy #Mahiga condemns killings of journalists: http://bit.ly/NkoyAF .

@Hamza_Africa 3 #Ugandan helicopters crashed in #Kenya on their way to join#AMISOM mission in #Somalia. Were they fit to fly? #Uganda #AU.

@Hamza_Africa For the second time in less than a month fire causes destruction in#Dadaab refugee camp. #Ifo #Kenya #Somalia.

@Rooble2009 RT @IntelligencNews . al Shabaab leaders in Kismayu may have been killed by Kenya air-force strikes.

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Image of the day

Image of the day Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed hosts Turkish ambassador to Somalia Cemalettin Kani Torun at his Villa Somalia office. Photo: Radio Mogadishu