August 13, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia Lawmakers Lodge Vote of No Confidence in President
13 August – Source: Bloomberg – 171 Words
More than 90 lawmakers in Somalia lodged a vote of no confidence in President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, accusing him of violating the constitution, two members of parliament said. A motion has been lodged with the office of the parliamentary speaker and needs a Supreme Court ruling on its legality before it can be discussed in the assembly, Abdiweli Mohamed Qanyare, a lawmaker, said by phone. Abdullahi Godah Barre, another member of parliament, told local broadcaster Radio Goobjoog that lawmakers accuse Mohamoud of corruption and undermining efforts to build a strong army. The president, who hasn’t responded to these specific claims, has previously denied corruption allegations. A new feud could risk undermining efforts to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation’s institutions after a quarter-century of civil war. The government is using recent military advances against Islamist militant group al-Shabaab to try to attract investors to help rebuild Somalia’s economy. In December, Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed was removed from office by a no-confidence vote after a dispute with Mohamoud over cabinet appointments.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Lawmakers Lodge Vote of No Confidence in President (Bloomberg)
- Somali President Wants Army Scale Up Attacks On Al-Shabaab (Somali Update)
- Somalia Petroleum Ministry Dismiss UN Monitoring Allegation (Somali Current)
- Anxiety Grips SIMAD University As Al-Shabaab Circulates Leaflets Warning People To Stay Away From The Institution (Wacaal Media)
- Al-Shabaab Official Surrenders To Jubaland Amid Setbacks (Garowe Online)
- Somali Entrepreneur Zakaria Hersi Has Launched A Multimillion-dollar Internet Startup Called Efritin Nigeria (Information Nigeria/Hiiraan Online)
- Netherlands Deploys First Ocean-Going Patrol Vessel Against Somali Pirates (Radio Bar-Kulan)
- Colombian Ship Joins EU Counter-piracy Operation (The West Australian)
- After Emerging From The Red River Somali Man Seeking Asylum Now Mired In Red Tape (Winniepeg Free Press)
- AMISOM’’s New Offensive Creates More Questions Than Answers (All Africa)
- A Response To Organizers Of The Somali Studies International Association Congress Helsinki(Maandeeq.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali President Wants Army Scale up Attacks On Al-Shabaab
13 August – Source: Somali Update – 157 Words
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for the National Army to scale up attacks on Al-Shabaab militants as the country approaches to 2016 when planned indirect elections are due to happen. “I commend the latest offensives by our army and the AMISOM forces to liberate key towns in the country from the anti-peace militias,” President Mohamud said in a statement on Wednesday. The President noted that his government’s key priority is securing all the regions and districts from the terrorist group. “I call my fellow Somalis to stand shoulder by shoulder with our forces so they can be motivated in defeating Al-Shabaab,” he added. Both Somali Army together with African Union Forces took several key towns in the south west of the country from Al-Shabaab since July. Al-Shabaab still remains intact in many rural areas where they organize attacks on the key towns including the capital city, Mogadishu.
Somalia Petroleum Ministry Dismisses UN Monitoring Allegation
13 August – Source: Somali Current – 154 Words
Somalia Petroleum Ministry has dismissed cliams made by the UN Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group which say that British company was making large payments to Somalia’s oil ministry. The minister termed it inaccurate and misleading. In press statement, the Petroleum Ministry said all the payments made to the ministry were deposited through the Central Bank of Somalia and was accounted for, adding all the agreements between the company and the ministry are available for the public. The ministry’s statement further claims that transparency in public service pay and procurement are their national priority and are monitored through international mechanism such Financial Governance Committee (FGC). The ministry similarly added that its ministry considers the exploitation and the utilization of the country’s natural resources fairly and equitable as driving force to achieve macro economic progress in the country. The monitoring group accused the ministry of receiving large payments as bribe in order to facilitate the company’s deal.
Anxiety Grips SIMAD University As Al-Shabaab Circulates Leaflets Warning People To Stay Away From The Institution
13 August – Source: Wacaal Media – 97 Words
Anxiety gripped Samad University in Mogadishu after leaflets bearing the logo of Al-Shabaab warning residents of the city to stay away from the institution surfaced on Wednesday afternoon. Some of the leaflets were posted on public places including Masjid Abu Hureyra in Bakaaraha market. In the notice, a copy of which Wacaal media has seen, the militants say they are targeting the higher education institution because it was an important government installation. Circulation of the leaflets come a day after a landmine was planted at the University’s entrance causing an explosion in which two people were injured.
Netherlands Deploys First Ocean-Going Patrol Vessel Against Somali Pirates
13 August – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 90 Words
The Royal Netherlands Navy is deploying the Zr. Ms. Groningen ocean-going patrol vessel (OPV) to the Somali coast to participate in the European Union’s Operation Atalanta counter-piracy mission. It is the first time one of the Netherlands’ four OPVs is being deployed in the counter-piracy role. For this four-month mission, the Groningen’s 50 crew members are being reinforced by a Royal Netherlands Marine enhanced boarding element, an NH90 helicopter, a medical team and language specialists, bringing the total to 98 personnel.
Al-Shabaab Official Surrenders To Jubaland Amid Setbacks
12 August – Source: Garowe Online – 117 Words
Amid setbacks and a series of retreats in central and southern Somalia, Al-Shabaab official surrendered to Jubaland forces on Wednesday, Garowe Online reports. Isse Abdi (Ilka Asse) who was acting as the group’s Zakat collector gave himself up in Gedo regional district of Bardera of southwestern Somalia, security commander has confirmed. Jubaland force commander, Farah Abdi Asharo has told the media that Ilka Asse is in their hands and has surrendered himself along with his AK-47 rifle. When asked about the channels used to get him alive, he disclosed that Al-Shabaab official made contacts in advance. Bardera, agricultural hub and key operational base fell to Somali government forces aided by African Union peacekeepers on July 23.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Entrepreneur Zakaria Hersi Has Launched A Multimillion-dollar Internet Startup Called Efritin Nigeria
13 August – Source: Information Nigeria/Hiiraan Online – 445 Words
Efritin.com an online classifieds platform that provides a marketplace for buyers and sellers to exchange their items has employed over 100 Nigerians within its first 3 months of operation in the country. This was stated at the official launch of the company at a media conference held recently in Protea Hotel ikeja. According to Mr. Babak Tighnavard, Chief Operating Officer Saltside Technologies, Saltside Technologies the parent company of Efritin.com was founded to build leading online marketplaces in underserved markets, creating sustainable value for the community. Saltside started in 2011 with just 4 employees but in 2015 they are now 500 employees in Bangladesh, Ghana, Sri Lanka and now in Nigeria with over 100 employees. Their success story in each market is hinged on doing things locally and employing quality staff.” Mr. Zakaria Hersi informed that part of their success story of doing things locally in each market gave rise to the name ‘Efritin.com’ meaning ‘Everything’ in pidgin language.
He further said that Efritin is focused on providing a safer platform for buyers and sellers to meet and exchange their items. Efritin focuses on used items because of the trading culture of Nigerians, the high volume of offline marketplaces and the large economy around unused goods. He added that the team at Efritin places high value on offering a safer platform, which is why all sellers must be physically verified on their platform within 48hours of posting an advert before it goes live. The verification is a one-time process and the ads go live within 4 hours after verification. Mr. Zakaria also said that Efritin has taken into consideration the stress and traffic level for moving from one location to the other and has gone a step further to provide convenience for their customers by offering a delivery service for buyers and sellers who have agreed on a transaction. The Efritin Delivers services have started operations and are delivering items under 3kg within Lagos. Ms. Uche Ajene, the Marketing Manager at Efritin.com further added that Efritin has added value to the lives of Nigerians by creating job opportunities across all demographics and expanding sales channels for many shop owners in popular markets across Nigeria.
Colombian Ship Joins EU Counter-piracy Operation
12 August – Source: The West Australian – 265 Words
A Colombian navy patrol boat has joined the European Union’s counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia, Spain’s defence ministry, which leads the force, said Wednesday. The patrol boat, the “7 de Agosto”, joined Operation Atalanta on Saturday after undergoing combat certification by the Spanish navy in the Bay of Cadiz in southern Spain, the ministry said in a statement. “The experience will serve as a model for the future integration of other navies,” it added. Spain in May took over the rotating helm of Operation Atalanta, which was launched by the EU in December 2008 to protect World Food Programme vessels delivering food aid to displaced people in Somalia, as well as to combat piracy off the Somali coast.
The force is mainly made up of EU member states. Norway was the first non-EU country to contribute to Operation Atalanta with a warship in 2009. Last year Ukraine contributed a warship while New Zealand sent a maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to the force. A Spanish navy liaison team will be on board the Colombian navy patrol boat, which has a crew of 65 people, to help coordinate day to day operations. Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacking ships. At the height of Somali piracy in January 2011, 736 hostages and 32 ships were being held by pirates, according to the EU’s External Action Service. But over the past three years security for vessels and their crews off the coast of Somalia has improved significantly, with no merchant ship being pirated since May 2012.
After Emerging From The Red River, Somali Man Seeking Asylum Now Mired In Red Tape
12 August – Source: Winnipeg Free Press – 1,112 Words
The Somalian man who swam down the Red River into Canada to make a refugee claim caught the attention of people from coast to coast and media outlets around the world. “I did not expect that,” Yahya Samatar saidWednesday after being interviewed by the BBC’s Somali service. “It’s very interesting,” said the 32-year-old, who’s found a safe haven in With more than 2,000 Somali, Eritrean and Syrian refugees drowning trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, Saturday’sFree Press story about Samatar surviving his swim struck a chord with people. “Winnipeg people and Somalis here are really happy about it,” said Samatar. “I’m getting some financial support from Canadian people,” he said a week after shedding his shoes, trousers and belongings in North Dakota to swim into Canada. “I was not expecting this.”
The aid worker with non-government organizations says he was forced to flee Somalia a year ago for the work he was doing. His journalist wife was targeted later. She and their baby fled to Nairobi, leaving their three older children with his mom. Samatar called them to tell them he’s alive and safe in Winnipeg, and they had seen his Free Press story on social media, he said. “For them, it’s really amazing,” he said. “They’re just happy I’m alive… My family and friends in the Somali community around the world are saying ‘Wow — that was a very difficult journey.’ ” Samatar’s relatives had scraped together US$12,000 to pay smugglers to get him to Ethiopia, then Brazil, then up through Central America on foot and by bus to Mexico, then the U.S., where he was detained as an illegal alien for nearly eight months before his asylum claim was rejected. He headed for Canada. Here, Samatar’s arduous journey is far from over, says a Winnipeg immigration lawyer who’s handled more than 300 cases for refugee claimants.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The problem AMISOM has faced in previous offensives is that al-Shabaab just retreats, so AMISOM has had a hard time really destroying al-Shabaab assets rather than just dislodging them. So if it can improve on this then it could deal al-Shabaab a real blow.’However, the bigger problem is that it is impossible to completely wipe out al-Shabaab through military force. It’s also impossible for AMISOM to stop them doing the types of asymmetric and terror attacks they have focused on since 2013,”
AMISOM’s New Offensive Creates More Questions Than Answers
12 August – Source: All Africa – 1307 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has launched a new offensive against al-Shabaab in Somalia. It claims to have had major strategic victories. Analysts, however, warn that al-Shabaab cannot be wiped out with military force alone. Questions are also being asked about the significant role played by neighbouring Ethiopia in the latest campaign.On Friday 26 June 2015, AMISOM suffered one of its greatest setbacks yet. In the town of Leego, al-Shabaab attacked an AMISOM military base that was supposed to be well fortified and well defended by a contingent of Burundian troops. It was not.
Al-Shabaab militants killed dozens of soldiers (the exact body count is still disputed, but reports suggest that more than 50 were killed), taking full control of the base in the process. Beyond the tragic loss of life, the attack was devastating because it showed that al-Shabaab is far from the weakened force it was supposed to be by now.AMISOM has been in the field for eight years, but the Islamist militant group is by no means on its last legs. It can do more than just suicide bombings and hit-and-run attacks, and it remains capable of taking AMISOM on at its own game – and winning. The Leego attack also raised uncomfortable questions about AMISOM’s role in Somalia. Had the multinational force grown complacent? Was its Burundian contingent – deeply embarrassed by the defeat – distracted by the ongoing instability in Bujumbura?
“There is only one way to show that SSIA Helsinki organizers have understood, respect and affirm the importance and urgency of the issues at stake, and that is through formal inclusion in the SSIA Congress. As it stands, we have only seen insincere, empty calls for reflection while refusing to make space for a necessary conversation.”
A Response To Organizers Of The Somali Studies International Association Congress, Helsinki
10 August – Source: Maandeeq.com – 413 Words
It is regrettable that the belated first statement issued by Helsinki organizers on #CadaanStudies over four months after events is one that only confirms the central issues and questions that prompted the initial intervention. Interrogating how systems of power and histories of racialization and whiteness – key terms of the conversation inexplicably absent and sanitized from this statement in its abstraction – continue to shape knowledge production in Somali Studies is an overdue move for this subfield. Faced with the opportunity to welcome a necessary conversation through formal inclusion in the SSIA Congress program, to make the responsible decision to take advantage of a rare convergence of Somali and non-Somali Somali Studies scholars in one place that occurs only once every three years, you have instead chosen to relegate the voices of young Somali scholars to the literal margins. Deemed neither urgent nor important enough to make any changes to the existing program, you have decided that the most appropriate forum for conversations about race, power and knowledge production are listserv emails and break time discussions.
I am further concerned by the appropriative language of the statement, which states that Helsinki SSIA organizers “hope to start a tradition of reflecting on the field of Somali Studies with the aim of improving and developing it as a field that is more relevant, robust, and ethical in the knowledge it produces” and that this is “the beginning of a conversation.” This is a conversation that exists and that you are only now entering, one that emerged out of the interventions of young Somali scholars months ago, and it is that existing conversation to which you now speak. One of the central contentions of #CadaanStudies has been the issue of Somali erasure, and the notion that Western scholars are the only ones capable of ideas and productive academic discourse. Here we are told that the conversation and reflection only begins four months later when SSIA organizers declare it has started and rehearse watered down versions of arguments we have already made, after refusing to engage with #CadaanStudies at its most critical time.
TOP TWEETS
@SomaliaNewsroom: IJA/Jubaland apparently has established a “federal” immigration office on the #Somalia–#Ethiopia border in Doolow.
@IOM_news:In 18 seconds,see the benefits of IOM’s solar lanterns to displacd families in #Somaliahttps://vimeo.com/album/
@Daudoo: 90+ MPs tabled a motion of no-confidence against#Somalia Pres Hassan Sheikh Mahamud for “violating the constitution”
@MogadishuImages: and the dhaanto goes on in Hamarweyne#Mogadishu #Somalia
@OCHASom: In Xudur, Bakool region, severe acute malnutrition rates at have tripled to 19%: #SomaliaHumanitarian Snapshot: http://bit.ly/1N6iI23
@HarrietLMathews: In #Mogadishu 1 month today.@grantshapps visit, HLPF, Hargeisa, Baidoa and Kismayo,#HIBF2015, and AMISOM campaign. Busy but rewarding!
@SomaliaNewsroom: Candidates for IJA/Jubaland presidential election scheduled for 15 August. Regional MPs will vote. Kismayo #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Young Somalis celebrate International Youth Day in Mogadishu with the traditional dance dhaanto.
Photo: @mogadishuimages