August 14, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Khatumo state elects Ali Khalif as new President
14 Aug- Source: Widhwidh Online/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Risaala- 118 words
The former Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Ali Khalif Galayr was elected as the new president of Khatumo state in Northern Somalia.
Two candidates Mohamed Indhosheel and Khalif Galadr contested the presidential elections held in Sahdheer locality.
The electoral commission declared Ali Khalif as the winner after receiving 21 votes out of 32 votes casted while Mohamed Indhosheel garnered 9 votes in the first round.
This election comes at a time when Somaliland forces have recently seized control of Taleh district, the administrative capital of Khatumo state though they withdrew later.
Key Headlines
- Khatumo state elects Ali Khalif as new President (Widhwidh Online)
- Interim Juba administration vows to security operations against al Shabaab (Radio Goobjoog)
- Commission to review the activities of the ministries explains what it has done so far (Radio Dalsan)
- Himan and Heeb security forces arrest 27 suspects in Adado town (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Water shortage hits Gedo’s Geriley village (Radio Ergo)
- Al Shabaab executes two men in Lower Jubba (Radio Shabelle/Mareeg Online)
- Hargeisa mental hospital to give skills training to patients (Radio Ergo)
- AMISOM meets with the Somali Diaspora in Toronto (Hiiraan Online)
- Suspected al Shabaab militia kill three people in North Eastern (Standard Media)
- Al Shabaab kidnaps 18 people in Bardere town (Radio Shabelle/Xogmaal Online)
- UN Security Council Pledges Support To Somalia’s Political Reforms (RTT News)
- Somaliland: President Silanyo receives Danish Trade Minister (Somaliland Informer)
- Ethiopia reopens border with Somaliland (Somaliland Sun)
- Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary: Major security strides at US-Africa talk (Capital News)
- Obama Weighs Strategy Against Islamic State (AP/ABC News)
SOMALI MEDIA
Khatumo state elects Ali Khalif as new President
14 Aug- Source: Widhwidh Online/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Risaala- 118 words
The former Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Ali Khalif Galayr was elected as the new president of Khatumo state in Northern Somalia.
Two candidates Mohamed Indhosheel and Khalif Galadr contested the presidential elections held in Sahdheer locality.
The electoral commission declared Ali Khalif as the winner after receiving 21 votes out of 32 votes casted while Mohamed Indhosheel garnered 9 votes in the first round.
This election comes at a time when Somaliland forces have recently seized control of Taleh district, the administrative capital of Khatumo state though they withdrew later.
Himan and Heeb security forces arrest 27 suspects in Adado town
14 Aug- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 139 words
Himan and Heeb administration forces in central Somali region of Galgadud have arrested at least 27 people in Adado town in the last 24 hours after carrying out security operations in several locations in the region.
Abdullahi Abdirahman Hussein, a senior official in Adado town said in an interview with Bar-kulan that those arrested in the security crackdown are suspected of various criminal activities.
He said the accused are now being investigated to determine their fate.
He vowed the security operations that are designed to heighten the overall security of Himan and Heeb administered areas will not stop anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Hussein further added that reconstruction work of Adado police station is underway which will greatly improve the quality of service of the police force in the area.
Interim Juba administration vows to security operations against al Shabaab
14 Aug- Source: Radio Goobjoog/Dhanaan Online- 110 words
The Interim administration of Juba in Southern Somalia stated it will continue carrying out security operations against al Shabaab in the region.
Juba Interim leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam addressing the media in Kismayo airport after he came from Mogadishu where he attended UN Security council ambassadors meeting with federal government top leaders.
He said that he met with AMISOM and government forces in Mogadishu and agreed to carry out fresh offensive against al Shabaab to restore the areas under their control.
Juba security backed by African Union peace-keeping troops claimed victory over three days clashes with al Shabaab fighters in the outskirts of Kismayo.
Commission to review the activities of the ministries explains what it has done so far
14 Aug- Source: Radio Dalsan- 206 words
The commission to review the activities of the ministries explained their work to the public through the media yesterday. This commission was recently appointed for that work by the prime minister. They were tasked to review what the ministries have done in the last six months. On Wednesday afternoon, they therefore explained what they have done so far. This commission is led by the Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Hon. Abdullahi Sheikh Ali Qalloocow.
“We shall soon summon five ministries. We need every ministry to explain what it has done in the last six months”. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Hon. Abdi Issa Diirshe who is also a member of this commission said.
The Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Works and Civil Servants, Hon. Abdalla Haji Ali who is also another member of this commission said by doing this, their commission will soon find out the ministries that are active and are doing the tasks assigned to them properly and those which are still lagging behind. “This is a plan to know the strengths of the ministries..”. Hon. Abdalla Haji Ali said. Hon. Abdalla added that by working together, the goal can be achieved.
The move taken by the prime minister to set up this commission can pave the way for better services which the ministries may render for the Somali citizens in the near future. This can also tell the public that the government is engaging itself with a change in the governance system so that Somali citizens can have confidence in their government.
Water shortage hits Gedo’s Geriley village
14 Aug- Source: Radio Ergo- 199 words
Hundreds of pastoralist families and their livestock in Gedo region are facing an extreme water shortage, particularly affecting the population of Geriley village on the Somali-Kenyan border.
The village has no wells. Pastoralists there rely on water pans and boreholes, but all of these have dried up due to insufficient rains over the past three years. The only water available in the village is brought from Kenya’s Wajid district some 120 km away. Most of the people can’t afford to pay the high prices for this water.
“A barrel of water is costing about 140,000 Somali shillings up from only 50,000. People don’t have any source of income other than rearing livestock..the animals are selling poorly in the markets because they are very thin,” Aar Mohamed Mohamud, the village chief told Radio Ergo’s local reporter.
Many livestock herders have moved to Lower and Middle Juba regions and into Kenya’s northeastern province seeking water. Gedo is one of five regions that Somalia’s National Disaster Agency warned could face a repeat of the 2011-2012 drought and famine. Most pastoralist families have already moved from the rural areas surrounding the region’s six largest districts of Dolow, Baledhawo, Luq, Elwaq, Garbaharey and Burdhubo.
Al Shabaab executes two men in Lower Jubba
14 Aug- Source: Radio Shabelle/Mareeg Online- 81 words
Al Shabaab militants in Somalia on publicly executed two Somali men accused of spying for the Interim Juba Administration and AMISOM outside port city of Kismayo, Lower Jubba. The incident took place at Abdalla-birole area, outside Kismayo, the capital of lower Juba region. The men were executed in front of hundreds of local residents. Al Shabaab official said the group would act decisively if they found anyone guilty of spying for their enemies.
Hargeisa mental hospital to give skills training to patients
14 Aug- Source: Radio Ergo- 104 words
Hargeisa’s mental hospital has launched new vocational training for mentally ill patients in the centre. Mariam Hassan, head nurse in the mental health ward, said the patients will be taught sewing and electronic skills as well as writing and reading Somali language.
She said the drugs only are not sufficient treatment for the patients to recover, as they also need knowledge and skills. “They need to feel that they are equal to other human beings,” Hassan told Radio Ergo’s local reporter.
The centre is financially supported by Somaliland’s Ministry of Health and provides free medical services and accommodation to patients with mental health problems.
AMISOM meets with the Somali Diaspora in Toronto
14 Aug – Source: Hiiraan Online – 212 words
Somalia has many challenges, however, there is good news to celebrate as the country moves in a new direction to reach out to Somalis in Diaspora. A Somali government delegation visited Canada to urge Somali-Canadians to get further involved in the rebuilding of their homeland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion in Somalia has established a new initiative to promote the involvement of Somalis in rebuilding of their homeland.
The Office of Diaspora Affairs (ODA) will bridge the gap for Somalis who want to return to their homeland. The two conference involving local community groups and activists, gave a platform to new ideas on how the Diaspora can be more than just a remittance. Somali-Canadians were urged to mobilize the community.
Canada is home to approximately 200,000 Somalis and nearly 100,000 live in Toronto. Somali-Canadians are one of the largest contributors to Somalia in remittance.
Al Shabaab kidnaps 18 people in Bardere town
13 Aug – Source: Radio Shabelle/Xogmaal Online – 81 words
Somalia’s Al Qaeda linked al Shabaab militants kidnapped 18 people who were among the Takfir Islamic sect, in Bardere town of Gedo region, witnesses said. Some intellectuals in town, who spoke to Shabelle radio in Mogadishu, said that the 18 people were seized in a mosque and houses in the town, adding that the roundup started yesterday and lasted late into the night. Al Shabaab officials are yet to comment on the arbitrary kidnapping against the Takfir Islamic sects.
Somaliland: President Silanyo receives Danish Trade Minister
13 Aug – Source: Somaliland Informer – 137 words
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo has received Danish Trade Minister Mr. Morgan Jansen and a delegation accompanied him who is on a working visit to the country.
Foreign Affairs Minister & International Cooperation Mr. Mohamed Bihi has briefed the press about the focus of the discussion between the Danish delegation and the President. Mr. Bihi told that the delegation toured business posts and saw with eyes about the progress that is happening in the country.
Mr. Bihi has revealed that they visited Hargeisa livestock market and added that the Danish government is among the donor countries that assist Somaliland when it comes to proving money on the Somaliland development fund. Danish Trade Minister Mr. Morgan Jansen has stated that he spoke with Silanyo issues pertaining to trade, human rights and the freedom of the press.
Ethiopia reopens border with Somaliland
13 Aug – Source: Somaliland Sun – 114 words
Foreign Minister Mr. Mohamed Bihi Yonis has announced that the Ethiopian government has reopened the border with Somaliland after it locked due to security concerns.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has revealed that the Ethiopian government has contacted the Silanyo led government to inform them of the border reopening and that the immigration between the two countries normalized.
Mr. Bihi has acknowledged that along with the Interior Minister Ali Mohamed Waran Adde worked hard to convince the Ethiopian government that the border must be opened.
Ethiopia put in place a new security measures which stipulates that anyone willing to cross to Ethiopian territory should be finger printed and urged Somaliland citizens to abide by that rule.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Suspected al Shabaab militia kill three people in North Eastern
14 Aug- Source: Standard Media- 275 words
Three people were killed by unknown gun men in two separate incidents in North-Eastern region bordering the war-torn Somalia on Wednesday.
In the first incident, militia men suspected to be the members of the Somali Islamist group, al Shabaab stormed the site of a construction company, which is working on a road project in Mandera County and killed one person.
Confirming the 11.30 am incident, Mandera county commissioner Alex Ole Nkoyo said the militia numbering about five and armed with sophisticated weaponry, attacked Earth construction company field killing a driver before retreating towards the adjacent Somali border.
He said, the militia fired aimlessly at the workers after cordoning off the construction site from all directions.
“After sealing off the field site, the militia men who were highly we believe to be the members of the al Shabaab started shooting the workers from all directions indiscriminately. However, others managed to escape unhurt,” he said in phone interview.
Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary: Major security strides at US-Africa talks
14 Aug- Source: Capital News- 393 words
Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku says the country’s security response is set to be enhanced following the signing of the Custom Mutual Assistance Agreement between the United States and Kenya.
The agreement was signed during the US-Africa Leader’s Summit after more than seven years of negotiations.
He says the agreement seeks to manage border movements and security while providing a framework of information sharing between security agencies.
“The signing of that assistance agreement brings a framework through which information will be shared and make sure that we are able to effectively deal with illegal immigration, issue of wildlife poaching and wildlife products which is a big challenge that really must be managed through entry and exit routes in the country,” he affirmed. He was speaking during a self analysis session on achievements of the summit which was largely termed as successful.
On regional peace, he said special focus was made on Somalia and South Sudan where Kenya has led the efforts to restore normalcy in both countries.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Obama Weighs Strategy Against Islamic State
14 Aug- Source: AP/ABC News- 555 words
The Obama administration is grappling with how to bridge the gap between its increasingly dire assessment of the threat posed by the Islamic State group and the limited, defensive air campaign it has so far undertaken, which military officials acknowledge will not blunt the group’s momentum.
For months, administration officials have been divided about the threat posed by the Islamic State as it seized parts of Syria and advanced on towns in Iraq. Now, amid new intelligence about its growing strength, a consensus is forming that the group presents an unacceptable terrorism risk to the United States and its allies.
At issue is whether President Barack Obama, elected on a platform of ending the Iraq war, will heed calls for a campaign to contain or destroy the Islamic State, an undertaking that could dominate U.S. foreign policy for the remainder of his term.
Obama himself has said the U.S. “has a strategic interest in pushing back” the Islamic State, but he has also insisted he will not send American combat troops back to war in Iraq. He has not shied away from using targeted military force in other places, such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, when he decided that terrorists there threatened the U.S.
UN Security Council Pledges Support To Somalia’s Political Reforms
13 Aug- Source: RTT News 325 words
Members of the United Nations Security Council arrived in Mogadishu Wednesday on a landmark visit to Somalia to review progress made by the Federal Government and to demonstrate their continued support for the country’s efforts to ensure a sustainable peace.
Speaking at Mogadishu International Airport, Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant of the United Kingdom, which holds a rotating presidency of the Council for August said: “We are pleased to have this opportunity to visit Somalia. Our visit underlines the commitment of the international community to Somalia’s progress toward peace and stability.”
The 15-member body visit, led by Ambassador Grant and Ambassador Usman Sarki of Nigeria, comes at an important time for Somalia as the country prepares to launch the next phase of military operations against Al-Shabaab, addresses a worsening humanitarian situation and pushes forward with political reforms to agree a federal system of governance.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Al Shabaab is no longer dominated by young nationalists, and its objectives have become blurred”
Somalia’s War: The Al-Shabab Threat
14 Aug- Source: fairobserver -527 words
Al-Shabab, a Somali militia, originated as a radical Islamist movement seeking to create a “Greater Somalia.” In 2006, it became a militant wing of Somalia’s Islamic Courts Union (ICU) to fight Christian-majority Ethiopian forces during the transitional government. Ethiopia ousted the ICU and al-Shabab splintered off into the south, organizing suicide bombings and assaults on Ethiopian forces. This was a morphing period for the group, which created factions to become a territorial guerrilla movement. Today, al-Shabab is designated as a terrorist organization.
Though nationalist in origin, al-Shabab has widened its scope. In June 2010, it coordinated a suicide bombing that killed 74 people gathered to watch the FIFA World Cup in Kampala, Uganda. Al-Shabab has also been accused of helping Boko Haram carry out operations in Nigeria. Its most significant transition occurred in 2012, when it merged with al-Qaeda as an affiliate cell. This move strengthened the belief in an international jihad movement.
Al-Shabab’s main opposition are Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces, both backed by the United Nations. In a January 2009 attack on the TFG, al-Shabab killed three ministers. AMISOM has regularly sent forces to Somalia since the Uganda bombing, which raises belief that the former is defending the TFG. Al-Shabab has carried out attacks against AMISOM forces to combat this assistance.
Al-Shabab is funded by tithes, extortion and external donors. Its economy flourished in 2008 after it seized the port city of Kismayo, which enabled the group to rake off revenues from charcoal exportations. In October 2011, a Kenyan-led assault on Kismayo liberated the port of al-Shabab fighters. This is believed to have taken away $35-50 million per year from its revenue. However, al-Shabab still makes considerable income through smuggling imported sugar into Kenya.
“Somalia has a long ways to go toward peace and stability. And al-Qaeda affiliates like al Shabaab have taken hits in various countries only to re-emerge, and surge, later. But there is some basis for hope in the Horn of Africa. Amid chaos in so much of the world, that good news is worth savoring for a moment.”
Positive News in the War on Terror
13 Aug – Source: blogs.wsj.com – 437 words
With the Islamic State strong in Syria and Iraq, Libya in anarchy, and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in a shambles, the Middle East seems to be coming undone. But events in other areas–including Mali after the French intervention in 2013; Afghanistan after Secretary of State John Kerry‘s latest fire-brigade visit to keep the electoral process on track; and Iraqi Kurdistan after the peshmerga’s counteroffensives of the past few days–give reason to be hopeful about the war on terror. One of those unexpected sources of promising news is Somalia. Although still a failed state in many ways, Somalia is showing more signs of forward momentum than at any time in the past quarter-century. At a Brookings Institution forum last week, I interviewed Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed. He was selected by parliament to run the country nearly two years ago after an impressive career in education; he remained in Somalia through the turbulence of the past 25 years.By many measures, President Mohamed effectively governs only a modest fraction of his country of 10 million. He is the first to acknowledge that even those areas his government controls desperately need economic recovery and development. Accordingly, much of his focus during last week’s Africa summit in Washington was requesting international assistance–not just economic aid but also investment, including by Somalia’s impressive international diaspora. But compared with the anarchy of the 1990s and 2000s, Somalia today is a transforming place.
Top tweets
Adeso @Adesoafrica In Puntland, #Somalia communities are learning to include their daughters in leadership & governance. Read more on: http://adesoafrica.org/a-
Philippe Lazzarini @UNLazzarini Ahead of my live #AskLazzariniQ&A tomorrow, get the latest #humanitarian updates on#Somalia http://bit.ly/1tnDqPD pic.twitter.com/rElMu1JI3F
@Rooble2009 Ex- Somali Prime Minister Ali Kalif Galaydh is the Newly Appointed President of Khaatumo #Somalia #Somaliland
Africa Research Inst @AfricaResearch @OxfaminSOM: 304,000 children under 5 in #Somalia are malnourished, with 77,000 at high risk of death and disease http://bit.ly/1q9JMy9
@Abdulazizosman #ICRS warns #Somalia faces extreme food shortage, putting many peoples lives at risk. Malnutrition rate is high n famine is a possibility.
Image of the day
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, flanked by Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Mark Lyall-Grant, at a meeting in Mogadishu on 13 August during a historic visit to the country by the 15-member UN Security Council. Photo: UN /Tobin Jones