August 14, 2018 | Morning Headlines
Nine Killed In Clashes Between Al-Shabaab And Locals Near Jilib Town
13 August – Source: Halbeeg News – 219 Words
At least nine people have been killed and several others wounded in clashes between Al-Shabaab and local fighters, near Jilib town in Middle Jubba region. Speaking to the media, Mohamed Ibrahim, Deputy Governor in charge of security said, the fighting broke out between clan militias and Al-Shabaab fighters in remote areas.
“Al-Shabaab arrested several farmers claiming that they (farmers) were Kenyans. Irate locals stormed Al-Shabaab bases prompting fierce fighting between the two sides,” Mr. Ibrahim said. Mr. Ibrahim confirmed the death of three Al-Shabaab and six local clan militiamen. “For now we heard the death of nine people including six local fighters and three Al-Shabaab. The fighting is still ongoing in remote areas near Jilib town,” he noted.
The official called on the federal government and Jubbaland state to help the locals fight Al-Shabaab fighters in the region. The development comes on the heel of African Union’s call to accelerate the fight against Al-Shabaab. Commander of African Union Mission, Lt. Gen. Jim Owoyesigire has called on battlefield commanders of both SNA and AMISOM to accelerate the fight to annihilate Al-Shabaab.
Al-Shabaab, controls a large swath of Middle region where the group has the highest number of its training bases. Somali forces supported by AMISOM have intensified offensives against Al-Shabaab in several areas in Middle Shabelle and Hiiraan regions.
Key Headlines
- Nine Killed In Clashes Between Al-Shabaab And Locals Near Jilib Town (Halbeeg News)
- Somali President Meets With Eritrea’s Delegation (Mareeg News)
- Somali Government Lines Up 1000 Jobs For Youth (Halbeeg News)
- 3 Die As Al-Shabaab Targets Mandera Border Wall Workers (Daily Nation)
- Somalia: No Terrorist Taxation Without Intimidation (Strategy Page)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali President Meets With Eritrea’s Delegation
13 August – Source: Mareeg News – 153 Words
The Federal Republic of Somalia, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has met with Eritrea’s delegation in Mogadishu. The Eritrea’s delegation composed of Foreign Minister, Osman Saleh Mohammed and Presidential Adviser, Yemane Gebreab arrived in Mogadishu on Monday. President Farmaajo explained to the delegation the progress that Somalia has made as well as domestic and external challenges it continues to face. Mr. Farmaajo reaffirmed Somalia’s commitment to the Joint Declaration signed, by both countries and outlined priorities for its implementation.
Eritrea’s FM Saleh has delivered a message from President Isaias Afwerki to his Somali counterpart. Somali PM Hassan Ali Khaire has also participated in the meeting between Eritrea’s delegation and President Farmaajo. The visit of the Eritrean Foreign Minister, Osman Saleh Mohammed comes after Somali president paid a three-day visit to Asmara last month. President Farmaajo and his Eritrean counterpart, Isaias Afwerki who met in Asmara, had signed an agreement on economic and political cooperation.
Somali Government Lines Up 1000 Jobs For Youth
13 July – Source: Halbeeg News – 266 Words
Somali government on Sunday pledged to create 1000 jobs for the youth in Mogadishu. Speaking at an event to mark International Youth Day in Mogadishu, Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said, his government will focus on creating more jobs for young people.
PM Khaire said, the Mogadishu local government will hire 1000 young graduates to support a new government policy for creating jobs. “Last year, the government employed 1,000 young people, the same way this year, we will hire another 1000 young graduates. We request the mayor of Mogadishu to hire 1000 these young people,” said PM Khaire.
He added that the government will continue to focus on the importance of youth employment creation, revealing that they will create opportunities for young graduates. Late last year, while addressing participants at Somalia Partnership Forum President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo said, his Government intends to reduce poverty by two per cent each year and would create jobs to thousands of Somali youth with assistance from the international community. “We must still do more to retain our young people,” he added. “That is a must, not only to grow our country but also for preventing radicalization. We are fully aware that socio-economic improvements to the quality of our people’s lives…will undoubtedly help bring about political stability.”
UN agencies estimated that the unemployment rate for youths in Somalia to be among the highest in the world, at a startling 60-70% among all 14 to 28. Unemployment and poverty in Somalia have forced many young people to emigrate in search of a better life through perilous journeys across deserts and seas.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
3 Die As Al-Shabaab Targets Mandera Border Wall Workers
13 August – Source: Daily Nation – 205 Words
Three people have been killed and one seriously injured after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device in Mandera. Mandera South Deputy County Commissioner Paul Kemei said the 10am incident targeted a team clearing a road on the Kenya-Somalia border.
The team was headed to their work station when the device exploded. “The victims have been clearing a road along the security wall and they were hit by what we suspect to be an improvised explosive device,” Mr Kemei said.
Mr Kemei said the explosive must have been planted early in the morning by suspected Al-Shabaab militants. Usually, the team is escorted to the site but Mr Kemei said security officers did not accompany them on Monday. “All teams working on the security wall have security provided but it remains unclear how this team went on site without security officers,” he said.
He said investigation are underway to establish why the contractor and his team went to the site unaccompanied. Since 2015 when the national government announced the plan to build a security wall along Kenya-Somalia border, several terror incidents by suspected Al-Shabaab militant have been reported. The wall was to wade off militants according to government plan but the progress has been slow.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Kenya spends $20 million a year providing security for the 360 kilometers Somalia border. Because of the continuing al Shabaab violence in Somalia there are plenty of people (refugees, smugglers) crossing illegally besides Islamic terrorists and bandits.”
Somalia: No Terrorist Taxation Without Intimidation
13 August – Source: Strategy Page – 1554 Words
The commander of the 21,000 AU (African Union) peacekeeper force has ordered peacekeepers to permanently attach themselves with army units and operate together as a joint force. This is another effort to deal with the poor discipline, corruption and uneven performance of Somali Army units. All the AU troops are African and, while Somalis have a high opinion of themselves, it will be interesting to see how they react to daily examples of other African soldiers demonstrating superior discipline and capability. This may be a cure, or a source of fatal friction between the Somali soldiers and the peacekeepers.
Al Shabaab is also having personnel problems. Although the Islamic terror organization has established a new source of income (via providing immunity from attack in return for regular payments) this protection scheme enables al Shabaab to pay the salaries and benefits for leaders and monthly pay for full time members. Al Shabaab always takes care of its payroll because it has discovered in the past that unpaid members often just walk away. The current pay levels are enough to keep most members on the job but not enough for expansion or foreign operations.
Before 2011, when al Shabaab still controlled much of Mogadishu as well as other ports like Kismayo and a percentage of the pirate ransoms (which dried up after 2011) there was a lot more cash to work with and al Shabaab was a lot more dangerous. Now they are a persistent local problem. They are trying to establish themselves among the Somali minority in Kenya but that is proving difficult. In part it be because most of the hundreds of Kenyan Somalis who joined al Shabaab in Somalia have died or deserted and returned home disillusioned. In Somalia this means al Shabaab is concentrating more on recruiting via kidnapped or enticed children (teenaged boys). Until they get older and more experienced these recruits are cheap and expendable. Taking these kids is considered another form of taxation rural Somalis have to deal with.
Over the last week there has been another outbreak of ethnic violence next door in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. The governor of the region was replaced (after he was arrested) and federal forces were sent in to calm things down between ethnic Somalis and other groups (particularly Christians). Unrest among ethnic Somalis next door in Ethiopia was a problem for much of 2017 but by the end of 2017 the government had restored the peace and Ethiopians displaced by the violence began returning home. The Ethiopian government returned its attention to the Somali problem in Somalia.
The Ethiopian problem was not about violence against Somalia but between ethnic Somalis in eastern Ethiopia and the non-Somali Oromo people who live to the west. The Ethiopian province of Ogaden, which comprises most of eastern Ethiopia contains a largely ethnic Somali population. To the west of Ogaden is Oromia, where the largest minority in Ethiopia (the Oromo) predominate. There have long been territorial disputes along the Ogaden-Oromia border and these have flared up again in 2017 and took awhile for the government and armed forces (many withdrawn from Somalia) to deal with.