August 15, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Choppers were cleared, Kenya army chief says
15 Aug – Source: Daily Monitor – 221 words
Kenya’s Chief of General Staff Julius Karangi says the ill-fated Ugandan war helicopters had been cleared and undergone the normal formalities to transit the Kenyan airspace. Gen. Karangi told the Parliament committee on Defence and Foreign relations yesterday that the Kenya Defence Force knew the four military planes would be flying the Kenyan airspace and necessary arrangements were made for them to refuel as they headed to Mogadishu, Somalia.
Responding to questions before the team chaired by Wajir West MP Adan Kenyan, the Chief of Defence Forces dismissed claims that Kenya Defence Force was slow in responding to the crash.
“We had clear arrangements for fuelling the helicopters because they could not fly to Mogadishu directly. They had to make several stops,” he said. One of the soldiers in the ill-fated helicopters called the KDF informing them about the tragedy at around 5pm on Sunday.
Key Headlines
- Choppers were cleared Kenya army chief says (Daily Monitor)
- Abdi Qeybdid sworn in as Galmudug president (Radio Bar-kulan/ Jowhar Online/Caasimada Online)
- UN envoy confident about post-transition period in Somalia (United Nations Radio)
- Anti-Piracy operations continue in Puntland (Garowe Online)
- Transitional government’s term must not be extended Somali President warns (Africa Review)
- Kenya to reopen its diplomatic mission in Mogadishu soon (Bar-kulan)
- UN envoy says spoilers must not disrupt Somalia’s peaceful transition to democracy (UN News Center)
SOMALI MEDIA
Abdi Qeybdid sworn in as Galmudug president
15 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-kulan/ Jowhar Online/Caasimada Online – 297 words
Galmudug’s newly elected president Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid has been sworn in as the regional president at a ceremony in central Somali town of Galkayo on Tuesday. Qeybdid reiterated his pre-election promises saying that he will tackle insecurity in the entire region, expand his administrations to areas that have not been covered by the regional authority and foster relations with neighbouring regional states.
In a speech at the ceremony, the newly elect president also promised to embark of social development programmes including health sector, education and provision of clean water to the locals in the region.
Mr. Qeybdid, a former TFG minister for Minerals and Water has been elected president of the semi-autonomous State of Galmudug two weeks ago after winning a hotly contested presidential election held in Galkayo town by the region’s parliamentarians. He garnered 20 votes out of the 22 voters casted.
Anti-Piracy operations continue in Puntland
15 Aug – Source: Garowe Online – 221 words
Puntland government forces are continuing with the anti-piracy security operations in coastal areas, as well as Galkayo city located at the jurisdiction line with troubled regions in south-central Somalia.
On 12 August 2012, suspected pirates attacked the central jail in Galkayo. Puntland government forces repelled the attack, which was organized in an area outside of Puntland jurisdiction. One pirate attacker was wounded and captured by Puntland security forces, while three other wounded pirates escaped.
Needy families in Boon town receive humanitarian aid
15 Aug – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 109 words
More than 350 needy families in Boon town, northern Somalia, have received much needed humanitarian aid from a local aid agency, Amud Foundation. The aid was meant for destitute families in the town who are facing severe hardship.
Director of Amud Foundation Abdirahman Ahmed Obsiye said the aid was a joint donation from his organisation and Somali community members in Saudi Arabia who are natives of the region. The aid was handed over to area district commissioner Mohamed Kheyre for distributions. Boon district is one of the drought-hit districts in Awdal region where severe drought has badly affected the lives of locals and their livestock.
In Somaliland, armed men kidnap 4 civilians
15 Aug – Source: Somaliland Press – 124 words
Somali insurgents have abducted at least four civilians in southern Somaliland, according to news reports. Armed members of the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) separatist rebel force late Tuesday kidnapped four nomads near the village of Sool-Jogto in the restive southern province of Buhodle.
A spokesman for the kidnappers demanded the government to free one of their jailed leaders under conditions for a truce. The rebels insisted all victims were soldiers but the government has dismissed their claims.
“This afternoon around 4:30-PM we arrested four members of Somaliland’s defense forces in Sool-Jogto. We took them to exchange for the man named Jama Kutiye, who was in prison for years,” Abdullahi Aidid Jama, a man who identified himself as a rebel spokesman, said.
12 al Shabaab suspects arrested in Beledweyne
14 Aug – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Somalia Report – 58 words
Somali security forces conducted massive security operations in Beledeweyne town of Hiiraan region, arresting at least twelve al Shabaab suspects. Beledweyne Police Chief Ali Dhuuh Abdi Mahad Alle told Radio Mogadishu that the suspects will be brought to court as soon as possible. Mr. Alle stated that the security operations will continue till they secure the entire town.
Kenya to reopen its diplomatic mission in Mogadishu soon
14 Aug – Source: Bar-kulan – 149 words
Kenya will have its diplomatic mission reopened in Somali capital, Mogadishu, in the coming days, according to Kenyan Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi. Mwangi made the announcement Tuesday after visiting Mogadishu to pay what he called a courtesy call to Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.
He said their primary mission in Mogadishu was to begin the process of reopening their diplomatic mission, adding that they are very delighted to secure a premise for that purpose. The Kenyan PS promised to relocate their embassy from Nairobi where it has been conducting its business.
Mwangi said the decision to reopen their embassy in Mogadishu was taken in order for them to be able to support the ongoing process and ensure that their presence in Somalia becomes a meaning full in terms of their involvement in the post-conflict peace building and reconstruction of Somalia.
Former president expresses worry over Galmudug elections
14 Aug – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 105 words
Former President of Galmdug state Mohamed Ahmed Aalin arrived in Mogadishu and expressed his displeasure over the election that was held in Galmudug. Alin, who was a member of the Somali roadmap signatories, noted that the election was mismanaged by individuals with a special interest. On the other hand, he urged Galmudug people not to accept illegal president to administrate them in addition. The statement of Mr Aalin comes while Abdi Hassan Awale who is claimed to have won the election, was sworn in as president.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Choppers were cleared, Kenya army chief says
15 Aug – Source: Daily Monitor – 221 words
Kenya’s Chief of General Staff Julius Karangi says the ill-fated Ugandan war helicopters had been cleared and undergone the normal formalities to transit the Kenyan airspace. Gen. Karangi told the Parliament committee on Defence and Foreign relations yesterday that the Kenya Defence Force knew the four military planes would be flying the Kenyan airspace and necessary arrangements were made for them to refuel as they headed to Mogadishu, Somalia.
Responding to questions before the team chaired by Wajir West MP Adan Kenyan, the Chief of Defence Forces dismissed claims that Kenya Defence Force was slow in responding to the crash.
“We had clear arrangements for fuelling the helicopters because they could not fly to Mogadishu directly. They had to make several stops,” he said. One of the soldiers in the ill-fated helicopters called the KDF informing them about the tragedy at around 5pm on Sunday.
Transitional government’s term must not be extended, Somali President warns
14 Aug – Source: Africa Review – 224 words
Somalia President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has urged elders currently picking a parliament that will choose the battle-weary country’s next leader that the term of the current transition government cannot be extended beyond August 20.
A Conflict Resolution Committee comprising 25 traditional clan elders is meeting in Mogadishu to pick 275 members of a new parliament who would then choose a new President, according to a peace roadmap.
President Ahmed urged the leaders to accelerate the process and said that donors would not accept an extension to the tenure of the current Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
Somalia: The risk of being a journalist
12 Aug – Source: Al Jazeera – 7:51 min
Somalia has one of the most vibrant media landscapes in the Horn of Africa. There are hundreds of radio, TV and print outlets satisfying the Somali thirst for news. And yet, broadcasters and journalists operate in an atmosphere which is hostile to free expression. Somalia ranks as Africa’s most dangerous place to be a journalist – this year alone six reporters have been murdered.
The threats to the media in Somalia come from all sides – there are powerful politicians in power battles with each other, there is the notorious armed group al Shabaab and even wealthy businessmen can mean danger. Trying to report on the country’s various issues has proven difficult for journalists. Those that do, do so at their peril. But that fragile media environment has not stemmed the growth of the media sector or discouraged young journalists from entering the field.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN envoy confident about post-transition period in Somalia
14 Aug – Source: United Nations Radio – 4:58 min
UN humanitarian officials are concerned following reports of civilian casualties in Somalia as government forces and al Shabaab militants appear ready to fight over the southern port city of Kismaayo. This comes less than a week before the end of transitional governance in Somalia on 20 August.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, concerned about delays in selecting a parliament, has called on the country’s leaders to rise above their differences in the best interest of the Somali people.
Somalia’s steps towards peace and reconciliation follow decades of conflict, and UN envoy for Somalia, Dr. Augustine Mahiga, says he expects the country to become more stable after this month.
East Africa debates what happens to southern Somalia if al Shabaab is routed
14 Aug – Source: Mc Clatchy – 870 words
A long-awaited assault on the southern Somali port of Kismayo that Western governments hope will end the influence of al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia has been delayed over last-minute negotiations on how to divide the spoils and avoid more civil war should the city fall.
In a struggle between neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, representatives from East African countries have been meeting this week with representatives from different Somali factions to discuss carving out yet another semi-autonomous region in Somalia if Kismayo is captured.
Last October, Kenya sent troops across its border with Somalia to root out fighters aligned with al Shabaab, the Somalia affiliate of al Qaida. In June, Kenya’s prime minister promised that his country’s forces would take Kismayo by this month, ahead of Somalia’s transition to a new federal government next week.
But a spokesman for Ras Kamboni, a Somali militia that’s fighting alongside Kenyan troops, said those plans had been delayed for “political reasons” and promised only that the offensive would be begin before the end of the month.
UN envoy says spoilers must not disrupt Somalia’s peaceful transition to democracy
14 Aug – Source: UN News Centre – 490 words
Spoilers hampering Somalia’s transition to democracy will face stringent action from the Security Council if they continue their obstruction, the United Nations top political official for Somalia declared today, while also confirming that the selection of Somalia’s new Parliament was on track and would usher in a new era of peace, stability and democracy for the East African country.
After decades of warfare, Somalia has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process, with the country’s Transitional Federal Institutions implementing the Roadmap for the End of Transition, devised last September. The Roadmap spells out priority measures to be carried out before the current transitional governing arrangements end on 20 August.
In an interview with the UN News Centre, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), Augustine Mahiga, acknowledged that the past 10 months of negotiations in the Horn of Africa country had revealed numerous spoilers working to ensure that the political status quo was maintained and extended.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Somalia’s struggle towards normalcy has proved daunting, with too many setbacks and false starts over the years. As the TFG is replaced with an actual Federal government, it’s a new chance for the power brokers of the past to make decisions that actual benefit the citizens of Somalia. For a change.”
Somalia’s Struggle for Normalcy
14 Aug – Source: UN Dispatch – 615 Words
Twenty years without an effective government is not a record that countries would seek out willingly. Since 2004, Somalia has been ruled by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), an attempt to slowly get Somalia back on its feet. The TFG experiment is now coming to an end, as a new permanent Constitution has been approved.
International accolades have poured forth since the adoption, but many challenges await Somalia. Most immediate and pressing is the need to select a new Parliament, who will then choose a new President. That task, sure to be daunting in states that haven’t been considered failed for an entire generation, needs to take place before the UN-mandate of the TFG expires next Monday. The 135 tribal elders charged with providing names for those who will represent the various clans and factions of Somalia in Parliament were to have submitted their candidates for approval by last Thursday.
“But the fact that people in Mogadishu are so quick to use weapons to settle arguments, or as was the case with my bodyguard, to move traffic along, is a sign of just how fragile the situation is. When I asked people about the possibility of disarmament, I was almost always greeted with a resounding ‘no’. People said they did not trust the army, the police or the African Union peacekeepers, and that it was nowhere near time to give up their guns.”
Somalia: peace in Mogadishu is fragile but holding
14 Aug – Source: African Arguments – 1088 Words
Last month, as I walked through Bakara market – the main commercial district of Mogadishu – it was difficult to believe that just one year ago, it had been a stronghold of the Islamist group, al Shabaab, and the scene of frequent fire fights and mortar attacks.
In August 2011, the militia largely withdrew from Bakara and the rest of the city. It has since been driven out of other key areas of Somalia, but still controls significant parts of the country, and carries out frequent suicide and other attacks in the capital.
“After more than 20 years of war and anarchy, Mogadishu is enjoying a rare, extended period of relative calm. Amidst the rubble, homes are being rebuilt, cafes and hotels opening, thousands of members of the diaspora are returning, and everyone is talking – with varying degrees of confidence – about a future without bloodshed.”
Can expatriate Somalis rebuild their country?
14 Aug – Source: BBC – 1094 Words
Mohammed Martello was standing on a sand dune beside the beach just north of Mogadishu, with a big grin on his face.
“Look at that view,” sighed Mr Martello, an estate agent who returned home to Somalia recently after years spent living in Luton, England. Nearby, two elegantly dressed Somali women – one in business, the other a politician’s wife – emerged from an air-conditioned car to view the plots with keen interest.
Top tweets
@BeenThereSawIt Civilians fleeing #Kismayo ahead of AU offensive. Food prices there rising. Conditions tough. #Somalia.
@unictunis #UN envoy says spoilers must not disrupt #Somalia’s peaceful transition to democracy http://ow.ly/cYR0k.
@fredoarts And I like it when Somalis make effort to learn Swahili. We are one people, when #Somalia cries, her tears flows into #Kenya.
@KhusaafMan #Debates what happens to southern #Somalia if #AlShabab is routed #Africa http://goo.gl/Wc2Sc.
@Diriedadx The beauty of #Somali #democracy – every ‘family’ has someone vying for the presidency! Call it democrazy!
Image of the day
Recently trained members of the Somali National Army sit during a passing-out parade at Jazeera training facility in Mogadishu August 14, 2012. Photo: Reuters. Recently trained members of the Somali National Army sit during a passing-out parade at Jazeera training facility in Mogadishu August 14, 2012. Photo: Reuters.