August 26, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali Forces Kill 12 ‘Al-Shabaab’ Militants Near Garbaharey Town
26 August – Source: Xinhua – 134 Words
At least 12 ‘Al-Shabaab’ militants were on Tuesday killed by government forces in heavy clashes in a village near Garbaharey town in Gedo region, southern Somalia, officials and witnesses said. Abdullahi Osman, Somali government forces commander in Gedo region, told journalists that they launched a heavy attack on the Tula Barwako village. “We killed 12 militants in the battle and we also seized weapons from them. “One of our soldiers was injured and now we are fully in control of the village,” he said. He also said the militants fled the village after fierce battle with the government troops. Residents said that the fighting was intense and lasted for some hours. “Both sides exchanged huge gunfire which caused many fears among the residents. The situation is now calm,” Liban Doholow, a local villager, told Xinhua.
Key Headlines
- Somali Forces Kill 12 ‘Al-Shabaab’ Militants Near Garbaharey Town (Xinhua)
- Somali National Army And AMISOM Attack Al-Shabaab In The Bay Region (Radio Dalsan)
- First Civilian Plane Lands In Bardhere After Militants’ Ouster (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia Gives Turkish Firm 20-Year Contract To Run Mogadishu Port (Horseed Media)
- Galmudug Ministers Likely To Be Appointed (Radio Dalsan)
- 10 Suspected Al-Shabaab Recruits Arrested In Kenya (The Standard)
- Somali Police Investigate Minnesota-born Teen’s Death At Boarding School (StarTribune)
- Two Hundred Al-Shabaab Linked-Youth Go Missing After Release (Daily Nation)
- Somalia National Human Rights Day An Opportunity To Enhance Accountability (RBC Radio)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali National Army And AMISOM Attack Al-Shabaab In The Bay Region
26 August – Source: Radio Dalsan – 163 Words
Heavy fighting between Al-Shabaab and the joint forces, Somali National Army and AMISOM in multiple towns in the region of Bay has been reported over the last 24 hours. A resident who requested to remain anonymous told Wacaal Media “there has been heavy fighting between Al-Shabaab and the joint forces in the towns of Dhergo, Makon and Manas, which are about 40km from here.” The resident added the heavy fights came after the Somali government troops and Ethiopian forces attacked those towns which are currently under the control of Al-Shabaab. He added that the fight damaged at least six different infrastructures in those towns. Radio Dalsan, has learnt that the fights ended last night without any external intervention, and the joint forces retreated to Dinsoor. AMISOM and SNA have been in in Dinsor District for the past few weeks, which they have liberated from Al-Shabaab. The joint forces are in the process of liberating more towns in the area.
First Civilian Plane Lands In Bardhere After Militants’ Ouster
26 August – Source: Hiiraan Online – 216 Words
The first civilian airline carrying dozens of passengers has landed in the agricultural town of Bardhere on Tuesday few weeks after the allied forces ousted militants, in a sign that life is returning to normalcy in the southwestern town. The flight from Mogadishu has landed at the town’s airport, paving the way for more new flights to Bardhere which has been under militants control for the past six years.The passengers including former residents of the town have arrived to see it after many years that they had to pass up the idea of travelling to there for security reasons. The development comes few days after local authorities have declared the reopening of Bardhere airport and called for the local airliners to fly into the town.
Despite the loss of Bardhere, Al-Shabaab still controls few towns, mostly in southern Somalia where its fighters are waging a deadly guerilla war. Thousands of residents who fled the town have now returned. Bardhere, an important agricultural town in southwestern Somalia was one of the few income sources under Al-Shabaab control where they taxed the town’s bulky agricultural productions. During their control, the group also taxed commercial goods to the northeastern Kenyan town of Wajir as the town is the major route for the region’s inter-regional commercial activity zone.
Somalia Gives Turkish Firm 20-Year Contract To Run Mogadishu Port
26 August – Source: Horseed Media – 235 Words
Somalia’s Federal government has given a Turkish firm a long-term contract to run and upgrade the Mogadishu International Airport, Horseed Media has learnt. Turkish construction Al-bayrak Group and Somali government officials signed a 20-year agreement to upgrade and run the operation of the port by the firm. The Al Bayrak Company is charged with bringing in new technology to modernize the cargo hub to international standards.Somali labourers at the port raised concerns about the move, insisting that their jobs will be handled by Turks. “We will no longer be employed nor have the opportunity to work at the port. All our jobs are going to be handled by Turks and we don’t know how we will earn our livings,’’ said one of the labourers.
The Port of Mogadishu has been one of the only employers for many Somalis for decades. Members of the Somali Federal Parliament have raised questions over this long-term deal and how it was procured. Earlier this year, the Federal government’s donor-backed committee consistently accused the government of awarding foreign firms management contracts ranging from port and airport operations to fishing rights, voicing frustration at the handling of public funds, prompting the creation of a committee to analyse the deals. Most of the major contracts signed by Somali government in the past two years were not tendered competitively and should be renegotiated or scrapped, according to a confidential report.
Galmudug Ministers Likely To Be Appointed
25 August – Source: Radio Dalsan – 105 Words
The President of Galmudug, Mr.Abdikarim Hussein Guled is likely to appoint members of his Cabinet in the coming hours according to reliable source from Adado. According to Radio Dalsan, Mr. Abdikarim was initially expected to appoint the Cabinet of Ministers within a period of 45 days, however he could not manage to do that and Galmudug Members of Parliament granted him an extension of 15 days. It has emerged that there are speculations President Guled allegedly has the plan to add some of his presidential challengers and members of the opposition group Ahlu Sunna Wal jama’a in his cabinet of ministers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
10 Suspected Al-Shabaab Recruits Arrested In Kenya
26 August – Source: The Standard – 346 Words
Security agents in Kenya’s Garissa County on Monday night arrested eight Tanzanians believed to have been on their way to Somalia to join Al Shabaab. The men aged between 20 and 40 were intercepted in Dadaab town while planning to enter Somalia and are currently being interrogated by police, said North Eastern Regional Commissioner Mohamud Saleh. Mr Saleh said two women, a Kenyan and Tanzanian, were also arrested early this week heading to Somalia to become “Shabaab brides”. The commissioner said six Al Shabaab militants have also been arrested and seven pistols and an equivalent number grenades recovered in the last three days in Garissa town.
“We have arrested six Al Shabaab militia men with two pistols, seven grenades, 20 rounds of ammunition and 15 magazines in Garissa Ndogo Trading Centre and we are looking for more accomplices who are on the run,” he said. He added: “The suspects are now being interrogated at Garissa Police Station by anti-terrorism police. Security officers are following crucial leads that will see the apprehension of more Al Shabaab suspects hiding within the town in the next two days.”
The suspects, Saleh said, were planning to carry out deadly attacks targeting some vital institutions, which he didn’t name, in the next few days. He said the security officers received a tip-off about the presence of the criminals who were at advanced stage of their plan. “We are happy that the local communities are co-operating very well with the security agencies in providing intelligence.
Somali Police Investigate Minnesota-born Teen’s Death At Boarding School
26 August – Source: StarTribune – 449 Words
Somali police officials have launched an investigation into the brutal death of Minneapolis-born boarding school student following mounting pressure from U.S. authorities. In an e-mail to the young man’s family, Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office said that authorities in Puntland, a region of northern Somalia, had begun a probe into the death of 17-year-old Ammar Abdihamid Abdirahman. The announcement came weeks after the U.S. State Department got involved, insisting that local authorities take seriously the death of an American citizen. Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi increased pressure on Puntland authorities in recent weeks after learning of the death.
Abdirahman was reportedly tortured and killed in early May by a group of attackers who entered his dorm room, said Somali community activist Omar Jamal. Investigators are expected to look into reports that the headmaster of the since-shuttered school was involved in the assault. The boy’s cries for help could be heard from outside the room by his roommates, including several other young men from Minneapolis, Jamal said. An initial autopsy suggested that Abdirahman died of strangulation. For months, Abdirahman’s mother, Shukri Hersi, heard nothing from Puntland authorities about the circumstances surrounding his death, until she decided to contact state authorities for help, Jamal said.
Two Hundred Al-Shabaab Linked-Youth Go Missing After Release
26 August – Source: Daily Nation – 317 Words
Over 200 youth released from prison over their alleged links with Al-Shabaab cannot be traced. The youth were arrested when police raided Minaa, Swafaa, Musa and Sakina mosques in September last year in an anti-terrorism crackdown and held in prison. They were released from Shimo La Tewa Prison after local leaders promised to help re-integrate them into society. And yesterday, Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa confirmed that some of the youth are missing: “Politicians pleaded with the government to free them from prison, promising to guide them on to the right path. But now, it is shocking the youth have vanished. Where are they and what are they doing? Only a few who can be traced,” said Mr Marwa.
Mr Marwa told a security meeting at Mkomani Showground on Monday that he wants parents to come clean on the whereabouts of their missing children. “They had grenades, firearms and Al-Shabaab literature when they were arrested. When they left the prison, we were told they would be rehabilitated. Parents should tell us the truth.” Meanwhile, Mr Marwa who chairs the county security committee said all schools and colleges have been secured after reports Al Shabaab recruits are out to lure students to join the terror group. He said the government is also monitoring school dropouts and accused parents of failing to take responsibility for their children.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“In the last two years, the narrative that peace and security have returned to many parts of central and southern Somalia has gained currency. Underpinning this narrative is the view that SNA and AMISOM forces have inflicted heavy losses on Al-Shabaab and pushed the armed group out of many areas. This narrative has informed attempts by some countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and Denmark, to force Somali refugees back to southern and central Somalia. However, forced returns violate international human rights and refugee law.”
Somalia National Human Rights Day An Opportunity To Enhance Accountability
25 August – Source: RBC Radio – 904 Word
As Somalia marks its National Human Rights day today, both the Federal Government and the international community should take the opportunity to effectively put human rights and accountability at the centre of the country’s reconstruction efforts and begin paving the way towards truth, justice and reparations for the victims. Such efforts are essential to peacebuilding. Somalia’s National Human Rights Day was declared in August 2013 as part of local and international efforts to address the multiple human rights challenges faced by the country. The declaration of this day came along with other positive developments since the end of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the establishment of the federal government in 2012, including the Constitutional protection of human rights and the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution and the Ministry of Women and Human Rights.
Despite these positive developments, serious human rights abuses are still persistent and the Federal Government has been unable to fully comply with its obligations under international law. On the one hand, the persistence of the three-decade long civil war and constant violations of international humanitarian law continue to indiscriminately affect the civilian population. On the other hand, institutions in Somalia are still weak and human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, unlawful restrictions on freedom of expression, and political repression are still prevalent and remain mostly unpunished. The main actors, their objectives and methods of warfare, as well as financing of the war have all changed over the years. The current phase involves Al-Shabaab, a terrorist armed group, and the Federal Government’s Somali National Army (SNA), which is supported by 22,000 peacekeepers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
TOP TWEETS
@adan_seed: #Mogadishu International Book Fair started today! Congratulations on the great work @MogBF #MIBF2015#somalia
@ccasomalia: #Somalia Youth are the backbone of the society , they need better initiatives to advance more reliable youth#SomaliYouthagainstextremism
@Daudoo: BREAKING: #AlShabaab fighters overrun #Somaliagovt troop’s base in Kulan-Jarer village, 45km S of Hudur town, casualties reported – Witness
@AbdifatahFaisal: The stage is set and the event is about to start, @MogBF #MIBF2015 #History #Mogadishu #Somalia
@SalahOsman0: SIMAD University in #Mogadishu officially launched 2day its faculty of Engineering Department #Somalia going forward
@adan_seed: #Mogadishu International Book Fair started today! Congratulations on the great work @MogBF #MIBF2015#somalia
@SuzannevnH: Interview @africald with Maman Sidikou AU Spec Rep for #Somalia & head of #AMISOM |https://goo.gl/UJSoED
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali “Gaas” officially launches the Puntland Grand Consultation Conference in Galkayo which was attended by different stakeholders including ministers, parliamentarians, the judiciary, religious leaders, elders and civil society.
Photo: UNSOM