August 27, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Literary Feast As Mogadishu International Book Fair Opens
27 August – Goobjoog News – 414 Words
The inaugural of the Mogadishu International Book Fair opened in Mogadishu yesterday with a host of writers, thespians and book lovers thronging the city to partake in the literary festival whose happening is so significant in many ways for Somalia. From the Nordic to the Americas, the African continent at large, to the restive sandy aboard of the Somali, literary greats of a diversity of genres displayed their finest and for many locals. It was a chance to interact and share with their favourite writers.
The first one of a kind in Mogadishu, the Book Fair whose rallying point is the celebration of books, literature and to stimulate the revival of various kinds of human expression in Somali society, marked a turning point for Somalia. The country has for long been described in unsavoury terms by both a local and foreigners. And perhaps to lend credence to the great British explorer Richard Burton’s description of Somalia as a nation of poets, and the Somali language as once a dialect with no written character but so abounds in poetry and eloquence, the Book Fair was a literary feast of poetry and prose in equal measure. Sahra Koshin’s Sounds of Laughter set the stage as she passionately recited some of her collections.
For the organiser and the brainchild of the Mogadishu International Book Fair, New Horizon, a book fair in Mogadishu marks a milestone for the city and the country at large especially in promoting a culture of reading and writing among Somalis. “We want this Book Fair to be the reference point for many Somalis just as the Hargeisa International Book Fair has become in Somaliland,” said New Horizon Director Mohamed Sheikh Elmi Diini. Diini said the coming together of writers and artists of different genres for a literary sharing is a sign of a better days to come for Somalia as the country emerges from many years of civil war and dysfunction.
Speaking at the event, Mogadishu Deputy Mayor, Iman Noor Ikar observed that although the city had slightly recovered from rubbles of civil war, there was still a lot do and the Book Fair signified a changing trend. “It is a pleasure for me to attend Mogadishu International Book Fair on behalf of the Somali leaders especially Mogadishu mayor as I deliver message from him,” said Ikar. The Book Fair will run for the next two days and will feature a number of works including films, paintings, literary collections, dance among others.
Key Headlines
- Literary Feast As Mogadishu International Book Fair Opens (Goobjoog News)
- President Asks Dinsor Residents To Work With Security Agencies To Defeat Al-Shabaab (Wacaal Media)
- Somalia Members Of Parliament Expose Corruption And Money-Laundering In Finance Ministry (Somali Current)
- Local Elder Gunned Down In Belet Weyne Hiiraan Region (Somali Update)
- Dozens Killed As Somali Al-Shabaab Ambush Troops: Government (Times Live)
- Minnesota FBI: Terror Arrests Haven’t Stopped Travel Plots (Business Insider/Associated Press)
- Flush Out Militants Living In Lamu’s Ras Mboni Forest (Standard Digital)
- The Ties That Bind Pt. II (Mandeeq.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Asks Dinsor Residents To Work With Security Agencies To Defeat Al-Shabaab
27 August – Wacaal Media – 196 Words
For a long period Diinsoor town has been the hotbed of terror in Somalia from where Al-Shabaab militants planned and staged major attacks in the country, President Hassan Mohamud has said. Speaking in a meeting with a section of local leaders, elders and residents when he paid the town an impromptu visit on Wednesdayafternoon, the President said that the town was key to militant operations for the eight years it was under their custody adding that its liberation was a huge blow to Al-Shabaab.
“This town was home to senior foreign and local commanders of Al-Shabaab but today that is no more, thanks God. The situation has now changed for the better and you are now required to work with the government and its security agencies” said that President. He added that the success recorded against the militants is an indication that they were now on their deathbed and commended government and AMISOM forces for doing a wonderful job in the country. “If you want to live in peace and the militants to be defeated, then you must work with the government. We can only defeat terror by joining hands” the President told the gathering.
Somalia Members Of Parliament Expose Corruption And Money-Laundering In Finance Ministry
27 August – Somali Current – 487 Words
The Somali parliamentary committee on Finance in the Federal Parliament has released a report that exposes the rot in the public funds management. This comes against the backdrop of the country’s political and economic ruin that has lasted two decades. The committee exposed poor management of the funds and instances of outright financial fleecing by the ministry employees. The report, which was submitted to the speaker of the Federal Parliament Prof. Jawari on 25th of July this year, detailed the problems faced by the financial sector of the country. The report similarly recommended a number of measures to arrest the listed problems.
The committee, headed by Saman Mohamed Sheikh Dahir found out that the treasury contravened the laws of public funds allocations that was enacted by the Federal Parliament. It also found that the Department of Treasury has failed to stick to the formula legislated by the legislators. The report by the committee similarly unearthed that at least one million US dollars had been withdrawn from the national coffers that were not spent as per the dictates of the law. The committee called on the parliament to enact laws that prohibit such exercise in the future. The committee further accused the Treasury and the Central Bank of withholding the remuneration of former legislators: “We call on the Treasury and the Central Bank to wire the amount to the accounts of the MP’s,” the report said.
The Treasury has also heavily invested in Somali embassies in foreign countries to the tune of over 1.5 million US dollars. The committee report termed the investment as outrageous, arguing that such a huge amount of money should not have been spent on foreign embassies that have neither economic or political significance to Somalia. The committee report also questions the whereabouts of $4 million out of the $10 million that was acquired as a loan from two Somali-owned financial service providers—Dahabshiil and Salaam Bank: “We similarly stumbled on a very sophisticated money-laundering network that saw the loss of $4 million,” the report partly reads, calling on the Attorney-General, Mr Ahmed Dhair to make a follow-up of the cash and the names behind the scheme.
The report continues: “The government of China paid the Somali government an aid of $1 million dollars through its Nairobi embassy, but the Treasury could not account for half the amount ($500,000).” The committee also reported that the government lost millions of dollars in poor taxation systems and tax evasion, particularly through communication companies, banking service providers and the hospitality industry. The committee believes if the said kitties had been well managed, they could have helped the country to be independent of foreign aids and grants. “The committee also came across a worrying trend in the Ministry of Finance where they financed constitutional organisation whose governing laws have not been approved by the parliament like one agency that is charged with coordinating natural disasters,” the report said.
Local Elder Gunned Down In Belet Weyne, Hiiraan Region
27 August – Somali Update – 173 Words
Unidentified gunmen have on Wednesday afternoon killed a well-known local elder in Belet Weyne town, Hiiraan region of Central Somalia, police and eyewitnesses said. Col. Mahad Barre, a police officer at Belet Weyne Police Station said the elder, Omar Garweyne, was shot and killed by unknown people armed with pistols. He said the killers escaped before any police officer could reach the place where the shooting took place. The police officer said, the elder was an active peace loving citizen who had made great efforts in reconciling some local clans within the region – a possible motive for his killing.
An eyewitness who spoke to Somali Update said two young men shot the elder as he was returning from downtown to his home on afternoon. The central Somalia town has recorded a high number of murders against elders, peace activists, scholars and journalists in the recent past. The militant group Al-Shabaab has been responsible for the previous killings but this time round the group is yet to claim responsibility for the bloody murder in Garweyne.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Dozens Killed As Somali Al-Shabaab Ambush Troops: Government
27 August – Source: Times Live – 214 Words
Dozens have been killed in Somalia after Al-Shabaab gunmen ambushed an army convoy, officials and local elders said Thursday, the latest battles with the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents. Al-Shabaab fighters launched attacks on the army convoy near the village of Tulo-Barwao in the southwestern Gedo district of Somalia on Wednesday, a region bordering Ethiopia and Kenya, sparking intense gun battles. Government officials put the toll at 32 Al-Shabaab and 11 government soldiers killed, while the Al-Shabaab said the only casualties were 19 government troops. Local elder Abdulahi Halane said around 30 people were killed in total. It was not possible to independently verify the toll. “The fighting was very heavy and 32 enemy Al-Shabaab fighters, including senior commanders, were killed,” said Nur Mohamud Burale, a local government official. “We lost 11 soldiers, and 16 others were wounded.”
Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack. “Mujahedeen fighters carried out a successful ambush against a military convoy transporting senior apostate officials, killing 19,” the Al-Shabaab said. The Al-Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, and still controls large parts of the rural south. The fighters launch regular attacks even in the heart of government areas in the capital. Government and African Union troops last month launched a fresh offensive targeting Al-Shabaab strongholds in southern Somalia.
Minnesota FBI: Terror Arrests Haven’t Stopped Travel Plots
27 August – Source: Business Insider/Associated Press – 567 Words
The high-profile arrests of six Minneapolis-area men charged with plotting to join the Islamic State group haven’t stopped others from aspiring to do the same, and some are planning trips “as we speak,” the head of the FBI in Minnesota said Wednesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Thornton spoke about the ongoing investigation. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States and has been targeted by recruiters for terrorist groups — first for al-Shabab and now for IS.
About a dozen Minnesota residents have traveled to Syria to join jihadist groups since late 2013 and eight others who allegedly conspired to make the trip are being prosecuted in U.S. District Court. A “significant number” of people are also being investigated for expressing an interest in traveling there, Thornton said, declining to provide specific numbers because of the active investigation. “There are people in this community that are at various stages along the path to traveling as we speak,” he said. “I can’t tell you if there is one on an airplane as we speak, necessarily, but the arrests and the other activities have not stopped the activity across the board.”
He added that it would be naive to assume that the FBI knows of every person with these aspirations: “Intuitively, we know that the threat is bigger than what we’ve currently defined it as.” When asked about the possibility of an attack in Minnesota, Thornton said every place is at risk. He said incidents elsewhere have shown that a person can go from being nonviolent to carrying out an attack in a short period of time, even days. In addition, there is concern that someone who was prevented from traveling to a jihad overseas may instead choose to act at home, as IS has called for supporters to do in its videos and other online propaganda.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“If the Government sent KDF soldiers to Somalia, which is very far away, then it is easy to deploy troops into Mboni forest to flush out Al-Shabaab militants. Most people with farms near Mboni forest have fled while others spend their nights in the cold.”
Flush Out Militants Living In Lamu’s Ras Mboni Forest
27 August – Source: Standard Digital – 312 Words
It has been reported that there are over 300 Al-Shabaab militants in Ras Mboni forest, Lamu County, who are living there with their families. What I do not understand is that Kenya sent soldiers to Somalia, who have proved to the world they are the best in Africa, yet there is a militia group terrorising innocent Kenyans within their country. Many people in Lamu County are living in fear. Some have run away from their homes and farms for fear of being attacked by the militia group. Lamu County is doing nothing about the threat. The county security commandant and his team say they cannot pursue Al-Shabaab militants since their is no communication network in Ras Mboni forest.
I wonder why security officers are sitting pretty as they watch people in Lamu County being terrorised day and night? Why can’t the Government use helicopters and drones to flush out the terror gang from Mboni forest? Are the helicopters and drones there for show or to protect us? Kenya security department has been allocated a lot of money and I wonder why the Government has not mandated the Kenya Defence Forces to pursue the militia group into the forest. Are you awaiting to see hundreds killed before you take action? If the Government sent KDF soldiers to Somalia, which is very far away, then it is easy to deploy troops into Mboni forest to flush out Al-Shabaab militants. Most people with farms near Mboni forest have fled while others spend their nights in the cold. Our farms have been ravaged by wild animals. We need help and a permanent solution to this threat. Media have reported several times how the militia group raids villages in northern Lamu County, but nothing has been done so far by the Interior Ministry. Is the Government serious about protecting the lives of its citizens?
“The purpose of my comment was to spark a larger conversation about how culture, child-rearing, and gender intersect in interesting ways, but instead got different response; Farah essentially dismissed the comment by noting that Somali women should not deal with the ‘lagging’ of Somali men, saying us women should not feel burdened to clean up their mess…”
The Ties That Bind, Pt. II
26 August – Source: Maandeeq.com – 794 Words
I had the great pleasure of meeting Nuruddin Farah, an internationally acclaimed Somali writer, who came to Ottawa for a talk on violence against women. There was a dinner party thrown for his arrival prior to his presentation the next day; I vividly remember many people in the room, myself included, at different points throughout the night in awe of the man with the orange scarf, intently listening to Farah’s sort-of-British accent banging on about Somali politics and whatever evocative question (and there sure were a couple) thrown his way. It was a wonderful introduction to a charismatic man, indeed.
It was following Farah’s talk that a few of us, including Farah, shuffled into my aunt’s home for a quick Thai dinner and some tea to close the night. Somehow a conversation came about regarding Somali males, so I chimed in to relay my experiences working with Somali youth last summer in an employment program as I was flummoxed and alarmed by the stark differences I noticed between the young women and men not just in their approach to employment but how they articulated their futures, the former being far more ambitious and optimistic than the latter.
The purpose of my comment was to spark a larger conversation about how culture, child-rearing, and gender intersect in interesting ways, but instead got different response; Farah essentially dismissed the comment by noting that Somali women should not deal with the ‘lagging’ of Somali men, saying us women should not feel burdened to clean up their mess (mess in this context meant the issues of crime, drug addiction inter alia, that many men face), and that marrying non-Somali men should be a more common practice.
TOP TWEETS
@MogadishuNews: #SomeoneTellMaryHarper Stop reporting in negative way about #Somalia
@UNFPA_SOMALIA: We met @AusAWG & @AusHCKenya to brief them on scaling up #Somalia #GBV interventions@GKyeyune @Pilirani @IsatuKajue
@IlwadElman: My sis @Imaan_Elman never ceases 2impresshttp://me.Here she is reviewing the #Somalia security operation
@JessyAbdulle: We need to reclaim our right to critique the narrative of #Somalia, #SomeoneTellMaryHarper #MIBF2015#Somalia
@Abdelnordahir:In #Turkey, citizens decide (Bottom UpLeadership) their future & in #Somalia, politicians decide (top down leadership) a whole nation’s fate
@AhmedNaaaji: Even AMISOM tweets the good within us, u knew Somalia & Somalis before that 20,000 estimated troopers came #Somalia #SomeoneTellMaryHarper
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Mogadishu held its first-ever book fair to celebrate books, literature and the revival of human expression in Somali Society.
Photo: AMISOM