August 4, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
One Dead, 3 Hurt In Grenade Attack In Mogadishu
04 August – Source:Shabelle News – 130 Words
At least one soldier was killed and three others wounded in a grenade bomb attack in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Wednesday night. According to an eyewitness, who spoke to Radio Shabelle, suspected Al-Shabaab members hurled a grenade on an army officer’s house in Mogadishu’s Dharkenley district.
The Al-Shabaab suspects tried to assassinate Mohamed Aden Omar, who is in charge of the operations of Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) during the attack.The officer escaped the attempt on his life, according to residents. However one security guard was killed and three others sustained severe injuries in the bomb explosion.The assailants escaped from the scene, shortly after the attack before NISA troops arrived and launched investigations on the grenade blast.
Key Headlines
- One Dead 3 Hurt In Grenade Attack In Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- Leaders At NLF Talks Agree To Extend Election Deadline But Fail To Accomplish Concrete Outcomes(Jowhar.com)
- The UK Is Committed To Somalia’s Recovery And Security-UK Minister For Africa (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Minister Commends UAE’s Role In Supporting His Country (Emirates News Agency WAM)
- Isiolo Police Arrest Terror Suspects With Bomb Making Materials (Daily Nation)
- Police Officers Serving In Peacekeeping Missions Urged To Uphold Professionalism (AMISOM)
- Mo Farah On Drive Ambition And The Childhood In Somalia That Motivates Him (Radio Times)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Leaders At NLF Talks Agree To Extend Election Deadline, But Fail To Accomplish Concrete Outcomes
04 August 2016 – Source: Jowhar.com – 170 Words
The National Leadership Forum consultative conference that opened in the Somali capital on Sunday is due to be concluded today, but without realising the all-important breakthrough on the election deadlines. Despite relative consensus among the NLF, with regard to the postponement of the election dates, the forum failed to agree on a revised electoral timetable.
There are key sticky issues that the federal and regional leaders still need to settle before any concrete steps can be made, including the formation of the electoral committees, which would oversee the entire electoral process and handle relevant complaints at federal and regional level.The Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team, which presented its electoral roadmap to NLF, failed to convince some of the stakeholders. According to sources privy to the discussions, the Somali leaders are expected to agree election deadline extension by at least one month. The NLF delegates have reliably been busy — through into the night — drafting the final communiqué of the consultative talks that come to a close later in the day.
The UK Is Committed To Somalia’s Recovery And Security-UK Minister For Africa
04 August – Source: Goobjoog News – 370 Words
The UK is committed to strengthening the electoral process and bolstering state and peacebuilding in Somalia, UK Minister for Africa and Middle East Tobias Ellwood has said.
Following a just concluded two day visit to Somalia and Kenya, Ellwood said his country was steadfast in building institutions in Somalia noting this was critical in ensuring service delivery, security and economic recovery.
“The UK is committed to supporting Somalia to build institutions that represent the Somali people and that can effectively tackle security challenges, deliver services, and promote economic development,” said Ellwood.
The Minister also sounded upbeat on the electoral process in the country, which is expected to culminate into the election of a President and Members of Parliament. He noted that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had expressed commitment towards a more inclusive electoral process and the actualization of the one-person-one vote principle in 2020.The Minister’s visit to Somalia came a day before the National Leadership Forum kicked off consultations in Mogadishu to deliberate on a wide range of issues concerning this year’s poll. The meeting will conclude today.
Ellwood also pointed out that security in East Africa remained high on his country’s agenda noting that UK will remain a strong supporter of the African Union Mission in Somalia and the UN Missions. The UK deployed 70 UK military personnel this year to support AMISOM and UN in Somalia and provides £200 million of support towards security.
The East African region has in the recent years witnessed significant security challenges notably the cross border threat of the militant group Al-Shabaab, political instability in Burundi and the fragile situation in South Sudan, which has claimed thousands of lives since December.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Minister Commends UAE’s Role In Supporting His Country
04 August – Source: Emirates News Agency, WAM- 117 Words
Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Somalia, has met with Saeed Hussein Eid, Somali Minister of Livestock, Grazing and Forests.The meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the embassy in Mogadishu, touched on bilateral relations between the UAE and Somalia.
During the meeting, the Somali Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation to the UAE for its prominent role in various developmental and humanitarian efforts in support of Somalia. He also stressed his commitment to working together to support livestock in Somalia and to co-ordinate with the competent state authorities.Al Hammadi expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Somali Minister, stressing the UAE’s interest in supporting Somalia in various fields.
Isiolo Police Arrest Terror Suspects With Bomb Making Materials
04 August – Source:Daily Nation – 294 Words
Police in Isiolo have arrested two terror suspects with bomb-making materials as security agencies intensified the war on crime in the region.Isiolo County Criminal Investigations Officer David Cheruiyot and County Commissioner George Natembeya said the suspects were found with the materials in a house in the town.One of the suspects is from Isiolo while the other is from western Kenya.
Mr Natembeya said the suspects, who are below 35 years old, are believed to have recruited two others to join Al-Shabaab and that the recruits were already in Somalia.The two were nabbed by detectives on Wednesday.Isiolo has been hit by rising radicalization, with dozens of young people believed to have crossed to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab.Last week, Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Ndegwa Muhoro opened an Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) office in Isiolo, aimed at intensifying the war on terrorism in the upper eastern region.He said the government would open another branch in Moyale and Marsabit towns to counter terrorists and illegal immigration from neighbouring countries.Mr Muhoro said the offices are part of a government to rising cases of radicalization and violent extremism in the region.
Police Officers Serving In Peacekeeping Missions Urged To Uphold Professionalism
03 August – Source: AMISOM- 369 Words
Police officers serving in peacekeeping missions have been advised to maintain discipline and respect the code of conduct to enable them excel in their work.AMISOM Deputy Commissioner of Police, Christine Alalo, made the remarks at a ceremony held, today, for a group of Ugandan Individual Police Officers who had completed a year’s tour of duty, serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).“What is important is discipline and learning the work. Learn the work in the mission you are serving in, and always remember, discipline and teamwork are very important when serving in an international mission,” said Ms Alalo.
Commissioner Alalo possesses over 16 years of police experience, part of which she has gained working in international peacekeeping missions. Before joining AMISOM, she worked as Police Advisor at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) based in Juba.
Ms Alalo hailed the Ugandan officers for exhibiting professionalism, resilience and patience while training and mentoring Somali police officers.She also thanked the Uganda government for allowing the officers to serve under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), adding that the gesture had not only helped in promoting the country’s image but also advanced the individual officers’ careers.
The Deputy Police Commissioner said the AMISOM police component will have to put in place systems that will ensure continuity when the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia comes to an end.The 11-member contingent was awarded certificates of service for their exemplary work in Somalia.Speaking on behalf of the outgoing officers, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Emmanuel Mukama, said the officers had excelled in their assigned duties in the various work locations in the country. “All these members have performed very well. There are many contributions they have in the mission,” SSP Mukama said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Since spectacularly becoming a double gold medallist at the London 2012Olympic Games, Mo Farah’s life has been a whirlwind.Watching him run to glory in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the Olympic Stadium were his heavily pregnant wife Tania and daughter Rhianna, now ten. Just two weeks later, Tania gave birth to twin daughters Amani and Aisha, and in October last year, they became parents to their first boy, Hussein.RT caught up with him while making his final Games preparations…”
Mo Farah On Drive, Ambition And The Childhood In Somalia That Motivates Him
04 August – Source: Radio Times – 1045 Words
Q:With Rio nearly here, how are you feeling?
My training is going pretty well and I’m in a good place. There’s just a little bit of training for three more weeks. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Q:Your life must have changed a lot since 2012.
Yes, definitely, both as an athlete and as a family man. The family changes the way you think and the way you do everything. You’ve got to plan stuff, and I’m not really good at that! I’m just easy-going and I like to wake up and go, “Yeah, cool, let’s go and do this today”, but with four kids it’s harder to be spontaneous.
Q:You’ve spent the summer doing high altitude training in the French mountains. Do you miss your children when you’re away?
Of course. Sometimes Amani will say to me, “Daddy, why do you have to run? When are you going to stop running?” I say, “Daddy’s training, and I want to come home, but I’m working hard for a reason.” Hopefully one day they’ll understand. Amani’s starting to understand, but Aisha gets a little upset. It’s pretty hard, but actually it’s going to be worth it and that’s what drives me every day. I want to get those medals. I don’t want to disappoint my family.
Q:Did your family inspire your new book?
I wanted to write something for the kids. I’m a big kid myself and so I said, “Well, I’ve done adult [Mo’s autobiography is called Twin Ambitions], so why don’t I do a picture book next?” Ready Steady Mo! is about a little boy runner, based on me, and I hope it will inspire kids to get running. Amani loves it. She loves animals, so she inspired the animal characters in the book.
Q:You recently went back to the house where you grew up in Djibouti in Somalia for the BBC1 documentary Mo. What was that like?
Where I grew up wasn’t good. As a kid, I didn’t quite understand it. Going back brought back memories I haven’t thought about for years. One of the reasons I wanted to do the documentary was to show who I am and why I do what I do.
Q:You lived in a tin-roofed shack, didn’t you?
Yes – it was basic. As long as you had food in your mouth and you were breathing, that was fine. That was a good life. There was nothing more. No opportunities. As a kid, we didn’t have toys – we played in sewage, we played with what was there. The house I grew up in was tiny – eight of us, all crammed into one room. If you see where I live now, it’s a big difference, and I’m grateful because I can show people that if you work hard at something, you can achieve.
Q:Would you be a double Olympian if you hadn’t grown up in such poverty?
No. I think that gave me a massive boost. It made me realise in life, you have to work for it.
Q:You were separated from your twin brother, Hassan, aged eight, when you came to live in London with your parents, because he was too ill to travel. Do you talk about that when you see him?
All the time. Suddenly I was on the other side of the world without him. We didn’t see each other for ten years. With the civil war, everybody moved about and we didn’t know where he was. It was only when Mum went back that she found him. Everything happens for a reason. There’s no point chasing the past. But I don’t know if I would have achieved as much if Hassan had been here, because we always encouraged each other to mess about. He was the cheeky one and he’d say something and I’d stand up for him and get into a fight! It might have been a distraction.
TOP TWEETS
@amisomsomalia:Police officers serving in peacekeeping missions urged to uphold professionalism. http://goo.gl/kiGt5C #Somalia
@WorldBankAfrica:How we are building trust between the public and the private sector in #Somalia http://wrld.bg/Musz302Rjt2 #PPDSomalia
@TheTrueSomalian:The electoral process will be held concurrently in 37 locations in the federal and regional capitals Mogadishu, and Kismaayo #Somalia
@SakariyeCismaan:The problem with Somali food is, you’ll be hungry, very, very hungry 24 hrs later. I know it, because it happened to me. #Somalia
@stability_fund :Great seeing our partner @SolarGenTechfeaturing on @Shuraako Somali #RenewableEnergy progress#Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
AMISOM police officers attend a function in Mogadishu.
Photo: AMISOM