December 18, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Three Syrian doctors gunned down in Mogadishu
18 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Dalsan/Shabelle/Jowhar Online/BBC Somali Service- 131 words
Suspected armed militias have gunned down four doctors including three Syrians in the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday morning. Two bodyguards were also confirmed to have died in the latest attack against medical workers in Somalia.
The doctors were said to have been travelling to Fiqi Hospital in Elesha Biyaha which lies on the road between the capital and Afgoye town.
Eyewitnesses said that armed men with military uniforms opened fire on their vehicle and killed the four doctors. Reports indicate that the injured have been rushed to Medina Hospital.
This is the second attack against doctors operating at Fiqi Hospital following the murder of former director of Fiqi Hospital Dr. Osman Abdirahman Fiqi in July this year. No one has claimed responsibility of the attack so far.
Key Headlines
- UN Special Representative concerned over local conflicts in Somalia (UNSOM)
- Denmark restores diplomatic ties with Somalia (Radio Mogadishu)
- Syrian and Somali doctors ‘shot dead near Mogadishu’ (BBC)
- UN to offer support for Somali refugees returning home (Xinhua)
- Puntland President and opposition candidates meeting ends in deadlock (Radio Dalsan/Radio Garowe)
- Stop inter-clan wars Somali president says (Daily Nation)
- Puntland elders asked to mediate between presidential hopefuls (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Somaliland: attempts to arrest by Hubaal Publisher blocked by members of the public (Somaliland Informer)
- Sool farmers lose out to pests (Radio Ergo)
- Foreign nationals no longer overlooked during searches in Mogadishu (Sabahi Online)
- Insecurity and lack of access continues to hamper aid efforts in Jowhar (Radio Dalsan)
- Somali businesses shut down amid South Sudan conflicts (Radio Bar-Kulan)
PRESS STATEMENT
UN Special Representative concerned over local conflicts in Somalia
18 Dec- Source: UNSOM- 253 words
UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia Nicholas Kay today expressed concern about recent local conflicts in the country.
Violent clashes in several parts of Somalia could threaten the country’s progress towards peace and stability as well as the rights of thousands of affected citizens, according to the Special Representative. Clashes have been reported near Jowhar in Middle Shabelle, some areas around Beledweyne in Hiraan and around K50 in Lower Shabelle.
Reports indicate that clan-based militia are evicting farmers and villagers from productive farm land.
The clashes continue to cause death, injury, displacement and the destruction of property and crops in the fields. Those affected often come from smaller, or minority, clans and communities.
SRSG Kay said “the Federal Government of Somalia must continue to take these incidents seriously. Somali national security forces on the ground need to be inclusive and to uphold law and order. Elders and leaders need to find peaceful solutions.”
“The Federal Government should investigate fully what has happened. Those who have broken the law should face justice. The government must also protect the land and livelihoods of the rightful occupants,” Kay added.
SRSG Kay said: “I welcome the concern expressed publicly by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, most recently yesterday, and the efforts already underway to resolve disputes. Without a decisive response, these incidents may provoke a backlash that could grow into a new and more severe round of local conflicts. The UN will continue to monitor the situation and offer support to peace building and reconciliation efforts.”
SOMALI MEDIA
Three Syrian doctors gunned down in Mogadishu
18 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Dalsan/Shabelle/Jowhar Online- 131 words
Suspected armed militias have gunned down four doctors including three Syrians in the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday morning. Two bodyguards were also confirmed to have died in the latest attack against medical workers in Somalia.
The doctors were said to have been travelling to Fiqi Hospital in Elesha Biyaha which lies on the road between the capital and Afgoye town.
Eyewitnesses said that armed men with military uniforms opened fire on their vehicle and killed the four doctors. Reports indicate that the injured have been rushed to Medina Hospital.
This is the second attack against doctors operating at Fiqi Hospital following the murder of former director of Fiqi Hospital Dr. Osman Abdirahman Fiqi in July this year. No one has claimed responsibility of the attack so far.
Denmark restores diplomatic ties with Somalia
18 Dec- Source: Somali Current/ Radio Mogadishu/Universaltv- 126 words
Danish government has restored diplomatic ties with Somalia, after more than decades of anarchy and civil wars in the horn of Africa nation.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday accepted the credentials of the new Danish ambassador to Somalia, Geert Aagaard Andersen.
Ambassador Andersen presented to the president a message from the Danish government, pledging the support of the federal government of Somalia and firming ties with the country.
President Hassan thanked the new ambassador and his government, stating that accepting his credentials is the sign of the relationship between both countries.
The security situation in Somalia has been improving for the last one and half year, but last year’s presidential election in the country has encouraged many countries to establish diplomatic missions in Somalia.
Puntland elders asked to mediate between presidential hopefuls
18 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan-118 words
Puntland presidential candidates have asked traditional elders, intellectuals and business communities to intervene the standoff between the opposition candidates and the incumbent President Abdirahman Sheikh Mohamed Farole.
Abdullahi Said Samatar, the chairman of the opposition candidates stated that they want peaceful, free and fair elections to take place in Puntland and therefore urged traditional elders and scholars to ease the stalemate between the two camps.
On Tuesday, the opposition candidates and the incumbent president disagreed over the dissolution of Conflict Resolution and Vetting Committee previously named by the president.
Meanwhile, President Abdirahman Sheikh Mohamed Farole revealed that both sides agreed on all other proposals submitted by the opposition candidates during their meeting in the presidential compound in Garowe.
Puntland President and opposition candidates meeting ends in deadlock
17 Dec – Source: Radio Dalsan/Garowe Online – 208 words
A meeting between the President of Somalia’s Puntland Government Abdirahman Mohamed Farole and opposition presidential candidates hit a brick wall after Puntland president rejected a proposal by the opposition candidates to co-nominate the vetting committee for the upcoming regional election.
The meeting between President Farole and more than 20 presidential candidates failed to bring a common agreement following disputed matters of the upcoming presidential election which is due to take place on January 8th 2014. The Presidential candidates who visited the presidential office on Tuesday morning suggested that they want to share with president Farole on the nomination of the seven members vetting committee which will be tasked on monitoring and confirmation of the region’s new parliament members. The new 66 parliament members will be tasked to elect the upcoming president.
Speaking at a press conference in Puntland Capital of Garowe after the end of their gathering, President Farole revealed row with the rival candidates on the grounds of the constitution, noting that he has a great respect for them since they are close friends.
“They put forward four points to us and I accepted three of them including international observation, traditional leaders to closely monitor the work of the vetting committee and the formation of terms of reference for the committee but the only point that we [Puntland Government] rebuffed to agree, which is also illegible is the joint nomination of conflict resolution and vetting committee,” said President Farole.
“Vetting Committee is legally appointed by the government. They claimed that three members were given to 2009 presidential election candidates but I was among those contenders, we accepted the committee appointed by the government,” declared president Farole, adding that right and legal issues do not require further negotiations.
Somaliland: attempts to arrest by Hubaal Publisher blocked by members of the public
18 Dec- Source: Somaliland Informer- 135 words
Attempts by Somaliland police to arrest the publisher and editor of Hubaal Newspaper Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Jama Calaloy did not succeed after members did everything in their power and blocked to apprehension on Monday. The incident took place near the Timacade basketball playground after Col Du’ale in charge of police operations tried to bring the publisher under the custody of the police but members of the public furious over the capture of the reporter who was at the time of the arrest staying at a cafeteria near the play ground. Somaliland government shut down the newspaper three days ago in a move many saw it as an attempt to muzzle the free press. A court in Hargeisa is reported to have issued an arrest warrant to the publisher and the editor of the paper.
Insecurity and lack of access continues to hamper aid efforts in Jowhar
18 Dec – Source: Radio Dalsan – 290 words
About 66,000 people have been affected by localized flooding in 33 villages in the Jowhar district in Middle Shabelle, according to local authorities’ reports and a multi-cluster rapid assessment carried out from 7-10 November.
Despite challenges, aid organizations have managed to scale up response in recent weeks and continue to reach as many people as possible with emergency supplies such as food, water and shelter.
Thousands of people have received shelter and many others have received medical treatments through mobile health clinics. Further compounding the situation was the outbreak of inter-communal fighting in early November, which displaced an estimated 3,000 households and hampered access to those in need.
The large majority of those who fled their homes are staying at the airfield in Jowhar. Humanitarian access to eight villages housing some 2,000 households has been hampered due to flooding or insecurity. Gaps have been reported in health, shelter and household items, food security, water, sanitation and hygiene, and education.
The Humanitarian Coordinator visited the still flooded area on 3-4 December and the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) has since allocated nearly $1.2 million to support emergency health activities and access to clean water and sanitation in the area. For the long term, investing in river management is key to avoid recurrence of large scale floods and the cycle of emergency and response.
The localized floods have been attributed to rains in Ethiopian highlands. However, FAO’s Somalia Water and Land Information Systems (SWALIM) weather forecasts since 18 November indicated limited rains in the Ethiopian catchment, which would reduce the risks in the flood-prone areas of Lower/Middle Shabelle regions.
Sool farmers lose out to pests
18 Dec- Source: Radio Ergo- 235 words
Farmers in the village of Hallin in Sool region have suffered a dramatic loss of their crops due to the lack of pesticides to prevent insects and plant diseases. Hussein Abdi Mohamed, a local farmer, said most residents depend on agricultural production. Hallin is three km from Taleh district, where recent clashes forced thousands to flee from their homes. “There are more than 50 farms and around 250 people involved in the farming industry in the village,” Mohamed told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. He said maize and sorghum crops had been badly affected by insects and diseases.
“I planted two hectares of maize and sorghum with other seeds from last season, but harvested nothing because all was eaten and destroyed by insects and diseases,” Marman Hasan Muse told Radio Ergo. She has now planted two hectares again and hopes she will get a harvest. “I invest each rainy season, but now I am running out of money. If I fail this season, I don’t think I will able to plant again,” Muse said. Another woman farmer, Waris Farah Mohamed, said she had lost about 50 million Somaliland shillings through crop failure.
The farmers are asking the administration and development agencies to provide pesticides to improve food security and agriculture production. However, many farmers are not educated in proper use of agricultural chemicals. In Puntland, several people and animals died after consuming crops contaminated by pesticides.
Somali businesses shut down amid South Sudan conflicts
17 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 125 words
Somali businesses in South Sudan were severely affected by recent clashes in the South Sudanese capital, according to some Somali residents in that country.
Najib Ahmed Elmi, a Somali businessman in Juba told Bar-kulan that the Somali-owned businesses are shut down in the second day running amid renewed clashes between rival fighters. He stated that business communities are unable to resume their trade activities as the fighting continues.
There are many Somali-owned businesses in Juba and the other major towns in South Sudan.
The fighting resumes early Tuesday after relative calm returned to the city following Wednesday’s clashes between army rival factions in the country.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir accused some factions of the army loyal to former vice president of an attempted coup.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Stop inter-clan wars, Somali president says
18 Dec- Source: Daily Nation- 360 words
Holding a press conference at Villa Somalia, the state house in Mogadishu on Tuesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud urged all parties concerned in inter clan conflicts in some regions to stop hostilities.
The Somali leader reacted to reports of opposing clan militias battling in at least three zones in the southern and central regions of Somalia.
“It is very unfortunate that in some regions violence is taking place,” said the president, employing strong terms.
He added: “We demand cessation of hostilities and replaced by the pacification process spearheaded by the Somali government.”
Foreign nationals no longer overlooked during searches in Mogadishu
17 Dec- Source: Sabahi Online- 588 words
Somali forces are now searching every individual, including foreign nationals, visiting government buildings and functions at public venues involving government security protocols.
Previously, foreigners, specifically Westerners and Caucasian people, were passed over during security checks out deference to visitors, while Somali nationals underwent the searches.
But starting at the beginning of December, security forces began conducting security checks without discrimination, deputy security chief for Benadir region Warsame Mohammed Jodah told Sabahi.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Syrian and Somali doctors ‘shot dead near Mogadishu’
18 Dec- Source: BBC- 166 words
Three Syrian doctors and their Somali colleague have been shot dead in an ambush near Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, witnesses have told the BBC.
Gunmen opened fire on their car as they travelled towards a health clinic, the eyewitnesses said.
Two of their bodyguards were also killed in the attack, while another Syrian and Somali doctor were seriously wounded, they said.
The militant Islamist group al-Shabab is waging an insurgency in Somalia. However, it is not yet clear who carried out the ambush.
The Syrian doctors were believed to be in Somalia as aid workers.
The BBC’s Mohamed Moalimu reports from Mogadishu that the ambush took place in Siinka Dheer, a government-controlled district about 20km (13 miles) south of the capital.
UN to offer support for Somali refugees returning home
18 Dec- Source: xinhua-158 words
The UN refugee agency on Tuesday said that Somali refugees in Kenya who wish to return home will receive support from the agency and humanitarian partners starting from January 2014.
A bulletin from the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said “About 10,000 Somali refugees will be supported based on the criteria that voluntary returns must be to the area of origin in Somalia. Registration for support has started in Dadaab.”
Somali refugees in Kenya are estimated at 500,000. They mainly live in the Dadaab refugee camps which were established in 1991 when civil war broke out in Somalia. and the number has increased due to turmoil and recurrent droughts in the Horn of Africa state.
According to the humanitarian agency, a six month pilot phase from January to June will start first, to inform future assistance for voluntary returns of Somali refugees in Kenya.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The world is watching closely as Somalia continues to raise fears of extremism and unending clan warfare. Now pirates and terrorists are destroying what remains of civil society… But one man thinks he can make a difference. This film gains unprecedented access to Abdirahman Farole, a Somali-Australian former refugee who has returned to his native land to become the President of Puntland (the northern province of Somalia) with the sole mission to bring back peace and a working democracy to Somalia once and for all.”
Courage and commitment
18 Dec- Source: watoday-774 words
Twenty years ago, Abdirahman Farole fled civil war in Somalia, finding refuge for himself and his young family in Melbourne. As much as he came to love Australia, he remained intent on returning to help rebuild his shattered country. In 2008 he was elected president of the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland.
The first item on his agenda: tackling the pirates who had hijacked scores of ships off the Horn of Africa and held hundreds of sailors for ransom. His efforts soon began to bear fruit, with Puntland’s security forces capturing pirate leaders and forcing pirates out of long-established strongholds. But the fight remains far from won, with grinding poverty still making piracy an attractive option for desperate men.
A new Australian documentary, The President vs the Pirates, provides rare insight into Faroole’s work and the problems he faces – not least the constant threat of assassination by the Islamic terrorist group al Shabaab.
Wayne Miller, the Walkley Award-winning journalist and former Victorian and federal police officer who was the documentary’s field producer, admires Faroole’s courage and vision, but is well aware of the difficulty of his task.
“The Failed Puntland Presidential Meeting Which is Graver: Food Rejected or Time Wasted?.”
Somalia: The Failed Puntland Presidential Meeting
18 Dec- Source: Raxanreeb- 634 words
The leading piece of information circulating in Puntland today is not how the outgoing President Faroole and the other presidential candidates failed to agree on anything in their well-publicized rendezvous; but what is discussed everywhere is how the candidates declined to have lunch with him. In Somali culture it may not be acceptable to reject an invitation to food and that is not taken lightly on the part of tradition-minded elders. Consequently, it may end up in cultural fines (xaal) being imposed on those who refused to dine with Faroole. However, what is on the table is graver than a few plates of food and who eats them. The political future of Puntland is at stake, but it seems few of the stakeholders present in that meeting were giving it the weight it deserves.
In the ensuing press conference Faroole attempted to deny the other side any involvement in the affairs of the election procedure. In fact, he wants to manage the whole feat single-handedly. He claimed that of the three issues brought forward by the opposition candidates, he accepted three: including the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Conflict Resolution Committee (not agreed upon yet), the request for local and international observers of the election and the establishment of a Steering Committee for the traditional leaders. As important as those three matters sound, the point of contention still remains unsolved. Since the inception of Puntland in 1998, the Conflict Resolution Committee was a matter of dispute; usually so late into the election period. An exception was when in the last election of 2009 no one other than Faroole himself insisted that the opposition candidates must have a say in the nomination of such an important body. The President General Cadde was the first and last to accept such proposition.
Top tweets
@DeeqAfrika Our government alone can not resolve the inter-clan wars in #Somalia. Its up 2 all of us to take a stand against all kind of violence!!
@mashanubian EU training of #Somalia troops be shifted from Uganda to Somalia early2014, w/improvement in security there. Since 2010, EUTM trained 3600
@amisomsomalia Images of recent flooding in Jowhar that has affected the area and displaced thousands of people #Somaliahttp://on.fb.me/QqTSeN
@Daudoo Witnesses:Armed men wearing Government Military uniform open fire at a vehicle carrying white doctors working for fiqi hospital.#Somalia
@Aynte Tomorrow initiative for #Somalia National Library will be formally launched in #Mogadishu by @HIPSINSTITUTE.
Image of the day
Somalia President H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, yesterday accepted credentials of the new Denmark Ambassador to Somalia, H.E. Geert Aagaard Andersen. Mogadishu 17 December 2013. Photo: @engyarisow