December 24, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
President Hassan Sheikh: Praise Be To God Who Enabled Us Complete Successfully Our meetings with the people of Hiiraan
24 December – Source: Radio Muqdisho – 210 Words
President of the Federal Government of Somalia HE Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and a delegation accompanying him, comprising of Federal Government officials who was in Beled Weyne for the past three days have returned to Mogadishu.
During his stay, the president met with traditional elders, intellectuals and politicians, women and youth of Hiiraan communities generally and privately. The president discussed with them how to strengthen the recent peace agreement signed between the two brotherly clans which saw rivalry clashes in Belet Weyne town recently and also gave them a detailed explanation of the planned formation of Hiiraan and Lower Shabelle regional administration.
“Praise be to God who enabled us to successfully complete our meetings with the people of Hiiraan, where we consulted with them about the state formation process which is scheduled to kick off very soon in Jowhar town, whilst they still continue to strengthen the peace agreements,” said President Hassan Sheikh.
The President also said: “I am very thankful to the traditional leaders and other community groups of Hiiraan region for welcoming us, and sharing with us their feelings and the confidence they have shown for the Federal Government.
Key Headlines
- President Hassan Sheikh: Praise Be To God Who Enabled Us Complete Successfully Our meetings with the people of Hiiraan (Radio Muqdisho)
- Somaliland Security Force On High Alert (Baidoa News)
- Farewell Party For Ambassador Nicholas Kay Highly Organized And Colorful (Radio Dalsan)
- Puntland President To Lay Foundation For The Second International Airport In Puntland Capital Garowe(Villa Puntland)
- Puntland VP Says Calm Prevails After Deadly Clan Fighting (Garowe Online)
- Outgoing Special Representative Of The UN Secretary On Somalia Insecurity (CCTV)
- Somalia Continues To Come Under Attack From Al-Shabaab (CNTV)
- AMISOM Force Commander Completes Tour of Duty In Somalia (AMISOM)
- Somali Women Assaulted By Kidnappers Posing As Policemen (Arab News)
- 2000 Miles From Syria ISIS Is Trying To Lure Recruits In Somalia (Washington Post)
- Somali-American Radio Station Seeks To Be Twin Cities Resource (Twincities.com)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland Security Force On High Alert
24 December – Source: Baidoa News – 121 Words
The Somaliland security forces are on high alert following reports of an imminent Al-Shabaab attack. The commander of the Somaliland Police Force, Abdullahi Fadal Iman yesterday called for an urgent security meeting of senior commanders and urged them to be extra-vigilant, this follows after a threat from Al- Shabaab.
Senior Al- Shabaab leader, Fuad Mohamed Shongole said many of the children in Somaliland including boys and girls don’t read the Holy Quraan. He added that Al -Shabaab is just within eight kilometers of the city of Hargeysa and they will spread the Islamic religion there. The Somaliland government is yet to officially respond to the threats from Al-Shabaab except the order by the commander to the forces to be extra-vigilant.
Farewell Party For Ambassador Nicholas Kay Highly Organized And Colorful
24 December – Source: Radio Dalsan – 111Words
Farewell party attended by the highest ranking officials of the Federal Government of Somalia was on Wednesday held in the Somali capital Mogadishu. The farewell party was for the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia Nicholas Kay who will be leaving the office at the end of this year. Among the dignitaries who attended the event which took place inside Halane base was the President of Somalia His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud. The successor of Ambassador Nicholas Kay is as well a British national and his name was identified as Michael Keating. Nicholas Kay has been on behalf the UN secretary general in Somalia for the last 3 years.
Puntland President To Lay Foundation For The Second International Airport In Puntland Capital, Garowe
24 December – Source: Villa Puntland – 120 Words
President Puntland Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gas will on December 26 officially kick off the construction of Garowe airport which will be built to International standards. In an exclusive report received by Villa Puntland, the colorful ceremony will be attended by both local and Federal officials. The project is part of flag ship projects pledged by the head of state when he sought elections in 2014. “It is important for the capital city to have an international airport to make it easy for both local and international delegations to arrive in the capital with ease” Dr. Abdiweli said when he made the pledge. The project is set to conclude in December 2016.
Puntland VP Says Calm Prevails After Deadly Clan Fighting
23 December – Source: Garowe Online – 108 Words
Relative calm has returned to countryside of Ayn regional capital of Buuhoodle following coordinated peace efforts, Puntland Vice President said on return to Garowe on Wednesday, Garowe Online reports. Vice President Abdihakin Abdullahi Haji Omar added that mediation is in progress over imminent solution to the deadly grudges. Ethiopian diplomats have cooperated with Puntland on the quelling of tensions according to Omar. Over a week ago, two clan militias clashed in a fierce battle that left scores dead and nearly two wounded. The fighting raged in areas straddling Somalia’s northwestern border with Ethiopia. Amay had been on visit to his hometown Buuhoodle for the passing of late mother.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Outgoing Special Representative Of The UN Secretary On Somalia Insecurity
24 December – Source: CCTV – Video: 4:23 Minutes
Somalia Continues To Come Under Attack From Al-Shabaab
24 December – Source: CNTV – Video: 4:22 Minutes
AMISOM Force Commander Completes Tour of Duty In Somalia
24 December – Source: AMISOM – 547 Words
The Force Commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Lt. Gen. Jonathan Rono, has completed his tour of duty in the horn of Africa country after 15 months of service. Lt. Gen. Rono was seen off at Mogadishu Airport, today, by top AMISOM officials from troop contributing countries, and Force Headquarters, among them, Deputy Force Commander in Charge Operations and Plans, Maj. Gen. Mohammedesha Zeyinu and Commander Sector 1, Brig. Sam Okiding.
A guard of honor by AMISOM troops was mounted in his honor to mark the end of his Command of the 22,000-strong force in Somalia. Earlier, at a related function, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC), Ambassador Caetano Jose Madeira, thanked Lt. Gen. Rono for his diligence and dedication to service during his tour of duty in the Mission.
“I would like to thank you for your diligent service to the people of Somalia through your Command at AMISOM. It is because of this that Africa Union has awarded you a medal of honor, as a symbol to the world that you have served with valor,” said Ambassador Madeira in a message delivered on his behalf by Maj. Gen. Fidza Dludlu, the Officer in Charge of Mission.
Somali Women Assaulted By Kidnappers Posing As Policemen
24 December – Source: Arab News – 276 Words
Two Somali women who were stopped by policemen for identity checks were horrified to discover the men had disguised themselves in police uniforms so they could kidnap and assault them. In total, five men assaulted the women at two different locations after deceiving them by telling them they would be taking them to a shelter.
While the kidnappers requested that the two victims not inform authorities, one of the victims refused and filed a report with the police, leading a team of criminal investigators and police to capture all five attackers. In her report, the victim said she and her friend were kidnapped by men dressed in police uniforms and taken to a home in East Jeddah where they were sexually assaulted. The attackers then took them to a rest house in Al-Harazat, where three other men assaulted them at the request of the kidnappers.
The police formed a working team to investigate, and upon questioning the second victim, who gave a similar story, were able to identify the rest house location. Upon attempts to search the premises, a man inside the rest house refused to cooperate, while attempting to help others to escape out the back door. One of the criminals was immediately arrested at the site.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“A months-long Islamic State recruiting campaign in Somalia has already paid some dividends. In October, an influential Muslim cleric, Abdiqadir Mumin, announced that he had joined the group and was bringing at least 20 of his followers with him. Over the last two months, a U.S. citizen and a U.S. permanent resident were both apprehended in Somalia after apparently leaving Al-Shabaab for the Islamic State.”
2,000 Miles From Syria, ISIS Is Trying To Lure Recruits In Somalia
24 December – Source: Washington Post – 1,258 Words
Two-thousand miles from Syria,the Islamic State is trying to expand its territory by establishing a branch in what its fighters call the “little emirate”: the war-torn country of Somalia. Winning ground there won’t be easy. Al-Shabaab, a Somali group linked to al-Qaeda, has a long-standing presence in the country at Africa’s eastern edge. It has threatened those who join the Islamic State with death. But that hasn’t stopped a trickle of fighters — likely a few dozen — from switching sides, raising concerns among U.S. officials who have invested hundreds of millions of dollars of aid in a new Somali government and a regional military campaign against Islamist extremists.
Somalia holds potentially huge rewards for the extremist group: It is a marginally governed nation with the continent’s longest coastline, bordering three U.S. allies — Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. “Looking at Somalia, ISIL is trying to insert itself and then may threaten to move into Kenya,” said Rose Gottemoeller, the State Department’s undersecretary for arms control and international security, at a roundtable in Johannesburg this month. ISIL and ISIS are acronyms for the Islamic State.
The Islamic State has already expanded its footprint well beyond Syria and Iraq, with militants in Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Nigeria and other countries pledging allegiance to the extremists and their “caliphate.” While the Islamic State’s presence in Somalia appears small, its bid for followers there shows its ambitions.
“In a media landscape dominated by national networks and click-bait headlines, low-power FM is media at its most local. Stations like KALY … return local flavor to our media and are part of a larger movement of localism and community investment.”
Somali-American Radio Station Seeks To Be Twin Cities Resource
24 December – Source: Twincities.com – 1,053 Words
Between the tracks of East African pop and rap music, KALY sees itself as the voice, and ears, of a growing community. The South Minneapolis radio station provides Somali, East African and American families weather updates, local news — and resources for families to combat terrorist recruitment.
“That’s a big issue,” said KALY Executive Director Mahamed Cali. “We want to educate families on how they can prevent these things. We want to empower parents to talk to their kids and protect their kids and how the community can help each other.” KALY 101.7 FM is the first-ever Somali-American radio station in the U.S.; the low-power station entered the Twin Cities airwaves Sept. 24.
“We’re trying to provide the need of our neighborhood,” Cali said. “We can work together and make it a better city, and build a bridge for the gap.” According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Somali refugees started arriving in Minnesota in 1993. Since then, more than 21,000 Somali refugees have resettled in Minnesota. KALY brings in local sources for live interviews and talk shows and has a live-streaming website. Cali said the station fills the remainder of air time with music.
Cali said he plans to bring in a Somali college student for a show to encourage young community members to pursue and prepare for higher education. Cali also hopes to put local lawyers on the air to give legal advice to listeners. After conducting a local survey, Cali found the community had concerns on other issues such as employment, housing and the school system, and he plans programs on these topics as well.
TOP TWEETS
@joshkariuki: So #AU is going to send a 5,000 strong peacekeeping force to #Burundi yet there are 5,400 Burundian peacekeepers in #Somalia #AMISOM? Ok
@Daudoo: #Somalia and #Brunei ban Christmas celebrationshttp://aje.io/8c93
@US2SOMALIA: #al-Shabaab on the run: Al Shabaab militants lose grounds in southern #Somalia http://ow.ly/WhWkM @radiogarowe
@Mr_Omarsson : . @Somalia111 has meant a lot for the re-establishment of #Somalia and for that he will be remembered by many
@Limettamelitta : #VOAnews US Calls on Djibouti to Release Opposition Leaders: The United States has condemned recent a… http://bit.ly/1YzoRvh #Somalia
@Vatescorp : #Somalia is making progress, and that’s why world attention should focus on it- Nicholas Kayhttp://ow.ly/WhSUw
@Garadadde : #Somalia: Famous Somali Singers arrive to Mog. Hodan and Rasta#fankaiyoNabad
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Premier, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, thanks SRSG Kay for the support to the ongoing democratic process during a farewell ceremony for the SRSG.
@UNSomalia