February 2, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Several killed in Somalia airstrike

01 Feb – Source: Digital Journal – 243 words

Several people are believed to have been killed in an airstrike in southern Somalia apparently targeting a house used by members of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab militia, officials and witnesses said Sunday. A Shebab source confirmed a missile hit the Islamist-held stronghold of Dinsoor, 270 kilometres (170 miles) west of the capital Mogadishu, late Saturday, but declined to give details on who was targeted and how many casualties there were from the attack.

Abdukadir Mohamed Nur, a Somali government official in the lower Shabele region, said several Shebab militants died. “Many Al-Shebab militants were killed in the airstrike,” he said, without giving details on who was targeted and which country carried out the attack. A resident in Dinsoor, Ali Yare, told AFP by telephone that four civilians may have been wounded or killed in the attack. “We heard a very loud explosion and a few minutes later I saw cars rushing to the scene, some of them returned with casualties. Four civilians were among the casualties,” he said. “We don’t know who was the target because the area was sealed off.”

In September last year the Shebab’s leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in a US airstrike, and Washington carried out another strike in December, killing who Somali officials said was a top Shebab intelligence official. The United States has no permanently deployed ground force in Somalia but supports the government and sometimes deploys air power or special forces against targets linked to Al-Qaeda.

Key Headlines

Landmine explosion occurs in Marko town (Radio Goobjoog)
Jubaland forces conduct security sweep (Garowe Online)
Reconciliation conference in Dhuusamareeb enters its second day (Radio Goobjoog)
Cholera outbreak confirmed in Jowhar (Radio Ergo)
EU decries discrimination against Somalia’s minority women (Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali parliaments endorse PM’s vote delay request (Hiraan Online)
Kalonzo Musyoka cautions against profiling of terror suspects (Standard Media)
Several killed in Somalia airstrike (Digital Journal)
Somalia making progress against Shabaab president tells AA (Anadolu)
Former Amniyat boss rejects al-Shabaab ideology serves blow to terror group (Sabahi Onlin)
Minority Somali women facing sexual violence – report (Star)
AU summit concludes after deliberation on Africa’s key challenges (Xinhua/Hiraan Online)
Man jailed two years for threatening police officers (Malta times)
Bank crackdown threatens remittances to Somalia (Foreign policy)

SOMALI MEDIA

Landmine explosion occurs in Marko town.

01 Feb – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 67 words

Reports coming to Goobjoog FM indicate that a heavy landmine explosion had occurred in Marko town of lower Shabelle region on Sunday. The landmine was intended for an AMISOM convoy passing in one of the roads in of Marko Town. A local resident in that town told Goobjoob FM that two civilians have sustained injuries from the explosion. AMISOM has not yet comment on any casualties caused by the explosion

Jubaland forces conduct security sweep

01 Feb – Source: Garowe Online – 98 words

Jubaland security forces have conducted door by door security operation in the southern port city of Kismayo, arresting terror suspects, Garowe Online reports. Police aided by intelligence officers pressed ahead with the search operation in various neighborhoods. Nearly 10 youths suspected of being Al Shabaab members were captured during the sweep. The search operations also targetted popular spots and vehicles on the main roads. Jubaland President Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) shows no letup in anti terror offensives in Lower Juba, Gedo and Middle Juba. Allied forces are preparing for new thrusts into Al Shabaab-held areas in Gedo.

Reconciliation Conference in Dhuusamareeb Inters Its Second Day

01 Feb – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 115 words

A reconciliation conference for tribal communities of central regions of Somalia has commenced in Dhusamareb on Saturday ahead of crucial state formation conference elsewhere in the region. Mr. Hareri Hassan Barre, the commissioner of Balanbal district who he is attending the conference told Goobjoog that he has high hopes for the conference and that it will pave the way for stable central state. “People have now realized what the future holds for them, they said we cannot go ahead with the state formation conference without cementing reconciliation, and it’s only when peace prevails that the state can be formed” said Mr. Hareri. The state formation conference is scheduled to take place in Adado.

Cholera outbreak confirmed in Jowhar

30 Jan – Source: Radio Ergo – 222 words

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed an outbreak of cholera in Jowhar district in Middle Shabelle region. Dr Mohamud Ali Mohamed Fuje of WHO’s communicable diseases control office in Somalia said tests on four people gave a positive result for cholera. The cholera outbreak has so far affected 77 people, including 59 children and 18 adults. Twenty children and six adults have been admitted to the district’s main hospital run by the Intersos relief agency. They were brought from Lebiga, Aligawan, Mayko, Kulmis and Hantiwadag villages on the outskirts of Jowhar. Maryan Mohamud, a mother from Lebiga village, spoke to Radio Ergo in the hospital with her two-year old daughter. “My daughter suffered from severe diarrhoea and dehydration…when I saw her condition deteriorating, I rushed her to hospital, and she has been here for the past three days and received treatment.” A hospital doctors, Abdiaziz Ibrahim Nageye, said the outbreak began on 10 January and was at first thought to be acute watery diarrhoea. There have been no deaths reported in hospital or outside, he said. Dr Abdiaziz said the outbreak was most likely caused by drinking contaminated water. There were also conditions of poor sanitation and hygiene in the district. He urged residents to improve sanitation in order to stop the spread of infection to other neighbourhoods of the district.

EU decries discrimination against Somalia’s minority women

30 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 225 words

The European Union on Friday decried the high levels of discrimination among Somalia’s minority women. EU Ambassador to Somalia Michele Cervone d’Urso told a forum in Nairobi that the women face double discrimination, which has relegated them to the margins of society. “The situation is even affecting peace building efforts in the country,” d’Urso said during the launch of a report on the predicament facing Somalia’s minority women. Estimates indicate the Somalia’s ethnic minorities account for between 15 and 20 percent of the country’s population. He urged Somali federal and regional governments to recognize the problem. “We are therefore urging state authorities to put in place affirmative action measures in order to build a more inclusive society,” d’Urso said. The EU envoy said women are vulnerable to abuse, discrimination and gender based violence which has affected their ability to access sustainable livelihood. He said Somali government has made progress, but it is yet to be felt by the women minorities at the grassroots level.

Somali parliaments endorse PM’s vote delay request

30 Jan – Source: Hiraan Online – 131 words

Few hours after the Somali prime minister has asked the parliament to give him ten more days to ahead of cabinet confidence vote by the parliament. According to a Somali legislator at the parliament, the parliament voted in favor of his appeal just before they started voting at a rowdy session that officials say would have rejected the new cabinet line-ups. Mr. Omar Abdirashid’s new cabinet, appointed after having withdrawn his initial cabinet ministers following a strong opposition from the parliament has got few political old-timers that saw MPs who lobbied for ministerial positions being excluded. The new political movement led by large number of legislators poses the most serious challenge to the new prime minister who is trying to balance his choices against the parliament’s choices.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kalonzo Musyoka cautions against profiling of terror suspects

01 Feb – Source: Standard Media – 190 words

CORD coalition co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka has cautioned the Jubilee Government against ethnic profiling in its fight against terror. Kalonzo, the Wiper Democratic Movement leader, said Kenyans of Somali origin have been on the receiving end during anti-terror, and that other Kenyans were now being subjected to the same treatment. “We should not profile people as per their ethnic background, but rather widen our scope across the country and beyond.

Extremism is a global problem not confined to Kenya and we should not, therefore, look at our Muslim brothers and sisters as terrorists,” said the former vice president. The Wiper Leader made the remarks yesterday at Ansaaru Primary School in Eastleigh, Nairobi, during a ceremony to award the best performers in the 2014 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams. The top pupil scored 427 marks out of a possible 500, and the school had a mean score of 369. Speaking at the same event, former deputy speaker Farah Maalim asked the Government to sack teachers who refuse to report to their workstations in the northeastern region. He said the teachers had signed contracts saying they would work anywhere in Kenya.

Somalia making progress against Shabaab, president tells AA

31 Jan – Source: Anadolu – 239 words

Somalia has made progress in its fight against the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militant group, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has said. “The Somali army has begun to extend its control to most areas of Somalia and terrorist operations have been restricted,” Mohamoud told The Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of an African Union summit that kicked off on Friday in Addis Ababa. He added: “Peace has begun to prevail in Somalia.” Since the outbreak of civil war in 1991, the troubled country in the Horn in Africa has remained in the grip of on-again, off-again violence. Last year, fractious Somalia appeared to inch closer to stability after government troops and African Union forces – deployed in the country since 2007 – drove Al-Shabaab from most of its strongholds. The militant group, however, has continued to stage attacks against government forces and African peacekeepers.

Former Amniyat boss rejects al-Shabaab ideology, serves blow to terror group

30 Jan – Source: Sabahi Online – 1231 words

Former al-Shabaab intelligence chief Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi has officially renounced al-Shabaab’s ideology and is calling on his former colleagues to follow his example.Hersi, who surrendered to Somali forces on December 27th, has served in various roles within al-Shabaab, including in its Amniyatintelligence and assassination unit.He decided to leave the group because it had strayed from the right path, misled the people with its evil intentions and because it was fraught with foreign interference, he told reporters, alluding to al-Shabaab’s tumultuous relationship with al-Qaeda.

The two groups had close ties for many yearsbut officially merged in 2012. The merger is believed to have brought much of the division within the ranks of al-Shabaab and loss of public support among Somalis as the group’s attacks targeted civilians.”I look back to the original aims and objectives of al-Shabaab, which many well-intentioned people would have welcomed,” Hersi said at a press conference Tuesday (January 27th) in Mogadishu, his first public appearance since his surrender. “Unfortunately, a few individuals that had their devious agenda, which I suspect to have foreign influence, have hijacked those aims and objectives.”

Minority Somali women facing sexual violence – report

30 Jan – Source: Star – 337 words

Somali women and girls, particularly those belonging to minority ethnic groups, are especially vulnerable to sexual violence, a report by a lobby group has said. The Report by Minority Rights Group International (MRG) says minority Somali women and girls are vulnerable to SGBV due to poverty, marginalisation and discriminatory attitudes. According the report, Looma Ooyaan, No One Cries For Them, the perpetrators of these abuses against minority women in the war-ravaged country include members of the dominant, men from minority communities, militias and security forces. “When legal mechanisms have been sought, minority women are often disadvantaged, and failed by, the customary (Xeer) justice system, which usually excludes female voices in favour of male decision-making,” said Christine Uyoga, MRG’s Gender Programme Coordinator for Somalia. “As for the official judicial system, the lack of accountability and transparency further limits access to justice.” she added. Other forms of human rights violations which minority women and girls face are murder, physical harm, hate speech, limited civil and political participation, prohibition on intermarriage with majority clans and low employment opportunities, says the report.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Several killed in Somalia airstrike

01 Feb – Source: Digital Journal – 243 words

AU summit concludes after deliberation on Africa’s key challenges

31 Jan – Source: Xinhua/Hiraan Online – 432 Words

The 24th African Union (AU) summit concluded later Saturday after deliberation on varied issues and with the Adoption of Agenda 2063, a vision and action plan towards prosperous and peaceful Africa. The summit convened on 30-31 Jan. in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, whereby African leaders deliberated on different issues including among others the Ebola crisis and peace and security on the African continent. In his closing remarks, Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe and chairman of the AU, said the summit was successful whereby the leaders deliberated and exchanged views on varied issues towards socio-economic development of the continent. “During the past two days, we have had a frank, robust and fruitful exchange of views on key challenges confronting our continent,” said Mugabe. “The adoption of the Agenda 2063 framework by this assembly represents an important milestone in our development.”The summit called on member states to implement the mega projects that have been agreed on at the assembly including among others the integrated high speed train network, the Inga III hydropower project, the aviation and auto space project, and the pan-African network, according to Mugabe.

Bank Crackdown Threatens Remittances to Somalia

30 Jan – Source: Foreign Policy – 528 words

Somali-Americans could find it much harder to send money back home to friends and family after next week.Merchants Bank of California, which handles 60 to 80 percent of the remittances sent to Somalia from the United States, announced this week that it is dropping the accounts of companies that transfer money on behalf of Somali immigrants in the United States.“We regret to inform you that the bank has decided to exit its relationship with you at this time,” Merchants Bank wrote in a termination letter emailed Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained Friday by Foreign Policy. The accounts will be closed on Feb. 6.

Merchants has been one of the few banks still willing to make transfers that allow people in the United States to send hundreds of millions of dollars in remittances to Somalia every year. The money transmitters, like smaller versions of Western Union or MoneyGram, collect the payments and bundle them together, but need a bank to handle the international wire transfer. For many of the largest money transmitters, mostly based in Minnesota, Merchants Bank was the only one willing to make the wire transfer necessary to get the money from Somali-Americans working in the United States back to their families — many of whom count on the cash infusions to survive.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Turkey showed that a clean, functioning urban environment can generate a desire to maintain such an environment, and can lead to the creation of more clean, functioning environments. Reconstruction involves changing people’s mindset about their surroundings. The Turkish model appears to be based on this concept.”

Turkish model helped reverse ‘broken window’ syndrome in poor Somalia

01 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 699 words

In a country that has seen few heroes and role models, and where foreigners are generally viewed with suspicion, the hero’s welcome accorded to Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan in Mogadishu last week was an indication that the Turkish model of development assistance is bearing fruit.Turkey, more than any country, has had a visible and tangible presence in Somalia since the 2011 famine when Erdogan, who was then the prime minister, made a landmark trip to the Somali capital and pledged to rebuild the country. Erdogan kept his promise; Mogadishu today not only has a shiny new airport terminal but among the best equipped hospitals in the region, built with Turkish engineers and architects and manned by Turkish personnel.These, among other projects, have had a significant impact on the lives of the war-weary residents of the Somali capital. Things were so bad before that when Amisom opened its military hospital to the public, it was overwhelmed with people seeking treatment. Feet on the ground The Turkish “feet-on-ground” approach has been welcomed by a majority Somalis who, despite the millions of dollars in donor aid provided by Western and Arab countries in the last two decades, have remained among the least serviced people in the whole of Africa, thanks to perennial conflict, corrupt politicians, mismanaged aid projects and clan-based politics that created warlords who were not accountable to anyone except their clan-based militias

.“We must also realize and accept the current crop of Somali leaders will not deliver us from sad situation. There is no a visionary leader among them. I cannot think of one Somali leader that asks himself, what is good for my people and country. Finally, I must say that the Somali psyche has been damaged. We no longer have a sense of self.”

Encircling Mogadishu: invasion under the radar

01 Feb – Source:Wardheer news – 779 words

While the Somali leaders engage in the time-tested tradition of nihilistic, politic fratricide, Ethiopia has slowly been creeping back into Somalia. I must note that Ethiopia is not to blame for our sad existence; it is merely taking advantage of our own stupidity and lack of foresight.The last few weeks have again demonstrated the incompetency and utter indifference of the leaders who we have allowed to run our country. While they have busied themselves fighting over a carcass of what was once a proud nation, Ethiopian troops, under the so called AMISOM, have positioned themselves in all corners of Somalia.

Apart from Mogadishu, Ethiopian troops are now present in Gedo, Galgadud, Bay, Bakool and Hiran. Soon, they will be moving into Lower Juba, Upper Juba and Lower Shabelle. The Ethiopian troops will be replacing the departed Sierra Leonean troops in Kismayo, They will also be moving into Barawe in order to “free up” Ugandan troops who are supposedly getting ready for the next push against Alshabab. Ultimately, the Ethiopian troops will be in a position to encircle Mogadishu, seat of the Somali State. Needless to say, the animosity between Ethiopians and Somalis goes back centuries. The history of the conflict is one of wars, humiliation and destruction. Unlike Somalis, Ethiopians have not forgotten the defeats and humiliations they suffered at the hands of the Somalia.