February 23, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Government Issues ‘Terror Warning’ In Mogadishu
23 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 234 Words
The Somali government has warned of an imminent terror attack barely six months after the deadliest attack in Somalia’s history. Ministry of Information warned of a looming vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices ( VBIEDs) threat in the Somali capital. Speaking to media after a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Deputy Minister for Information, Abdirahman Ifan Yonis warned the public of two vehicles loaded with explosives that security officials say is being planned to be used for an attack. “The report submitted by security minister had shown that there were two VBIEDs sent to execute attacks in the city, one of the vehicles resembles those of Sahal Company which operates at the airport,” said Yonis.
The minister noted that they put increased security measures by deploying security forces in many parts of the town. “Intelligence reconnaissance operations will be increased. our forces will remain vigilant and we will take all necessary measures to foil the attacks,” Yonis pledged. He called on the public to work with the security officers and report any suspicious activity.
The warning comes barely six months after Mogadishu witnessed the infamous October deadly truck bomb. The attack which was widely described as “The worst single attack in the country’s history” occurred at Zobe junction. Over 500 people killed and more than 300 others wounded in the attack. No group yet claimed the responsibility for the heinous attack though the Somali government has blamed Al-Shabaab.
Key Headlines
- Government Issues ‘Terror Warning’ In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- Election Of A Parliamentary Seat To Be Held In Mogadishu On Saturday (Dhacdo.com)
- Southwest Authorities Sends Warning To People Who Seek Justice In Al-Shabaab Courts (Hiiraan Online)
- Rally Behind AMISOM And The Government To Speed Up Stabilization Process AU Special Envoy Urges The Somali Public (AMISOM)
- Tackling Rape Impunity In Somalia (New Indian Express)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Election Of A Parliamentary Seat To Be Held In Mogadishu On Saturday
23 February – Source: Dhacdo.com – 204 Words
Preparations for the election of a parliamentary seat left vacant after the natural death of MP Said Hassan Geddi who passed away in February 2017 is going on smoothly in Mogadishu. The independent electoral body confirmed the election of the parliamentary seat left vacant by the Somaliland MP will be held tomorrow.
Two candidates are contesting for the position – one of them a son of the deceased MP, Fathi Said Hassan. Fathi is said to be the favourite candidate and is already receiving congratulatory messages on his social media pages. He faced a lot of pressure from the current minister of finance Mr Beileh who was lobbying for one of his close friends to grab the position, but the Villa Somalia directed him to stop meddling in the election.
If Fathi wins tomorrow’s election, he will become the youngest MP to join the Lower House. The electoral body said it is ready for the election as delegates electing the new member of parliament are all available in the capital. The electoral body has been busy in recent past filling up vacant seats and have so far filled two. If elections take place tomorrow, the body will have to fill the remaining last vacant seat.
Southwest Authorities Sends Warning To People Who Seek Justice In Al-Shabaab Courts
23 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 138 Words
Southwest authorities issued a warning to locals who travel to Al-Shabaab-controlled areas to seek justice. Southwest information minister Ugaas Hassan said anyone found travelling to Al-Shabaab-held territory for justice will not be allowed to return to areas controlled by the authorities. He said the warning was specifically directed to local businesspeople. “Al-Shabaab started to call businesspeople asking for extra extortion thus forcing the businesspeople to travel to Al-Shabaab territories to lodge their grievances.
Authorities issued a direction that anyone found to have travelled to Al-Shabaab areas would be permitted to return to the government-controlled areas. He also cautioned people who visit Al-Shabaab controlled areas for land ownership disputes and other cases related to compensations. Somali government faces challenges in dealing with people who go to Al-Shabaab for justice while justice systems are in place in the government-controlled districts.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Rally Behind AMISOM And The Government To Speed Up Stabilization Process, AU Special Envoy Urges The Somali Public
23 February – Source: AMISOM – 661 Words
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, yesterday held a roundtable discussion with the Somali public on the achievements and challenges facing the 11-year-old African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The roundtable discussion, the first one this year, was attended by politicians, members of the civil society, business community, religious leaders, academics and security experts, who engaged the senior leadership on various issues ranging from AMISOM’s relationship with the Somali government, its sources of funding, its exit strategy and training programmes for Somali security forces among others.
While enumerating AMISOM’s achievements, Ambassador Madeira urged the Somali public to rally behind the African Union Mission and the Federal Government to help speed up the stabilization process and restore lasting peace and security in the country. “Any operation needs to be coordinated, needs to be planned together not only with the military and intelligence, but even with the humanitarians, the administrators, the regional and national governments who know the place very well. That way, the chances of success are much, much bigger. That’s how we intend to do and that’s the direction even the exit strategy will be going,” Ambassador Madeira noted.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“More fundamental still is the failure of Somalia’s police to take sexual assault cases—and their jobs—seriously. Corruption is rife, with a legal advisor to Puntland’s justice ministry saying officers “meddle” in cases, undermining them for personal gain,”
Tackling Rape Impunity In Somalia
23 February – Source: New Indian Express – 239 Words
Two decades of conflict has made Somalia a place where sexual violence is rampant. The new freezers in the country’s only forensic lab, which can store thousands of DNA samples, can help tackle rape impunity in the African nation. The lab, partly funded by Sweden, was launched last year after the Puntland state government enacted a Sexual Offences Act in 2016, which criminalised sexual offences, according to AFP
Currently there are just five samples in the new freezers. The first sample, taken on a cotton swab from the underwear of a woman, a rape victim from the village of Galdogob, arrived at the start of the year. Wrapped in paper, it was driven 250 km to the forensic centre in Puntland’s capital. If DNA ID can be teased from the sample, this would be a crucial step in convicting the rapist.
No longer would it be a case of he-said-she-said, in which the survivor is less often believed than the accused. But technology alone will not solve Somalia’s judicial weaknesses. The DNA sample from Galdogob was stored in unrefrigerated conditions for five days before being sent to the lab, meaning a defence counsel could argue the DNA evidence had been tampered with.
More fundamental still is the failure of Somalia’s police to take sexual assault cases—and their jobs—seriously. Corruption is rife, with a legal advisor to Puntland’s justice ministry saying officers “meddle” in cases, undermining them for personal gain.
TOP TWEETS
@HarunMaruf: Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu gets a warm welcome in Mogadishu. Mr Çavuşoğlu and Somali officials will kick start a number of projects including rebuilding of the old Somali parliament building, investment in fisheries and boosting Somali exports: officials
@alihwarsame: Sometimes it might be wise to go back to the drawing board &retrace your steps to see what went wrong in our life time socially & politically. We are again & anew trying to reinvent the wheel. #Somalia history is full of milestones & missed opportunities. #SomaliaHistoryMonth
@Abdi_AlSheikh: The collaborative student-professor project explores the lives of nine Somalia-Americans in rural southern Minnesota. – Gustavus Adolphus College News (blog)http://dlvr.it/QHTqBZ #Somalia
@engyarisow: I had excellent meeting with Religious leaders and I urged them to take a leading role on preventing and countering violent extremism in #Mogadishu and in #Somalia
@adancabdulle: Waste dropped into the ocean at Secondo Lido ultimately drift into main Lido beach littering the beach there. Home to numerous multi-million $$ hotels, no effort has been made to force these hotels to clean the beach cc@engyarisow https://pbs.twimg.
@HIPSINSTITUTE: African Union decision to come to Somalia was not dictated by others. It was a decision from Africans: ‘We go to Somalia with what we have’. @AmbFMadeira#AskAMISOM #HIPSForum
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Deputy PM Hakan Çavuşoğlu meet with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo at Villa Somalia.
Photo: @TC_Mogadishu