February 3, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia Investigates Cause Of Blast In Passenger Plane
03 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 183 Words
A blast heard inside a passenger plane that made an emergency landing at Mogadishu airport Tuesday, triggered security concerns as investigations into the cause of the explosion are currently ongoing. Abdiwahab Sheikh Omar, the director of Somalia’s civil aviation authority told Voice of America’s Somali Service that the agency was yet to establish the exact cause of the explosion which occurred inside the aircraft. “It could have been a decompression or something else, that’s what we are going to find out” he said.
Mr. Abdiwahab said that out of the 74 passengers who were onboard the plane one person is missing who he said might have fallen from the plane before it made an emergency landing in Mogadishu. Officials in Bal’ad town said that residents found the dead body of a man who might have fallen from the plane Daallo Airlines which was heading to Djibouti before it turned back to Mogadishu. Somali aviation officials have earlier told Hiiraan Online that the plane was flying at 6000ft before the pilots realized the problem and turned back to Mogadishu airport to make an emergency landing.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Investigates Cause Of Blast In Passenger Plane (Hiiraan Online)
- Somalia Prime Minister Speaks About The Case Presented Against Him (Baidoa News)
- Minister Of Transport And Aviation Denies Suspension Of Flights Between Mogadishu And Hargeisa(Jowhar News)
- NGO Worker Survives Car Explosion In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Fishers Union Laud A New Fishing Licence Introduced In Puntland (Villa Puntland)
- Kenya Warns Against Circulation Of Al-Shabaab Attack Messages (Xinhua)
- AMISOM Mandate At A Glance (The Star)
- AMISOM Hands-over Renovated Police Station In Dhobley (AMISOM)
- US Court Clears Way For Torture Lawsuit Against Alleged Somali War Criminal (The Guardian)
- Why I moved Back To Somalia And You Should Too (The Seattle Globalist)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Prime Minister Speaks About The Case Presented Against Him
03 February – Source: Baidoa News – 127 Words
Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke talked for the first time about the case presented against him by 22 political parties in the country, accusing him of not moving forward with the Law of Political Parties they drafted jointly. He said that the way they put forward the lawsuit against him was not good, especially since the did not follow the legal route.The Prime Minister said it was important to know that in order to pass a Law of Political Parties, the government would need to consult the Somali community which in turn the government will draft and present the law to the parliament. He said that his government is making consultations with the Somali community, since the law is a sensitive issue. He added that the case presented against him by the political parties is invalid and baseless.
Minister Of Transport And Aviation Denies Suspension Of Flights Between Mogadishu And Hargeisa
03 February – Source: Jowhar News – 183 Words
The Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Federal Government of Somalia, Ali Ahmed Jama denied halting flights between Mogadishu and Hargeisa. The office of the Chief of Immigration and Citizenship, Gen. Gaafow explained released a letter yesterday saying that after the 22nd of this month flights between Mogadishu and Hargeisa will be halted.
Gen. Gaafow said that Somaliland is issuing a “Go Home” travel paper for the Somali people who are travelling to Hargeisa, and they are collecting a lot of money as a revenue from them on issuing that paper, stating that it is lawlessness.
Minister Ali Ahmed Jama said that this is groundless, adding that the decision was from the Director of Passports and Immigration Department alone. “No flights were suspended, adding that the whole decision is concerning him alone and no flights suspended” he said.Somaliland stated that they will not stop issuing “Go Home” papers, adding that they are separate country that took independent from the rest of Somalia and will treat people in the south like a neighboring country.
NGO Worker Survives Car Explosion In Mogadishu
03 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 77 Words
February 3, 2016 Local aid worker escaped unhurt after an Improvised Explosive Device fitted to his car went offTuesday night in Hamar Jajab district. The aid worker was driving along UNICEF Hospital road when his car blew up, sources at the scene have said. “He was alone driving after work when suddenly his car exploded. But luckily he escaped unhurt” said witness. Sources say the car may have been fitted with an explosive device and remotely controlled.
Fishers Union Laud A New Fishing Licence Introduced In Puntland
03 February – Source: Villa Puntland – 155 Words
The Government of Puntland announced a new licences for local Somali fishermen in a bid to identify the legal fishing from the illicit ones. In a conference attended by senior Puntland officials including the state minister for fishing and deputy minister for fishing and marine resources, and also local fishermen was held today in Bossaso, the commercial capital of Puntland. The new fishing licence was introduced in the conference, responding to outpouring demands from the local Somali fishermen in Puntland.
Deputy Minister for Fishing and Marine Resources Mohamed Ali Gablah stated that the new licence is intended to legalize the local Somali fishermen in Puntland. He added that the fishermen have severally demanded a fishing licence. Similarly, State Minister for Fishing Abdirahman Kulmiye noted this new licence will identify legal fishermen from illegal fishermen and also from pirates. On the other hand, fishers union have lauded the new move of the government of Puntland.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya Warns Against Circulation Of Al-Shabaab Attack Messages
03 February – Source: Xinhua – 265 Words
Kenyan authorities on Tuesday warned against circulation of leaflets and messages of impending attack by Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militant group in the country’s northeast county of Mandera. Mandera County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia said some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have started withdrawing some of its non-local workers for fear of being attacked by the Islamist militants due to such hate messages being circulated on the social media.
He said the NGOs are withdrawing workers from Banisa, Takaba and Mandera East sub counties. Shisia said the Al-Shabaab fighters, who last month killed dozens of Kenyan soldiers in the attack in southern Somalia, continue to change tact, noting that the messages were meant to create fear and despondency amongst NGO workers.
“We have noticed the militia have changed their strategy of attacks. Our security apparatus have also changed tack to confront them head-on,” Shisia told journalists in Mandera. Shisia said security officers manning hotspot areas including Fino, Omar Jillo, Dabacity, Lafey and Arabia have dominated the grounds and restored security. “The dominance by our security agents might be the root cause of such messages in parts of social media,” said Shisia.
AMISOM Mandate At A Glance
03 February – Source: The Star – 551 Words
What is Amisom?
The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) is a peace support mission operated by the African Union with a mandate from the United Nations. It was created by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council in January 2007 and deployed to Somalia in December of the same year. The mission has three components: civilian, military and police. The mission is currently authorised by the UN to have slightly over 22,000 troops and police who today come from seven countries, namely Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Ghana and Nigeria.
What is its mandate?
Amisom is mandated by the UN Security Council to: Take all necessary measures, as appropriate, and in coordination with the Somalia National Defence and Public Safety Institutions, to reduce the threat posed by al Shabaab and other armed opposition groups. Assist in consolidating and expanding the control of the FGS over its national territory. Assist the FGS in establishing conditions for effective and legitimate governance across Somalia, through support, as appropriate, in the areas of security, including the protection of Somali institutions and key infrastructure, governance, rule of law and delivery of basic services,
Provide, within its capabilities and as appropriate, technical and other support for the enhancement of the capacity of the Somalia State institutions, particularly the National Defence, Public Safety and Public Service Institutions. Support the FGS in establishing the required institutions and conducive conditions for the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections by 2016, in accordance with the Provisional Constitution. Liaise with humanitarian actors and facilitate, as may be required and within its capabilities, humanitarian assistance in Somalia, as well as the resettlement of internally displaced persons and the return of refugees.
AMISOM Hands-over Renovated Police Station In Dhobley
02 February – Source: AMISOM – 208 Words
AMISOM Police on Monday handed over a newly renovated police station in Dhobley, part of wider efforts aimed at improving the institutional capacity of the Somali Police Force (SPF). The renovation of the station is part of the AMISOM’s Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), aimed at ensuring quick but long lasting impacts, thereby improving service delivery to the Somali people. Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Internal Security of the Interim Jubba Administration General Mohamed Darwish said AMISOM has won the trust and confidence of the people through its commitment to the peace process in Somalia.
The AMISOM Police Commissioner, Anand Pillay in a speech read on his behalf by his Acting Special Assistant AIG. Amadu Mannah said building a strong police institution in Somalia, requires a comprehensive strategy with clear, realistic and achievable objectives, backed by the goodwill of all stakeholders. Mr. Anand Pillay thanked the Jubba Administration for demonstrating the political will to strengthen law enforcement and the commitment to ensuring compliance with internationally accepted standards. The Commissioner also thanked AMISOM partners for supporting such projects but called for more funding to help rebuild regional and federal police institutions in Somalia. “The journey has just began, work lies ahead,” Anand Pillay, the AMISOM Police Commissioner said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“They may have forgotten but myself and others like me will never be able to. I want to see justice and I want my kids to learn that nobody is above the law and every action has a consequence, whether in this life or the afterlife.”
US Court Clears Way For Torture Lawsuit Against Alleged Somali War Criminal
02 February – Source: The Guardian – 617 Words
An appeals court ruling which denied an alleged war criminal from Somalia immunity from prosecution in a US courtroom is only a partial success, a human rights group said on Monday. Lawsuit could end prosecution of war criminals living in US. The decision by the fourth circuit court of appeals in Virginia has opened a path for an individual lawsuit for torture and attempted murder against Colonel Yusuf Abdi Ali, who was head of the Somali army’s Fifth Brigade during the brutal Siad Barre dictatorship of the 1980s and who fled to Canada before settling in the US.
The California-based Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), which represents Ali’s alleged victim, Farhan Warfaa, said the three-judge panel’s ruling that stripped specific war crimes and crimes against humanity elements from the case was disappointing.
CJA lawyer Kathy Roberts said it limits the future effectiveness of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), the two centuries-old legislation relied on by human rights groups in recent years to seek relief in American courts for foreign nationals for crimes committed against them in other countries.
“The decision appears to reverse more than three decades of legal precedent that has allowed victims of human rights abuses to bring lawsuits against the worst international human rights criminals, when they are found in this country, for mass atrocities committed abroad,” she said. “We welcome today’s ruling that Colonel Ali must face justice for his crimes in court but we respectfully disagree with the panel’s decision to dismiss the mass atrocity claims. The attacks on Mr Warfaa were not isolated. They were part of a systematic and widespread attack on civilians. Colonel Ali should be held to account for all of his crimes.”
“After years of feeling out of place in Western culture, while not fully understanding my own cultural heritage, I felt the time was right to take a leap of faith and explore my roots. I wanted to see where I came from. I wanted to learn the foundations of Somali culture straight from the source.I also hoped to understand the challenges that Somali people were facing on a daily basis,”
Why I moved Back To Somalia (And You Should Too)
02 February – Source :The Seattle Globalist – 1492 Words
The moment my flight lifted off from SeaTac International Airport en route to Somalia was probably the most emotionally conflicted point in my entire life.I was elated to be returning to my country of birth for the first time since fleeing with my family as a young boy in 1991.On the other hand, I was extremely uncertain as to what awaited me back home.
Were all the rumors and myths I’d heard about Somalia true? Would my poor command of the Somali language be a hindrance to my repatriation? Would my people back home accept me with open arms? Or would they treat me as an outsider who was only there for a vacation — but would ultimately return back to the creature comforts of a first world life?
All these questions wrestled in my brain along with my debilitating fear of flying.Looking back on that moment some two years later, I can’t help but laugh at my unfounded trepidations.My choice to leave Seattle was one of the best decisions of my life.Initially, being with my family again was the main motivating factor that led to my decision to return.
But I was also getting away from a mostly stagnant and unfulfilling life in Seattle — White Center to be specific.I was tired of working dead end jobs just to pay the bills. I felt trapped in a vicious cycle, where I always ended up at the same starting point, with no end in sight. I felt as if I was living a real life version of the movie Groundhog Day.“I’ve seen people come here with a modest amount of savings and leverage it into entire hotel chains.”
TOP TWEETS
@KimberleyeLeo : The most alarming story this morning is out of #Somalia – passenger sucked out of the plane after fuselage compromised.
@Mubarak_A_Salah : Hands Off Somalia Campaign Campaigns against #neo #colonialist #imperialist #agenda #amisom #nato#somalia:
@OCHASom : Find our latest #Somalia Humanitarian Dashboard here: http://bit.ly/20G9n6i
@Dhulkayga_Hooyo : After 24 years, are we still wrongly defining the problem in #somalia ? http://bit.ly/1R0YOZ5
@BillaoJournal: “#Kenya holds trucks carrying food aid into#Somalia on militant fear” @Reuters .. http://www.reuters.com/
@magafrikdelest : #Somalia How is life in Minnesota for Somali community PRT Mukhtar Ibrahim
@Abdi_AlSheikh: Why I moved back to Somalia (and you should too) – Seattle Globalist http://dlvr.it/KP0MLP #Somalia
@salosahal: Turkish Airlines and Juba Express suspended a scheduled flights to Mogadishu after a policital tenson of somaliland and Somalia #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Photo: UNSOM
Puntland Vice-President, Abdihakim Haji Omar, yesterday received the Special Advisor to the DSRSG/RC/HC on Internally Displaced Persons, Walter Kälin, and his team at State House.