February 5, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Uganda deploys over 1,600 troops in Somalia
05 Feb- Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily-183 Words
The Ugandan military late on Monday sent a new contingent of 1,600 peacekeepers in the war-torn Somalia to reinforce peace efforts and stabilize the country, a military spokesperson said Tuesday. The troops under Uganda Battle Group (UGABAG) 13 will be deployed in sector one in Somalia, which is under control of Ugandan and Burundian troops, Ugandan military spokesperson Paddy Ankunda told Xinhua by telephone.
“The troops are going to be deployed appropriately under sector one. The troops will help to consolidate peace and security in the liberated areas,” Ankunda said.
Ugandan and Burundian troops, under the auspices of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), were deployed in sector one, which comprises the regions of Banadir, Lower and Middle Shabelle, and in sector three, which covers the Bay and Bakool regions. They were also operating in the capital city of Mogadishu and Markal.
Key Headlines
- Prime Minister wants answers from security officials following night’s blasts in Mogadishu (Radio Dalsan)
- Kenyan troops KDF are set to pull out of Kismayo Somalia. (CCTV)
- Uganda deploys over 1600 troops in Somalia ( Xinhua/Shanghai Daily)
- Somalia takes huge leap with technology (Somali Current)
- Ethiopian Somaliland security agents detain senior al Shabaab defector (Radio RBC)
- Al Shabaab claims Mogadishu Shelling Attack (Hiiraan Online)
- UN warns against complacency in wake of slight improvement in Somalia (Radio Dalsan)
- Al Shabaab internet blackout disrupts lives provokes outrage in southern Somalia(Sabahi Online)
- Kenya’s police seek arrest of two suspects after chaos in Mombasa (Xinhua)
- Aid for Somali students divides parents (The Globe and Mail)
SOMALI MEDIA
Ethiopian, Somaliland security agents detain senior al Shabaab defector
05 Feb- Source: Radio RBC-213 Words
Officials in Somaliland have detained a senior militant commander who defected from al Shabaab terror group in Somalia, RBC Radio reports. The operation conducted jointly by Ethiopian intelligence members and the Somaliland counter-terrorism forces targeted Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed Arabey, a senior former member of al Shabaab who has defected from the terror group and fled to seek refuge at his home region of Somaliland.
The operation took place at Hidh-hidh village near the Widh-Widh district of Togdheer region close to the Ethiopian border. Arabey is believed to be a key figure in the militants’ ranks and maintained a good relation with al Shabaab’s top commander Ahmed Abdi Godane before a serious infighting broke within the group. Arabey and Godane both hail originally from Somaliland.
Sources said that Arabey fled to his home region after infighting within al Shabaab grew bigger as the group’s powerful commander started assassinating his rivals. The Ethiopian intelligence have reportedly took custody of the senior al Shabaab defector.
Somaliland, which is unrecognized region on the north of Somalia, maintains warm relations with the neighbouring Ethiopia. The region has signed a collective security treaty which allows Ethiopian intelligence to apprehend suspects from inside Somaliland’s administered regions.
Al Shabaab claims Mogadishu Shelling Attack
05 Feb- Source: Hiiraan Online/Markacadeey Online/Harar24 89 words
Mogadishu witnessed this week a heavy shelling which al Shabaab militant group claimed the responsibility as its military spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Mus’ab said in a statement to al Shabaab Andulus radio “We have been attacking the enemy for two consecutive nights now inside Mogadishu.”
On his part, police spokesman asked the residents not to worry as all that occurred was just due to “some explosive packages”, Prime Minister Abdiweli demanded a clear explanation from the Somali intelligence & security services for night’s occurrences, which he said was “unacceptable”.
UN warns against complacency in wake of slight improvement in Somalia
04 Feb – Source: Radio Dalsan – 377 words
Commenting on the latest results of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit twice annual assessment and forecast of the food and nutrition situation in Somalia the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Mr. Philippe Lazzarini warned against complacency in the wake of a slight improvement, saying the momentum of the humanitarian response has to be maintained for a country still recovering from the 2011 famine, which killed over 260,000 people in excess mortality.
Compared to six months ago, the number of people projected to be in ‘crisis and emergency’ conditions over the next six months has reduced ever so slightly to 857,000 from 870,000. The number of Somalis in food security ‘stress’ has also reduced to 2 million people from 2.3 million.
“Much of this incremental improvement is due to the rapid and focused actions of humanitarian agencies who responded to early warnings of the potentially poor harvests issued at the end of 2013. This softened the impact and helped prevent a worsening of the crisis. Early warnings were translated into early response and saved lives,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator, who also cautioned that the recent improvements could easily be reversed without sustained assistance and noted that agencies are now facing significant funding gaps for 2014.
“A worrying trend is the increasing levels of severely malnourished children. Today, more than 50,000 malnourished children are at death’s doorstep. Without assistance, that number could double in six months,” he said. Lack of access and the loss of key partners prevented essential nutrition services from being delivered.
“Somalia’s story is as, ever, complex and we must not take improvements for granted. Today’s humanitarian situation is eerily similar to conditions prior to the famine – numbers are slightly improved but resources are dwindling and access is challenging. We have warned in the past, and I will again now, this is not the time for complacency,” said Mr. Lazzarini. “If we fail to continue to support Somalis in strengthening their resilience, the vulnerable people of Somalia will be at risk of slipping back into the same crisis conditions we know too well.”
Prime Minister demands answers from security officials following night blasts in Mogadishu
04 Feb – Source: Radio Dalsan – 306 words
The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed called together and met with senior government, city and security officials to discuss night’s series of explosions across Mogadishu.
Meeting at the Office of the Mayor of Mogadishu the Prime Minister met with the Minister of National Security, H.E. Abdikarim Hussein Guled, Head of the Somali Police, General Abdihakim Dahir Sa’id, Mayor of Mogadishu, Mohammud Ahmed Tarsan, senior security officials, District and Police Commissioners for Mogadishu to discuss and demand answers to last night’s series of explosions across Mogadishu.
Addressing the meeting of security and city officials, the Prime Minister, said: “This meeting is to question ourselves on last night’s explosions which targeted the innocent citizens of Mogadishu. Those explosions create fear in our people, we must investigate and swiftly bring to justice those behind these attacks.
“Our people should be able to live without fear and that is the number one responsibility of my government. I want every one of you in this room to come up with a result, this cannot be allowed to happen again. Our people are waiting and expecting an answer on who was behind last night’s indiscriminate violence and face justice. “I will not allow these cowards to strike fear into our people and derail the progress Mogadishu and Somalia has made. My government will protect its citizens.”
Minister of National Security, H.E. Abdikarim Hussein Guled, said: “We must ask ourselves what happened last night and come up with the answers. Security forces and agencies are working together with investigations and security operations already under way to ensure those responsible face justice and allowing our people to go about their lives without fear.”
Somalia takes huge leap with technology
04 Feb- Source: Somali Current-903 Words
For over two decades, getting any form of official identification for Somali citizens was done through the back alleys of the infamous Bakara market, a system known as “Abdallah Shideeye” or the counterfeiter. Without a functioning government and institutions during the two decades of civil war, many Somalis had to acquire fake identity cards and passports to travel as they sought refugee status in neighboring countries.
The country now has a functional government with institutions working at protecting the Somali identity. At this centre in Mogadishu, hundreds of Somalis brave the scorching sun, queuing to get their new national identity cards. Setup up by the regional administration in December last year and with funding from US Aid through the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the center sees traffic of between 200 and 500 people each day.
“In this country we had what they called “Abdallah Shideeye” for the last 23 years you can find in Bakara Market whatever ID card you would like to have, everyone could take citizenship before;” Says Mohamed Yusuf, Spokesman of Mogadishu Municipality and Office of the Mayor, “but now we wanted to reach the digital system in the world that’s why we brought the latest technology here.”
Somaliland: UCID Party’s VP aspirant back from Uganda your
04 Feb- Source: Somalilandsun-148 Words
The justice and development party (UCID) top office contestants in the forthcoming general election Mr. Abdirashid Hassan Mataan arrived back from Uganda where he was based. He was welcome at Egal international airport by UCID top officials led by their presidential contestant Mr. Jamal Ali Hussein and thousands of party die-hard supporters.
Mr. Abdirashid said that he has come back to the country so that he could tour with members of his party to all the regions of the country. The UCID vice-presidential candidate condemned the government for oppression of right of the masses.
Speaking at the Egal airport, the UCID presidential contestants said he welcomed back his running mate.” I have come on a fact finding mission”. He also accused the government for arresting innocent youths in Gabiley, adding that the government is trampling upon the rights of its citizens.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab internet blackout disrupts lives, provokes outrage in southern Somalia
05 Feb- Source: Sabahi Online-845 Words
For the thousands of residents in Hiran, Middle and Lower Juba regions who have been unable to access the internet on their mobile phones for the past two weeks, al Shabaab’s internet blackout represents a new burden in life, one that makes communicating with loved ones around the world a nearly impossible endeavour.
Telecommunication companies began complying with al Shabaab’s order to cut internet services on January 21st, and then on Saturday (February 1st), al Shabaab militants stormed Hormuud Telecom’s main building in the town of Jilib in Middle Juba region and ordered the staff to shut down the telecommunication system after the company refused to pay $50,000 the group demanded as “money for jihad”.
Jilib houses the largest telecommunications lines connecting Mogadishu to Lower and Middle Juba regions, and the incident has affected communication services throughout the entire Jubba regions.
Mogadishu resident Safiya Hassan, a 48-year-old mother of six, told Sabahi she was worried about her sister, a mother of seven children who lives in Jilib.
Somali refugees in Sweden pick ice hockey
05 Feb- Source: Aljazeera- 02:11 min
Somali refugees have usually had it hard enough by the time they arrive in Europe, and integrating into their new societies can pose further problems. But an immigrant community in Sweden is getting some help, through ice hockey. What started as a way to integrate immigrants into Swedish society could take Somalia all the way to the Winter Olympics.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Uganda deploys over 1,600 troops in Somalia
05 Feb- Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily-183 Words
The Ugandan military late on Monday sent a new contingent of 1,600 peacekeepers in the war-torn Somalia to reinforce peace efforts and stabilize the country, a military spokesperson said Tuesday. The troops under Uganda Battle Group (UGABAG) 13 will be deployed in sector one in Somalia, which is under control of Ugandan and Burundian troops, Ugandan military spokesperson Paddy Ankunda told Xinhua by telephone.
“The troops are going to be deployed appropriately under sector one. The troops will help to consolidate peace and security in the liberated areas,” Ankunda said.
Ugandan and Burundian troops, under the auspices of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), were deployed in sector one, which comprises the regions of Banadir, Lower and Middle Shabelle, and in sector three, which covers the Bay and Bakool regions. They were also operating in the capital city of Mogadishu and Markal.
Kenya’s police seek arrest of two suspects after chaos in Mombasa
05 Feb- Source: Global Times/Xinhua-488 Words
Kenya police on Tuesday announced a manhunt of two key leaders behind an upsurge of radicalization in the tourism resort city of Mombasa. County CID commander Henry Ondiek said they are looking for the two suspects who escaped police dragnet when they raided Masjid Mosque on Sunday.
“Two aliases Rambo and Ramadan are key al Shabaab members behind recruitment and funding of al Shabaab activities in the country,” Ondiek told Xinhua in Mombasa. “We believe they escaped with injuries when the police raided the mosque,” he added.
The CID commander said intelligence report indicates that the two are al Shabaab returnees. They had undergone various military training in Somalia before returning to plan more attacks.
Kenyan police have engaged stone-throwing Muslim youth in streets of the coastal city in the past two days after two people were killed and dozens injured in the similar chaos on Sunday.
Aid for Somali students divides parents
04 Feb- Source: The Globe and Mail-716 Words
Suban Abdullahi has taken on an unusual charge: She is fighting the Toronto District School Board so her children do not receive any special treatment. On Wednesday, school trustees will be reviewing – and possibly approving – a task force report that calls for more supports for Somali students, postsecondary scholarships, a Somali heritage month and Somali-focused curriculum.
The recommendations have sparked deep divisions in the community. Supporters say that, because of a higher-than-average dropout rate, interventions are urgently needed. Detractors such as Ms. Abdullahi say it will only stigmatize her two school-age children (three others are in university) and others of Somali descent.
“The task force is marginalizing our children,” said Ms. Abdullahi, who formed a grassroots parents’ movement and gathered hundreds of online signatures. “If they really want to help, why not help all the students who are failing?”
Somaliland blessed by dodging aid “curse” – minister
04 Feb- Source: Reuters-350 Words
The breakaway territory of Somaliland cannot access foreign aid because it has not yet been recognised internationally as a state, and that suits it just fine.
“That is a blessing in disguise. Aid never developed anything,” Hussein Abdi Dualeh, Somaliland’s minister of energy and minerals, told Reuters on the sidelines of an African mining conference.
“Aid is not a panacea, we’d rather not have it … How many African countries do you know that developed because of a lot of aid? It’s a curse. The ones that get the most aid are the ones with the problems,” he said.
Dualeh is in Cape Town trying to woo junior mining companies to come and explore for minerals in Somaliland, which Dualeh described as Africa’s “land mining frontier. Almost completely unexplored”. That might be a hard sell as even raising capital can be difficult for projects in a state that is not recognised internationally but Dualeh said Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, showed that an African country could fend for itself with no outside help.
Kenyan troops, KDF, are set to pull out of Kismayo, Somalia
04 Feb- Source: CCTV- 2:03 min
Kenyan troops will reduce their presence in the Southern town of Kismayo but the force will remain in the AMISOM mandate.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“If the quality of teachers is poor, the quality of education will be poor. What this means, therefore is that the quality of teachers will determine the effectiveness of curriculum implementation. The education system needs adequately trained and motivated teachers in order to succeed in its program.”
Somaliland: Challenges of curriculum implementation
04 Feb- Source: Somalilandpress-745 Words
Curriculum implementation, according to Okello and Kagoire (1996:124) “is a network of varying activities involved in translating curriculum designs into classroom activities and changing people’s attitudes to accept and participate in these activities”. However, curriculum implementers in our country (teachers, head teachers, standard officers and others) are faced with barriers which hinder the successful implementation of the curriculum.
It is very difficult to implement a curriculum successfully if the education system has limited funding capacities. Under funding raise a lot of other implications on the part of curriculum. The economy of a nation will determine the success of curriculum implementation. In developing countries, the numbers of pupils and teachers have kept on rising but government money available for education is less.
Since manpower in the education sector has increased in Somaliland, the size of money allocated to education is absorbed by salaries because 90% of the education budget of Somaliland is personnel budget leaving very little for teaching materials, books, in-service training, monitoring and other things needed for the smooth implementation the of curriculum and budget allocated for education in Somaliland government is less than 12% in the overall budget as approved by parliament .
Photos reveal living conditions within refugee camps
04 Feb- Source: Al Jazeera America Blog-121 Words
What is life like for refugees and internally displaced people from Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria? Jeff Crisp, the senior director for policy and advocacy for Refugees International, will provide insight on the Feb. 4, 2014 edition of Consider This.
According to mid-2013 figures from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are more than 2.5 million refugees from and 574,000 internally displaced people within Afghanistan. More than 1.1 million refugees from and 1.1 million internally displaced people within Somalia. More than 100,000 refugees from and 400,000 internally displaced people within South Sudan. Syria had more than 1.8 million refugees and 4.2 million internally displaced people. The galleries below provide a look inside the camps.
Top tweets
@amisomsomalia VIDEO: Somalis being issued national IDs in a move expected to boost security and protect identity.http://bit.ly/1kExAVw
@UNLazzarini No time for complacency: one shock & vulnerable Somalis cld slip into crisis. My statement: http://bit.ly/1anGuWsFSNAUData @faoinsomalia
@Somalia111 Congrats to #Puntland Cabinet on approval by MPs. Glad to see stronger women’s representation. Wish success to all for hard work ahead.
@FCONeilWigan Passed this ancient but still working truck in Mogadishu yesterday, and admired the cab. Somali resilience.pic.twitter.com/FGS1X1TjDW
@in_somalia Inspiring ladies taking initiative;providing peoples w/ disabilities in #Somalia the right to physical access. Video:https://www.facebook.
Image of the day
New tarmac about to be laid down in #Jowhar beside newly installed solar lights. Photo: @SomaliaNewsroom