February 5, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Ethiopia to deploy extra peace-keeping forces to Somalia, South Sudan and Abiye
05 Feb – Source: Addisababaonline – 225 Words
Ethiopia will deploy 600 additional peacekeepers to Somalia, South Sudan and Abiye in March, 2015, the Ethiopian International Peacekeeping Training Centre disclosed. The peace keepers will be deployed around Kismayo in Somalia and three helicopter gunships would be sent to South Sudan. Preparations have also been finalized to deploy half of the 1,069 troops that will be assigned to Abiye under the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA), it was indicated.
Center Head Major General Hassan Ibrahim said that the peacekeeping forces are being deployed to different places in line with the invitation of the respective countries. Since the peacekeeping force has finalized its preparations, it will be deployed in March following the supervision of UN and the AU. Alongside meeting its peace-keeping mission, the forces will help the countries build strong defense forces by giving training, the head elaborated.
The Ethiopian peacekeeping mission in Kismayo will replace the departing Sierra Leon peacekeepers that cut short their mission recently.The peacekeeping force is filling the void following the invitation of the government of Somalia, Major General Hassan said, adding that the peace keepers will go with full logistics. There are over 12,000 Ethiopian Peacekeepers in Somalia, South Sudan, Darfur and Abiye, it was learned. Of the total, up to 7 percent are female, according to the center head.
Key Headlines
- Integral Horn African Naval Forces trained in Djibouti (Radio Danan)
- Somali man kills his 39-year-old wife in Norway (Sahan Journal)
- Foreign influence within the politics of Somalia (Radio Danan)
- There are no primary services here in Jalalaksi district in Hiiraan region (Radio Muqdisho)
- Somali twin sisters appear taking training with ISIS (Somali Current)
- Ethiopia to deploy extra peace-keeping forces to Somalia South Sudan and Abiye (Addisababaonline)
- Volunteer teachers cushion Mandera County crisis (Sabahi Online)
- China firmly supports Somalia’s peace process: envoy (Xinhua)
- UN Somalia envoy ‘excited and worried’ about political progress in year ahead (UN News) Centre
- Bank to close accounts related to Somalia (Wall Street Journal)
- Man in al-Shabaab getting out of prison (AP/Twincities)
SOMALI MEDIA
Integral Horn African Naval Forces trained in Djibouti
05 Feb – Source: Radio Danan – 146 Words
A week-long training for Integral Naval Forces for Horn African wrapped up in Djibouti. Dubbed as Castle Express, the training brought together troops from Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, Uganda and Kenya. The training was conducted by Australia, USA and Cameroon. Ambassadors from participating governments attended the closing ceremony of the training. This was the 4th annual Castle Express training. Army officials who delivered speeches at the ceremony commended the trainees and the experience they gained from the training. Certificates of of training were awarded to the participants. The commander of the Djibouti Naval Forces, Col. Abdirahman Adan commented on the value of this kind of training and how different naval forces in the region can develop a working relationship and cooperation among themselves in order to better fight pirates and other criminal organizations working in the waters around the Horn of African.
Somali man kills his 39-year-old wife in Norway
05 Feb – Source: Sahan Journal/Radio Muqdisho – 224 Words
A Somali man is in prison after he allegedly confessed to killing his 39-year-old wife in the Norwegian town of Askøy on Wednesday, officials said. The 41-year-old man reportedly turned himself in to police after he murdered his wife —the mother of his six children, aged between one to 18 years old, according to reports. “The police received a message at 13:21 on Wednesday about a man who had reported to the prison in Bergen, saying that he had murdered his wife,” Helge Spell, Askøy town’s sheriff, told Norway’s VG newspaper. “We don’t know why he reported to the prison.”
Police said they have gathered the six children in the same place, and they are now being taken care of by child protective services. “We have put our best people on the job of taking care of those children,” said Siv Høgtun, mayor of Askøy. “We are now fully focusing on taking care of these children. This is a very tragic event.” Police said they don’t know if the children were at home when the incident happened. Authorities said they are conducting investigations and the motive for the murder is unclear. “She was a nice and kind lady, and one wouldn’t be able to find more well behaved children,” said Monica Rong, the victim’s neighbor.
Foreign influence within the politics of Somalia
05 Feb – Source: Radio Danan – 171 Words
There is severe political stagnation in the country at the moment according to Somali political analyst Abshir Mohamed Adan and he warns that the current stagnation in the country can lead to bigger problems. Speaking to Danan Radio, Mr. Abshir said that there are foreign powers that are manning the political turmoil in the country from overseas. The prime minister, Omar Abdirashid is busy setting up his cabinet for the third time. Nobody knows how the current political disorder will end up. However, the UN Secretary-General who recently met with Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia welcomed the President’s commitment to exert all efforts with Somalia’s Parliament to complete the process of forming a new government. The Secretary-General stressed the importance of internal political stability to allow for much-needed progress towards Somalia’s Vision 2016. They also discussed the need to continue support to the joint Somali National Army-AMISOM military campaign and the importance of an inclusive process in developing a federal state.
Somali twin sisters appear taking training with ISIS
04 Feb – Source: Somali current – 102 Words
Two Somali twin jihadists, who fled from their home to fight for ISIS posted their pictures on twitter while taking military training in an undisclosed location in Syria on Wednesday.The twin Sisters Sahra and Salma 17, are believed to have married foreign jihadists who were killed in the latest fierce clashes in Syria. The posted pictures show Salma and Sahra practicing shooting skills with AK-47. The Somali Britain citizens left from their home in Manchester to join ISIS. The parents of the twin sisters Ibrahim and Khadro traveled to Syria in November but unfortunately Sahra and Salmo stayed behind to fight.
There are no primary services here in Jalalaksi district in Hiiraan region
04 Feb – Source: Radio Muqdisho – 142 Words
People living in Jalalaksi district in Hiiraan region are facing a very acute humanitarian situation and have no access to primary services needed including health according of the officials there. Ibrahim Nor is the deputy district commissioner of Jalalaksi, he tells Radio Mogadishu that the main hospital in the area is not functioning properly due to lack of equipment and medicine saying Al-Shabab militants looted everything in that hospital already. “We have submitted our needs to the Somali Ministry of Health in order it might take [a] role in handling the very hard conditions that people in this town are in, We requested it to help us on the health matters” Ibrahim added. Deputy district commissioner repeated his call towards the Minister of Health Somalia and other humanitarian agencies to immediately respond to the severe health and livelihood situation prevailing there.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Ethiopia to deploy extra peace-keeping forces to Somalia, South Sudan and Abiye
05 Feb – Source: Addisababaonline – 225 Words
Ethiopia will deploy 600 additional peacekeepers to Somalia, South Sudan and Abiye in March, 2015, the Ethiopian International Peacekeeping Training Centre disclosed. The peace keepers will be deployed around Kismayo in Somalia and three helicopter gunships would be sent to South Sudan. Preparations have also been finalized to deploy half of the 1,069 troops that will be assigned to Abiye under the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA), it was indicated. Center Head Major General Hassan Ibrahim said that the peacekeeping forces are being deployed to different places in line with the invitation of the respective countries. Since the peacekeeping force has finalized its preparations, it will be deployed in March following the supervision of UN and the AU. Alongside meeting its peace-keeping mission, the forces will help the countries build strong defense forces by giving training, the head elaborated.
Volunteer teachers cushion Mandera County crisis
04 Feb – Source: Sabahi Online – 875 Words
With many teachers refusing to return to Kenya’s north-eastern region in the aftermath of brutal al-Shabaab attacks in Mandera County, scores of volunteers have signed up to ensure schools remain open and students continue with their education, officials and teachers said. Since November 22nd, when al-Shabaab pulled 11 teachers from a bus and killed them, along with 17 other passengers, teachers posted to the county have been demanding to be transferred to safer areas. The Kenya National Union of Teachers has backed their demands while the Teachers Service Commission, the teachers’ employer, has said the safety concerns have been adequately addressed and ordered teachers to return to work.
The ensuing teachers’ strike has paralysed public education in Wajir, Mandera and Garissa counties, causing chaos for thousands of children and families. But now, local volunteers are providing a sliver of hope to students in Mandera County. The volunteers, who include county government officials, retired teachers, former students, college students and business professionals, have signed up to teach to help mitigate the crisis, Mandera County acting director of education Ismail Barrow told Sabahi. School administrators are under instruction to take all reasonable steps to keep the schools open and lessons on schedule for the children, Barrow said. “Desperate situations call for desperate measures,” he said. “Schools in other parts of the country are operating normally but we were lagging behind because of the teachers’ failure to report back.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
China firmly supports Somalia’s peace process: envoy
05 Feb – Source: Xinhua – 177 Words
China firmly supports the peace process in Somalia and will work with the international community to help the country achieve enduring peace, stability and development, said a Chinese envoy here on Wednesday. Liu Jieyi, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks at a press briefing after the Security Council’s consultation on Somalia as China assumes rotating presidency of the council this month.
China re-opened its embassy in Somalia last year and has been providing the country with humanitarian assistance as well as personnel training for the country’s construction, Liu said.Noting that Somalia has achieved progress in advancing its peace process, Liu said the council members hold the view that the international community should continue to help the Somali federal government to promote its political process as well as the humanitarian situation on the ground. In this regard, he said the UN and the African Union as well as other regional and sub-regional organizations should strengthen coordination to speed up reconstruction of peace in Somalia so as to achieve long-term development in the country.
UN Somalia envoy ‘excited and worried’ about political progress in year ahead
04 Feb – Source: UN News Centre 577 Words
Underlining the importance of the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations in Somalia, which he called “unique, strong and essential for success,” the top UN official there briefed the Security Council today on the challenges lying ahead for the country in 2015. “This year will be decisive in whether and how Somalia can become a unified, peaceful and federal State,” said Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Somalia Nicholas Kay, expressing excitement but also worry over risks on the horizon. “Delays and setbacks will have an even greater impact this year than last.”
Mr. Kay said federalism and the Government’s ‘Vision 2016’ initiative are vital to the plan for the year ahead, but he acknowledged that repeated political crises have shortened the timelines for their fulfilment significantly. Momentum gained in 2014 had to be maintained, particularly building the capacity of Interim Regional Administrations and establishing such bodies where none exists. The review of the Constitution, including important discussions on power and resource sharing, would need to be completed this year, with a Constitutional Referendum planned for early 2016. Other key decisions and preparations for that exercise and for elections also had to be made. Of particular importance was establishment of the National Independent Electoral Commission and the Boundaries and Federation Commission. “We must continue to support and build the Federal Government’s leadership and capacity,” Mr. Kay continued. “But inclusive political processes will be the key. Somalia’s regions must play a full part in State-building and peacebuilding processes.”
Bank to close accounts related to Somalia
04 Feb – Source: Wall Street Journal – 956 Words
Companies that move money between the U.S. and Somalia are scrambling to stay in business after the main U.S. bank servicing them said it would close their accounts, the latest fallout from a broad U.S. crackdown on money laundering. Merchants Bank of California NA, which is under regulatory pressure and is the only national bank still serving the companies, is set to close the accounts on Friday, according to interviews and a copy of a letter the bank sent to the companies last week. Such a move would leave many of the companies’ offices without access to a bank that can wire money internationally, likely curtailing a crucial source of income in an already-unstable African country.
“The decision to close these accounts is catastrophic for the Somali community,” said Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn) in a statement.He has conveyed those thoughts to Comptroller Thomas Curry, whose Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regulates Merchants Bank, an aide said. “For the past few years, I have been warning every regulator and official about the devastating effects of closing the last safe and legal pipeline to provide humanitarian remittances to Somalia,” Mr. Ellison said. Somali companies have had trouble obtaining bank accounts for years, in large part because banks and regulators fear the firms could, knowingly or not, facilitate illicit fundraising for terrorist groups operating there. The obstacles to obtaining an account intensified in recent years as many banks have pulled back from operating in high-risk countries or from providing banking services for check cashers, remittance companies and other businesses considered to pose elevated money-laundering risk.
Man in al-Shabaab getting out of prison
04 Feb – Source: Twincities.com – 506 Words
A man who was sentenced to prison for leaving the U.S. in 2007 and joining the terror group al-Shabaab in Somalia has served his time and is scheduled to be released Thursday from a federal facility in Rochester, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. However, Abdifatah Yusuf Isse will not be immediately set free. The 31-year-old, who is not a U.S. citizen, is being transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and placed into removal proceedings, said Ben Petok, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota. “He’s done his time,” said Paul Engh, Isse’s attorney. “He still has an ICE hold, and we’re working on resolving those matters.”
If allowed to remain in the U.S., Isse would like to live in Seattle, where he has family, Engh said. Isse pleaded guilty in 2009 to one count of providing material support to terrorists. He was sentenced in 2013 to three years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release. His release Thursday gives him credit for time served and good behavior. He is among at least 22 young Somali men who have left Minnesota since 2007 to join the terrorist group in Somalia. At least nine are dead or feared dead by family members. Some have been charged, and several remain at large. Isse, who was a cooperating witness in the government’s case against another man, testified that he and others left Minneapolis in 2007 and eventually went to Somalia.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“I am grateful to the FBI for keeping me from traveling to Syria and potentially saving my life,” a tearful Conley said during her sentencing hearing. “I disavow the radical views I have come to know.”
‘Average Mohamed’ tries to thwart Islamic State
04 Feb – Source: USA Today – 1, 744 Words
Mohamed Ahmed, a gas station manager who moonlights as an anti-terror propagandist, is ready to launch another strike against Islamic State terrorists. He’s just waiting for his tax refund to do it. Frustrated by a slick social media campaign on the Internet by the Islamic State that authorities say has helped lure dozens of young Muslim Americans to the fight in Iraq and Syria, Ahmed has already poured thousands of dollars of his own money over the last six months into producing a series of animated cartoon messages to rebut the extremist group’s messaging.
The cartoons, which Ahmed posts on his averagemohamed.com website and YouTube, star a character named Average Mohamed, a plain-spoken Muslim devotee who speaks out against his religion being misinterpreted by terrorists. The bearded and gap-toothed Average Mohamed argues that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is “about genocide” and quotes the Koran in making the case that Muslims who see suspicious activities should alert authorities. Ahmed said his target audience is kids ages 8 to 16. He has latched onto the idea that it will take a bunch of Average Mohameds to beat ISIS, which on Tuesday posted grisly footage on the Internet of militants burning alive a Jordanian pilot that had been held captive by the group.
“It takes an idea to destroy an idea,” said Ahmed, who plans to produce a cartoon to address the attack on France’s satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo as soon as he can scrounge up enough money to produce the next cartoon. “The value of peace is worth it. We’ll take all risks to defend democratic values.” Ahmed, 39, a father of four young children, is just one of many Muslim parents and leaders in the U.S. who are struggling to find the answers to cure what they see as a plague of Islamic radicalization, an issue that has once again been put into sharp focus in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris that left 17 dead.
“The relationship between the UN and AU is multidimensional and multilayered, addressing a wide range of issues through a variety of mechanisms. Debate continues over how best the UN and African regional arrangements can pool their resources and allocate responsibilities in order to deploy effective peace operations.”
Saving strangers and neighbors: advancing UN-AU cooperation on peace operations
03 Feb – Source: Reliefweb.com – 331 Words
The United Nations and African Union now deploy a record number of peacekeepers in Africa. In the past two years, the relationship between the two institutions has deepened, as new AU missions in Mali and the Central African Republic have transitioned into UN peacekeeping operations and ongoing missions in Somalia and South Sudan have expanded considerably. Yet the UN-AU relationship faces persistent challenges and dilemmas. As African-led peace operations include mandates for more offensive operations, how can the UN and AU ensure that their visions for peace operations are complementary and not contradictory?
Given the lack of funding from AU member states, what kind of financial support should the UN provide to missions that it has authorized but does not lead? This new IPI report offers an overview of the evolution of the UN-AU partnership on peace operations since 2005 and provides an analysis of UN-AU cooperation in recent African crises, including Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. It examines the major outstanding challenges in the relationship between the UN and AU and suggests that the two institutions need to intensify efforts to streamline decision making and expand the nascent joint framework for enhanced partnership in peace and security.
The full report is available in PDF form on IPI Website.
Top tweets
@Adesoafrica 12 patients with #measles admitted to Beledweyne hospital for treatment during January says@RadioErgo http://bit.ly/1Cx2if4 #Somalia
@OxfamInSOM Please sign this petition asking @USTreasuryto take urgent action on remittances to #Somaliahttp://www.oxfamamerica.org/
@Aynte The brilliant @ragehomaar reports on the positive trajectory of #Somalia https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
@HLooyaan “Decision to close accounts is catastrophic for Somali community” says @keithellison #Somalia #Remittanceshttp://on.wsj.com/1DHR8kO
@omabha UN Somalia envoy ‘excited and worried’ about political progress in year ahead – Horseed Mediahttp://dlvr.it/8PRpDw #Somalia
Image of the day
AMISOM and Somali police officers register new recruits for Somali Police forces at General Kahiye Police Academy in Mogadishu. The exercise kicked off on February 02, 2015 and was launched by senior members of the SPF including Brig. Gen. Abdirashid Adan, Commandant of the General Kahiye Police Academy.
Photo: AMISOM