February 5, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Jubaland Readies Anti-militant Push
04 February – Source:Garowe Online – 131 Words
Jubaland administration in southern Somalia has mobilized hundreds of troops for fresh offensives against Al-Shabaab militants, President Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) said on Thursday.Juba River operations may begin in weeks in a bid to liberate areas remaining under the control of militants.“Juba River offensive will be kicked off very soon. Troops have been readied after long-dragging plan,” said Madobe, according to Somalia’s Jowhar news website.
He welcomed any support from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), yet appeared satisfied with domestic deterrence in the face of hardened militants.Ethiopian-AMISOM forces have been airlifted to Kismayo as part of the looming operations after Kenyan units withdrew from strategic areas in Lower Jubba region.Jubaland previously announced similar operations to take back key springboards from what has been beleaguered group.
Key Headlines
- Jubaland Readies Anti-militant Push (Garowe Online)
- Somali Forces Retake Several Settlements In Galgaduud Region From Al-Shabaab (Wacaal Media)
- Government Officials Meet Bossaso Youth Urge Them To Shun Violence (Wacaal Media)
- Airline CEO : Explosive Residue Found In Somalia Incident (Associated Press)
- KDF Soldier Killed In El Adde Buried In Meru (The Star Kenya)
- Somali Central Bank Chief Seeks New Currency To Rebuild Nation (Reuters)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Forces Retake Several Settlements In Galgaduud Region From Al-Shabaab
04 February – Source: Wacaal Media – 76 Words
Reports indicate Somali National forces have recaptured from Al-Shabaab several settlements that fall under El-buur town in Galgaduuud region after launching successful offensives against the militants. Confirming the successful operation, Eastern Galgadud’s commander of SNA Ahme Mohamed Tareedisho told the media that Al-Shabaab deserted several other settlements after sensing danger and feeling pressure from the government forces. He said they will continue with the offensives until they cleared the militants form Galgaduud region as a whole.
Government Officials Meet Bossaso Youth, Urge Them To Shun Violence
04 February – Source: Wacaal Media – 126 Words
Youth in Puntland’s commercial capital of Bosaso have been asked to shun social vices and participate in the development of their country. The call was made by senior government officials led by Minister for ports and sea transport Abdullahi Jama Salah.
Others were assistant minister for finance Abdullahi Jama Salah Amed Yassin and the Mayor of Boosaso Eng. Yasin Mire. Following the recent bloody clashed witnessed in the area, the leaders asked the youth to shun violence and instead take up any grievances with the relevant offices. They assured the youth that they will be attended to promptly and all their concerns attended to. On their side, the youth welcomed the move by the leaders to bring them closer and on board on all development projects.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Airline CEO : Explosive Residue Found In Somalia Incident
04 February : Associated Press – 540 Words
The head of the airline whose jetliner was damaged in an explosion shortly after takeoff from Somalia said Thursday that investigators have found what appears to be residue from explosives, though he cautioned that the findings were inconclusive.Still, the preliminary discovery lends weight to the possibility that a bomb was to blame for the blast that tore through the Airbus 321 shortly after takeoff from the Somali capital Mogadishu.”There’s a residue, they’re saying, of explosives. … There’s a trace,” Daallo Airlines CEO Mohammed Ibrahim Yassin said during an interview with The Associated Press at the carrier’s corporate office in Dubai. “But that cannot really make 100 percent that it’s a bomb,” he added, saying that he expects initial findings to be released in a matter of days.
The plane’s pilot, Capt. Vlatko Vodopivec, has said previously that he and others were told the explosion was caused by a bomb.Yassin too acknowledged that a bomb could have been to blame, saying “we cannot exclude anything right now.” He declined to speculate who might be responsible.No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. Somalia faces an insurgency from the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which has carried out deadly attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries.
The Airbus A321 was carrying 74 passengers when the explosion struck. One passenger remains unaccounted for, though residents in the town of Balad, 30 kilometers (about 18 miles) north of Mogadishu, have found the body of a man who may have been blown from the plane.All but four of the passengers originally had tickets with Turkish Airways and were rebooked on the Daallo flight after cancelled flights left them stranded in the Somali capital, Yassin said.
He suggested the Turkish Airlines’ decision to scrap two flights may have been linked to intelligence it received about a possible security threat.”We think, you know, Turkish airlines got a sort of security alert that they haven’t passed to us,” he said. He added that it is not unusual for flights in and out of Mogadishu to be cancelled at short notice.A Turkish Airlines official said a number of flights out of Turkey were canceled this week, including on Tuesday, due to bad weather, and said there were no cancellations for security reasons. The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
KDF Soldier Killed In El Adde Buried In Meru
04 February – Source: The Star, Kenya – 237 Words
A KDF officer killed by Al -Shabaab in El Adde, Somalia, was buried at Karachi village in Tigania East, Meru county, on Wednesday.Corporal David Muthuri was eulogised as a friendly, honest, courageous and industrious Kenya Defence Forces soldier.He had been in the army for 12 years before his death and was among troops in the 9th Battalion who had been deployed to help restore peace in Somalia.
Soldiers honoured Muthuri with a guard of honour, a 21-gun salute, the blowing of the cornet and the folding of a flag.Colonel Paul Mwasi, who conducted the funeral service, said the soldier was his friend and had a promising career.Mwasi thanked his family, friends and relatives for their humility, patience and the realisation of the need for national security.“I know it has taken time since the incident occurred but I thank the people of this area. He was an excellent, courageous, industrious, honest christian and a close friend. Soon we will come for another hero,” he said.
The attack took place on January 15 but details of casualties have not yet been released.Daniel Rukunga, Muthuri’s uncle said: “We were in shock because we called but did not get a response. It was his second time to go to Somalia.”He asked families whose children are serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia to pray for them as they fight to secure the nation.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Since 2013, Ali has tried to build a financial system, inviting foreign banks to open offices in Mogadishu, joining remittance companies who form the cornerstone of Somalia’s banking system and act as a lifeline for millions,”
Somali Central Bank Chief Seeks New Currency To Rebuild Nation
04 February – Source: Reuters- 956 Words
Few central bank chiefs have been jailed by a dictator or hide a loaded pistol in their desk draw, should Islamist militants decide to call. Bashir Issa Ali has done all that, and now he wants to recreate Somalia’s currency from scratch.Serving his third term in a long career interrupted by exile, disputes with the government, and the spell in prison, Ali wants Somalia to print its first banknotes since the 1980s to help rebuild an economy emerging from decades of chaos at the hands of Islamist and clan militias.
The tattered shilling notes still in circulation – worth about 4 U.S. cents – are emblematic of Somalia’s descent since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled by warlords who carved up the country into personal fiefdoms.”We absolutely need a new currency,” said Ali, who this time became central bank governor in 2013, adding that the existing notes “are old, they’re torn, they’re dirty and they’re fake”.
Ali needs to do more than just print new banknotes. Most urban Somalis have given up on the shilling and do their daily business using a mobile phone payment system, with transactions denominated in dollars.Therefore he must create a new currency that can be used by Somalis who have no mobile phone, while winning back those who no longer use shillings by choice. The currency will also need a new system to fix its foreign exchange rate if it is to become credible.