February 7, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
One Killed, 5 Wounded In Bosaso Police Station Attack
06 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 149 Words
Gunmen alleged to be Al-shabaab fighters last night attacked a police station in Bosaso, Puntland with hand grenades and gunfire resulting in the death of one person and injuring 5 others including the deputy commander of the station. Residents living near the police station confirmed to Goobjoog News loud explosions followed by gunfight which lasted for several minutes.
No official information has been released by the local authority regarding this latest attack in the coastal town. Al-Shabaab has posted a report on their website claiming the responsibility for the attack. Early October Islamist militants attacked a checkpoint in the outskirt of Bosaso town, Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, killing at least five people in the early morning hours. Late November a vehicle transporting Puntland president security detail came under attack in Bosaso town when their vehicle was hit by a hand grenade leading to the injuries of 6 soldiers on board.
Key Headlines
- One Killed 5 Wounded In Bosaso Police Station Attack (Goobjoog News)
- Central Bank of Somalia To Pay Pensions For First Time In Decades (Hiiraan Online)
- Security Forces Conduct Search Operation In Mogadishu (Jowhar.com)
- Somaliland Fatwa Forbids FGM (Voice of America)
- Somali President Receives UAE Ambassador (Emirates News Agency)
- Free Naima Qorane: A Prisoner of Conscience In Somaliland Jails (Wardheer News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Central Bank of Somalia To Pay Pensions For First Time In Decades
06 February – Source: Hiiraan Online – 173 Words
The Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) has announced that 19 employees who have reached retirement age will receive a bank pension. In a press release issued on Monday, the CBS said the decision was reached with the World Bank to grant the 19 retiree’s a pension package in January 2018.
The statement praises the pension package as a milestone for the CBS. “As this was the first time Central Bank employees who reached the Bank Pension Age with retirement pension, since it reopened for business in 2007, is clearly demonstrating how Somalia is right on the path of recovery and progress.”
In a farewell speech to the retiring employees, the Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia thanked the workers for their service and commitment. The Central Bank of Somalia was established on June 30, 1960, by Decree No. 3 and converted into Law No. 2 of January 13, 1961. Most recently, The CBS has announced that with support from the World Bank, it is taking steps to modernize the national banking system.
Security Forces Conduct Search Operation In Mogadishu
07 February – Source: Jowhar.com – 164 Words
Somalia’s National Intelligence forces on Tuesday night, conducted a major security operation in some of the neighbourhoods of Hodan District in Mogadishu. The operation led by the first deputy of the security and political affairs of Banadir regional administration, Mohamed Tuulah, saw the arrest of up to 400 youths. However, most of the arrested were immediately released after discovering they were not suspected criminals. Hodan District Commissioner Mohamed Ahmed Antoobo, who spoke to the media, said the crackdown was aimed at ensuring the security of the district and said it happened smoothly.
The first deputy of the security and political affairs of Banadir regional administration, Mohamed Tuulah, said the operations will be expanded to other districts in the capital. He thanked the NISA forces who carried out the operation, for their disciplined manner in conducting the operations. During the operations, the NISA forces were seen respectfully treating the arrested in a bid to create cooperation and harmony between the security forces and the civilians.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somaliland Fatwa Forbids FGM
06 February – Source: Voice of America – 578 Words
Authorities in the self-declared republic of Somaliland have issued a religious fatwa banning the practice of female genital mutilation and vowed to punish violators. The fatwa by the Ministry of Religious Affairs allows FGM victims to receive compensation. It does not say whether the compensation will be paid the government or by violators of the ban. “It’s forbidden to perform any circumcision that is contrary to the religion which involves cutting and sewing up, like the pharaoh circumcision, the ministry’s fatwa reads. “Any girl who suffers from pharaoh circumcision will be eligible for compensation depending the extent of the wound and the violation caused. Any one proven to be performing the practice will receive punishment depending on the extent of the violation.”
The fatwa – issued Tuesday, coinciding with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation – did not elaborate on the type or severity of punishment. FGM involves removing part or all of the clitoris and labia for non-medical reasons, usually as a rite of passage. On its website, the World Health Organization (WHO) says cutting – often performed on girls 15 and younger – can result in bleeding, infection, problems with urination and complications with childbearing.
Somalia is among the countries in which FGM is most prevalent. The international organization reports that an estimated 98 percent of Somali females ages 15 to 49 have undergone the procedure. The fatwa comes less than a month after Somaliland’s parliament for the first time approved a bill criminalizing rape and requiring prison terms for those who are convicted. Praise for fatwa
Somali President Receives UAE Ambassador
07 February – Source: Emirates News Agency – 180 Words
President Mohamed Abdullahi of the Federal Republic of Somalia yesterday received Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to Somalia, at his office in the presidential palace “Villa Somalia”. The meeting touched on bilateral relations between the UAE and Somalia and ways to further develop them in various fields to achieve the common interests of both countries. During the meeting, the Somali President expressed his thanks and appreciation to the UAE leadership, government and people for their continued support to Somalia in all fields, lauding the historical relations between the two countries.
He extended his greetings to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and wished the UAE people further progress and prosperity. The UAE ambassador expressed his thanks and appreciation to the President of Somalia, highlighting the UAE’s desire to continue to support Somalia in various fields.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“A few days ago, Naima came back from Mogadishu, where she works, to visit her father who was undergoing a surgical procedure in Hargeisa, the capital of the separatist enclave. She was arrested at the airport on her return trip and taken directly to the Criminal Investigation Department HQ for interrogation. “
Free Naima Qorane: A Prisoner of Conscience In Somaliland Jails
06 February – Source: Wardheere News – 1377 Words
Somaliland is a separatist enclave in Somalia that is ruled by former Somali National Movement (SNM) rebels who utilized the collapse of the central Somali government to declare an illegal one-sided secession from the Somali Republic. These former rebels turned politicians have no respect for international law, Human Right principles and customary Somali laws. Despite holding elections funded by foreign powers that do not fully understand the Somaliland issue, and unknowingly weaken Somali sovereignty, the behavior of the separatist leaders towards their captive residents falls far short of the principles of democratic norms. Freedom of speech and freedom of association are not respected in the enclave, and anyone can lose his freedom easily for making public any personal views that come against the secessionist agenda of the enclave.
A well-trained and well-armed unit, again funded by the foreign powers for supposedly fighting against terrorists, is used against any resident perceived as a threat to the secessionists dogmatic hatred towards a united Somalia. The Rapid Response Unit (RRU) is accused of terrorizing dissidents in the middle of the night by breaking into their homes forcefully and without court orders. It happened to many individuals perceived as enemies of the state.
Ordinary citizens, musicians, poets and businesspeople – except for a few powerful ones such as the owners of the money transfer company Dahab-Shiil – who travel to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, risk being arrested and thrown in jail without due process. This happens mostly to young musicians and poets who show any signs of supporting Somali Unity.
Nimaan Hillaa, a well-known Somali musician, was recently chased all over his native town, Borame, by armed units of the RRU. The young musician is a Somali unionist who is known for powerful songs that promote Somali sovereignty and unity. He also holds regular concerts in Mogadishu that are very popular with the young Somalis even in the separatist enclave, Somaliland. Luckily, Nimaan managed to elude his would-be capture, and escaped the dragnet of the RRU with the help of the Borame residents, who mostly believe in Somali Unity but fear the wrath of the separatists’ powerful army which committed massacres in the city after the collapse of the Somali government in 1990. These atrocities are well-documented.
Another victim who also tested the wrath of the former SNM rebels is a social activist known as Abdimalik Oldoon, who travels to Mogadishu regularly to promote Greater Somalia. He spent several months in jail until President Guelleh of Djibouti, interceded on his behalf with the separatist leaders to let him go. Abdimalik manages donations from the Somali Diaspora for helping the poor and the destitute, who are forgotten by the Separatist administration which is crippled by corruption and nepotism.
TOP TWEETS
@DalsanFM: Somali Opposition Mps In Nairobi To Plot Oust Of PM Kheire – http://radiodalsan.com/en/
@omabha: #somalia Somalia: Three killed in separate Mogadishu shootings
@omabha: #somalia UN: ISIS Still Active in Iraq, Syria, Qaeda Greatest Threat in Somalia, Yemen
@DalsanFM: Alshabaab Attacks Bosaso Police Base –http://radiodalsan.com/en/
@Goobjoognews: Manual labourers in #Garowe,@Puntland_State complain of foreign workers taking over the local jobs.
@DalsanFM: Day 2 of the 6th #National Security Council meeting in #Mogadishu chaired by @M_Farmaajo.On the agenda is national security, Amisom transition plan and restructuring #SNA were discussed. #Somalia
@Goobjoognews: Measles outbreak reported in #Burdhubo,#Gedo region, @Jubbalandstate1 resulting the death of multiple children according to the local traditional elders in the area.
@hallaboutafrica: Congrats Somalia’s Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, elected new president of the International Court of Justice. Warlords and international predators have tried to make Somalia a lawless state, but rule of law has long been embedded in the Somali psyche.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Regional presidents attending the National Security Council meeting in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Photo: @TheVillaSomalia