January 1, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Traditional elders call for immediate cease fire between warring clans in Deefow
1 Jan – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 214 Words
The traditional elders and intellectuals in Mogadishu have sent constant appeals to warring clans in Deefow locality of Hiran region. Elder Mohamed Hassan Haad called the clan militias fighting in Deefow locality to cease fire immediately without condition. He also warned the local people in the area to refrain from anything that might lead to further skirmishes and bloodshed among the clans in the area. “The elders are ready to end and ease the tensions caused by clan clashes in the area, but first the clan militias must lay down arms and heed the advice of the elders,” elder Haad said.
Finally the elder urged the traditional elders in Deefow and surrounding areas to take responsibility of ending the hostilities between the neigbouring clans in the region. The federal government of Somalia has sent delegates to mediate between the clans but no positive results have been reached. The government earlier accused a third party of stimulating the conflicts. The out-going assistant minister for interior and federalism Abdirahman Bangah who was leading government delegates assigned to end the tensions and hostilities in the region said politicians with personal interest are inciting the clans against one another.
Key Headlines
- Traditional elders call for immediate cease fire between warring clans in Deefow (Radio Goobjoog)
- Somali refugees return home after more than two decades in Kenyan camps (Radio Bar-Kulan)
- Puntland censures grenade attack on Radio Galkayo (Radio Goobjoog)
- UPDF mourn Lt Col Kaija (Daily Monitor)
- Two journalists injured in grenade attack in Somalia (Xinhua)
- Police abuse running rampant in Dadaab camp (Al Jazeera)
SOMALI MEDIA
Traditional elders call for immediate cease fire between warring clans in Deefow
1 Jan – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 214 Words
The traditional elders and intellectuals in Mogadishu have sent constant appeals to warring clans in Deefow locality of Hiran region. Elder Mohamed Hassan Haad called the clan militias fighting in Deefow locality to cease fire immediately without condition. He also warned the local people in the area to refrain from anything that might lead to further skirmishes and bloodshed among the clans in the area. “The elders are ready to end and ease the tensions caused by clan clashes in the area, but first the clan militias must lay down arms and heed the advice of the elders,” elder Haad said.
Finally the elder urged the traditional elders in Deefow and surrounding areas to take responsibility of ending the hostilities between the neigbouring clans in the region. The federal government of Somalia has sent delegates to mediate between the clans but no positive results have been reached. The government earlier accused a third party of stimulating the conflicts. The out-going assistant minister for interior and federalism Abdirahman Bangah who was leading government delegates assigned to end the tensions and hostilities in the region said politicians with personal interest are inciting the clans against one another.
Somali refugees return home after more than two decades in Kenyan camps
31 Dec – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 128 Words
More than 121 Somali refugees who lived inrefugee camps in northeastern Kenya have started their journey back home. The families have independently sought to return home and restart their lives afresh at their home country. According Abdi Kulmiye of Kenya’s department of refugee affairs, the refugees will be handed over to Somali government. Some of the refugees who have already returned have expressed their satisfaction saying they are happy. Somalia, Kenya and UNHCR have signed tripartite agreement to repatriate more than a half a million Somali refugees back to their country. Peace and stability has returned to most parts of Somalia after militant group Al Shabaab has been pushed out of several parts of the country.
Puntland censures grenade attack on Radio Galkayo
1 Jan – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 116 Words
The semi autonomous regional state of Puntland has condemned the grenade attack on radio Galkayo station last night. The Puntland labour minister described the attack as mindless violence against the media with no justification. “We strongly condemn the grenade attack on Radio Galkayo, and wish the wounded journalists a quick recovery,” the minister said. The minister called on security forces to act swiftly and bring the attackers to justice. No one has claimed the responsibility for the attack. The wounded journalists are still in the hospital receiving treatment for minor wounds they sustained.Violent attacks against journalists have been on the rise in Somalia for the last few months.
REGIONAL MEDIA
UPDF mourn Lt Col Kaija
1 Jan – Source: Daily Monitor – 328 Words
Lt Col Chris Kaija, who was among the UPDF soldiers killed by Al-Shabaab militants in Mogadishu was laid to rest on Tuesday. He was buried at his ancestral home in Bikonzi-1 village, Bujenje County in Masindi District. The emotional send-off was attended by several army chiefs led by the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt Gen Charles Angina. Masindi District chairman Wilson Isingoma Mugimba described Lt Col Kaija as a hero. Mourners broke down as they saw Lt Col Kaija’s remains, one of the senior UPDF officers from Bunyoro sub-region, being led out of his mother’s house to the courtyard for the final requiem church service.
The UPDF chief of medical services, Brig Gen Ambrose Musinguzi, said Lt Col Kaija died of over-bleeding. The deceased was shot during the Al-Shabaab attack on the African Union peace-keeping base in Mogadishu on Christmas. “The over bleeding caused irreversible shock and consequently he suffered from multiple organ failure,” Brig Gen Musinguzi said. The Commander of the UPDF Air Defence Brig Gen Gavas Mugyenyi said the deceased served the army “selflessly and diligently.” The acting Force Commander in Somalia Maj Gen Jn Rono said Lt Col Kaija responded to the call on duty and dedicated efforts towards the pacification of the war-ravaged Somalia. “During his deployment, he was exemplary and always at the forefront of the struggle for peace and security,” Rono said in a condolence message he sent to the bereaved family. Lt Gen Angina said the demise of Lt Col Kaija has left a huge gap in the UPDF rank and file. He reminded the mourners that Uganda is helping in pacification of Somalia like Tanzania forces did to the liberation efforts in Uganda. Lt Gen Angina said Ugandans and the people of Somalia appreciate the UPDF contribution and it would be a shame if anyone thought the deceased died in vain. The 53-year-old Lt Col Kaija is survived by seven children and a widow.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Two journalists injured in grenade attack in Somalia
1 Jan – Source: Xinhua News – 226 Words
Two journalists have been wounded following grenade attack at a radio station in central Somalia. The journalists, working for Radio Galkacyo, suffered injuries when an unknown assailant hurled two grenades at the station’s premises Wednesday evening, causing confusion as staff in the station scampered for safety. Iman Mohamed, a journalist in the vicinity, told Xinhua that one of the grenades hit the director’s office and the other at the yard, but the director was away at the time. Mohamed Ibrahim Bakistan, Secretary General with National Union of Journalists, condemned the attack, terming it an affront to the freedom of the media and a sustained effort aimed at silencing the media in Somalia.
“These attacks on journalists and the media fraternity in Somalia are desperate attempts aimed at intimidating the media from carrying out its duty of being the ears and eyes of the public,” said Bakistan. The media has suffered several attacks this year in Somalia, with a number of journalists losing their lives and others sustaining serious injuries. The militant group Al-shabaab has on several occasions claimed responsibility for these attacks, which have also targeted government officials and UN installations. The two journalists were rushed to a local hospital. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Police abuse running rampant in Dadaab camp
31 Dec – Source: Al Jazeera – 1,319 Words
Twenty-eight-year-old Shukri Abdirashid Hussein remembers vividly the events of November 30. Half asleep in his mud house in Dadaab’s Dagahley refugee camp near Kenya’s Somali border, Hussein awoke to commotion outside his door. “I was awakened by the cries of neighbours, and before I knew what was going on, my door had been ripped open and three officers entered my house.” What followed, Hussein said, was a stream of accusations. “They asked me where the gun is, before I could answer anything, they started beating me mercilessly with their guns and batons for more than an hour.”
Hussein was rushed off to the Dagahley police post where he was again beaten by authorities. He was then moved to the Ifo refugee camp police post in Dadaab where he spent three days. The conditions in the cells were horrible, he told Al Jazeera. He received one meal after 32 hours and was repeatedly hit with the butt of a gun. After hours of mistreatment, Hussein was released after representatives of United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) requested authorities to let him receive medical attention. Even after his release, Hussein was interrogated for hours without being charged or told what crime he had committed. At the hospital, Hussein was admitted with a fractured shoulder and bruises across his back. “The worst part is up to now, nobody has told me why I was arrested in the first place and why I received such inhumane treatment from people who are there to protect my rights,” he said.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Islamic finance products are shifting from being seen as a niche product for Muslim communities to a mainstream source of financing for governments.”
Cracking down on terror funding but looking for Islamic investors – Africa turns to sharia bonds
31 Dec – Source: Mail & Guardian Africa – 1,018 Words
This past month, Kenya banned fifteen NGOs accused of funding terrorism, as the country struggles to defend itself from attacks by the al-Shabaab terror militia based in neighbouring Somalia. The charities, mainly based in northern Kenya and the Coast where the bulk of attacks have happened, were not named but had their assets seized and accounts frozen. The country’s NGO board said the decision followed domestic and international investigations on the charities. Despite Kenya sending in its troops into Somalia three years ago to flush out the al –Shabaab militants, its weakest link is back home – Kenya itself has always been attractive as an operating base for terror groups in Somalia, particularly for fundraising and chanelling money from abroad.
However, even as cracking down on the financiers of terror unfolds, there is a very different story unfolding in Africa, and the world, with regards to Islamic finance. Over the past few years, Islamic finance products have quietly been gaining in popularity across Africa, shifting from being seen as a niche product for Muslim communities to increasingly regarded a mainstream source of financing for governments. The unique structure of Islamic bonds – known as sukuk – is particularly suited for financing big infrastructure projects. Sukuks are asset-backed securities, not debt instruments, and they work by the investor owning a share of the asset as well as in sharing in the risk. This structure has been seen as an ethical alternative for financing in the wake of the global financial crisis, where banks on Wall Street were simply interested in closing deals and taking home their bonuses, without a care for whether the contracts they had arranged were financially sound.
The asset-backed nature of sukuk make it particularly suited for infrastructure projects because they require cash flows to be generated from assets like toll roads or real estate. In the next few years, Africa is likely to tap the sukuk market to plug its $31 billion infrastructure needs, mainly in the power and transportation sectors. At the end of 2012/13 the global market for Islamic finance was worth around $1.3 trillion. There are over 700 Islamic finance institutions in the world, and 45 of these have a presence in Africa, and its share is growing. According to financial analysts Kuwait Finance House, currently, Africa accounts for 3.4% of global Islamic banking assets, 0.6% of sukuk outstanding and 2.8% of Islamic fund management assets.
“We must plan ahead of time. If we don’t plan, we will fail.”
My Somalia 2015
31 Dec – Source: UNSOM – Video – 1:05 Minutes
As people from all walks of life share their hopes and aspirations for Somalia in 2015 with UNSOM– wishing you all peace and happiness in the coming year.
Top tweets
@UNSomalia: WATCH: #UN Envoy Nick Kay @Somalia111Reflects on 2014 and looks forward to 2015 in #Somaliahttp://youtu.be/bLnA9DnIB_A
@Somalia111 @UNSomalia: committed to help #2015 be a year of federalism and delivery in #Somalia. Wishing all a peaceful, healthy & happy New Year.
@FCONeilWigan: Many congratulations to Babu Rahman of@UNSomalia, who the Queen has honoured with an OBE for his work in #Somalia.
@Daudoo: #AlShabaab court in central #Somalia sentences a man to pay 100 camels to a family as compensation for his ‘accidentally’ killing their son…The price of 100 camels in#Somalia is about $60,000
@MogadishuImages fish stall at the market; #NewYear#Mogadishu #Somalia pic.twitter.com/jB833Kg3m1
Image of the day
Political stability is key to the continuity of the progress Somalia is making to get back on its feet. This year, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, was voted in as the leader in the Interim Southwest Administration for a period of 4 years on 17 November, 2014. The Interim Southwest Administration is a new Federal State that brings together the three regions of Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabele. Photo: AMISOM