January 15, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Clinton to Meet Somali President Thursday
15 Jan – Source: Bahrain News Agency – 111 words
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed on Thursday at the headquarters of the US State Department.
This would be the first formal meeting between them since the President came to office, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said as quoted by Radio Sawa this morning, pointing out that the Secretary had met with him last fall during a visit to Africa.
During his visit to the US which began yesterday and will last for several days, the Somali President will hold talks with senior US officials on a number of issues of common interest as well bilateral and regional topics including security and development.
Key Headlines
- Clinton to Meet Somali President Thursday (Bahrain News Agency)
- Government forces conduct operation in Mogadishu’s Yakshid and Hilliwa districts (Radio Mogadishu/SONNA/SNTV/Shabelle/
Bar-kulan/Hiiraan Online) - UK Announces New International Conference on Somalia (Walta Information Centre/ ENA)
- Press Statement of the 350th Meeting of Peace and Security Council on the situation in Somalia (African Union/ Peace and Security)
- Italian diplomat WFP collaborator among 55 arrested for trafficking Somalis to Malta (Malta Today)
- Somali military court jails seven on various charges (Bar-kulan)
- Kenya to transfer Somali pirates in jails to Somalia (Shabelle)
PRESS STATEMENT
Press Statement of the 350th Meeting of Peace and Security Council on the situation in Somalia
14 Jan – Source: African Union/ Peace and Security – 551 words
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 350th meeting held on 14 January 2013, considered the situation in Somalia and adopted the following decision:
Council,
1. Takes note of the report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in Somalia [PSC/PR/2.(CCCL)], the briefing provided by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, the update by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Head of the AU Review Team, on the progress made so far in the review of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the mandate of AMISOM, in line with the press statement adopted at its 337th meeting held on 11 October 2012, as well as the statements made by the representative of Somalia, the Commissioner for Political Affairs and the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for Somalia. Council also takes note of the statements made by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia and the European Union;
2. Welcomes the continued progress being made in Somalia both at the political and military fronts. Council reiterates its support to the efforts of the Somali Government, as well as its appreciation to the Somalia forces and AMISOM for the achievements that continue to be registered on the ground;
3. Reiterates its call to the Member States and the international partners to provide the requisite support for stabilization and post-conflict reconstruction in Somalia and to be guided in their engagement by the priority framework elaborated by the Government of Somalia. Council calls on the Somalis to remain steadfast in their efforts;
4. Commends the Commission for the steps taken towards the review of AMISOM and its mandate. Council welcomes the wide ranging consultations undertaken by the Review Team, under the leadership of Professor Ibrahim Gambari, as well as the emphasis placed on a Commission-wide strategy in support of Somalia;
5. Notes the preliminary findings of the Review Team, and stresses the need for this exercise to lead to the enhancement of the effectiveness of AMISOM and strengthened coordination. In this regard, Council underscores the imperative to address the issue of, and guarantee, assured, sustainable and predictable funding for the next phase of the Mission. Council further stresses that future international initiatives direct their main effort at enabling the Federal Government of Somalia in support of deliver on its ultimate objective of ensuring effective governance, security, rule of law and basic services to its citizens. Council underlines the need for convergence between the AU and the UN review processes and coordinated support by the international community. In this respect, Council encourages the Commission to closely interact with the United Nations and to make inputs as appropriate to the UN process on reconstruction and development in Somalia;
6. Looks forward to the early submission of the report of the Review Team to enable it take the required decisions;
7. Decides to renew the mandate of AMISOM as of 15 January 2013 for an additional period of six months pending the outcomes of the consultations between the AU Commission and the United Nations Secretariat on the future of AMISOM;
8. Urges greater synergy among relevant Departments within the Commission to facilitate comprehensive reconstruction efforts in Somalia.
9. Decides to remain actively seized of the situation and to review it regularly, at least once every three months.
SOMALI MEDIA
Government forces conduct operation in Mogadishu’s Yakshid and Hilliwa districts
15 Jan- Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA/SNTV/Shabelle/
Somali National Security Forces, Police and the military have carried out joint security operations in which they arrested over 400 people in Mogadishu’s Yakshid and Hilliwa districts.
Senior officials of the Somali national security and police forces said that the operation was meant to maintain the security in the capital, arresting 477 suspects in which the officials said would be investigated. This joint operation comes as the seaside capital enjoys relative peace, construction boom and development.
Somali military court jails seven on various charges
15 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 62 words
Somalia’s military court has jailed seven people to 10-year jail terms after finding them guilty of various crimes. The chair of the military court, Liban Ali Yarow, announced the verdict, saying the accused included soldiers and civilians who pleaded guilty to charges relating to rape and abductions. Lt Hasan abdirahman Adan read all the charges against the accused who included a woman.
Kenya to transfer Somali pirates in jails to Somalia
15 Jan – Source: Shabelle – 143 words
Kenyan authorities will transfer Somali pirates who are serving their sentences in Kenyan jails to Somalia, according to Somali ambassador to Kenya, Mohamed Ali Nur who exclusively spoke to Shabelle media network.
Ambassador Nur said that the transfer plan came after Somali government requested Kenya to do so. Most of the Somali pirates detained in Kenya are serving their sentences in the coastal city of Mombasa where the Somali ambassador visited and met some of the detainees at the maximum security prison of Shimo la Tewa.
Most of these pirates were seized in the high seas by foreign forces who are fighting piracy in the Somali waters. The Somali ambassador also spoke about other problems Somalis living in Kenya are facing, stressing that there was no united decision about the eviction of Somalis from Kenya.
Remittance Companies in Jowhar town “closed down”
15 Jan – Source: Bar-kulan – 137 words
Remittance Companies in Jowhar town on Monday remained closed after area authorities allegedly demanded money to safeguard their business in the area. Employees of some of these companies who sought anonymity claimed they shut their business after they were forced to pay about a thousand dollars ($1,000) for security and sanitation.
They said they could not afford to pay the amount demanded and resorted to close down their businesses to express their protest, a charge denied by the local administration.
Spokesman for the local administration Daud Hajji Iro refuted the claims saying that they are not involved in the said closure of the companies but also refused to either deny or confirm the alleged money. The closure of these companies has affected local customers whose relatives abroad have wired money through these companies.
Fiqi says plans underway to train Somali soldiers
14 Jan – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 126 words
Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Haji Mohamud “Fiqi” says a plan is underway to make sure Somali soldiers receive trainings inside the country.
The minister said he held consultation with the Ugandan officials on the mode and time frame of the training. Fiqi said that he will return to Uganda, to close training session for a number of Somali troops in Uganda. The training was going on for almost 6 months.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Clinton to Meet Somali President Thursday
15 Jan – Source: Bahrain News Agency – 111 words
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed on Thursday at the headquarters of the US State Department.
This would be the first formal meeting between them since the President came to office, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said as quoted by Radio Sawa this morning, pointing out that the Secretary had met with him last fall during a visit to Africa.
During his visit to the US which began yesterday and will last for several days, the Somali President will hold talks with senior US officials on a number of issues of common interest as well bilateral and regional topics including security and development.
UK Announces New International Conference on Somalia
15 Jan – Source: Walta Information Centre/ ENA – 276 words
A report says the office of the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, has announced that Britain is to host another international conference on the future of Somalia on May 7th. The aim of the meeting is to build on the conference held in London in February last year, when international powers pledged to boost aid for Somalia to help fight Islamist militants and pirates. A follow-up conference, attended by 54 countries, was held in Istanbul in June.
The new conference is intended to help sustain international support for the progress being made by the Somali government. Prime Minister Cameron said he would use the UK’s Presidency of the G8 this year to reinforce further support for the efforts of the Somali government to build a strong, democratic country. The United Kingdom said last week that it would be working closely with both the African Union and Ethiopia during its G8 Presidency this year on a number of areas including Somalia as well as the New Alliance on Food Security and improving G8–AU co-ordination on peace and security matters.
Prime Minister Cameron has said the UK intended to lead the battle against hunger with a special event on food and nutrition a few days before the main G8 meeting, to follow up on last year’s Olympic Hunger Summit. , President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud left Sunday 13 January, 2013 for a visit for the United States. He is heading a delegation that includes the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fowzia Yusuf Haji Adan, and other senior officials. According to ENA, the President meets US officials on bilateral and regional issues concerning security and development.
Somali militants say ‘fate’ of French hostage decided
14 Jan – Source: Daily Nation/AFP – 305 words
Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab said Monday they have decided the “fate” of a French intelligence agent they have held since 2009 and claim is still alive despite Paris claims he was killed in a botched rescue operation.
On its Twitter feed, the group said details of its “unanimous verdict,” as well as background describing the chain of events leading up to Saturday’s “failed rescue operation,” would be published “in the coming hours.” It did not give an exact time for the release.
Paris holds it likely that Denis Allex died in the raid, but the al Shabaab claims — without having provided any proof — that he is still alive and that his fate remains in the group’s hands.
Denis Allex — a French agent for the DGSE foreign intelligence service and whose name is likely a pseudonym — was captured on July 14, 2009, in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Italian diplomat, WFP collaborator among 55 arrested for trafficking Somalis to Malta
15 Jan – Source: Malta Today – 234 words
Italian police have said that they have dealt a strong blow to two criminal organisations which profited from trafficking Somali nationals from Libya to Malta over the past months.
The investigations – reportedly held in conjunction with Maltese authorities – led to the arrest at dawn of 55 people, including Hussein Mohamed Abdurahman, nicknamed ‘Banjè’, the cultural attaché at the Italian embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and Mohamed Sheik Ali Bashir a World Food Programme Collaborator.
The organisations, said to have branches in Kenya and Italy, took care of coordinating the Somali nationals movements from the horn of Africa towards Libya, and later organised their clandestine trips to Malta and also to Greece.
The organisations also saw to providing hundreds of Somalis with false documents to later abscond from Malta and make their way to Italy, and further North in Europe.
FBI witness says Oregon terrorism-sting suspect ‘already radicalized and dangerous’ when found
14 Jan – Source FOX News/AP – 129 words
Justice Department attorneys focused on the contact between an Oregon terrorism-sting suspect and suspected terrorists overseas in the opening salvo of their case.
Mohamed Mohamud was 19 when he was arrested. His defense team has said the FBI entrapped him in a yearlong sting. Key to the defense is proving Mohamud had no predisposition to terrorism before the FBI got involved.
But on Monday, FBI agent Miltiadis Trousas said government agents first found Mohamud because of his emails to an American-born al Qaeda recruiter. Trousas says other communication, including a mention of martyrdom, convinced the bureau that Mohamud as “already radicalized and dangerous.”
Mohamud faces terrorism charges after prosecutors say he tried to detonate a bomb in Portland in November 2010. The bomb was a fake supplied by the FBI.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Over the past month or so, Hammami has accused al Shabaab leaders of everything from incompetence, to betraying Islamic principles to mistreating the foreign fighters who have joined the fight against the Western-backed government in Somalia. He has written that the group has illegally taxed Muslims and harmed people for minor infractions while ignoring major violations of Islamic law in other cases.”
Alabama native Omar Hammami compares ex-allies to Hitler, and that isn’t even worst criticism
14 Jan – Source: OL Blog – 1442 Words
Since falling out of favor with his erstwhile brothers in arms in Somalia last year, Daphne native Omar Shafik Hammami’s steady diatribe on YouTube and Twitter has included warnings that his life is in danger. The public response of the rebel group al Shabaab, though, suggests his former benefactors view him more with annoyance and exasperation than anger.
In a Dec. 17 statement by the group’s media arm, Harakat al Shabaab Al Mujahideen Press Office, the group distanced itself from the man known in jihadist circles as Abu Mansour al Amriki, or “The American.” The organization stated that Hammami does not represent it in “any way, shape or form” and accused him of acting on “personal grievances that stem purely from a narcissistic pursuit of fame and are far removed from the reality on the ground.”
The state derided Hammami’s “childish petulance.” The al Shabaab statement also indicates that movement leaders for months have tried to work out their differences with Hammami quietly. “It is regrettable, however, that all such efforts have been fruitless despite the numerous attempts,” the group stated.
On the day that statement was released, someone with an online handle of abum@abumamerican took to Twitter to criticize the organization for trying to discredit its “former poster boy” on the social media site.
“Maybe twitter got to them?” read one tweet.
“The main sources of water in rural areas of Somaliland are the privately owned Barkeds (cemented water catchments), manually dug shallow wells and communal stock watering ponds. All of these sources of water depend on a harvest of seasonal rainfall, which has been worsening year by year. While in urban areas, groundwater is the main source of water for human and livestock consumption (the ubiquitous goats, and not forgetting the urban cattle that roam the streets). I suppose no one worries about the camels!”
A year in Somaliland : What I’ve learned about water in Hargeisa
14 Jan – Source: SomalilandPress/Joanna McMinn Blog – 906 Words
I remember in Belfast the Christmas before last, when pipes froze and burst, water poured into streets, and many of us were without water for days, relying on bottled water that we had to collect from water stations. Many people said at the time, and I was one, how it made them appreciate water was not to be taken for granted. But it has taken living here and observing how people live in a country that experiences serious droughts for it to be brought home to me what a precious resource water is.
For a start, the Horn of Africa is semi-arid, i.e. there is very little rain anyway. Most of Somaliland receives as little as 50 to 150 millimetres of rain annually. Ireland’s annual rainfall is nearer 1000 mm a year (and more in Connemara!). Adan (the driver with Nagaad and the source of much of my information) thinks it has got drier over the past few decades, and Somaliland is slowly becoming more like a desert.
When the rain does come, in April and May, its torrential, but I haven’t experienced any yet and wonder about driving on these now dusty dirt roads after torrential rain! On the way to and from work every day, we cross a bridge over what looks like a dried up riverbed, between 50 and 100 yards wide. In fact it’s a flood runoff for the rains when they do come.
The rain has been known to sweep away the temporary shelters that internally displaced people (IDPs) live in, and the downpours can be extremely dangerous. They say this area after a rainfall will be a raging torrent of water and then, within hours, the water has disappeared.
Top tweets
@mukhtaryare Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to speak at @CSIS on Thursday. Topic: The Future of Governance in #Somalia http://csis.org/event/future-
@Semhar Cultures clash as #Mogadishu mayor tells#diaspora women to coverup at beach or face arresthttp://bit.ly/VWI9so via @IdiAuslander #Somalia.
@farhanjimale Ethiopian foreign minister Dr Tedros Adhanom: “#Ethiopia needs peace and peace in #Somalia means peace in Ethiopia too” http://bbc.in/Y65Hhv.
@africarenewal Two students from #Mogadishu University using a laptop for their studies. http://on.fb.me/13uRWba #Somalia #HornOfAfrica #Africa.
@OCHASom Every year, 1000s of children in #Somalia die of preventable diseases. In Dec, agencies vaccinated 275,000 children http://bit.ly/Wq99wE.
Image of the day
Participants in attendance at the 2nd ministerial meeting of the Joint Coordination Mechanism on Somalia on the preliminary outcome of the AU Strategic Review of AMISOM, at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 14, 2013. Photo: AU.