January 16, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
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Kenyan air strikes kill 5 children15 Jan – Source: Garowe Online, BBC Somali Service – 176 words At least 7 people, including 5 children, have died after air strikes in the town of Jilib in southern Somalia, Garowe reports. Mohamud Dahir who is the nephew of Abdullahi Mualim, a former government official, who spoke to BBC said that Abdullahi Mualim’s house was hit as he and his wife were away from home. 5 of his children were killed after his house was shelled repeatedly. At least four other children were injured in the bombardment; local sources say that the Kenyan air force shelled the town more than 12 times earlier Sunday.The Kenyan military in a coordinated effort with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) have been fighting al Shabaab in southern Somalia since October. Since then, the Kenyan military have heavily relied on air support to fight al Shabaab. |
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Key Headlines
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PRESS RELEASEBuhodle confrontation is unfortunate16 Jan – Source: TFG – 274 words The National Security Committee in their regular meeting, on the state of the nation’s security, has met today on the fighting in Buhodle in the Sool region. The meeting was chaired by the President of the Republic, H.E. Sh. Sharif Sh. Ahmed and attended by the speaker of the Parliament, the Prime Minister, State Minister of Defence, the Deputy Minister of Interior and National Security, the heads of the Armed and Security Services and the Deputy Governor of the Banadir Region. After briefings and long deliberations the Committee issued the following: 1. That they are very disturbed by the fighting in Buhodle, Sool region, which has resulted in death and injury to people. 2. To send condolences to the bereaved families, who lost loved ones, and prey for early recovery to the injured. 3. Are calling for a peaceful co-existence between the peoples of the area who share a long standing relations and tradition. 4. The said longstanding relations and traditions must be protected by peaceful co-existence and any armed conflict should be avoided by any means. We firmly believe that it is in no one’s interest for a state of conflict and war to exist within a community of brothers and sisters. For this reason, the committee is calling for an immediate end to the fighting without any condition and to solve all outstanding issues through dialogue and brotherly understanding. Finally, the TFG is prepared to contribute to all the efforts needed, in order to bring back peace and stability to the communities in the region, who share a long history of brotherhood. SOMALI MEDIATFG investigates killing of Ugandan soldier by Somali soldier16 Jan – Source: Radio RBC – 152 words Officials from the Somali military and African Union Mission in Somalia AMISOM are together investigating the killing of a Ugandan soldier by Somali soldier in Mogadishu late Saturday, sources told RBC Radio. The accident occurred at Mogadishu stadium on the industrial road, where both AMISOM and Somali forces have bases seized from al Shabaab fighters. Military sources who spoke to RBC Radio in anonymity condition said that the two soldiers went together to buy cigarettes at nearby shop on Saturday afternoon, but quickly the Ugandan soldier was shot dead by a Somali soldier who then looted his gun. “There is sensitive investigation on this case” the sources said adding that AMISOM and Somali military officials were involved in the investigation. “The reason behind the killing of the UPDF soldier is thought to be stealing the gun”, the sources attribute. AMISOM force commander from the leading Ugandan contingent did not comment on the case, which is now under investigation. Somali National Army retakes more areas in Hiiraan15 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 204 words Somali government forces on Saturday seized villages of Mahaas, Bardhere, Berhano, Tarejante and Garsaani of Hiiraan region in central Somalia. Locals said that the al Shabaab fled in fear of the rapid Somali government operations in the South and central regions of Somalia. The Minister of Defence, Hussein Arab Isse, said in December that the forces achieved a great victory and have driven out of Beledweyn all the forces of al Shabaab”. “These victories are part of a major campaign of liberation by the Somali Armed Forces, to free the Somali people in general and the inhabitants of Beledweyn in particular from the yoke of the terrorists that caused untold suffering to our people for far too long.” the minister continued. Somali national army and AMISOM troops in August liberated Mogadishu from the al Shabaab extremists following a successful military offensive that claimed the lives of hundreds of extremists, including foreign fighters. Kenyan air strikes kill 5 children15 Jan – Source: Garowe Online, BBC Somali Service – 176 words At least 7 people, including 5 children, have died after air strikes in the town of Jilib in southern Somalia, Garowe reports. Mohamud Dahir who is the nephew of Abdullahi Mualim, a former government official, who spoke to BBC said that Abdullahi Mualim’s house was hit as he and his wife were away from home. 5 of his children were killed after his house was shelled repeatedly. At least four other children were injured in the bombardment; local sources say that the Kenyan air force shelled the town more than 12 times earlier Sunday. The Kenyan military in a coordinated effort with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) have been fighting al Shabaab in southern Somalia since October. Since then, the Kenyan military have heavily relied on air support to fight al Shabaab. Al Shabaab using population in Baidoa as human shield15 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 212 words Reports reaching us from the residents of the city of Baidoa, 200km from Mogadishu are saying that al Shabaab have ordered all the residents not to leave the city when the anticipated offensive by the Somali Army starts. The announcement which came from a senior al Shabaab leader threatened the entire population of the city with severe punishment and even executions should they leave the city during the expected Somali Army’s attack. As a consequence of the announcement, some families secretly started leaving the city before the fighting breaks out, according to the information from the residents. The Deputy Minister of Information, Abdullahi Bile Noor, upon hearing this latest al Shabaab move said: “This is outrageous. To use the population of an entire city, the size of Baidoa, as a human shield is something that is even no terrorist organization has ever attempted in the past. It seems there is nothing al Shabaab is ashamed of. In desperation they are sinking to new lows.” Somaliland shuts down private TV Channel, arrests 22 reporters15 Jan – Source: Somaliland Press – 453 words Somaliland’s government ordered the closure of the country’s oldest and most popular private television network on Saturday, in a bold violation of its pledges to respect freedom of expression during election campaigns. Reliable sources told Somaliland press by telephone that police armed with AK-47 assault rifles stormed the marketing and broadcasting offices of Horn Cable TV (HCTV) in the capital around 6:30 P.M. on Saturday. They subsequently ordered the on-duty operators to vacate and immediately took them away– they remain in custody until now. They further declared that the police also apprehended the director of HCTV Mohamed Abdi Sheikh (also known as “Ilig”) and is said to be behind bars now. The closure came after the president blasted the network in his joint session of Parliament address on Saturday in which he accused the TV of spreading false information and propaganda. He said the network was taking the country into a vortex of violence by spreading incitement, hostility and feuds between opposing tribal units. Somaliland press has learned that Abdullahi Mohamed Dahir, Presidential Spokesman, and Hirsi Ali haji Hasan, Minister for Presidency, jointly ordered the closure of the network. 72 Somali migrants arrive in Lampedusa16 Jan – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 124 words A boat carrying 72 people, who identified themselves as Somali nationals, arrived Friday on the Italian island of Lampedusa from Libya. The arrival of the group, which included 18 women, was the first by African migrants on the tiny Italian island in more than two months. The migrants’ vessel was intercepted by an Italian coast guard patrol boat some 40 nautical miles south of Lampedusa, which lies between Italy and Libya. The migrants appeared to be in good health and were to be transferred to a migrant reception centre in Sicily on Saturday, the report said. Last year, Lampedusa experienced severe overcrowding in the wake of the uprisings in Tunisia and Libya, which triggered an exodus of tens of thousands of migrants across the Mediterranean. REGIONAL MEDIAKenya says no to Kismayo attack without back-up16 Jan – Source: East African – 293 words Defence minister Yusuf Haji told The EastAfrican that the country’s military incursion into Somalia had created conditions that would allow the international community to help bring lasting peace, but Kenya is unwilling to continue underwriting the financial burden of an open-ended war. It is now emerging that Kenya considers its intervention in Somalia in October last year as a major service to the global war against terror and expects logistical and financial support to complete the job of smashing the al Shabaab and al Qaeda networks. The admission by Mr Haji seemed to reverse Kenya’s stated military objective, which was predicated on capturing Kismayu in order to undermine the financial base of al Shabaab. Mr Haji said the notion that Kenya’s ultimate goal was Kismayu was imaginary. He said the Kenya Defence Forces had indicated that their main objective was to create a buffer zone by pushing al Shabaab far enough from the country’s borders to assure its national security. “The Kismayu question is for the international community to decide. Kenya was not going to fix the entire Somalia problem since it has been a failed state for 20 years. “We did not have the intention of going into Somalia if we were not provoked. We feel we have attained our intention of pushing al Shabaab away from our borders,” said Mr Haji. Army finds new blood as six officers are promoted15 Jan – Source: Daily Monitor – 277 words The newly-promoted UPDF officers, including the Inspector General of Police, Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura, were yesterday decorated with new pips at Mbuya Military Headquarters. The officers, who were promoted and transferred by the President on December 28 last year, also included the commander of Air Forces, Lt. Gen. Jim Owoyesigire and the new Military Intelligence boss, Brig. Charles Bakahumura. Brig. Bakahumura takes over from Brig. James Mugira who has been transferred to Luweero Industries. Other decorated officers were Brig. Leopold Kyanda, the new Chief of Personnel and Administration, Brig. David Muhoozi, who was recently transferred from Mechanised Brigade in Masaka to Nakasongola as the commander of air defence and Lt. Col. Johnson Namanya, the new administrative officer of Luweero Industries. Lt. Gen. Kayihura, who represented the decorated officers, thanked UPDF for supporting police whenever riots break out in Kampala. “With your support, we have been able to keep peace on the streets of Kampala. I will continue to be a bridge between police and other security services,” Lt. Gen. Kayihura said. Who benefits from piracy?15 Jan – Source: Aljazeera English Programme – 53 words There is a thriving business off the coast of Africa these days, an entirely illegal one, that seems to have a positive effect on economies onshore. The semi-autonomous Puntland region in Somalia has seen the profits of piracy have a big impact. What are the alternatives to military action to try to counter Somali piracy? INTERNATIONAL MEDIASomali famine ‘will kill tens of thousands’15 Jan – Source: BBC – 142 words The UN in Somalia says tens of thousands of people will have died of starvation by the time the famine in the Horn of Africa ends. The food crisis was declared in Somalia six months ago and levels of need are expected to remain high until July or August. UN aid chief in Somalia, Mark Bowden, told the BBC malnutrition rates there were the highest in the world. “We know that tens of thousands of people will have died over the last year,” Mr Bowden, said, describing the rates of malnutrition as “amazingly high”. “Children will have suffered the most, malnutrition rates in Somalia were the highest in the world, and I think the highest recorded… up to 50% of the child population suffered from severe or acute malnutrition.” Somali refugees sing for home15 Jan – Source: NPR News – 107 words The Dadaab refugee camp in northeastern Kenya is home to half a million Somalis who have fled the chaos and bloodshed of their homeland. Some are recent arrivals. But many have lived there for decades, including musicians. NPR’s Ofeibea Quist-Arcton met up with some who have put their hopes and dreams into song. Nearly half a million Somalis live across the border in a giant refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. They fled the anarchy, drought, and famine back home. Thousands are recent arrivals. But many have been at the Dadaab Camp for 20 years, including a number of musicians who put their hopes and fears into their songs. Somali pirates free crew of Maltese-flagged ship16 Jan – Source: Reuter – 195 words Somali pirates have freed the 18-man crew of a Maltese-flagged chemical tanker after the payment of a $4 million ransom, the maritime editor of the Somalia Report said on Monday. Andrew Mwangura, an authoritative source on piracy, said the crew – three Turks and 15 Georgians – sailed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa in a tugboat after their release last week, while the tanker, the MV Olib G, was abandoned off the Somali coast. The Greek-owned and -operated chemical tanker was seized in the Gulf of Aden while on its last trip before the scrapyard, according to Mwangura, a former regional maritime official. The seas off Somalia have been plagued by piracy in recent years as Somali gangs have exploited 20 years of lawlessness in their Horn of Africa country by seizing vessels and demanding huge ransoms for them and their crews. Kenya’s military says piracy has become less frequent since it sent forces into neighbouring Somalia last October to fight al Shabaab rebels and stationed its navy off its southern coast. (Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Kenyan Islamic group announces alliance with al Shabaab in climate of Nairobi terror warnings15 Jan – Source: Washington Post – 789 words An increasingly vocal Islamist group says its leader has been appointed to represent an al Qaeda-linked Somali militia in Kenya, a development that underscores the dangers Kenya faces from Somalia’s insurgency. The statement by the Kenya-based Muslim Youth Center came amid a flurry of warnings from embassies about planned terror attacks in Kenya. The Somali militant group al Shabaab has promised to attack Kenya for its decision to send troops to Somalia in October. The Muslim Youth Center was named in a United Nations report last year for recruiting, fundraising, and running training and orientation events for al Shabaab. An official al Shabaab spokesman did not answer questions about whether the center now represents al Shabaab in Kenya, but a statement published on the center’s blog on Wednesday was unequivocal. “There can be no doubt that Amiir Ahmad Iman Ali’s elevation to become the supreme Amiir of Kenya for al Shabaab is recognition from our Somali brothers who have fought tirelessly against the kuffar on the importance of the Kenyan mujahideen in Somalia,” the statement said. The word kuffar appears to be an alternative spelling of kafir, an Arabic word meaning “unbeliever.” Ali was featured in combat fatigues giving a 50-minute lecture in a Jan. 6 video produced by al Kataib, al Shabaab’s media foundation. He referred to wars in Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and Chechnya. It was the first time an al Kataib video was dedicated solely to his message, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors communications from jihadi groups. SOCIAL MEDIACULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDSUN-Somali relations are fraught with mistrust, graft and scandal15 Jan – Source: Daily Nation – 675 Words UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recent announcement that the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) will relocate from Nairobi to Mogadishu has generated fears that the office – established in 1995 to advance the cause of peace and reconciliation in Somalia – will not be effective in bringing about stability in the country. Last month, more than 200 members of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Parliament urged the UN Secretary-General to remove the current head of UNPOS, Augustine Mahiga, who they accuse of lacking “capacity and vision beyond the transitional period”. Similarly, the Washington-based Somali National Alliance wrote a letter to Mr Ban protesting the corruption, nepotism and lack of competent staff at the UNPOS offices in New York and Nairobi. The Alliance’s executive director Osman D. Osman believes that growing mistrust between the UN and Somalis is due to the perception that UN staff and local implementing partners have shady deals with each other, and that instead of improving the situation in the country, UN operations in Somalia are hindering development and disempowering local institutions. Enter clan politics13 Jan – Source: Inside Insurgency Blog – 1126 Words Sheikh Aḥmed ʾAbdisamad of the Iʾtisam Islamist movement this week blamed clans that he said were “Loma Ooyaan” (“No one Cries for them”, in English) for supporting al Shabaab in a bid to take revenge on the bigger clans (such as Habar Gidir – henceforth HG, Hawiye, whom the Sheikh used as an example) that they feel oppressed them earlier in the Somali Civil War. The Sheikh also says that he heard such sentiments from clan elders he met years ago. The issue of clan politics and the insurgency is a sensitive subject that I was really looking for a way to talk about, but couldn’t find the right time. Thank you, Sheikh Aḥmed ʾAbdisamad. The Sheikh, being from Galkaʾyo, seems not to understand who is considered Loma Ooyaan (LO henceforth). In Mogadishu, these are the people from unarmed clans who were very badly mistreated by the clan and warlord militias, especially in the first decade of the civil war. These are mostly the Reer Ḥamar people, the Yemeni Somalis, the Bantu Somalis, and other minority peoples. Despite their very different origins, the warlords lumped them all into one group and gave them the status of half a clan, and gave them a “unifying label” – the “Others” (now it is generally considered an insult to be labelled an Other). Other clans who were not armed in Mogadishu were not known as LO, but they were nevertheless mistreated. Why do you think piracy is increasing off the coast of Somalia and not off the coast of Haiti?16 Jan – Source: Yahoo Answers I’ve got some working ideas on an essay I’m writing on piracy for a course I’m doing. The Somali pirates have a prime target of oil tankers but piracy could spring up anywhere if people are desperate enough, and can go after any vessel. What do you think? |
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A Burundi Soldier serving in African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on patrol along the frontline between AMISOM forces and al Shabaab militia near Bakara market, Mogadishu, Somalia © Kate Holt/IRIN