January 23, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia: Free Journalist, Others Unlawfully Detained
23 Jan – Source: Human Rights Watch – 232 words
Somali authorities should immediately release a journalist and three others linked to the case of a woman who reported being raped by state security forces, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Human Rights Watch said today. The detainees have now been held for more than a week – one for 12 days – without charge.
“Somalia’s new government is saying the right things about the rule of law and a free press, but locking up journalists and others who report rape sends the opposite message,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should release the four detainees, and ensure that the police investigate sexual violence effectively.”
On January 10, 2013, the Central Investigation Department (CID) of the Somali police in Mogadishu arrested a woman who said she had been raped by government forces a few months earlier. They also detained two acquaintances who had put the woman in contact with journalists.
During interrogations, the head of CID, Gen. Abdullahi Hassan Barisse, allegedly compelled the woman to hand over the telephone numbers of journalists who had interviewed her. The police, using the woman’s cell phone, called one journalist who had interviewed her and ordered him to come to their offices. Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, a freelance journalist who has worked with Dalsan Radio and Badri Media Productions, compiled on January 10 and has been detained ever since.
Key Headlines
- Somalia president jets back home (Radio Mogadishu)
- Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union officials to visit Somalia (Bar-kulan)
- Somalia: Free Journalist Others Unlawfully Detained (Human Rights Watch)
- UN says food security to improve in Somalia by June (Shanghai Daily/Xinhua)
- High court rejects Somali pirate cases (UPI News)
- Somali forces tighten security in Mogadishu (Sabahi Online)
- Ex-pirates launch anti-piracy campaign (Bar-kulan)
- Refugees in towns warned of arrest (Daily Nation)
- Arms ban to be lifted from Somalia (Radio Kulmiye)
SOMALI MEDIA
Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union officials to visit Somalia
23 Jan – Source: Bar-kulan – 139 words
A delegation from the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union (IIPU) will soon visit Somalia to assess humanitarian situation in the country in order to avoid the repeat of the 2011 human tragedy in the country. The decision was reached during the just ended eighth General Assembly Meeting of the IIPU in Khartoum, Sudan.
Parliament speakers from 57 Muslim nations including Somalia attended the two-day meeting. A group of Somali legislators led by Deputy Speaker Jeylani Noor Ikar attend the meeting in Khartoum to represent the country.
Ikar and his entourage briefed other participants on the current political situation in Somalia. The last meeting of the Union was held in the Malaysian city of Palembang in January 2012. The IIPU was established in 1999 and seeks to strengthen parliamentary cooperation among Islamic countries in order to solve challenges facing the Islamic world.
Somalia president jets back home
23 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 43 words
The President of of Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, arrived Wednesday in Mogadishu after his participation in the 3rd Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Somali President also visited Washington DC and secured U.S diplomatic recognition of the new Somali government
Somali basketball team beats Kenyan side 81-78 points
23 Jan- Source: Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online/Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu – 173 words
The Somali national basketball team on Tuesday beat their Kenyan counterpart 81-78 at the Zone 5 of the FIBA Basketball competition of African Cup of Nations qualifiers in Dar e Salam Tanzania. The game attracted large crowd. Kenyan side predicted that they win the game but unexpectedly, the Somali team displayed exceptional performance.
The Vice chair of the Somalia Basketball Association Eng Abdulqadir Ali Ghedi who spoke to the Universal TV at the end of the game said that they are very pleased with the victory achieved by the Somali basketball team.
Ex-pirates launch anti-piracy campaign
23 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 139 words
A group of former pirates in central Somalia regions has launched an anti-piracy campaign in their regions in order to persuade colleagues still in the field to renounce piracy and give up their activities.
The group will start touring areas along the pirates invested coastline in Galgadud and Mudug including Hobyo, Harardere and Gaan, according to a member of the group, Diwan Abdullahi. He said they will also visit remote area of Harardere and Hobyo districts where pirates share their ransoms received from hijacked vessels and their crew.
Abdullahi who was a former pirate himself told Bar-kulan that he has “entered a new and better life” after quitting piracy and urged to support his group in dismantling pirate networks. Former Somali pirate kingpin Mohamed Abdi Hassan, who is also known as “Afweyne” is leading the anti-piracy campaigners in these regions.
Somali shilling depreciation leads to high market inflation in Mogadishu
22 Jan – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 270 words
A high inflation is experienced in commodity prices following the depreciation of US dollar against Somali shilling. Report says businessmen are faced with hard earnings due to the fluctuation of foreign exchange rate.
Some of the exchange traders whom Kulmiye Radio interviewed said that this can be translated due to huge amount of US dollar entering the Mogadishu markets.
Sayd Ali, is one of the business person who sells the different products in the market he believes the fall of the currency has been caused Diaspora businessmen arriving back to their country and when they have come home they used a huge amount of Dollars within the market. Sayd Ali says this has caused all the food prices to go up, as the shilling became valueless.
Kenya seeks payment for UN mission
23 Jan – Source: Radio Risaala – 188 words
Kenya has urged the United Nations Security Council to pay the country for its military contribution to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Kenya’s ambassador to the UN Macharia Kamau urged the world organisation to make “timely and total reimbursement” as failure to do so was “unacceptable and unsustainable.”
Speaking during a council debate on UN peacekeeping activities, Mr Kamau did not specify how much Kenya was owed but only said the country had received “a fraction of the millions of dollars committed by this council.” The Nation has learned, however, that the UN agreed to pay Kenya Sh11.5 billion ($132 million) by July this year but has so far paid Sh82.4 million ($947,000).
“Countries spend significant amounts of money preparing troops, maintaining readiness and deploying expensive equipment to support given mandates,” Mr Kamau said. Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October 2011 following a series of terror attacks on Kenyan soil said to have been carried out by forces operating from that country.
Arms ban to be lifted from Somalia
22 Jan – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 156 words
A meeting at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International airport that brought together the committee of the technical Military forces deliberated lifting of the arms embargo against Somalia, Abdihakim Fiqi, Somalia’s Minister of Defense has noted.
Fiqi has, on the other side, requested the Somali students who have left the universities and colleges to register themselves at the ministry of defense so that they could receive foreign trainings for further education about the military techniques. He said they will be joining the Somali forces after completing a training abroad.
The Somali government has been requesting a lift to the armed ban imposed by the United Nations and if this arms embargo is lifted, it will pave the way forward to an opportunity to have a strong military capability for the war-torn country.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Refugees in towns warned of arrest
23 Jan – Source: Daily Nation – 366 words
Refugees in Nairobi and other towns who disregarded a recent government order to move to camps will be arrested and moved forcefully. Internal Security permanent secretary Mutea Iringo said the government was working on a plan that would see the camps eventually closed and the refugees relocated to their countries.
“We are working out the modalities of their movement to camps and eventual return to their countries. If they don’t move, we will get them and return them. We are working with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and other agencies involved in their issues,” he said.
The refugee camps are in far-flung areas in North Eastern and Rift Valley provinces. The government told refugees from Somalia to report to the Dadaab camp while those from other countries should make their way to Kakuma.
Somali forces tighten security in Mogadishu
22 Jan – Source: Sabahi Online – 722 words
In less than one week, joint security operations in the Benadir region of Mogadishu resulted in the arrest and investigation of thousands of individuals suspected of creating instability in the capital.
Benadir National Security Agency commander Colonel Khalif Ahmed Ereg said police are holding 259 people suspected of planning terrorist attacks in the capital. The suspects in custody are among 3,259 individuals arrested in operations carried out January 14th-19th in Hilwa, Yaqshid, Wadajir, Darkenley and Hodan districts.
Ereg said 3,000 people were released after police investigations determined they were innocent. “We will continue with the investigations we are conducting in the city until we secure the city,” he said. The operations also led to the confiscation of land mines, bombs and ammunition for heavy weapons such as bazookas, AK-47s and other automatic machine guns, Ereg said.
Kenyan government directive to move refugees cause of xenophobia
23 Jan – Source: Star News – 285 words
Attacks on refugees and Kenyan Somalis have increased since the government announced that all refugees and asylums-seekers in Nairobi should move to Dadaab and Kakuma camps. Executive Director Refugee Consortium Lucy Kiama says it has aggravated a xenophobic attitude towards genuine refugees.
INTERNATIONAL pressure continues to mount on Kenya’s bid to relocate over 50,000 refugees out of its major cities for security reasons. The statement from the Refugee Consortium comes a day the Human Rights Watch released a press release opposing the move.
Senior refugee researcher and advocate for Human Rights Watch Gerry Simpson said in the statement that the plan would violate refugees’ free movement rights and the unlawful forced eviction of tens of thousands of refugees may be used in the process.
Muslim Youth Centre attempts to elevate status by spreading false claims
22 Jan – Source: Sabahi Online – 868 words
The al Shabaab-affiliated Muslim Youth Centre (MYC) in Kenya is trying to propel itself into relevancy and elevate its status in the region by spreading inaccuracies and false claims, security officials and analysts say. In a press statement released December 26th titled “Inciting and Inspiring Jihad: MYC in 2012”, the group speaks as if it represents all radicals in the region and boasts about its supposed successes.
“As we move closer to the end of an exciting year, MYC in Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia takes this opportunity to remind the Ummah [Muslim community] in East Africa and in particular, the Mujahideen in Kenya of our great triumphs over the Kuffar [non-believers] in 2012,” MYC said.
The Nairobi-based group, however, does not have operations in Tanzania or Somalia. The group alleges to have been responsible for sending “hard-hitting lethal messages…to the Kuffar on a near weekly basis” for 11 months.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia: Free Journalist, Others Unlawfully Detained
23 Jan – Source: Human Rights Watch – 232 words
Somali authorities should immediately release a journalist and three others linked to the case of a woman who reported being raped by state security forces, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Human Rights Watch said today. The detainees have now been held for more than a week – one for 12 days – without charge.
“Somalia’s new government is saying the right things about the rule of law and a free press, but locking up journalists and others who report rape sends the opposite message,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should release the four detainees, and ensure that the police investigate sexual violence effectively.”
On January 10, 2013, the Central Investigation Department (CID) of the Somali police in Mogadishu arrested a woman who said she had been raped by government forces a few months earlier. They also detained two acquaintances who had put the woman in contact with journalists.
During interrogations, the head of CID, Gen. Abdullahi Hassan Barisse, allegedly compelled the woman to hand over the telephone numbers of journalists who had interviewed her. The police, using the woman’s cell phone, called one journalist who had interviewed her and ordered him to come to their offices. Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, a freelance journalist who has worked with Dalsan Radio and Badri Media Productions, compiled on January 10 and has been detained ever since.
UN says food security to improve in Somalia by June
22 Jan – Source: Shanghai Daily/Xinhua – 425 words
The food security situation in Somalia is likely to improve during the first half of 2013, a report published by the UN humanitarian agency said on Tuesday. The latest monitoring data by Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) published by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) suggests that the number of people in crisis will likely reduce.
“However, the nutrition situation in southern Somalia, parts of the north and the central regions will most probably remain critical largely due to lack of health infrastructure, poor feeding practices and possible outbreaks of acute watery diarrhea and measles during the April to June rainy season,” FSNAU said in its update issued in Nairobi.
Last month, the UN launched 1.3 billion U.S. dollars humanitarian appeal to address the immediate needs of the Somali people until end of 2013 and enhance resilience in the country, which has for decades been mired by conflict, drought, floods and food insecurity. The appeal, which is part of three-year strategy, will go to 369 humanitarian projects targeting 3.8 million Somalis in need, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The strategy will be implemented by 177 national and international nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies operating in So malia.
While the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains critical, the improvement in the food security situation and the new security and political landscape present opportunities to break the cycle of recurring crisis brought on by drought and conflicts, OCHA said.
High court rejects Somali pirate cases
22 Jan – Source: UPI News – 111 words
The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday refused to review the use of criminal piracy law to punish Somali pirates who attack U.S. Navy vessels. The rejections came without comment.
SCOTUSBLOG.com said the denials came in the cases of two men convicted in the first jury trial for piracy since 1819, Abdi W. Dire and Mohamed A. Said. The federal courts had expanded the reach of an anti-piracy criminal law by applying international law, the report said.
Wikipedia said Dire was convicted in Virginia and given 80 years in prison for the April 2010 attack on a U.S. Navy vessel deployed off East Africa and Somalia in anti-pirate operations.
Irish-led EU military to stay in Somalia
23 Jan – Source: Independent -111 words
An EU military training mission in Somalia, under Irish command, is to remain in place for another two years. The Council of the European Union said the mission would continue to contribute to the strengthening of the Somali armed forces to prepare them to ultimately take over security responsibilities there.
The mission is currently based at Bihanga in neighbouring Uganda but, depending on security considerations, is due to move into the Somali capital Mogadishu in the coming weeks.
EU representative Catherine Ashton said the mission had provided great assistance to the Somali armed forces. “All those, who have been trained by EU military experts, make a real difference on the ground,” she added.
Kenya launches manhunt for five terror suspects
22 Jan – Source: Nweek – 466 words
Kenya’s authorities on Tuesday launched a major manhunt for five al Shabaab terror suspects who sneaked into the east African nation to plan terrorist attacks in the country.
Garissa County Commissioner Maalim Mohamed said the government will publish the names and portraits of the suspected militants who are believed to behind the killings of innocent civilians and security agents in Garissa town in northern Kenya.
“These people do not live in the sky, they just live amongst us, and their days are numbered, we urge you to give us information immediately you identify them from the adverts we will put in the media,” Mohamed told journalists in Garissa.
The government officials also appealed to Kenyans to help the anti-terrorism police officers to arrest the five terror suspects whose pictures will be circulated soon.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud spoke to the Twin Cities Somali community Friday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Fartun Weli—a Hopkins resident and executive director of Somali women’s health education and advocacy group Isuroon—shared this guest column about Mohamud’s visit.”
Hopkins Woman Praises Somali President’s Promise of New Beginnings
22 Jan – Source: Hopkins Patch – 303 Words
I couldn’t go to the Convention Center to welcome our new president Hassan Sheikh Mohamed, but the energy of those who were there is amazing. I have never seen so many Somali members so happy and supportive of any president since the civil war started. They said the new president has vision and communicates well with the ordinary Somalis.
He cares about the poor, especially women who have suffered unbearably. Some compared his communication style with President Obama, who Somalis admire. My husband, Jamal, was able to attend the event, and he came home energized and happy. My husband always said he will never go back to Somalia but now talks about going back to volunteer to help rebuild our country. Somalis at the convention chanted, “It’s a new beginning for Somalis and Somalia”.
I am usually very critical of Somalia’s leaders and don’t trust the election system. However, I had a good feeling about the new president and hoped that he doesn’t disappoint me. Therefore, I watched his entire speech on YouTube, and I was struck by the choice of his words. He used healing words and reminded Somalis that we are all brothers and sisters.
President Hassan said, “The world is three days—yesterday, today and tomorrow. If some Somalis are still holding resentment about the civil war, they will miss better opportunities of today and tomorrow.” The president urged reconciliation and better communication among Somalis. He promised to build transparent government and bring back the integrity of Somalia.
President Obama acknowledged our new president and his government. This means the United States will be funding Somalia to rebuild. Hopefully, (insurgent group) al Shabaab members will be captured so they don’t kill any more civilians. I am thrilled to have my Somalia back. Now I have two countries that I both love.
“It was while he was on assignment for The New York Times in fall 2011 that Mr. Aranda first tried to seek out where the African refugees had settled in Yemen. They had been put in three locations, one close to the southern coast, another north by the Saudi border and also in the capital, Riyadh. But access was impossible, he learned.”
Trapped Between Africa and Saudi Arabia
22 Jan – Source: NYT Blog – 889 Words
From dusty villages overrun by poverty and violence to modern cities where jobs and hope are scarce, Samuel Aranda has been photographing African migrants who take to the sea, desperate to remake their lives. For nearly 10 years, he has seen how African immigrants have gone from looking for a new start in an unwelcoming Europe to, more recently, Yemen, where their basic needs are met.
Granted, it is hardly ideal. Though the government in Yemen – itself facing economic difficulties after political turmoil – has welcomed them, many of the Africans from Somalia and Ethiopia live in a sort of limbo as they wait for smugglers to get them into Saudi Arabia and beyond, where they can find backbreaking – but paying – jobs.
“The Yemeni people are hospitable and help them,” Mr. Aranda said. “When the Africans step on the ground, they are given refugee status. They can rest easy without being persecuted by the police. That’s not what happens in Europe like in Spain, where they are persecuted. But what crime is it to look for the best for your family?”
Somalia Thru The Lens of Jan Grarup
22 Jan – Source: Photographers Daily – 3:48 mins
an Grarup, a Leica Oskar Barnack Award Winner photojournalist tells the story of Somalia thru his lens.
Top tweets
@UNPOSomalia #Somali Elders in #Baidoa to discuss formation of local administrations. See photos: http://bit.ly/Xxfh6v @UN_DPA @amisomsomalia.
@rogermid The #EU Training mission for #Somalia forces has been extended for 2 years, and refocused http://ow.ly/h31DH #EUTM.
@MissBihi Pregnancy fatalities in #Somaliland can be prevented by further training female nurses —http://youtu.be/8eio0nuAO-A . #Somalia #Africa.
@SamerHRW #Somalia gov’t says right things about press freedom, but locking up journo, others, undermines msg.http://bit.ly/SygZIc @hrw.
@UNDP: Great news from #Somalia: People return home to accelerate progress. http://on.undp.org/h1JdK v@GdnDevelopment #EmpowerTuesday.
Image of the day
Somali Women walk past a billboard mural that reads, ‘Cultivate to prosper,’ displayed as part of an art project to produce and display billboards around Mogadishu. Photo: Reuters/AU/UNIST