January 27, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali President To Attend Inter-denominational Prayers For Fallen And Injured KDF Officers
27 January – Source: Wacaal Media – 132 Words
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of the Federal government of Somalia is today set to attend an inter-denominational prayer for fallen Kenyan Defence Forces set to be held in Eldoret, Kenya. Spokesman of the Kenyan State house Manoah Esipisu confirmed the Somali President as well as President Muhamadu Buhari of Nigeria will join their host Uhuru Kenyatta in the prayers for the officers who were injured and killed in the recent El-Adde attack.The event will be held at Moi barracks in Eldoret and will be attended by the leaders, military officers, families of the officers as well as the general public. The three leaders will then fly to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the 26th session of AU heads of States and governments set to kick off in the city on Saturday.
Key Headlines
- Somali President To Attend Inter-denominational Prayers For Fallen And Injured KDF Officers (Wacaal Media)
- Police Arrest A Man Making Explosives In Jowhar Town (Radio Dalsan)
- Puntland Lawmakers Support Puntland President’s Stand In The Election Talks (Villa Puntland)
- Kenyan Troops Change Bases In Somalia ( Daily Nation )
- Migrant Boy Arrested Over Murder Of Refugee Worker ‘Is Somali’ As Family Slam Swedish Government(The Mirror)
- Inquiry Into El-Adde Massacre Must Take Candid Look At Mission In Somalia ( Daily Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Police Arrest A Man Making Explosives In Jowhar Town
26 January – Source: Radio Dalsan – 166 Words
The police force in Jowhar town the capital of the Middle Shabelle region of Somalia on Tuesday apprehended a man who was said to be preparing explosives. The man was later paraded in a press briefing. The regional police commander of the Middle Shabelle region Colonel Khalif Abdi Abdulle addressed the press, and this is what he had to say: “We apprehended this man planting explosives. We wouldn’t have arrested him without the help of Hanti-wadag residents who tipped off the security forces about him. We’ll subject him to further interrogation,” said the commander. Jowhar town is currently hosting a conference for the formation of a State for Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions and there are delegations from all parts of these two regions attending the conference. On Monday there was a major security operation in the town which was conducted by the security forces in the area.
Puntland Lawmakers Support Puntland President’s Stand In The Election Talks
26 January – Source:Villa Puntland – 96 Words
MPs in the Puntland parliament have voiced their support for the stand taken by the President of Puntland regarding the election model, Villa Puntland Reports. The talks are being held in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. MP, Saed Abdullahi Samatar, has accused Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of fuelling the current deadlock in the election talks as the first meeting of the talks ended in failure in Mogadishu. He noted that the moves of the current President of Federal Republic of Somalia, H:E Hassan Sheikh Mohamud are contradicting the current provincial federal constitution of Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan Troops Change Bases In Somalia
27 January – Source: Daily Nation – 617 Words
Kenyan troops in Somalia are setting up new bases, with the aim of strengthening their presence in that country in the wake of the El-Adde attack by Al-Shabaab.Military spokesman David Obonyo on Tuesday said the move would ensure that Sector 2 (the area assigned to the Kenya Defence Forces by the African Union Mission in Somalia) is secured from the terrorists.“We are in Somalia under Amisom, which still has a mandate there, so we cannot just abandon its responsibility,” said Col Obonyo. “We are still manning our areas of operation in Sector 2, which is an expansive area and we can take defence positions in any part of that region.”
Sector 2 comprises Gedo, Middle and Lower Juba regions.There are more Kenyan troops in Kismayu, another region where Djibouti troops have also been deployed and most recently, Ethiopian contingents.Foreign media had earlier Tuesday reported that Kenyan troops were withdrawing from El-Adde and Fafadhum towns, information attributed to residents who were quoted as saying there was movement of troops.BBC reported that Kenyan troops had withdrawn from El-Adde in southern Somalia following the attack on January 15.However, Col Obonyo said movement of troops was expected anywhere within Sector 2 and should not be construed to mean withdrawal from the region.“After all, there is a reason that took us to Somalia, which is to liberate and pacify those areas, and the mission is still on,” he added.
During the attack, the camp was overran and both sides suffered heavy casualties.Kenya is still in the process of identifying the soldiers who died in the attack and Wednesday, a special memorial will be held in Eldoret.Military headquarters has, however, remained tight lipped on the death toll, the number of survivors as well as those missing in action.The El-Adde camp was recaptured four days after the initial attack when reinforcements were sent in from Mandera, Wajir and El-wak.Last week, Chief of Defence Forces Samson Mwathethe said the figures would be made public after investigations by a board of inquiry, which he said he had appointed and sent to Somalia.However, he seemed to prepare the public for bad news when the death toll is finally announced when he revealed that bombs used during the ambush at the camp had a force equivalent to three times that of the bomb that hit the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998.The embassy blast killed 250 people.Gen Mwathethe said: “You can imagine that one vehicle bomb that went through the US embassy in Nairobi did such damage. You can imagine three of those in that small defensive position.”
Migrant Boy Arrested Over Murder Of Refugee Worker ‘Is Somali’ As Family Slam Swedish Government
27 January – Source:The Mirror – 347 Words
A 15-year-old migrant boy held over the murder of a Swedish refugee worker is from Somalia, one of the woman’s colleagues reportedly revealed.Alexandra Mezher, 22, was stabbed to death at an asylum seeker refugee centre in Molndal, in the Gothenburg area.The teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of murder following the attack at about 8am on Monday.Ms Mezher, who had been working with migrant children aged between 14-17, was rushed to Sahlgrenska Hospital but later died of her injuries.Employees at the centre restrained the boy until police arrived.Swedish media reports officers discovered a knife at the scene and cordoned the area off as a murder investigation was launched.The boy, who remains in custody, is believed to be from Somalia, MailOnline reported.
Further details about the migrant boy emerged as Ms Mezher’s family hit out at the Swedish government.Mother Chiméne Mezher, 42, paid tribute to her “angel” while a cousin told reporters: “It is the Swedish politicians’ fault that she is dead.”Sweden has seen a deluge of refugees and migrants descend on the country to enter the EU. Ms Mezher’s cousin added: “It’s so terrible. She was a good person who wanted to good.”And then he murdered her when she was doing her job. We have cried a lot. She was such a nice person, warm and happy.” Police spokesman Thomas Fuxborg said the suspect was a young man who was living at the centre and confirmed the he has been arrested on suspicion of murder.Mr Fuxborg did not give any further details about his nationality but added the motive was unclear at the moment.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“It should also tell us whether the boots on the ground have managed to enforce a reasonable level of security within Somalia, and degrade the terror group’s capacity to cause mayhem in that country.Armed with that expert information, we can then be empowered to debate the pros and cons of keeping our soldiers in Somalia.I already have my position: We must pull out of Somalia, but on our own terms.,”
Inquiry Into El-Adde Massacre Must Take Candid Look At Mission In Somalia
26 January – Source: Daily Nation – 514 Words
The annihilation suffered when Al-Shabaab fighters overran a Kenyan military base in Somalia no doubt represents a major setback in the war against terrorism.The full story of what transpired at El-Adde is yet to emerge, but no amount of patriotic fervour or government propaganda will conceal the fact that a bunch of rag-tag irregulars inflicted a terrible and humiliating defeat on Kenya’s finest.A Kenya Defence Forces board of inquiry is expected to complete its work shortly.
The public should have little hope that an unexpurgated report will reveal to the world failures that allowed the massacre of soldiers at a small military camp in hostile territory.What will be made public, if at all, will be a sanitised version to support the propaganda blitz that is already lionising a small band of heroic soldiers who supposedly held at bay for hours thousands of heavily armed Al-Shabaab attackers.
Oh, well, propaganda is part of war, and the public should be spared anything revealing weaknesses in our forces, or extolling the fighting ability of the enemy.But I do hope that for consumption within the military, the inquiry is more than a PR exercise.The military high command must get the complete and accurate picture, warts and all, so that it can more effectively design enhanced defences in and around KDF bases in Somalia.
Beyond the tragedy of El-Adde, the inquiry should also look at the broader picture of the military intervention in Somalia.The attack caused a great deal of angst and anguish.It dented our national pride, sent fresh scares over the threat we still face from Al-Shabaab, and renewed doubts over whether Kenya should retain troops in Somalia.This will be the big debate once the mourning is over, and why it is important that the probe takes a candid and sober look at the entire mission.It should look at why Kenya sent troops to Somalia in the first place, and whether Operation Linda Nchi, which later morphed into Amisom, is fulfilling its objectives.An honest appraisal should tell us whether the mission has managed to secure Kenya from Al-Shabaab infiltration and halt or reduce attacks within the country.
TOP TWEETS
@ReutersAfrica:Attacks on aid workers in #Somalia almost double in 2015, kill 17: U.N http://af.reuters.com/
@sprforum:A better, strong & peaceful Somalia is possible take your part. Our diversity has 2 be our competitiveness.#Somalia
@KentPage :#UNICEF+@EuropeAid work to save mothers’ lives in #Somalia; 1/12 dies during pregnancy/childbirth v/@unicefsomalia
@stability_fund:ISWA President officially opens completed hospital – a joint effort by diaspora & #Xudur community#Somalia
@amisomsomalia:AMISOM Acting Force Commander reiterates Mission’s mandate of eliminating terrorism in#Somalia http://bit.ly/1QBQmiw
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrives at the Eldoret International Airport.
Photo: PSCU – Digital, Kenya.