January 8, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Fire guts 30 tents in an IDP camp

07 Jan – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 153 Words

A fire outbreak at an IDP camp on the former US embassy land in Wadajir district on Wednesday afternoon caused destruction. Clouds of smoke were seen coming from tents in the camp. The outbreak of the fire has been attributed to a traditional cooker that was left outside one of the tens, residents in the area told the media. Reports state that at least 30 tents in the camp caught fire, and a woman sustained injuries as she was trying to collect her belongings. Abshir Mohamed Barre, the Hawo Tako Division Commissioner told Goobjoog FM that people in the area and firefighters from Hormoud Telecom worked together to put out the blaze. Mr. Abshir added that the firefighters succeeded in putting out the fire, and saving with the help of the locals.

Key Headlines

Somali government warns illegal companies operating in Somalia (Horseed Media)
Somali president meets with AU Commissioner for Peace & Security (Mareeg Media)
Body of slain Somali engineer arrives in Mogadishu (Radio Bar-Kulan)
Fire guts 30 tents in an IDP camp (Radio Goobjoog)
IMB concerned over decision to compensate pirates (Horseed Media)
Somalia: Uganda wants compensation for lost lives (New Vision)
African Union says military still weakening Somalia’s Al-Shabaab (Reuters)
Somali militants execute alleged U.S. intelligence agency spy (Bloomberg News)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali government warns illegal companies operating in Somalia

07 Jan – Horseed Media – 596 Words

In a government press release, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources issued a warning to illegal companies operating in Somalia, specifically addressing Chinese mining company ARC. “The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Federal Government of Somalia has been closely monitoring the illegal activities of ARC, a Chinese company. ARC has been involved in the illegal digging and mining for minerals in the Simodi mountain ranges in the Awdal region of Somalia. These activities are a violation of Somalia’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty. These activities are also a threat and an immediate danger to the fragile but improving political situation in Somalia,” the statement reads.

“ARC’s illegal activities have already caused civil turmoil and tensions among communities in the region following the company’s introduction of armed militia to protect its illegally obtained mining acreage. It has been noted that ARC’s activities have also caused the large scale displacement of inhabitants in the area and the destruction of private property. ARC’s activities are very similar to other companies that have engaged in activities that have caused environmental degradation, and the illegal disposal of harmful chemicals without regard to water tables, grazing lands, and underground aquivors. The Ministry, in order to mitigate the consequences of civil turmoil and tensions in the community, hereby provide official notice to ARC to cease and desist immediately from their illegal mining activities in the Simodi mountain ranges in the Awdal region of Somalia.”

For the full statement, click here.

Somali president meets with AU Commissioner for Peace & Security

07 Jan – Source: Mareeg Media – 394 Words

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, met today with the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ismail Chergui. The AU Commissioner was accompanied by the Senior Representative of the Chairman of the African Union Commission for Somalia (SRCC), Ambassador Maman Sidikou, the AU Director for Peace & Security, Dr El Ghasseim Wane, General Jonathan Rono, the Acting AMISOM Force Commander, as well as other AU officials. During the visit they discussed the December 25th attack on AMISOM’s Headquarters in Mogadishu, joint AMISOM-Somalia National Army (SNA) operations to defeat al-Shabaab and future cooperation between the FGS and AU.

The President began offering his condolences for the December 25th attack on AMISOM’s headquarters in Mogadishu. He welcomed the formation of a joint FGS-AMISOM-UNSOM Task Force to investigate the atrocity and noted that the FGS would implement any recommendations made by the Task Force as a matter of urgency. The President also discussed the recent gains made during the joint SNA-AMISOM Operations Eagle and Indian Ocean and welcomed the damage done to al-Shabaab in terms of territory, illicit revenue, personnel and equipment that had been lost to the terrorists. He noted the continuing challenges that exist in those newly recovered areas, particularly in terms of the delivery of humanitarian aid, and requested AMISOM’s continuing support , commenting: “Together the FGS and the AU, the SNA and AMISOM are winning the war against al-Shabaab: but the continuing battle is to win the peace.”

Body of slain Somali engineer arrives in Mogadishu

07 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 133 Words

The body of engineer Ibrahim Ahmed Ali who was killed by gunmen in Hiran region has arrived in the capital Mogadishu. Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle the engineer was travelling in on Tuesday killing him instantly while wounding his aide. Peace activist in the area Ahmed Abdullah Jimale has vowed to work with security forces to arrest those behind the killing. He said the engineer was an important person in the society, and his killing is a setback to the development in the area. Several engineers were targeted and killed in Mogadishu and Garowe by assailants whose motives are unknown for the past few months.

Fire guts 30 tents in an IDP camp

07 Jan – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 153 Words

IMB concerned over decision to compensate pirates

07 Jan – Source: Horseed Media – 554 Words|

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has joined other maritime organisations in expressing concern over a decision to compensate convicted Somali pirates. These criminals have been responsible for taking hostage thousands of seafarers who were subjected to unprovoked violence and sometimes torture. Some seafarers have also been murdered while carrying out their lawful business on the high seas. Last month, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered France to pay thousands of euros to Somali pirates who had attacked French ships in 2008. The pirates were captured by French military on the Somali coast after they hijacked two French yachts in separate attacks in 2008.

French authorities held one group for four days and the other group for six days and 16 hours before they were taken to France to stand trial. The ECHR said the pirates should be paid compensation because they were not immediately brought before a French court but instead kept in custody for a further 48 hours after arriving in France. According to the judge this was a “violation of their rights to freedom and security”. IMB said there were practical complexities when dealing with the crime of piracy that needed to be fully appreciated. “There are practical difficulties with respect to the gathering of evidence and transporting of the alleged perpetrators when a crime is committed at sea, thousands of miles from where the court proceedings take place, compared to a crime committed ashore,” said an IMB spokesman.

The IMB added it was worried about the message the ECHR decision might send to other pirates and the implications it may have on shipping and seafarers’ safety. In light of this decision IMB stated: “We hope this does not discourage the European navies from taking the required actions necessary to keep piracy suppressed along these vital international trade routes”. A BBC report said one of the men is to be awarded €9,000 and the others sums of up to €7,000. IMB had at the time of the attacks warned of the growing Somali piracy trend where pirates operating from “mother ships often attacked vessels hundreds of nautical miles out to sea before taking them into Somali waters to demand ransoms”.

The ECHR’s decision has been criticised by seafarers’ support group, Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP). Roy Paul, programme director for MPHRP, said, “This decision would be unbelievable if it wasn’t made by the European Court of Human Rights. The claim this constituted a ‘violation of their rights to freedom and security’ is an insult to the seafarers and yachtsmen they attacked as surely this is the true violation of the seafarers’ rights to freedom and security. These pirates, in my opinion, gave up any of their rights when they set sail to attack innocent seafarers who were simply doing their essential work”. While the number of pirate attacks have dropped significantly in Somali waters, largely due to increased naval presence in the area, the threat is still present says IMB. “There can be no room for complacency as it will take only one successful Somali hijacking for the business model to return. Masters are advised to maintain vigilance and adhere to the latest Best Management Practices recommendations,” the IMB advises.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somalia: Uganda wants compensation for lost lives

07 Jan – Source: New Vision – 258 Words

Uganda has expressed dissatisfaction about the delay in compensating the families of soldiers killed and military assets lost under the UN-funded African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). According to the defense minister, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga, Uganda has not yet been compensated for the lives of soldiers killed and military hardware lost in the mission area including a helicopter that crashed in Mt. Kenya in 2012 en route to Somalia, killing seven soldiers on board. “We have lost many troops as the troop contributing countries including the eight soldiers who were killed in Mogadishu on Christmas Day. We have lost equipment including our helicopter that crashed in Kenya, but compensation had been made,” he said.

Uganda was the first country to deploy peacekeepers in Somalia in 2007 under AMISOM which was formed in 2006. Other African countries have also contributed troops to the mission to protect the Transitional Federal Institutions of Somalia against attacks from Alshabab terrorists as the country struggles to deal with the damage caused by militant groups that have been battling for power since 1991. The minister was opening the 2015 AMISOM retreat attended by AU officials, army chiefs from countries that have troops and police in Somalia, ambassadors and representatives from countries supporting the peace keeping mission at Sheraton hotel in Kampala on Wednesday. The AU officials attending a two-day retreat could not comment on the compensation because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of union. The retreat is being held behind closed doors.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

African Union says military still weakening Somalia’s Al-Shabaab

07 Jan – Source: Reuters – 318 Words

A military offensive by Somali and African Union forces has pushed Al Shabaab Islamists into two dwindling pockets of territory, in the north and south, the AU’s special envoy said. Al Shabaab, which controlled Mogadishu and southern Somalia until it was driven out of the capital in 2011 has steadily lost territory since. But it still launches guerrilla-style attacks, and was blamed for a car bomb that severely wounded a university lecturer on Wednesday. An African Union force, known as AMISOM, and Somali soldiers have recaptured swathes of territory since launching an offensive last year which the AU envoy said had driven al Shabaab from “85 percent” of areas it had controlled.

“When they were hit by AMISOM, the tail went down to the Jubba valley and the head towards Puntland,” Maman Sidikou told Reuters, referring to the regions to the south and north. Sidikou said Al Shabaab had its biggest concentration of forces in the fertile stretch of land straddling the Jubba river in the south. He would not give details of further offensives but said: “Discussions are ongoing and plans are very much advanced.”

Al Shabaab says the offensive has not diminished its ability to strike across the southern central region to cut off supply routes. The semi-autonomous, northern region of Puntland has been relatively calm but in the past week Puntland troops have battled Al Shabaab forces in the Galgala hills region. Puntland authorities say they killed 20 rebels and lost five soldiers and now control the battleground. Al Shabaab said it had killed 23 troops and that fighting was ongoing.As well as guerrilla attacks in Somalia, Al Shabaab has hit neighbouring Kenya, which has sent forces to AMISOM. Other AMISOM contributors are Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Ethiopia. Sierra Leone is a contributor but is pulling out, with other remaining states filling the gap, Sidikou said.

Somali militants execute alleged U.S. intelligence agency spy

07 Jan – Source: Bloomberg News – 296 Words

Somalia Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab said a man accused of working with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to kill a senior rebel commander for a $1 million reward was one of four people it executed for spying. Omar Mohamed Kheyr was shot dead by a firing squad in the southwestern town of Bardhere yesterday after admitting to cooperating with the CIA, according to pro-Al-Shabaab Radio Andalus. Kheyr was intercepted before collecting the cash reward, Radio Andalus reported, without identifying the Al-Shabaab target. The authenticity of the report can’t be independently verified. An e-mailed request for comment sent to the U.S. Embassy in Kenya today wasn’t immediately answered.

Kheyr “confessed that he was working for the CIA and helped with the murder of a senior official of the mujahideen,” an unidentified Al-Shabaab judge said in a broadcast on Radio Andalus. “He was promised by the CIA $1 million for the murder of the senior official, so he deserved to test the bitterness of the death. The other men executed were working with the governments of Somalia and neighboring Ethiopia, Radio Andalus said.

The Al-Qaeda-linked group, deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S., has been waging an insurgency in the Horn of African nation since 2006 to overthrow the government and impose Shariah, or Islamic law. A U.S. drone strike killed the group’s intelligence chief, Abdishakur Tahliil, in southern Somalia on Dec. 29, three months after a similar attack in the country claimed the life of its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane. While government troops backed by an African Union peacekeeping mission have pushed Al-Shabaab fighters from some of their main strongholds since 2011, the group still regularly stages gun and bomb attacks and controls territory.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“What is mind boggling is the unlimited power that the two guys gave to themselves before even securing their posts. Mr. Dahir’s position needs to be approved and Mr. Farah’s post is still in dispute.”

De facto presidents and pressing questions?

07 Jan – Source: Waagacusub Media – 280 Words

Somali Attorney General Ahmed Ali Dahir and Auditor General Dr. Nour Farah have displayed an unprecedented power after they issued a letter banning the outgoing ministers to travel abroad before handing over offices. Despite warmly welcomed the news of holding accountable for the purportedly corrupted outgoing ministers of their responsibilities, but what is mind boggling is the unlimited power that the two guys gave to themselves before even securing their posts. Mr. Dahir’s position needs to be approved and Mr. Farah’s post is still in dispute. Many questions have been raised with different interpretations since the President and his group, which controls the political and economic power yet proved to be helpless when it comes to settling this issue. Hence, former Security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled who was sacked partly because he had foiled to run his office appropriately yet serves as Presidential adviser but also part of the President Hassan’s elite.

Mr. Guled refused to move from the ministry building and has closed a passage that is more important for the traffic cars and pedestrians due to his security reasons. According to government sources, Mr. Guled ignored to hand over the government building and has more security guards than his successor. Mr. Guled has a number of cars including two bulletproof vehicles and it became impossible for him to hand over all these national property to Minister Khalif Ahmed Ereg. All these issues called into question that the Auditor and Attorney General’s commitment to their efforts. Until they take appropriate action against the de facto presidents over the national properties the magnitude of power Auditor Farah and Attorney General Dahir over the outgoing ministers is nothing but show off.

“A wire story said that for the first time in nearly two decades, more people are dying in and being treated for wounds received in road accidents in Somalia’s capital than from gunfire! Rarely has bad news been so good.”

Road carnage in Somalia and other good news…

03 Jan – Source: The East African – 537 Words

I think the beginning of a new year is the only time we can all safely be parochial. I wanted to be an East African Community chauvinist, but thought perhaps I should look at the wider region in theatres where some EAC nations’ armies are active first. In Somalia, where Uganda, Burundi, and Kenya in the south, have thousands of troops as part of the African Union peacekeeping force Amisom, there was the usual war news: A daring raid on the AU headquarters base in Mogadishu by Al Shabaab, the surrender of the militant’s former intelligence chief, and the death of the group’s intelligence chief in a US air strike.

But the most striking news from Somalia that speaks to how much the Amisom mission there has achieved, came from Mogadishu and didn’t make the front pages. A wire story said that for the first time in nearly two decades, more people are dying in and being treated for wounds received in road accidents in Somalia’s capital than from gunfire! Rarely has bad news been so good. The road accidents are happening not just the AU has been able to bring some order and peace, but also because major roads in Mogadishu are being refurbished and streetlights installed. Somalia’s drivers are even worse than your average bad African driver, but hey, rather them than Al Shabaab or a suicide bomber with explosives strapped under his shirt. That is progress.