July 10, 2014 | Morning Headlines.
President Hassan Sheikh names new Intelligence Chief
09 Jul- Source: Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Goobjoog/
The president of the federal government of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday named a new Director for the National Intelligence Service as part of reshuffle to reform the security institutions after Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh sacked the police and intelligence chiefs earlier today due security failures. Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbalolshe) is appointed as the new Director for the National Intelligence Service replacing Bashir Mohamed Jama’ (Gobe), who was sacked following Tuesday night’s attack against the presidential palace. The new director served as the minister for national security in the transitional federal government of Somalia led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and he is currently the Somali ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Key Headlines
- President Hassan Sheikh names new Intelligence Chief (Radio Mogadishu)
- Somalia names new Security minister after palace attack (Africa Review)
- Security forces seize bomb making materials in Guri-el town (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Sierra Leone to deploy one battalion force to Somalia (Radio Goobjoog)
- EU support reduces child mortality in Somalia (Radio Dalsan)
- Somali Security Chiefs Fired After Attacks (VOA)
- Former Puntland information minister dies in Garowe (Universal TV/Garowe Online)
PRESS STATEMENT
UN commitment to Government and people of Somalia remains strong following attack on Villa Somalia
09 Jul – Source: UNSOM – 224 words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, has condemned last night’s attack on Villa Somalia, the seat of the Federal Government in Mogadishu. This was the latest in a series of attacks by Al Shabaab against Somalia’s political institutions, and comes after a failed attack against Parliament on 5 July.
Speaking from Villa Somalia today, following meetings with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, SRSG Kay said, “Political progress in this country is only possible through the unity of its political institutions, which is why they are being attacked by those determined to plunge Somalia back into turmoil. The United Nations will continue to assist the people and institutions of Somalia as they make progress towards stability and peace.
“I commend the prompt action taken by the Somali and African Union security forces, who successfully dealt with the attack. They need the active support and cooperation of the people of Mogadishu. I commend the Government’s swift action to learn lessons from the recent attacks and to take steps to improve the delivery of security services.
“We continue to work actively with the Federal Government, AMISOM and international partners to build strong national security institutions to secure the country,” he added. SRSG Kay extends his deepest sympathies to those affected, and to their friends and families.
SOMALI MEDIA
Security forces seize bomb making materials in Guri-el town
09 Jul – Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Dalsan/Mareeg Online – 148 words
Security forces in Guri-el district in Somalia’s central region of Galgadud on Wednesday seized a car ferrying suspected white powder they believed is used for making explosives. Police chief in Guri-el town, Gallad Mohamud Qelye said in an interview with Bar-kulan that the car which was on its way from Dhusamareb, the region’s biggest city to Guri-el was intercepted by security forces and is now being held in Guri-el town. Qelye said that the driver and two other suspects believed to have links with the transportation of the suspected bomb making powder have been detained and are being interrogated by the security agencies in Guri-el town, adding they will be brought to book in due course.
President Hassan Sheikh names new Intelligence Chief
09 Jul- Source: Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Goobjoog/
The president of the federal government of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday named a new Director for the National Intelligence Service as part of reshuffle to reform the security institutions after Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh sacked the police and intelligence chiefs earlier today due security failures. Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbalolshe) is appointed as the new Director for the National Intelligence Service replacing Bashir Mohamed Jama’ (Gobe), who was sacked following Tuesday night’s attack against the presidential palace. The new director served as the minister for national security in the transitional federal government of Somalia led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and he is currently the Somali ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Sierra Leone to deploy one battalion force to Somalia
09 Jul – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 108 words
The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed forces sent one battalion to Somalia, the largest-ever deployment of its troops since their civil war. After that civil war that was going on from 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone has made efforts to renovate its army into a specialized force that is able of causative to international peacekeeping efforts. The advance team from the Sierra Leonean contingent, landed in Wajir, Kenya on April 3 before proceeding overland to southern Somalia where they operate alongside the Kenyan contingent, under the command of Lt. Colonel Abubakar Conteh. The West African troops will be AMISOM’s fifth national contingent, after Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda.
EU support reduces child mortality in Somalia
09 Jul – Source: Radio Dalsan/Bar-kulan/Shabelle – 290 words
The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) is providing three million Euros (over USD3.8 million) to UNICEF Somalia to help reduce child mortality caused by severe acute malnutrition and diarrhoea among children under five years old and emergency-affected populations. “Somalia faces one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The nutrition situation is heavily deteriorating, mostly affecting children. It is our duty, as the European humanitarian aid donor, to help those most vulnerable in a timely manner and avoid further deterioration of the situation,” said ECHO Somalia expert, Mira Gratier. Somalia has one of the worst malnutrition rates in the world. Currently there are 50,000 children under five estimated to be severely malnourished and in need of lifesaving nutritional care and support services.
Former Puntland information minister dies in Garowe
09 Jul – Source: Universal TV/Radio Goobjoog/Garowe Online – 76 words
Former Minister for Information of Semiautonomous Regional State of Puntland Ahmed Sheikh Jamaa died in Garowe, the headquarters of Nugal region. The former minister was sick the last few weeks and receiving treatment from one of the hospitals in the district. He was also the Assistant Minister for Transport and Ports of Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. Officials from Puntland administration sent condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the late minister Ahmed Sheikh Jamaa.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somalia names new Security minister after palace attack
09 Jul – Source: Africa Review – 356 words
Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has made several changes in the security docket following an attack on the presidential palace on Tuesday. Mr Khalif Ahmed Ereg has been named minister for National Security, filling the the post vacated by Mr Abdikarim Hussein Guled on May 24. Police Commander Abdihakim Dahir Sa’ed has been replaced by General Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Ismael, while Security Agency Director Bashir Mohamed Jama was replaced by Mr Mohamed Abdullahi Hamud. Information minister Mustaf Ali Duhulow, who read the statement on the appointments, said Dr Ahmed made the changes in view of the current “situation in the country”. Mr Dhuhulow asserted that Mogadishu’s regional police and security commanders would, from now on, operate under the auspices of Banadir Regional Governor (Mogadishu and surrounding areas). He gave a detailed account of the attack on Villa Somalia, the state house in Mogadishu, by Al-Shabaab militants.
Somali president sacks security chiefs after al Shabaab attack
09 Jul – Source: Standard Media/AFP/Citizen News – 320 words
Somalia’s president sacked his police and Intelligence Chiefs Wednesday after Islamist al Shabaab fighters launched a major assault against his palace for the second time this year. “Both the police and intelligence chiefs were replaced, and the Minister for the National Security was named,” Information Minister Mustafa Duhulow said. Recent al Shabaab attacks have targeted key areas of Somalia’s government or the security forces, apparently to discredit claims the authorities are winning the war against the Islamists. Al Shabaab spokesman confirmed that the group was behind the attack late on Tuesday, and claimed their commandos had managed to seize President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s office inside the compound known as Villa Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Security Chiefs Fired After Attacks
09 Jul – Source: VOA News/AP – 121 words
The Somali government has fired its police and intelligence chiefs following the attack on the presidential palace by militant group al Shabaab. Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed dismissed chief of police Abdihakim Said and National Intelligence Chief Bashir Mohamed Jama on Wednesday, less than a day after al-Shabab fighters detonated a bomb outside the palace and tried to shoot their way inside. President Somali Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elsewhere at the time of the attack and was unharmed. Somalia’s Information Minister says there were four attackers, three of whom were killed by security forces, while a driver was wounded and taken into government custody.Police spokesman Kasim Ahmed Roble said at least three Somali soldiers were wounded.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Return of diaspora Somalis reconfigures social and political relations within Somalia. The relationship between returnees and locals in Somalia is complex. Scantly explored, this topic merits greater understanding and debate amongst Somalis both inside and outside of the country.”
Somalia: diaspora return a major benefit, but still dominated by older male elite
08 Jul – Source: African Arguments – 907 words
The return of the many diaspora Somalis represents a new phase of diaspora engagement with Somalia. The well-discussed financial remittances still constitute a crucial instrument through which the diaspora is able to support communities across Somalia. However, through their return the diverse and globally dispersed diaspora are also able to offer vital assistance to the country’s reconstruction and development efforts. Data on the scale of diaspora return is lacking. It is, however, broadly acknowledged, based on the increasing visibility of the diaspora in society, that there has been a steady increase in returns in the past few years. Debates regarding the role the diaspora can play in reconstruction efforts upon their return to Somalia are now increasing. The increasing visibility of the diaspora in society is further reflected by the establishment of diaspora departments under government ministries. In October 2013, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mogadishu established the Department of Diaspora Affairs to deal specifically with diaspora engagement. The Somaliland Diaspora Agency, housed under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation was established by Presidential Decree in 2010. The Puntland Diaspora Department, housed under the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation was also established in 2010.