July 10, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Kenyan Policemen Freed After Two Years Of Captivity In Somalia
10 July – Source: The Guardian, Nigeria – 243 Words
Two Kenyan policemen have been freed after over two years being held hostage in Somalia by Al-Shabaab militants, Kenya’s police chief said. The police constables, Joseph Wambugu and Fredrick Chirchir, were kidnapped in an attack in May 2013 in Kenya’s northeastern Garissa district, when four other officers were killed. The pair were taken across the porous border into war-torn Somalia, where “they were moved from one Al-Shabaab hideout to another in a bid to defeat any rescue efforts by Kenyan security forces,” Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet said late Thursday. He said the men, who were freed on June 25 but whose release was only made public on Thursday, were in “good health but traumatised.”
Kenyan troops have been in southern Somalia since 2011 when they crossed into their neighbour to attack the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab. They later joined the African Union force, AMISOM, which is supporting Somalia’s internationally-backed government. Boinnet gave no details of how they were freed, but thanked the “several security agencies which undertook this delicate rescue mission.” Under pressure in Somalia, Al-Shabaab is now increasingly targeting Kenya. It has also stepped up attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, including killing 14 Kenyans on Tuesday in the northern town of Mandera. In April, the Al-Qaeda-linked militants massacred 148 people at the region’s Garissa University, most of them students. In 2013, four Al-Shabaab gunmen killed at least 67 people in an assault on the Westgate mall in the capital Nairobi.
Key Headlines
- Kenyan Policemen Freed After Two Years Of Captivity In Somalia (The Guardian Nigeria)
- Galmudug Parliament Speaker In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Corruption Allegations Emerge After Galmudug Election (Radio Dalsan)
- Puntland Pondering To Sever Ties With Somali Government (Somali Current)
- Quran Recitation Contest Kicks Off In Garowe (Radio Bar-Kulan)
- In Somali Enclave A Bittersweet Homecoming For Kenya’s Prodigal Sons (Christian Science Monitor)
- Kenya To Speed Up Construction Of Security Wall Along Somali Border (News 24/Xinhua)
- How Can Somalia Re-emerge? (The Namibian)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Galmudug Parliament Speaker In Mogadishu
10 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 174 Words
A delegation led by the newly elected speaker for Galmudug Hon. Ali Gacal Asir is in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia just weeks after his election and the inauguration of the regional assembly. Sources have told Goobjoog News that the delegation has received invitation from the federal parliament for consultation on matters of working relationship between the two houses. Federal parliament speaker Prof. Mohamed Osman Jawari who attended the inaugural ceremony for Ali Gacal has commended the formation of the parliament and said it was free and fair and went as far as saying “This is made in Somalia state” in an apparent swipe at other regional states. On earlier occasion Mr. Jawari said that there is a great need to develop working relationship between the federal parliament and regional assembly so to give the citizens the real representation and service they deserve and to speed up the work. He believed that the regional assemblies would fill the gap between the residents of the regions and the federal parliament, and would serve as a bridge.
Corruption Allegations Emerge After Galmudug Election
10 July – Source: Radio Dalsan – 146 Words
A corruption scandal has emerged few days after the election Galmudug regional state president. Some members of parliament from the new regional state administration have been accused of double dealing in which they were paid by multiple presidential candidates for voting. According to sources, some members of regional state parliament are now in trouble after they were forced to pay back the money they received from some candidates in exchange of votes. Sources say members received cash from more than one candidate for voting but their trick was short lived since they cannot vote more than once. Former Somali Minister of Interior Abdikarim Hussein Guled was elected as the president of the regional state on 4th July elections in Adaado defeating his close contender and former Intelligence chief Ahmed Maalim Fiqi. Somali government, UN and AU has welcomed the election of the new Somali regional administration.
Puntland Pondering To Sever Ties With Somali Government
09 July – Source: Somali Current – 210 Words
Puntland parliament today held a heated session over whether to cut ties with the Somali Federal Government or not. During the parliament session , the members of parliament were given documents showing all the previous agreement between Puntland and Somali eFderal Government. The lawmakers accused the government of constantly interfering with Puntland affairs as well as violating the agreement between the two. The members of parliament faulted the government of distorting the draft constitution which they said have been diverted in favor of current government. The lawmakers said they will fully decide their relations with central government in the coming session which is scheduled in the coming days.
Garowe administration have been at a constant cross road with the current government since coming to power early 2014. The administration also rejected the formation of the recent independent electoral commission, arguing the formation of the commission is contrary to the constitution. Puntland is also at a loggerhead with new Galmudug administration over border disputes. Galmudug administration is claiming some parts of Puntland territory. Puntland had severed ties with the central government before , but has been restored after mediation from the international community and neighboring countries. Jubbaland has also cut all ties with the federal government after Somali Federal Parliament passed no-confidence motion against recently established Jubbaland assembly.
Quran Recitation Contest Kicks Off In Garowe
09 July – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 153 Words
A Quran recitation competition has begun in Garowe, the capital of Puntland regional state. 27 Quran reciters from 72 Quran schools are taking part in the contest that is expected be concluded before the end of Ramadan. Puntland Minister of Justice, Salah Habib Hajji who spoke at the opening ceremony of the contest said it was important to encourage youth to memorize and understand the Quran. He said such competitions should be held on more frequent occasions in order to spread the values of peace and love that the Quran teaches. The participants will compete for the recitation of 30, 10 and 5 chapters of the Holy Quran and winners will be given certificates and other awards for their achievements. Puntland president Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, local telecom operators and some of the media houses in the region funded the event. Quran competition events are usually held in the country during the blessed month of Ramadan every year.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
In Somali Enclave, A Bittersweet Homecoming For Kenya’s Prodigal Sons
10 July – Source: Christian Science Monitor – 867 Words
By 4 p.m. each weekday at this parking lot in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh, the cars clear out. Volunteers lay down straw mats on the tarmac, and young men and women trickle in – sitting on separate sides – to listen to the daily teaching of Salim Ndenda, a local Islamic leader. Here in the bustling neighborhood nicknamed Little Mogadishu for its large concentration of ethnic Somalis, Mr. Ndenda’s daily message to more than 500 youths in attendance – often sent by their own families – is of singular importance. It is one that will help prevent young men from radicalizing, or even worse, joining the ranks of Al-Shabaab fighters. “We have to do this to give the youth the right teachings,” says Ndenda. “Wrong teachings may mean they end up in Somalia with Al-Shabaab.” The topic of radicalization is a sensitive issue here, especially with the stigma that Somali-Kenyan communities serve as breeding and recruitment grounds for the extremist group. Few are willing to talk, often citing that they just want to go about their day-to-day. But after the Kenyan government decided to offer full amnesty in April to Kenyan Al-Shabaab members who wanted to come back, residents here have been debating how they will be able to welcome their prodigal sons home.
The amnesty, offered soon after Al-Shabaab militants massacred 148 students at Garissa University in April, has faced stiff resistance from the public. Rev. Peter Karanja, the influential head of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) said the move was a “betrayal to Kenyans.” So far, 200 men have returned to communities throughout the country, according to Interior Cabinet Minister Joseph Nkaissery. Dozens have made their way to Eastleigh, Ndenda says. For the communities taking them in, there are mixed feelings. Happy to see their young men back, there are also valid concerns that it could be a chance for Al-Shabaab to recruit a fresh crop of fighters. But there is also general wariness over accepting sons who were once part of an organization that has carried more than 63 attacks against Kenya since 2013, and killed thousands in Somalia. “These are people who have killed and fought in a war. The government needs to make it easy for the families to accept them,” says Leila Ali, an Eastleigh shop owner.
Kenya To Speed Up Construction Of Security Wall Along Somali Border
09 July – Source: News24 / Xinhua – 280 Words
The Kenyan government said Thursday it will hasten the construction of a security wall along its porous border with Somalia following the Mandera terror attack that left 14 people dead earlier this week. Interior Principal Secretary Monica Juma said the government is more determined in securing the border with Somalia and keep off Al-Shabaab militants from freely crossing into the country.”The attack in Mandera validates the importance to secure our borders. The threat by Al-Shabaab is upon us and I want to reaffirm our resolve to secure our nation,” Juma said when she led an inter-agency team on a site inspection at border Point One in Mandera. She said the building of the 700 kilometer wall on the Kenya- Somalia border from Mandera in northeast to Kiunga in the coast will keep out the Al-Shabaab elements from infiltrating the country.
The Islamist group has carried a series of deadly attacks in northeast Kenya and other towns, including the capital city of Nairobi since Kenya sent its military into Somalia in 2011 to fight the Al-Qaida inspired group.Mandera town is situated at the Somali border and stretches for about20 kilometers from Border Point One, making it prone to frequent terrorist attacks. During the inspection, Juma called on the residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious characters to the relevant security authorities.She said that the disaster operation center in Nairobi is in contact with the affected families to ensure that all the assistance they require is provided for.She also added that the eight people seriously injured in the dawn attack who are admitted at Kenyatta national hospital will receive counseling and other recovery programs from the center.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Some people point out clan as the one variable that has led to the break-up of the Somali state. But a plausible explanation must be sought within the Somali’s sociological make-up. The Somali are a fiercely independent group of nomads and pastoralists. And that kind of existence doesn’t lend itself easily to the modern-day nation state.”
How Can Somalia Re-emerge?
10 July – Source: The Namibian – 846 Words
SOMALIA is a nation without a state. The country exists as a geographical entity on the African map but there has been no sovereign and democratic authority for the past 25 years. The last functioning central government running the whole country as single entity was that of president Siad Barre in 1991.So, while a country like Namibia has been building and consolidating centralised state authority since the 1990s, Somalia has been dismantling state institutions. And there is no indication that the Somalis are close to being a nation state. Presently, the country is carved up into a number of semi-autonomous political entities or ‘states’ – though none of these ‘governments’ are internationally recognised except the one backed by the international community since 2012. Somaliland and Puntland are self-proclaimed states that run their own affairs. Some might remember the book and movie “Black Hawk Down” which was based on the Battle of Mogadishu – the dramatic failure of Operation Restore Hope, a United States of America’s adventure in the Horn of Africa that was later turned into a UN mission christened UNOSOM II.
As with so many other conflict situations, the solution must have the blessing of local people for it to work. The locals have to be ready for a political settlement, otherwise outside mediation is not likely to be successful. The cases of Namibia and Liberia on the one hand and that of East Timor and now two Sudans on the other, gave us the contrasting approaches to peace-making. But attempts to put Somalia together are ever ongoing, now and then bringing a glimmer of hope only to subside, setting in a mood of despair. The Western-backed “central government” and which the AU peace-keeping mission is apparently protecting (basically fighting Al Shabaab) is not recognised throughout the entire country. This condition, however, has sparked a lively debate among scholars as to what has happened to the once-strong Somali state. Is this another case of a collapsed state on the African continent? Or was this an escape from the state by the Somali people? There is, however, plethora of terms scholars use to describe what has been happening in places like Somalia or indeed pre-settlement DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone and now South Sudan, CAR, Burundi etc.
TOP TWEETS
Omar Hassan @omabha:Kenyan policemen freed after two years of captivity in Somalia – Yahoo News UK – Yahoo News UK http://dlvr.it/BTQryN #Somalia
Vates Corp @Vatescorp:#Somalia: Puntland Refuses To Recognise Federal Independent Commissions, says did not consult federal states http://ow.ly/Pq989
@thomas_wiegold :ICYMI: Ethiopian Troops Enter #Somalia for Attack on al-Shabab – VOA http://m.voanews.com/a/
@LaetitiaBader:Why it’s time UN resolution 1325 must become a reality for women & girls in conflict writes @SamerHRW ,#Somalia http://www.globalpost.com/
@Goobjoognews:#Somalia Abdi Qeybdid urges troops loyal to him to abide Galmudug new leadership to whom he lost out in ballot box
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Deputy SRCC Hon. Lydia Wanyoto Mutende at the meeting of the AU Adhoc Committee of Experts.
Photo: AMISOM