July 14, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Dozens arrested in Hodan District during security operations
14 Jul- Source: Radio Dalsan- 129 words
In Hodan District, many people suspected to be involved in the recent waves of insecurity in Mogadishu were apprehended by security forces on Sunday.
The deputy district commissioner for politics and security of that district, Ali Abdi Abdulle told Dalsan Radio that the security forces rounded up and arrested people whose number is not know after they were suspected to be behind the insecurity in that part of Mogadishu. ‘The general security situation of our district is normal. We have doubled the efforts to ensure security. There are ongoing joint operations these days by the other security forces and the police in the district. And they are underway as planned’.
This comes at a time when generally the security of Mogadishu worsened especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
Key Headlines
- Dozens arrested in Hodan District during security operations (Radio Dalsan)
- Interior ministry opens seminar for Banaadir district commissioners (Radio Mogadishu)
- Gunmen kill counter-terrorism unit official in drive-by shooting (Radio Garowe/ Radio Al Furqaan)
- Somali lawmakers receives arms for self defense (Radio Dalsan/Allgalgaduud Online)
- Somaliland: Hatuf Newspaper owner released from prison (Radio Bar-kulan)
- 16 killed in clashes between al Shabaab and government forces (Allgedo Online/Radio Bar-kulan)
- Galgadud governor calls on warring clans in the region to end hostilities (Radio Goobjoog)
- Hiiran elders call for peaceful solution to the clashes in Defow (Radio Bar-kulan/SNTV)
- Two confirmed dead after armed clan militias fight in Galgadud region (Radio RBC/Radio Kulmiye)
- Somalia: Child screening of new Somali national army recruits (Somali Current)
- Himan & Heb regional state imposes curfew on areas under its control (Radio Goobjoog)
- Fidow: Al Shabaab will be kicked out of Jalalaqsi town (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Residents In Kenyan Village Fear More Attacks From Militias (BERNAMA-NNN/KBC)
- The price of falling in love abroad remains high for UK citizens (Hiiraan Online)
- Al Shabaab launch mortar attack on Baidoa airport and presidential palace (Radio Goobjoog)
- Security enhanced after militia terrorize Lamu County residents (Coastweek/ Xinhua)
- Former Somalia PM appointed ambassador to US (Africa Review)
- Kenya issues terror alert over travel to UK airports (Al Shahid)
- Police unveil names behind Coast killings (Standard Media)
- Threats Persist In Somalia Despite Progress (VOA News)
- Somalis fear violence on North Side (dispatch)
SOMALI MEDIA
Dozens arrested in Hodan District during security operations
14 Jul- Source: Radio Dalsan- 129 words
In Hodan District, many people suspected to be involved in the recent waves of insecurity in Mogadishu were apprehended by security forces on Sunday.
The deputy district commissioner for politics and security of that district, Ali Abdi Abdulle told Dalsan Radio that the security forces rounded up and arrested people whose number is not know after they were suspected to be behind the insecurity in that part of Mogadishu. ‘The general security situation of our district is normal. We have doubled the efforts to ensure security. There are ongoing joint operations these days by the other security forces and the police in the district. And they are underway as planned’.
This comes at a time when generally the security of Mogadishu worsened especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
Interior ministry opens seminar for Banaadir district commissioners
14 Jul- Source: Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Radio Goobjoog/Universal TV – 134 words
The Minister for Interior and federalism of federal government of Somalia Abdullahi Godah Bare accompanied by Banadir regional governor and mayor of Mogadishu opened seminar for all the district commissioners in Banadir region.
During the seminar the district commissioners will be taught management and tax collection skills to fund its operations. The mayor of Mogadishu speaking during the opening of the seminar thanked the ministry of interior for accepting his appointment of educated young tags who are capable of improving the standard of the capital city Mogadishu.
The minister urged the district commissioners to benefit from the opportunity in hand to enhance the development of the province towards changing the status quo. This is the first seminar of its kind the ministry opened for local government officials since the new administration came to power.
Gunmen kill counter-terrorism unit official in drive-by shooting
14 Jul- Source: Radio Garowe/ Radio Al Furqaan/Somalimmo Online- 121 words
Amidst looming threats of instability in Mogadishu, gunmen shot and killed the Deputy Chief of Somali counter-terrorism task force in drive-by shooting according to officials on Monday.
The assailants blocked the road with vehicle and sprayed bullets with officials in the targeted car in Mogadishu’s Hamar Jajab district.
Security forces commander said on Mogadishu-based radio station that Ibrahim Ahmed Farah, the Deputy Chief of anti-terrorism unit and one bodyguard have been killed in the planned attack. The wounded are being treated at Madine hospital.
No group claimed credit for the assassination but as has been the case, Somalia’s al Qaeda linked al Shabaab group boasted of wave of deadly attacks, largely in violence-hit Mogadishu.
Somali lawmakers receives arms for self defense
14 Jul- Source: Radio Dalsan/Allgalgaduud Online- 230 words
On Sunday , 13th July, some of the MPs, civil servants working in government ministries, staff members of Banadir Regional Administration and all the workers of the government offices were given pistols so that they can defend themselves if attacked.
Senior security official who opted to be anonymous told Dalsan Radio that they distributed 470 pistols to the parliamentarians and government officials.
The former director of the National Security Department, General Bashir Goobe gave out the order to distribute the pistols which were imported from Sudan and were being kept at the headquarters of the National Security Agency.
This senior official added that the effects of the distributed pistols were felt in Mogadishu as the price of pistols in Mogadishu dropped. The price of average pistol was $2000 before the distribution and by Sunday, it lowered to $1,200. Many people are pointing out that the distribution led to the fall in price. Also, no one knows whether the decision to distribute the pistols was solely from former NISA director or whether the government knew it and ordered it from above.
Since the onset of Ramadan, nearly 70 people including members of parliament, civil servants and civilians were killed in Mogadishu. Al Shabaab rebels threatened that they will continue the hunting down of the civil servants and the government supporters contrary to a pledge by the government that people would break fast in peace.
16 killed in clashes between al Shabaab and government forces
14 Jul- Source: Allgedo Online/Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Kulmiye- 125 words
At least sixteen people were on Sunday killed after Somali federal government backed by Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a militias clashed with fighters loyal to al Shabaab militant group in Gedo region.
The clashes occurred in an area called Reys-qode which lies 30 KM out of Garbaharey town of Gedo region according to Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a spokesman in the region.
Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a spokesman in Gedo region, Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Al-qadi told Bar-kulan that ASWJ militias and government forces launched an attack on the area on Sunday and captured Reys-qode and surrounding villages from al Shabaab militants.
He said that 13 al Shabaab fighters were killed in the attack, while 3 soldiers from the allied forces lost their lives and four others sustained injuries.
Galgadud governor calls on warring clans in the region to end hostilities
14 Jul- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 96 words
The administration of Galgadud in Central Somalia has condemned the clan clashes going on in the region. The governor of Galgadud region Hussein Ali Wehliye Irfo called on the warring clans to immediately cease fire and end the hostilities.
He stated that his administration will make efforts to end the tensions between the two clans. He also called on the traditional elders and intellectuals to take active role to totally back the government’s efforts to stop the bloodshed of innocent people. At least 10 people were killed and many others were displaced by the clan clashes in the region.
Hiiran elders call for peaceful solution to the clashes in Defow
14 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/SNTV/Universal TV/Radio Mogadishu- 135 words
Traditional elders in Somalia’s central region of Hiran have urged two warring sides in Defow area, 39 KM northwestern of Beledweyne town to cease hostilities and end their differences through dialogue.
In a meeting held in Beledweyne, the provincial capital of the region, the elders issued a communiqué calling all sides to immediately cease the hostilities and find a lasting solution to the crisis.
Ugas Abdirahman Ugas Khalif, one of the prominent traditional elders in the region told the press that they are now taking steps to bring the two sides to the table in a bid to find a lasting solution to the conflict.
At least ten people were killed in clashes between two clan militias over fertile land disputes in Defow area.
Somaliland: Hatuf Newspaper owner released from prison
14 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 127 words
Somaliland government on Sunday released Hatuf Newspaper owner Yusuf Abdi Gabobe from prison on presidential pardon according to officials in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital.
Gabobe was sentenced to three years in prison by a court in Hargeisa late last month for accusations of spreading false information and publishing defamatory comments against Somaliland officials.
Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Bihi Yonis has announced that Gabobe has been released from prison on presidential pardon.
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo said his government will respect the rights of the journalists and in turn urged media fraternity to abide by the laws of Somaliland.
Gabobe said after he was released from the prison that his imprisonment will not change his newspapers editorial policy.
Two confirmed dead after armed clan militias fight in Galgadud region
13 Jul- Source: Radio RBC/Radio Kulmiye/Radio Risaala/Radio Bar-kulan- 135 words
Two armed clan militias have battled in central Somali region leaving two people died and several others injured, Galgadud region administration say. At least two people are confirmed dead after two armed clan groups clashed in Dhabankuhays village, 35-km south to Dhuusamareeb, Galguduud provincial capital.
The motive was reported to have been dispute over the control of water well in Dhabankuhays village in Galgadud region according to Dhuusamareeb, the regional capital of Galguduud governor Moalim Abdirahman Ali Mohamed AKA Geeda-Qorow.
The governor stated a delegation consisted of traditional elders and government officials led by him have succeeded to make to the village and will hold reconciliations for the two battled clans. Deadly clashes between armed clan militias have lately been happening in the central Somali regions where regional administrations are toiling to exert peace and order outside main towns.
Somalia: Child screening of new Somali national army recruits
13 Jul – Source: Somali Current – 383 words
In light of the recent United Nation Report that alleged the presence of child soldiers within the Somali National Army (SNA) and militias allied with the army, the Somali government and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) begun the screening of recruits hoping to join the military.
The recruitment exercise which began at the Jazeera Training Camp in Mogadishu saw over 800 candidates turn up to be screened before they can be attested into the military.
Leopold Kouassi, Child Protection Advisor for UNSOM said that the exercise was part of UN support to the Somali National Army to ensure that it upholds internationally recognized standards, especially on child protection.
“The essence of today’s exercise is providing support for the new national army to ensure that the issue of children is taken seriously” said Leopold adding that UNSOM and other international partner’s aim is to ensure that no child is recruited in the army.
Himan & Heb regional state imposes curfew on areas under its control
13 Jul- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 124 words
The administration of Himan & Heb regional state in Central Somalia regions has imposed a dawn to dusk curfew on all the areas under its control a time when reconciliation conference between the communities in Galgadud region is going on in Adado district.
The vice president of Himan & Heb regional state Abdi Ahmed Suldan told the media that the main aim of the curfew is to strengthen the overall security of the region particularly Adado district hosting the reconciliation conference.
He added that the security forces will be alert to carry out operation aimed to boost and maintain security of the region. On the other hand the administration has issued a decree banning possession of unlawful weapons within the areas under the control of the administration.
Fidow: Al Shabaab will be kicked out of Jalalaqsi town
13 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 131 words
The commissioner of Jalalaqsi district of Hiran region, Mohamed Abdulle Fidow said in an interview with Bar-kulan that final preparations are underway to kick al Shabaab militants out of the town.
He said residents in Jalalaqsan town have endured years of suffering in the hands of al Shabaab militant group. The residents did not receive aid in years which made the situation much worse according to Fidow.
He cited lack of business activities as one of the major reasons contributing to the suffering of the people in the area in which he said is a result of al Shabaab’s restrictions on business and trade activities. Jalalaqsan has been under the rule of al Shabaab in nearly seven years according to Fidow.
Al Shabaab launch mortar attack on Baidoa airport and presidential palace
13 Jul- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 90 words
Reports from Baidoa states that al Shabaab members attacked with mortars on Baidoa airport and the presidential palace the late hours of Saturday night. The sounds of the heavy artillery fired into the airport and the presidential palace were heard all over the district.
A senior government official who spoke on a condition of anonymity told Radio Goobjoog that at least seven mortars hit the airport and the palace.
The real casualties of the of the attack is not clearly known. Al Shabaab have not yet claimed the responsibility of the attack.
The price of falling in love abroad remains high for UK citizens
14 Jul- Source: Hiiraan Online- 210 words
On Friday the British Court of appeal upheld changes made to immigration laws which require British citizens sponsoring foreign spouses to have a minimum income before they can join them in the UK.
The rules, introduced by the British Home Secretary Theresa May, require British citizens to earn a minimum of £18,600 before they can be allowed to have their foreign spouses join them in the UK. This rises to £22,400 for couples with children and then £2,400 for any extra child.
The aim of the policy according to the Home Office is “to ensure that family of migrants do not become reliant on the taxpayers for financial support and are able to integrate effectively” into UK life.
Mohamed Jama, an East London based factory operative originally from Somalia recently married in Hargeisa and was eagerly awaiting the outcome of this decision.
“I earn £1,000 below the minimum requirement which is £18,600 and because there is no overtime and few shifts available I will find it hard now to bring my wife to live with me in the UK,” said Mohamed. “I have already paid my solicitors for advice and the paper work too and I will lose that many now.”
REGIONAL MEDIA
Security enhanced after militia terrorize Lamu County residents
14 Jun- Source: Coastweek/ Xinhua-373 words
Kenyan government said on Sunday they have strengthened security in the troubled Lamu County after unknown gunmen again raided Pandanguo village in Witu and terrorized residents on Saturday night.
According to police, the gang broke several doors and harvested farm produce in the vast Boni forest in the coastal region. The other gang hijacked a lorry that was ferrying food within Hindi area and stole all the goods.
County Commissioner Miiri Njenga confirmed the latest attacks by gunmen on Sunday and blamed for massive killings of over 60 people and displaced of hundreds in June.
He confirmed that heavily armed gunmen terrorized residents for several hours before setting houses ablaze, a school as well as vandalizing a local dispensary where they made away with medical supplies.
Former Somalia PM appointed ambassador to US
13 Jul- Source: Africa Review- 360 words
Somalia’s former prime minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has been appointed the country’s ambassador to the United States.
He is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry and US President Barack Obama. The White House visit, in which he will be accompanied by his wife, is scheduled for Monday.
This is the first time Somalia is sending an ambassador to Washington for nearly a quarter of a century. Mr Sharmarke served as PM from February 2009 to September 2010.
In June, the US announced that it was planning to name an ambassador to Somalia. Without specifying when, Wendy Sherman, Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, said it would happen “soon.”
Kenya issues terror alert over travel to UK airports
13 Jul – Source: Al Shahid – 144 words
Kenya last night warned its citizens not to travel via Heathrow after claiming US officials said Britain and British targets were at threat from “sophisticated” al Qaeda bombs that could bring down a plane.
Dr Karanja Kibicho, Principal Secretary of Kenya’s Foreign Affairs ministry, said the US alert warned that al Qaeda operatives in Yemen and Syria were developing sophisticated bombs that could bring down a plane. The information, he said, stated that Britain would be the most likely country to be affected.
“Based on this information, Kenyans are advised not to travel through London Heathrow where there is substantial threat of a possible attack. Kenyans are therefore advised to seek alternative travel routes to connect to the United States and European countries. These include Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Amsterdam and Addis Ababa in order to minimize the risk and avoid possible delays,” the statement advised.
Police unveil names behind Coast killings
13 Jul – Source: Standard Media – 118 words
The Standard on Sunday can now authoritatively reveal the name of an al Shabaab commander who led the fighters that carried out deadly attacks in Lamu County.
Intelligence reports say that Idris Kamau, a Kenyan of Kikuyu ethnicity, was the mastermind of the spate of terror attacks in Lamu that have so far claimed 87 lives. This information is contained in a report prepared by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and sent to police stations in the Coast region on June 4.
The alert also indicated that a former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier, Abu Jamal, is in charge of a cell of the Al Shabaab fighters in Mombasa said to be planning more attacks in the region.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Residents In Kenyan Village Fear More Attacks From Militias
14 Jul- Source: BERNAMA-NNN/KBC-234 words
Fears of a possible attack remain rife in Jima village in Kenya’s Lamu county near the border with Somalia after suspected militias ventured into the area over the weekend.
The militias were believed to have demanded to know operations of the elite police unit recently deployed to the area before descending on a maize plantation and ransacking it for loot. The incident happened just hours before a truck transporting relief supplies was seized by gunmen at the Milihoi area.
According to residents, the attackers had demanded to know the location and operations of Kenyan security forces who were deployed in the region following a series of attacks which have claimed more than 80 lives.
Threats Persist In Somalia Despite Progress
14 Jul- Source: VOA News- 276 words
Gunmen with the Somali terrorist group al Shabaab have again attacked the presidential compound in the capital, Mogadishu. Three militants were killed and a fourth captured following the July 8 assault on the government compound known as Villa Somalia.
The terrorists struck as the city was breaking the Ramadan fast, breaching the gates of the compound, detonating a car bomb, and engaging security forces in a brief gunfight. A security guard was killed in the attack. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, and other government leaders were unharmed.
The attack on Villa Somalia is the second this year. Though al Shabaab was pushed out of some of its key strongholds in 2011 and 2012, the group maintains control of several cities and is still pervasive throughout the country. Al Shabaab remains capable of conducting attacks in Somalia and the region, most notably in Kenya.
Somalis fear violence on North Side
13 Jul- Source: dispatch- 662 words
Hamdi Yusuf was sitting in her second-floor bedroom at the Capitol Park Apartments when a bullet blasted through her window and smashed into her right cheekbone. Her father, Abdi Burale, was downstairs. “It was a shock,” Burale said through an interpreter last week at a North Side office for a Somali organization. Burale said his 15-year-old daughter spent 16 days at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital last month. She continues to heal, but the bullet remains in her skull.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Shipping security consultant says 9 times out of 10 pirates turn tail when they seem armed guards on the boats. But the war against piracy isn’t entirely over.”
Busting up Somali pirate attacks one ship at a time
14 Jul- Source: CS Monitor-577 Words
When they speed up to a lumbering ship, the main thing Somalian pirates do not want to see are armed guards. With fewer ships now being boarded in the Indian Ocean, security analysts are giving credit to the hiring of private guards who quickly display their defensive weapons on the deck of a ship as it gets scoped out by potential attackers in pirate skiffs.
David C., a former British Marine commando who fought in Iraq and Sierra Leone, talked with the Monitor out his new job as a private security team leader for shipping that runs in sensitive waters off the Somalia coast. The interview was conducted for a Monitor Focus story on progress in dealing with piracy, found here.
“Mr. C.,” who could not offer his last name, outlines the recent changes onboard ships, the new protocol for warning and chasing away pirates, and a concern about the future:
“The West African pirate, meanwhile, will be selling the cases of whiskey he stole from a ship at below market price in order to get rid of it quickly. That has its problems, because it means he makes enemies of other traders by undercutting them The Somalis, on the other hand, because they don’t offload stolen goods, don’t eat into the margins of the local traders, thus keeping in the good graces of their communities. In short, the Somali pirate is better than the West African one. It’s a strange world.”
Piracy: Smart Somalis vs dumb Nigerians
12 Jul- Source: The East African-538 Words
I just love our Somali brothers and sisters. On Tuesday, South Africa’s National Defence Force Intelligence Division offered what has been described as a “blunt” assessment of the security risks facing Africa to visiting Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan. The report ended up in the hands of the French news agency AFP, and so now we all know.
Some of what it said is to be expected: The Boko Haram militants could bring Nigeria to its knees; the Central African Republic is diving deeper into hell; and al Shabaab is likely to be more dangerous when the international arms embargo on Somalia is partially lifted in the near future. No prizes for guessing why. There is a lot of “leakage” from official Somali weapons stocks to the Shabaab arsenals because of corruption.
My favourite, though, is when the South Africans talk about piracy. They note that there has been a rise in piracy in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, which has corresponded with a decline off the coast of Somalia.“[Pirate] attacks [are] launched primarily from Nigeria, with the aim of stealing from vessels,” the intelligence report said.
“Kenya faces legitimate national security concerns, and has indeed faced growing insecurity in recent years – including a series of grenade explosions in public places, last year’s major attack against the Westgate Mall, and recent mass killings in the coastal region. But rounding up thousands of refugees and asylum seekers and sending them back to face violent conflict and hunger is not only unlawful, but also unlikely to prove successful as a strategy for addressing the growing insecurity facing the region.”
Kenyan Government Cracking Down on Somali Refugees
11 Jul- Source: Refugees International Blog-598 Words
Four months ago, the Kenyan government launched a major crackdown against Somali refugees living in urban areas that involved mass arrests, extortion, and even deportations back to Somalia. This week, my colleague, Alice Thomas, and I are traveling to Kenya to assess the deteriorating situation for those refugees.
There are currently around half-a-million Somali refugees in Kenya. For the past two decades, they have fled their home country to escape periods of intense conflict, drought, and food shortages. The majority of Somali refugees live in the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in northern Kenya, but several tens of thousands also live in urban areas, like Nairobi.
For years, the Kenyan government accepted the presence of refugees living in cities – where they could access educational opportunities and pursue livelihoods that were not available in camps. In 2009, Kenya became a pilot country for the launch of the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) global urban refugee policy. By 2013, over 55,000 refugees were officially registered in Kenyan cities.
“Communities in Somalia protect pirates when they have no better source of income, sometimes switching back to taxing legitimate trade when economic conditions improve, argues a new report.”
Why some Somali clans protect pirates while others don’t
10 Jul- Source: Oxford Blog-795 Words
The international community currently relies on a costly, heavy military presence around Somalia in order to keep shipping lanes safe. However, a new academic study suggests a more sustainable way to tackle piracy would be to build new roads and harbours so clans in the remoter areas of Somalia do not miss out on legitimate trading opportunities. Put simply, a new paper, published in the British Journal of Criminology, argues that local communities are usually protecting pirates when they have no comparable alternative source of income.
The study by the University of Oxford and King’s College London argues that policy makers have focused too much on the motives of the pirates without looking at why they are receiving protection from the local elites (clan leaders). Somali clans protect legitimate interests, such as trade flows through their territory and ports, by issuing licenses to traders and charging ‘taxes’ at road-blocks and harbours. This can provide them with a steady flow of income, but the paper argues that they can switch the taxation of legitimate business to taxing the criminal activities of pirates (thus providing them with protection) if and when it provides them with a better source of revenue.
Top tweets
@amisomsomalia PHOTOS: A medal award ceremony for#AMISOM Uganda Formed Police Unit held at Mogadishu Stadium http://on.fb.me/QqTSeN pic.twitter.com/EpnCHypkr3
@Omaar_nor Ex-PM Omar Abdirashid was appointed as the first new Somali Ambassador to USA in decades,according to Govt statement. pic.twitter.com/BHbQg0DwHd
@OCHASom Despite being one of the world’s largest crises, its aid appeal is only 28% funded. Has the world forgotten#Somalia? pic.twitter.com/gyEY5u9rEz
@UNSomalia Video: @UNSomalia supports screening of new#Somali National Army recruits on 12 July 2014.http://vimeo.com/100622672 #Vimeo
@harunmaruf The fan, a Somali, was shouting “Tonight’s the night to remember Argentina team” when he was shot by men armed with pistols. #WorldCup2014
Image of the day
Child Protection Specialist from UNICEF, Nimalan Selvarajah, and his colleague, Zakaria Ibrahim talk with a recruit during a Somali National Army recruitment drive that UN officials had attended on 12th July 2014 at Jazerra Training Centre. The officials were there to ascertain that no one under the age of 18 was allowed to join the Army. UN Photo / David Mutua