July 14, 2017 | Morning Headlines

We Achieved Success In Peace Progress Says President Farmajo

13 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 265 Words

The Somali Federal President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said his administration accomplished steady progress especially on the side of security under the code name “Stabilizing the City” operations. Further security plans led to the preparation of additional 1,500 security personnel to maintain peace and stability in the city according to President Farmajo. “We succeeded in security matters and we organized security strategies in a short time where 1,500 personnel made up of different armed forces under one central command unit is in place for stabilizing the city” said President Farmaajo.

President Farmajo alluded to the killings of top Al-Shabaab commanders during military operations in conjunction with the help of AMISOM soldiers. “I visited Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya who are our brotherly neighbours and welcomed us with open arms, whose gallant sons are dying in our motherland in order to maintain peace in our country” added the Head of State. The President referred to the London conference where he discussed on the willingness and support of the International Community to help rebuild the Somali National Army.

In the same breath, the President mentioned  the drought and the shortage of water in many provinces in Somalia which lead to deaths of human lives, and nearly 90% of livestock especially in pastoralist communities. President Farmajo narrated the rich resources of Somalia and as a result said his administration signed a MOU with an international companies to carry out research on major water resources to reduce the recurrent destruction of drought in the country which is one of the top policies of his government.

Key Headlines

• We Achieved Success In Peace Progress Says President Farmajo (Goobjoog News)
• Puntland President Says There Are No Differences On The National Army Reintegration  (RBC Radio)
• Hirshabelle MPs Call For An Immediate End To Clan Fighting In Middle Shabelle (Shabelle News)
• 3 Dead PS Mariamu El Maawy Shot In Shabaab Attack (Daily Nation )
• Pirates And Terrorists Are Working Together Now In Somalia (The Vox)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Puntland President Says There Are No Differences On The National Army Reintegration

13 July – Source: RBC Radio – 174 Words

Puntland President, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas has tarnished reports about the existence of differences within the National Government leaders and the leaders of regional states. The President clarified that he has backed the national program which intends to re-integrate militia forces into national army and establishing a strong army for Somalia. “There is no differences within the leaders and we are willing to see the established of a strong Somali national army soon.” President Gaas said during a function in Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland on Thursday. “The vital thing is having a strong national army which can defend the country.

This country needs army with national symbol… be it five thousands from Jubbaland or ten thousands from Gedo.” he added. Last week, the regional states’ leaders attended the National Security Council meeting in Mogadishu, where the regional officials and the Federal leaders discussed the troops re-integration program currently in process. Somalia is attempting to retake its security ahead of the 2018 projected withdrawal of the African Union forces in the country (AMISOM).

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Hirshabelle MPs Call For An Immediate End To Clan Fighting In Middle Shabelle

13 July – Source: Shabelle News – 149 Words

Members of Hirshabelle Parliament and intellectuals have called for an immediate halt of the renewed inter-clan hostility in Middle Shabelle region, which has left many people dead. Speaking to Radio Shabelle, MP Ali Sa’eed Ahmed has urged the warring clan militias in the rural areas west of Adalle town to stop the fighting and solve their disputes through peaceful dialogue.

For his part, Mohamed Sheikh Mumin, another state legislator called on the rival clans to bring an end to the recurrent bloodshed in Kojaar settlement, located in the outskirts of Adalle district. The renewed inter-clan battle has killed dozens of people and forced hundreds to flee from the area, and starving them to death in the nearby drought-stricken villages in Middle Shabelle region. The regions in central Somalia have been hit by frequent clashes between clans in deadlock over the ownership of water wells, pastoral fields and revenge killings.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

3 Dead, PS Mariamu El Maawy Shot In Shabaab Attack

13 July – Source: Daily Nation – 236 Words

Al-Shabaab gunmen have killed three people and injured a principal secretary in Milihoi along Mpeketoni-Lamu road. In a daring attack, the militia took control of the Prado with six occupants and sped off. However, on realizing the Kenya Defence Forces were pursuing them, the militia killed the three occupants and left Public Works Principal Secretary Mariamu El Maawy hurt. Ms. El Maawy, who was shot in the shoulder and leg, was taken to Mpeketoni Hospital after she was rescued by Kenya Defence Forces and General Service Unit personnel.

Reports indicated that the occupants of the Prado were Ms. El Maawy, four policemen and a driver. Ms. El Maawy was heading to Witu to visit displaced families. The official had attended a meeting on Lamu Port (LAPSSET) at Huduma centre in Lamu town before heading to Witu. In a related incident, a turnboy of a lorry heading to Lamu was also abducted at the same place (Milihoi). But the militants allowed the driver of the lorry to proceed.

Police intercepted the lorry at Ndeu road block in Hindi and the driver is being questioned. The attacks occurred as Coast regional coordinator Nelson Marwa addressed a meeting at Mpeketoni. Mr. Marwa and other top government officials refused to speak to the media on the incident and instead rushed to Mpeketoni Hospital. Coast Administration Police boss Mr. James Akoru had earlier confirmed the incident, saying it occurred at 3pm.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“Basically, some companies started to sail close to the Somali coastline again and dropped their speeds in order to save on fuel costs. That allowed fledgling pirate networks to rack up some scores. So in a world where terrorists already occupy a lot of America’s time and focus, they now have to worry about pirates, too. And if pirates start helping terrorist groups out even more, they US military should consider striking them, too, Meservey said,”

Pirates And Terrorists Are Working Together Now In Somalia

13 July – Source: The Vox – 1142 Words

Here’s a line you probably thought you’d never read: Pirates are helping terrorist groups smuggle weapons and maybe even fighters. Yeah, that’s a thing now. “The United Nations and the United States are investigating at least two pirate kingpins for providing material support to terror groups,” according to a CNN report Mondaymorning. The terror groups in question, according to CNN, aren’t just a bunch of would-be militants. Instead it’s a pair of battle-hardened and dangerous groups in Somalia, the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab and an ISIS faction there. Those connections come as unwelcome news for US military officials working to defeat ISIS and training the Somali military to beat back al-Shabaab, an Islamist group that has killed hundreds over the years. The anti-ISIS coalition is on track to defeat the group in its capitals in Syria and Iraq, but questions remain about the campaign’s ability to halt ISIS operations around the world — including in Somalia.

There, the US has been striking terrorists only when they threaten US-backed Somali forces. But far from American eyes, the terrorists seem to have built a working relationship with pirates that is helping them continue to refill weapons caches, coffers, and ranks of fighters, all prolonging the terror fight that has ravaged the impoverished country.  But US commanders aren’t the only ones worried by the development. Shipping companies are now frightful as pirates are increasing their abilities to raid commercial fleets as they sail around the Horn of Africa. Piracy — once thought to be a problem of the past — is making a small comeback by raising more ships than they have in the past five years. The US continues to struggle to contain Islamist terror around the globe, and it’s never found a good solution to the piracy epidemic. Now it somehow needs to find a way to try to quash both problems at the same time.

As of now, it appears that both the pirate and the terrorist groups are using each other to get money, people, and weapons either to hold territory or hijack ships. It’s a strict business deal, Joshua Meservey, an Africa expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told me. “Pirates are businessmen. They’re in it for the money,” he said. “That’s the bottom line for them, and they don’t have any particular scruples.”  It seems like the pirates have made a dispassionate, straightforward deal with terrorists residing in Somalia. The terrorist groups get weapons and more fighters brought to them by pirates with the ability to brings materials from overseas. As for the pirates, the also get money and the terrorists don’t interfere with their work. Somalia is located on the Indian Ocean and also borders the Gulf of Aden, which allows a direct maritime route to the Arabian peninsula — particularly Yemen — where ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates also operate. Pirates that are already going back and forth across the Gulf are natural allies to help the terrorists get what they need.

Al-Shabaab has 7,000 to 9,000 fighters and controls much of the rural areas in Somalia’s center and South. While its power is decreasing, it still has a lot of influence in the country. It’s no surprise, then, that aspiring pirates would want the implicit approval of terrorist groups to operate without interference. And the devil’s bargain the groups have made seems to be working. Al-Shabaab has been fighting the weak Somali government in earnest since the early 2000s. To do so, it requires a reliable stream of weapons and fighters — especially since the government is being trained by the US. (Right now, there about 50 US military personnel in Somalia.) A US Navy SEAL was killed in May during in a raid against al-Shabaab. The small ISIS contingent in Somalia’s Northeast region of Puntland needs pirates support, too. An unnamed pirate kingpin is helping the group obtain weapons and people, reports CNN. Apparently this pirate captain has been extremely valuable in helping ISIS with its logistics, and even has a relationship with Abdulkadir Mumin, the group’s leader.