July 26, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Two Explosions Kill 8 Near Mogadishu Airport
26 July – Source: AFP/Yahoo News – 128 Words
At least eight people were killed on Tuesday when two huge bombs went off near Mogadishu’s airport, including one close to the United Nation’s political office in the Somali capital, a security source told AFP.An AFP journalist at the scene heard gunfire after the explosions tore through the area, one of which was believed to be a car bomb.Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab has carried out a string of similar attacks.
The city’s airport is heavily fortified and adjoins the capital’s main base for the African Union mission to Somalia, the 22,000-strong force backing the government in the battle against Shabaab insurgents.The jihadists were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 but remain a serious threat in both Somalia and neighbouring Kenya, where they carry out frequent attacks.
Key Headlines
- Two Explosions Kill 8 Near Mogadishu Airport ( AFP/Yahoo News)
- UN And AMISOM Deny Any Staff Casualty In Mogadishu Bomb Explosions (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia Seeks Comprehensive Military Support As Arab League Summit Opens In Mauritania (Radio Kulmiye)
- Leego District Officer Wounded In Landmine Explosion (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia’s Rio de Janeiro Bound Olympics Team Aims For The Stars (AMISOM)
- Somali Man Stabbed During Argument In St Julian’s (Malta Independent)
- Community Leader Gives Voice To Africans (The Garden City Telegram)
PRESS STATEMENT
SRSG Keating Strongly Condemns Attack Near Mogadishu Airport
26 July – Source: UNSOM – 176 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia Michael Keating condemned in the strongest possible terms today’s terrorist attack in the vicinity of Mogadishu International Airport that killed at least a dozen people.Suicide bombers detonated two vehicles laden with explosives near the perimeter of the airport enclave this morning. No United Nations personnel are among the confirmed dead.
“Al-Shabaab have once again carried out a ruthless attack that has claimed the lives of at least a dozen Somalis,” said SRSG Keating. “The overwhelming majority of Somalis have rejected such terrorist tactics and the use of violence to achieve political objectives. This horrific incident is a fresh example of the extremists’ desperate attempts to disrupt political progress. Neither the Somali authorities nor the United Nations will be deterred from moving forward.” Limited franchise elections are due to be held later this year.
“On behalf of the entire UN community in Somalia, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” said SRSG Keating.
NATIONAL MEDIA
UN And AMISOM Deny Any Staff Casualty In Mogadishu Bomb Explosions
26 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 401 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the United Nations office in Somalia have both confirmed that none of their staff and soldiers were killed in the Tuesday explosion near the entrance of the Mission’s military base in Mogadishu.
AMISOM spokesman Joe Kibet told Goobjoog News that the explosion hit a civilian populated zone, some 200 metres from the AMISOM gate, which is also used by UN staff in Mogadishu: “The vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, (VBIED) exploded at a distance of 200 metres away from our gate. The place is largely a civilian area. None of our staff was killed or injured since the explosion did not exactly hit our gate,” said Kibet.
Kibet said the explosion was likely premature since it seemed to have been targeting the military base but exploded before reaching the gate. The second explosion exploded near AMISOM’s Medina gate, which is manned by Ugandan soldiers under AMISOM.
United Nations Mission in Somalia, UNSOM spokesman Joseph Contreras has separately told Goobjoog News that all staff members were accounted for. “None of our staff was killed in the attack. All are accounted for,” said Contreras. He however noted he could not speak for any UN contractors since they are not UN staff. “Regarding contractors, I cannot speak on that because they are not UN staff,” added Contreras.
Earlier reports indicated nine UN staff and three AMISOM soldiers were killed in the attack. Medina Hospital in Mogadishu has confirmed the death of 13 people and 17 others admitted with various degrees of injuries. Dunia Ali Mohamed, a doctor at the hospital, told Goobjoog News five that among those injured were in police uniform.
“We received 17 people who were injured and 13 bodies. Out of the dead, five were in police uniform and we assume they were police officers,” said Dunia. Meanwhile Mogadishu police chief Bishar Ali Gedi has said operations at Aden Adde Airport in Mogadishu have not been affected but noted window panes were smashed as a result of the impact of the explosion.
“Operations at the airport have not been affected by the explosions. All flights leaving and coming in are on schedule. The airport facility only suffered a few broken windows out of the bomb impact. There were no gunmen accompanying the suicide bombers,” he said. AMISOM and UN offices are located in the same area as the airport and both locations are highly fortified.
Somalia Seeks Comprehensive Military Support As Arab League Summit Opens In Mauritania
25 July 2016 – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 209 Words
Arab leaders are expected to make a historic breakthrough on the fight against terrorism as the 27th summit of the League of Arab States opens in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchot.The two-day summit, which brings together more than 20 heads of state and government from Africa and the Middle East, is expected to focus on the-the looming terrorist threat in the Arab World as well as its impact on the regional security perspective, diplomatic sources said.
Somalia, a country struggling to overcome stubborn insurgency that impacts far beyond its borders, will be at the center of the upcoming regional security discussions during the Pan Arab summit.
According to informed sources, Somalia will take this window of opportunity to seek comprehensive Arab League support to enhance its fledgling security sector, amid concerted efforts to devise a broader Pan Arab initiative to tackle the increasingly expanding terrorist threat in the region. A high-level Somali delegation led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is attending the Nouakchot summit, in an effort to rally regional support towards strengthening the institutional capacity of the ill-equipped Somali security forces. The Cairo-based League of Arab States, is a regional organization of 22 Arab countries in and around North Africa, the Horn of Africa and Arabia.
Leego District Officer Wounded In Landmine Explosion
26 July – Source: Goobjoog News –
A bomb blast in the center of Leego locality of Lower Shabelle region has left several people injured, among them the District Officer (DO) of the area, Abukar Abdullahi Isack.The head of social affairs in the district, Abdullahi Gashan, confirmed the explosion to Goobjoog News. He said the car of the DO hit a landmine buried by the roadside.“The district officer of Leego sustained injuries after a car he was travelling in hit a landmine,” said Gashaan.
Tension was high as security forces gathered at the site of the explosion. However no arrests have been made so far and no group had claimed responsibility for the attack by the time of filing this news report. Ordinarily, the Al-Shabab terror gang conducts such attacks.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia’s Rio de Janeiro Bound Olympics Team Aims For The Stars
26 July – Source: AMISOM – 701 Words
In the remodelled Banaadir Stadium, situated in the heart of Somali capital, Mogadishu, a group of track and field athletes go through their paces in the blistering mid-morning sun.Of the group, two of the athletes will represent Somalia in the 2016 Summer Olympics, which commences early next month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Maryan Nuh Muse and Mohamed Daud Mohamed will fly the country’s flag when they participate in the track and field races.
It will not be the first time Maryan is representing her country in track and field competitions. She has represented Somalia at regional, continental and international youth competitions held in Kenya, Republic of Congo, Botswana, Tanzania, Ethiopia and China among other countries.The athlete will be competing in the 400 metres race and believes she has what it takes to reach the finals and even win a medal.
She says; “A number of countries will be participating among them Jamaica and United States; but I am hoping to shine. We don’t have the same training facilities, theirs is better than ours. I know they are determined to win but we are also equally determined.”
Her colleague, Kenyan-born Mohamed, was until recently a soccer player. He has since transitioned to become a middle distance runner for 5,000 metres. The Rio games will be his first appearance at an international athletic event.“I am improving by the day and I hope to improve on my finish time. Running is hard and all athletes aim to win. My objective is to win; but there are different ways of winning. It is not about being first, second or third. If I set a new personal record, it is a win for me,” Mohamed Daud Mohamed explains.
Somali Man Stabbed During Argument In St Julian’s
26 July – Source: Malta Independent – 64 Words
A Somali teenager was stabbed during an argument he had with a person who is still unknown to the police.In a statement, the police said the incident took place in Dragonara Road, St Julian’s, at 9.45pm on Monday.The Somali 19-year-old was taken to hospital where he was found to be suffering from grievous injuries but is not in danger of dying.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Somali music blasted out of speakers on stage, as blue and white balloons, the Somali national colors, bounced along the ceiling. The room was filled with Somali, Sudanese, and Iraqis, but also white and Hispanic people, all dancing and enjoying each other’s company,”
Community Leader Gives Voice To Africans
24 July- Source: The Garden City Telegram – 541 Words
Imagine that you have just gotten off a plane after traveling alone for three days.You’ve heard that there are jobs in this new place if you’re willing to work hard, but you don’t speak the language, and many of the rules and customs are confusing.It would be easy to be afraid and make mistakes. For Somalia native Mursal Naleye, this experience was the motivation for opening the African Community Center.“Soon as I came here to Garden City,” Naleye said, “I saw a lot of people who had a lot of problems with the translating, transportation, and getting jobs. I asked myself, ‘Why don’t we have a community to help us when we need it?’”
Naleye gathered a few of his Somali friends and founded the African Community Center, located at 2504 Johns Street, earlier this year. The goal, Naleye said, is to give a voice to Africans living in Garden City, and to improve the quality of life for immigrants.“Starting August 6, we will begin teaching basic English classes,” Naleye said. “There are probably about 500 Somali people in Garden City, and I would guess more than 75 percent cannot speak English. We need to change that. We are also hoping that we will have a medical clinic visit in September with translators present to help anyone that cannot go to the hospital.”
Mursal left Somalia in 2009 when his uncle was struck on the head and paralyzed. He carried him through several refugee camps on their way to Cairo, Egypt, where they stayed for a year. After getting refugee status with the United states, they flew to Minnesota in 2010.“I quickly discovered there were no jobs in Minnesota,” Naleye said. “I had a friend’s relative in Dodge City, so I moved to work at Cargill. I felt like I didn’t have any community there, so I moved to Garden City in 2013 to be closer to more people like me.”
TOP TWEETS
@UNSomalia:@SRSGKeating condemns today’s attack in#Mogadishu that killed 12 or more people. No UN personnel are among the confirmed dead.
@UKinSomalia:Sincerest condolences to families & friends of all those killed in this morning’s senseless explosions in#Mogadishu #Somalia
@amisomsomalia:#AMISOM confirms that there have been 2 bomb explosions at checkpoints near entrances to its base at Halane this morning. #Somalia
@Conflict:BREAKING: Large explosions rocks Mogadish airport, reports of gunfire heard as well #Somalia – @Abdifatah__Omar
@Dahirkulane :Danab Unit of SNA continue to hunt down Shabaab terrorists as they resort to their last acts of desperation.#Somalia
@1NatashaStevens:We will continue our prayers today for affected parties in another #FranceAttack #Japan and now#Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A wreckage of a car, following today’s deadly bombing at the Mogadishu airport.
Photo: Jowhar.com