July 27, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
NISA Seizes Vehicle Laden With Explosives From A Hotel In Mogadishu
27 July 2016 – Source: Dhacdo.com – 166 Words
Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) officers on Tuesday night raided one of the hotels in Mogadishu and seized a car filled with explosives presumably meant for suicide bombing.The raid came after NISA received information from local residents that explosions were being plotted in the Imraan hotel in Bakara market. Intelligence sources say the plan was to use the vehicle for a possible terrorist attack in the city, but luckily the security officers managed to foil the move.
The security officers arrested several people from the hotel including a suspect armed with a pistol and owner of the vehicle, among other suspects.The operation came just hours after twin car bombs went off as they were being driven towards the African Union troops base of Halane in Mogadishu.In the recent past, NISA has on several occasions displayed to the media explosives-laden vehicles, hand grenades and other explosives. Members of the Al-Shabaab terror gang continue to strike at key installations within the capital city.
Key Headlines
- NISA Seizes Vehicle Laden With Explosives From A Hotel In Mogadishu (Dhacdo.com)
- Somali Forces Conduct Operation To Clean Up Roadblocks In Lower Shabelle (Goobjoog News)
- Somali President Appoints New Immigration Head (Shabelle News)Puntland Hold Talks With UNDP On Development Projects (Goobjoog News)
- UN Condemns Terrorist Attack Near Mogadishu Airport (UN News Centre )
- UN Estimates 42000 Kenyans Falsely Registered As Refugees In Dadaab (Daily Nation)
- Somalia – Will Its Refugee And Displacement Crises Ever Be Solved (Transconflict)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Forces Conduct Operation To Clean Up Roadblocks In Lower Shabelle
27 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 190 Words
Security forces have conducted a heavy operation to clean up illegal roadblocks set up by armed militias in Lower Shabelle region. This follows constant complaints by the travellers and transport vehicle owners over the past weeks.
Gunmen purporting to be government forces have set up their own roadblocks to collect revenue from the vehicles plying roads linking towns of the region resulting in high prices on food and other commodities in the region.
The associations of transport owners and drivers have been continuously complained about the roadblocks where the armed militias demand a huge sums of money. The practice has compelled many transport owners to stop plying several roads within the region. Somali police forces and Somali National Army (SNA) on Mondayannounced they had apprehended a number of armed men in an operation carried out in Afgooye district.
Speaking to Goobjoog news, Afgooye police commissioner Elmi Mohamed Osman said the operation was meant to create safe access for the locals. He said the security forces were ordered to deal harshly with the armed people found on roadblocks:“Those setting up roadblocks and denying the people safe access to their destinations are as good as Al-Shabaab terrorists.” Osman said.
Somali President Appoints New Immigration Head
27 July – Source: Shabelle News – 67 Words
Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has appointed Mohamed Aden Kofi as the new director of immigration department. Sources said Kofi will replace Gen Abdullah Gafow, who was recently named as the chief of the country’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).Mohamed Aden Kofi has previously served as the head of Benadir regional Intelligence division before his appointment as Immigration director.
Puntland Hold Talks With UNDP On Development Projects
27 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 167 Words
A key meeting between officials of Puntland government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was held in the state’s capital Garowe on Tuesday to discuss on the semi-autonomous region’s priorities and development targets.The meeting was attended by delegates from UNDP, Puntland deputy President, Abdihakiin Haji Abdulahi Omar, deputy Minister for Interior, Abdulahi Hashi Qoobdeero and other dignitaries.
Opening the roundtable meeting, the deputy presented to the UNDP officials his government’s goals in the coming years. These touched on general development, building of the economic sector and security.“The development projects will be carried out in 10 more districts in the country and under the project, five key facilities will be built for each district. These facilities include schools, police stations, municipal compounds, healthy centers, and children’s playgrounds,” said Omar.UNDP officials affirmed their support for the government’s efforts to develop and implement its plan, which include combating terrorism, piracy, and human trafficking.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Condemns Terrorist Attack Near Mogadishu Airport
26 July 2016 – Source:UN News Centre – 273 Words
The United Nations chief and his envoy for Somalia have denounced today’s terrorist attack in the vicinity of Mogadishu International Airport that killed at least a dozen people.Condemning the attack in a statement attributed to his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed that “such criminal acts will not diminish the strong resolve of the United Nations to continue supporting the people and Government of Somalia in their work to build peace and stability in the country.”
The statement said that the Secretary-General expressed sincere condolences to the friends and families of the deceased, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.According to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), suicide bombers detonated two vehicles laden with explosives near the perimeter of the airport enclave this morning. No UN personnel were among the confirmed dead.
In a statement to the press, Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms,” noting that “a ruthless attack” was carried out once again by the Al-Shabaab insurgent group.“The overwhelming majority of Somalis have rejected such terrorist tactics and the use of violence to achieve political objectives,” he said.
UN Estimates 42,000 Kenyans Falsely Registered As Refugees In Dadaab
27 July – Source:Daily Nation- 436 Words
An estimated 42,000 Kenyans are living under false pretences in the Dadaab refugee camps, the United Nations said on Monday.These Kenyan nationals are to undergo a “relocation” and “reintegration” process as part of an expanded effort by the UN refugee agency to reduce Dadaab’s population from 343,000 to 193,000 by the end of this year.“We are aware of Kenyans falsely registering as refugees in order to get free services and food,” UN refugee agency spokesman Duke Mwancha told the Nation earlier this month.
The Kenyan government had called in May for a complete and expeditious shutdown of the Dadaab complex, saying it represented a threat to the country’s security.Kenyan officials subsequently modified that position in consultations with the UN and the Somali government, agreeing to the gradual phase-out cited by the refugee agency on Monday.The UN is asking donors to provide an additional $115.4 million to carry out the agreed programme of refugee relocation and repatriation.That new request comes on top of the $110 million that the refugee agency had sought last year to help finance the return of Somalis to their homeland.
But only $7.2 million of that amount had been raised as of last month.Even as Dadaab’s population dwindles, the number of people in Kenya’s other large refugee complex, Kakuma, has been steadily increasing as thousands of South Sudanese flee renewed fighting in their country. And Kakuma will grow further under the plan outlined by the UN on Monday.Some 16,000 non-Somali refugees, mainly Ethiopians, are to be moved from Dadaab to Kakuma, the UN said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Today, Dadaab is the world’s largest camp with around 350,000 people. If it were considered as a Kenyan city, it would be the third largest. And to the world, Dadaab is just a refugee camp, full of tarp-covered domes. But to those born and raised on UN rations, it is home, ”
Somalia – Will Its Refugee And Displacement Crises Ever Be Solved
27 July – Source: Transconflict – 831 Words
Over the last two decades or so, the world has regarded Somalia as the most troubled region in the horn of Africa. The once peaceful and prosperous country is now plagued by conflict, violence and human rights abuses. A combination of human and natural disasters has generated a repeated waves of refugees.
UNHCR statistics show that, out of population of 12 million Somalis, nearly two million are either displaced within the country or have sought refuge elsewhere. The majority of these refugees and displaced people are young, disadvantaged families. This demographic, who were born and raised in camps and settlements, continue to struggle with normalising their status and integrating with the host community.
Kenya’s ‘send them-back’ rhetoric
The recent decision of the Kenyan government to shut down Dadaab refugee camp, just a few days before the World Humanitarian Summit, came as no surprise. This was not the first time that Kenya has taken such a decision.In April 2015, while visiting Nyeri County in Kenya, DP William Ruto gave the UN High Commissioner for Refugees three months to send Dadaab refugees back to Somalia, by which he said that Kenya would forcefully return them. Such forced repatriation of Dadaab refugees would violate the International Resolution 2198 and its associated principles of voluntary returns. The announcement created an international outcry, with some believing that Kenya, like Turkey, is using migrants as bargaining chips in a bid to get more support from the international community.
TOP TWEETS
@simongerman600:Strong decline in #pirate attacks in #Africa(mostly #Somalia) since 2011. Counter measures are working. HT @dadaviz
@TheTrueSomalian:Former intelligence chief,Col Mohamad Koffi, appointed as chairman of Somalia’s Immigration Department. #Somalia
@Insight4News4:Former lawmaker was one of AU base suicide bombers in Somalia: al Shabaab #somalia
@ckahinab :Horrible: At least 13 dead in #AlShabab twin suicide attacks near airport entrance in #Mogadishu #Somalia
@stability_fund:Watch @Tadamun Social Society ongoing work to establish a youth resource center in #Bossasso #Somalia#Youth
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A Somali athlete trains ahead of the Olympic games in Brazil.
Photo: AMISOM