July 8, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
National Security Committee Meets In Mogadishu
08 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 219 Words
Security meeting between Somali prime minister, interior minister, defence minister, the army commanders, security forces commissioners and high rank police officers was held in Mogadishu and chaired by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The National Security Committee discussed in details the overall security situation of Mogadishu and how the security operations in the city are conducted. Matters concerning heightened security measures were broadly covered, obstacles discussed and further solutions formulated. At the opening of the gathering, minister of interior has highlighted the outcomes of security operations carried out in their areas and the challenges they are facing. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has commended ministers and police officials for the outstanding job they are doing and their commitment to maintain security. The president also said, the security of the nation is the first pillar of the government and it should be granted to spread in the whole the country.
“The security forces have to take measures to minimize Al-Shabaab attacks in the city and the whole country, they should respond quickly if something goes wrong” he said.The meeting of the National security committee headed by the president comes at a time Somali National Army and some of AMISOM troops have allegedly abandoned several areas under Lower Shabelle region.
Key Headlines
- National Security Committee Meets In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- The President Welcomes Successful Election Of The Galmudug Interim Administration (Radio Dalsan)
- AMISOM Police Engage In Patrols With Somali Police Force (Jowhar News)
- Former District Commissioner Gunned Down In Afgoye (Goobjoog News)
- Somaliland Struck Unity Deal With Somali Government Puntland: Wikileaks (Garowe Online)
- Somaliland Dwarfs Announce Association To Fight Stereotypes (Radio Dalsan)
- Militants Attack Buses In Kenyan Coastal Region (Times Live/AFP)
- Car Bomb Kills Two And Leaves Four Injured In Mogadishu (Xinhua)
- Prosecutors: Plans For Terror Defendants’ Release ‘Untested (ABC News/AP)
- Police Pursue Gunmen Behind Murder Of 14 In Kenya’s Border Town (China.org)
- Human Rights In Somalia Still Suffer (VoA)
- GOLIS: Transforming Somalia Through Telecommunication (RBC Radio)
NATIONAL MEDIA
The President Welcomes Successful Election Of The Galmudug Interim Administration
08 July – Source: Radio Dalsan – 127 Words
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, congratulated the Galmudug Regional Assembly on the successful election of the Galmudug Interim Administration. The President congratulated the newly elected President, Mr. Abdikarim Hussein Guled and Vice President Mr. Mohamed Hashi Abdi on their appointment, and welcomed the transparent and peaceful election process.“Somalia is progressing steadily towards the aims of devolution and state formation. This week’s election of the Galmudug Interim Administration is the next step forward to creating a federal Somalia. I, and my colleagues in the Federal Government are committed to working with President Guled and his administration to build a strong relationship to ensure the people of Galmudug and the nation of Somalia progress together towards peace and prosperity,” said the President.
AMISOM Police Engage In Patrols With Somali Police Force
08 July- Source: Jowhar News – 81 Words
The Somali Police Force with support from AMISOM Police have started an operation to maintain law and order in the streets of Mogadishu.The joint force have stepped up their operation to daylight street patrols in order to keep the streets safe. Pictures of the operation posted in twitter show the force engage in patrol exercise and they are made up of both gender. Heavy presence of the force could be felt in major streets of Mogadishu especially KM4 . The soldiers conducted search on motorists plying the various routes of Mogadishu.
Former District Commissioner Gunned Down In Afgoye
08 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 88 Words
Former District commissioner of Afgoye, Abdullahi Abdi Iidey was killed in Afgoye town by unidentified assailants who escaped the scene immediately after committing the murder. The assailants armed with pistols have murdered the officer in the centre of the town in broad daylight. Security forces are reported to have arrived the scene and started searches in nearby areas. No one has claimed the responsibility of the assault but Al-Shabaab Amniyat branch is notorious of carrying out systematic spate of killings against federal government officers in the district.
Somaliland Struck Unity Deal With Somali Government, Puntland: Wikileaks
07 July – Source: Garowe Online – 223 Words
Somaliland opposition parties have lambasted the government for abiding by Somalia federalism under a unity deal a week after leaked Saudi Arabia cables revealed tripartite consensus. Justice and Welfare party and Wadani leaders-Faisal Ali Warabe and Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi[Irro]-said at media briefing in Somaliland capital of Hargeisa that the move could be tantamount to treason. The allegations have come after documents retrieved from Saudi Arabia Foreign Affairs Ministry unveiled that the separatist administration in northwestern Somalia clinched agreement with former Somalia President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s administration, Puntland and pro-government militias on February 18, 2012.
“An agreement which would pave the way to two parliamentary houses, and drafting of federal constitution was signed by Somalia’s transitional federal government, Puntland, Somaliland and pro-government militias on February 18, 2012,” read the Saudi cable. State Minister for Presidency Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan was quick to respond to the firestorm of criticism set off by the leaked cables. He acknowledged that former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Abdullahi Omar on his own behalf signed the deal and the unilateral action prompted his firing. Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Siilaanyo is set to travel to the oil-rich kingdom over the next weeks. In 1991, Somaliland declared its independence from the rest of the country as de facto sovereign state but it has not been recognized internationally yet.
Somaliland Dwarfs Announce Association To Fight Stereotypes
07 July – Source: Radio Dalsan – 118 Words
The dwarf people in Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared state of Somaliland have announced an association that brings together dwarfs to fight stereotypes within the community. 32 years old, Shueb Hassan Duale, Nimo Abdi 19 and Mustafa Hassan 29 who are the pioneers of the Somaliland dwarf community said the main aim of the association is to highlight the challenges that is facing the dwarf community. They told BBC Somali Service that they want to reach out to the international community for support. They have a total of 27 members so far, 12 in Hargeisa and 15 in Burco. The new dwarf association has called upon the Somaliland community to respect their rights and stop unnecessary stigma.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Militants Attack Buses In Kenyan Coastal Region
08 July – Times Live / AFP – Source: 236 Words
Heavily-armed militants on Tuesday have attacked a convoy of passenger buses and their army escorts in the Lamu region of Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast near the border with Somalia, officials and witnesses said. The attack took place near the town of Mpeketoni, which has been the scene of previous raids and massacres carried out by the Somali-led and Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab Islamist group. There were no immediate reports of any casualties. “They used grenades and heavy guns. We came under intense attack. The bus was sprayed with bullets but it is a miracle nobody was hurt,” an eyewitness, who asked not to be named, told AFP by telephone. The witness said he was in a convoy on two buses plus an army and police escort. Kenyan security sources confirmed the attack and said a security operation was in progress, with a section of the highway between the main coastal city of Mombasa and Lamu closed off to traffic. Earlier Tuesday, Al-Shabaab militants killed at least 14 workers in the northeastern town of Mandera, another area that has also seen frequent Shebab attacks. In mid-June 2014 close to 100 people were killed in a series of armed assaults on the town of Mpeketoni and surrounding villages. The attacks in Mpeketoni, close to the once-popular holiday island of Lamu, led to a collapse in tourism on Kenya’s coast after foreign governments warned their nationals against travel to the area.
Car Bomb Kills Two And Leaves Four Injured In Mogadishu
08 July – Source: Xinhua – 167 Words
At least two civilians were killed and four others were injured on Tuesday after a bomb placed inside a car that was passing near a bus station in Karan district north of Mogadishu, police said. “The driver and a woman were killed in the accident, and four others who were nearby have been injured,” said police officer Nor Alasow. No one has claimed responsibility, but during the holy month of Ramadan, the capital of Mogadishu had witnessed fighting and explosions claimed by the Al-Qaeda linked group ‘Al-Shabaab’. Meanwhile, the AU forces in Somalia said they are planning to recapture the remaining 20 percent of strategic areas occupied by ‘Al-Shabaab’ in new offensive against the militants in the Horn of Africa nation. AMISOM force Commander General Jonathan Rono said the AU peacekeepers have laid out an elaborate plans to recapture strategic areas from the militant group His comments after AU forces denied withdrawing from several bases around the capital Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle region earlier this month.
Prosecutors: Plans For Terror Defendants’ Release ‘Untested
07 July – Source: ABC News/Associated Press – 574 Words
Three men accused of trying to leave Minnesota to join the Islamic State group have not renounced the group’s violent ideology, and proposals for their pretrial release won’t adequately protect the community or guarantee they’ll show up for court, prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday. The document was filed in advance ofWednesday’s hearings on defense attorneys’ proposals to release Hamza Naj Ahmed, 21, and Zacharia Yusuf Abdurahman and Hanad Mustafe Musse, both 19. The men, Americans of Somali descent, are among seven people recently charged with plotting to join the terror group in Syria. The proposals were crafted by the defense with input from Somali community members and religious leaders. They include options for housing, religious education, volunteering and other activities that defense attorneys say are designed to steer the men in a positive direction, assure the community’s safety and ensure the men attend court hearings.
Prosecutors disagree.
“Jobs, family, school and attendance at mosque did not stop the defendants from trying to flee before, and will not stop them from trying again,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Winter wrote. Winter said the proposals are untested, and community members who agreed to participate have no experience in supervising terror suspects. “It is the dangerous intentions of the defendants themselves that concern the government here,” Winter said. “Indeed, there is no evidence that the defendants are seeking intervention — rather, it is being foisted upon them by other well-intentioned individuals.”U.S. District Judge Michael Davis, who invited attorneys to come up with the community-involved plans, will consider the proposals Wednesday. Earlier this year, Davis released Yusuf to a halfway house under a plan that required participation in a program designed to keep him engaged. Yusuf, who has pleaded guilty to one terror-related count, was taken back into custody in April after a box cutter was found in a room he shared with others. His attorneys say he didn’t know about the box cutter.The plan for Abdurahman includes regular counseling from an imam and three elders at a mosque that preaches against violent extremism, along with opportunities to work with children and to resume classes at a community college. Ahmed’s and Musse’s plans have similar options.
Police Pursue Gunmen Behind Murder Of 14 In Kenya’s Border Town
07 July – Source:China.org – 356 Words
Kenya’s security officers on Tuesday launched manhunt for gunmen behind the killing of 14 people and injuring of 11 others in a dawn attack in the country’s northeastern Mandera County, which is close to the border with Somalia.Northeastern Regional Coordinator Mohamud Saleh said a contingent of security officers drawn from the military, para- military, and the National Police Reservists are already combing the region to apprehend the gunmen.”Our officers have already cordoned off the area. We have already launched for a manhunt of the killers who we believe are milling in the crowd,” Saleh said.”They attacked the two houses the quarry workers were residing, killed 13 and one mother and later placed IED (improvised explosive devices) presumably for the soldiers who would come to the scene,” county commissioner Alex ole Nkoyo said on Tuesday.The quarry workers employer rented the house for them near a livestock market, about two kilometers from Mandera town, where the stonemasons return to sleep, as they were prohibited from living near the quarry.Saleh said they suspect the attack was planned by radicalized youth in Mandera country and ruled out Al-Shabaab.”We believe these are radicalized youths from Mandera who are living within community and not Al-Shabaab members from Somalia. It looks like a mission that was well planned before being executed,” Saleh said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“For far too many people, 2014 was defined by suffering and abuse perpetrated by terrorist groups like ISIL, Boko Haram and al-Shabaab that exploit religious discourse and divisions to advance their destructive ideologies.”
Human Rights In Somalia Still Suffer
07 July – Source: Voice of America – 400 Words
Each year, the U.S. State Department sends Congress reports prepared by our diplomats assessing respect for human rights around the world. They evaluate how governments show respect for human dignity and individual freedoms, and they help shape our nation’s foreign policies. The reports also signal to human rights defenders and activists under siege that we recognize their struggle and stand with them. For far too many people, 2014 was defined by suffering and abuse perpetrated by terrorist groups like ISIL, Boko Haram and al-Shabaab that exploit religious discourse and divisions to advance their destructive ideologies. Meanwhile, governments in China, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere continued to stifle a free press and the development of civil society by jailing journalists, bloggers and others. As in the previous years, the state of human rights in Somalia remains a particular U.S. concern. Civilians there continued to suffer from conflict-related abuses, including killings and the diversion or confiscation of humanitarian assistance by armed groups, primarily al-Shabaab. According to the U.N., 1,133,000 Somalis have been displaced internally and more than a million others have fled to other nations.
Clan militias and al-Shabaab continued to commit grave abuses throughout the country, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, cruel and unusual punishment, rape, restrictions on civil liberties and freedom of movement, and conscription and use of child soldiers. Some African Union peacekeeping troops also were found to have committed sexual abuse and exploitation, including rape. Violence and discrimination against women and girls, including rape and female genital mutilation or cutting, was widespread. Other major abuses included harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary and politically motivated arrest and detention; trafficking in persons; abuse of and discrimination against minority clans; restrictions on workers’ rights; forced labor and child labor.
“The World Bank’s Global Financial inclusion database (Findex) recently revealed that Somalia was one of the most active mobile money markets: 26/% of the population reported using mobiles to pay bills, which is the highest rate in the world and 32% to send and receive money.”
GOLIS: Transforming Somalia Through Telecommunication
06 July – Source: RBC Radio – 672 Words
Imagine if Somalia a place where the world regard as botched state has the most modern telecommunication sector in East Africa. Intense conflicts and a long- civil war have offended Somalia’s solidity when former government was swept out from power in 1991. Civil war has left vast cataclysm in life also created new prospects for many merchants who remained inside their country and with no doubt Somalia is on the right path forward to recoup its position globally again. Literally Telecommunication is a way of life in Somalia and across the world. GOLIS which is a local telecommunication firm based in Somalia’s north-eastern regional state of Puntland has been the only company operating in the region for so many years and hitherto has bridged unfilled telecommunication gap existing in the region. The telecom firm has roughly 15 years of handy experience in market, which was making progress in the face of civil strife and conflicts in the region and recently stretched its service beyond Puntland. Over one and half million people use Golis mobile on daily basis.
Despite improving security in Somalia, the company has put a cornerstone for the first mobile services in Puntland in 2000, which helped many Somalis to reunite with their families after bloodshed civil war hit in the long troubled horn of African country. GOLIS operates in whole the region including borders along Ethiopia and Kenya through roaming system in collaboration with other Somali telecom firms and has been providing service to people living in remote and rural areas in Somalia. The company’s marketing Head Abdurrahman Abdullah Jama (Dayax) has said that GOLIS was founded to carry out most superb telecom services for the people of Puntland and Somalia saying that Golis has offered highest standards of services to date. “Our operation in Puntland has played a key role in Somalia’s economic performance as we are a leading telecom service provider in the region. “ Dayax said.
For the first time in more than two decades of civil conflicts in the East African nation, Golis has launched two useful mobile banking systems dubbed SAHAL (simple) and TAAJ (King) aimed at delivering basic mobile transactions. The World Bank’s Global Financial inclusion database (Findex) recently revealed that Somalia was one of the most active mobile money markets: 26/% of the population reported using mobiles to pay bills, which is the highest rate in the world and 32% to send and receive money. SAHAL service is permitting people to transfer and receive money from your mobile or another, using Golis SIMCARD amid the service becomes the first of its kind introduced in the region, in addition the GOLIS has also launched SALAAM BANK ,which is a formal remittance based on Islamic Sharia principles
TOP TWEETS
@ForeignOfficeKE: CS @AMB_A_Mohammed held a brief meeting with H.E Gamal Mohamed Hassan Ambassador designate of Somalia to Kenya.
@amisomsomalia: Somali Police and AMISOM continue with joint security patrols in #Mogadishu http://bit.ly/1NLj109 #Somalia
@AP : Al-Shabab extremists from Somalia kill 14 people in village in Kenya’s north, official says: http://apne.ws/1JKWRNs
@Terror_Monitor: #SOMALIA 2 People Killed In #MoadishuCity’s Kaaran District Bus Station Blast – Report
@WFP: From #Somalia to #Yemen and back: See #WFPprovide #humanitarian help to people in crisishttp://www.wfp.org/stories/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A Somali Police officer keeps watch at K4 junction during a joint security patrol with AMISOM Police.
Photo: AMISOM