June 1, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Clashes In Somalia Leave 35 Dead: Officials
31 May – Source: The Daily Star, Lebanon – 283 Words
At least 35 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in a week of clashes in villages near Somalia’s border with Ethiopia, officials and traditional elders said Sunday. The sources said the clashes involved Somali clan militia and members of the Liyu police, an Ethiopian paramilitary unit operating in Ethiopia’s ethnic Somali region. “The Liyu Police Unit launched an attack on innocent civilians. They are attacking villagers and killing people who keep livestock,” Hussein Weheliye Irfo, the governor of the Galgadud region in central Somalia, told reporters. He said the Somali government was aware of the clashes and also called for the intervention of Ethiopia’s government and the African Union force in Somalia, AMISOM.
Sources in the region said fighting started a week ago and escalated on Friday. “It is effecting a vast area and the casualties are very high, 35 dead bodies have been counted so far,” Mohamed Garane, a traditional elder in Guricel district where the wounded are hospitalised, said by telephone. Another elder in the region, Daud Moalim Ise, said the Liyu force had used “excessive force” and said up to 45 had been killed. “We have received around 29 wounded, most of them civilians. Many others are unable to reach here,” added Ali Omar, director of the main hospital in Guricel district. “Among them are women and children with severe gunshot wounds.” It was not apparently clear what sparked the clashes, which are separate from ongoing battles between African Union troops and Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents in the far south of the country. Several sources said the fighting may surround allegations that a Liyu police member had raped a local woman.
Key Headlines
- Clashes In Somalia Leave 35 Dead: Officials (The Daily Star Lebanon)
- Government Clarifies Oil Production Sharing Agreement With Soma Oil and Gas (Goobjoog News)
- Somaliland Rescinds Decision To Turn Away Refugees Fleeing Yemen (Garowe Online)
- Somalia And Nigeria Presidents Discuss Ways Of Tackling Al-Shabaab And Boko Haram (Horseed Media)
- Burundian Soldiers Receive Commendation As They Conclude Tour Of Duty (Radio Dalsan)
- Kenya Set To Host Conference On Extremism (Somali Current)
- Somalia’s Population Survey Prompts Doubts Over Accuracy (Hiiraan Online)
- Police Say 85 ‘Radicalized Youth’ Surrender Under Amnesty Offer (Coast Week)
- For Minneapolis Council Member Abdi Warsame Recruitment Fight Starts Small (Star Tribune)
- Somalis In S.D. Not Alarmed By Terror Recruiting Risks (USA Today)
- Security Experts Criticise Kenyan Government’s Strategy In Fighting Terrorism (Standard Digital)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Government Clarifies Oil Production Sharing Agreement With Soma Oil and Gas
31 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 319 Words
The ministry of petroleum has issued a statement denying any knowledge that there is a draft proposal that gives Soma Oil and Gas 90% of oil output in the future. “Somalia is not accepting PSA deals at the moment. When the fiscal terms design is over, Somalia will invite companies to come forward with their PSAs. The article, of Ilya Gridneff of Bloomberg talks of a draft deal but Somalia did not receive any draft deal nor is it accepting proposals for PSAs now” said the statement signed by Fatima Mohamed, the PSA of the minister. The statement also said that “currently, the Ministry works diligently on preparatory matters, paving the way for sound exploration to occur: the regulatory and legal framework, including the amending of some provision in the Petroleum Law, introducing revenue sharing mechanism that distributes the wealth generated from oil and gas equitably between the Federal member States and the Federal Government, using an agreed formula. The downstream, tax, investment and the mining Code are all either being drafted and/or amended. All these laws need to be passed to the Council of Ministers and then to the Federal Parliament for ratification.”
The statement continues to say: “The Ministry continues to work on the Production Sharing Agreement Model of Somalia, developed together with the Petroleum Law 2008. It is determined to design sound practices of fiscal management of the natural resources. The African Development Bank is supporting Somalia on coming up with its own fiscal terms that would protect Somalia’s economic interests without jeopardising the industry’ needs. In the next three months, the Production Sharing Agreement Model will be ready together with appropriately designed fiscal terms. Then is the time that Somalia goes into PSA negotiations.” There has been huge uproar on social media and other platforms about the the Bloomberg article.
Burundian Soldiers Receive Commendation As They Conclude Tour Of Duty
31 May – Source: Radio Dalsan – 321 Words
Burundi peacekeepers have been commended for their dedication and selfless leadership on duty. The commendation was made by the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, Hon. Lydia Wanyoto during a ceremony held in Mogadishu during which medals were awarded to 1, 828 soldiers from the 26th and 27th battalions, who have completed their tour of duty in Somalia. Also present at the ceremony was the AMISOM Force Commander Lt. Gen. Jonathan Rono and the Burundi Ambassador to Somalia Joseph Nkurunziza among others. Nkurunziza hailed the soldiers for the professionalism and dedication with which they executed their duties. “These medals mark the end of your duties and it is with pride that you go back to your homeland, with this kind of award which distinguishes you from others. It is also a sign of African Union recognition to the people who have served Africa,” said Nkurunziza.
The DSRCC Hon. Lydia Wanyoto commended the soldiers for supporting the Somalia’s stabilization efforts. In a speech she read on behalf of the SRCC Ambassador Maman Sidikou, Wanyoto said, “it is good for you to have come and made a contribution for the cause of an African person, in her own country in Somalia”. The Force Commander Lt. Gen. Jonathan Rono saluted the soldiers for their resilience and commitment to duty, noting that they had defied great difficulties to succeed in their mission. “Operationally, the battalions have performed impressively well which was manifested in our ability to implement AMISOM’s mandate within the Burundian National Defense Forces assigned tasks. Your robust and numerous day and night patrols, cordon and search operations and escort to humanitarian aid duties has confirmed how well-trained and prepared you were for the tasks,” said Lt. Gen. Rono. Burundi was the second among the six troop contributing countries to deploy forces to the mission in Somalia and its forces have helped in securing Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region.
Somaliland Rescinds Decision To Turn Away Refugees Fleeing Yemen
30 May – Source: Garowe Online – 160 Words
Somaliland’s separatist administration in northwestern Somalia has rescinded its decision to profile Somalis fleeing from Yemen conflict at Berbera port after widespread condemnations on Saturday, Garowe Online reports. Somaliland Resettlement Minister Ali Saed Reygal disclosed at a media briefing in the capital Hargeisa that from now on they will receive people fleeing from Yemen crisis without regional profiling. “After we confirmed that refugees wouldn’t harm Somaliland through [security] checks, we have decided to welcome Yemen influx,” said Reygal. He added that UNHCR and IOM agreed to assist Somalis returning from Yemen in transport costs. Somaliland earned condemnations for refusing to disembark Somali children and women on account of their regions. Federal Government of Somalia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdisalan Hadliye Omar called the move ‘astonishing’ which goes against United Nations Refugees Convention. Located in northwestern Somalia, Somaliland declared its independence from the rest of the country as de facto sovereign state in 1991 but it has not been recognized internationally yet.
Somalia And Nigeria President’s Discuss on Ways Of Tackling Al-Shabaab And Boko Haram
30 May – Source: Horseed Media – 225 Words
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has met the newly-elected Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who took over power on Friday from the ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. Both leaders met after the inauguration ceremony that was held in Abuja and attended by delegates from around the world. According to a statement from the office of Somali President, discussions mainly concerned on ways of strengthening the bilateral relations between the two nations.
“Somalia and Nigeria have many similarities; part of them are Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram who have same ideologies and committed atrocities against humanity. Both governments will jointly counter them,’’ read the statement. The new Nigerian President is expected to pay a visit to Somalia, on a move to enhance the diplomatic relations, said the press release. In his speech during the swearing-in ceremony, President Buhari vowed to fight against the radical extremists Boko Haram who have links with the so-called Islamic state (IS). In 2013, Nigeria appointed Mr. Akin Oyateru as an ambassador to Somalia and his credentials was approved by President Mohamoud after receiving him in Mogadishu. Since the collapse of the central government of Somalia, Nigeria has been taking part in efforts to bring back stability to the Horn of Africa nation. In 2012, it contributed 140 police officers and other resources to African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM.
Kenya Set To Host Conference On Extremism
30 May – Source: Somali Current – 146 Words
Kenya is set to host regional Conference on extremism in June this year, Kenyan officials said. Permanent Secretary for Foreign affairs Karanja Kibicho said his country has been preparing the Conference in the last four weeks, adding his country has invited 25 African countries and 16 countries around the world. The three day Conference is set to generate an outcome document that will inform a high level that will be held on the sidelines on 70th UN General Assembly in September. The meeting also involves a technical session to look into ways to evolve strategies of how to implement the outcome of the conference. The conference comes at a time when the countries around the world are grappling with violent extremism that endanger global peace and security. Earlier this year, US endorsed Kenya to host the regional consultation in Africa on countering violent extremism.
Somalia’s Population Survey Prompts Doubts Over Accuracy
30 May – Source: Hiiraan Online – 413 Words
Somalia’s new population estimate data has reignited a controversy about whether its official statistics can be trusted, with experts doubting the likelihood of making such estimation at present time. After decades of war in the horn of Africa nation, Somalia’s government has unveiled a new Population Estimation Survey data last week, paving the way for an official 2016 census in a country where militants still control large swathes. The survey which was said to have started in 2013 concluded that the country’s overall population is 12.3 million people, provoking questions about the accuracy of such numbers.”It’s more of an imagination than meticulous statics,” said Ali Haji Musa, a former officer for the international planning and corporation minister who worked under Siad Barre’s government.
“This result is skewed to show a lower number of populations that actually exist.” He told Hiiraan online. Most of the experts who spoke to HOL expressed doubts on the likelihood of population estimate data this time, given that the Al-Qaeda linked militants are still in control of key towns with a considerable number of populations. “I don’t think this estimate has added those people into the account,” said Qadra Haji at the Population Research Centre’s Portland state university. However, presenting the survey, Abdirahman Aynte, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation who is believed to be behind the survey said that his ministry acted upon a critical need to obtain basic information and bridging the information gap so that their plans should be based on the real situation.
Somalia’s government failed to put the controversy to rest, prompting more accusations from experts in Somalia who accused the government of ‘faking’ the new population estimate data. Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northern Somalia has frowned upon the estimation, calling it ‘inaccurate’. Ali Ahmed Fatah, Puntland’s international planning and corporation minister lambasted the estimation and termed it as ‘ridiculous’, showing a matching figure which indicates discrepancies involving the two studies. Mr. Fatah has principally noted that Somalia’s government has lied about Puntland population’s estimation which he said is estimated to be 4,284,633, differing Somali government’s estimation which gave a smaller population figure.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Police Say 85 ‘Radicalized Youth’ Surrender Under Amnesty Offer
31 May – Source: Coastweek – 288 Words
Kenya’s government has said some 85 youth have surrendered following the amnesty it offered to radicalized youth. Interior Ministry spokesperson Mwenda Njoka said most of the youths who surrendered had joined the Al-Qaida linked Al-Shabaab’ terror group in neighbouring Somalia. “From the time the amnesty was given up to now, we have had 85 people surrendering, and they are going rehabilitation and counseling. These are the people who had joined Al-Shabaab’ in Somalia and they are from all parts of the country,” he said.
The amnesty was offered by the government after the Garissa University attack that claimed 148 lives, mostly students. On April 24, The interior ministry extended the amnesty period for the youth to surrender. Njoka said even though the amnesty had expired, the government was still pardoning the youth who voluntarily surrender to the authorities. He explained that the government had put in place an elaborate comprehensive integration program to absorb those who had surrendered. The program has a group of experts who are also offering psychological support to the youth to help them re-integrate in the society. “The program is also meant to give them counselling and rehabilitate them. “It is being done by professional counsellors with the support of security agencies and also external and friendly partners,” he said. The amnesty is among various measures the government has devised to address growing terror threats in the country.
For Minneapolis Council Member Abdi Warsame, Recruitment Fight Starts Small
31 May – Source: Star Tribune – 1, 296 Words
On a rainy day in a coffee shop in Minneapolis’ Cedar Riverside neighborhood, Council Member Abdi Warsame sat across from a young man, quizzing him about his quest to become a community service officer with the Metro Transit Police. Warsame has been a mentor to Mubashir Jeilani for years, and now the 19-year-old is a finalist for a coveted spot in the CSO program, on his way to becoming the first kid to grow up in Cedar Riverside and join the force. For Warsame, the city’s first Somali-American council member, Jeilani’s success would be key to a bigger goal: one by one, proving that young Somalis can and will do good things in the Twin Cities. Nearly a year and a half into his first term, Warsame is balancing two big jobs out of his small City Hall office. There is the usual business of a ward that winds through the neighborhoods just south and east of downtown, where people want permits for new shops and restaurants, brighter lighting on the streets, new equipment in the parks.
And there is the work of being one of the most prominent Somali-Americans in the country, at a time when the Somali community is making inroads in politics, business and education — but also pushing back against a wave of news about young Somalis trying to link up with terrorist groups overseas. In between council meetings and city business, Warsame’s calendar is filled with visits from East African dignitaries, trips to other Somali communities in the United States and casual conversations with people who need help with problems large and small. Warsame’s words travel further than those of most people in local government. So on a high-profile issue like the recent arrests of a half-dozen young Somali-Americans accused of trying to leave the Twin Cities to join the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Warsame chooses his words carefully. “I don’t have all the answers, and I’m not arrogant enough to believe that I know how you should raise your children,” he said. “But I know I have a platform where I can say the truth as relative to me, as I see it. And the truth is … there’s something wrong here, and what’s wrong is these young men don’t understand where they came from.”
Warsame, 37, came from Somalia, via England, where his family moved when he was young. There, he had what he calls a “middle-class” life, but he was often told about the much harder life left behind in Somalia. He was told to stay out of the decades-long civil war there, that it was a “stupid” conflict that pitted families against each other. Warsame says he knew that no matter how hard it was being poor and foreign and black and Muslim, he was in a place that would give him a better future than in his birthplace. When he moved to Minneapolis in 2006 with his wife, Warsame said he felt more at home than ever. He worked for a bank, then as a community organizer in Cedar Riverside and in 2013, he decided to make a run for office.
Somalis In S.D. Not Alarmed By Terror Recruiting Risks
30 May – Source: USA Today – 1, 101 Words
Said Yusuf stands near the front counter of his grocery store here and nods his head. Yes, yes, he’s heard about the steady exodus of young Somali Muslim men and women out of the Twin Cities to join Islamic terrorist groups overseas. Yes, he knows that federal officials suspect Minneapolis and St. Paul are fast becoming the primary hub for the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, and its growing jihadist recruitment efforts here in the United States. But what of Sioux Falls, the native Somalian is asked? What of the hundreds of Somali refugees who have been relocated here by Lutheran Social Services — only 250 miles from the Twin Cities — and fears that their children might be targeted by ISIL recruiters? This time, Yusuf does not nod. “I know the people here,” he says, and terrorist recruitment is not a fear they live with, at least not compared to their fellow countrymen in the Twin Cities. Sioux Falls has about 1,600 to 1,800 Somalis, though “it’s difficult to tell as (they) have a tendency to migrate to Minnesota on a frequent basis,” said Tim Jurgens, director of Lutheran Social Services’ Center for New Americans. Yet while they might not be overly concerned about the threat, they aren’t ignoring the conversation, either, say those who interact with them on a daily basis.
“I do think there is some concern, not just with the Somalis but the Sudanese and other groups locally as well,” said Christy Nicolaisen, director of the Multi-Cultural Center. “I think they worry about how some are influenced by what is going on over there. Maybe not worry, but I do think there is discussion.” At the African Community Center, agency president Hirsi Mohamed said the FBI has stopped by his office twice to talk. He’s told them that his organization neither sees nor hears of problems in Sioux Falls, “but that we have to keep our eyes on those kinds of things.” Three weeks ago, FBI Director James Comey described how ISIL recruiters operating from safe havens in Syria were using Twitter and other social media platforms to direct messages to “disturbed people” who could be pushed to launch assaults on U.S. targets. “It’s like the devil sitting on their shoulders, saying ‘kill, kill, kill,’ ” Comey said in a meeting with reporters. The increasingly sophisticated use of social media by ISIL means Sioux Falls could just as easily be a target for recruitment as Minneapolis, said Kyle Loven, media coordinator for the FBI in the Twin Cities. “I don’t think geography is a protection nor a barrier any longer with respect to terrorism recruitment,” Loven said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Other security experts recommend arming of retired military, police and other qualified security officers, and having them absorbed into the private security sector as a strategic way to tame insecurity.”
Security Experts Criticise Kenyan Government’s Strategy In Fighting Terrorism
31 May – Source: Standard Digital – 898 Words
Experts are faulting government’s strategy to confront the rising terror threat and its failure to comprehensively implement existing security laws. While some question why the government has not invested in drone technology and instead opted to erect a wall on parts of the Kenya-Somali border to gather real-time intelligence, others say the establishment of a Homeland Security department would be the best bet in securing the country. “Kenya needs a single, unified homeland security structure that will improve protection against the growing threat of terrorism. This has worked perfectly elsewhere,” says Francis Maina, a security analyst. According to Maina, the department will guarantee efficient sharing of intelligence among all security-related agencies and ensure immediate response in case of attacks.
The change of tactics from the current “set piece battles”, experts say, is ideal in a conventional war. To repulse the growing insurgency, they say emphasis should go to enhanced intelligence gathering with priority being given to drone technology to flush out militants in the harsh semi-arid terrain in the north. The Institute of Security Studies analyst Dr Emmanuel Kisiang’ani and Col (retired) Benjamin Mwema, a UN consultant on security in eastern Africa, agree that Al-Shabaab militants have changed tactics. “Drones collect a lot of information and would be useful even in telling who is involved in wildlife poaching, charcoal and sugar smuggling from Kismayu and other illegal activities that generate capital for the Al-Shabaab,” the don says.
Muema says after Kenya’s successes in stifling the Al-Shabaab in Somalia, the insurgents opted to operate in small groups to prolong the conflict. “They decided to operate in small numbers. They choose high-value targets and prolong their stay to grab media attention,” he explains. The first attempt to deploy drones for surveillance in wildlife sanctuaries in 2013 was allegedly resisted by high-profile individuals in government under the excuse that the gadgets would give away incidental information on Kenya’s natural resources. Based on calculations of a drone owned by Standard Group used to transmit real-time information on traffic and weather in Nairobi, the Sh23 billion allocated for construction of a concrete wall would substantially come down if the government opted for drones.