June 10, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Top moderate Kenyan Muslim preacher shot dead
10 Jun- Source: AFP/Yahoo News/Bloomberg-300 Words
Gunmen in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa on Tuesday shot dead an influential moderate Muslim preacher who was a vocal opponent of the radical preachings of Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents, police said.
Mohamed Idris, chairman of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, was “shot only once in the stomach” shortly before dawn as he headed to prayers at a mosque, Mombasa police chief Robert Kitur told AFP.
Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said it was a drive-by shooting, with gunmen firing from a motorbike. “They shot him in the abdomen and he was pronounced dead at the hospital,” Marwa said. Idris was chairman of a key mosque that was recently taken over radical youths.
“There was a power struggle at Sakina mosque — where he was supposed to be installed as a sheikh — between his supporters and another radical group opposed to him,” Kitur added. Idris’s death is the latest killing of Muslim leaders in the city, although previous shootings have been of radical leaders accused of backing the Shebab.
Key Headlines
- Soldiers Serving Jubbaland Administration Killed in Kismayo (Radio Dalsan/Somalimemo Online)
- Somali PM Abdiweli in Addis Ababa for IGAD peace process on South Sudan (Radio Mogadishu/Radio RBC/Radio Bar-kulan)
- Parliament’s foreign committee defends president decision to attend Sisi’s inauguration (Radio Goobjoog)
- Human Right Watch: “ London summit on sexual violence is an opportunity to end rape” (Radio Mogadishu)
- AMISOM says continued defections from al Shabaab will help peace in Somalia (Radio RBC)
- Residents in Hawaadley locality flee their houses after River Shabelle overflow its banks (Radio Goobjoog)
- Prof. Baadiyow Condemns President Hassan for Attending Al-sisi’s Inauguration Ceremony (Radio Dalsan)
- Gunmen kill chairman of Council of Imam and Preachers of Kenya Mohammed Idris (Standard Media)
- Top moderate Kenyan Muslim preacher shot dead (AFP/Yahoo News/Bloomberg)
- UN Says Oil Search in Northern Somalia Risks Stoking Tensions (Bloomberg)
SOMALI MEDIA
Soldiers Serving Jubbaland Administration Killed in Kismayo
10 Jun- Source: Radio Dalsan/Somalimemo Online- 117 words
Last night, al Shabaab attacked parts of Kismayo especially the neighbourhood known as Via Afmadow and clashed with soldiers of the interim Jubbaland Administration.
So far, it was confirmed that two soldiers of Jubbaland Administration were killed in the attack and a third soldier of the same administration was wounded in the attack. The sound of the gunshots could be heard in places far away from where the fighting was taking place. However, the casualties of the al Shabaab fighters is not known.
Report says there is calm in the place where the attack took place Monday night but the soldiers of Jubbaland Administration are doing operations in the streets of Kismayo.
Somali PM Abdiweli in Addis Ababa for IGAD peace process on South Sudan
10 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio RBC/Radio Bar-kulan- 132 words
Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has reached the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on Mondayevening to attend the regional initiative to resolve the crisis in the newly born state of South Sudan.
The meeting which started on Tuesday will seek possible alternatives to end the months-long conflict in South Sudan between the President Salva Kir and his former deputy Rayek Machar.
According to a statement released by the Office of Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, the Intergovernmental gathering will also give valuable suggestions to the warring ides in South Sudan.
Several ministers accompanied by Prime Minister Abdiweli will also hold special meeting with several foreign ministers from the region to discuss on the issues of Somalia.
Parliament’s foreign committee defends president decision to attend Sisi’s inauguration
10 Jun – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 117 words
Parliamentary foreign affairs committee defended Somali president’s attendance of Gen. Sis’s inauguration ceremony held in Cairo on Saturday.
The vice chairman of the committee who is also a member of Arab league parliament based in Cairo stated that the president has the right to take every decision that is beneficial to the people and the nation.
He added that Somalia is an independent country that can deal with foreign countries separately without pressure. Prof. Dalha affirmed that the participation of president Mohamud in Sisi’s inauguration will not harm Somalia’s relations with other countries.
These remarks comes a time when Al-Islah movement in Somalia has condemned Somali president for attending the inauguration ceremony of general Sisi in Cairo.
Human Right Watch: “ London summit on sexual violence is an opportunity to end rape”
10 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 214 words
Human Right Watch stated the London summit of fighting sexual violence in areas of conflict is an opportunity to strengthen global efforts to end rape. Human right urged the governments to make good use of the summit so as to end the impunity for sexual violence.
A delegation led by Somali Minister of Gender Hon Khadiija Mohamed Diirieis attending the meeting, activists, donors and united Nations are expected to gather London’s summit on sexual violence and discuss how to prevent and respond to sexual violence.
“The terrible human cost for civilians caught in conflict is even greater for women and girls, who often face sexual violence from all sides and have nowhere to turn for protection,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “The London summit will only be a success if the pledges countries make to end the scourge of rape in war are translated into concrete action.”
Human rights defenders from Somalia, Mali, Guinea, and Colombia will join Human Rights Watch representatives in meetings with governments to share their personal experiences.
Human Rights Watch has recently documented sexual violence in armed conflicts by government forces and non-state armed groups in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea, Libya, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Syria.
AMISOM says continued defections from al Shabaab will help peace in Somalia
10 Jun- Source: Radio RBC- 221 words
The African Union envoy or Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif congratulates the Federal Government of Somalia for further defections from the militant group al Shabaab.
This follows the renunciation of Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom’s from the al Qaeda affiliated group al Shabaab. Sheikh Said Atom was one of its leaders who has rejected the ideology of terror, and this demonstrates the weakening of the militant group as it continues to suffer major setbacks.
Earlier this week, Somali government presented defected senior al Shabaab commander Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom who has announced that he renounced violence and joined into the peace process.
“Somalia is moving towards a secure and stable future free from the scourge of violence and terror and the Somali people have the opportunity to shape together a more peaceful future,” said Ambassador Annadif adding that “we congratulate the Federal Government of Somalia for its policy in this regard and we call on likeminded people to denounce the extremist views and join the government in nation building”.
The Federal Government of Somalia supported by AMISOM call on all those who want peace to lay down their arms. The Federal Government of Somalia continues to offer members of al Shabaab who renounced violence and realized the error of their ways the opportunity to reintegrate Somali society with a pledge of safety.
Residents in Hawaadley locality flee their houses after River Shabelle overflow its banks
10 Jun- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 130 words
The overflow of river Shabelle in middle Shabelle region has left hundreds of families destitute and desperate for humanitarian aid. The most affected area is Hawaadley locality where all the residents were forced to flee their houses after flood water poured in their residential areas. The chairman of Middle Shabelle’s court of appeal Ahmed Haji Ibrahim speaking to Radio Goobjoog stated that the flood water will wash more villages under Hawaadleey locality if immediate action is not taken by the administration.
The majority of the people who fled from Hawadley locality have built temporary makeshifts in some parts of the region and in high need of immediate support. The recent floods of river Shabelle in Lower and Middle Shabelle regions has washed away villages and large areas of cultivated farmland.
Prof. Baadiyow Condemns President Hassan for Attending Al-sisi’s Inauguration Ceremony
10 Jun- Source: Radio Dalsan- 206 words
In an interview with Dalsan Radio Professor Abdurahman Maalim Abdullahi alias Baadiyow said it is something to be sorry about that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended the inauguration ceremony of the new Egyptian president, Abdulfatah Alsisi who he said killed many Egyptians and took power by force.
“We as the members of Midnimo Qaran Party, our stand is very clear. We are sorry for President Hassan to attend a fake inauguration ceremony resulting from a fake election. The Somalis and the Egyptian ties have been existing for thousands of years. The Somalis are supporting the Egyptian people and not a dictator” Prof. Baadiyow said.
“There is no election which took place in Egypt. Armed men overthrew the elected government. They also dismissed the parliament. Abdulfatah Al-sisi is ruling Egypt by force. We are bitter for our president to attend a fake inauguration. We say that was not something proper for our president to do. We are sorry and we are not happy with what he did. That is our opinion,” the professor added.
It is remembered that before this election, the armed forces headed by Al-sisi overthrew the lawfully elected president Mohamed Morsi before Al-sisi resigning from his position in the army and contesting for election!
Somaliland: Presidential Affairs Minister opens brand new road in Toon
09 Jun – Source: Somaliland Informer – 170 words
Presidency Minister Hon Hirsi Ali Hassan has officially opened 5km road that the government of Silanyo led regime has constructed and at the same time he laid the foundation stone of another 5km that the government has promised to implement. The other remaining 10km will be completed by the residents in the area. Ceremony organized for the official of the newly built road was held on the outskirts of Toon, a village that lies south of Hargeisa.
Presidential Affairs Minister, Information, State Minister for presidency, MP’s, traditional leaders, members of the community and the committee in charge for raising funds for the new road were in attendance. Speakers at the venue expressed thanks to the current president of Somaliland for his pledge when it comes to the construction of new roads which are underway in all the provinces of the country. Hon Hirsi has urged the community to further continue to keep up their efforts and thanked the committee that is responsible for the construction of the new road.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Gunmen kill chairman of Council of Imam and Preachers of Kenya Mohammed Idris
10 Jun – Source: Standard Media – 158 words
Unknown gunmen Tuesday morning shot and killed the Council of Imam and Preachers of Kenya ( CIPK) chairman Sheikh Mohammed Idris in Likoni, Mombasa. Idris was also the chairman of Sakina Mosque in Mombasa that was recently taken over by radical youths.
Police say the body of the victim was moved to the Pandya hospital mortuary. Police say they are yet to know the killers amid tension in the area. He was shot dead as he left a local mosque. Idris had been expressing fears for his life after the radical youths threatened him and his group.
Witnesses said he was shot near his home. Mombasa CID boss Henry Ondieki said they suspect Sheikh Idris was killed by people who knew him well. “This is murder and we are investigating it because it seems the attackers trailed him for long before striking,” said Ondieki. He had months ago termed a meeting of youths at Sakina Mosque as Jihad convention.
Embakasi blast: Four Somali suspects seek review of bail terms
10 Jun- Source: Coastweek/ Xinhua- 347 words
Four Somalis charged with a terrorist attack at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) now want to drop an application for the reduction of their bail terms. The four had moved to High Court seeking a reduction of the bond of 228,000 U.S. dollars each and two sureties of similar amount, which had been imposed by the court.
When the case came up for mention on Monday before trial Magistrate Helena Ndungu, the court was informed that their file was still pending at the High Court. Their defense lawyers Mureithi Mbugua and Chacha Mwita, however, said their clients now wished to drop the application in the High Court. This, they said, will enable them proceed with the trial.
Eight killed in Somali clans flare-up
09 Jun – Source: Africa Review – 160 words
At least eight people have been reported killed in intense fighting between clans in Somalia.
The fighting erupted in and around Marka town, 110km south of Mogadishu in the early hours of Monday.
According to reports from the area, the clashes were between rival militias that have been challenging each other over the control of agricultural land in Lower Shabelle region. The affected areas include Eelwareegoow, Bufoow and Eeljaalle.
Local residents reported hearing heavy gunfire sounds from as early as 3am Reports also indicated that after sunrise, one of the militia groups entered Marka town, the capital of Lower Shabelle region, taking the strategic positions including the administrative headquarter of the regional authority.
Marka District Commissioner Mohamed Osman Yarisow and his guards reportedly left the town for an unknown destination. Residents who anonymously talked to the media for security reasons, confirmed that the opposing militias were fighting over the control of resources, particularly the vast farming estates known as Aziende.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Top moderate Kenyan Muslim preacher shot dead
10 Jun- Source: AFP/Yahoo News/Bloomberg-300 Words
Gunmen in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa on Tuesday shot dead an influential moderate Muslim preacher who was a vocal opponent of the radical preachings of Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents, police said.
Mohamed Idris, chairman of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, was “shot only once in the stomach” shortly before dawn as he headed to prayers at a mosque, Mombasa police chief Robert Kitur told AFP.
Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said it was a drive-by shooting, with gunmen firing from a motorbike. “They shot him in the abdomen and he was pronounced dead at the hospital,” Marwa said. Idris was chairman of a key mosque that was recently taken over radical youths.
“There was a power struggle at Sakina mosque — where he was supposed to be installed as a sheikh — between his supporters and another radical group opposed to him,” Kitur added. Idris’s death is the latest killing of Muslim leaders in the city, although previous shootings have been of radical leaders accused of backing the Shebab.
UN Says Oil Search in Northern Somalia Risks Stoking Tensions
10 Jun – Source: Bloomberg – 149 words
Two semi-autonomous areas of northern Somalia have largely avoided the violence that’s plagued the rest of the Horn of African nation for decades. Now oil exploration may change that, according to the United Nations.
Territorial disputes between the governments of Somaliland and Puntland, a separatist campaign by a clan-based group and “discrepancies” in oil licensing throughout Somalia are all contributing to simmering tensions in the region, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said in a May 28 memorandum. Somaliland’s planned deployment of an oil-protection force in the region may also deepen the strains, it said.
“Urgent attention must be given to this issue to avoid commercial activity triggering conflict further down the road,” Jarat Chopra, the coordinator of the monitoring group, said in the report. The document was sent to Bloomberg by a UN official who asked not to be identified because it hasn’t been released publicly.
Mother of stowaway Somali teen fears for life
09 Jun- Source: AP-280 Words
The mother of an ethnic Somali teenager who stowed away on a plane from California to Hawaii has left a refugee camp in Ethiopia because of what she says are death threats against her. Ubah Mohammed Abdule was moved outside of the Shedder Refugee Camp in far eastern Ethiopia near the border with Somalia for safety reasons, said Abdlrasak Abas Omar, a legal protection officer at the camp.
He said that Abdule showed the camp administrators logs of anonymous calls she said were made by people threatening her with death. “It’s just a 600 meter (yard) evacuation because she felt vulnerable in the camp’s makeshift homes,” said Omar. “She’s quite unstable now.”
Abdule has not seen her teenage son in eight years. The teen stowed away in the wheel well of a jetliner during a 5 1/2-hour flight to Hawaii. Abdule believes her boy was trying to get to Somalia to see her. Since her son’s trip in April, Abdule says she has received threats from callers she believes are relatives of her former husband.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Alarmed by the rise in attacks, the government is concentrating on immigrants from neighboring Somalia. But what if the threat comes from Kenyans, instead?”
Kenya’s case study in homegrown terrorism
10 Jun- Source: Global Post-1290 Words
Terrorist attacks in Kenya are on the rise, triggering travel warnings from foreign governments and scaring ordinary Kenyans. Islamic militants from neighboring Somalia are blamed for most of the attacks and in response the government here is cracking down on ethnic Somalis, hoping to halt the escalation. But Al Shabaab has grown and evolved in recent years: Now it looks like the threat may come from within.
Though the attack on the Westgate Mall last fall is the driver of Kenya’s current anti-terrorism campaign, the country knows terrorism well. From the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi onward, terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda and its affiliates have occurred regularly, if not often.
Attacks increased after Kenyan troops were sent into Somalia in October 2011 following a spate of kidnappings that Kenya’s government blamed on Al Shabaab, Somalia’s Al Qaeda affiliate.
“While peaceful reconciliation, grassroots democracy, and bottom-up governance played an important role in Somaliland’s state-making trajectory, it is undeniable that elitist and authoritarian governance, processes of centralization, and violent conflict have – for better or for worse – been equally inherent to its accomplishment.”
What Can We Learn From State-Making in Somaliland
09 Jun- Source: Fragile States Org-1638 Words
The de facto state of Somaliland has featured prominently as constituting an exceptional case of state-making in both academic and policy communities. Consequently, the case has not only come to be considered a ‘success story’, but has been elevated to constituting ‘Africa’s Best Kept Secret’.
Three key reasons appear to account for this widespread conception. First, Somaliland has, for a variety of reasons, performed significantly better in terms of governance and development as compared to its closest counterpart, south-central Somalia. Second, international observers have frequently emphasized the peaceful, bottom-up, and democratic elements of its trajectory at the expense of other traits.
And third, these alleged hallmarks of Somaliland’s state-making project have fallen on fruitful grounds as they are well in line with the pluralist and liberal conceptions of state-making that largely dominate international development approaches.
“Al Jazeera follows the forced removal of Somali nationals from the Kenyan capital to the country’s arid north.”
In Pictures: Somalis exiled from Nairobi
09 Jun- Source: Al Jazeera English-188 Words
Following Kenya’s worst terrorism incident in decades and a string of smaller-scale attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa, police launched a security crackdown in early April, known as “Operation Usalama Watch”.
Kenyan authorities rounded up thousands of ethnic Somalis, mostly from the capital’s Eastleigh neighbourhood, which has been dubbed “Little Mogadishu”. Rights groups condemned the arbitrary arrests, detentions, extortion and other abuses during the security operations. “Somalis are scapegoats in Kenya’s counter-terrorism crackdown,” an Amnesty report claimed.
Kenya’s interior cabinet secretary ordered every refugee to return to the over-crowded and under-serviced refugee camps – primarily Kakuma and Dadaab, two large refugee camps in Kenya’s arid north. Those who refused to do so were flown to the war-torn Somali capital, Mogadishu. Those who stayed in Nairobi faced extortion, violence and arbitrary arrests at the hands of the Kenyan police.
“Somalis, who have cultural and historical ties with us, needed help. Also, Turkey wanted to expand its influence, as we wanted to improve our bilateral relations with not only Somalia but also with other African countries for mutual benefit. We call this a win-win situation. Somalia is a part of this strategy. That is why we started developing the country.”
Somalia’s Long-Lost Brother Turkey Is Here To Rebuild the Country
09 Jun- Source: Daily Sabah-1566 Words
As the Daily Sabah, we organized a trip to Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, which is the most dangerous city in the world, according to the United Nations. In the country, which was ruined during the decades-long civil war that partially continues, we saw investments made by the Turkish government and Turkish NGOs. Although Turkey delivers humanitarian aid to dozens of countries around the world, Somalia is unique in that Turkey trains Somalis in areas from construction to the military.
In an interview with the Turkish ambassador to Somalia, Kani Torun, we obtained information about the motivations behind the Turkish presence in the country and the threats posed by the al-Qaeda linked Bayt al-Shabaab, which targets Turks. The ambassador also discussed the facilities, projects and services carried out by Turkey.
What are the motivations behind Turkey’s presence in Somalia, and why did Turkey specifically choose Somalia to make both humanitarian and financial investments?
Turkey has historical links with Somali dating back to the 16th century, the era of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. In some parts of Somalia, you can still see the heritage of the Ottoman Empire. The empire built water channels, castles and mosques.
Top tweets
@hancock_steph Global summit on rape in conflict starts in London today. @hrw experts plus an inspiring Somalia activist avail for interviews. #TimeToAct
@OCEANUSLive Charcoal Conundrum: ending Somali illegal charcoal trade; revenue source for Al Shabaab. Via@Tuesdayjaded @mgfrodl http://www.globalinitiative.
@Dahirkulane .@AfricaSweMFA 65% of diaspora who r willing 2 invest in #Somalia r #women!Impressive! @setradepolicy#SweSomBusiness pic.twitter.com/dqZbbLEXWO
@MikaelLindvall “Somalia is open for business!” Keynote speech by Somalia’s Minister of Planning Hon Said Abdullahi Mohamed. #SweSomBusiness
@OxfamInSOM Today,we are launching a new programme to strengthen fisheries & coastal management in #Somalilandhttp://twitpic.com/e5ukej
Image of the day
A cyber cafe owner at his establishment in Mogadishu where internet use is growing at a rapid rate #Somalia. Photo: @amisomsomalia