June 12, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Ethiopian Forces Repulse Al-Shabaab In Fierce Gunfight After Ambush In Bay Region
12 June – Source: Wacaal Media – 112 Words
Reports from Bay region indicate that Ethiopian forces who form part AMISOM squared off with Al-Al-Shabaab militants in the outskirts of Buur-hakaba town in Bay region. The battle came after the militants ambushed Jamee’o location vehicles ferrying food rations from an AMISOM base in Leego location. Local residents told Wacaal Media that there were a number of casualties from both sides but could not give the exact figures. Vehicles belonging to the Ethiopian forces were also reportedly destroyed. Uneasy calm has returned to the area as the Ethiopian forces continued with their journey after successfully repulsing the militants.
Key Headlines
- Ethiopian Forces Repulse Al-Shabaab In Fierce Gunfight After Ambush In Bay Region (Wacaal Media)
- Somalia Seeks More Participation In Eala Affairs As It Awaits EAC Approval (Goobjoog News)
- Farmers Fleeing Drought Arrive In Bardale (Radio Ergo)
- Somalia Police Force Recruits High School Graduates (Somali Current)
- Federal Government Seeks To Resolve Stand-off With Jubbaland (Wacaal Media)
- Gedo Admin Denies Big Rally Against AU Held In South Somalia (Shabelle News)
- Charcoal Traffic: One Million Bags Of Terror (Standard Digital)
- Kenya To Restrict Dadaab Refugee Movement Over Al-Al-Shabaab Concerns (Xinhua)
- Minnesota Somali-American Ordered Held For Trial On Charges Of Trying To Help Islamic State(Reuters/Yahoo News)
- Security Sector Gets Lion Share In Budget Allocation (Capital News)
- Somali Event Aims To Promote Respect Understanding (SC Times)
- Can E-learning Save The Somali Language Of The Next Generation? (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Seeks More Participation In EALA Affairs As It Awaits EAC Approval
12 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 413 Words
Somalia is seeking to participate more in East African Legislative Assembly affairs as it awaits the approval of its application to join the East African Community (EAC) trading bloc. The Speaker of Somalia’s federal parliament, Mohammed Osman Jawari, on Wednesday held talks with EALA Speaker Daniel Kidega on the sidelines of a state-of-the-nation address in Kampala, Uganda. According to Speaker Jawari, the Somali Parliament is considering sending a delegation of legislators to the next EALA plenary so they can benefit from the deliberations in the regional assembly. He noted that the Somali parliament has three main areas of focus in its mandate — constitutional review, federalisation of the country and economic development — which are at the centre of focus in rebuilding Somalia.
The EALA Speaker, however, expressed concerns by the East African Community about finding a permanent solution to the issues affecting Somalia which has been grappling with long periods of instability and insecurity since after its independence in 1960. “When we look at the bigger picture and within the framework of integration, we can certainly find solutions to problems in Somalia just like in all other partner states. The more we are, the better for the region,” Mr. Kidega said. Somalia applied to join the EAC in March 2012, but the community is yet to approve the application. The earliest the country can join the EAC is next year after the verification process is complete and a report presented at the next EAC heads of state summit. Addressing the Somali parliamentary representatives, Mr. Kidega said both Houses (the Eala and the Federal Parliament of Somalia) needed to start the process of co-operation and to maintain interaction as a precursor to addressing insecurity matters, occasioned by the constant threats of Al-Al-Shabaab and banditry among other concerns.
Both speakers reiterated the need to ensure information flow and exchange between their respective parliaments. Such a move, Speaker Jawari said, would equip legislators in Somalia with best practices and to boost their understanding on regional integration. “Keeping our communication lines open is vital as there are many aspects that we can learn from each other and likewise benefit from,” said Mr Jawari. Analysts see Somalia’s admission at the EAC as an important factor to security in the East African region.
Farmers Fleeing Drought Arrive In Bardale
12 June – Source: Radio Ergo – 240 Words
Up to 70 farming families have been forced to move to Bardale town in Bay region after their crops were destroyed by a long dry spell in the region. The families fled their homes in Toosweyne, BuuloHawo, Aflawe and Garobay settlements in the district. Bardale social affairs chairman Mohamed Ali Ishaq told Radio Ergo that the displaced families, mostly farmers, had been arriving in the town since the beginning of the week. He said most of them had camped at a former government building. Abdi Dhayow Amin told Radio Ergo he had left his farm and come to the urban centre because of the persistent drought that had ruined their crops. He said they had no food left in their stores.
Hamdi Hassan Ali, from Aflawe, said she arrived in Bardale a few days ago with eight other farming families. “We have small farms and we depend on rain to grow our crops. When the rain failed to come, all the crops we grew dried up,” she said. Sumayo Hassan Aden, a mother of seven, said she lost all her animals and crops in the drought. “I had planted sorghum on my farm, but it dried up due to lack of rain. Here in Bardale, I am working as a housemaid. I am also getting jobs at construction sites if I can. I am struggling to earn a living for my children,” she said.
Somalia Police Force Recruits High School Graduates
11 June – Source: Somali Current – 148 Words
For the first time in two decades, Somalia Police force is set to recruit students from high school. The new shift of policy in police recruitment comes after the force advertised for 300 positions. “The recruitment exercise will be fair and above board,” said the head of the Somali Police Force General Sheikh Hasan Hamud who was present at the recruitment ground. He added the exercise is aimed at changing the image of the police force with only schooled officers now allowed to join the force. Also disqualified from the exercise were recruits who were allegedly drug abusers, although there was no any scientific means to determine whether they actually were drug abusers. Many experts lauded the new move saying it will improve the image of the police in the country. Many Somalis see the Police Force as low class job.
Federal Government Seeks To Resolve Stand-off With Jubbaland
11 June – Source: Wacaal Media – 199 Words
Somalia Federal government has pledged to resolve any issues with the interim administration of Jubbaland. Speaking in an interview with the VOA’s Somali service, Minister for interior and Federal Affairs Abdirahman Odowa said that Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke has named a 10-member committee comprising of cabinet ministers to oversee resolution of the stand-off. The committee will be chaired by Odowaa himself. The interior minister said that the Federal Parliament was the sole constitution making authority for the Federal government but the executive had a moral duty to come in when misunderstandings arise. He added that the committee will meet aggrieved clans in Jubbaland as well as the two sides to see how best to resolve the differences. The standoff came after the Federal Parliament unanimously passed a motion that questioned the legality of its Jubbaland Parliament which was formed last month. But in a quick rejoinder, the Interim Jubbaland administration announced that it would cut ties with the Federal government citing blackmail and lack of cooperation in its efforts to come up with institutions of governance. Jubbaland has received support from several other States such Puntland in its push to ward off any interference from the federal government.
Gedo Administration Denies Big Rally Against AU Held In South Somalia
11 June – Source: Shabelle News – 90 Words
Somali Regional Governor of Gedo , Mohamed Abdi Kilil has denied that a big rally against Ethiopian army serving under AU mission in Somalia had been held in Garbaharey town in south of Somalia, Shabelle reports. In an interview with Shabelle Media in Mogadishu, Mr. Mohamed said any news relating to demonstration which was against Ethiopian Defence Forces are baseless and propaganda reported by the local media. Somalia National Army, along with African Union forces operate in Gedo region though some towns of the region are under control of Al-Al-Shabaab militants.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Charcoal Traffic: One Million Bags Of Terror
12 June – Source: Standard Digital – 515 Words
International charcoal trade still funds activities of the al-Al-Shabaab terror outfit in Somalia, a UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea has revealed. The scathing report has further revealed that charcoal profits have doubled despite Operation Linda Nchi by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) that was launched four years ago. The charcoal, according to the report, is shipped from the port city of Kismayo — which KDF liberated from the al-Al-Shabaab — where tens of thousands of tones of charcoal are shipped enroute to Dubai , the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The al-Al-Shabaab turned to depending on international charcoal revenue after its other cash cow, piracy — where millions of dollars were minted in ransom payouts, was thwarted by a concerted international maritime campaign.
In a letter dated September 19, 2014 from the members of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the chair of the Security Council Committee concerning Somalia and Eritrea, the groups notes that to date, the scale of the international trade in Somali charcoal is largely consistent with the period 2012-2013, before Amisom led by KDF captured Kismayo — the artery for Somali international charcoal trade. The letter names Kenya as being complicit in frustrating the group’s efforts in imposing the ban on Somali charcoal, whose revenue al-Al-Shabaab requires to purchase arms for its continued terror onslaught in the region. “The supply chain entails a complex picture of collusion and collaboration by traders, transporters, brokers, wholesalers and individuals involved in manufacturing false paperwork to facilitate systematic violations of the ban on Somali charcoal,” notes the UN Monitoring Group, adding: “On the basis of shipments documented and estimates of additional shipments, upwards of one million bags of charcoal have been exported each month from Kismayo, in addition to those exported from Al-Al-Shabaab-controlled Barawe and other smaller ports.”
The overall international market value of the charcoal exported in 2013 and 2014 is pegged at $250 million (Sh22.5 billion), but could be higher since not all shipments were identified. Meanwhile, al-Al-Shabaab continues to benefit from the revenue generated, on a scale greater than when it controlled Kismayo, at charcoal production sites, from checkpoints along trucking routes and from exports, in particular at Kismayo and Barawe. The Monitoring Group continues to be confronted with efforts to obstruct its work, especially by means of targeting either the investigations or the credibility and reputation of individual members of the Group. “In particular, the Government of Kenya prevented one of the Group’s experts from remaining at his duty station, while vested interests in the name of the Federal Government sought to undermine individual members and prevent the Group as a whole from fulfilling its mandate,” the group claimed in its report.
Kenya To Restrict Dadaab Refugee Movement Over Al-Al-Shabaab Concerns
12 June – Source: Xinhua – 302 Words
The Kenyan authorities will soon come up with “stringent measures” to restrict movement of refugees in and out of Dadaab camps, an official said on Thursday, claiming that the militant group Al-Al-Shabaab has been gaining help from people in the camps. Northeastern Regional Coordinator, Mohamud Saleh, said some refugees were aiding the Somalia-based Al-Al-Shabaab militants by providing them with foodstuff, drugs and even transportation of weapons usually by donkey carts. “In our recent operation in Yumbis, the security personnel intercepted 25 donkey carts belonging to the refugees. To our surprise, the owners escaped when they stopped. This is a clear indication that the owners were up to no good,” he told journalists in Garissa town. Saleh said some of the people in Dadaab are engaged in multimillion illegal business with their kinsmen in Somalia.
“These people don’t qualify to be refugees. We shall ensure that the camp only holds those who by international standards qualify for asylum,” he said. The official said he will meet the host community’s leadership, the United Nations refugee agency, or UNHCR and the department of refugee affairs in Dadaab in order to come with a lasting solution to the “security problems created by refugees.” Dadaab, which hosts some 350,000 Somalis, is the world’s largest refugee settlement. The Kenyan government in April asked the UNHCR to close the camps in 90 days after nearly 150 university students in Garissa were killed by Al-Al-Shabaab gunmen early that month. Saleh added that some of the refugees are also involved in wildlife poaching and relevant illicit trade. “All these problems are attributed to the free movement of refugees. It must stop,” he said. Only refugees seeking specialized medical treatment and students taking university entrance exam will be issued with a pass to leave the refugee camps, according to the official.
Minnesota Somali-American Ordered Held For Trial On Charges Of Trying To Help Islamic State
12 June – Reuters/Yahoo News – 297 Words
A federal judge in Minnesota ordered on Thursday that a Somali-American man remain in custody pending trial on charges of conspiring to support Islamic State and lying to federal agents. Mohamed Farah, 21, who was born in Minneapolis and was a full-time college student before his arrest in April, was one of six men charged as a group in April with conspiring to support Islamic State militants. U.S. District Judge Michael Davis ruled that Farah was a flight risk and danger to the community, despite the defense’s contention he had no criminal record or history of violence and that the case against him was weak. Farah, whose brother Adnan Farah is among the defendants previously ordered held until trial, tried twice to leave the United States to join Islamic State militants in Syria and told a federal informant he would attack agents if cornered, prosecutors said.
In November, Farah and three other men went to New York from Minneapolis by bus, but were stopped from taking international flights and returned to Minnesota, according to prosecutors. Farah and co-defendant Abdurahman Yasin Daud, 21, were arrested in April after driving to California in an attempt to go to Mexico and make their way to Syria, while four others were arrested in Minnesota, prosecutors said. Davis ordered Daud held until trial at a detention hearing in May. Zacharia Yusuf Abdurahman, 19, Farah’s brother Adnan, 19, Hanad Mustafe Musse, 19, and Guled Ali Omar, 20, were arrested in Minnesota and ordered held after separate hearings. All six are friends or relatives with connections to other men who have tried or succeeded in going overseas to join Islamic State or Al-Al-Shabaab, a militant group based in Somalia.
Security Sector Gets Lion Share In Budget Allocation
11 June – Source: Capital News – 449 Words
The Government will allocate Sh223.9 billion to the security sector during the 2015-2016 financial year, a Sh27 billion increase from the previous allocation. Cabinet Secretary for Treasury Henry Rotich while presenting the proposals to the National Assembly on Thursday said Sh112 billion will be channelled to the Ministry of Defence and the National Intelligence Service. The Interior Ministry will be allocated a massive Sh102.4 billion in a bid build on the security measures already in place which include enhancing mobility and modernising the service. “We have committed substantial resources to this sector over the last two years including increasing the number of police vehicles by 2,400,” Rotich stated. “We have also continued to equip our security sector and recruiting over 15,000 security personnel to help secure our country and help combat terrorism and crime.”
To enhance police mobility further, he allocated Sh7.7 billion to leasing of police vehicles, Sh15 billion for military modernisation, Sh10 billion for police service modernisation and Sh1.7 billion for police medical scheme. The Kenya Defence Forces fighting Al-Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia serving under AMISOM has been allocated Sh6.4 billion while Sh4.4 billion will go towards fighting poaching. “In addition, we also intend to conclude shortly the roll out of the security surveillance system and command and control system in Nairobi and Mombasa that we enable us monitor, identify and track criminals,” he stated. “We are also rolling out our border protection system, aimed at controlling the flow of persons in the porous Kenya-Somalia border and also our ports of entry.”
The massive allocation of recourses, he said depicts the commitment of the Jubilee Government to enhance security the country. Terror attacks from the Al-Qaeda linked terror group has proved to be the major security challenge the country is facing but he says with the measures already put in place, the menace will be conquered. Other projects set to be launched include a de-radicalization programme targeting youths being lured to join the deadly group. This was prompted by the continued attacks especially the April 2 Garissa University College attack that left 148 people dead, among them 142 students. Even after the attack, the militias have continued with their incursions within the Kenyan jurisdiction more so along the North Eastern part of the country that border Somalia. This has been attributed to the porous borders although the government has since started constructing a massive wall to curb the trend. The government also intends to move the Dadaab refugee camp – widely seen as a breeding site for terrorist – to safe ground within Somalia among other measures.
Somali Event Aims To Promote Respect, Understanding
11 June – Source: SC Times – 827 Words
Mutual understanding and respect: Those are the goals of the organizers of the Somali Independence Day celebration on Sunday at Lake George. The celebration marks the formation of Somalia but also the entrance of Somalis into American culture, said organizer Haji Yussuf. Of course, it is a festival and it’s also supposed to be fun for the whole family — all families, Somali and non-Somali. Yussuf is in the business of bringing people together. His multilingual media broadcasting and television company, Orange Oak Advertising, produces videos in multiple languages for all kinds of clients, such as school districts, health organizations and employers. His hope is that the festival, in its second year, can do the same for the wider community. “What a better way than to have a festival, so we can educate people about new groups that are living in St. Cloud,” he said. “And also, it’s a very important day for Somalis.”
In 1960, Britain withdrew from Somali territory, which allowed people to form a new nation in east Africa. There, a civil war that began in 1991 and has continued for almost 25 years has displaced more than 1 million people. The actual date of independence is July 1. But the month long Muslim time of Ramadan, with daylight fasting, begins at sundown June 17. There will be food at the festival from Somali Cafe, Paneer Flatbread, Campus Kabob and more. Ka Joog, a group for Somali youth based in the Twin Cities, has organized a Somali Independence Day event in Minneapolis for the past two years that has been very successful, drawing people from out of state. So last year, Yussuf, as part of that group, decided to try it in St. Cloud. “It was something that was lacking in our community,” he said. They considered it a success with a turnout of 300-400 people, he said.
They’re hoping this year’s event can reach an even wider audience. “We wanted to teach people about the Somali culture and the history and where they come from, and who we are, and how we are contributing to the economy of the U.S.,” Yussuf said. The celebration takes place near Technical High School, where tensions between Somali and non-Somali students flared earlier this year. In March, Somali students protested their treatment. “It’s a learning opportunity for everybody. For us, it teaches us, the American-Somali youth, about the freedom that we have that we can do something like this, (and) teach that we’re part of a society … and that they can have as many rights as anybody else in this country,” he said. “For the other communities, it’s somewhere they can come if they have questions about their neighbors. They can come and ask,” Yussuf said. “It’s an open space for everybody. It’s a safe place for everybody. … It’s Lake George. It’s beautiful.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“This is the first of many e-learning sites soon to come, as the Somali community becomes more and more aware of the power of technology and the internet and starts putting it to use with the next generation taking the lead. “
Can E-learning Save The Somali Language Of The Next Generation?
11 June – Source: Hiiraan Online – 686 Words
Every summer, thousands of Somali families make their way back home for the holidays. The cities are sprawling with teenagers and young adults from the Diaspora community in their distinct fashion wear and unique way of walking and talking that makes them stand out from the crowd. They bring a flavour to town that is clearly visible, but there is one problem, they all seem to be speaking foreign languages many of whom only know the basic Somali vocabulary equivalent to that of a 5 year old. It’s been a developing trend amongst the young Somali Diaspora, which has slowly been losing its mother language, with majority of those under the age of thirty being born in foreign countries. The question now is how do we reverse this decline and prevent the Somali language from going extinct amongst young people? Is E-learning the solution? The team atwww.SomaliBaro.com certainly do think so. They are one of the first online schools, teaching the Somali Language to young Somali’s aged 11 to 30 years old. The company has its offices, staff and teachers all based in Hargeisa and is using high speed Fibre Optic internet by Somcable to connect to its students from all over the world.
Mahdi Abib is the 29 year old entrepreneur and the brains behind SomaliBaro.com and has made it his mission to improve the language skills of at least ten thousand young Somali’s by 2020.
Q: How did you come up with the idea?
A: “I always thought my Somali was pretty good, since I knew how to speak, read and write, but when I first moved to Hargeisa about a year ago, my confidence got a big knock and I realised how much I still didn’t know. There are hundreds of thousand young Somali’s just like myself with many that don’t even know how to read and write and have no tools or a service offering them to learn Somali. Almost every language you can think of is thought online but unfortunately Somali is not one or at least not professionally.”
Q: Why did you choose e-learning?
A: “I chose e-learning because of the reach it has and the comfort it provides. We have students from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada taking our live online classes. Secondly most of them want to learn in private, no one wants to admit they don’t know Somali but they all want to improve and not feel embarrassed or have to hide every time family comes to visit.”
TOP TWEETS
@SahanJournal: Somali student’s uplifting story from Ifo camp to class president of her Boston high schoolhttp://sahanjournal.com/ifo-
@XHNews : Kenya to repatriate 100,000 #Somalia refugees: official http://xhne.ws/k0UzD
@SomaliaNewsroom: Lower Shabelle governor C/qaadir Maxamed Nuur (Siidii) says he was told #Somalia forces left Tooratoorow because they weren’t paid salaries.
@djomtzigt : #WFP is forced to cut food rations for refugees in#Kenya, who have fled conflict in #South Sudan and #Somalia.https://www.wfp.org/news/news-
@willswanson : A map of wildlife distribution across SE#Somalia & NE #Kenya from 1913
@IlwadElman: The arrest of political activist Ali Yare is a reminder of how far away #somalia is from the path of democratic,rights respecting governance
@AlinoorMB : #Kenya issues new order on clearing #Somalia-bound planes at #Nairobi‘s #JKIA, #WilsonAirport —@TheStarKenya http://ow.ly/Od9j7
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud greets a guest at the reception hosted at the British Embassy in Mogadishu to celebrate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on June 10, 2015. Looking on left is the British Ambassador to Somalia, Niel Wigan.
Photo: UNSOM