June 14, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Britain Warns Its Citizens Not To Travel To Somalia
14 June – Source: Mareeg News – 297 Words
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to Somalia, including Somaliland except for the cities of Hargeisa and Berbera, which the FCO advise against all but essential travel. Any British nationals in areas of Somalia which the FCO advise against all travel should leave. Any British nationals in Hargeisa or Berbera who are not on essential travel should leave. Any British national visiting Hargeisa or Berbera should exercise a heightened level of vigilance and take care in public places where people gather. Monitor local and international media to avoid any demonstration or disturbance taking place. Leave any area of unrest quickly and don’t attempt to watch or photograph it.
Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Somalia. There is a high threat of kidnap throughout Somalia. Terrorist groups have made threats against westerners and those working for western organisations. There is a constant threat of terrorist attack in Mogadishu and terrorists continue to plan attacks against westerners in the rest of Somalia including Somaliland.
On 14 October 2017 a large truck bomb exploded in central Mogadishu (Hodan District). This was Somalia’s deadliest ever terror attack, that killed over 300 killed and hundreds more injured. Terrorist attacks could be indiscriminate, including in crowded places, high-profile events, involving government officials a places visited by foreigners. Due to their use by government officials, hotels are considered legitimate targets by terrorist groups.
There is a high threat of maritime crime in the territorial and international waters off Somalia and attack remains a significant threat in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. All areas across Somalia are suffering food shortages resulting in the displacement of thousands of Somali people including those affected by Tropical Storm Sagar in the north and flooding in the south.
Key Headlines
- Britain Warns Its Citizens Not To Travel To Somalia (Mareeg News)
- Somali Students Volunteer To Educate IDP Children In Mogadishu (Radio Ergo)
- The Newly Appointed Sool governor Announced His New Plans For The Region (Goobjoog News)
- An Electoral Delegate Killed In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- Somali National Accused Of Attempting To Kill A Politician Seeks To Leave The Country (The Standard)
- MPs Call For Explanation Over Confidential Denmark-Somalia Deal After Extortion Allegation (The Local)
- Gulf Meddling In Somali Politics Is In No-one’s Best Interests (The Eastern African)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Students Volunteer To Educate IDP Children In Mogadishu
14 June – Source: Radio Ergo – 297 Words
Around 600 girls and boys under 16 have been enrolled in a free education programme, in various displacement camps in Mogadishu, where they are being taught by volunteers from universities and schools. Sulekho Muhydin, is a member of the group of 17 volunteer student teachers. She said when she saw how neglected the children in the camps were, without a chance to go to school, she decided with other friends to offer her services as a teacher. The volunteers collect between $30 and $50 a month among them to support the programme. They also get some donations from universities, schools and diaspora communities.
The group provides basic education classes on Thursdays and Fridays in makeshift classrooms without desks and chairs. The children come from camps in Kahda, Daynile, Hodon and Lafole districts of Mogadishu. Mohamed Amin Nur, 12, lives in Hibaaq camp in the city’s KM13 area. “I have never had education before, but now I have got free education!” he told Radio Ergo outside the classroom. “In the future I would like to become a teacher and help poor children using my knowledge,” he added.
One of the biggest challenges faced by the volunteer student teachers is that many of the children are working in casual jobs to provide for their families, which affects their regular attendance at the school. Sulekho said they take time discussing with the parents and encouraging them to bring their children to school. They sometimes take gifts of food to the parents as an incentive. Most of these families however, are focused on securing adequate food. They are unable to afford the local private schools that charge fees of $12 a month. Well-wishers have donated some stationery and classroom items. The children do not have any uniform and often lack books.
The Newly Appointed Sool governor Announced His New Plans For The Region
14 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 159 Words
The newly appointed governor of Sool region Abubakar Abdi Gelle interviewed by reporters, said “he will first address to bring big changes in the region, and also to make sure that Puntland administration will work all over the Sool region.” He also pointed out that work will start in small regions that currently is not under Somaliland administration, he expressed hope that within a short period his administration would take over Sool region. Mr. Gelle who spoke about the conflict between Puntland and Somaliland, said that “ he will play a significant role to take over Sool region and eliminate Somaliland from the region. “
Abubakar Abdi Guelleh, one of the young people in Laascaanood was officially appointed last week by the Puntland President Abdiweli Ali Gaas as the Sool regional governor. Somaliland claims Sool and Sanag because the regions falls geographically within the borders of pre-independence British Somaliland. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but is not internationally recognized.
An Electoral Delegate Killed In Mogadishu
14 June – Source: Hiiraan Online -102 Words
Gunmen armed with pistols shot dead a man said to be a former electoral delegate, who had taken part in the 2016/2017 electoral process. Mr. Hassan Ali Ibrahim was shot dead at Mogadishu’s Dharkenley district, shortly after leaving a mosque in the area, where he had just prayed the Tarawih prayers. The victim was shot in the upper parts of his body and died instantly at the scene.
Mr. Ibrahim was among the electoral delegates who had selected the Members of the Parliament from Southwest State. Security forces immediately arrived at the crime scene but were unable to apprehend the killers.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali National Accused Of Attempting To Kill A Politician Seeks To Leave The Country
14 June – Source: The Standard – 310 Words
A Somali national accused of assaulting a politician outside a Mosque leaving him with serious injuries on the left leg now wants to leave the country to go and have a child through a surrogate. Appearing before senior resident magistrate Eunice Kimaiyo, Jamal Mohamed through his lawyers said he has served the Director of Public Prosecutions with the affidavit in which he is seeking to travel outside the country. “My wife is in the UK and we have been trying to conceive a baby through natural means for years but in vain, we have scheduled a procedure medically to be done in UK and we have to meet the surrogate mother on June 21”, Jamal told court.
He wants to travel to UK to try and have a child through surrogate. The complainant a former Wajir south aspirant Hussein Mohamed said the accused is trying to sneak the application because they have not been served. The application will be heard on June 28, 2018 and the magistrate said she will hear the matter on priority basis.
After the parties appeared before a Makadara Court last week, the court allowed Jamal Mohamed to file an application on release of his passport. Kimaiyo gave the orders following Mohamed’s plea that he need time to travel to the UK for medical checkup.
MPs Call For Explanation Over Confidential Denmark-Somalia Deal After Extortion Allegation
14 June – Source: The Local – 505 Words
Denmark has an undisclosed agreement with Somalia to return individuals to the Northeast African country, according to reports. The agreement provides for up to 12 people to be returned to Somalia by Denmark annually, Politiken reported last year, but it has not been officially confirmed and details of individual cases have not been disclosed.
But one of the deportations that may have been carried out under the arrangement was reported by TV2 on Wednesday. A woman from the Vollsmose neighbourhood in Odense told TV2 that she had been subject to attempted extortion by one or more immigration officers in Somalia over the deportation of her son from Denmark.
The woman, Saynab Iman Shikhow, is the mother of a man who was deported after being convicted for theft and selling drugs. She said that she had received threatening telephone calls from men in Somalia over the deportation, in which she was told her son would be beheaded if she did not pay 10,000 dollars. “These men that are threatening me now… If he is sent back to them it will be all over for him,” she told TV2.
After being initially deported in January, he is reported to have been rejected by authorities in Somalia, who are said to have been unconvinced he was a national of the African country. He was then sent back to Denmark. Shikhow said that she received the threatening calls while her son was subsequently in prison in Denmark, where he now awaits a second deportation.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Clearly, Somalia’s many challenges cannot all be pinned on Gulf powers, particularly given that their aid and investment for years has been a lifeline for many Somalis. Nor are Somali elites, long adept at navigating foreign clientelism, helpless victims.”
Gulf Meddling In Somali Politics Is In No-one’s Best Interests
14 June – Source: The East African – 908 Words
One year ago, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their allies severed diplomatic relations with Qatar. Their rivalry has turned Somalia, one of the Horn’s most fragile states, into a proxy battleground for the Gulf monarchies. This has aggravated Somalia’s already fractious domestic politics, worsening Mogadishu’s relations with its federal states and the breakaway region of Somaliland. Long adept at manipulating foreign involvement, Somali politicians across the spectrum have exploited the escalating rivalries for their own ends. All sides urgently need to step back to prevent events from taking a darker turn.
Following the June 2017 split within the Gulf Co-operation Council, newly elected Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” faced intense Saudi and Emirati pressure, reportedly pushing him to cut all political ties with Qatar. Farmajo refused, claiming that he preferred Somalia to remain neutral.
But for the UAE, reports that the president had received Qatari support ahead of the election and the appointment of officials known to be close to Doha belied his claims of impartiality. Abu Dhabi fears that increased Qatari and Turkish support to the Somali government will embolden political Islamists, whose influence it views as a threat. It is concerned, too, that it is losing ground to its two main geopolitical rivals in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In response, the UAE has pursued a dual strategy: It has reduced its ties and aid to Mogadishu – its relations with the Farmajo government have deteriorated sharply – while deepening its already close commercial and political links with the five federal states. While Farmajo’s reluctance to cut ties with Qatar and Turkey is understandable, particularly given the scale of Turkish aid and investment, his increasing reliance on both countries has further soured relations with the UAE.
The mounting tension with Abu Dhabi intersects a number of Somali political fault lines: First, it has amplified disputes between the government and rival factions in the capital, complicating a crisis in the parliament that threatened to turn violent in late 2017. The government has become increasingly authoritarian, using rivals’ alleged ties to the UAE to justify violent crackdowns on key opponents accused of working with Abu Dhabi to destabilise the government, and ousting the Speaker of the lower house and the mayor of Mogadishu.
Second – and still more perilously – it has contributed toward a mounting tension between Farmajo and federal states, some of which depend on Emirati investment. Federal state leaders have banded together to pressurise Farmajo to change tack, arguing that the president had unilaterally taken a position on the Gulf crisis that ill serves their interests and those of Somalia itself.
Third, Gulf rivalries and Farmajo’s hardline posture have also exacerbated the deepening row between Mogadishu and Somaliland, culminating in President Muse Bihi Abdi’s assertion that Mogadishu’s attempt to block an agreement on the port of Berbera with the Emirati conglomerate DP World amounted to a declaration of war.
TOP TWEETS
@Magdashi3: BREAKING: #UK issues security alert warning its citizens travel to #Somalia including #Somaliland and advise to pull out all #British citizens in #Somali territory except #Hargeisaand #Berbera. it cites possible terror attacks and kidnappings for the reason of the warning.
@Goobjoognews: FORMER HIRSHABELLE president calls for truce in Hiiraan and Galgadud regions.
@GEEL_Somali: From #Somalia to the world. Private sector investment is driving economic growth in Somalia. Somali made products are serving local markets and feeding international demand, with companies adopting efficient technology to sustain this growth. #BuySomali #BuildSomalia
@HarunMaruf: Update: A Hawlwadag district official and one of the electoral delegates in last year’s Somalia election died in separate attacks by suspected Al-Shabab assassins.
@adancabdulle: Heavy armed confrontations between gov’t forces and Al Shabab in Mogadishu’s Huriwa districts. By@golfyare
@Eye_on_Somalia: MPs call for explanation over confidential Denmark-Somalia deal after extortion allegationhttp://dlvr.it/QXFrLx
@BeachSoccer_WW: Somalia may have not qualified for the#fifaworldcup, but at the beaches of Mogadishu everybody has a team… and a sport: #beachsoccer!!!
@SSCVoices: Violence sparks up again in #Lasando today as two women are injured by Somaliland militia adding to the tense situation in the city as Ramadaan comes to and end and the inevitable war between Somaliland and Puntland over the fate of the city #LasanodSpeaks
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Chief of Defense forces Gen. Abdiweli Gorod travelled to Kismayo to assess ongoing offensive against Al-Shabaab in Jubaland region.
Photo: Dhacdo