June 24, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Somalia President outlines his vision for growth

24 Jun- Source: Standard- 412 words

The Somali nation and I thank the world for their sustained support over the past few years. As things have got steadily better, you have worked with us to build on that confidence and maintain the momentum.

We appreciate the support of the G8, and the international support confirmed during the Somalia Conference in London in May. We hope this will develop through the New Deal process and the donor Conference in Brussels in September.

We have made considerable progress over the past year on security sector reform, political issues, and rebuilding state institutions. But I am not under any illusion about the challenges that remain. This is a job in progress but with much still to do.

Key Headlines

Somalia President outlines his vision for growth (Standard)
AMISOM concludes workshop for Somali Members of Parliament (AMISOM)
Preparations for Independence Day celebrations in Somalia (Radio Mogadishu)
Somali Police forces double security operation in Mogadishu (Radio Mustaqba)
Al Shabaab attacked Baidoa mayor’s house overnight (Qalin News Online)
Somali Parliament staff killed in Mogadishu (Radio Kulmiye)
Somali Parliamentary Committee on Human rights detailed about issued rules of HR (Radio Mustaqbal)
Young Somali facing dangers in seeking better life overseas (Al Arabiya English/Reuters)
Somalia: Rifts between al Shabaab fighters spreads to Hudur (Shabelle Media)
Govt: No terrorists among Somali refugees (Ippmedia)
Somalia: Governor says ‘Mogadishu under the control of gov’t’ (Radio Garowe)
For visitors landing at Somalia airport comes with a higher cost (Business Daily Africa)
Somaliland President Silanyo Forms national committee to prevent illegal immigration (Somaliland Informe)
Somalia: Lights and shadows (Daily Nation)
Somalia: Authorities arrest hotel lodgers in Beledweyne (Garowe Online)
Somaliland: Street children at Mustaqbal orphanage center stage protest (Somaliland Informer)
Al Shabaab factions clash in Somalia (Africa Review)
Somali man shares story in commemoration of World Refugee Day (KSL)

PRESS STATEMENT

AMISOM concludes workshop for Somali Members of Parliament

23 Jun- Source: AMISOM- 223 words

A 4-day capacity building workshop for members of the Somali Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Interior and Governance concluded today in Mogadishu. The workshop which brought together the legislators, parliamentary staff, regional experts and AMISOM civilian members sought to equip the MPs with an understanding of key concepts in parliamentary oversight and security.

In a message read on his behalf by Amb.Basile Garetetse, the AU Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif praised the legislators for their show of commitment and effort and reiterated AMISOM’s pledge to work closely with Parliament.

“Our efforts and initiatives are aimed at supporting the government institutions actively engaged in the consolidation of the peace and stability achieved so far,” said Ambassador Annadif. “Parliament has the backing of the people and its important that we transform this show of faith into tangible benefits for the Somali people,” he concluded.

“We recognize the efforts of AMISOM and we regard this workshop as the foundation of an enduring partnership between the Somali Parliament and the African Union Mission in Somalia,” said the committee’s chair, Hon.Fauzia Mohamed Sheikh. AMISOM is expected to handover equipment consisting of laptops, desktop computers and printers to be used for the functions of the committee as it prepares for parliamentary dialogue on the country’s security and administration.

SOMALI MEDIA

Preparations for Independence Day celebrations in Somalia

24 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/al Shahid- 95 words

Intensive preparations is been conducted for the Independence Day celebrations in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and some provinces of Somalia controlled by the Somali government.

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon has appointed a national committee, headed by the Minister of Interior and National Security AbdiKarim Hussein Guled, to organize events of Independence Days, June 26 and July 1.

The Security officers carried out an intensive security operations in the capital Mogadishu this week, to maintain security before the start of the Independence Day celebrations.

Somali police forces double security operation in Mogadishu

24 Jun- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 137 words

Somali Police Force has said it will double its efforts to maintain the security of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The commander of Somali Police forces Gen.Abdihakin Dahir Sa’id (Saa’id) said that operation will be conducted by the government forces to avert explosions and violence.

Government forces have been conducting security operations in the city in the last weeks but it seems that al Shabaab still carry out planned explosions and suicide attacks in the capital, with the latest attack being on UN compound in Mogadishu.

Al Shabaab attacked Baidoa mayor’s house overnight

24 Jun- Source: Qalin News Online- 162 words

Al Shabaab fighters attacked the residence of Baidoa Mayor Hassan Mohamed Ibrahim (Bikole) in Adada village in Baidoa, the mayor confirmed to Qalin News. “Al Shabaab fighters attacked my residence overnight, the fighting was going on for 30 mins and finally they were repelled,” said Bikole.

“I can confirm that my staff wounded two attackers, because we saw them when they were taking them, but we don’t know the death toll,” he added. Bikol confirmed that there is no causality from his side and the public as well. Al Shabaab claimed the responsibility of the attack but didn’t confirm any casualty from their side.

Somali Parliament staff killed in Mogadishu

24 Jun- Source: Radio Kulmiye/ Aaran news/ al Shahid- 105 words

Unidentified gunmen assassinated one of the Somali parliament staff in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

A source in the Somali parliament said that the gunmen assassinated Abdullahi Hassan Biyole one of Trustees of the Somali parliament and assistant parliamentary committees. Biyole was assassinated Sundaynight near his home in Wadajir, south of Mogadishu.

Elements from the Somali security officers arrived at the scene immediately and started operations in the area in search of those responsible for the incident. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident; which is part of assassinations against Somali officials and security agents.

Somali Parliamentary Committee on Human rights detailed about issued rules of HR

24 Jun- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 116 words

The Committee of Human rights for Somali federal Parliament has issued rules of human rights for the first time after the collapse of Somali central government in 1991. The chairlady of the committee Ms Khadijo Mohamed Dirie said that these rules will be beneficiary for Somali population if approved by Somali parliament.

The rules of Human rights for Somalia is aimed to protect and regulate the internationally guaranteed rights of people. The Legislators of Somali parliament are supposed in the third session to approve the rules of Human rights issued by Committee of Human rights.

Somalia: Rifts between al Shabaab fighters spreads to Hudur

22 Jun – Source: Shabelle Media/All Africa – 156 words

News sources from Hudur district in Bakol region confirm that tensions have emerged after al Shabaab troops in the region split into two. The tensions began when troops led by Ahmed Abdi Godane arrived at Hudur townFriday night. Mukhtar Abu Zubeiyr who controls the town ordered his troops to block Godane’s troops who were at that time approaching the town.

The two troops are not far from each other and conflict may spark any time as it occurs in Barawe town a few days ago. Residents told Shabelle media station that they fear war might break up any time and some residents have started fleeing the al Shabaab controlled town. The divisions between al Shabaab leaders is getting worse as top leaders accused Godane of dictatorship in the past few months.

Somalia: Governor says ‘Mogadishu under the control of gov’t’

24 Jun- Source: Radio Garowe- 313 words

Deputy Governor of Banadir region, Warsame Mohamed Hassan stated that Mogadishu – capital of Banadir region – was secure after authorities tightened security days after a UN compound siege that killed 11. Governor Hassan who spoke to media on Sunday said that the city security had been reinforced with forces on every street.

“The region of Banadir is under the control of the government, everywhere in this region there are forces that are preventing any acts of insecurity,” said Governor Hassan. “I must reassure people that we have overall control of the security situation and our security forces work tirelessly to protect us all. We will sadly be subject to this sort of mindless terrorism for some time, however, and I call upon all citizens to increase vigilance, report suspicious activity and help us to deter and catch these cowardly criminals,” wrote President Hassan in a press release a day after the attack.

Somaliland President Silanyo Forms national committee to prevent illegal immigration

24 Jun- Source: Somaliland Informer-168 Words

Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo has named a new national committee to prevent the surge of illegal immigration and to finds ways and means to create employment opportunities. Illegal immigration is rampant among Somaliland youth where the situation for the past months.

The president has taken a bold move to bring to the catastrophe to an end and to save the lives of the youth being an asset to the nation.

The national committee formed by the president will compromise of seven members of Council of Ministers and is headed by the Labor and Social Affairs Minister, Mohamud Ahmed Bare Garad.

Somalia: Authorities arrest hotel lodgers in Beledweyne

23 Jun- Source: Garowe Online- 254 words

Authorities in Beledweyne said that they arrested around 150 people who were living in hotels, after the hotel management refused to register guests with authorities, Garowe Online reports. Authorities stated that the arrests were made after a request that all hotel guests’ identities be registered with authorities in the capital of Hiraan region, Beledweyne. At least 150 people were arrested.

“The people who were arrested today were caught at the city’s [Beledweyne] hotels. This occurred after the hotel owners refused to register their guests after being asked by the authorities,” said Deputy Chief of Beledweyne’s central police station Ali Dhuuh Abdi. Beledweyne authorities stated that the arrested would be released pending an investigation. Djibouti forces under the mandate of AMISOM alongside Somali government forces carried out the arrests.

Somaliland: Street children at Mustaqbal orphanage center stage protest

24 Jun- Source: Somaliland Informer- 163 words

Street children in Mustaqbal orphanage center in Mohamed Mooge village took to the streets to voice their grievances against the country’s labor and Social Affairs Minister Mr. Mohamud Ahmed Bare Garad who dismissed the chairwoman of the center on Sunday.

According to nearby neighbors told that street children held the demo after they heard that Ms. Luul Hassan Mataan was expelled from the center through a letter issued by the Labor Ministry.

Ms. Luul received the letter informed her to transfer her duty to departmental director of the labor ministry. She called upon Dahabshiil, Telesom and others contributed to the center to clarify if it is run by the government or not.

Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa delegation arrives in Adado

22 Jun- Source: Radio Shabelle- 109 words

A delegation from Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a who control large parts of south and central Somalia arrived in Adado town after 3 years. The town which is controlled by Himan and Heeb and was a battlefield 3 years ago between Ahlu Sunna and the current administration.

The delegation from the religious leaders was led by Ibrahim Hassan Gurey. They attended the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected Himan and Heb president which occurred in Adado the capital of the region. Reconciliation efforts are underway in Mogadishu to unite all the administrations in central Somalia to form a federal state.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somalia President outlines his vision for growth

24 Jun- Source: Standard- 412 words

Govt: No terrorists among Somali refugees

24 Jun- Source: Ippmedia- 607 words

The government has refuted the claims that there are some al Shabaab terrorists among the 1,300 Somali refugees who have been granted full Tanzanian citizenship. The Somalis entered the country as refugees and were accommodated at Chogo settlement in Tanga Region. They are still in the process of being naturalised.

Speaking in an interview after the commemoration of World Refugees Day in Dar es Salaam on Thursdayevening, Home Affairs deputy minister Pereira Silima said no al Shabaab terrorist was among the refugees who relocated after living in Somalia for centuries. He said the National Eligibility Committee screened all the refugees to detect their status.

QC team visits Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia

24 Jun- Source: Gulf Times- 59 words

A delegation of Qatar Charity (QC), headed by the consultant to the chief executive officer, recently conducted a field trip to Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia to follow up on its charitable projects there. The QC delegation held a number of meetings with partner organisations in the three countries to discuss relevant issues.

Somalia: Lights and shadows

22 Jun- Source: Daily Nation- 919 words

Ongoing efforts to build a lasting peace in Somalia represent one of the greatest challenges facing the Horn of Africa with implications for all of Somalia’s neighbours and countries further afield. How has the government performed so far?

Veteran Somalia watcher and former coordinator of the UN Monitoring Group for Eritrea and Somalia, Matt Bryden, spoke to Sunday Nation correspondent Rashid Abdi on this issue and the question of the deadlock over Jubaland, which has become a hot-button issue in Mogadishu and Kismayo.

Q: How would you rate the government’s overall performance in the last 11 months?

A: I think the government came in with a great deal of goodwill and optimism and has set out a very ambitious programme. And one of the problems in setting out such an ambitious programme is that it has, obviously, not been able to meet all of those expectations.

The Six-Pillar Strategy is very broad, and it requires much greater capacity than the government possesses. Most of the objectives the government has set for itself will not be realised in the near-term or even in the medium-term. These objectives will require years (to achieve).

Somaliland leaders criticised over high salaries

22 Jun- Source: Africa Review- 305 words

A senior cleric in self-declared Republic of Somaliland has opposed the new wage increment for legislators which was approved last week.
Sheikh Aden Siiro said it was shameful for Parliament to allocate hefty perks for leaders.

The new salary scale was approved by Aqalka Wakiillada (the Lower House of the Somaliland Parliament) last week. President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo is to receive a monthly salary of $12,000 while his deputy Abdurahman Abdullahi Ismael Sayla’i will get $7,000.

For visitors, landing at Somalia airport comes with a higher cost

23 Jun- Source: Business Daily Africa -598 words

The first glimpse we caught of the Aden Abdille Airport— named after the first president of Somalia—was when our plane aborted a landing and then took off again. The mix of Somali mothers, businessmen, pasty NGO workers, wide-eyed children and distracted Jubba Airways hostesses was a little suffocating. The locals seemed to be all speaking at the same time. This was to prove the first taste of a cup that would be proffered to us again and again, once we were on the ground.

Al Shabaab factions clash in Somalia

22 Jun- Source: Africa Review- 191 words

Heavy fighting has taken place between rival factions of Somalia’s militant Islamist group al Shabaab in Hudur town, located 420 km southwest of Mogadishu, witnesses say. Al Shabab has however denied there had been any fighting within its ranks.

If confirmed, these would be the first clashes between rival factions of the al Qaeda linked group since it launched an insurgency in 2006. On Wednesday, at least 15 people were killed in an attack by al Shabaab on the UN offices in the capital, Mogadishu.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Coast Guard saves 16 stranded sailors

24 Jun- Source: New Indian Express- 273 words

The Indian Coast Guard on Sunday rescued 16 persons, three from Pakistan and 13 from Iran, who were left stranded by Somali pirates, off the Lakshadweep islands.

They were rescued from a fishing boat called Al Husaini, which was stranded more than 250 nautical miles west of Lakshadweep islands, by Coast Guard vessel ICGS Varuna.

According to an official communique from the Coast Guard, the fishing boat had departed from Kanraka/Chahbhar port in Iran on May 16 and was captured by the Somali pirates off Socotra. The pirates used the boat for 25 days and left it on June 10 after emptying food and fuel.

The Coast Guard received a request for assistance on June 21. On receiving the request, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre diverted merchant vessels in the proximity for assisting the boat.

Young Somali facing dangers in seeking better life overseas

23 June- Source: Al Arabiya English/Reuters-282 Words

For most of these young Somalis, the common means of getting abroad is a deadly voyage across the Aden Gulf on tiny, unreliable boats prone to capsizing. Up to now, hundreds of Somali migrants have been killed in the rough, turbulent high seas with only a handful of them luck enough to survive to tell their story.

Abdinasir Adam, from the capital city of Mogadishu, tried the deadly voyage once but had to quit upon reaching Yemen. He recalled the voyage of life and death, “It was a tough voyage. Problems started when the boats entered the Yemeni waters. We were beaten and all the ladies raped, worse still it rained and our boat was stuck in the deep seas for three days. Upon reaching Yemen, we were arrested.”

Among the victims of such experiences is also the 18-year-old Samia Yusuf, a Somali athlete who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Like most of her friends, she took the dreary voyage across the gulf in search for better opportunities outside. Unfortunately for Samia, her boat capsized and she drowned.

Somali man shares story in commemoration of World Refugee Day

23 June- Source: KSL-846 Words

When Aden Batar fled war-torn Somalia in 1992, he spent three days riding among cattle in a livestock trailer en route to Kenya, where he would eventually reunite with his wife and child.

This spring, in his first trip to his homeland in more than 20 years, Batar and his mother traveled by plane, eventually landing at an airport in Mogadishu. That alone represented remarkable progress for a country attempting to rebuild after decades of conflict, said Batar, who along with his young family were the first Somali refugees to be resettled in Utah.

“It was a blessing and an opportunity to see some of my relatives while I still could,” said Batar, who is director of immigration and refugee resettlement for Catholic Community Services of Utah.

It was also heartening to him that education is considered such a high priority for both boys and girls, he said.
“I counted 13 universities open. We didn’t have that many when we had the old country,” Batar said, referring to the period before Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in the civil war in the early 1990s.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“As the governments in Mogadishu and Hargeisa struggle to project their authority domestically and internationally, the challenges facing newer states are clear. These high-level machinations affect business, travel, and development in disputed Somaliland, which brings the concept of sovereignty sharply into people’s daily lives.”

Somaliland: Where sovereignty means something

24 June- Source: lowyinterpreter-664 Words

Even as a political scientist, sovereignty is not something that captures a lot of my attention in the course of a normal day. But when I spend time in Somaliland, it’s inescapable, and what it means to be seen – or not seen – as a state by the rest of the world is heatedly debated by people from all walks of life. Somaliland proclaimed its independence from Somalia in 1991 but has never been officially recognised by any state despite exercising a reasonable level of territorial control and internal political legitimacy.

As you enter the terminal at Somaliland’s Berbera Airport, the importance of the debate over Somaliland’s sovereign status for ordinary people is immediately apparent. Entry for foreigners costs $34, and the Government considers everyone but those carrying a Somaliland passport to be foreign. Somalis from either the south (the capital of which is Mogadishu) and Puntland (an autonomous region that does not seek independence) protest that they should not be considered foreigners because Somaliland is not, in the eyes of the rest of the world, separate from Somalia (Somalilanders are treated as Somali citizens at Mogadishu Airport).

Somalilanders are also in a bind when they depart from Berbera Aiport. The Somaliland Government considers it illegal for its ‘citizens’ to carry a Somali passport, yet a Somaliland passport gets you nowhere except Ethiopia and Malaysia. Djibouti also allows Somaliland officials entry but stamps the visa on a separate piece of paper so as to not to imply that Djibouti recognises the Somaliland passport. One can easily buy a Somali passport on the streets of the capital city (Hargeisa) for $45, which is the only option for most Somalilanders wishing to travel abroad. Those who take this option will have to pay the ‘foreigner’ fee upon re-entry after having technically violated the law.

“The remittance firms in the UK are finding it increasingly difficult to have bank accounts. Without a bank account, they lose their licence. Without a licence, they cannot operate. One of the few banks that still provides them with services in the UK is Barclays, which has told all the Somali firms that it will close their accounts byJuly 10.”

Somalia’s lifeline under threat

24 June- Source: Mary Harper Blog-583 Words

Whenever I want to send money from the UK to friends in Somalia, I go into a little shop on the high street, and hand my cash (or debit card) over to a remittance agent. The agent checks that I am registered with the remittance firm (which I am), and checks that the intended recipient is also registered.

The agent prints me out a receipt and I leave the shop. Within minutes (or occasionally a couple of hours), I receive a text message on my phone to say that the money has been collected by my friend, even if he or she lives in a tiny village in Somalia. It is magically quick and reliable.

This system has also helped get my book into Somalia. Shortly after the publication of Getting Somalia Wrong? Faith, War and Hope in a Shattered State, the sales manager at Zed Books called me in astonishment. She said a man from Mogadishu had phoned to ask her to send him some of my books to sell in his bookshop in Bakara market.

She told him it might be difficult, as she could not imagine how he would pay her for the books. He was living in a city that had been at war with itself for more than 20 years. The banking sector was virtually non-existent. He told her not to worry, he would get the money to her immediately.

Top tweets

@t_mcconnell Fears of economic disaster for #Somalia as Barclays Bank plans to block Dahabshiil money transfers fromJuly 10 HT @alunmcdonald

‏@lhammondsoas Pls sign petition asking UK govt to intervene in Barclays decision to close accts w money service businesses http://chn.ge/15rLfWp #somalia

@mary_harper More than 100 academics and NGOs sign letter urging #UK government to find solution for #Somalia remittance crisis http://bit.ly/12YTrBr

@fundforpeace #FailedStatesIndex 2013 is here. #Somaliaranks 1st for 6th straight year; #Mali, #Mauritania, #Syria,…http://fb.me/2c8qNfjtB

@AlArabiya_Eng Young #Somali facing dangers in seeking better life overseas http://ara.tv/yf8jp via @AlArabiya_Eng #Somalia #Youth

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Image of the day

Image of the day AMISOM’s Police Component offers a training of trainers exercise for 100 members of the Somali Police Force (SPF) at the Police Transport Centre in Mogadishu, Somalia. Photo: AU/UN IST/ Tobin Jones