June 25, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
A Tanzanian Militant Killed In Recent Military Operations In Lower Jubba
25 June – Source: Radio Muqdisho – 152 Words
A Tanzanian militant was among seven Al-Shabaab militants neutralized in a recent military operation that saw the liberation of Arare bridge in Lower Jubba from the insurgents. Arare served as a checkpoint where the militants used to extort local residents accessing the bridge. Somali National Army senior commander Abdi Ibrahim Ali told the Somali News Agency (SONNA) the operation also saw the death of a senior local Al-Shabaab militant who commanded the unit manning the checkpoint. He was named as ‘Ururiyow’ which means the “Collector”.
The unidentified slain Tanzanian commander was reportedly a senior member of the Al-Qaida-linked group based in the Lower Jubba region. Two more militants were caught alive in the operation. The Arare bridge is 7km away from Jamaame, a key stronghold of Al-Shabaab. Somali government forces and AMISOM are making further military advancement to liberate Jamame and other key areas in the Lower Jubba from the militants.
Key Headlines
- A Tanzanian Militant Killed In Recent Military Operations In Lower Jubba (Radio Muqdisho)
- Five Passengers Killed In Attack By Armed Men In Middle Shabelle Region (Halbeeg News)
- Somali Farmers In Middle Shabelle Try To Combat Destructive Fall Armyworm Crop Pest
- Somali Prime Minister Kheire In Rwanda For Bilateral Talks (Gosahan)
- Terror Link As Number Of Missing Youth Rises (The Standard)
- Somaliland Foreign Policy In A Deadlock: Is There A Way out? (Wardheere News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Five Passengers Killed In Attack By Armed Men In Middle Shabelle Region
25 June – Source: Halbeeg News – 153 Words
Five people lost their lives while another one has been injured after unidentified gunmen ambushed a passenger vehicle they were travelling in Middle Shabelle region. The attack happened on Sunday evening at Bos-Da’ar Village. Warsheikh District Commissioner, Ahmed Shiidka who visited the scene confirmed that, five passengers travelling in a minibus were shot and killed by the unknown assailants.
The commissioner confirmed that bodies of the five victims were ferried by his administration. “Among those killed in the attack are four young boys who were related. The vehicle was towed from the scene,” said Shiidka. Authorities in Warsheikh have launched an investigation into the incident, according to the commissioner. “We are sad about the incident and we have launched a probe into the attack so that can pursue the perpetrators of the attack,” he affirmed. It is yet unclear the reason behind the attack and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Somali Farmers In Middle Shabelle Try To Combat Destructive Fall Armyworm Crop Pest
25 June – Source: Radio Ergo – 339 Words
Yakub Bule, 48, first noticed the unusual insects eating his crops on his farm in Bananey, just outside Jowhar, during the Gu season last year. He sprayed several times using the normal pesticide, but the five hectares of maize, sorghum and beans he had planted were ruined as the insects did not respond to the treatment. He lost the 13 million Somali shillings he had invested in the farm and is still struggling to repay his loans.
The culprits turned out to be Fall Armyworm – a devastating pest that is working its way across Africa, and has been noticed in the Middle Shabelle region of southern Somalia over the last two rainy seasons. The ‘worms’ are actually caterpillars laid by a moth originating in the Americas. The caterpillars are voracious and can eat up large areas of crops very rapidly.
Yakub has recently installed a set of Fall Armyworm traps on one hectare of his land, where he is growing maize and beans, to try to manage the pest. This part of his farm survived the flash floods from the Shabelle River that wiped out many farms in May. The traps lure the moths using synthetic compounds that mimic the natural chemicals emitted by female moths to attract male moths for mating. The traps need regular checking and the lure needs replacing every few weeks.
The equipment was provided by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which has conducted training of 12 people on installing the traps, in conjunction with the Hirshabelle State ministry of farming and irrigation. The minister, Hassan Ahmed Muday, said they collect all the trapped moths from the farmers involved in the initiative. They pass them on to FAO for examination and analysis, so that they can decide on the appropriate control measure. “The female moths lay up to 2,000 eggs a night which hatch in seven to 10 days. They infest the fields and can easily wipe out the crops, even feeding across 100 km distance in a night,” said Mudey.
Somali Prime Minister Kheire In Rwanda For Bilateral Talks
25 June – Source: Gosahan – 83 Words
Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire on Sunday arrived in Kigali for a working visit to Rwanda. The prime minister was received at the Kigali International Airport by senior Rwandan government officials.
Mr Kheire later met his Rwandese counterpart Édouard Ngirente and Cabinet ministers, with whom he held bilateral talks. The two leaders discussed economy, security and judicial reforms in Somalia during their meeting. The Somali PM said on Twitter that he went to Kigali after receiving an official invitation from Rwanda’s government.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Terror Link As Number Of Missing Youth Rises
25 June – Source: The Standard – 597 Words
Police have released photographs of 15 youths that authorities say were lured into joining terror groups. Police also rubbished reports of State-sanctioned enforced disappearances. The development came even as a family in Malindi demanded to know the whereabouts of their 20-year-old son, who they alleged was kidnapped last Wednesday from his shop.
According to the family, Abdi Mohamed Shide, who runs a shop at Dongo Kundu area of Watamu in Kilifi County, was bundled into a white Toyota Probox by the gun-wielding men, who claimed to be cracking down on illicit sugar. Mohamed Mahmood Shide, a brother to the victim, said Mr Abdi’s neighbours informed him of the abduction. “They told me that one of the men was wearing police uniform and was armed with a G3 rifle, while the others who were in plain clothes had pistols,” he told The Standard.
The family says they learnt that Abdi’s phone was last tracked at Gede area, 10 kilometres from where he had been abducted. Abdi adds to the number of those missing from the region, even as the Government denies knowledge of their whereabouts.
On June 3, residents of Liboi border town in Garissa County held demonstrations to protest against alleged disappearance of 14 people in one year. Police investigations now reveal that a number of these disappearances are being undertaken by the youth themselves. Police say most of their disappearances are linked to terrorism.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Personal-level failures aside, there is no clear national strategy of recognition seeking and promoting the Somaliland case. Prof. Ahmed Ismail Samatar once stated that there is no well-written case on Somaliland secession and recognition with a precise strategy defining who is promoting and selling it on behalf of the nation, how to promote it and where to target.”
Somaliland Foreign Policy In A Deadlock: Is There A Way out?
20 June – Source: Wardheere News – 925 Words
In May 2018, Somaliland celebrated its 27th anniversary since its secession from Somalia with its fifth president elected in November 2017. In this period, Somaliland has numerous accomplishments to show in peace-building, state-building, economic recovery and development, as well as social advancements. As far as state-building and political system of the country is concerned, traditional, homegrown, clan-based political system was initially established, followed by democratization and transition into a democratic political system.
Although there is hybrid system and pure and mature democracy is yet to be achieved, this infant region managed to hold six democratic elections: three presidential elections in 2003, 2010 and 2017; two local government elections in 2002 and 2012, and a parliamentary election in 2005.
However, Somaliland, like every seceding territory, has one principal aim: to achieve official recognition and de jure statehood. Unfortunately, it did not acquire official recognition from a single nation in 27 years. It is then going to be fair for many Somalilanders to question what went wrong and if we are on the right track or have the right mechanism, including the foreign policy, to realize that goal. Both Egal and Rayale administrations made quite a few recognition seeking attempts and efforts and reached out to various nations, predominantly in Africa and Europe.
On the contrary, the Silanyo administration shifted the recognition seeking efforts to Mogadishu all of a sudden. In 2012, Somaliland government accepted to hold talks on their future relations with Somalia, a move which was not an option for the two preceding administrations. After six rounds of successful meetings and one failed meeting, the dialogue process collapsed and the talks ended in vain. Although many Somalis could foresee the non-fulfillment of the talks, others were hopeful. Whatever the odds were, we all know the outcome of the talks at this moment.
TOP TWEETS
@HarunMaruf: Somali military say they’ve killed 7 Al-Shabab militants including a foreign fighter from Tanzania in an operation that led to seizure of the key Arare bridge N of Kismayo: Arare bridge is a strategic bridge ove Jubba river that is several miles away from Al-Shabab town of Jamame
@bbcmediaaction: “I was very happy, when I heard my voice, on Radio Hargeisa, asking questions to the leaders,” says Ali Qawdhan in Somalia, “I never thought this could be possible, especially on the state-owned station.” https://bbc.in/2yyA3lB
@HornDiplomat2: #Somalia Federal States Gang against#Somaliland Criticizing Donors’ Stand on Special Aid Arrangement http://www.horndiplomat.com/
@RadioDanan: Hundreds of heavily armed #Somali troops have been deployed in and around #Qoryooley town to heighten the security operations amid recent offensives against Al-shabaab militants stepped up in various parts of the country.#Somalia.
@Magdashi3: BREAKING: At least five people in one family were reported killed, four others injured near #Washekh town in#Somalia‘s M/Shabelle region, after unidentified gunmen opened fire a Minibus carrying those people. Govt officials say they are now investigating the incident.
@mpfsomalia: The @WorldBank Somalia team met with the new Minister of @MoHADM_Somalia, Hon Hamza Said Hamza. Linking humanitarian aid with development solutions is critical in#Somalia, as @mpfsomalia stresses here:http://blogs.worldbank.org/
@IMC_UK: Baidoa, #Somalia, hosts over 350 internally displaced person camps. Sadly those in the camps are vulnerable to extreme weather such as the flash floods in May. We’re there providing health care to those in need & preventing the spread of disease.
#SeekingRefugeRebuildingLives
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire arrives in Kigali the capital of Rwanda for bilateral talks.
@SomaliPM