June 26, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
54th anniversary of Northern regions’ independence marked in Mogadishu
26 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Dalsan-154 words
A colourful ceremony to mark the 54th anniversary when the Northern region of Somalia( Somaliland) got their independence from British was held in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The event that was taking place in general Kahiye police academy was attended by the president of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, lawmakers, ministers, senior security officers, musicians and civil society.
Musicians entertained the guests and the crowd with patriotic songs that reflect and portray the importance of the freedom.
President Hassan addressing the crowds commemorating the day stressed the importance of the day to Somali people and stated the problems and challenges Somali people will not prevent marking the important days in the history.
He added that his government will work hard to solve the problems and disagreement between Somali people so as to strengthen the unity of Somalia. Similar occasions to mark the day were held in all regions of the Somalia.
Key Headlines
- AMISOM al Shabaab clash leaves 6 dead in Bulo-burte (Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mustaqbal)
- 54th anniversary of Northern regions’ independence marked in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu)
- United Nations delegation arrives in Kismayo for talks (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Al Shabaab insurgents attack hotel in central Somalia (Reuters)
- AMISOM denies allegation that they side with one of the regional states in Baidoa (Radio Goobjoog)
- FAO emergency director tours the agency’s new offices in Mogadishu (FAO Somalia)
- MPs criticise govt’s decision to recognize Interim SouthWest State of Somalia (Radio Shabelle)
- Int’l press body voices concern over proposed media law in Somalia (KUNA)
- Somaliland Finance Minister meets with economy budget and trade parliamentary committee(Somaliland Informer)
- Russia provides 25 scholarships for cops to train on anti-terror (Star- Kenya)
- AU Says It’s Progressing to Military Force by End of 2015 (VOA News)
- Kenya: Governor seized over Lamu raids (Daily Nation)
- Kenya police arrest 13 for planning attacks (News24)
- S. Sudan Bumps Somalia as Most ‘Fragile’ State (VOA News)
SOMALI MEDIA
AMISOM, al Shabaab clash leaves 6 dead in Bulo-burte
26 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Goobjoog- 171 words
At least six people have been killed after militants loyal to al Shabaab terror group clashed with AMISOM forces in Bulo-burte town of Hiran region.
Bulo-burte Commissioner, Ahmed Abdullahi Waweyne told Bar-kulan that 4 al Shabaab militants dressed in government army uniforms attacked AMISOM forces base in Bulo-burte town in the early hours of Thursday.
He said that al Shabaab fighters that attacked the base were killed on the spot and added that two Djiboutian soldiers as part of the AMISOM forces in the region also died.
Abdullahi vowed that Somali government forces with the help of the African Union troops in the region will continue the fight against al Shabaab militants.
Meanwhile, al Shabaab has claimed the responsibility of the attack. Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musaab, al Shabaab spokesman said that the members who carried out the attack accomplished their mission and killed over four people in the attack.
This is the second time al Shabaab targets government and AMISOM bases in Bulo-Burte town since the joint forces captured the town.
54th anniversary of Northern regions’ independence marked in Mogadishu
26 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Dalsan-154 words
A colourful ceremony to mark the 54th anniversary when the Northern region of Somalia( Somaliland) got their independence from British was held in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The event that was taking place in general Kahiye police academy was attended by the president of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, lawmakers, ministers, senior security officers, musicians and civil society.
Musicians entertained the guests and the crowd with patriotic songs that reflect and portray the importance of the freedom.
President Hassan addressing the crowds commemorating the day stressed the importance of the day to Somali people and stated the problems and challenges Somali people will not prevent marking the important days in the history.
He added that his government will work hard to solve the problems and disagreement between Somali people so as to strengthen the unity of Somalia. Similar occasions to mark the day were held in all regions of the Somalia.
United Nations delegation arrives in Kismayo for talks
26 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 116 words
A United Nations delegation led by its Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Philippe Lazzarini has arrived in Kismayo, the administrative capital of Interim Jubba Administration. The delegation was received by some officials from the Interim Administration at the city’s main airport on Thursday.
The UN delegation is expected to hold talks with the Interim Jubba Administration officials to discuss issues regarding humanitarian assistance and strengthening the working relations between the interim administration and relief agencies in the region.
The visit of the UN delegation in Kismayo comes few weeks after the interim administration expressed concerns over the living conditions of some of the internally displaced families in Kismayo.
AMISOM denies allegation that they side with one of the regional states in Baidoa
26 Jun- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 113 words
AMISOM has denied allegations that they violated their mandate and sided with one of the parallel regional states established in Baidoa. Speaking to Radio Googjoog, AMISOM spokesman Ali Adan Humud described the allegations as baseless and far from truth.
He added that AMISOM has nothing to do with politics but always supports the decision of the federal government of Somalia and international community. He stated that the crisis in Baidoa, the regional headquarters of Bay might create havoc and insecurity in the region.
The two parallel administrations presided by the top federal government leaders signed a deal in Mogadishu and agreed to establish an interim administration comprising of three regions- Bay, Bakol and Lower Shabelle. Madobe Nunow, the leader of South West Somalia-six regional state rejected the deal and described it as unconstitutional.
MPs criticise govt’s decision to recognize Interim SouthWest State of Somalia
26 Jun – Source: Radio Shabelle – 134 words
Legislators of the Somali Federal Parliament spoke to Radio Shabelle and voiced their views and opinions on the decision by the the Somali Federal Government leaders/international community back the formation of an Interim administration for South West State of Somalia.
Dahir Amin Jesow, an MP said that the decision made by the government to recognize the state does not comply with rules, regulations or even the national law. Ali Ganey, a fellow lawmaker described the resolution as ‘illegal’ citing there were no proper consultations.
In addition, Abdikadir Mohamed Sandhere told Radio Shabelle that the decision was ‘unlawful’ and will have an alleged disastrous outcome in the political aspect. In the last couple of days, the leaders of the Somali Federal Government have been accused of reaching a decision between opposing sides with the international community, but without consultations with Interior Ministry and MPs.
Somaliland Finance Minister meets with economy, budget and trade parliamentary committee
25 Jun – Source: Somaliland Informer – 145 words
Somaliland’s Finance Minister Hon Abdiasis Mohamed Samale has invited the parliamentary committee in charge of economy, budget and trade to visit him while at his office in the ministry of finance on Wednesdayand held a meeting with them.
The objective behind the get together was to familiarize each other. The parliamentary committee was recently appointed in a reshuffle made by the speaker of the national assembly therefore the minister of finance wanted to get to know each other.
On the other hand, Ministry of Finance is now preparing to plan the 2015 national budget whereby the parliamentary committee has distinct role to play. They were informed that the ministry and the committee have to cooperate.
The committee was assigned to their roles to play huge role in the national budget planning. They were told to conduct inspections to the revenue generating sites in the country.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Russia provides 25 scholarships for cops to train on anti-terror
26 Jun- Source: Star- Kenya- 243 words
Russia has offered to train Kenya police on anti-terrorism. Russian Deputy Foreign Affairs minister Gennady Gatilov said the country will provide 25 scholarships for the police officers but will increase them depending on the demand.
“Russia has also suffered terror attacks and this gave us the impetus to scale up our expertise and technological capacity to deal with the evil,” he told President Uhuru at State House, Nairobi yesterday.
Gatilov said Russia has not changed its stand on the International Criminal Court and firmly believes in local solutions to country-specific problems. He praised Uhuru’s role in promoting regional peace in Somalia and South Sudan.
Int’l press body voices concern over proposed media law in Somalia
26 Jun- Source: KUNA- 203 words
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed its serious concern about the proposed media law that is currently being drafted in Somalia, stating that in its present form it would restrict the work of journalists and undermine media freedom and freedom of expression.
In a letter sent to the Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdweli Sheikh Ahmed, the IFJ called for a re-start to the drafting of the law’s text in a manner that is “inclusive and transparent”.
Signed by IFJ President Jim Boumelha, the letter said that apart from vague formulations in its provisions and articles, the law is seeking establishment of a “media regulatory mechanism” that is controlled by the country’s Ministry of Information and is likely to be used against independent media.
Kenya: Governor seized over Lamu raids
26 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 132 words
Lamu governor Issa Timamy was Wednesday arrested shortly after recording a statement on the Mpeketoni massacre. Mr Timamy was summoned to Lamu while he was at State House, Nairobi, where he was meeting President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“He arrived at around 2pm at Manda Airstrip and went straight to the local CID offices to record the statement before crossing to Mokowe by boat,” said a police source on condition of anonymity.
A senior police officer told the Nation last evening that Mr Timamy was transferred to Malindi and later Mombasa.
“They told him that he will be taken to Mokowe police station to record further statement but a pick-up which transported him never stopped and instead drove towards the Lamu-Malindi Road,” said one of Mr Timamy’s relatives who asked not to be identified.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab insurgents attack hotel in central Somalia
26 Jun- Source: Reuters-118 Words
Explosions and gunfire were heard on Thursday at a hotel in central Somalia used by Somali soldiers and Djiboutian peacekeepers working for the African Union (AMISOM), residents said. Militant group al Shabaab said it was behind the attack.
“Our well-armed Mujahideen in similar uniform entered Hotel Amalow in Bulobarde again. They are carrying out the operations, shootings,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operation told Reuters.
Shopkeeper Farah Noor told Reuters from the town of Bulobarde that al Shabaab fighters had hurled several grenades at the gate of the hotel then gone inside and started shooting.
“We don’t know of any casualties. The place is now surrounded by many AMISOM and Somali forces,” he said.
FAO emergency director tours the agency’s new offices in Mogadishu
26 Jun- Source: FAO Somalia-179 Words
Dominique Burgeon, FAO’s Director, Emergency and Rehabilitation Division (TCE) has today toured the agency’s new home in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
FAO’s Head of Office in Somalia, Rudi van Aaken, said the expanded offices, soon to be opened in Mogadishu, will be the food and agriculture agency’s largest operational base in addition to sub-offices in Garowe, Dollow, Bossaso and Hargeisa.
Burgeon is part of a high level delegation of emergency directors from the various UN agencies and international NGOs, which are reviewing the humanitarian situation on the ground in Somalia, following a similar visit to Yemen.
FAO, which has over 200 staff across Somalia, has supported millions of Somalis in agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors since the 2011 famine that left 260,000 people dead in its wake. FAO also provides life-saving nutrition, food security, water and land information to support decision-making in humanitarian and development programming.
Kenya police arrest 13 for planning attacks
26 Jun – Source: News24 – 117 words
Kenyan police have arrested 13 members of an outlawed separatist movement and accused them of planning ethnically-motivated attacks similar to assaults that killed dozens in the coastal region this month, the Interior Ministry said.
About 65 people died in back-to-back attacks in the coastal town of Mpeketoni. Somalia’s al-Shabaab Islamist group claimed responsibility, but President Uhuru Kenyatta dismissed that and blamed local groups.
The two Mpeketoni assaults in mid-June were followed by a raid that killed five in another town in the region on Monday. The Interior Ministry, on its Twitter site, said the 13 people arrested were members of the banned Mombasa Republican Council, which wants the coastal region to secede from the rest of Kenya.
S. Sudan Bumps Somalia as Most ‘Fragile’ State
26 Jun – Source: VOA News – 122 words
Every year for the past 10 years, The Fund for Peace, in partnership with the Foreign Policy Magazine, has released an index of the world’s most fragile states, based on the analysis of mountains of data.
And if there is a headline to this year’s index, it is that South Sudan is now the world’s most fragile nation, displacing Somalia, which has held the top spot for the last six years. The two organizations have tracked South Sudan since 2012, not long after it became the African continent’s newest country.
But in the short time since its birth, it has suffered from chronic instability, said J.J. Messner, co-director of the yearly index and Director of Sustainable Development & Security at the Fund.
AU Says It’s Progressing to Military Force by End of 2015
25 Jun- Source: VOA- 295 words
Africa is making progress towards a regional military force by the end of next year, a senior African Union official said on Wednesday, as local leaders urged less reliance on foreign intervention.
Delays in implementing the African Standby Force (ASF) forced African states to request French intervention to tackle crises last year in Mali and Central African Republic.
African officials have voiced skepticism that the 5,000-strong force, under discussion for more than a decade, would be ready by next year’s delayed deadline, prompting African leaders to approve a stop-gap rapid reaction force last year.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Al Shabaab’s Somali fighters need never pull the trigger, cross the border south, or blow themselves up if Kenyan or Ugandan recruits can do it themselves in Mpeketoni or Kampala. Winning wars abroad ultimately requires peace and stability at home.”
Somalia War Exported Across East Africa As Al Shabaab Wreaks Havoc
Jun- Source: Radio Dalsan-921 Words
A week ago Mpeketoni small, sleepy town near Lamu Island on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline. Today it is at the heart of a loud argument about the changing face of terrorism and extremist violence in Kenya and the wider East African region.
Gunmen swept through Mpeketoni on the night of June 13, took control of the town for several hours, and systematically shot or slaughtered male residents. Women and children were spared, as were boys younger than 12.
A week later, the death toll was at 60 and could go higher as residents continue to stumble over bodies in the surrounding bush. The identity of the gunmen, however, remains unclear and controversial.
Al Shabaab, the Somalia-based extremist group behind last September’s attack on Westgate Mall in Nairobi that left at least 67 dead, has claimed responsibility for the attack on Mpeketoni. The official position of the Kenyan government, however, is that the attack was by unspecified local groups, not al Shabaab.
“My advice for those working hard for the banning of Khat should include in their campaign how to keep these young men out of prison by working with the Home Secretary, law enforcement and other stakeholders.”
UK Khat ban. The “othering” of others drugs: A Critical Analysis
25 Jun- Source: Hiiraan Online-1081 Words
It is official, effective June 24th 2014, the sale and consumption of the recreational leafy stimulant called Khat, scientifically known as catha endulis which is popular among East Africans and Yemenis will be illegal in the United Kingdom.
Off course the ban of khat is not news as it has been in the news for almost a year now after the Home Secretary Theresa May went ahead and controversially criminalized a recreational herbal substance against the advice of the government’s own scientific team that were mandated to give its expert opinion on the same.
As expected different sectors and interest groups within the larger East African society both in UK and in East Africa reacted differently on the ban. Of importance was the support the ban received from sectors of Somali-British community who happen to be the main consumers of Khat. Their arguments include the psychosocial effects of Khat among the individual users, their families and the community in general in UK and back home, which are all valid.
“This dissemination of the event demonstrated to stakeholders and the public how national broadcasting can highlight specific and regional activities and at the same time create a cohesive national awareness and contribute to national identity through the sharing of a common event.”
First Somali Cultural Festival in Decades Held in Mogadishu
25 Jun- Source: Albany Associates Blog-398 Words
The first Somali Cultural Festival in decades was held in Mogadishu on Sunday 22nd June. After many months of discussion and building a partnership that would bring the necessary expertise and resources, the Albany-managed and United Nations-funded AMISOM Public Information Services (AMISOM PIS) confirmed that this unique event would take place the last Sunday before Ramadan.
The festival constituted a landmark for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was the first time such a large event has taken place anywhere in Somalia in over 25 years. Secondly, it was unique in the number of different forms of Somalia’s rich and vibrant culture were represented, ranging from music to dance, from poetry to drama, and even reaching back in time through a series of broadcasts from the archives of Radio Mogadishu, which AMISOM PIS is helping to preserve through digitisation of past programmes. Finally, and most importantly, the Somali Cultural Festival reached across Somalia, with artists performing from Baidoa, Beletweyne, Kismayo, Garowe and Hargeisa, as well as from Mogadishu.
Top tweets
@OCHASom New infographic: Humanitarian agencies in#Somalia have developed a 3-month response plan to meet life-saving needs http://bit.ly/1laxbrR
@OxfamAmerica Nearly half of #Somalia‘s population depends on $ from loved ones abroad. Watch:https://www.youtube.com/watch?
@IdilayBilan Somali house party in East London circa 1960s. Can’t find the source photographer, but this image is the truth.pic.twitter.com/AwxAYFvLcE
@SomaliPM PM of Equatorial Guinea Vicente Ehate welcomes Somali PM who arrived for the 23rd AU Heads of State Summitpic.twitter.com/Iby8MakGRF
@DalsanFM_SOM Senior delegation from @UNOCHA visit President Hassan Sheikh & Cabinet Ministers @ Villa #Somaliain #Mogadishu pic.twitter.com/BEE3aerZoT
Image of the day
Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, walks with the Mayor of Mogadishu, Hassan Mohamed Mungab (L), through the Somali capital on 25 June. Photo: UN / Tobin Jones.