June 27, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
A City Council Member Shot Dead In Northern Galkayo
27 June – Source: Shabelle News – 114 Words
Unidentified pistol-wielding men have shot and killed a local council member in northern Galkayo town, the headquarters of Mudug province in central Somalia, a witness said on Monday.The slain council member, who was identified as Said Hayle, has been killed outside his residence at Garsoor village by three men armed with pistols on Sunday evening, according to a witness.
The unknown gunmen have managed to escape the scene, before Puntland security forces arrived, and launched a manhunt operation to find out the killers.No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the murder of the city council member, which becomes third targeted assassinations in Puntland-administered northern Galkayo town since the start of Ramadan.
Key Headlines
- A City Council Member Shot Dead In Northern Galkayo (Shabelle News)
- Somali Lawmaker Warns Of Worsening Security In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Tension High In Bosaaso (Jowhar.com)
- East African Bloc Condemns Hotel Attack In Somalia’s Capital (Xinhua)
- Somali Cabinet Minister Who Called Toronto Home Killed In Al-Shabaab Hotel Siege (CBC News)
- Inside The Secret Somalia Rehab Camp For Former Shabab Members (The Star Canada)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Lawmaker Warns Of Worsening Security In Mogadishu
27 June – Source:Goobjoog News – 177 Words
Somali lawmaker, Mohamed Ali Duh has warned that the security situation in Mogadishu is deteriorating barely a day after Al-Shabaab fighters attacked Naasa Hablod Hotel where over 17 people were killed.Duh accused the security agencies of failing to set up effective strategies to thwart insecurity.“The security is worsening and no effective measures have been taken by the security agencies and government,’’ said Duh.
18 people were killed on Saturday in the attack on the hotel that was swiftly claimed by Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab militants.The assault, the latest in a series by the Islamist group targeting hotels and restaurants, began when a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives outside the building.
Gunmen then stormed the Naasa Hablood hotel and gunfire rang out for several hours, witnesses said. “The attack started with a heavy blast carried out by a brother who drove a car loaded with explosives. Gunmen fought their way into the hotel, and we believe that casualties were inflicted in the enemy’s ranks,” Al-Shabaab said.
Tension High In Bosaaso
27 June – Source: Jowhar.com – 174 Words
Reports from the city of Bosaaso say tension is high in the area after the government removed the Deputy Police Commissioner of Bari region, Abdiaziz Togah.Efforts are underway to resolve the dispute over the removal of the Deputy Police Commissioner. Forces led by the Deputy Police Commissioner have yesterday taken control of some section of the city including the city’s main police station. Reports add one soldier was injured in the process of the forces takeover of the police station.
The Puntland Police Commissioner recently removed the Bari Deputy Police Commissioner from office, but the Deputy is said to have refused to leave office following the order. Traditional elders and leaders are leading a dispute resolution efforts in order to avert a potential clash of forces in the area. Bari region has in the past months had tensions resulting from a dispute between the Puntland leadership and some leaders who have been removed from office. Some of the leaders have formed armed militia against the Abdiweli Mohamed (Gaas ) led administration.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
East African Bloc Condemns Hotel Attack In Somalia’s Capital
26 June – Source: Xinhua – 171 Words
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has condemned the attack on Naasa Hablod Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia.A statement from the East African bloc on Sunday said “it is with deep sorrow that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development learnt of the terror attack carried out by the Al Shabaab on June 25,2016 at the Naasa Hablod Hotel in which innocent people lost their lives.”
IGAD condemned “in the strongest words possible the senseless violence incurred by this terror group known as a desperate group who has no respect for human life,” said the statement.IGAD offered its heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Somalia and to the families who lost their loved ones.It also wished speedy recovery to those who were injured in the attack at the Naasa Hablod Hotel.Death toll from the attack has risen to 16 and a state minister was among those killed. More than 30 others were injured, according to spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Security, Abdikamil Mo’allim Shukri on Sunday.
Somali Cabinet Minister Who Called Toronto Home Killed In Al-Shabaab Hotel Siege
26 June – Source: CBC News – 636 Words
A Somali cabinet minister who called Toronto home was among 15 people killed Saturday when gunmen stormed a hotel in that country’s capital in an hours-long attack that reportedly began with a suicide bomber detonating a vehicle loaded with explosives.Buri Mohamed Hamza was born in Somalia and served as the country’s state minister for the environment. He died when his room at Mogadishu’s Naasa-Hablod hotel collapsed from the force of the powerful car bomb, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
But he was also a family man, with a wife and two children — a daughter, Raja, and a son, Mohamed, both in their 20s — who lived in Woodbridge, Ont., a suburb northwest of Toronto.
Neighbour Abdiqani Ismail told CBC News that Hamza held dual Somali-Canadian citizenship and the two had been good friends for about 20 years. Ismail said he last saw his friend in May, when Hamza had spent a week in Woodbridge.”Even in May, we questioned, ‘What about safety, Buri?'” Ismail said.
But for Hamza, leaving Somalia was out of the question.”He said, ‘Abdiqani, we cannot, all of us, run away from reality … We cannot run away from the country. We have to sacrifice,'” Ismail said.Ismail was worried about his friend when he heard of the attack but held out hope. The bad news came around midnight Saturday, when Ismail received a phone call from Mogadishu and learned authorities had found his friend’s body.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“With the Shabab’s popularity waning, there have been hundreds of Somalis who have also left and are now being housed and counselled in “disengagement” camps in the capital and throughout the country.Somalia’s amnesty program has been operating for more than four years and the government has given diplomats and journalists tours of the camp that operates in Baidoa, about 240 kilometres northwest of the capital,”
Inside The Secret Somalia Rehab Camp For Former Shabab Members
25 June – Source: The Star, Canada- 2738 Words
The 30-year-old sitting in the home of Somalia’s Minister of Internal Security is a wanted man. There is a U.S. warrant for his arrest and a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture and conviction.Liban Haji Mohamed is charged with providing material support and resources to Al Shabab, Al Qaeda’s East Africa branch. If he went home to northern Virginia and was found guilty, chances are he would spend many years in jail.Which is why he says he is never leaving Somalia. And the Somali government is not going to force him.“I believe people should have an option in life. If you make your mistake, accept your mistake, leave this behaviour,” Mohamed tells me. “The government still keeps track of you. Our communications are monitored. We’re not engaged in any illegal activities. If I was, the CIA would pick me up in one second.” He snaps his fingers.
Mohamed is part of Somalia’s amnesty program, which allows former Shabab members to surrender without prosecution. He is one of a handful of foreign members who have defected — men and women of Somali heritage who grew up Europe, Australia, or the U.S.The majority of foreigners who joined the Shabab were in their 20s, coming of age in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The Shabab’s Western members were among the first of Generation 9/11 to join a foreign terrorist group — a problem that increased dramatically in the last few years with the Syrian war and creation of Daesh, the group also known as ISIS and ISIL.
TOP TWEETS
@UNDPSomalia:#Somalia Diaries: “We came to teach, but instead learned so much” – UNDP is transforming the lives of Somali people
@IlwadElman:Gender Based Violence in #Somalia remains an uphill battle with devastating impact on women/girls but 2 many#GBV only means rape
@NicholasK111:Buri Hamza a great loss to family, friends,#Somalia & Barawe. Man of culture, science and peace. RIP.
@MarkC_Anderson:#Kenya aims to get nearly half of 326k#Somalia refugees who live in Dadaab refugee camp to leave by end of year
@Daudoo:Rocky future for #Somalia‘s 5,000 yrs old cave arthttp://u.afp.com/ZD7e
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A band entertains guests during celebrations to mark 26th June.
Photo: Radio Muqdisho