June 5, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali President meets with his Kenyan counterpart in Nairobi
05 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/RBC/al Shahid- 132 words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud met his Kenyan counterpart President Uhuru Kenyatta in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The Somali president and his delegation arrivedTuesday Nairobi, after his participation in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which concluded on Monday in the Japanese city of Yokohama.
The spokesman for the Somali president Abdirahman Yarisow said that the two leaders have discussed during the meeting with regard to strengthening the security of the common border between the two countries, and the role of Kenyan forces within the African Union troops in Somalia, and the issue of Somali refugees in Kenya.
Yarisow said that there will be more meetings between the two presidents to discuss issues of common interest between the two countries.
Key Headlines
- Somali President meets with his Kenyan counterpart in Nairobi ( Radio Mogadishu)
- Somalia FM rejects fake deals signed by transitional government ( Shabelle/BBC)
- Somali conflict prevention top on UN June agenda (Xinhua)
- Puntland forces capture al Shabaab agent after gunfight (Hiiraan Online)
- We are walking targets say Port Elizabeth’s Somalis (PE Herald)
- Bay regional Administration calls for aid assistance for population in the region (Shabelle)
- Sports tournament opens in Hargeisa (Universal TV)
- Arab states urged to unite against Somali pirates (Barta Wararka)
- Leaders claim al Shabaab plotting ‘major’ terror attack (Standard)
- Recent crimes by al Shabaab show contempt for sharia (Sabahi Online)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali President meets with his Kenyan counterpart in Nairobi
05 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/RBC/al Shahid- 132 words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud met his Kenyan counterpart President Uhuru Kenyatta in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The Somali president and his delegation arrived Tuesday Nairobi, after his participation in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which concluded on Monday in the Japanese city of Yokohama.
The spokesman for the Somali president Abdirahman Yarisow said that the two leaders have discussed during the meeting with regard to strengthening the security of the common border between the two countries, and the role of Kenyan forces within the African Union troops in Somalia, and the issue of Somali refugees in Kenya.
Yarisow said that there will be more meetings between the two presidents to discuss issues of common interest between the two countries.
Somalia FM rejects fake deals signed by transitional government
05 Jun- Source: Shabelle/BBC Somali Service/Mareeg Online 179 words
Fowzia Yusuf Haji Adan, Somalia’s foreign minister told BBC Somali service that she cancelled ‘’fake’’ deals signed by the former transitional government. The cancelled deals include a proposed deal on Somalia’s long coastline which was later rejected by the former parliament.
The foreign minister termed the deal as null and void as the transitional government was ineligible to sign such National deals and had no capacity to do such transactions.
The minister added that the former transitional government went ahead and debated about the issue which was proposed by some few corrupt leaders and later rejected by the transitional parliament.
Puntland forces capture al Shabaab agent after gunfight
05 Jun- Source: Garowe Online/Hiiraan Online- 301 words
Puntland authorities wounded and arrested an alleged al Shabaab agent in Bossaso after a gunfight that killed a civilian on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports.
Puntland Minister of Security Khalif Isse Mudan told Radio Garowe that a top al Shabaab agent was wounded and captured in Bossaso after a gunfight with Puntland authorities that led to an innocent bystander being killed.
Minister Mudan stated the alleged Chief of Aminyat, the al Shabaab assassin ring – who’s named hasn’t been disclosed – was armed with a pistol and F1 grenade and engaged police authorities before being shot in the leg by authorities after a brief gunfight.
Bay regional Administration calls for aid assistance for population in the region
05 Jun- Source: Source Radio Shabelle- : 104 words
Deputy security administrator for Bay region Osman Ma’alim Abdi has called for the United Nations to urgently provide aid to the civilian population living in the region. Mr. Osman noted that the region was the most vulnerable to suffer from food insecurities but international NGOs ignored the region completely. He added that a lot of children suffer from malnutrition and no aid assistance has been provided to the region for a long time. Mr. Osman’s words come as poor living conditions have been reported at some towns in Bay region.
Sports tournament opens in Hargeisa
05 Jun- Source: Horn Cable TV/ somalilandinformer/Sabahi online/Universal TV- 157 words
The 2013 Somaliland regional sports tournament began Sunday (June 2nd) at the Hargeisa Football Stadium, with Marodi Jeh winning 2 to 1 over Sarar. Somaliland regional President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo opened the tournament, which will continue through June.
“It is the seventh tournament since 2001. Hargeisa will host it this year, and we want the tournament to be held in a different region each year,” said Mohamed Nuh Jibril, director of the sports department in the Somaliland Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.
Thirteen regions will compete in football and track and field competitions, while seven regions — Marodi Jeh, Hawd, Sanaag, Togdheer, Awdal, Gabiley and Sahil — will compete in basketball, he told Sabahi. The basketball and track and field competitions began on Monday.
Somaliland Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Ali Said Raygal said he found it exciting that Bhodle, Dad-marer. Badhan and Sarar are competing for the first time.
Al Shabaab seize bomb making materials
04 Jun- Source: Barta Wararka- 499 words
According to reliable security sources in Baidoa town, al Shabaab militants this week seized several trucks carrying fertilizer and scrap metals in two separate incidents that clearly indicate that the militants are trying to develop bomb making materials.
On Thursday, last week al Shabaab seized the three trucks carrying the fertilizers in Qansax Omaane village of Berdaale district, approximately 77 km west of Baidoa town. A day later on Friday, al Shabaab seized a truck carrying scrap metals in the same village of Qansax Omaane. They then commandeered the four truck to Wajid town where they offloaded the fertilizers and scrap metals into stores.
Wajid town was a key hub for United Nations office in south central Somalia and until very recently was a key World Food Program (WFP) hub where UN staffs used to connect local and international flights within Somalia and those out to Nairobi-Kenya.
Local residents say Qansax Omaane village has suddenly become a key village where al Shabaab extort money from locals and travelers. The trucks carrying the fertilizers had reportedly left Mandera town, which is a key border town where Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia share a common border.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Arab states urged to unite against Somali pirates
05 Jun- Source: National (UAE)- 688 words
Arab countries were urged yesterday to work together to stamp out Somali piracy. “There is a need for a unified Arab strategy and approach,” said Navy Col Mahmoud Al Zarooni.
He suggested establishing a regional coordination centre to share vital information, using satellites to track pirate vessels and evolving a mechanism to link Arab ports with information and data.
“Security teams can also be created and trained on how to respond; there can be divisions into different zones with checkpoints when ships pass through,” he said.
“There should also be established legal procedures and courts to prosecute pirates. This is all required because the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea are strategic passages for international trade and an important oil route to the rest of the world. We need a coordinated approach so there are no more negative consequences of piracy to international trade.”
Col Al Zarooni was speaking at a conference in the capital on the challenges of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
Leaders claim al Shabaab plotting ‘major’ terror attack
04 Jun- Source: Standard- 157 words
Leaders in Garissa County have expressed fears that the al Shabaab militia are planning to launch a major attack, just days after five people were killed in Damajaley and Abdisugow areas.
They warned security agents to take seriously prevalent talk that heavily armed ruminants of the outlawed terror group were roaming in the county.
Dadaab MP Dr Mohamed Dahiye also disclosed that one civilian was killed and two others seriously injured in a fresh attack at Kulan in his constituency.
Ethiopian Migrants Return from Somaliland
04 Jun- Source: New Business Ethiopia -348 words
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says it has helped volunteer return of 42 Ethiopian migrants stranded in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
The return by IOM bus from Hargeisa to Jijiga, on the Ethiopian side of the border, took three hours. The migrants underwent pre-departure IOM medical checks to ensure that they were physically able to travel by road, according to the press statement from IOM.
“Many of the group, who sought shelter at IOM’s Migration Response Centre in Hargeisa, were sick or had suffered abuse at the hands of smugglers and traffickers.The operation, which began yesterday, was closely coordinated with the Government of Ethiopia, which dispatched two immigration officials to Hargeisa to screen the migrants and issue travel documents.”
Terrorist suspect arrested in Malaba, to be interrogated in Eldoret town
04 Jun- Source: Star (Kenya)- 265 words
A suspected terrorist was arrested by police in Malaba at the weekend and transferred to Eldoret for interrogation. Alex Wamuthoni who is also know as Salim Mustafa is believed to be a member of al Shabaab.
Police sources could however not reveal where and how Wamuthoni, a Kenyan national, was arrested before he was remanded at Malaba police station.
It is believed the suspect had been on police radar for a couple of months before the anti-terrorist police nabbed him. The arrest of the terror suspect came a few days after a new global report on terror by the United States of America showed Kenya has been successfully fighting terrorism.
Recent crimes by al Shabaab show contempt for sharia
04 Jun- Source: Sabahi Online- 762 Words
Al Shabaab militants have carried out a string of brutal attacks and crimes against civilians in recent weeks — kidnapping, beheading and robbing Somalis in complete disregard of the sharia law the group purports to uphold.
On May 30th, al Shabaab ordered the release of six of its fighters accused of robbing $6,000 from a pharmacy in Baardheere and sentenced to have their right hands cut off.
“I gathered with crowds from the town to witness the punishment delivered to the six al Shabaab fighters, as we expected their right hands to be amputated,” said Yusra Nur Abdirahman, a 28-year-old resident of Baardheere. “All of a sudden, a representative from the group [responsible for sentencing] Sheikh Adan Nuh announced through loudspeakers that the six mujahedeen would be given 39 lashes as punishment for their crime.”
She said Nuh ordered $4,900 to be returned to the pharmacist, who is an al Shabaab supporter.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali, conflict prevention top on UN June agenda
05 Jun- Source: people’s daily/ Xinhua- 251 words
The UN Security Council, while keeping an eye on preparations for the upcoming Geneva conference on Syria, is expected to discuss Somalia, conflict prevention and natural resources and the prevention of sexualviolence in conflict, the British ambassador, the council president for June, said on Tuesday.
Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, London’s envoy to UN Headquarters, told reporters here the Syrian situation remains high on the list of topics member of the 15-nation panel discuss between themselves in closed-door sessions.
To follow up on the outcome of the recent London Conference on Somalia, the British minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, was expected to attend a session on Somalia on Thursday when UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson will brief the council, he said.
We are walking targets, say Port Elizabeth’s Somalis
05 June- Source: PE Herald-191 Words
Despondent Somalis living in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, want police to intervene in attacks on Somalis in the township, some of which have resulted in death.
The Somalis claim police are doing nothing, despite the fact that they are constantly targeted by criminals who assault and rob them. They say they bury “one or two” Somalis – the victims of crime – every weekend.
Bare Bashir Dahir, spokesman for the Somali community in New Brighton, said Somalis had become walking targets and were no longer just attacked at their businesses.
“We are even robbed in taxis. Our cars are being shot at in broad daylight. Every weekend we have to bury one or two of us because of these attacks. We are now concerned that the situation spells xenophobia. We do not pose a threat to anyone. All we want is to work for our families,” he said.
“We have totally lost trust in the police of New Brighton in as much as the victims don’t even bother to report their incidents. Some of these shooting incidents take place just a few metres from the police station, but nothing is done,” Dahir said.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The aspirations of the people of Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba, and Gedo regions must be recognized. The sacrifices made by Ras Kamboni in recovering Kismayo from al Shabaab must also be acknowledged. However, the SFG’s concerns about the inclusivity and transparency of the process that gave birth to “Jubbaland State” also require careful consideration.”
The Kismayo Crisis: Options for Compromise
04 June- Source: Wardheernews/Heritage Institute-536 Words
The growing crisis in Kismayo has the potential to undermine the Somali Federal Government (SFG). It also threatens to bring the fragile and recovering nation back to the brink of civil war. The crisis risks destabilizing the Horn of Africa region, balkanizing southern Somalia, and creating an opening for al-Shabaab to reassert control in recently recovered areas. It is therefore critical for major stakeholders—the SFG, the Kenyan Government, the Ras Kamboni group, and the international community—to resolve the crisis in Kismayo immediately.
Contestation for control has been simmering since the city was recovered from al-Shabaab in October 2012. The SFG intends to apply its template for establishing local administrations as it has in Bay and Hiiraan regions. On 15 May 2013, the Kenyan-backed Ras Kamboni group declared the formation of “Jubbaland State” nominally incorporating Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba, and Gedo regions. Al Shabaab still controls Middle Jubba, and the SFG recently established a local administration in Gedo. Currently the viability of a “Jubbaland” state is tenuous.
Both the SFG and Ras Kamboni are citing the Provisional Constitution to argue their cases. While constitutional ambiguity certainly adds to the complexity of the crisis, the problem ultimately stems from a struggle for authority and resources. The sooner both sides recognize the limits of their authority, the sooner a satisfactory solution to the crisis can be found. A compromise is possible only if both sides are willing to accommodate their differences within the framework of the Provisional Constitution on the sharing of power, resources, and national obligations.
“PARS is the only Navy product that fuses shipping information, environmental data, pirate locations, pirate operating procedures and predicted pirate behaviors into a cohesive forecast environment.”
Combating pirate attacks near the coast of Somalia with statistical modeling
05 June- Source: Computer World-386 Words
In years past, pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia were rising, climbing from 60 cases in 2007 to 181 in 2009. Pirates were killing innocent people and taking others hostage. Their attacks were disrupting commerce and shipping traffic, as well as costing the world’s economy billions of dollars every year. President Obama called piracy a threat to both U.S. national security and foreign policy.
To combat the age-old threat, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command turned to a modern weapon: technology.
In early 2009, the command developed the framework for the first-generation Piracy Performance Surface (PPS) model, which produced maps showing the probability of attacks based on how environmental conditions such as wave height and wind speed affected the pirates’ small-boat operations. The model highlighted areas where shipping would be susceptible to piracy.
Following up on the success of the PPS model, command leadership decided to develop a more advanced antipiracy model called the Piracy Attack Risk Surface (PARS).
Top tweets
@cctvnewsafrica #Amisom police recently finished series of investigative training courses for #Somali police hoping it would add value to their prowess.
@ferigom69 Dhow hijacked by pirates this morning at 0545 UTC in position 11 36 N 049 15 E. Source: MSC(HOA)#somalia #piracy pic.twitter.com/81UhHjIY7n
@amisomsomalia New UN mission #UNSOM begins work in #Somalia http://on.fb.me/YJ6HUd w
@Liban_kader Wondering why so suddenly #Egyptinterested in #somalia. I guess its about #Ethiopia nile issues. #somalia should be out of that game.
@MDSomaJ Official Flyer 4 The Minnesota Protest of the Killings of #Somali Refugees in South Africa. #Somalia#SomalisInSA pic.twitter.com/gkCGLbouvM
Image of the day
Members of the Somali Police Force (SPF) prepare for a crowd control and management exercise during the conclusion of a two week specialized advanced training course in Public Order Management and close-protection conducted by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) at General Kahiye Academy in the country’s capital Mogadishu.