June 9, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somali Leader Predicts Defeat Of Extremists By End Of 2015
09 June – Source: Yahoo News/Associated Press – 346 Words
Somalia’s prime minister predicted on Monday that Al-Shabaab will be defeated militarily by the end of the year, however tackling the root causes that attract young people to the al-Qaida-linked group will take some time. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, told reporters after a closed-door meeting with the U.N. Security Council that there may be increased attacks in June when Ramadan begins, which Al-Shabaab has done in recent years. But he also said the military campaign by the Somali National Army and African Union forces have been successful and the Islamic militants now control only 20 percent of the country. “We hope that in the coming few months the whole country will be liberated,” Sharmake said. “We are really on the verge of defeating them in terms of conventional arms.”
The Prime Minister, said he looks forward to having all states liberated by the end of the year. Stabilization programs are under way in every district to revitalize the economy, establish rule of law, and start educating and providing jobs for young people who now see no other alternative than joining Al-Shabaab. Somalia has been trying to rebuild after establishing its first functioning central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a longtime dictator and then turned on each other, plunging the impoverished nation into chaos. The country’s weak government is being supported by the AU and Somali troops against the Al-Shabaab insurgency. Despite major setbacks in 2014, Al-Shabaab continues to wage a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s government and remains a threat in the East African region, carrying out a series of deadly terror attacks in neighboring Kenya which has troops in the AU force fighting the insurgents in Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Somali Leader Predicts Defeat Of Extremists By End Of 2015 (Yahoo News/Associated Press)
- As MasterCard Enters Somali Financial Markets Get Boosted By Payment Card Processor (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland Starts Major Relocation Of Yemeni Refugees (Horseed Media)
- Jubbaland Asks Hassan Sheikh To Come Clear On Action By Federal Parliament (Wacaal Media)
- Vision 2016: Jubbaland Sees Red (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Government Detains Social Media Imposters (Radio Dalsan)
- Somalia Army Regroups To Re-take Over Dhusamareb (Shabelle News)
- Somalia: UN Envoy Applauds Successes As Country ‘Comes Together’ (UN News Centre)
- Qatar Charity Launches Iftar Project In 40 Countries (The Peninsula Online)
- Somali Australian Council Of Victoria Gets $50000 To Fight Radicalisation and Extremism (The Herald Sun)
- Man 25 Shot Dead Near Cedar Cultural Center In Minneapolis (Star Tribune)
- High Court Declines Review Of Somali Man’s Asylum Bid (Law 360)
- Mo Farah’s Medical Records Probed As He’s Urged To Ditch Salazar (London Evening Star)
- Yemen’s ‘Permanent Refugees’ Quest For Somaliland Haven (Middle East Eye)
- The Danger of False Narratives: Al-Shabaab’s Faux Ivory Trade (Council On Foreign Relations)
PRESS STATEMENT
UN Envoy To Somalia Expresses Concern Over Tension In Galgadud Region, Urges Forces To Withdraw
08 June – Source: UNSOM – 190 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has expressed deep concern over the recent events in Galgadud Region. On 7 June, Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) militia overran Dhusamareb town and took control of government installations.
“I am very concerned about the developments in Dhusamareb,” said SRSG Kay. “All parties must respect the ceasefire agreement signed in Guricel on 5 March 2015, refrain from violent actions and make immediate efforts to de-escalate the situation. The Adaado state formation conference is crucial for strengthening peace in the Central Regions and Somalia. The progress made to date should be preserved and built upon.”
“I urge the ASWJ forces to disengage and withdraw to earlier positions. All differences should be resolved through peaceful dialogue and compromise. Resorting to arms to stake any community’s claims puts at risk the significant progress made in the state formation process,” added SRSG Kay. The United Nations is committed to working with the Somali people to support the nation’s peace and state-building process.
NATIONAL MEDIA
As MasterCard Enters, Somali Financial Markets Get Boosted By Payment Card Processor
09 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 358 Words
MasterCard is the first International payment network to enter the country, an almost scientific breakthrough in a country ravaged by war and anarchy. It’s not Premier Bank that benefits from the new arrangement but Somalia’s emerging financial market stands a chance as this opens door to the outside world and paves the way for other international financial institutions. Somali Minister of Planning and International Co-operation was jubilant and optimistic by saying “Somalia has made significant strides to rebuild the country and instill peace and stability.” He was attending the World Economic Forum held in Cape Town where MasterCard has presented its new venture in Somalia.
This marks a historic milestone, signaling Somalia’s financial liberation following years of being excluded from participating in the global economy. Somalia has abundant history of business and trading legacies in Africa. In the medieval ages Somali traders were active members of silk-road trading network that served as the connecting dots between the continents on cultural and business ties. Despite years of anarchy, Somali telecommunication industry is one of the finest and cheapest networks in the continent. The introduction of MasterCard to Somali markets has the potential to solve problems with the money transfer companies which generates over a billion dollars a year. The country’s rich remittance market has suffered several setbacks in the last couple of years after legal battle with European and American anti-money laundering and terror agencies.
Kenya which hosts the biggest Somali business market has joined Euro-American league by shutting down several important remittance companies in its country. MasterCard may offer alternatives in saving the market for both Somalis and concerned governments. Somali Government has been complaining a long time about not accessing the International banking system inside the country to withdraw the donors fund from their overseas accounts. The E-commerce of the country is also expected to grow, allowing Somali traders can engage online markets smoothly because of MasterCard’s introduction. The Central Bank didn’t waste time to register MasterCard as financial service provider, the first in the country’ history.
Puntland Starts Major Relocation Of Yemeni Refugees
09 June – Source: Horseed Media – 159 Words
Somalia’s State of Puntland has started the relocation of hundreds of Yemeni refugees who have fled the violence in the middle-eastern country. The camp-to-apartment resettlement program started on 8 June, following weeks of planning and preparation by Puntland in collaboration with the International aid organizations and local businessmen. In the first major resettlement program, about 200 refugees were transferred from an overcrowded makeshift settlement in Bossaso to Qhardo, a city which is some 250-KM South of the Commercial hub town where they have been staying. They were warmly welcomed by the local authorities and residents. In their new accommodation, they were given blankets, sleeping mattresses, kitchen sets and other household materials. “We thank the government and people of Puntland for the brotherhood treatment since we arrived here. We didn’t expect to be welcomed in this way,’’ said one of the families.
Jubbaland Asks Hassan Sheikh To Come Clear On Action By Federal Parliament
09 June – Source: Wacaal Media – 169 Words
The interim administration of Jubbaland has given president of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud up to 24 hours to make his position public regarding the decision by the Federal Parliament to pass a vote of no confidence in its recently formed assembly. Addressing angry Kismaayo residents protesting against the standoff earlier today, Jubbaland’s second vice president Suldaan Abdikadir Mohamed Luga-dheere said that his administration was not satisfied with a press statement released by the head of the Federal government. He added that they want the president to clearly indicate his position as to whether he endorses the decision by the federal parliament or not. “The decision by Jubbaland to cut ties with the federal government was an all-inclusive one agreed upon by the president and traditional elders in Jubbaland. We are now asking the federal president to let us know of his position” said Luga-dheere. His call comes as area residents came out in large numbers today in Kismaaayo to participate in a demonstration against the ruling of federal assembly.
Vision 2016: Jubbaland Sees Red
09 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 201 Words
As Somalia is fast approaching 2016 deadline to hold elections and implement fully fledged federal units, the Jubbaland state is worried about the prospect of reaching this target? One deputy minister of Jubbaland has told Goobjoog News that there is no political willingness to meet the deadline, and the recent motion against Jubbaland assembly is well calculated from the top to derail vision 2016. “Not all MPs are from Mogadishu, they represents regions and constituencies, if you menace the regions and don’t listen to the will of the people, I don’t know the logic of claiming to be a federal authority” said Mohamed Noor Bule, the Deputy Minister of Water and Mining of Jubbaland. He was speaking hours after al large demonstration has rocked Kismaayo city denouncing the recent vote by the federal parliament which called for the disbandment of Jubbaland assembly after accusations of irregularities in how it was formed. In a previous statement, Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam said that there is an urgent need to replace the current parliament which is characterized by political infighting. He doubted it can complete the required amount of work before elections could be held, this includes electoral bills and important constitutional committees.
Somali Government Detains Social Media Imposters
08 June – Source: Radio Dalsan – 159 Words
Somali Internal Security Ministry has said it had detained two people for setting up fake social media accounts and pretending to be government officials. Mohamed Yussuf, Internal Security Spokesman has said the security agencies have successfully tracked and arrested three people and are investigating another person who is suspected to be outside the country. “The security agencies have discovered two people who set up fake social media accounts to abuse government officials, we have tracked their IP addresses and arrested two suspects namely Omar Hayow and Ali Abdi, investigations are going on,” he said. Fake twitter and Facebook accounts purporting to be senior government officials in Somalia have been openly operating. Former PM Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has last year denied fake Facebook username under his name after posting comments on political crisis in the country at the time. Current National Assembly Speaker, Professor Mohamed Osman Jawari has also dismissed being in any social media after another imposter in twitter.
Somalia Army Regroups To Re-take Over Dhusamareb
08 June – Source: Shabelle News – 102 Words
Somalia government forces are regrouping outside Adado town, in a bid to recapture Dhusamareb city which was held by moderate Islamist Ahlu Sunna fighters. Somalia army lost Dhusamareb town to Ahlu Sunna fighters after deadly fighting which killed at least 2 people and injured unconfirmed number of others, officials said. Sources told Shabelle Media based in Mogadishu that government forces were planning to launch new counter offense to capture the capital of Somalia’s Galgadud region, Dhusamareb. According to sources, residents are concerned about deadly fighting between expelled Somali army and fighters loyal to Ahlu Sunna group to erupt again in the town of Dhusamareb.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia: UN Envoy Applauds Successes As Country ‘Comes Together’
09 June – Source: UN News Centre – 342 Words
The top United Nations official in Somalia lauded the progress made in the Horn of Africa country amid military and political gains on the ground and a successful partnership between international and national stakeholders. Briefing the UN press corps at the Organization’s Headquarters in New York and following an informal interactive dialogue with the Security Council held earlier in the day, Nicholas Kay, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), told reporters that the situation in the country remained a “distinctive bright spot” on the Council’s agenda as the nation continues down its road towards political recovery and increased security.
Despite ongoing difficulties throughout the country ranging from economic to political to security issues, Mr. Kay, however, explained that Somalia retained all the problems of a country “still coming together” after decades of conflict. “Why is it coming together and why is it being successful?” he asked. “Because it is firstly a Somali-led and owned process and the result of a unique partnership between the African Union, UN, and the Federal Government.” Moreover, he added, the gains on the ground against Al-Shabaab – the Islamist extremist group that has waged a long-standing terrorist campaign against Somalia’s Government – underscored the successes of a cohesive military operation which formed merely “one component in a comprehensive approach.”
Qatar Charity Launches Iftar Project In 40 Countries
09 June – Source: The Peninsula Online – 397 Words
Qatar Charity (QC) has launched its annual Iftar project for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan in 40 countries across the world. QC said it is making all efforts to reach countries witnessing crises, special circumstances, or natural disasters. It has urged the public to offer their Zakat, charities, and donations for this project to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of thousands of fasting Muslims in these countries. This charity will provide Iftar meals to approximately 98,000 Syrian people in their transitional shelters in Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq, as well as Syrians who have been internally displaced.
Additionally, Qatar Charity will support around 13,000 people in different governorates in Yemen. It will also provide Iftar meals to approximately 8000 Iraqi people who have been displaced from conflict areas such as the Anbar and Mosul provinces. In the current project, Qatar Charity seeks to provide Iftar meals to Palestinians in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. The estimated target group in Palestine is around 43,000 Palestinians. Moreover, Qatar Charity will support more than 53,000 Somalis, and will reach them in different towns and villages in Somalia as well as in refugee camps, where a large number of Somalis currently reside due to continuous armed conflict in their original areas of residence.
Somali Australian Council Of Victoria Gets $50,000 To Fight Radicalisation and Extremism
09 June – Source – The Herald Sun – 321 Words
The Somali Australian Council of Victoria will spent the money on counter-terrorism forums, training and youth leadership programs throughout Victoria and would help prevent and address the causes of radicalisation of vulnerable people. Families will be taught how to recognise signs of radicalisation and extremism in young and vulnerable people in workshops and forums to be held this year. The group was one of only 34 across the nation to get a highly sought-after grant from the Federal Government’s $1.6 million pool of money to fight radicalisation. It comes as the State Government looks to enact new laws to allow police to force would-be jihadis into de-radicalisation programs and ban them from the internet.
Somali Australian Council of Victoria secretary Hussein Haraco said there was concern in the community that young people were being radicalised. He said racism, unemployment and losing a sense of belonging were some reasons for people to feel isolated and connect with terrorist groups overseas. “(The workshops will) help families to recognise signs like changes in behaviour, not talking, not laughing, changing friendship groups or talking extreme things,” Dr Haraco said. Banyule’s Somali community already runs a soccer program to engage youth and make them feel connected, Dr Haraco said. Banyule Mayor Craig Langdon said the council would provide advice and expertise to support the Somali Australian Council of Victoria in its proposed work. “(Banyule) Council supports a whole-of-community approach to this issue and the need to continue building strong local partnerships, including with religious leaders, young people and community agencies,” Cr Langdon said.
Man, 25, Shot Dead Near Cedar Cultural Center In Minneapolis
08 June – Source: Star Tribune – 378 Words
A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in Minneapolis near the Cedar Cultural Center, and witnesses reported seeing two people fleeing immediately afterward, authorities said Monday. The shooting occurred about 10:45 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of Cedar Avenue South, police said. No arrests have been made. “Witnesses observed two suspects fleeing the scene,” a police report read. Numerous 911 calls brought officers to the scene, where the victim was found on the ground with a gunshot wound, according to police. The man was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
His identity has not yet been made public. Police said in a statement that the violence “does not appear to be a random incident.” Abdirizak Bihi said he was about two blocks from the scene in front of the Cedar Cultural Center when he heard two shots fired. He ran toward the direction of the sounds. “When I got there, there were two guys trying to save his life, pumping his chest and talking to him,” Bihi recalled Monday of the futile attempts to save the man’s life. “While they tried to save him, I heard two more shots,” said Bihi, director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center located in the Brian Coyle Community Center in the southeast Minneapolis neighborhood. “The courage and the bravery those men showed while trying to help him was really something.
High Court Declines Review Of Somali Man’s Asylum Bid
08 June – Source: Law 360 – 497 Words
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review an Eleventh Circuit decision that denied an asylum bid for a Somali man who claimed he would have to choose between death or becoming a terrorist upon deportation. Ali Bashir Mohamed asserted that he fled Somalia in 2008 after the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab murdered his brother and threatened to kill him if he did not join their cause, according to his April 27 petition for certiorari, which the court denied without comment. Mohamed, born a member of the minority ethnic Garre clan, said his clan is considered by other groups not to be “real Somalis” and lacks political or military power, exposing its members to persecution and violence. But in February 2014, judges on the Eleventh Circuit denied his petition for review, in part because they determined that even if he were persecuted because of his political beliefs, Mohamed hadn’t proved that Al-Shabaab was aware of those beliefs.
Mohamed argued to the Supreme Court that the appeals court’s decision is inconsistent with other courts’ interpretation of the federal asylum statute and can’t be squared with high court precedent. If allowed to stand, he argued the ruling would undercut U.S. foreign policy and could potentially add more recruits to the ranks of terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and Boko Haram. “[Mohamed] will be sent back to Somalia and inevitably be faced with a Hobson’s choice of facing the bullets of Al-Shabaab if he is faithful to his political beliefs and once again resists recruitment, or becoming a warrior for Al-Shabaab if he renounces his stated political beliefs and joins their radical, anti-American cause,” he wrote in the petition. Mohamed was initially denied asylum after an immigration judge said that he hadn’t shown he had suffered persecution because he belonged to a particular social group. The decision was upheld by the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Mohamed argued that the appeals court’s decision conflicts with the high court’s 1992 ruling in INS v. Elias-Zacarias, which set the framework for what an immigrant needs to show in order to secure asylum based on persecution for political beliefs. Mohamed said that based on his brother’s murder, coupled with his own kidnapping, it is inconceivable that Al-Shabaab members didn’t at least suspect his political views differed from theirs. Had Mohamed explicitly told his captors he wouldn’t join Al-Shabaab because of his political beliefs — which he said the appeals court seems to suggest was required for asylum — he would have been killed on the spot, the petition said. An attorney for Mohamed did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on Monday. Mohamed is represented by L. Joseph Loveland Jr., Philip E. Holladay Jr. and Ramsey Prather of King & Spalding LLP and William E. Hoffmann Jr. of Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network. The case is Mohamed v. Lynch, case number 14-1297, in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mo Farah’s Medical Records Probed As He’s Urged To Ditch Salazar
08 June – Source: London Evening Star – 567 Words
Mo Farah’s medical data is to be investigated by UK Athletics to ensure there has been no wrongdoing by Britain’s leading athlete. UKA chairman Ed Warner said the body would take an in-depth look into all his medical data at the same time as warning Farah that he risks having his reputation besmirched for the rest of his career by sticking with his coach Alberto Salazar. Warner told the BBC: “What we can look at is all the data surrounding our own athlete Mo Farah: blood data, supplements data – everything surrounding his medical treatment. We need to make sure there’s nothing else we haven’t seen, we’re not aware of that hasn’t been analysed.” Farah, who flew back to his Portland home in the early hours of Sunday morning rather than run at the Birmingham Diamond League, is expected to hold face-to-face talks with Salazar today concerning the wide-ranging doping allegations from last week’s Panorama investigation.
Salazar is expected to speak out on Wednesday in a lengthy public rebuttal of the doping allegations against him. He has spoken to Farah over the phone in the fall-out from the allegations, which do not involve the double Olympic champion, as well as UKA performance director Neil Black. The Londoner says the allegations have unfairly besmirched his reputation and he will end his association with Salazar if he is unable to get the answers he requires over the scandal. But Warner warned Farah that is reputation was in danger of continued tarnishing. He said: “To say instantly you should sever your links would be a very unprofessional thing to do but, from a personal perspective, I can see why some people might advise Mo to have done that because this is going to be dogging him reputationally for some time, if not the rest of his career.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“UNHCR is providing what they call “return assistance” to those wishing to make their way back to south and central Somalia from Somaliland. But it remains unclear what will happen to those like Fatima Abdo Ahmed, who after being abroad for so long, barely recognises her home country.”
Yemen’s ‘Permanent Refugees’ Quest For Somaliland Haven
08 June – Source: Middle East Eye – 1062 Words
To demonstrate the far reach of the escalating fighting in Yemen, Fahia Alis Hassan held up what was left of her daughter’s Yemeni ID card. The torn and charred document still displayed a discernible portion of her daughter’s photograph and enough print to identify the young girl’s status as a Somali refugee living in Yemen. Hassan then pointed to scabbing burn marks on her daughter’s legs as further evidence of a narrow escape from violence. Hassan and her family originally fled ongoing fighting in Somalia in 1997, making her way to a refugee camp in southern Yemen that she referred to as “jaheim” – the Arabic word for hell. “I am a permanent refugee,” Hassan said with a giggle of disbelief.
She is living a paradox: a country that brought her respite from fighting in her homeland almost 20 years ago is now caught up in its own bloody civil strife. The 43-year-old woman wasn’t able to articulate how her daughter was injured, but managed to explain that the pair were caught in fighting in Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city. She only went there after not being able to secure food and water at the refugee camp. But Taiz has not fared much better, as conflict in Yemen continues to destroy livelihoods. Not only has the city convulsed under the two-month long Saudi-led bombing campaign, but also Houthis and allied forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh are locked in fierce battles with a local resistance movement. Saudi Arabia began bombing Yemen at the end of March in an attempt to restore control of the capital Sanaa to Yemen’s government, now in exile, led by Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. The Houthis, a group with disputed ties to Iran, have showed few signs of retreat as Yemen’s infrastructure crumbles around them.
“In this case, misrepresenting al-Shabaab’s role in the ivory trade could be detrimental for both elephants and anti-terror efforts. First, the al-Shabaab ivory narrative diverts attention from the many actors, including the Lord’s Resistance Army and Janjaweed, who actually profit from poaching. “
The Danger of False Narratives: Al-Shabaab’s Faux Ivory Trade
05 June – Source: Council On Foreign Relations – 561 Words
Elephants are being slaughtered and their tusks sold, in order to finance deadly attacks by Somalia’s terrorist group al-Shabaab. This narrative linking poaching and al-Shabaab financing has been widely touted. It hit the international spotlight thanks to high profile attention from U.S. congressmen, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow also released a short film on the topic in 2014. The only problem with this narrative is that it is unfounded. It is based entirely on a 2013 Elephant Action League (EAL) report, which states that al-Shabaab earns $200,000 to $600,000 per month from ivory. The figure stems from research carried out three years earlier by Maisha Consulting, who have not offered evidence to substantiate their estimate. A recent U.N. Environment Programme study suggests that EAL’s conclusion doesn’t make sense. Indeed, the U.N. Monitoring Group for Somalia and Eritrea has never found evidence of ivory trading in either country.
Rather than relying on illegal ivory trade, for years, al-Shabaab predominantly financed its activities with charcoal. People throughout the Arab Gulf—including in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—have long depended on Somali charcoal. In fact, al-Shabaab’s coal business reached, at its peak, between $38 and $56 million per year. Al-Shabaab additionally profits from trading sugar and taxing small shops and businesses. Erroneous narratives like this one about al-Shabaab are dangerous. They can misdirect international attention, efforts, and financial contributions, with significant cost to real issues on the ground. One example comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Popular advocacy groups like the Enough Project and Global Witness mischaracterized the conflict in eastern DRC, presenting trade minerals as a primary cause of violence in the country and highlighting sexual violence as a main consequence. As a result of this oversimplification—the conflict in the DRC has been fueled by competition for political power, control over resources, and local-level disputes among other factors—United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and other international organizations paid disproportionate attention to sexual violence and the mineral trade.
TOP TWEETS
@UNSomalia SRSG Kay @Somalia111 UN press briefing:#Somalia is distinctive bright spot on Security Council agenda-political recovery+increased security
@SomaliaNewsroom Big Rally Against #Ethiopia‘s Liyu Police Raid Held in Central #Somalia http://allafrica.com/c/-5Zk4J
@horseed #Somalia: #Puntland starts major relocation of#Yemeni #refugees http://horseedmedia.net/2015/
@UNSomalia JOINT STATEMENT: International partners encourage IJA and Federal Gov of #Somalia to resolve issues thru dialogue. http://bit.ly/1AZp1kU
@faoinsomalia See @faoinsomalia‘s new livelihoods map defining xtics of the economy of hseholds in #Somaliahttp://bit.ly/1B2Cp7x
@Moallem10 Federalism gives #Somali tribalism more strength than before and causes more division among Somali society.#Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Guests at the World Environment Day celebrations held in Baidoa, Somalia on June 6, 2015.
Photo: UNSOM