March 10, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Raso Drone Airstrike Killed Senior Al-Shabaab Fighters, Including Foreign Fighters
09 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 196 Words
At least five Al-Shabaab commanders among them foreigners were killed in last week’s US drone strike in Raso camp central Somalia, authorities in the region have said. Buluburde mayor in Hiiraan region, Osman Gedi Elmi, told Goobjoog News that a number of the fighters were foreigners (light skinned) who were killed alongside senior commanders of the group. Elmi added the casualty figures could be higher than what the US officials reported on Monday.
On Tuesday Pentagon said about 150 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the Saturdayairstrike. The mayor said locals reported drones flying around the area before disappearing towards the Indian Ocean and later made a comeback to launch the strikes. Meanwhile a district commissioner in the region, Abdulaziz Durow, told the local media that the Raso camp was at that moment hosting senior Al-Shabaab leaders who were planning new attacks against Amisom and Somali National Army.
“The leaders were drawn from Al-Shabaab units in Gedo, Lower Shabelle, Middle Jubba, and Hiiraan. Most of them were killed in the airstrike,” said Durow. The US has not made further disclosure about the casualties. Another strike by unidentified gunship helicopters on Wednesday hit Al-Shabaab base in southern Somalia killing about 11 fighters.
Key Headlines
- Raso Drone Airstrike Killed Senior Al-Shabaab Fighters Including Foreign Fighters (Goobjoog News)
- Germany Donates €2.5 Million To Assist IDPs In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- Democratization Back On Agenda In Puntland (Garowe Online)
- Somali Commissioner Meets His Italian Counterpart In Rome (Goobjoog News)
- Italy Arrests Somali Cleric Over Alleged Plans For Rome Attack (Reuters)
- Somalia Marks International Women’s Day (UNSOM)
- Prosecutors: Drop Charges In Somali Sex Trafficking Case (Star Tribune)
- Despite US Airstrikes Somalia’s Al-Shabaab Militia Is Rising Again (The Orange County Register)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Germany Donates €2.5 Million To Assist IDPs In Mogadishu
09 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 268 Words
The German government has donated 2.5 million Euros to assist the internally displaced people in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The gesture is part of the greater efforts by the government to support vulnerable people in the horn of Africa nation where over a million people, most internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to live in dire conditions.
In a statement sent to Hiiraan Online by the German Embassy in Nairobi on Wednesday, the donation which was made via Save The Children would support the IDPs who are facing livelihood challenges in Somalia. Germany has in recent years played an active in supporting Somalia, which is recovering from decades of war. Separately, aid agencies continue to inspire more countries and agencies to get involved in Somalia’s humanitarian effort. In addition, the German government had earlier given millions of Euros for sustainable development aid to empower communities and victims hit by floods in Somalia in a series of donation drives.
The German government also continues to aid Somali government in different fields including capacity building and good governance. IDPs, in particular, continue to risk their lives and safety as ongoing anti militants’ offensive continues. Ideally it is this war that has triggered massive civilian displacements across large parts of south and central Somalia. IDPs also face extortion and evictions in Mogadishu.
Democratization Back On Agenda In Puntland
09 March – Source: Garowe Online – 258 Words
The Puntland government in northern Somalia has resumed its democratization efforts that had momentarily stalled owing to security concerns in mid-2013. This follows the nomination of a nine-member Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC). Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali announced five TPEC nominees, including former BBC Somali Service journalist Ahmed Mohamed Ali (Kismayo), in a move hailed by European Union envoy to Somalia, Ambassador Michele Cervone d’Urso.
EU envoy applauded the nomination as a step towards, one person, one vote, as Parliament Speaker Ahmed Ali Hashi filled the last remaining slot in the TPEC. On Tuesday, representatives from European Union (EU)’s Democratization and Political Office, held a meeting hosted by Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC) as part of technical preparations in Garowe.
Donors supporting the democratic transition have listened to the views of government officials, parliamentarians and civil society activists on how best Puntland could forge ahead with the programme during the deliberations, PDRC lead researcher, Abdinasir Mohamed Yusuf told Puntland-based independent station, Radio Garowe. EU officials were briefed on the experiences gained from local council elections suspended by former President, Abdirahman Mohamed Farole. PDRC was at the time cooperating with Puntland Electoral Commission on the implementation of transition from the current clan-based system of governance to democracy.
PDRC researcher faulted the timing on the suspension of the programme, dismissing seriously speculated failures besetting the resumption of the process. Democratization Programme Steering Committee (DSC)—a group of seven donors including the European Union, Denmark, DFID, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and USAID—assisted Puntland in advancing democratic ideals before the entire exercise collapsed courtesy of political sabotage.
Somali Commissioner Meets His Italian Counterpart In Rome
09 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 130 Words
Somali Police Commissioner, Gen. Mohamed Hassan Hamud has met with his Italian counterpart,Gen. Tullio Del Sette and Chief Commander, Lliio Ciceri in the Italian capital of Rome. The three top officials discussed relations between the two police institutions and Italy’s support to Somali Police force among other issues. Their discussions mainly focused on having enhanced cooperation between the Somali Police Force and the Italian’s Caranbinieri.
Chief of Somali Police, Gen. Hassan and his delegation was warmly welcomed during their stay in Italy. Hassan thanked the Italian chiefs for their warm welcome and strengthening ties between the two countries’ police forces. The Somali Police Commissioner and his deputy, Gen. Bashir Abdi Mohamed together with Somali Ambassador to Italy, Musse Hassan Abdulle also toured a School of criminal Investigation in Rome during the visit.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Italy Arrests Somali Cleric Over Alleged Plans For Rome Attack
09 March – Source: Reuters – 194 Words
Police in southern Italy arrested a 22-year-old Somali imam and asylum seeker on Wednesday on suspicion that he was planning an attack in Rome. The man was detained at a migrant reception center in Campomarino, in the region of Molise, a police statement said.
“We have clear technical evidence about the possibility that he was organizing an attack in Rome,” chief prosecutor Armando D’Alterio told reporters, releasing transcripts of wiretaps where the unnamed man discussed possible violence: “Let’s start from Italy, let’s go to Rome and start with the station,” he was quoted as telling a friend. The simplest route was to “equip oneself and blow oneself up”, he said.
Police said he had used his role as an imam to promote the militant groups Islamic State and Somali Islamist group Al Shabaab and encourage Muslims to take up jihad, or holy war. Italian media said police had arrested the man at the so-called “Happy Family” center because they believed he planned to travel to Rome later on Wednesday. The police statement said the man had tried to recruit other migrants to travel to Syria for training and believed he wanted to do likewise.
Somalia Marks International Women’s Day
09 March – Source: UNSOM – 551 Words
Somalia joined the rest of the world to mark International Women’s Day. The day was commemorated across the country, with Mogadishu, Baidoa, Kismayo and Puntland registering a huge turnout.
In his address to a well-attended event in Mogadishu, jointly organized by the European Union and the United Nations, H.E Michele Cervone d’Urso, the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Somalia, called for reinforcement of partnerships that will enhance the lives of women in Somalia. “It is our collective responsibility above all – women, men, partners – to be involved as partners. If we work together, then we can make a very big difference,” stated Ambassador d’Urso.
He appealed for women’s visibility and speedy solutions to challenges facing women, urging leaders to shift from mere rhetoric to action: “For the EU, this is not just another day, but it is very much at the heart of our principles and our values of course. The issue is how do we translate this to the Somali context. The beginning of this is to support in every way we can, women participation, and try to see in concrete terms, how we can amplify their voice in all areas of their lives, societies, families and communities,” he stressed.
Mr. George Conway, the Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Country Director for Somalia, said women’s equality was a prerequisite for peace, stability and development in Somalia. “So, in the interest of all Somali citizens towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, I would urge Somali leaders and Federal authorities to make gender equality a clear priority in the upcoming National Development Plan; and speedy ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),” said Mr. Conway, who delivered a speech on behalf of the Deputy Special Representative for the UN-Secretary General for Somalia Raizedon Zenenga.
“The adaptation of 30-percent reserved seats for women MPs in the Federal Parliament is a landmark decision towards making substantive improvement in women’s participation and decision-making role. Now it is up to all gender champions –men and women alike, to make it a reality,” emphasized Mr. Conway.
Somali leaders moderated a panel discussion on women’s representation in the 2016 electoral process and the 30-percent women’s quota; how to ensure an active role of Somali women in peacebuilding and reconciliation, at the end of the celebrations. Zahra Samanta, the Federal Minister for Women and Human Rights noted, that although Somalia was witnessing a transformation, women needed to be part of the process through their participation in socio-political and economic activities.
Prosecutors: Drop Charges In Somali Sex Trafficking Case
09 March – Source: Star Tribune – 132 Words
Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to dismiss all the remaining charges in a sex trafficking case involving Somali gang members. The request comes after a federal appeals court decision that blasted the government for its handling of the case. The move is likely to bring an end to a case involving 30 people — many of them jailed for years — who were accused of being part of a child sex trafficking operation that took place in Minnesota, Ohio and Tennessee. A panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said last week that one of the investigators was repeatedly caught lying, and the sex trafficking claims by two of the alleged victims were likely fictitious. The federal appeals court opinion noted that one of the females was insane.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“While U.S. officials described Saturday’s airstrikes as a major success that apparently killed more militants than all previously known U.S. operations in Somalia combined, some analysts expressed caution. The presence of such a large number of fighters at one camp is “a worrying indicator of the group’s continued resilience and relevance”.
Despite US Airstrikes, Somalia’s Al-Shabaab Militia Is Rising Again
09 March – Source: The Orange County Register – 891 Words
Somalia’s Al-Shabaab movement is emerging as one of the most loyal – and lethal –al-Qaida affiliates, even as the Islamic State expands its reach into the region, according to Western and Somali analysts.
The Somali militants have shown signs of a resurgence, staging deadly attacks and assassinations in recent months, despite the billions of dollars being spent by the United States to fight them. That has prompted the Islamic State to try to woo them away from al-Qaida, as U.S. and other Western intelligence officials grow increasingly alarmed.
The concern is so great that U.S. warplanes and drones attacked an Al-Shabaab training camp on Saturday, killing more than 150 fighters, according to the Pentagon. It was the deadliest U.S. strike on the militant group, whose name in Arabic means “the youth,” since it emerged a decade ago with the goal of turning Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state.
“Al-Qaida understands the potential of this self-financing and experienced insurgency in the strategic Horn of Africa,” said Abdirashid Hashi, director of the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank based in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. “And ISIS, of course, understands this potential and hence its overtures for co-option or stage a hostile takeover.”
Less than two years ago, Al-Shabaab was a crippled movement. U.S.-backed African Union forces had driven the militia out of Mogadishu and other areas. Their leader, Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, widely known as Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in an American airstrike, a year after he masterminded an attack on a posh Nairobi mall that killed scores. His death was hailed by U.S. officials as a major operational and symbolic blow to the militia that would fragment and eventually lead to its demise.
Instead, the militia regrouped under a new leader, Ahmad Umar, and transformed itself into a lethal guerrilla insurgency. Its fighters have raided areas of the countryside, setting up roadblocks and controlling the population. They have expanded their recruitment and presence in Kenya and other neighboring countries. They have been aided by incessant political infighting, poorly trained and equipped national security forces, and a weak central government that has not been able to fill the void.