March 12, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
At Least 6 Die After Al-Shabaab Attacks In Baidao – Developing
12 March – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 164 Words
Al-Shabaab fighters have launched a brazen daylight attack on the compound of President of South West State, Sharif Sheikh Hassan. Fighters detonated explosives and also engaged in fierce fighting with AMISOM peacekeepers at the gates. 6 people have been confirmed dead including the attackers and at least one foreign aid worker. The attackers couldn’t breach the gates and were repelled before they could enter the seat of the government where high ranking officials are believed to be holed up. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers tried to access the president’s residence through an alleyway adjacent to the house but faced stiff resistance from Ethiopian guards. The whereabouts of President Hassan at the time of the attack is not known. The situation is calm now but troops have massed around the area, all indications are that an operation could soon begin in the aftermath of the attacks. This is the first such attack since Sharif Hassan took office.
Key Headlines
- At Least 6 Die after Al-Shabaab Attacks in Baidao (Radio Goobjoog)
- Somalia Prime Minister Djibouti Visit Affirm Strength Of Somali/Djibouti Relations (Somali Current/Dhacdo.org)
- Somali Radical Group Al-Shabaab Attacked Southern Somali Strategic Town (Midnimo.com)
- Applications Opens For Members Of Somali Electoral Commision (Radio Goobjoog)
- Security In Mogadishu Beefed Up After Deadly Attacks (Horseed Media)
- New Police Post Set Up In Eastleigh To Boost Security (X-News)
- Kenyan Court Orders Repatriation of 10 Somali Pirates (Shanghai Daily.com)
- Bank Seeks To Raise $10 Million Via Share Sale In War-Torn Somalia (Reuters)
- A New Homeland: OSU Advisor’s Return To His Native Somalia Reveals A Nation On The Rebound(Gazettetimes.com)
- The Son Of Somalia Gone But Not Forgotten (Hiiraan Online)
- Undergraduate Researcher Wins Award (University Of Minnesota)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somalia Prime Minister Djibouti Visit Affirm Strength Of Somali/Djibouti Relations
12 March – Source: Somali Current/Dhacdo.org – 208 Words
Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Sharmake met Ismail Omar Gulleh, the president of Djibouti during his official visit in the small nation. The two leaders discussed the bilateral relationship between the two nations ranging from security, business to diplomacy and promised to strength the old age friendship. “First and foremost we are thankful of the reception we had received and most notably, Somali government appreciates the role Djibouti is playing in the reconstruction of Somalia,” Prime Minister Sharmake said.
For his part, the president promised that his government will provide all the necessary support to Somali government in the reconstruction and the war against terror. “My government will always support the Somali government in fighting against the terror as well in the reconstruction of government institution”, he said. During his two day official visit in the country, the Somali prime minister is expected to meet the prime minister of Djibouti and other leaders in the country. The Somali delegates included, minister of foreign affairs, Abdisalaan Hadliye Omar, minister of transport and aviation, Ali Ahmed Jamac Jangili and other delegates. Djibouti troops are parts of African union peacekeeping troops and are stationed in Hiraan Region.
Somali Radical Group Al-Shabaab Attacked Southern Somali Strategic Town
12 March – Source: Midnimo.com – 216 Words
An attack by Al-Shabaab on the southern Somali town of Wanla Weyn on Wednesday has been successfully repulsed by African Union peacekeepers backed by the country’s troops, a security official said. Police chief in the area, Abdiwali Farah claimed that five people were killed in the predawn raid by the militants who were forced back by AMISOM. Three of the victims were policemen while the other two were civilians, he said rejecting Shabaab claims that ten of the peacekeepers were killed. The town of Wanla Weyn which was captured from Al-Shabaab in 2012 is seen as a strategic town linking southern and central Somalia.
Al-Shabaab militants used RPGs and machine guns in the attack and allegedly looted shops before they were forced to flee by AMISOM troops who were dispatched to the area. Al-Shabaab spokesperson Abdiaziz Abu Musca said the raid was a tactical move but did not elaborate. Somali and AU troops on Tuesday announced the capture of the strategic town of Masjid Ali Gadud from Shabaab fighters who have been driven from much of their strongholds in south and central Somalia. The militants still control large swathes of territory in southern Somalia and retain the capacity to unleash suicide bombers on the capital Mogadishu.
Applications Open For Members Of Somali Electoral Commision
12 March – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 261 Words
The Interior Ministry of Federal Somali Government has announced that the application for members of two key commissions are open from 11th March to 24th March 2015. They are Independent Electoral Commission and Independent Boundaries Commission. State minister of interior Abdirashid Hidig told reporters the two commissions are vital for elections in 2016 and government would like to fast track the process. “We would like to inform the public that the applications are open from 11th March to 24th March, we established an office within the ministry to process the applications” said the minister. Each commission will have 9 members, but the ministry will submit 27 short listed members to the cabinet, which would then select 9 members who would be submitted to parliament for approval. The interior minister outlined the requirements for would-be members of the commissions, this included but not limited to the following. For more on the requirements for members of Electoral Commission, click here.
Security In Mogadishu Beefed Up After Deadly Attacks
11 March – Source: Horseed Media – 205 Words
Security in Mogadishu has been tightened following recent deadly suicide attacks and assassinations that raised concerns about the government’s ability to protect civilians. In the past few months, insurgents fighting the Western-backed government have intensified attacks, which claimed the lives of many people including government officials. Security forces searched vehicles entering the capital and increased the number of checkpoints in the city, along with foot patrols and vehicle patrols, local residents said. The move followed after the Security ministry officials revealed that Al-Shabaab extremists are planning to launch fresh attacks in the capital.
Last week, 11 Security and Intelligence senior officials were arrested. They are suspected of having links with the militant group that launched attack on a Mogadishu hotel. Deputy Attorney General of Somalia told reporters in Mogadishu that some of the accused officers have been transferred to the Central Prison. “Investigations are still under way and they will be taken to court…They are not criminals until their case has got evidence,’’ said Ahmed Ali Abukar. However, Analysts believe that the recent attacks in Mogadishu do not reflect a stronger Al- Shabaab but rather exposes deficiencies in the security apparatus.
REGIONAL MEDIA
New police post set up in Eastleigh to boost security
12 March – Source: X-News – 218 Words
A new police post been opened up in Eastleigh, Nairobi to cater for the fast growing area with spiralling crime.The post, opposite Pumwani Maternity Hospital along Muratina Road is as a result of years of lobbying by the Eastleigh Business Community who had lamented that the Pangani police station was too far to address the security needs of the area.
Eighteen police officers have been posted there. The County Government of Nairobi agreed to provide a space to allow the setting up of the post.On Tuesday, a team of police officers led by the deputy County Commander Joseph Limo and Starehe OCPD Bernard Nyakwaka visited the post and announced 18 police officers had been posted there to help mobilizing the operations.
Deputy Chair of the Eastleigh Business community Haji Yasin Jamah welcomed the creation of the police post and expressed hope that it will enhance cooperation between the police and area residents.“We will partner with the police to ensure that this post has all the facilities it needs to ensure the officers operate in a good environment and work efficiently. We hope to increase our partnership with the police in ensuring security in the area,” he said By yesterday, the Business community had donated an assortment of furniture to help kick-start operations at the facility.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan Court Orders Repatriation 10 Somali Pirates
11 March – Source: Shanghaidaily.com – 314 Words
A Kenyan Court on Wednesday ordered the repatriation of ten suspected pirates to Somalia. Mombasa High Court Judge, Justice Muya ruled that the ten serves the remaining four year jail in their country of origin for offence of hijacking a vessel along the Gulf of Aden waters. Muya said he had considered the ongoing initiative by both Somalia and Kenya to maintain peace. Muya said Somalia had undergone several changes, which had made it stable and friendly to its citizens, hence suspects would be closer to their relatives, rather than being held in cells in a foreign country.
He said the move would further help in easing congestion at the prison facilities. “I have greatly observed the offence of piracy is a serious offence. Though you are going home to serve the remaining sentence do not attempt to do it again. You have acquired new skills which will better your lives back home,” Muya said. The ten had been convicted to serve ten years, in jail in November 5, 2013 after the court found them guilty for the offense of piracy. They had since denied charges that while in the Gulf of Aden, armed with AK-47 rifle they attacked a vessel MV Maria, and thereafter causing panic to the crew members. The suspects had submitted that they were young men, first offenders and the ten year sentence meted on them was harsh, considering they were in custody during trial for three years.
Bank Seeks To Raise $10 Million Via Share Sale In War-Torn Somalia
11 March – Source: Reuters – 376 Words
International Bank of Somalia (IBS), one of only a handful of commercial banks operating in the war-torn country, wants to raise $10 million in a public share offering that would be the first of its kind since civil war broke out in 1991. Somalia does not have a stock exchange and most banking is done on informal basis through money transfer firms, but IBS Chief Executive Hassan Yusuf said those ploughing money into the bank would benefit from being early investors in the sector.
“Somalia is open for business,” Hassan told Reuters on the sidelines of a Somali investment forum in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. “People who go now will be the beneficiaries in the long term. The central bank has issued six commercial banking licences so far, including to IBS, but has said it does not plan to issue more this year unless newcomers have foreign partners. The Somali banking community faces severe constraints. Banks in the United States, Britain and elsewhere are increasingly wary of facilitating transfers to Somalia because of tighter regulatory rules aimed at stopping cash from reaching those the West designates as “terror groups”, such as al Shabaab.
A New Homeland: OSU Advisor’s Return To His Native Somalia Reveals A Nation On The Rebound
11 March – Source: Gazettetimes.com – 852 Words
Ismail Warsame still bears a scar over his eyebrow from when he was 6 years old living in Beledweyne, Somalia, and he woke up to a 7-foot warhead plowing through his house and exploding next door — killing several people. “I woke up and saw the house was on fire and everyone was screaming,” Warsame recalled. “I remember my mom asked if everyone was OK. My cousin said, ‘no I died.’ He wasn’t making a joke; he literally thought he was dead.”
Warsame and his family moved around to avoid civil wars in Somalia so often while he was growing up that he doesn’t remember half of the places he stayed. Eventually his parents and all seven of his siblings escaped the war-torn country.
Warsame left in 1998, at the age of 14, to live with relatives in Kenya, hoping one day to return to his home country. After several years of waiting and the wars escalating, he and most of his family came to the United States. “My father was an electrician who did some work with the U.N. peacekeeping troops,” Warsame recalled Thursday at the International Living Learning Center at Oregon State University. “Everyone who worked with the U.N. was a target (of the rebels fighting in the wars). Because of my dad, my family was associated with that so that’s how we got resettlement out of the country.” Warsame, 30, works as an international student adviser for OSU. He’s lived in Corvallis since 2010. Growing up in Somalia, he lived in places that had no electricity or running water, in buildings made of mud and sticks. These days, he has an Instagram page and the latest iPhone.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“When everyone was running from the war, Elman was running towards it to save the Somali people. He was one of the people that inspired me as a child and I will continue to live out his dream, his killing marked a dark period for Somalia and I hope the current generation of young Somalis will never forget Elman and his legacy.”
The Son Of Somalia, Gone But Not Forgotten
09 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 634 Words
Today marks the 19th anniversary of the death of Elman Ali Ahmed, father, peace activist, entrepreneur and prominent human rights campaigner from Somalia. Elman Ali Ahmed was an amazing peacemaker as well as a civil rights activist who strongly believed in his work and unwavering responsibility to have a positive impact on those that are less fortunate than him. Elman Ali Ahmed was a young Somali man who went to Italy in the mid 1980’s to Study Electronic Engineering in Germany. In 1988, Elman went back to Somalia to help his country’s economic growth and opened the first Electronic shop “Elman Electronics “in and around Mogadishu with a view to moving to the other parts of Somalia.
The civil war broke out and Somali government collapsed, Elman began helping the unfortunate young street kids better known as “Ciyaal koolo dhuuq” (glue addicted kids) and the kids who lost everything including their parents, and family who had nothing during the war. He used to give them food, shelter, shoe shining equipment’s and Electronic Engineering lessons to teach them Electronics to employ them in his company rather than becoming child soldiers. Elman electronics was the only company to supply electronic goods in Mogadishu during the wars, he also had the well-known Club Elman FC, a football club which helped youth get into sports activities and come together to become better citizens. “Put down the gun, pick up the pen- Qoriga dhig Qalinka Qaado’’. Elman In 1992 a major famine hit Somalia caused by a severe drought. Nearly 300,000 innocent people starved to death as a result of lack of cohesion between farmers and a lack of government. The epicentre of that famine was in Bay, one of the country’s most productive agricultural regions, and starvation was induced by warlords who used food as a weapon against farmers and pastoralists.
“Ahmed’s entry in the conference focused on the work she has done with Schleiss in the Center for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Translational Research. Ahmed developed the green virus necessary to create a stable, green fluorescent protein-tagged guinea pig CMV.”
Undergraduate Researcher Wins Award
11 March – Source: University Of Minnesota – 271 Words
Sowda Ahmed, an undergraduate researcher working in the lab of Mark Schleiss, MD,Department of Pediatrics, was recently recognized at the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM for her research on the development of a stable cytomegalovirus (CMV). A sophomore majoring in Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Ahmed was chosen to present her research in the undergraduate biological sciences category. She was awarded second place for her poster presentation, which took place on February 20, 2015.
The ERN Conference in STEM is a joint effort of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Foundation. The conference serves as an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students participating in NSF programs to gain experience in communicating about scientific research. The goal is to help these students better understand how to prepare for science careers in a global workforce. Along with the presentation of student research, the conference features various workshops and activities to help students develop the skills necessary to be successful in a career in research. This year’s conference took place from February 19-21 in Washington, D.C.
Top tweets
@AbdirizakOm I thank the courageous SPF and NISA for arresting 4 Al-Shabab who tried to cause havoc tonight on innocent Somalis by using IED #Somalia
@Ridwaanhaji Djibouti and #Somalia discussed the strengthening of relations and cooperation between the two countries.#Vision2016
@AmbAmerico #Somalia needs trade not only aid, we have to advantage of our long coast, two rivers & unexplored national resources
@UNHCRSom Put the displaced in #Somalia at the center & find solutions for them: @UNHCRSom Alessandra Morelli today’s #SolutionsAllianceSomalia launch
@NUSOJofficial After 209 days, Radio Shabelle and SkyFM are due to collect their confiscated equipment from National Security Agency. #Somalia #Africa
@TheVillaSomalia Our prayers are with the two citizens reported injured in attempted car bomb attack in Makka Al Mukarrama. #Somalia #Mogadishu
Image of the day
The Minister of Information Abdiweli Hersi Indhoguran, Minister of Security Hassan Osman Allore and UNSOM’s Head of Office in Garowe Omar Aboud welcoming Nicholas Kay, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia at Garowe Airport.
Photo: UNSOM