March 19, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali militants claim deadly car bomb day after key advance
19 Mar – Source: Global Post/AFP – 133 words
At least ten people were killed Monday in a suicide car bomb in the Somali capital claimed by insurgents, in one of the bloodiest attacks in war-ravaged Mogadishu in recent months.
The attack comes a day after the al Shabaab insurgents retook the key town of Hudur in Somalia’s southwest after Ethiopian troops who had held it since 2011 left, sparking concerns of a wider withdrawal that would leave peacekeeping forces overstretched.
The blast targeted and injured a top intelligence official, security sources said. “Many have been killed, some of them were in a minibus that was hit by the blast,” said Hassan Salad, who witnessed the explosion near the capital’s National Theatre.
Key Headlines
- Somali militants claim deadly car bomb day after key advance (Global Post/AFP)
- Former parliament Speaker appeals to aid agencies (Bar-kulan/SNTV/Waajid Press/ Wehel Media)
- Somalia: EU enhances food security by combatting desertification in Puntland (EU Somalia)
- US Special Representative for Somalia condemns terror attack in Mogadishu (Shabelle/Radio Risaala)
- Al Shabaab renews offensive in southern Somalia (Daily Monitor)
- Water scarcity affects Somaliland households (IRIN News)
- Al Shabaab kills two civilians in Hudur District (Radio Mustaqbal)
- AFRICOM Prepares for more Conflicts in Mali Nigeria and Somalia (Center for Research on Globalization)
- Somaliland will not attend London Conference declares President Silanyo (Qaran News)
PRESS RELEASE
Somalia: EU enhances food security by combatting desertification in Puntland
19 Mar – Source: European Union Somalia – 269 Words
Today, the European Union and its partners, Adeso and CARE, have signed two contracts allowing them to carry out a new environmental programme that will assist Puntland, the North East region of Somalia, in managing the fragile and heavily degraded rangeland. Environment degradation in Puntland is a serious concern for the local population. It threatens the environment and the local economy, mainly based on livestock and pastoral activities, as it affects the large area of land partially covered by shrubs and trees used predominantly for extensive livestock grazing.
Climatic hazards, absence of effective management and charcoal production (however banned since 2002) has accelerated land degradation. That is why the EU has decided to finance a major programme that will cover the entire rangeland of Puntland for a period of 4 years. With a total amount of 25 million EUR, the EU will contribute to reversing the desertification cycle by assisting the Puntland authorities in effective management of rangelands and by empowering 120 communities in the region to identify the conservation priorities of natural resources in their territories.
The new initiative, that will be implemented by CARE and ADESO, will create alternative employment opportunities to rural populations through revived rangeland-based livelihoods and “Cash for Work” activities. Additionally, the programme will address the issue of charcoal consumption in urban areas by supporting the use of different sources of cooking fuel (LPG).
The EU programme is part of a European Union worldwide initiative that seeks to improve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). This initiative will particularly contribute to Somalia’s MDG 1, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and MDG 7, ensuring environmental sustainability.
SOMALI MEDIA
Former parliament Speaker appeals to aid agencies
19 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan/SNTV/Waajid Press/ Wehel Media – 138 words
The immediate former Speaker of Parliament Adan Mohamed Noor (Adan Madobe) has appealed to charity organisations to come to the aid of needy families in parts of Bakool region. He said hundreds of families fleeing rebel seized Hudur town are now facing humanitarian crisis in areas between Hudur and Elbarde.
Noor claimed that locals fled their homes in Hudur for fear of their personal security, adding that some of the fleeing families are heading to the Ethiopian-Somali border. He said a group legislators in Baidoa are scheduled to visit Elbarde to assess humanitarian situation in the area.
On Sunday, al Shabaab fighters seized control of Hudur, the capital of Bakool region, 420 km southwest of Mogadishu. The militants entered the town late on Sunday when Ethiopian troops and accompanying Somali forces had abandoned the town earlier in the day.
Al Shabaab kills two civilians in Hudur District
19 Mar – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 89 words
Al Shabaab fighters have reportedly killed two civilians in southwestern town of Hudur which fell under their control soon after Ethiopia’s backed government forces pulled out. Among the killed civilians was women for allegedly working with the federal government of Somalia.
The Islamists governor of southwestern regions of Bay and Bakool confirmed the seizure on the town and threatened to capture more districts in the regions. Al Shabaab took control the town after a year when they were defeated by the AU backed government and overthrown them from the town.
US Special Representative for Somalia condemns terror attack in Mogadishu
19 Mar – Source: Shabelle/Radio Risaala – 80 words
The United States condemns today’s terrorist attack that has reportedly killed at least ten innocent Somali civilians in downtown Mogadishu. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, survivors and their families.
There can be no excuse for murder. We stand firmly with the citizens and Government of Somalia who have turned their back on al Shabaab’s senseless violence and will continue to support the Somali people as they work to bring stability, peace and prosperity back to their country.
Puntland government donates land to East Africa University
18 Mar – Source: Garowe Online – 122 words
Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole donated land in Garowe to the East Africa University who plans to extend their university’s campus in the administrative capital, Garowe Online reports. President Farole stated at the public event that the municipal government in Garowe donated the land to improve its reach of education in Garowe.
“The importance of facilitating education is very dear to this administration and that is why we have donated this land to East Africa University,” said President Farole at the event held in Garowe on Monday.
President Farole urged the university directors to start building as soon as possible so they can continue their hard work. Sheikh Mohamud Haji Yusuf Director of Garowe Campus thanked the Puntland government for their assistance.
Somaliland will not attend London Conference, declares President Silanyo
18 Mar – Source: Qaran News – 115 words
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silanyo” has confirmed that Somaliland will not attend the London Conference on Somalia, sponsored by the United Kingdom and scheduled for May, 2013.
President Silanyo stated that “the London meeting is for the sole purpose of Somalia, and it has no relevance to Somaliland, therefore, Somaliland will not attend a conference to discuss issues pertaining to Somalia, its regions and political factions”.
The moment President Silanyo stated this, the rest of his comments were drowned out by deafening applause from those gathered to welcome him at Egal International Airport. The President’s declaration has been welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Somalilanders at all social, economical and political levels.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab renews offensive in southern Somalia
19 Mar – Source: Daily Monitor – 144 words
Hooded militants loyal to al Shabaab, the radical Islamist group, seized the town of Hudur, the capital of Bakol region, 420 km southwest of Mogadishu. The militants entered the town late on Sunday when Ethiopian troops and accompanying Somali forces had abandoned the town earlier in the day.
Talking to the media on Monday, residents who disguised the identities for security reasons reported that the Ethiopians loaded their gears and weaponry on a number of trucks before heading westwards.
“By ten o’clock (on Sunday) there was no a single Ethiopian soldier in the town,” said a resident. Indeed, heavily armed Ethiopian troops supporting Somali government forces captured Hudur town on 22nd of March 2012. The development denied the fanatical militants the control of another regional capital after the fall of Baidoa town, 240 km south of Mogadishu, the capital of Bay region, a month earlier.
Q&A: Freed Somali journalist
18 Mar – Source: Al Jazeera – 756 words
Somalia’s Supreme Court has freed a reporter jailed for interviewing a woman who alleged she had been raped by soldiers, in a case that garnered widespread international criticism about the country’s treatment of the press.
A Supreme Court judge dropped the charges against Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim on Sunday and set him free after he had been incarcerated for two months. Ibrahim had initially been sentenced to a year in prison, which later was reduced to six months on appeal.
Hamza Mohamed secured the first full-length interview with the journalist a day after his release, in which he speaks about his ordeal, the lessons he learned, and his plans to get married. Hamza Mohamed: Today is the first day in more than two months that you are not spending in prison. How does it feel?
Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim: I’m feeling very happy. Happy to be free and back amongst my family and friends. Pleased to have seen all the people and organisations that pushed for me to get my freedom again.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali militants claim deadly car bomb day after key advance
19 Mar – Source: Global Post/AFP – 133 words
At least ten people were killed Monday in a suicide car bomb in the Somali capital claimed by insurgents, in one of the bloodiest attacks in war-ravaged Mogadishu in recent months.
The attack comes a day after the al Shabaab insurgents retook the key town of Hudur in Somalia’s southwest after Ethiopian troops who had held it since 2011 left, sparking concerns of a wider withdrawal that would leave peacekeeping forces overstretched.
The blast targeted and injured a top intelligence official, security sources said. “Many have been killed, some of them were in a minibus that was hit by the blast,” said Hassan Salad, who witnessed the explosion near the capital’s National Theatre.
EU enhances food security by combating desertification in Puntland
19 Mar – Source: Europa News – 177 words
Today, the European Union and its partners, Adeso and CARE, have signed two contracts allowing them to carry out a new environmental programme that will assist Puntland, the North East region of Somalia, in managing the fragile and heavily degraded rangeland.
Environment degradation in Puntland is a serious concern for the local population. It threatens the environment and the local economy, mainly based on livestock and pastoral activities, as it affects the large area of land partially covered by shrubs and trees used predominantly for extensive livestock grazing. Climatic hazards, absence of effective management and charcoal production (however banned since 2002) has accelerated land degradation.
That is why the EU has decided to finance a major programme that will cover the entire rangeland of Puntland for a period of 4 years. With a total amount of 25 million EUR, the EU will contribute to reversing the desertification cycle by assisting the Puntland authorities in effective management of rangelands and by empowering 120 communities in the region to identify the conservation priorities of natural resources in their territories.
Water scarcity affects Somaliland households
19 Mar – Source: IRIN News – 145 words
Hundreds of households in the disputed Sool area of the self-declared republic of Somaliland are facing a water shortage following poor rains, say officials. Both Somaliland and the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland claim the Sool and Sanaag regions.
“We believe an estimated 3,000 households are facing water shortages in [the] Sool Region,” Mohamed Mousa Awale, chairman of Somaliland’s National Environment Research and Disaster Preparedness and Management Authority (NERAD), told IRIN.
Awale added that some drought-affected rural families had migrated to neighbouring areas, such as Togdheer and Buhodle, which had received good ‘Deyr’ rains – the rains typical from October to December. Others moved further south in search water and pasture. “But we are worried [about] the old people and the people who had no ability to move from the villages. [They] are in a serious situation and need water and food,” he said.
AFRICOM Prepares for more Conflicts in Mali, Nigeria and Somalia
18 Mar – Source: Center for Research on Globalization – 112 words
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Northern Mali is a direct threat to US national security interests according to Major General Carter F. Ham during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on March 15th, 2013.
Ham said that although there have been progress in AFRICOM’s mission; new threats have emerged this year that is a strategic importance to the United States and its allies. According to American Forces Press Service of the U.S. Department of Defense:
“The general said three violent extremist organizations are of particular concern in Africa: al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, active in northern and western Africa; Boko Haram in Nigeria; and al Shabaab in Somalia.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Over the coming weeks, our aim – working in partnership with the Federal Government – is to drive forward this agenda, so that by the time we all gather in London 7 weeks from now, we have the basis for a real and strengthened partnership – not simply between the UK and the Federal Government, but between the international community and Somalia.”
Opportunity, partnership and commitment
18 Mar – Source: FCO Blog – 682 Words
Last Thursday, the Federal Government of Somalia, together with the UK, hosted the latest meeting with a number of key international partners in Mogadishu. The location was significant. This was the first time such a meeting had been held in Mogadishu since the Federal Government came to power last year. It was a real demonstration of the ‘paradigm shift’ in Somalia’s relationship with the international community that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for since he was elected last September.
Importantly, the meeting was about more than just location. It also offered the chance to listen and discuss the Federal Government’s emerging plans to deliver on their priorities – priorities that the Government and its international partners, like the UK, believe will form the foundations on which a successful and increasingly stable Somalia will be built.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fauzia opened the meeting by setting out the political achievements and objectives of the new government. Representatives of the government then talked the international partners through their strategic vision for increasing security and the capabilities of Somali security forces; the plans for judicial reform and enhancing the role of police, as well as the progress being made in strengthening financial accountability, transparency and management. These are all clear priorities of the Government’s Six Pillar Plan, and the key issues that the Somalia Conference in London on 7 May will focus on. They are signs of the progress being made by a Government that has been together for less than 4 months.
“The only way to escape this systematic silencing of women and the oppressive new culture was to study my way out of the slum.”
Saved by education: A Somali woman’s story
18 Mar – Source: Voices of Africa – 1043 Words
Growing up in Mogadishu in the late 80s in a house full of young single women, the standard dress code for us was a traditional costume called a dirac (a long transparent loose dress), worn with an underskirt, bra and a light shawl. Women did not cover their hair until they were married.
My aunts were allowed to date once they turned 16. There were only two rules: date men who had cars so they could pick them up and drop them off, and be back home before 10pm. When their potential suitors came to fetch them, they would politely greet family members with the customary “Galab wanaagsan” (good afternoon) or “Habeen wanaagsan” (good evening).
Just before they left for their dates, my aunts would burn some of my grandmother’s homemade unsi (incense) and apply it under their clothes for an amazing, long-lasting patchouli-mixed-with-vanilla-
But in 1990 the civil war rudely interrupted my plans and, at the age of 13, I fled Somalia with my family and thousands of others. There was no more talk among young women about dates, fashion and hairstyles. All I was left with were three younger siblings to look after, a disabled and unemployed father, and desperate poverty. My world was turned upside down and I had to find something else to look forward to, now that my aunts were married off and I was the eldest female in the house.
Top tweets
@HIPSINSTITUTE In our assessment, #Somalia cabinet under @SomaliPM is moving in the right direction but some works needs to be done http://bit.ly/11aGZOo.
@AbukarArman #Somalia In their attempt 2 distrupt the montum of improved security vicious extremists go after soft targets in Mog http://www.reuters.com/
@AliMohamoud Once male dominated always male dominated. #Somalia appoints predominantly male ambassadors unfortunately. No single lady in the list?
@OCHASom What’s going on in #Somalia? 1 page with the current situation & the humanitarian strategy ahead – http://buzz.mw/-n3r_y RT @UNOCHA.
@somecoforum Somali Economic Forum “Awakening the forgotten Economy” http://
Image of the day
A Somali soldier stands guard near destroyed shops after a car bomb blast close to the Somali government’s headquarters. Photo: AP.