March 2, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Al-Shabaab ‘Is Plotting To Blow Up Parliament’
01 March – Source: Daily Nation – 612 Words
At least 12 suspected terrorists are believed to be plotting an attack against Parliament, police sources have warned, prompting all government institutions to be put on heightened security alert. Intelligence reports indicate that six of the suspects could be in Nairobi already although the whereabouts of the other six are yet to be established. Reports about the possible attack came as it emerged that the Egyptian embassy in Nairobi had also asked Kenya’s security agents to heighten security measures around Egyptian installations, including the embassy itself, its envoy’s residence and other sensitive Egyptian organisations and premises.
“The Embassy kindly requests the relevant Kenyan authorities to take what it deems appropriate to upgrade and tighten security measures around Egyptian installations in Kenya,” said the letter dated February 20. Intelligence reports have warned that a vehicle carrying explosive materials is likely to be used against Parliament unless police thwart the attempt. It was not clear where the vehicle could be and when the attack will be carried out. The attack, according to the security report, was planned by Mr Mohammed Mohamud alias Dulyadeen alias Gamadheere, who heads one of the arms of Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terrorist group.Mohamud, who claimed responsibility for the November 22, 2014 bus attack in Mandera, is said to have dispatched 12 foreign fighters to Kenya about three weeks ago.
Key Headlines
- Non State Actors Call Government To Intervene In Guri El Clashes (Radio Goobjoog)
- Somaliland Puts Conditions To Attend Talks In Turkey (Radio RBC)
- Benadir Court Sentences Journalists (Radio Bar-Kulan)
- Puntland Forces Carry Out Operations (Radio Danan)
- Fighting Drives Hundreds In South-Western Somalia Into Misery (Garowe Online)
- Al-Shabab Set Alight Commodities(Radio Goobjoog)
- Al-Shabaab ‘Is Plotting To Blow Up Parliament’ (Daily Nation)
- How Police Helped Al Shabaab Smuggle Their Arsenal (Standard Media)
- New Alberta-Wide Somali TV Show Will Connect Community Says Host(Edmonton Journal)
- Somali Hotel Attack Victims Airlifted To Dubai For Treatment (Shanghai Daily/Xinhua)
- Twin Cities Somalis Say They’re Unfairly Affected By Anti-Terror Efforts (CBS Local)
- Why Shabab Poses Little Threat To American Malls (Economist)
- Why Kenya-Somalia Border Wall Is Not The Answer (Standard Media)
- Public Policy Challenges: Somalia Behind The World – Reflection (Blog)
SOMALI MEDIA
Non State Actors Call Government To Intervene In Guri El Clashes
02 March – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 120 Words
The umbrella body of Somalia’s non state actors, SOSCENSA, has called for warring sides in Guri El to immediately cease fire without condition, so that people can live in peace. Abdullahi Mohamed Shirwa of SOSCENSA told Goobjoog News that there is an urgent need for the Federal Government to intervene and help solve the situation. “We as the civil society dislike any clashes, people are tired of conflicts, hundreds of thousands of people died because of this, more people were disabled, and more than that were displaced. The fighting in Guri El is not exceptional, it’s very disheartening,” Shirwa said. SOSCENSA, which is well known for its mediation efforts in the past, is now engaged in solving these clashes.
Somaliland Puts Conditions To Attend Talks In Turkey
02 March – Source: Radio RBC – 193 Words
Talks between Somali Federal Government and the self-declared state of Somaliland are reportedly on the edge of closure. The 8th round of talks between Somalia and Somaliland was set to commence yesterday in Istanbul before the Somaliland delegation refused to open talks with the Somali Federal Government delegation. Somaliland delegation, led by the breakaway state’s Foreign Minister Muse Bihi Yonis, rejected to meet the Somali Government delegation saying some members of the Somalia delegation hail from Somaliland. Bihu Yonis speaking at Egal Airport in Hargeisa before departing for Turkey stated that they will not open talks with the Somali Federal Government delegation if individuals who hail from regions under Somaliland are included, adding ” we will only talk with individuals from South Somalia.” The Somali Federal Government delegation includes the Minister of Transport and Aviation, and the Minister of Information, both of whom come from regions claimed by Somaliland. Turkey, a key ally of Somalia, has been trying to convince the Somaliland delegation to attend the talks and not consider the background of members of the delegation, sources say.The fate of the talks remains unclear.
Benadir Court Sentences Journalists
02 March – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 102 Words
A court in the Benadir regional administration has sentenced three journalists to various sentences.The court has fined the owners of Shabelle Radio and Sky FM Abdimalik Yusuf Mahmud $10,000, for allegedly publishing and airing false reports. Two other journalists, Mohamed Mohamud and Ahmed Abdi Hassan were each fined between $500 to $2000 for the same charges. The judge at the Benadir regional court, Dr Hashi Elmi Nur, said the journalists were found guilty of airing false reports, he added that a fourth journalist, Mohamed Bashir, has been remanded after further accusations were leveled against him.
Puntland Forces Carry Out Operations
02 March – Source: Radio Danan – 109 Words
Puntland forces carried out operations after an attack yesterday in which the commander of the tax guard forces in Mudug was killed. The commander, Duraan Omar Geele, was killed after explosives planted in his car went off. According to the chief commander of Puntland forces in Mudug, Abdirashiid Hassan Hashi, the Puntland forces are pursuing the attackers. “The forces are still carrying out operations so as to track down the perpetrators of the explosion,” he said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Fighting Drives Hundreds In South-Western Somalia Into Misery
01 March – Source: Garowe Online – 169 Words
Hundreds of residents in south-western Somalia who escaped fighting between government troops backed by the African Union and the Al-Qaeda linked militants face misery, hunger and disease in bush areas in Bakool region, Garowe Online reports. The fighting has already displaced thousands of nomads and residents in rural areas, creating a humanitarian situation in Bakool region, hard-hit by the anti-militant push led by AU forces. Abdifatah Duwane,the Commissioner for Yel town told Radio Garowe that displaced families face water shortages and lack basic health care, adding woes to their already fragile situation. He urged aid agencies to come to assistance of the families who fled into rural areas, leaving behind their homes and livestock on which they were heavily dependent. Residents in El-Bar, a small rural town in the region reported on Saturday that fighting between the two sides killed at least 11 people, mostly civilians who were caught in the middle of the offensive against the insurgent fighters trying to topple the western-backed government in Somalia.
Al-Shabab Set Alight Commodities
01 March – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 107 Words
Reports from Hiraan region indicate that Al-Shabab has burnt down trade commodities and foodstuffs in Burwein locality as part of their scorched earth policy. Al-Shabab reportedly gathered the food sacks and other commodities, carried them to a field and made a public show of setting them on fire. A district official said that the food which had been burned belonged to a businesswoman and refuted that it is food aid,
He accused Al-Shabab fighters of terrorising traders saying, “they ordered business people to close down.” Al-Shabab has imposed tight sanctions by blocking the main trade routes leading to Jalalaqsi and other towns in Hiran region such as Bulloburde, after they were driven out of many towns by the government and allied forces.
REGIONAL MEDIA
How Police Helped Al Shabaab Smuggle Their Arsenal
02 March – Source: Standard Media – 404 Words
Al Shabaab terrorists bribed Kenyan police officers who helped them smuggle explosives into Kenya last year, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua has revealed. He said that after being bribed, the police at the Kenya-Somalia border, handcuffed the terrorists and escorted them all the way to Mombasa. This helped the terrorists, who were now suspects by the virtue of being under police guard, to evade further scrutiny at various roadblocks. And after they arrived in Mombasa, Mr Kinyua said the terrorists were unchained and let free to go ahead with their mission. Kinyua, however, said it was unlikely the officers knew the terrorists’ car had explosives. “Imagine the kind of damage they could have caused if they were not arrested later?” posed Kinyua. Police who intercepted the vehicle bearing the explosives in March last year found six grenades, an AK-47 assault rifle, 270 bullets, six cylindrical bombs weighing 10kg each, five magazines, six detonators, a Nokia cell phone and six electronic cables. The in-built improvised explosive devices were welded to the floor and back seat of the vehicle.
“We later established who they were and punished them. Remember the explosives caused a crater when they were detonated.” Kinyua was speaking during the launch of an exercise that is aimed at reviewing systems, policies and procedures at ports of entry into the country. The 30-day exercise will be undertaken by officials from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Kenya Airports Authority and Kenya Ports Authority. The exercise was launched after it emerged that most of the entry points were to blame for insecurity, including terrorism, in Kenya. EACC Chairman Mumo Matemu said the objective of the preventive strategy is to promote and sustain good governance in public institutions. “It is intended to help us identify corruption loopholes in the systems, policies, procedures and practices in selected ports of entry. What we find there will be used in other areas,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
New Alberta-Wide Somali TV Show Will Connect Community, Says Host
01 March – Source: Edmonton Journal – 574 Words
People in Alberta’s Somali community will hear their own stories in their own voices on a Somali-language television news program airing Sundays, says the show’s host. The half-hour Omni television show, called Somalis in Alberta, started in September. Organizers hope to expand the Somali-language program to an hour-long show, said Jaamac, 38, who does not use a last name. Somalis in Alberta is looking for a venue that could hold 60 to 80 people for a talk-show format, said Jaamac, who also hosts a radio show on CJSR called Somalis in Edmonton.
“It’s a kind of identity. Having your own radio and your own TV in the city means you live here. And it’s important for people to tell their story rather than hearing it from someone else,” Jaamac said. “The mainstream media covers (the community) mainly only when there’s a crisis, when there’s something negative happening … So telling successes and showcasing our own stories is something Somali media can do much better than the other media. Seeing ourselves talking about our own issues will be much more helpful.” About six years ago, Edmonton’s Somali community was rocked by a string of murders that were in the news. In January, three cousins from Edmonton’s Somali-Canadian community were reportedly killed while fighting overseas for ISIS last fall.
Somali Hotel Attack Victims Airlifted To Dubai For Treatment
01 March – Source: Shanghai Daily/Xinhua – 212 Words
More than 10 people who were injured in a bomb attack at a hotel in Mogadishu have been flown to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for specialized treatment since local hospitals do not have the capacity, health minister said Sunday. Health Minister Hawa Hassan Mohamed told journalists in Mogadishu that the government had been liaising with various governments to seek support, and the UAE government agreed to airlift the patients for treatment in Dubai.
“Thirteen people who were seriously wounded have been flown to UAE after they agreed to our request. They have also given us two planes to transport the injured. I thank the UAE for their response and assistance for the treatment of our people,” Mohamed said.
The minister added that there were still many other people in different hospitals in the city and the government is still looking for more medical support.However, the minister did not indicate if government officials were among those airlifted. The militant group Al-Shabaab let off explosives at Central Hotel in the capital more than a week ago, killing 28 people that include two members of parliament. The government also confirmed that 58 people were injured in the attack, which targeted worshipers in a mosque inside the hotel compound and customers at the hotel.
Twin Cities Somalis Say They’re Unfairly Affected By Anti-Terror Efforts
01 March – Source: CBS Local – 383 Words
Some local immigrants say they, and their families, are being unfairly affected by an anti-terrorism effort. Most banks that have helped east African immigrants wire money home are no longer doing that. Some are afraid the money could end up in the hands of terrorist groups, such as al-Shabaab. But local immigrants said the hold on transfers could ruin the economy in places like Somalia. Mustafe Abi spent Sunday going from money transfer store to money transfer store and is trying. He’s been trying for weeks and he’ll try again.“We try because they don’t have nothing,” Abi said. Abi moved to the U.S. in 2006 from a refugee camp in Kenya. He goes to school and work here to support his mom and brother back home.“Their school is not free, food is not free, they are not working, they don’t have income other places. It just depends on what I am sending them,” Abi said.
Now that most banks have stopped wring money to places like Somalia, it’s been trickier than ever. Representative Keith Ellison said it’s a major problem among his constituents.“I have tons of examples personally and specifically about people trying to get money to their loved ones,” Ellison said. Ellison said he’s been trying to make that point in Washington, to encourage banks to allow the flow of small amounts of money to Somalia.“We want to stop money from going to the terrorists but we don’t want to be so inflexible that we can’t get the money to the overwhelming majority of people,” Ellison said.While most banks have decided to stop the transfers completely, he said a few are continuing to quietly help east Africans out. Abi said he’ll find one.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Shabab is losing on the battlefield, and in the media. Its brutality looks almost quaint in comparison to the actions of ISIS. Under new leader Sheikh Ahmad Umar the group has continued to launch suicide attacks at home in Somalia, most recently killing 25 people at a hotel in Mogadishu, and has stepped up sectarian killings in Kenya. There is little doubt Shabab will remain a regional threat for some time to come, but its danger to the West is limited.”
Why Shabab Poses Little Threat To American Malls
01 March – Source: Economist – 488 Words
On Saturday Somalia’s al-Qaeda-aligned Islamic militants posted a new propaganda video online. The Shabab said the 76-minute film would reveal the true story behind its September 2013 attack on Nairobi’s Westgate mall, which killed at least 67 people. Instead it provided a handful of unsubstantiated claims, re-hashed Kenya’s woeful mishandling of the attack and plagiarized HBO and Al-Jazeera documentaries with abandon. The film concluded with a call-to-action directed at “Muslim brothers, particularly those in the West” to emulate the Westgate assault by attacking a series of “American or Jewish-owned shopping centres across the world”. Malls and retail districts in Minnesota, Edmonton, London and Paris were named, but is Shabaab actually capable of striking in the West?
Shabab emerged from the ruins of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), a grassroots religious movement that in 2006 reclaimed Somalia from years of warlord rule. After a few months in charge, an American-backed Ethiopian invasion smashed the ICU. Its armed wing then transformed into a powerful guerilla force. At its zenith in 2009 Shabab controlled almost the whole of southern Somalia and all but a few blocks of the capital Mogadishu. For years it harboured one of the masterminds of the 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and in 2012 declared its allegiance to Al-Qaeda. Shabab suicide bombers killed 74 people in a pair of suicide attacks in Uganda during the 2010 World Cup final. But the Westgate attack, though less deadly, is its most high-profile operation to date. Shabab has never launched a successful attack outside East Africa and is less likely now than ever to do so.
“It is a fact that in the heart of every human being there is a sense of dignity that is never satisfied as long as one is a sojourner. That is why our focus must be on praying for and working towards peace in Somalia. It is in their internal amity that we will find our peace.”
Why Kenya-Somalia Border Wall Is Not The Answer
01 March – Source: Standard Media – 824 Words
My first reaction to the news that the government intends to construct a wall between Kenya and Somalia was only excitement. I had personally contemplated this as a possible solution to the menace of illegal immigrants crossing from the war-torn nation. And indeed, Lamu Governor Issa Timamy is reported to be in full support of the proposed wall. Of course the wall, whose construction is expected to be complete before the end of the year, is hoped to curb the infiltration of the Somalia based terrorists – a welcome thought indeed. But on second thoughts, the idea is not that attractive, especially in the long term. When the government of East Germany was faced with mass defections into West Germany, it resorted to building a barbed wire and concrete wall between East and West Berlin. And so the construction began on 13 August, 1961, ostensibly to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state.
Unfortunately, the Berlin Wall did not stem the flow of refugees from East to West as expected. Consequently, the makeshift wall was replaced with a 12-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide reinforced concrete wall. With twelve checkpoints atop, the wall was designed to make climbing over nearly impossible. Furthermore, on the East German side was created a highly sophisticated buffer zone of soft sand, floodlights, vicious dogs, trip-wire machine guns, and patrolling soldiers with orders to shoot escapees on sight. But even this did not make escape from East Germany impossible. By the time the wall came down in 1989, it is estimated that more than 5,000 East Germans had managed to cross the border by jumping out of windows adjacent to the wall, climbing over the barbed wire, flying in hot air balloons, crawling through sewers, or driving through unfortified parts of the wall at high speeds. It is this reality that makes me wonder whether our own version of the “Berlin Wall” will succeed, unless of course we are ready to invest in greater sophistication than employed in East Germany. For to be sure, human determination to break through barriers is amazing…and especially when the said human beings are intent on evil. The wall can therefore be only a temporary measure while we pursue a more permanent solution.
“Finding a viable solution depends on choosing the right and honest leaders who work with the active members of the civic society. Thus, the combination of good leadership and inclusivity of a grassroots movement will catalyze our general public policy.”
Public Policy Challenges: Somalia Behind The World – Reflection
02 March – Source: Blog – 718 Words
I am taking an online course on Public Policy Challenges in the 21st century. In the first week of the course, the professor and the students were exploring issues that are likely to dominate the US public policy agenda in the year 2030. The students’ focus was pivoted around multi-faceted issues. Among those issues were the environmental change and the technological advancement, the pervasive problems in the Middle East, shifting demographics (urbanization, globalization and immigration), income inequality, space explorations, growing extremism and the rise of economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa known as BRICs. Students also brainstormed what the American public policy would be like after 15 years from now. During the course, the part of the plan is to invite Public Policy experts and political leaders who present lectures that focus on a specific policy issue and thus answer students’ questions after the lecture. This type of experts’ discussion will help the students to understand deeply about the topics relevant to the course. In addition to that, the students will have the academic competence to put questions to the prominent leaders of the country.
In the first week of the study, many questions raced through my mind. “Look! These students are deliberating about 2030 policy agenda. What about your country – Somalia? Does anybody think discussing Somalia’s policy issues after 15 years? What would be the challenges facing our public policy in today and tomorrow? Are the incumbent leaders and those who are inspiring to join politics eager to streamline sound public policies that are organic, inclusive, participative and relevant to the current situation? Will the Somali citizens acquire the opportunity to discuss the future policy issues of their country? Will we have the leaders who are determined to guiding the national policies in the right direction and for the best interest of the nation? The more I dwelled on those questions the more disappointed I felt. Let alone discussing what the challenges we face would be in years, we are struggling to make credible public policy to cope with some of the today’s pressing issues.
In Somalia, the criterion in which the political leaders are chosen is solely based on a power sharing clan formula. This method does not warrant good leadership qualities, a strong academic background, competence, honesty and integrity. To run for positions in the public policy, effective and credible leadership is an essential element. Unfortunately, we lacked such leadership, and that is the reason why the country is trailing behind the world in terms of mapping and exploring the policy agenda ahead. Coming back to the reality, today the country is in a precarious situation where people expect much from the newly approved cabinet within a very short period.
Top tweets
@somalianalyst Overly optimistic piece about state of accountability in IJA #Somalia: http://www.theguardian.com/
@SalahOsman0 Mogadishu is moving ahead. Look how clean and beautiful Mogadishu’s roads are nowadays. #Somalia#Mogadishu
@HarunMaruf: #Somalia: Despite being one of the most dangerous places to work as a reporter, young female journos train to improve.
@LibanObsiye Improving civil servants training, job security & pay crucial to peace and progress in Somalia @UNDPSomalia @Somalia111. Hope & Opportunity
@OCHASom: #Malnutrition rate is 15.3% in south-central#Somalia. Need to address immediate & underlying causes@unicefsomalia
@AbdirachidATM: “After decades of civil war, an estimated one-third of #Somalia’s population suffers from mental-health problems…. http://fb.me/3i4zxmxXB
@ElmanPeaceHRC: Thank you @HausOfRiya for letting us share your story from #Somalia. Speaking out against sexual violence, is everyone’s responsibility!
Image of the day
Today, we take a moment to appreciate the Somali National Army (SNA) for their commitment to a peaceful Somalia. Photo: AMISOM