March 22, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Djiboutian ambassador, Somali president discuss bilateral relations
21 Mar – Source: Sabahi Online – 120 words
Djibouti’s Ambassador to Somalia Dayib Doubad Robleh met with Somali President Sheikh Hassan Mohamud in Mogadishu on Tuesday (March 19th) to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Djibouti’s La Nation reported. The two men discussed the security situation in Mogadishu and the upcoming international conference on Somalia due to be held in London in May.
Mohamud also praised Djiboutian soldiers for their efforts to treat victims of the cholera epidemic in Beledweyne. Mohamud said his government is working on establishing a new administration in Beledweyne to better co-ordinate the work of local officials and the Djiboutian contingent. Following the meeting, Mohamud thanked Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh for his continued commitment to lasting peace and stability in Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Djiboutian ambassador Somali president discuss bilateral relations (Sabahi Online)
- One Killed and three injured in suicide attack in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu/ Radio Mustaqbal/ al Shahid)
- IDPs in Abudwak to receive business financing support (Bar-kulan)
- Ethiopia Leaves a Vacuum (Strategy Page)
- Government to preside over Jubbaland conference (Radio Mustaqbal)
- Police warn of anti-terror crackdown in N. Kenya (CCTV/Xinhua)
- UN rights expert praises Somalia for human rights progress (Shabelle)
- UAE Foreign Minister Ethiopian President discuss bilateral relations (Emirates News Agency)
SOMALI MEDIA
One Killed and three injured in suicide attack in Mogadishu
22 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu/ Radio Mustaqbal/ al Shahid – 117 words
One person was killed and three others wounded among them one policeman in a suicide attack at Bakaara market in Mogadishu. The attack happened late Thursday at a junction in the famous open air market. Report says that the dead man was the suicide bomber who carried out the attack, injuring Somali policeman and two women.
Government officials said that the security authorities have succeeded in thwarting the suicide attack, pointing out that government soldiers opened fire on the bomber before blowing himself up as he tried to penetrate into a Somali police post. There is no group has so far claimed the responsibility of the attack.
IDPs in Abudwak to receive business financing support
22 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan – 112 words
Two International Aid Agencies have embarked on an ambitious plan to help internally displaced persons camping in refugee camps in central Somali town of Abudwak to expand their small scale businesses.
The programme funded by UNHCR and the Danish Refugee council aims at financing business expansion of about 100 local refugee persons, including working capital financing and income generating assets, according to Abudwak district commissioner Ahmed Jama Dirif.
He said registrations of beneficiaries and assessment on refugee families in these camps have just begun. Earlier, local authorities have appealed to both international and local aid agencies to come to the aid of more than 150 needy families in parts of the district.
Government to preside over Jubbaland conference
22 Mar – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 118 words
Stakeholders of Jubaland conference in southern port town of Kismayo-which is to set up administration for Jubba and Gedo regions have held a conference that they discussed the best ways to give fresh impetus on the Jubaland conference.
Head of Jubaland elders, Mo’alin Mohamad Ibrahim, has confirmed that they have decided to welcome the the federal government of somalia in order to preside over the conference and are planning to welcome Prime Minister Saa’id in the city.
“The government will be source of funds and the backbone of the conference, mediation between residents in the regions,” said the head. This is coming at a time when the premier had several times said that the government is not fully informed about the conference.
UN rights expert praises Somalia for human rights progress
21 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 119 words
The UN’s Independent Human Rights Expert on Somalia gave Somalia a vote of confidence on human rights during a meeting with the Prime Minister in Mogadishu. Shamsul Bari said he had made previous visits to Somalia when he had been disheartened by the human rights situation. That situation had now changed.
“My heart is much lighter and full of hope on this visit,” Mr Bari said. “I’m hopeful because the rule of law and justice are taking root. People can relate to the government. There’s a bright future ahead.”
Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon welcomed Mr Bari to Mogadishu and reiterated the government’s commitment to upholding human rights, emphasizing a number of steps it was taking.
REGIONAL MEDIA
UAE Foreign Minister, Ethiopian President discuss bilateral relations
22 Mar – Source: Emirates News Agency – 911 words
Ethiopian President Ato Girma Woldegiorgis received at the presidential palace here today Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, who is visiting Ethiopia at the end of an African tour.
Sheikh Abdullah conveyed to the Ethiopian President the greetings of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressing his keenness to strengthen the ties between the UAE and Ethiopian and African countries in general.
The UAE was the second non-African Arab state to gain observer status in the African Union, which provides plenty of opportunities for collaboration, including in Somalia, where both Ethiopia and the UAE have been forces for stability.
Djiboutian ambassador, Somali president discuss bilateral relations
21 Mar – Source: Sabahi Online – 120 words
Djibouti’s Ambassador to Somalia Dayib Doubad Robleh met with Somali President Sheikh Hassan Mohamud in Mogadishu on Tuesday (March 19th) to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Djibouti’s La Nation reported. The two men discussed the security situation in Mogadishu and the upcoming international conference on Somalia due to be held in London in May.
Mohamud also praised Djiboutian soldiers for their efforts to treat victims of the cholera epidemic in Beledweyne. Mohamud said his government is working on establishing a new administration in Beledweyne to better co-ordinate the work of local officials and the Djiboutian contingent.
Following the meeting, Mohamud thanked Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh for his continued commitment to lasting peace and stability in Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Ethiopia Leaves a Vacuum
22 Mar – Source: Strategy Page – 618 words
The government considers al Shabaab done as a major military force and is now considered a threat as bandits and terrorists. The AU (African Union) peacekeepers and government troops continue to chase the Islamic radicals out of towns and villages in central Somalia. There are not enough troops available to police all of Somalia, which in the best of times is a pretty lawless place.
Al Shabaab has lost most of its income (which largely came from the port of Kismayo, extortion from businesses and aid organizations and donations from overseas). With its income reduced by over 70 percent al Shabaab has a hard time buying supplies and keeping most of its gunmen fed and loyal. Desertions are furthering decimating al Shabaab, doing more damage than combat losses.
Somali pirates are still holding 65 sailors for ransom and continue to fail at capturing any more ships. The few ships still held may never be ransomed because the pirates are asking for more than the owners, or their insurance companies, can afford or are willing to pay.
Royal Dutch Shell CEO Highlights Somalia Holdings
21 Mar – Source: Fox Business – 277 words
Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDSA, RDSA.LN) African exploration interests are currently focused on Tanzania and Zanzibar, CEO Peter Voser said Thursday, though he also mentioned the oil giant has blocks of land available in Somalia.
Mr. Voser’s Somalia comments are the clearest indication yet the Anglo-Dutch major may exercise exploration rights that are more than 20 years old, signed before the African nation descended into brutal civil war. He addressed the company’s interests in Africa with reporters on the sidelines of a luncheon in Boston.
“We have our exploration blocks in Tanzania Zanzibar and that has all of our focus at the moment,” Mr. Voser said, while declining to address a reporter’s question about Mozambique. Meantime, “we have also further blocks further north in Somalia. So we are pursuing our organic exploration strategy,” the CEO also said.
Police warn of anti-terror crackdown in N. Kenya
21 Mar – Source: CCTV/ Xinhua – 393 words
The Kenyan police on Thursday warned of a major crackdown in the northern town of Mandera near the border with Somalia, where Al-Shabaab suspects killed a police officer and injured five others in the past two days.
Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said so far no suspect has been arrested in connection to the incident which saw the officers who were on normal patrol killed by an explosion which was planted by roadside.
“Our initial investigation into this matter indicate that this might have been a device which had been in place for some time, because of the fact that of late, we have managed to bring hostile activities under check,” Kimaiyo said in a statement read by his spoken Mosoud Mwinyi.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“As it stands, the treaty places trade in weapons themselves under encouragingly tight controls. (There are still loopholes that need to be addressed, though the talks seem to be moving in the right direction.) But the treaty shunts ammunition and spare parts to an annex with far looser restrictions. If those restrictions continue to allow a black market to flourish, the treaty fails, especially in places like Somalia.”
Somalia, where a UN arms embargo failed
21 Mar – Source: Al Jazeera Blog – 579 Words
The Somali government soldiers wiggling their toes in their open-toed sandals were clearly committed, but it was hard not to feel concerned as they stood in the shade before leaving on a foot-patrol in Maslah north of Mogadishu.
This is the new frontline in the government’s fight against al Shabaab rebels. Before we left, I asked how many of the 30 soldiers in the unit had more than one magazine of ammunition. They all shook their heads. Then I asked how many of them had their magazine full to its capacity of 30 rounds. They all shook their heads again.
I set off with them through the dusty afternoon light, with a prickly sense of anxiety along the back of my neck. In an ambush, each magazine would last less than three seconds with their weapons on automatic fire.
The Somali National Army’s 4th Brigade is walking proof of the unintended consequences of a badly thought-out attempt to control the flow of arms and ammunition.
“The immediate danger is if the weapons find their way in the hands of groups like al Shabaab through corrupt government officials/security officers,” which could lead to “an incredibly difficult situation, where these weapons could fuel further conflict”.
Briefing: The risks and rewards of easing Somalia’s arms embargo
21 Mar – Source: IRIN – 1443 Words
The UN Security Council earlier this month relaxed a long-standing arms embargo on Somalia, allowing the government to purchase light weapons for 12 months. “On the arms embargo, originally imposed in 1992, the Council decided that it would not apply to arms or equipment sold or supplied solely for the development of the government’s security forces, but it kept its restrictions in place on heavy weapons, such as surface-to-air missiles,” UN Security Council Resolution 2093, adopted on 6 March, said.
The government – or member states delivering weapons – are required to notify the Council’s sanctions committee of any such deliveries. IRIN has put together a briefing on the implications of easing the embargo.
Why ease the embargo?
Top tweets
@UNHCRSom So far, 4K people reported to move into and within #Somalia. Top reason- insecurity. Get more info here ->http://goo.gl/Uh3rm.
@SomaliPM “Fishing economy returns to #Somalia“ #Reuters report with H.E. Min of Natural Resources Abdirisak Omar Mohamed http://www.youtube.com/watch?
@amisomsomalia Happy Int’l #waterday!! #AMISOM troops patrolling the coastline to ensure safety on #Somalia waters w pic.twitter.com/iJt2ePxDea.
@ICRC Learn more about our joint @BBCSomali radio programme and how we reunite families in #Somalia -> http://goo.gl/ZUf0R #FamilyLinks.
@USAID In #Somalia, we’re replacing piracy with fishing markets so that young people can find work and resist a life of crime. #USAIDForward.
@StarTribune Will a new $5 million bounty bring down the tweeting, rapping American jihadi in #Somalia? http://strib.mn/YcgQhx.
Image of the day
President Hassan Sheikh shakes hand with Shamsul Bari, Independent Human Rights Expert on Somalia after their meeting in Villa Somalia, Mogadishu on March 21, 2013. Photo: Horseed Media.