March 23, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Former Somali president dies in Dubai hospital
23 Mar – Source: Shabelle, Bar-kulan, Hiiraan Online – 106 words
Former Somali president Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed has died this morning at a hospital in Dubai after he long illness, officials and colleagues said on Friday.
Relatives confirmed the death of Mr. Yusuf saying he was taken to Dubai for health reasons and died in the hospital on Friday night. Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed was elected Somali president in 2005 and stepped down in 2009. Mr. Yusuf has been in political exile in Yemen and moved to the United Arab Emirates for health care. He has been suffering from liver illness for long-time.
Key Headlines
- Former Somali president dies in Dubai hospital (Shabelle Bar-kulan Hiiraan Online)
- Somali PM commends TFG forces for seizing Huddur town (Radio Mogadishu)
- Arab delegates draft Baghdad Arab summit agenda (Qatar News Agency)
- Al Shabaab stones fighters to death in south western Somalia (Radio Shabelle)
- TFG imposes curfew on town blasts mount ( Shabelle)
- Kenya Police to interview freed British woman ( Daily Nation)
- EU to start helicopter strikes on Somalia pirate beaches ( EU Observer)
- Somalia plans more security after attacks ( UPI )
SOMALI MEDIA
Former Somali president dies in Dubai hospital
23 Mar – Source: Shabelle, Bar-kulan, Hiiraan Online – 106 words
Former Somali president Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed has died this morning at a hospital in Dubai after he long illness, officials and colleagues said on Friday. Relatives confirmed the death of Mr. Yusuf saying he was taken to Dubai for health reasons and died in the hospital on Friday night. Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed was elected Somali president in 2005 and stepped down in 2009.
Mr. Yusuf has been in political exile in Yemen and moved to the United Arab Emirates for health care. He has been suffering from liver illness for long-time.
Somali PM commends TFG forces for seizing Hudur town
23 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 231 words
Somalia’s Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali who addressed a press conference in his resident in Mogadishu spoke about the liberation of Huddur town by the Somali National Army with the support of Ethiopian forces. In the press conference, Somali PM was accompanied by his Deputy Mohamed Mohamud Haji who is also the Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdullahi Haji, Minister for Information, Post and Telecommunication Abdikadir Jahweyn, Minister for Education Aydiid and other Deputy Ministers.
The premier emphasised the importance of the ongoing military operations in the country, adding that the efforts show how the government is dedicated to bring the whole country under its control. “This is a clear indication of two things; the commitment of the government to take full control of the entire country and the weakening of the al Shabaab” Mr. Abdiweli said. The Prime Minister also thanked the neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopian forces for their support to the Somali National Army in the ongoing operations in the country.
On the other hand, while responding to the question of whether AMISOM forces will be deployed to the liberated areas, the premier confirmed that the AMISOM forces will be dispatched to the liberated areas in the shortest time possible to maintain security and allow humanitarian aid to reach the population.
Al Shabaab stones fighters to death in south western Somalia
23 Mar – Source: Radio Shabelle – 152 words
Al Qaeda affiliated militants have on Friday afternoon stoned a fellow fighter to death in a town in south-western Somalia after accusing him of committing a rape, an official said. The accused was killed in a square in Dinsor district of Bay region as hundreds of local inhabitants, including veiled women and elders congregated to watch the stoning event.
An al Shabaab official said that an Islamic court of district has reached the decision after the man confessed he had forcibly raped a local young girl whose name had not been released so far. He said the accused was a married man and committing rape amounted to stoning to death, according to the Islamic Sharia.
Generally, alleged spies and Christians have been publicly executed. Thieves have had their legs and hands cut off. Unmarried mature women and men accused of adultery have been beaten and stoned to death in the al Shabaab controlled areas.
Former al Shabaab agent denounces group
22 Mar – Source: Garowe Online, Bar-kulan, Universal TV – 216 words
A former al Shabaab agent operating in the Golis mountains in the region of Bari turned himself into Puntland authorities denouncing the group, Garowe reports. The former agent held a financial position among the Golis mountain militants who recently announced that they had officially joined al Shabaab. The former agent named Abdirashid Hasan Mohamed was welcomed by Puntland authorities who held a press conference in Bossaso.
Puntland Deputy Security Minister Abdi-jamal Osman Mohamed and other Bari region authorities held a press conference in Bossaso reminding any and all al Shabaab agents who are willing to leave the organization that they will be granted a pardon if they surrender to authorities.
TFG imposes curfew on Hudur town
23 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 127 words
Somali troops in south-western region of Bakol have imposed a night time curfew on the town of Hudur after heavy battles that forced al Shabaab militants to flee on Thursday, reports said. Local residents confirmed to Shabelle Media that the curfew followed series of bomb attacks that took place at military bases in the Hudur, just 420 kilometres (260 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, as the allied troops moved into town.
“Everybody is running away. I am now closing my shop. Business has come to a standstill because of the curfew,” a shopkeeper told Shabelle Media via phone. Hudur town is the provincial capital of Bakol region has served in the past three-years as a training base for the militant group al Shabaab linked with al Qaeda fighting against UN-backed Somali Government.
Al Qaeda militants rent homes in Mogadishu to plan attacks
22 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 49 words
Radio Mogadishu reported that al Qaeda fighters are renting houses in Mogadishu in order to plan and carryout their terror attacks on the Somali people. The Islamist militants who were defeated by the national forces are in their last days and will soon disappear from the country.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Arab delegates draft Baghdad Arab summit agenda
22 Mar – Source: Qatar News Agency – 2145 words
The Arab permanent delegates to the Arab League drafted Thursday the agenda of the coming Arab summit, to be held in Baghdad on March 29. The agenda comprised ten items covering different aspects of Arab cooperation.
Deputy of Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Ben Helli said that the summit agenda includes the drive against terrorism, Arab efforts to create Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, especially the nuclear ones, development of Arab League and developments in Somalia.
Kenya Police to interview freed British woman
22 Mar – Source: Daily Nation – 320 words
Kenyan Police have named freed British tourist Judith Tebbutt the “principal witness” in a case pending before a Lamu court over her abduction last September. Mrs Tebbutt, 56, whose husband David was shot dead during the abduction at Kiwayu Safari Village in Lamu, was released on Wednesday after seven months of captivity in Somalia.
An officer privy to the investigations told the Nation that they would interview her because her account would help them to present “tight evidence” in court.
Mrs Tebbutt arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday— the same day Lamu principal magistrate Johnstone Munguti adjourned the case to enable Mr Ali Babitu Kololo Kololo to prepare for the trial.
He is charged with two counts of robbery with violence and abduction of Mrs Tebbutt. The cases will be heard on April 2 and 9, and on May 25 to 27, this year. Police said they would, however, not rush to interview Mrs Tebbutt until an expert confirms that “she is psychologically prepared.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
EU to start helicopter strikes on Somalia pirate beaches
23 Mar – Source: EU Observer – 48 words
EU ministers Friday are to approve naval shelling and helicopter strikes against moored pirate boats, trucks or fuel depots in failed state Somalia, German deputy defence minister Schmidt told press in Brussels Thursday. “This should be limited actions against assets on the edge of the beach,” he noted.
Somalia heightens security to counter attacks in Mogadishu
22 Mar – Source: UPI – 136 words
The Somali government said Thursday it plans to heightened security in the capital city, Mogadishu, after deadly bomb attacks by al Shabaab militants. Mogadishu has been hit by deadly roadside bomb and suicide car attacks since al Shabaab moved out of the capital last year as a result of offensives by Somalia and an African Union-led peacekeeping mission, Shabelle Media Network reported.
Sources told SMN the Somali government’s national security committee has had talks about security in Mogadishu, where government troops and African Union soldiers are trying to stop militant attacks.
Al Shabaab said Tuesday it plans to keep up its attacks against government buildings and military bases operated by African Union Mission in Somalia, and warned civilians to stay away from those targets.
U.S.-backed war in Somalia runs into stiff resistance
22 Mar – Source: Workers World – 1018 words
A major battle outside the Somalian central city of Baidoa on March 10 showed that the imperialist-backed war against al Shabaab is far from over. Reports in recent weeks in the corporate media had made it appear that the Islamic resistance forces were in retreat and suffering massive casualties at the hands of the multinational invasion forces currently operating inside Somalia.
Developments in the Horn of Africa must be viewed within the context of the expansion of the United States Africa Command — known as AFRICOM — and NATO operations on the continent. The reserves of oil and strategic minerals that are increasingly identified in Africa are at the root of these military operations in Somalia.
There is intense fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, in Kismayo in the south, and in Baidoa in the central region where Western-engineered militaries claim to have largely weakened the al Shabaab movement. Nonetheless, reports say the March 12 Baidoa clashes killed 70 Ethiopian troops and wounded many more. In Mogadishu on March 14, an attack on the presidential palace killed several people. Al Shabaab soon claimed responsibility for the operation, saying that the bombing attack killed 17 people.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
The People v. Piracy: Building Response in Somalia
23 Mar – Source: Statt – 150 words
Somali piracy, at an estimated cost of $7 billion per year, continues to vex national governments, international donors and captains of industry. In The People v Piracy, Synapse recommends a closer look at the local Somali communities that are taking action to deny the pirates safe haven and condemning their activities. There are valuable lessons to be learned from the Somali context, applicable both there and perhaps in countering piracy threats that have developed in West Africa.
Centralised solutions from the international community are tried, tested and do not seem to be working well. Synapse suggests an increased focus on promoting and amplifying local initiatives that can undermine piracy. By engaging Somali communities with a post-piracy peace dividend – and recognising important roles among local authorities and the private sector – forward-thinking international donors can target and improve aid effectiveness, while gaining significant returns on investments in education and economic development.
“The consequences of not judging with acute precision the motives and desires of other, some of them seemingly friendly, could be disastrous. We have seen nations like France and other countries, who give aid under the guise of help only to facilitate colonial aspirations, and who only benefit the few chosen elite in a nation. In comparison, to nations like France with a checkered past in their dealings with other nations and a negative past in their dealings with Somalia, I look to Turkey. The contrast is self evident.”
The Turkish Model and International Aid to Somalia
22 Mar – Source: Horseed Media – 1332 Words
Through this past decade, oil drilling and exploration in Somalia has been increasing. Today we are seeing international interest in a potential Somalia hydrocarbon industry increase exponentially. On November 14, 2011 the British Prime minister stated that “Somalia is a failed state that directly threatens British interests.” The British Prime Minister’s concern for Somalia is related to the world’s growing interest in Somalia’s potential hydrocarbon industry. Since then we have been hearing a lot about the “international community” and their desire to help the Somalia people. However, not all international aid is equal and not every country’s desire to help Somalia is genuine.
Somalia is on the cusp of a change. Our nation is at a crossroads. In a few years we may see a major change in revenues, governance, and stability. Based on current reports, there are just too many resources in Somalia, and the game has changed. The interested parties in the world want changes and stability in our homeland. The question is just how this change will come to pass. The fact is that countries from across the world, from nearly every continent have pledged to help Somalia, and they have every intention of being involved in Somali affairs. Corporate business interests from across the world have plans to be involved in Somalia.
“Despite all these efforts and despite close cooperation with many partners such as the United Nations, the African Union, and the United States, the Somali crisis is however not even close to being solved. Somali pirates continue to pose a risk to global maritime shipping. It is also more than doubtful whether – after more than a dozen similar events – the London Conference on Somalia that took place on February 23rd will be a significant game changer in this regard.”
The EU and Somalia – Counter-Piracy and the Question of a Comprehensive Approach
22 Mar – Source: Piracy Studies – 1552 Words
Conflict ridden and failing states like Somalia as well as the scourge of piracy emanating from its coasts are textbook examples for the truism that dealing effectively with today’s transnational threats demands strong international cooperation and a functioning multi-level governance in the field of security. While the political process on tackling the intractable Somali crisis has been staggering over years, the increasing attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the Somali Basin and the wider Indian Ocean have resulted in unprecedented activities of a multitude of international actors in the maritime sphere and beyond.
“The enduring theme of the evening, however, was not giving in to despair but challenging the conventional wisdom. Somalia – in the counter-terror crosshairs because of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab – is not all suicide bombers and pirates. “Somalia is a totally unique place,” said Parker, who has been reporting from Somalia for 20 years. “It could be the next Dubai. Somalis are brilliant at business and have massive potential as a people and a country.””
Dulwich Book Festival: A frank view of Somalia and Afghanistan
22 Mar – Source: Telegraph – 550 Words
Small but plenty ambitious, the Dulwich Book Festival has something for everyone – be they budding children’s book authors, adventurous chefs or those captivated by our changing political landscape. Minefield is a better description for the festival’s recent topic – Somalia and the war on terror. BBC World Service reporter Mary Harper, Sunday Telegraph chief foreign correspondent Colin Freeman and documentary maker Ben Anderson formed the evening’s panel.
Top tweets
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@nusaybah_ You know a couple of months ago when world leaders held that “Friends of #Somalia” conference when they discovered loads of oil there?
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@Aynte FMR #Somalia leader Yusuf would be remembered for bringing #Ethiopia home, war with Islamist #alIttihad, creating #Puntland.
Image of the day
Former Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf died at the age of 78 in a Dubai hospital, in the United Arab Emirates, on Friday.