March 26, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Arab League summit begins in Doha
26 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu – 140 words
The Arab League has kicked off a two-day summit in Doha where opponents of President Bashar al-Assad are representing Syria for the first time. Qatari emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani opened the conference on Tuesday by inviting Moaz al-Khatib, the president of the Syrian National Coalition, to take Syria’s seat.
He told the audience of kings, emirs and presidents that he still supports a “political solution” to the crisis in Syria, but one that does not “rewind the clock.” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia is among the Arab leaders attending the meeting in Qatar.
The president is expected deliver a statement regarding the current situation in Somalia and the need for the Arab league to support the recent political changes in the country. Arab foreign ministers met in Doha on Sunday to prepare for the meeting. Fighting in Syria and Afghan government peace talks with the Taliban will be high on the agenda at the summit.
Key Headlines
- Arab League summit begins in Doha (Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu)
- Somali gov’t urged to reshuffle Marka administration (Raxanreeb)
- Somali Speaker meets with the Ethiopian military commander in Baidoa (Somalia Today Online)
- Defence minister praises Somali military in fight against al Shabaab in Kismayo (Raxanreeb/Jowhar Online/Radio Mogadishu/Dhanaan Online)
- Ahlu Sunna condemns killing of female journalist (Bar-kulan)
- Borama municipality launches sanitation campaign (Sabahi Online)
- Somalia human rights record improves (CCTV)
- Danes linked to Somalia’s al Shabaab jailed for terror plot (Global Post)
SOMALI MEDIA
Arab League summit begins in Doha
26 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu – 140 words
The Arab League has kicked off a two-day summit in Doha where opponents of President Bashar al-Assad are representing Syria for the first time. Qatari emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani opened the conference on Tuesday by inviting Moaz al-Khatib, the president of the Syrian National Coalition, to take Syria’s seat.
He told the audience of kings, emirs and presidents that he still supports a “political solution” to the crisis in Syria, but one that does not “rewind the clock.” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia is among the Arab leaders attending the meeting in Qatar.
The president is expected deliver a statement regarding the current situation in Somalia and the need for the Arab league to support the recent political changes in the country. Arab foreign ministers met in Doha on Sunday to prepare for the meeting. Fighting in Syria and Afghan government peace talks with the Taliban will be high on the agenda at the summit.
Somali gov’t urged to reshuffle Marka administration
26 Mar – Source: Raxanreeb – 158 words
Officials from the governing body of Marka town have appealed to the government of Somalia to intervene and address the differences in the governing body. Commissioner of Marka, the headquarters of the lower Shebelle region Ahmed Maalim Ukash said, “Things are getting out of hands, differences have emerged between officials in the governing body, it has now turned into a tug of war and if nothing is going to be done, the trouble that has already brewed will make matters worse than they are right now”.
Marka town has experienced up and downs in recent days after the fight between the military of Somalia that rocked the town. Ahmed mentioned the difference that is between him and his deputy saying, “We are not getting along too well, last night gangs attacked my house and am sure he was the mastermind behind those planned attacks”. He even went ahead to say, “my deputy wants me dead”.
Somali Speaker meets with the Ethiopian military commander in Baidoa
26 Mar – Source: Somalia Today Online – 141 words
Speaker of the Somali parliament Professor Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari met with the commander of the Ethiopian forces in the provinces of Bay and Bakool. Jawari discussed with the Ethiopian commander how to install security in the city of Baidoa, and at the same time demanded from the commander to participate Ethiopian war against the remnants of al Shabaab fighters in the two provinces.
The Somali Speaker asked Ethiopian troops to remain in their place and wait replacement from the African troops and Somali forces for the two provinces. Jawari Said he hopes Somali forces and Ethiopian troops will take control the city of Hudur again.
On the other hand Prof. Jawari met a number of officers of the Somali forces in Baidoa, calling on the troops to continue in their operations to defeat the remnants of the al Shabaab.
Ahlu Sunna condemns killing of female journalist
26 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan – 148 words
Ahlu Sunna group in central Somalia regions has strongly condemned the recent killing of a female journalist in Mogadishu. Rahma Abdulkadir, who worked as a technician for radio Abduwaq, was ambushed late Sunday evening by at least two men armed with pistols, killing her on the spot.
Condemning the incident, ASWJ leader Ibrahim Sheikh Hassan said he was shocked and saddened by the murder of the female journalist, urging the government to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice. Earlier, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, said he was shocked and saddened by the murder.
“I condemn this hideous attack in the strongest terms and send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Rahma Abdulkadir,” he said. Somalia still remains to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to operate, according to Journalists rights groups.
Al Shabaab says fighters attacked Afmadow Town, Southern Somalia
26 Mar – Source: Somali Memo Online/Waajid Press – 72 words
Al Shabaab militia claimed that their fighters have on Monday night attacked Somali military bases in the town of Afmadow, in Lower Juba region. An al Shabaab official told local media that dozens of Somali forces were killed in the attack that lasted until just before dawn Tuesday morning. He added that the al Shabaab fighters pushed deeper into the town and burnt down the military munitions depot, in the town.
Defence minister praises Somali military in fight against al Shabaab in Kismayo
25 Mar – Source: Raxanreeb/Jowhar Online/Radio Mogadishu/Dhanaan Online – 132 words
Somalia’s Defence Minister Abdihakim Mohamud Haji Fiqi, while inspecting a military base in the port city Kismayo on his second day regional tour part of a high profile federal government delegation in region, praised efforts by the Somali forces to defeat militant group, al Shabaab.
“You have done a great service to this country and your government is fully committed to improve the military competence and the living conditions of the servicemen and servicewomen. However, your job in this region is not finished until we defeat terrorists,” said minister Abdihakim addressing the second division Somali military base in Kismayo.
The minister pointed out the success of the Somali military in their effort to secure the national borders and fight against al Shabaab terrorist group. He stated that the Somali forces fought with small arms and minimum safety guards but with brave hearts.
Somaliland President Silanyo expected to retract decision on London Conference
25 Mar – Source: Qaran News – 108 words
The President of (self-declared republic) of Somaliland, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silanyo” is expected to do a dramatic u-turn regarding Somaliland’s boycott of the London conference, according to sources close to the administration.
The president who is currently on a visit to the United Arab Emirates is expected to hold a press conference upon his return and state that upon further reflection, Somaliland will attend the London conference.
Our sources state that on returning to Somaliland from Turkey via Nairobi, Kenya, President Silaanyo and his delegation sent the erstwhile Foreign minister, Mohamed Abdillahi Omar to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a message for the British ambassador confirming Somaliland’s intention to boycott the conference.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somali president arrives in Qatar for Arab summit
26 Mar – Source: Saudi Press Agency/ Qatar News Agency – 41 words
The President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, arrived in the State of Qatar late Monday evening to take part in the 24th Arab summit which will begin its activities here today, (Tuesday). President of Somalia will chair his country’s delegation to the summit.
Borama municipality launches sanitation campaign
25 Mar – Source: Sabahi Online – 149 words
The municipality of Borama in Somalia’s Awdal region is mounting a garbage collection campaign as the region nears its rainy season. The campaign began in some parts of the city on Thursday (March 21st), and will continue in a citywide effort to prevent waterways from clogging with garbage, which can lead to illness, according to Borama municipal council Mohamed Abdi Hashi.
“We have implemented it in the Sheikh Ali Jawhar neighbourhood, particularly in waterways, pipes and unlawful garbage dumping sites that are inappropriate for garbage disposal, such as in the middle of neighbourhoods,” he told Sabahi.
“We collect the garbage in two ways — a daily collection and a weekly one conducted in one neighbourhood a week,” he said. “Garbage [collection] is continuous work because it is something that is generated every minute.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Journalists killed in Somalia – NUSOJ update
26 Mar – Source: NUJ – 340 words
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns strongly the senseless killing of female journalist in Mogadishu. Three young men armed with pistols shot Rahmo Abdulkadir, a female journalist working for Radio Abudwaq in Abudwaq district in Galgadud region of central Somalia. She was shot at least five times in Towfiq district in north Mogadishu, slaying her on the spot.
“We need the law enforcement agencies and the government at all levels to put a stop to the incessant and senseless killing of media practitioners,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.
The female journalist recently arrived in Mogadishu. She was working as producer and technician for Radio Abudwaq. Armed men followed Rahmo, 28, and started shooting her when she was close to her family’s house. Abdkarim Ahmed Bulhan, Director of Radio Abudwaq confirmed the working status of Rahmo at the Radio station.
NUSOJ deems the killing of the female journalist as part of organised and serialized killings against journalists as well as recent Mogadishu killings against women in the society.
Somalia human rights record improves
26 Mar – Source: CCTV – 02:26 min
Somalia human rights record improves. CCTV reporter in Mogadishu Mohamed Hirmoge reports.
Ethiopia says foils Somali rebel plot to seize UN staff
25 Mar – Source: Reuters – 317 words
Ethiopia’s intelligence agency said on Monday it has detained eight members of Somalia’s al Shabaab Islamist militant group who it accused of plotting to kidnap U.N. workers.
The arrests were the latest in a crackdown on people charged with having links to fighters in neighboring Somalia, where Ethiopia has deployed troops to support Mogadishu’s battle against al Shabaab and its six-year insurgency.
Danes linked to Somalia’s al Shabaab jailed for terror plot
25 Mar – Source: Global Post – 136 words
A Danish court on Monday found two Danish brothers of Somali origin guilty of plotting a terrorist attack with Somalia’s militant group, al Shabaab and sentenced them to three and a half years in prison.
The Aarhus district court found that Guled Mohamed Warsame, 24, and Nuur Mohamed Warsame, 19, had conspired to send, and had sent, the 24-year-old to an al Shabaab-run training camp in Somalia.
The court found he had spent several months in a training camp near Mogadishu, before returning to Denmark in March 2012. His brother had stayed behind in Aarhus, where they have lived for more than 16 years. The conviction is the first under a new Danish law against training with the aim of carrying out a terrorist act. The two men, who had both pleaded not guilty, immediately appealed the verdict.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“While Dur-Dur Band’s return to Mogadishu might not be imminent, Abdinur reveals that the band has concerts scheduled in London in May and possibly also in Nairobi and Djibouti in August. My fingers are crossed for a joint performance with the Dur-Dur heirs in Waayaha Cusub. Inshallah.”
Somali music discovered/rediscovered: From Dur-Dur to Waayaha Cusub
26 Mar – Source: Addis Rumble – 91 Words
Somalia seems to have finally turned the corner. In 2011 al Shabaab withdrew from Mogadishu and last year Somalia’s first formal parliament in more than 20 years was sworn in. Now Mogadishu is booming with a returning diaspora and skyrocketing house prices. What is next for Somalia? A music revival against the odds?
The Somali hiphop collective Waayaha Cusub (meaning ‘new era’ in Somali) recently launched the Somali Sunrise Tour for Peace 2013 which will peak this week with the Mogadishu Music Festival. Yes, the festival is actually taking place in Mogadishu. The Somali Sunrise Tour is headlined by Waayaha Cusub and has featured performances by Somali stars as K’naan along with international acts from Afghanistan, Kenya, Sudan and the US.
This festival – the first modern concert to take place in Mogadishu in two decades – is co-produced by the Humanitarian Bazaar who is also behind the brilliant ‘Music Too Powerful to Ban’ documentary about the brave young Somali musicians defying Al-Shabaab to promote peace in their country through music. While Somalia has become more secure it is still far from safe. And music shopping in Somalia is still something of a challenge as I discovered during a recent visit to the country. Safety is the obvious hurdle to crate digging in Somalia but the limited availability of music is another obstacle.
After the collapse of the Siad Barre’s regime in the early 90′s many musicians fled Somalia. In recent years, the ban on music (as well as movies, public sports watching on tv etc.) enforced by al Shabaab made most privately owned radio stations turn off music leading to a further weakening of the music scene in the country. The return to Mogadishu of musicians like Waayaha Cusub is the best testimony of a tide that is at last turning for Somali music.
While we are waiting for the Mogadishu music scene to bloom once again we are lucky to have Awesome Tapes From Africa around. Last week the blog/label reissued the incredible ‘Volume 5′ by Dur-Dur Band, one of the most popular bands in Somalia in the 1980′s, ensuring that these legendary recordings by Dur-Dur (meaning ‘little stream’ in Somali) are finally accessible to a broader audience.
“Books about refugees often wallow in a sense of victimhood or become too sentimental. But Ms Campbell avoids such traps, conveying his sense of isolation with sensitivity. Her writing is at its warmest when detailing the subtle observations of everyday life in Glasgow, where Ms Campbell once lived and studied, particularly Abdi’s reactions to the inclement weather and his struggles with Glaswegian syntax.”
Stepping into the unknown
25 Mar – Source: The Economist Blog – 324 Words
THE hero of “This is Where I Am”, the highly readable new novel by Karen Campbell (pictured above) is a Somali refugee who ends up in Glasgow, a tough port city on Scotland’s west coast. Abdi Hassan, a former fisherman, arrives with just one suitcase and his four-year-old daughter, Rebecca. He is fleeing the shadows of his past and the memory of war which claimed his wife, and is struggling to make sense of the poor part of this distant city in which they settle. Deborah Maxwell, a widow and a volunteer at the Scottish Refugee Council is assigned to help him settle in.
Once a month, over a year, they meet in a different part of the city. Their encounters—in Barras market, Kelvingrove art gallery, the Glasgow Tower—provide the book’s structure; each chapter narrated in turn by Abdi and Deborah. Their meetings are interspersed with Abdi’s traumatic memories, recalled in vivid flashbacks.
Ms Campbell does not quite succeed in capturing Abdi’s bitter sense of loss, but she is very good on the familiar traits of refugees, such as a comic resilience and an ability to adapt. The mystery of what really happened to Abdi’s wife, Azira, is handled with judicious suspense. When Rebecca starts to describe a different story to her father, Deborah travels to Dadaab in Kenya—often described as the world’s largest refugee camp—to find out the truth.
Top tweets
@amisomsomalia PHOTOS OF THE DAY: Life in #Balcad town, a former al-Shabaab stronghold http://on.fb.me/UKHK96 #Somalia #AMISOM.
@TheVillaSomalia Watch #Somalia President Hassan Sheikh arriving #Doha Airport for The 24th session of the Arab Summit http://youtu.be/HZAyp21T3P4 via @youtube.
@UNHCRSom More interactive, more on-the-eye details.. ULTRA COOL! #NewLook #Somalia http://data.unhcr.org/horn-of-
@Anisa_Hajimumin While many countries are developing its rural areas, #Somalia’s #Solar efficient cooling system shall start from the cities.
@Asalaad Turkey funded maternity & Children’s Hospital construction underway #positivebuilding #Mogadishu #Somalia pic.twitter.com/acjhxbIwOh.
Image of the day
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani & Crown Prince Sh. Tamim bin Hamad ahead of Arab League summit. Photo: @AbdisalamAato.