March 29, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Somali PM meets EU delegation in Mogadishu

29 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 147 words

Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali hosted a high level delegation from the European Union who included Nick Westcott, the managing director for Africa in the European External Service and Alexander Rondes, EU envoy to Somalia.

The leaders discussed about the implementation the roadmap, follow up on the London meeting, how to end the transitional period of the government, how AMISOM and TFG army could restore peace and security in the country and how to liberate all regions in the country from al Shabaab and create a safe environment for the deliverance of public services to the Somali people.

The leaders also discussed the fight against piracy and how to extend the EU anti-piracy operation, Atlanta. Nick pointed out that the EU is looking into possiblities of launching ground operations while closely cooperating with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.

Key Headlines

Somali PM meets EU delegation in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu)
Ethiopian Ambassador condemns attacks on Somali journalists (Shabelle)
Seven suspects arrested in Baidoa in security crackdown (Radio Bar-kulan)
Attack on police station in Mogadishu claims two (Mareeg Online)
Somali pirates agree to free Albedo crew after 17 months (Gulf News)
Somali children to benefit from multi-million project in Mogadishu (Radio Bar-kulan)
Seven killed in attacks by Somali terror group (Daily Nation)
32 Indians held hostage by Somali pirates (IBN Live)
West Norfolk MP chairs UN Somalia debate (Lynn News)
Somalia: Pro-Government Militias Executing Civilians (HRW)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali PM meets EU delegation in Mogadishu

29 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 147 words

Ethiopian Ambassador condemns attacks on Somali journalists

29 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 176 words

The Ethiopian embassy in Mogadishu has on Thursday called on all parties engaged in the Somali conflict to respect the life and work of journalists, urging them to immediately end hostility against the media and reassure their security and safety every where they are operating in the country. Abdi-Aziz Ahmed Aden, Ethiopian ambassador in Somalia who spoke to Shabelle Media expressed deep concern over the repeatedly killings of Somali journalists working in hard conditions.

“It is regretable and unfortune to persistenly target and harass Somali journalists who devoted themselves to cover the situation on the ground in a country which has lacked a strong functioning central government for more than 21-years,” said Ethiopian ambassador. Mr. Aden called on Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government to launch investigations into the masterminds of the journalists’ assassinations.

Seven suspects arrested in Baidoa security crackdown

29 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 149 words

Police have arrested seven suspects in Baidoa town after conducting security operations in parts of the city last night, officials say. Confirming the incident, Baidoa police boss Adan Ahmed Omar said they arrested seven people suspected of causing insecurity in the area following an operation in Mursal, Isha and Suqa-hoolaha neighbourhoods.

He said the suspects are now being questioned and will be dealt with accordingly if they are found to be behind to the insecurity in city. Omar promised that they will defeat people he said were threatening the prevailing semblance of law and order in the city after wresting control of it from al Shabaab militants last month.

Attack on police station in Mogadishu claims two

29 Mar Source: Mareeg Online – 112 words

Suspected al Shabaab fighters have on Wednesday night attacked a Somali government police station at Huriwa district, north of Mogadishu, killing two people, witnesses said. A police officer at the station told theMedia that heavily armed suspected al Shabaab militants launched an overnight surprise attack on the headquarters, saying the army repulsed the attackers.

He added that two people, one from each side, have been confirmed dead during the attack and the area is now under government control and conducting security operations to secure overall security. Meanwhile, residents said masked Somali gunmen have shot dead a civilian and injured another in Hamar-jajab district in Mogadishu.

Somali children to benefit from multi-million project in Mogadishu

29 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 205 words

Over 1200 Somali children will benefit from a Turkish funded project in parts of Banadir region, officials say. The project, an orphanage complex, whose foundation was laid in last September in Jazeera area along the Somali coast on the outskirt of Mogadishu, is set to cost $2.5 million. The project which is funded by a Turkish aid agency, IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is said to be one of the biggest projects in Somalia. The construction of the complex which is now said to be at a halfway is implemented by Zamzam Foundation.

A total of 1,200 children will receive education at the school in the orphanage complex which will provide accommodation to 300 orphans, according to the Zamzam Foundation’s project officer, Omar Jamaa Adan.

The complex will include a well equipped school of 24 classrooms, two separate living blocks for boys and girls and a deep water well as well as a healthcare center. A supermarket, a mosque and Koranic class will also be built within the orphanage complex. Omar said a total of 300 orphans will be given accommodation within the compound while 900 other children will operate outside the school, adding that the school will be free of charge for all the children.

District commissioner’s house comes under attack in Baidoa

28 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 126 words

Reports from Bay region say armed groups targeted a house belonging to Hudur district commissioner for Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Baidoa town with grenades. The security officials of Baidoa town, 250 Km south of Mogadishu said several Somali gunmen have overnight hurled a hand grenade inside the house of Mohammed Mo’allin, but the official survived.

Witnesses told Shabelle Media on phone that a number of civilians who reside near the house have sustained injures from shot fired by security guards after the attack on house. On Wednesday morning, the security forces of Somali government conducted a security operation to secure the town after several attacks since the allied forces took over Baidoa from the al Shabaab militants last month without any resistance.

Russia to send fresh troops to join anti-piracy operation off Somalia

29 Mar – Source: Radio Risaala, Radio Bar-kulan – 120 words

A Russian newspaper published that Russia is sending fresh troops to join the mission to fight pirates along the coast of Somalia. The commander of the Russian navy deployed at the coast of Somalia said the troops that were deployed earlier have finished their mandate and now new troops are coming to take their place. He said the returning troops have done a lot in curbing piracy in the Indian Ocean. He added the during their stay they rescued several ships which have been under attack from Somali pirates. These fresh troops are coming at a time when Europe have stepped up the war on Somali pirates, for the first time authorizing their troops to pursue Somali pirates onshore.

TFG and Ethiopian troops advance to Wajid district

28 Mar – Source: Somalia Report – 126 words

Ethiopian troops, supported by TFG forces, are amassing along the road connecting the Luq and Waajid districts, between the Gedo and Bakol regions, on Wednesday. The forces have established bases in the villages of Washako and Hano-weyne, along the Eel-Boon road which intersects Luq and Wajid. Locals report that the forces are heading towards the Wajid district which remains under the control of al Shabaab. “The Ethiopian military troops were massively armed with their fighting vehicles and tanks have moved towards Wajid, I think their plan is to attack the district,” a resident in Luq told Somalia Report. Cornel Aadam Hassan Doodisho, the chief commander of the TFG forces in Bay and Bakol regions, said Wajid will follow after the capture of Hudur and Eelbarde from al Shabaab.

Somaliland President Names New Minister, Appoints Four Director Generals

28 Mar – Source: Somaliland Press – 72 words

Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Silanyo) has on Wednesday appointed a new Minister of Posts and Telecommunication, three Director Generals and a new managing director of the state printing agency. In a presidential decree issued, Hon Ali Elmi Gelle was appointed as the new Minister of Posts and Telecommunications which was previously held by Hon Ahmed Hashi Oday and the new Minister is to assume office with immediate effect.

Ethiopian soldier killed in blast in central Somali town

28 Mar – Source: All Puntland – 87 words

An Ethiopian soldier was killed today after a roadside bomb targeted on Ethiopian troops exploded in Beled Weyne, central Somalia. The roadside bomb went off as Ethiopian forces were walking along the main road in western Beled Weyne, eyewitnesses said. The Ethiopians opened fire after the explosion but the number of casualties from the gunfire remains unclear. Traffic in the area was disrupted until the troops left. There have been explosions targeting Ethiopian forces in Beled Weyne since they captured the town in the last day of 2011 from al Shabaab.

Somali PM wraps up 3-day official trip to Galkayo

28 Mar – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Universal TV, Somalia Report – 206 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdiwali Mohamed Ali has jetted back to Mogadishu after three days visit to Galkayo of Mudug region. During his stay in Galkayo, the premier met with officials of Puntland notably President Abdirahman Farole, ministers, women groups and other intellects.

The premier visited the offices of Galmudud and held meetings with the officials. Addressing the media, the premier praised Puntland and Galmudug administrations for maintaining peace and fighting against piracy. Abdiweli briefed the media about a meeting that was held in Galkayo where the agenda of completion of the roadmap prevailed. The premier said the meeting ended successfully and measures to speed up the implementation were put forth.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the liberation of some parts of Galgadud where Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama fighters backed by the Ethiopian forces took control of some places, adding that the liberation of all the regions from al Shabaab will continue. While responding to media questions about the possibility of raiding Adaado which is governed by Himan and Heeb administrations, the premier down played such possibilities saying that Himan and Heed is part of the legitimate regional administrations in the country which have good working relations with the TFG.

President Farole returns from Galkayo

29 Mar – Source: Garowe Online – 180 words

Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole returned to the capital Garowe after attending Col. Abdullahi Yusuf’s funeral in Galkayo, Garowe reports. After attending former President Abdullahi Yusuf’s funeral he and signatories of the Garowe Principles and Mogadishu Roadmap met to amend and monitor the progress of implementation of the signed agreements. One notable change was the decrease in members of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) from 1000 to 825. President Farole and other signatories also agreed to for traditional leaders chosen to select the NCA members to meet on April 25.

President Farole and his delegation spent the last two days meeting with district authorities, religious leaders, community elders and civil society groups from Galkayo and Mudug region. President Farole returned to Garowe late Wednesday afternoon but before heading to the presidential palace Speaker of Parliament Abdirashid Mohamed Hersi gave the president and his delegation a tour of the construction site of the new parliament.

Diarrhoea outbreak hits Bardera town

28 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 176 words

Health worker in the rebel held south-west Somali town of Bardera, Gedo region, are calling for urgent medical aid to respond to an outbreak of suspected diarrhoea in the district. Reports say at least 23 people have been hospitalized following the outbreak of suspected diarrhoea in the district. The victims, mainly children and elderly people, are said to be in bad condition.

A doctor in Bardera town who requested not to be named due to security reasons told Bar-kulan that the situation is going out of hand and locals need immediate medical supplies to respond to the emerging human tragedy in the area. He said the few privately owned health facilities in the area have no enough drugs and trained staffs to deal with this diarrhoea outbreak. Diarrhoea is common in the area during the rainy sessions.

Over 17 under-five children have reportedly died of diarrhoea related complication in 2011in the district. Medics in the area now say the situation at hand in pathetic and needs immediate response to avert further human catastrophe in the district.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali pirates agree to free Albedo crew after 17 months

29 Mar – Source: Gulf News – 589 words

Nearly 17 months after the cargo ship MV Albedo was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the ordeal of its 21 surviving crew members seems to be coming to an end, as the pirates and families of the crew come to a deal.

Although, no ransom is being paid, the representatives of the families, led by senior political leaders from Pakistan have successfully negotiated with the pirates to pay the expenses incurred by them over the past 17 months. The pirates had initially demanded a ransom of $10 million (Dh36.7 million), which the owner declined to pay and the families couldn’t afford.

“We have been in contact with the pirates through the tribal leaders of Somalia for the past several months and we made it clear to them that we are unable to pay the ransom, but we have agreed to pay the expenses incurred by them over the last 17 months,” said Ahmad Chinoy, Chief of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee in Sindh, Pakistan, who has been at the forefront of negotiations.

Seven killed in attacks by Somali terror group

29 Mar – Source: Daily Nation – 60 words

Seven combatants were killed and 10 others injured on Wednesday when al Shabaab militia attacked Transitional Federal Government troops and Kenya defence force positions in Hosingow. KDF spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir, how ever said no Kenyan soldier was killed in the attack in Southern Somalia. The fighting began around 1 am when al Shabaab militia attacked positions of the allied forces in Hosingow town.

British soldiers to train UPDF peacekeepers

29 Mar – Source: Daily Monitor – 256 words

A team of 27 British soldiers arrived in Uganda on Sunday to train UPDF soldiers soon to be deployed in Somalia in cordon and search operations, patrolling and civil-military relations. The team will train Ugandans for two weeks before their deployment to fight al Shabaab militants in the second phase of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

The visiting UK Minister for Africa, Mr Henry Bellingham, yesterday announced an extra Shs915 million funding for training of Ugandan peacekeepers. The UK has previously been contributing Shs1.5 billion. “This is a good opportunity to pacify Somalia because the al Shabaab have been chased out of Mogadishu. This was a sacrifice worthwhile. Achievements made on the military front should be compatible with the political side,” he said.

Mr Bellingham was meeting British soldiers and senior UPDF officers at Singo Military Training School in Nakaseke District where the peacekeepers are undergoing training.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

32 Indians held hostage by Somali pirates

29 Mar – Source: IBN Live – 358 words

The latest ‘Situation Report’ on pirate activities released by the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) on Wednesday has revealed that Somali pirates around the Horn of Africa are holding eight vessels and 236 crews hostage. In an e-mail reply to Express, the Public Information Office of EU NAVFOR has revealed that of the 236 sailors now held hostage by the pirates in the region, 32 are Indians, which includes seven members from the ship ‘Asphalt Venture’ that had been released but the hostages are still being held.

Asphalt Venture was hijacked on September 28, 2010 in the Somali Basin and after intervention from anti-piracy forces, she was released from the pirates’ captivity on April 15, 2011. However, pirates took hostage of about 15 of the vessel’s crew seeking more ransom.

According to the report, of the eight vessels that were held by pirates, Panama-flagged MV Iceberg-1 with 22 crew members onboard would be completing two years in the pirates’ captivity on Thursday.

West Norfolk MP chairs UN Somalia debate

29 Mar – Source: Lynn News – 169 words

A United Nations debate was chaired by North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham. Foreign Office minister Mr. Bellingham lead the UN security council’s debate on Somalia earlier this month.

Mr. Bellingham said there was a common desire to end the 20 years of instability and conflict in Somalia, which has suffered problems with piracy and terrorism. He announced that the UK will be giving $3 million to the African Union Mission in Somalia .

At the New York debate, Mr Bellingham said: “Mr president, it is clear there is no simple solution to Somalia’s instability, and military efforts alone are not going to bring lasting peace. “We need a political process that is legitimate and inclusive, allowing all those Somalis who oppose violence to play a positive role in their country’s future.” The UK chaired the council in March when debates were held on the Arab spring and Syria.

Somalia: Pro-Government Militias Executing Civilians

28 Mar – Source: HRW – 1607 words

Pro-government militias in Somaliahave committed summary executions and torture in the towns of Beletweyne and Baidoa since occupying them with Ethiopian forces earlier in 2012, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should take immediate steps to stop the abuses and hold those responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said.

On December 31, 2011, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and two Somali militia groups – Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) and Shabelle Valley State (SVS) – ousted the militant Islamist group al Shabaab from Beletweyne, the capital of the Hiraan region, which borders Ethiopia. Ethiopian troops and militias allied with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia took over Baidoa, the capital of the Bay region, on February 22, 2012.

Civilians told Human Rights Watch that since the transition, security has become worse in both towns due to abusive security operations by allied forces and, in the case of Beletweyne, rising tensions between militias vying for control. Although al Shabaab no longer controls either town, its forces continue to attack the Ethiopian and other forces and target civilians perceived to support them.

Fighting pirates on land and sea

28 Mar – Source: Voice of Russia – 488 words

The European Union Anti-Piracy Force will fight Somali pirates both at sea and on shore under an extended mandate approved by the United Nations’ Security Council and the government of Somalia.

Up to now, rapidity has been a key success factor in anti-piracy operations. EU ships had to act fast to catch pirates before they could reach Somali waters. Once there, the buccaneers felt safe because foreign naval ships were barred from entering Somalia’s coastal areas. Now that the scale of the EU anti-piracy mission around the Horn of Africa has been expanded significantly to include the coastline and waterways inside Somalia, the pirates will have no safe haven to escape to, says maritime law expert Vasily Gutshulyak.

“The existing maritime law rules that anti-piracy operations can be carried out only at sea and only in neutral waters. But the UN Security Council, the United Nations’ main body, took an unprecedented step to extend the range of multinational anti-piracy efforts towards Somalia’s coastal waters and even towards parts of its land”.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“While defensive measures are wearisome, the offensive strategy Chen Bingde prescribes would entail hazards of its own – which is why careful forethought should go into any decision to attack piracy at its source. Strategic theorist Carl von Clausewitz maintains that the value statesmen place on their political aims should govern how many lives and how much treasure a belligerent expends on an enterprise, and for how long. The higher the stakes, the greater the effort.”

Taking the Piracy Fight Ashore

28 Mar – Source: The Diplomat – 874 Words

Gen. Chen Bingde’s instincts on how to battle piracy are sound. Hopefully his, and his political superiors’, strategic judgment is equally sound. “For counterpiracy campaigns to be effective,” declares the chief of the People’s Liberation Army General Staff, “we should probably move beyond the ocean and crash their bases on the land.” He wants to lop the head off the snake. “It’s important,” vouchsafes Chen, “that we target not only the operators, those on the small ships or craft conducting the hijacking activities, but also the figureheads.” And indeed, taking more offensive, more decisive action makes intuitive sense – so much so that in late 2008, as the international community bestirred itself to combat piracy, the United Nations explicitly authorized member states to act against coastal villages from which corsairs stage sea raids.

“The history of East Africa cannot be complete without the Somali input. Far back into antiquity, the Somalis were the most important traders, sailors and internationalists on the eastern shores of the Indian Ocean. They traded with pre-colonial Nile Valley, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. Very often they had drought and famine, but the Somalis had strong survival skills.”

Somalia will become land of opportunity

28 Mar – Source: Daily Nation – 532 Words

Asked by journalists when he visited Washington, D.C. in 1958 why he was so persistent on the establishment of a continental government with a military high command, Ghana’s President Nkrumah’s answer was to the point: “Sooner or later, Africa will need the two institutions when things begin to fall apart.”

The Somali fall-out from 1991 when Siad Barre’s regime collapsed was the type of phenomenon which Nkrumah anticipated. And after two decades of chaos, the African Union has at last resolved to help its helpless member. Armed troops from Djibouti, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda are criss-crossing the Somali state with a view to establishing a stable working system.

“The violent tactics that come from viewing the region solely through the lens of terror have achieved little in Somalia. Perhaps engagement towards the common goal of meeting the people’s everyday needs could achieve better results.”

Can There be an Inclusive Peace Process in Somalia?

28 Mar – Source: Common Ground Blog – 910 Words

Last week we hosted the latest Conflict Prevention & Resolution Forum at the Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. The forum, “Somalia: Creating Space for Fresh Approaches to Peacebuilding,” brought together scholar-practitioners to discuss alternatives to the current militarized approach to conflict in Somalia. Michele Cesari joined us from the Life & Peace Institute in Nairobi, where he is Resident Representative and leads both the Somalia Programme as well as the Peacebuilding with Regional Partners Programme. Shamsia W. Ramadhan, also from the Life & Peace Institute, is their Programmes and Communications Advisor and the editor of the Horn of Africa Bulletin. David Cortright is the Director of Policy Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and Chair of the Board of the Fourth Freedom Forum. The fourth panelist, Laura Weis, is a Ph.D. candidate in history and peace studies at the Kroc Institute.

“Is international anti-piracy policy effective, or is forming regional maritime force that can fight on land the most cost-effective and lasting solution? The operating cost of anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden is estimated at $2 billion annually, including the cost of naval vessels, aircraft and military personnel. If 30 percent of this amount could go to fighting on land, it would have piracy in Gulf of Aden by at least 40%.”

New strategies needed to eliminate piracy in Gulf of Aden

28 Mar – Source: Jerusalem Post – 767 Words

Somalian pirates have caused mayhem in the waters off the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, where more than 20,000 ships transit the waters annually. The Gulf of Aden is now considered the world’s most dangerous due to persistent pirates, who have became more sophisticated and broadened their range of attack.

Dozens of warships, most notably from US, EU and NATO are currently patrolling the waters under a UN mandate to deter the pirate attacks. But this has not deterred the pirates from disrupting the free passage of vessels in the shipping lane.

“Piracy off Somalia is admittedly different in scale and in character, in particular in the hijacking of crews, vessels and cargoes in exchange for ransom; rather than the attacking of vessels in waterways, ports and harbours, harming and kidnapping people, stealing goods and sometimes cargoes. It is this characteristic change (coupled with the scale of the losses) which is the driving logic behind the transfer of piracy (with barratry and violent theft) from hull to war policies, where it now sits more coherently with the perils of man rather than the perils of nature.”

Somali Piracy: the price of a life

28 Mar – Source: Maritime Security Review – 1441 Words

The news of the release of Judith Tebbutt has brought the subject of the payment of ransoms back to the front pages of British newspapers. None would begrudge Judith Tebbutt or her family the joy and relief of her release.

And yet one sees again that payment of ransom is, in some cases, heavily criticised. Many subscribe it seems to Kipling’s adage: that if once you pay Danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane (or in this case pirate). The poem makes a good read to Victorian eyes, but it is (fatally) flawed.

“The Somali government, which receives international support, thought the arrest of the British man would prove that the country is the primary destination for foreign jihadists, which might lead to further funding. But it appears they are dealing with a strange case, and can’t figure out the man’s motivations for coming to Somalia.”

A very strange case – the British man arrested in Somalia

28 Mar – Source: Channel 4 Blog – 425 Words

The latest arrest in Somalia of a British man alleged to be a member of al Shabaab is an unusual case, writes reporter Jamal Osman. As soon as reports of a British man’s arrest in Somalia on suspicion of links to the Islamist group, al Shabaab, came yesterday, local government officials got excited.

Top tweets

@misseshiva Britain is so smart ! Iran is being stingey with their oil so they suck up to #Somalia a little, offer to help their economy and voila #OIL.

@LizziStead British man arrested in #Somalia on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda, apparently didn’t want “Any of the violent stuff” http://soc.li/WT0M76F.

@musnin782 From one type of terror for another? These types of actions pave way for the worst possible development for #Somalia http://www.hrw.org/node/106170.

@BaFana3 Why you should not visit your travel agent, right after toking a bong : Clueless Brit went to #Somalia to “hang out”. http://bit.ly/GYsyPU.

@TheLiberalHawk There is a correlation between incremental increases in stability in #Somalia and increases in piracy. #corruption #marsec.

Abdi Aynte ‏ @Aynte war of words intensifies between @SomaliaReport, @LongWarJournal & @HSMPress over #Shabaab interview http://bit.ly/HoJLDj #Somalia.

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Image of the day

Image of the day Participants at a community policing workshop held on Wednesday at Somali Police Academy in Mogadishu. Photo: Radio Mogadishu