March 30, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Al Shabaab loses new grounds to AU force in Mogadishu
30 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu, Jowhar Online – 123 words
The African Union Force in Mogadishu said Friday it has secured entire Daynile district following a fierce gun-battle with al Shabaab militants earlier in the day. The force’s Deputy Spokesman Gilbert Mutunga told Bar-kulan that their force has successfully managed to take over the entire district from al Shabaab militant fighters after a brief gun-battle in the area.
Mutunga said they lost a Burundian soldier serving the AU mission in Somalia during the battle for Daynile, adding that some other soldiers were also injured. He further said they are now conducting a similar operation against al Shabaab militants in areas around Maslah towards the rebel-held Elasha Biyaha. Meanwhile Jowhar online reported that theAMISOM/ TFG forces liberated the local airstrip and the main hospital in Dayniile district. Reports say the renewed fighting in the area has grounded public transportation along the road linking Mogadishu to Afgoye.
Key Headlines
- Al Shabaab loses new grounds to AU force in Mogadishu (Bar-kulan Radio Mogadishu Jowhar Online)
- Somali AU troops clash with al Shabaab in Mogadishu (Jowhar Online Shabelle)
- Heavy shelling reported in parts of Mogadishu ( Radio Bar-kulan)
- Somali president asks Arab leaders for help (Shabelle)
- Somali PM fires Minister of Agricultural and Wildlife ( Radio Kulmiye Shabelle Risaala)
- UAE reports progress by Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia (Emirate News Agency)
- Prime Minister Abdweli: Al Shabaab lost hearts and minds of Somali people ( Radio Risaala)
- Somali police seize explosive devices in Mogadishu (Shabelle)
- Al Shabaab targets IDPs (New Times)
- Chinese navy’s escort missions in Somali waters fully successful: envoy ( Xinua)
- Somalia Unsafe for Refugees to Return (HRW)
- Drought affecting thousands in Somaliland (IRIN News)
SOMALI MEDIA
Al Shabaab loses new grounds to AU force in Mogadishu
30 Mar – Source: Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu, Jowhar Online – 123 words
The African Union Force in Mogadishu said Friday it has secured entire Daynile district following a fierce gun-battle with al Shabaab militants earlier in the day. The force’s Deputy Spokesman Gilbert Mutunga told Bar-kulan that their force has successfully managed to take over the entire district from al Shabaab militant fighters after a brief gun-battle in the area.
Mutunga said they lost a Burundian soldier serving the AU mission in Somalia during the battle for Daynile, adding that some other soldiers were also injured. He further said they are now conducting a similar operation against al Shabaab militants in areas around Maslah towards the rebel-held Elasha Biyaha. Meanwhile Jowhar online reported that the AMISOM/ TFG forces liberated the local airstrip and the main hospital in Dayniile district. Reports say the renewed fighting in the area has grounded public transportation along the road linking Mogadishu to Afgoye.
Somali, AU troops clash with al Shabaab in Mogadishu
30 Mar – Source: Jowhar Online, Shabelle – 107 words
Heavy fighting between Somali soldiers backed by African Union forces and al Shabaab brok out in the capital after pro-government forces attacked militant positions, residents said on Friday. Residents in Mogadishu’s northern districts of Deynile, a frontline area said the battle erupted after Somali and AMISOM forces conducted security operation in al Shabaab strongholds.
It was immediately unclear the exact number of casualties, but some sources said there were several people injured in the combat. Al Shabaab fled Mogadishu in August in what its leaders called a tactical pullout. But the militants struck back last months and carried out many deadly attacks in Mogadishu.
Heavy shelling reported in parts of Mogadishu
30 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 154 words
Artillery exchanges are taking place in areas outside Mogadishu between al Shabaab militia and the Somali government troops, reports say. Heavy shelling and fierce gun-battle have reportedly erupted in Kahda and Sarkusta, two strategic areas on the outskirt of Mogadishu’s Darkenley district after al Shabaab militants launched mortar attacks on government bases in the area, prompting fierce gun-battle between the two sides.
Reports say the raging gun-battle and the artillery exchanges in the area have greatly affected the movement of people and transportation between Mogadishu and the rebel held Afgoye corridor. Militants fired mortars reportedly slammed into several areas of Dharkenley district, with no reports of any casualties or damages.
Reports also say mortars fired by the Somali forces struck into al Shabaab bases in Sinka-der, Taredisho Jabad-gel and Hayat, all in the rebel held Elasha Biyaha area. Several mortars also struck at areas in Ex-Control Afgoye on the outskirt of Mogadishu, according locals in the area.
Somali PM fires Minister of Agricultural and Wildlife
30 Mar – Radio Kulmiye, Shabelle, Risaala – 106 words
The Somali government had today issued a statement in which it announced that the Minister of Agriculture and Wildlife Welfare has been sacked by the Prime Minister. President Ahmed is expected to appoint a new minister for the position.
Somali president asks Arab leaders for help
30 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 111 words
Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has asked Arab leaders to help his war-ravaged country that plagued 20-years of conflict. While Addressing an Arab League Summit held in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, Mr. Ahmed asked heads of Arab heads of state to train Somali forces in order to restore peace and stability and fight against al Shabaab militants linked with al Qaeda.
Somali government forces and AU soldiers have managed to drive al Shabaab out of Mogadishu last year after three years of combat. The agenda of the summit include crisis in Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia, while the seventh article is to make the Middle East free from nuclear weapons.
Two men assassinated in Mogadishu
29 Mar – Source: Garowe Online – 193 words
Two officials one of whom worked in the presidential palace were gunned down Tuesday night by unknown assailants in the district of Shibis in the capital, Garowe reports. The two officials were approached my men armed with pistols late Tuesday night. The gunmen shot and killed both officials escaping authorities.
The two officials were named Muhyadin Weheliye and Yasin Ali, authorities in Shibis district are saying they were assassinated by al Shabaab insurgents. Targeted attacks in the capital have been growing recently after al Shabaab governor of Banadir Sheikh Mohamed Omar said that attacks against troops in the city will increase stating that his insurgents killed 15 troops in the capital in recent weeks.
Elsewhere in southern Somalia the Kenyan and TFG forces have encroached on the town of Afmadow located in between Lower and Middle Juba regions where al Shabaab have continued to hold on to. Reports say that Kenyan and TFG troops are within 30 kms of the town.
Prime Minister Abdweli: Al Shabaab lost hearts and minds of Somali people
29 Mar – Source: Radio Risaala – 185 words
Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdiwali Mohamed Ali Gaas claimed that al Shabaab has lost the little public support they had and that the Somalis have lost confidence in them. While addressing the media, the premier claimed that al Shabaab no longer enjoys the support of the Somali civilian population, adding that the recent progress the TFG forces made against militant group is a clear indication. He noted that the government is slowly winning over the hearts and minds of the people.
The prime minister confirmed that plans were underway to liberate the remaining parts of Somalia still under the control of the al Shabaab, noting that they are not only after capturing towns but also to set up proper administrations that come the TFG and provide services and developments to the people.
Somali police seize explosive devices in Mogadishu
30 Mar – Source: Shabelle – 126 words
Somali security forces on Thursday night seized several hand grenades and other explosive devices in security operations carried out in the capital, Mogadishu. Ahmed Abdullahi Yare, a TFG military commander at Ex-control Afgoye checkpoint, south of Mogadishu told Shabelle Media that the security forces have arrested several suspects and recovered explosives, including hand grenades during search operations at the area.
He said that elements of al Shabaab were trying to smuggle all these explosive devices into the TFG-controlled districts, adding that they have handed the explosives and al Shabaab suspects to the African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.
REGIONAL MEDIA
UAE reports progress by Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia
30 Mar – Source: Emirate News Agency – 338 words
The past few months have been marked by continual progress on all fronts of the Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia and its Working Groups; this progress has been marked around the four key priorities designated by the UAE for its chairmanship, Assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Military Affairs Faris Al-Mazroui told participants in the 11th Plenary Meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia in New York today.
The New York meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia was chaired by the UAE.
The first key priority that the UAE set out to achieve through its plenary chairmanship was awareness-raising and public diplomacy measures, especially in the region, Al-Mazrouie said in opening remarks of the meeting.
Al Shabaab targets IDPs
30 Mar – Source: New Times – 448 words
The international community is calling for respect of civilian life and humanitarian agencies in Mogadishu as mortar attacks continue in the Somali capital, leading to the deaths of three people. It was the latest indication that the simmering row and sporadic border calshes between Ethiopia and Eritrea was taking its toll on the UN-African Union Mission (AMISOM) operation in Somalia.
Already, fears that the Ethiopian army withdrawal in April might slow down the momentum of the AMISOMforces have emerged with the al Shabaab militia re-entering the capital to carry out attacks.
Addis Ababa has indicated that it will withdraw its troops in the light of its renewed hostilities with its arch-rival Eritrea. This is a cause of worry for both the region and the AMISOM since Ethiopian troops provided the attacking force of the AU forces which comprise of Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Kenya.
According to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), several mortars landed in the Beerta Darawiishta settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs) near the Somali Parliament building on Monday morning in the on going violence. A statement sent to The New Times stated that three IDPs were killed, including a father and his three-year-old child, and another eight people were seriously wounded.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Chinese navy’s escort missions in Somali waters fully successful: envoy
30 Mar – Source: Xinhua – 407 words
The Chinese navy’s escort missions in Somali waters have been “100 percent successful” since they started to dispatch escort warships to the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coastal area in January 2009, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Wang Min said here Thursday. Wang made the remarks at the eleventh plenary meeting of the Contact Group on piracy off the coast of Somalia.
By the end of March this year, China has dispatched eleven batches of 28 warships to engage in escort missions for 4,543 vessels in 431 batches, more than half of which were foreign vessels, Wang said.
Somalia Unsafe for Refugees to Return
30 Mar – Source: HRW – 984 words
Kenyan authorities should not return refugees to Somalia because of ongoing fighting and abuses against civilians in areas controlled by Kenyan forces and allied militias, Human Rights Watch said today. Instead of claiming that “newly liberated areas” are safe for refugee return, Kenyan authorities should reopen the screening center at Liboi and resume registration of new refugees to ensure they receive assistance, Human Rights Watch said.
“Fierce clashes in southern Somalia still pose a grave threat to civilians,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of peddling false claims that the border areas are safe, Kenya should focus on assisting and protecting refugees.”
Over the past months, prominent Kenyan officials have called for Somali refugees to go back to Somalia, claiming it is safe for them to return. During the week of March 19, 2012, both Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula and Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said that the Kenyan military has established a zone inside Somalia that is safe for returning refugees, reiterating President Mwai Kibaki’s statement to the London conference on Somalia on February 23.
Hard to kill: Somalia’s mighty shilling
30 Mar – Source: Economist – 656 words
USE of a paper currency is normally taken to be an expression of faith in the government that issues it. Once the solvency of the issuer is in doubt, anyone holding its notes will quickly try to trade them in for dollars, jewellery or, failing that, some commodity with enduring value (when the rouble collapsed in 1998 some factory workers in Russia were paid in pickles). The Somali shilling, now entering its second decade with no real government or monetary authority to speak of, is a splendid exception to this rule.
Somalia’s long civil war has ripped apart what institutions it once had. In 2011 the country acquired a notional central bank under the remit of the Transitional Federal Government. But the government’s authority does not extend far beyond the capital, Mogadishu. The presence of al Shabaab, a murderous fundamentalist militia, in the south and centre of the country, makes it unlikely that Somalia will become whole anytime soon. Meanwhile, 2.3m people are in need of edible aid. Why, then, are Somali shillings, issued in the name of a government that ceased to exist long ago and backed by no reserves of any kind, still in use?
One reason may be that the supply of shillings has remained fairly fixed. Rival warlords issued their own shillings for a while and there are a fair number of fakes in circulation. But the lack of an official printing press able to expand the money supply has given the pre-1992 shilling a certain cachet. Even the forgeries do it the honour of declaring they were printed before the central bank collapsed: implausibly crisp red 1,000-shilling notes, with their basket weavers on the front and orderly docks on the back, declare they were printed in the capital in 1990.
Bad guys defeated on land and sea
29 Mar – Source: Strategy Page – 706 words
In the far south, Kenyan troops are finding that their allies, two local anti-al Shabaab militias, both affiliated with the TNG (Transitional National Government), don’t get along. This is common with tribal militias in Somalia. Even al Shabaab has problems with this factionalism. The Kenyan allies often will not cooperate and sometimes threaten Kenyan troops or refuse order, or requests, to operate against al Shabaab.
Kenyan troops have proved too much for al Shabaab to handle. The Kenyan troops are better trained, armed and led. Most importantly, the Kenyans have air power, for reconnaissance and bombing. Local allies also provide lots of intelligence, and help with guarding towns and roads. This has kept al Shabaab on the defensive, moving back when the Kenyans advance.
But the Kenyans are reluctant to go after the major al Shabaab base, the port of Kismayo. Al Shabaab would be declared dead (even though they would still be around) if Kismayo were lost, so the Kenyans are aware that it would be a major fight to take the port. The Kenyans are hoping al Shabaab will weaken sufficiently that they will simply abandon Kismayo. This is unlikely, but the Kenyans remain hopeful.
Drought affecting thousands in Somaliland
30 Mar – Source: IRIN News – 640 words
Officials in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, are appealing for food aid and potable water for thousands of families who have lost their livelihoods in the current drought. “You can see from far children running to the road waving empty bottles asking you for water and bread or biscuits,” Hussein Muhumed Hog, Somaliland’s health minister, told IRIN.
Families in the western Somaliland areas of Garba dadar, Gargaara bari, Gerisa and Osoli have lost all their livestock and do not have regular food supplies, said Hog, adding that other families in the Gargaara and Gerrisa areas (also in the west) are now relying on food provided under the UN World Food Programme’s (WFP’s) food-for-work initiative, and money sent in by Somalis abroad. Ceel la helay, north of the capital Hargeisa, is also affected.
In February, WFP provided food assistance to nearly 150,000 people in Somaliland, according to Challiss McDonough, WFP’s Senior Spokesperson for East, Central and Southern Africa.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The young men in Mumin’s photos include artists and teachers, a youth ambassador to the White House and the founder of the Somali Basketball League. For them, getting to this point hasn’t been easy.”
Somali-American photographer presents a new view of his community
29 Mar – Source: MPR News – 672 Words
A photography exhibit at the Whittier Gallery in Minneapolis aims to showcase young Somali men who are improving the lives of others in the Twin Cities. After years of seeing images of Somali terrorists in the news, photographer Mohamud Mumin wanted to offer a different picture of his community. His first solo show will do just that. “For me, it’s being able to capture an image,” Mumin said. “And also trying to tell stories that often times don’t get heard or seen.” The exhibit features larger than life-sized images of 13 Somali men who are, as Mumin puts it, “dedicated, passionate and positively engaged in the community.”
“When I was a child I used to dream of becoming the President of Somalia. Now all I think about is if I will live or die.” He talks about that time—“when I was a child”—as if it was another age entirely.”
“When I Was a Child”: War Stories
29 Mar – Source: New York Times Blog – 462 Words
There is a scene in “A Life on Hold,” a short video produced by Amnesty International, in which Somali refugees gather at a shanty in a camp in Tunisia to watch the BBC, which is showing the latest fighting in Mogadishu. (Thanks to Michelle Shephard for pointing it out.) The camera settles on the face of a boy named Omar; he looks like he’s seen a ghost, and, in a sense, he has. “War is not easy, it’s beyond imagination,” he says. “I’ve seen the worst of it, and I don’t want to see any more.”
“Abdillahi had a good foresight and realized well before many Somalis that our nation was in the grip of a radical group of fanatics who have a foreign agenda that is totally un-Islamic and contrary to all the norms and values of our nation. He was adamant on the need to confront this vicious group before they could take root in our country. Many of his critics refused to listen to his warnings and termed it as acts against Islam. Those dire warnings had nothing to do with acts against Islam but had everything to do with the cruel prevailing reality of fanatics-cum-murderers masquerading as Islamists in Somalia.”
Abdullahi Y. Ahmed: The Worrior Statesman
29 Mar – Source: Hiiraan Online – 890 Words
It is not easy to write about one of the principal political actors of the last 30 years of Somalia’s difficult recent past history but I shall attempt to do so knowing full well that any writing short or long will not do justice to the departed political giant. I must also confess at the very outset my bias when writing about the Late President as I belonged to one of his many admirers although we had our share of differences. Late Abdillahi Yusuf Ahmed was as controversial historical figure as all men of substance were during their times. This controversy could be partly attributed to his strong defined conviction and self-belief rare in many of our compatriots today. Somalis throughout history had been known as proud, stubborn and self- confident people. Unfortunately these sterling qualities that we had as a nation have gradually eroded. But Abdillahi Yusuf was one of the exceptions.
“In drafting the new document, the United Nations says it is drawing on Somalia’s past and present constitutions. It is also referencing documents from around the world, including South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, Malaysia and Spain, adding to the perception that the constitution is not fully “Somali.””
One-size-fits-all constitution for Somalia “a daunting task”
29 Mar – Source: Kismayo News – 1100 Words
Since the fall of the last government in 1991, a succession of interim governments have failed to establish rule of law. Millions of people have been displaced or exiled by fighting and famine. Somalia is now under pressure to produce a draft of a new constitution by April 20, according to the guidelines agreed to in the “Roadmap” to end the donor-backed transitional government and to hold new elections this year.
Prime Minister Abdiwelli Mohammed Ali pleaded with participants at a constitutional conference in February to find a solution to the few challenges remaining.
“Inaction on this issue will only do more harm by keeping Somalia in thrall to the poverty and chaos that breed terrorism. Terrorists can use this to fuel propaganda abroad, while refugee communities in the U.S. are left feeling powerless.”
How a banking law to fight terrorism could backfire in Somalia
29 Mar – Source: Global Envision – 395 Words
Though they send more than $100 million home each year, the United States’ largest population of Somali immigrants can no longer send a dime.
Around 70 percent of Somali-Americans, about 19,000 of whom have settled in the Minneapolis area, rely on remittances to support their families, states Said Sheik-Abdi, program manager for the American Refugee Committee. Money directed to friends and family in Somalia often covers food, education, and business expenses; this has been especially important during the ongoing drought and famine in the Horn of Africa.
Top tweets
@ActForSomalia As the process of nominating MPs starts soon, A4S reminds stakeholders the need for MPs who are ready to tackle the challenges of #Somalia.
@Mahad10Ahmed Ethiopians & government soldiers killing civilians in #Somalia, says #HRW. Less secure now than under #Shabaab. http://bit.ly/
@SomaliThinker @TheEconomist
@FeisalAbdiker The strength n patience of every woman in #Somalia is enough to counter that of all men combined. Think about..
@Asahaaf A lack of leadership, arguably one of the main problems in #Somalia. Tribalism is another key problem and most importantly lack of education.
@SYLUnited Let’s not beat the bushes any longer, #Somalia needs help, true aide, help its people learn how to stand on both legs.
@MontyBech @Mikail_Osman “#
Image of the day
Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed holds talk with his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani in Baghdad on Thursday on the side-lines of an Arab League Summit. Photo: Radio Mogadishu