March 31, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Kenya: Terrorism a threat to national cohesion, army chief says
31 Mar- Source: Daily Nation- 223 words
Kenya’s defence forces should firmly deal with terrorism as it is a threat to national cohesion, a security chief has said. According to Army Commander Major General J. K. Kasaon, the country faces new challenges from Somali-based terrorists who use sophisticated technology to target people and infrastructure.
“The current threat is real and dynamic and poses the greatest challenge to our national cohesion,” he said in a speech read by his deputy Major General Johnson Ondieki during the 30th anniversary of the Engineers Brigade in Thika.
He added that the armed forces should also be prepared to deal with natural disasters experienced as a result of climate change and other man made calamities.
Key Headlines
- Somali president parliament Speaker due to meet leaders of parallel regional states in Baidoa (Radio Goobjoog/VOA Somali Service)
- Somali PM to address Parliament (RBC/Jowhar Online)
- Deputy Speaker accuses Immigration Department (Radio Shabelle)
- Parliament questions Finance Minister on 2014 budget bill (Garowe Online)
- Kenya: Terrorism a threat to national cohesion army chief says (Daily Nation)
- Puntland’s Health Ministry Vows to deal with ‘Counterfeit drugs’ (Horseed Media)
- A Ugandan Living and working in Mogadishu (Daily Monitor)
- Former foreign minister sworn in as Parliament Member(Radio RBC)
- Kenyan deputy president issues stern warning to terrorists (Standard)
- Somalia requires timely support for its post-liberation efforts (East African)
- Kenya says security forces closing in terror suspects (Xinhua)
- Bomb explodes on man assembling it (AP)
PRESS STATEMENT
Minister of Finance presents Budget to Parliament
31 Mar- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 389 words
His Excellency Minister of Finance, Hussein Abdi Halane, presented Somalia’s Budget for 2014-2015 to Parliament, setting out how the government will take further action to secure Somalia’s future – re-building the economy and social services.
The Budget total sees a 91% increase from the 2013 Budget of $114.3 million to a total of $218 million for 2014-2015.
The government is taking decisions that will enable and support Somali people to educate their children and care for their families through increased spending on education and health. The Budget begins the job of rebuilding our economy – laying the foundations for sustainable long-term economic growth and job creation throughout Somalia.
Only 11 months ago the government used to raise a mere $2.2 million in tax income per month, the total raised through local taxes is projected to increase to $130m in this year’s Budget. The remaining $88m comes through donor projects on health, education, infrastructure and economic development.
This Budget also sets out a comprehensive fiscal system, ensuring everyone contribute fairly to society and a critical step towards eventual economic independence.
The Prime Minister, said: “The Budget for 2014 sees a significant increase in the total budget. All of Somalia will benefit from increased government spending on security, justice, education and health.
“The Government of Somalia is committed to the continuing reform of our financial institutions and tax systems to increase the income of the state. It is crucial that the government can raise its own revenue to be able to continue to improve security and roll out improved social services across Somalia. Up until now the state’s revenue has relied almost solely on customs collection from Mogadishu airport and port, we must broaden and in many cases introduce new taxes on sectors of our economy. The Ministry of Finance has proposed a number of reforms to our tax system to ensure businesses contribute their fair share to society and the rebuilding of our country.
“The target for the next year is to raise enough revenue to vastly improve the capacity of the government to deliver for its own people and eventually become self-sufficient. The future prosperity of Somalia is directly linked to peace and stability and we must continue to work to create an environment which is attractive to investors and businesses which will benefit all Somali people.”
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali president, parliament Speaker due to meet leaders of parallel regional states in Baidoa
31 Mar – Source: Radio Goobjoog/VOA Somali Service/Radio Dalsan- 154 words
The president of Somalia Hassan Sheikh who paid visit to Baidoa, the headquarters of Bay region and the speaker of the federal Parliament of Somalia Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari are expected to hold meeting with the elected leaders of the two parallel regional states in Baidoa to work out the political commotion in Baidoa.
President Hassan Sheikh had discussions with the elders and intellectuals and asked them to work with the federal government and take lead role to end the disorder in the region and come up with lasting solutions.
The outcome of the meeting cannot be predicted, but the leaders and the supporters of the six regional stated insisted that they will not agree with anything that go against the wishes of the people. On the other hand, angry protesters against the presence of president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his delegates took to streets of Baidoa on Sunday.
Somali PM to address Parliament
31 Mar – Source: RBC/Jowhar Online- 113 words
Somalia Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed is expected to address the country’s Parliament on Mondayafter the MPs called him on Sunday.
The Prime Minister will update the lawmakers on the ongoing military operation to flush out the al Qaeda linked militant group of al Shabab from the country as well as the government’s designated service delivery to the regions under the government’s control.
According to lawmakers, the MPs will also question the Prime Minister over several interior issues including the formation of the southwest federal state.
On Sunday, the Finance Minister Hussein Abdi Halane presented the government’s 2014 budget to the lawmakers in which the cabinet proposed last week.
Deputy Speaker accuses Immigration Department
31 Mar- Source: Radio Shabelle- 114 words
Leaders of the Somali parliament accused the Director of the Immigration & Naturalization Department of incompetence over his responsibilities.
Mahad Abdalla Awad the Deputy Speaker of the Somali Federal Parliament chaired the parliamentary session, said that most of the times foreigners enter Mogadishu ‘illegally’ and that nobody regulates their arrival or departure.
“The truth is that it is not ethical for anybody to just enter the city as they wish, but it’s the duty of the Immigration department to control their movements.” Said Mahad.
The statement by the high-ranking Member of Parliament comes at a time when foreigners or expatriates are coming to Mogadishu for various different reasons.
Parliament questions Finance Minister on 2014 budget bill
31 Mar – Source: Garowe Online – 156 words
Somalia’s Federal Members of Parliament questioned Minister of Finance Hussein Abdi Halane on 2014 budget bill ahead of the parliamentary endorsement on Sunday, Garowe Online reports.
Addressing lawmakers in the parliament, Halane said the government prepared $ 218,450,743 budget in comparison to the previous $117-million budget that was proposed in 2013 by former Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon’s government.
“The proposed budget is more than the previous $117-million budget and we allotted the additional millions for various sectors this year,” said Halane, adding that huge amount of the funds will be generated from the national revenues.
“We hope that our international partners would fill the gap when it comes to the amount mentioned in the budget bill,” he noted.
At least three MPs took part in the deliberations on 2014 budget in the parliament, followed by the parliament speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari who demanded the government to adjust the proposed budget for Somali shilling.
Puntland’s Health Ministry Vows to deal with ‘Counterfeit drugs’
31 Mar – Source: Horseed Media – 136 words
Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland Health Ministry is launching a major crackdown on counterfeit drug sellers throughout the region.
Dr Sadik Enow, Puntland Minister of Health said that the new administration will introduce a new strategy whereby the health sector will be regulated, and enable the control of the quality of medicine products imported into the region.
He added that teams of monitors will be touring the region’s health centers and ensure counterfeit drugs are not being sold, and raising awareness of the dangers of non-prescribed drugs.
‘’ We are making frantic efforts to ensure that sufficient quantities of legitimate drugs are sold to the people. Therefore we inform all businessmen and other individuals involved in this business to clear their stores and take away the medicines four months prior to their expiry dates’’, he said.
Former foreign minister sworn in as Parliament Member
30 Mar- Radio RBC- 156 words
Former Somali Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Fowsiyo Yusuf Haji Adan , has attended her first parliament meeting after she was sworn in as a new parliament member on Saturday.
“I swear in the name of Allah that I will accomplish my duties for the interest of the country and the people of Somalia. I will respect the national constitution and will serve in accordance with Islam,” the new lawmaker said holding her right hand on the Quran.
Fowsiyo has replaced former Parliament Member Ismail Hassan Jama after he resigned and transferred his seat to her. Both individuals descend from the same sub clan.The former foreign minister of Somalia Fawsiya Yusuf Haji Aden has been sworn in as a new Parliament Member after gaining a parliamentary seat.
Mrs Fawsiya Yusuf Haji Aden has served as the first female Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia between November 2012 and January 2014. She lost her portfolio in the latest cabinet reshuffle in January.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenya: Terrorism a threat to national cohesion, army chief says
31 Mar- Source: Daily Nation- 223 words
Kenya’s defence forces should firmly deal with terrorism as it is a threat to national cohesion, a security chief has said. According to Army Commander Major General J. K. Kasaon, the country faces new challenges from Somali-based terrorists who use sophisticated technology to target people and infrastructure.
“The current threat is real and dynamic and poses the greatest challenge to our national cohesion,” he said in a speech read by his deputy Major General Johnson Ondieki during the 30th anniversary of the Engineers Brigade in Thika.
He added that the armed forces should also be prepared to deal with natural disasters experienced as a result of climate change and other man made calamities.
Kenyan deputy president issues stern warning to terrorists
31 Mar- Source: Standard- 403 words
An improvised explosive device he was handling killed a suspected terrorist in a house in Pangani, Nairobi early on Sunday as Deputy President William Ruto toured Likoni in Mombasa where gunmen killed six worshippers at a church last weekend.
Speaking a few metres from the Joy of Jesus Church, where terrorists massacred six worshippers and maimed many others last Sunday, Ruto warned terrorists and their accomplices that the Government would hunt them down. “We will hunt you down, torment you on earth and when you die you will burn in hell,” said Ruto, adding that political and religious leaders supporting jihadist movements in the coast region will not be spared.
During a security meeting on Saturday at the Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa’s office, senior security officials briefed the Deputy President on security at the coast and the tentacles of the terror network in Kenya’s towns and cities. He was also told of the alleged mastermind of the March 23 attack on the church in Likoni.
Ruto said police would not hesitate to storm any mosque or church used by religious fundamentalists to incite and sow terrorism and hatred. Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and other leaders accompanied Ruto.
A Ugandan Living and working in Mogadishu
30 Mar- Source: Daily Monitor- 811 words
“If you had told a younger me fresh out of high school that I would one day be living and working in Somalia, I would have thought you crazy. But here I am 37, and this is my second year of doing so. I have lived in Mogadishu since March 2012 and I cannot say it is half bad.
I was living in Kenya before I moved to Mogadishu so in total I can say it is about 15 years since I was last permanently based in Uganda but I was born and raised in Masaka and did all my schooling in Uganda.
I was doing business which is how I made some friends from Somalia. We often talked about their war torn country and the effort to get some modicum of peace as well as rebuild it. He wanted to start a university there and asked me if I was interested.
Since I have a bachelor in Education from Kyambogo University. Teaching did not sound bad, neither did the pay. My family members were concerned but I had already made up my mind so off to Mogadishu I went. I now teach Public Administration at Somali International University, a two-year-old private university with a student population of 3,500.
Somalia requires timely support for its post-liberation efforts
30 Mar- Source: East African- 691 words
Former Kenyan Ambassador to Somalia, Mohammed Affey, was recently appointed the Igad Special Envoy to Somalia. He spoke to Fred Oluoch about efforts by Somalia to prepare for the 2016 elections, increased al Shabaab attacks and regional efforts in the country.
What was your brief after being appointed in December 2013, and what has been your assessment of the situation in Somalia?
My brief is to engage with Somali leaders; assess the security situation in Mogadishu and the roadmap to the 2016 elections. Where there are challenges we look at how as a region we can help to overcome them.
My assessment is that the Somali government despite being appreciative of the support so far given, is deeply frustrated with the international community for not honouring its pledges. The expectations of the government and region in the fulfilment of the Brussels Conference that saw pledges of real and timely support, have not been met.
Based on our assessment the lack of support has impacted post-liberation operations. The government of Somalia has to provide basic services to the communities in the liberated areas while the international community should offer timely support so that the government has the capacity to fill any vacuums.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya says security forces closing in terror suspects
31 Mar- Source: Xinhua-663 Words
Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto said Sunday security forces are closing in on members of the terror gang operating in the Indian Ocean port city Mombasa and other coastal areas.
Ruto made the remarks when visiting the Joy in Jesus church, Likoni, the scene of a violent terrorist attack on March 23, when six Kenyans were gunned down by terrorists. He confirmed that already two of the suspected terrorists had been killed and another injured.
“These people will not escape, we will not allow the devil to take over this country,” he said in Mombasa.
He said the government had instructed security agents in Mombasa not to do anything else until they arrest all those who were involved in shooting worshippers at the Mombasa church last Sunday.
Ruto issued a stern warning that terrorist and criminals will be dealt with according to the laws that govern this country. He said the police officers have been instructed to use their firearms whenever they feel their lives and the lives of the citizens they protect are in danger.
Bomb explodes on man assembling it
31 Mar – Source: AP – 123 words
A Kenyan police official says a man died after an explosive device he was assembling exploded in a residential area in the capital. Barasa Wabomba, the police chief of the Starehe area in Nairobi, said Sundaypolice are looking for three other men who were seen running out of the apartment after the blast in the three-story Pangani building.
The blast rocked the building causing cracks in the walls and shattering the windows. Wabomba could not immediately say who was responsible though he said initial suspicion fell on sympathisers of Somali Islamic extremists.
Kenya has experienced dozens of small bomb attacks since al Qaeda-linked Somali militants known as al Shabaab vowed to avenge Kenya for sending troops to Somalia in October 2011 to the militants.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“It is part of the national narrative that all terrorists in Kenya are Muslims and all Somalis are terror suspects. Kenya is once again using attacks by terrorists to stigmatize, target and harass refugees and people of Somali ethnicity.”
Kenya uses terror attacks to stigmatize and oppress the Somali ethnic community
30 Mar- Source: Daily Nation-783 Words
In response to the Likoni church shooting in which 6 people were killed and 15 others injured, Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa issued a shoot-to-kill order in which he claimed that it is counter-productive to take terror suspects to court because it is very difficult find witnesses in their prosecution.
This directive caused uproar among the civil society who termed it illegal and an affront to the legitimate efforts to combat attacks. By Friday, 28th March, the Inspector General of police Mr. David Kimaiyo had announced to the media that the police should ignore the shoot-to-kill order by the Mombasa County Commissioner.
In the time that it took the Inspector General to give directions on the shoot-to-kill order, the police had rounded up 100 villagers in the search for the terror suspects, detained 59 people and apparently charged 49 of them for “loitering”. In Nairobi, tens of youth were arrested in a swoop in one of the suburbs, many of whom were later released.
As a response to the security situation, Kenya has ordered all urban-based Somali refugees to move into designated camps in a bid to end attacks by militant Islamists. The Cabinet Secretary for Internal Security Joseph ole Lenku further stated that “Any refugee found flouting this directive will be dealt with in accordance with the law”.
“The government and security forces must address the bigger question of why youth in places like Mombasa, Kwale and Likoni are tempted to join radical groups that spread violence. They will see that there is a clear link between under-development, high youth unemployment particularly among males, and radicalisation. Al Shabaab has taken advantage of this link. It must be broken.”
Muslim and Somali scholars must challenge al Shabaab’s violent creed
30 Mar- Source: Daily Nation-647 Words
The blanket condemnation of Somalis over the terrorist attacks that have been taking place on Kenyan soil in recent months reflects a general lack of understanding of both Somalia and the terrorist organisation al Shabaab.
Both the government and the media have resorted to making xenophobic statements that are likely to incite terrorists into more violent action.
The truth is that al Shabaab has been waging its war primarily against fellow Muslims. Its adherents have killed more Muslims within Somalia than non-Muslims outside the country.
Al Shabaab may have been conceived in Somalia, but its parentage lies outside. Before the civil war, Somalis were Sunni Muslims belonging to the Sufi sect. Today, Somalia is full of alien sects, such as the Wahabi, who were imported from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.
“Somalis deserve quality, informative programs that enhance their lives and I am looking forward to growing our programming to even assist the Somali government in telling good news from inside that country,” says Nalayeh. Let the good news continue as this program takes Somali TV to the next level.”
Taking Somali Television to the Next Level
30 Mar- Source: Hiiraan Online- 483 Words
Nearly three years ago, Hodan Nalayeh, travelled to Dadaab Refugee Camp during the height of the Somali famine as a volunteer advocate. It was during that trip she saw firsthand the crisis facing Somali people, in Somalia and the Diaspora. Nalayeh made a commitment to work on being a voice for the voiceless. Equipped with her media background, she left her corporate job to start her own media production company, Cultural Integration Agency.
Considering the amount of negative news about Somalis worldwide, Nalayeh says she is creating television programming that spreads positive news about Somalis, including their culture, religion and achievements. She says, “I want young people to gain pride for being Somali and restore our dignity no matter where we live – Somali stories told by Somali people.”
Nalayeh succeeded earlier this month by getting her first Somali Television program in English transmitted on CITYTV, a major network in Toronto along with Co-Executive Producer, Cameraworks Productions International, a full-service and fully-equipped television and video production facility led by Broadcast Engineer and Media Production Specialist, Reddy Sampath.
“Government and AMISOM peacekeeping troops are focusing more on combat and liberating new areas from the al Shabaab while advancing towards the groups’ territories.”
War on al Shabaab needs more than just a combat
29 Mar- Source: Radio Dalsan-543 Words
Since the federal government of Somalia declared a major offensive against Al-Shabaab militant group unlike its defensive nature before several key strategic areas were seized from the group with little or no resistance at all.
Somali National Army supported by AMISOM forces have advanced and forced Al-Shabaab out of more than ten key strategic areas including their stronghold town of Bulaburte in South central Somalia.
The government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other regional countries which contributed troops to fight al Shabaab militant group are already celebrating the frontline gains since the launch of the offensive few weeks ago in that the defeat of al Shabaab is just a matter of days or weeks.
Top tweets
@OCHAAsiaPac 258,000 people died due to famine in#Somalia between 2010-2012 despite timely early warnings. How can we improve? http://www.unocha.org/saving-
@FAOnews update | Desert locust swarms continue to buzz Northwest #Somalia: http://ow.ly
@d_notices WATCH: From #Afghanistan to #Somalia, w2omen take the lead clearing landmines and explosives (+playlist):http://www.youtube.com/watch?
@amisomsomalia #Shabaabontherun AMISOM repels probing attack by al Shabaab in recently liberated Moqokori town, Hiiraan Region. No casualties or damage.
@BBCMonitoring Somali Sky News editor Nurdiin Hasan Ibrahim arrested after making “false claims” against immigration & nationality department – Shabelle
Image of the day
AMISOM Ethiopian troops on routine foot patrol in Baidoa. Ensuring security, eliminating al Shabaab elements. Photo: @amisomsomalia