March 6, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

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Somalia: Al-Shabaab Leaders In Squabble Over Joining IS

05 March – Source: Horseed Media  – 341 Words

In recent months, Somali militant group has been embroiled in a row over joining the Islamic State (IS), sources claim. The fresh row is between the newly appointed leader Ahmed Omar (Abu-ubadd) and Mahad Karatay, a senior long-serving official who many regard as the indirect leader and currently the most powerful figure. With the death of its former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane last September and losing strategic towns and ports to the Somali government troops and African Union peacekeepers which were the main source of their economy, the terrorist organization not only lost its head, but has also experienced rows. Al-Shabaab emerged out of an insurgency fighting against Ethiopia, when its troops entered Somalia in a 2006 US-backed invasion to topple the Islamic Courts Union that was in control of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The group has claimed responsibility for many attacks in Mogadishu and central and northern Somalia. Its attacks have focused on the TFG and its perceived allies, AU troops and aid organisations. The group has assassinated peace activists, international aid workers and journalists. According to insiders, Mahad Karatay wants the group to merge with the Islamic State, while Abu-ubayda believes that the group has different principles from those of ISIS and is against to end alliance with al-Qaeda.

Al-Shabaab announced to be an al-Qaeda affiliate, which are not in good terms with ISIS in 2012. Al-Qaeda denied it had any ties with the group. Internal division has weakened the radical Islamist group since 2012. In 2013, Ibrahim Afghani, a longtime jihadist commander who had close links with Al-Qaeda was executed by forces loyal to Godane after Afghani reportedly issued a statement that criticized the Ex-leader. While other hardliners such as Mukhtar Roobow, Hassan Dahir Aweys and their close aides were forced to flee at that time from the coastal town of Barawe. ISIS has captured the imagination of a new generation of jihadists — from Arab and European states alike — with its ruthless pursuit of a Caliphate, dramatic territorial gains and relentless propaganda machine

Key Headlines

  • Minister Of Women Affairs Meets Parliamentary Human Rights Committee (Radio Bar-kulan)
  • New Protocol Restricts Meeting Somali President (Radio Dalsan)
  • Many Families Displaced Due To Water Shortages In Hiraan And Bakol Regions (Radio Goobjoog)
  • Italy Donates 54 Military Vehicles To The Somali National Army (Radio Bar-kulan)
  • German Army Officials In Somalia Get Time Extension (Radio Danan)
  • Formation Of State In Central Somalia Postponed As Dispute Erupts Between the Technical Committee(Radio RBC)
  • UN And AU Caution On Gender-Based Violence Across Somalia (Coastweek.com)
  • Somali Refugees Forced To Pile Everything They Own After Government Troops Destroyed Their Shelters (Daily Mail Online)
  • Hormuud And Refunite To Help Reconnect Separated Families In Somalia Through Mobile (Refunite.org)
  • Kenya Defense Forces KDF Lauded For Their Role In Helping Somalia Defeat Al-Shabaab Terrorists(Intelligencebriefs.com)
  • Red Lines And Al-Shabaab: Negotiating Humanitarian Access In Somalia (Clingend.nl)

 

SOMALI MEDIA

Minister Of Women Affairs Meets Parliamentary Human Rights Committee

05 March – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 167 Words

The Federal Government of Somalia’s Minister for women and human rights, Sahro Mohamed Ali met the parliamentary committee on human rights. The minister and the committee discussed violence towards Somali women carried by AU peacekeepers in Somalia, and also the enactment of a  human right bill that is pending before parliament into law by the Somali parliament.

In a press briefing following the meeting, Sahro said she will carry out an investigation that  will speed up conclusion of all cases involving AMISOM. She said all those carrying any sort of violence against women will be brought before justice and the full force of the law. Human rights campaign groups have in the past accused AMISOM soldier of being involved in violence against women including rape subject to Somali women.

Sahro expressed optimism that a case in which AMISOM soldiers are accused of raping a civilian woman will soon be concluded. She thanked her predecessor for doing a good job and thoroughly following up on the issue.

New Protocol Restricts Meeting Somali President

05 March – Source: Radio Dalsan – 126 Words

A new protocol at Somali presidential palace is set to limit access to Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Somali members of the parliament are the biggest losers as far as the new protocol are concerned. National assembly members who had constant access to the president whenever they need will be now forced to write notes of their main purpose of meeting and they have only Thursday and numbers should not exceed ten. Also in the new etiquette, all night meetings with the president are stopped except those requested by Somali leader. This new restrictions follows few weeks after Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Germany for special medical checkup. Cabinet members and senior government officials are also expected to be affected by this new change of protocol.

Many Families Displaced Due To Water Shortages In Hiraan And Bakol Regions

05 March – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 116 Words

Reports from Hiraan and Bakol regions state that acute water shortage in many areas has caused many families and pastoral people to flee their houses. Isse Sheikh Noor Adawe in Qura’a-Joome area who contacted to Goobjoog News said serious water shortage in some parts of Hiraan and Bakool regions displaced many families who have not yet received proper support from the aid agencies except a small help from their neighbours. He affirmed that the social services in these areas have been poor since the start of the prolonged droughts in these regions. Mr. Adawe added that they sent appeal to the federal government to supply water to the affected residents but no response received so far.

Italy Donates 54 Military Vehicles To The Somali National Army

05 March – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 85 Words

The Italian Ministry of Defense has donated 54 military vehicles to the Somali National Army. The donation was received by the Commander of the Somali National army, Dahir Adan Elmi(Indha Qarshe). An official at the Italian Defense Ministry who was present during the handover ceremony at the port of Mogadishu said the donation is part of fulfillment of previous pledges made by the Somali government. The commander of the National army thanked Italy for the donation and its continued support for the Somali government.

German Army Officials in Somalia Get Time Extension

05 March – Source: Radio Danan – 101 Words

The German cabinet assented German soldiers inside Somalia to get a time extension in order to continue to stay in Somalia. They have already spent a year in the country and are 8 in number. However, come March 2016, their number will be increased to 31. German foreign minister,  Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German Defence Minister, Ursula Von Der Line told the German parliament that Somalia needs to be assisted to restore its stability in the run up to the 2016 elections. The German army officials in Somalia are working under 146 Italian army officials who are training Somali National Forces.

Formation Of State In Central Somalia Postponed As Dispute Erupts Between the Technical Committee

05 March – Source: Radio RBC – 101 Words

Attempts to form a would-be state in Central Somali regions have been postponed, technical Committee says. The formation of an interim state in North Mudug and Gal-Gudud has reportedly been delayed due to differences that erupted between the technical committee formed by the Somali Federal Government to facilitate the establishment of the state according to Cuke Haji Abdirahman, a member of the technical committee.

Cuke accused the technical committee of not doing its best to put in place a interim federal member state in the region. “The Technical Committee is taking part the delays of Central State formation efforts,” said Cuke A conference intended to create this state has been delayed several other times due to internal obstacles including inter-clan clashes and differences between the political bodies existing in the region such as Gal-Mudug, Hubin iyo Heeb and Ahlu Sunna administrations.

REGIONAL MEDIA​

UN And AU Caution On Gender-Based Violence Across Somalia

05 March – Source: Coastweeek.com – 221 Words

Envoys from both the United Nations and the African Union (AU) on Tuesday made a joint call for increased measures to protect women and girls in Somalia, Vannina Maestracci, the associate UN spokesperson, told reporters here. Nick Kay, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for Somalia, and Maman S. Sidikou, the special envoy of the African Union Commission chairperson, reiterated their commitment to support efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence in Somalia, she said at a daily news briefing. “They also highlighted the importance of providing better, more timely and comprehensive assistance, including health and psychosocial care, to victims of sexual violence and their families,” she said.

The United Nations reported nearly 800 cases of sexual and gender-based violence in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, alone for the first six months of 2013, although the actual number is likely much higher. The Somali government and the UN signed a joint communique on the prevention of sexual violence in May 2013, stressing that there is zero-tolerance to sexual violations and that perpetrators will be punished. Somalia has been torn by factional fighting since 1991.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Refugees Forced To Pile Everything They Own After Government Troops Destroyed Their Shelters

04 March – Source: Daily Mail Online – 325 Words

This week the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned that many people in Somalia are ‘on the edge’. Despite knowing the hardships people there face every day, government soldiers destroyed dozens of temporary shelters and shops at a refugee camp in southern Mogadishu, forcing the inhabitants to pile all their belongings onto trucks and move on. Shocking photographs show possessions piled 15-feet high on the back of trucks, with some of the now homeless owners sitting precariously on top.
It seems that nothing could be left behind, with fencing, mattresses, water canisters and chairs all crammed onto battered vehicles. As they set off, several men ran alongside them to make sure nothing fell off. The Food and Agriculture Organisation has launched an emergency appeal for $697million to help 30 million people in 31 crisis-hit countries, a senior official with the U.N. agency said on Tuesday.It has requested that Somalia receives $118million of this. Meanwhile, it emerged that a former Washington-area taxi driver who was on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’ list has been detained and is in the custody of the Somali government, a U.S. government source said.

Hormuud And Refunite To Help Reconnect Separated Families In Somalia Through Mobile

05 March – Source: Refunite.orgs – 357 Words

Today, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Hormuud and tech-nonprofit Refugees United (REFUNITE) announced their commitment to reconnect separated families in Somalia with their missing loved ones. The Mobile World Congress is the world’s largest annual gathering of mobile industry executives held in Barcelona, Spain on March 2-5, 2015. Two decades of civil war have had a devastating impact on the people of Somalia. Many have lost family members, friends, neighbours, as well as homes and livelihoods. In keeping with Hormuud’s corporate social responsibility commitments, forcibly displaced families within Somalia will be able to search for their missing loved ones for free, without access to the Internet, and through low-cost mobile phones. The family reconnection services are expected to be available in April 2015.

There are currently 1,080,788 refugees originating from Somalia and 1,133,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “REFUNITE leverages new and innovative technologies to reconnect thousands of families displaced by the Somali conflict. We believe everyone has the right to know where their family is,” says Christopher Mikkelsen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of REFUNITE. Ahmed Yusuf, CEO and Chairman of Hormuud Telecom, said: “We are extremely happy to be working with REFUNITE. This support, which could not be timelier, is a crucial step towards helping refugees from Somalia who have endured an extreme hardship resulting from the Somalia crisis, to get reconnected with their families. It is an important contribution to their dignity and human security. “Helping the Somalia community has always been one of the key pillars of Hormuud’s philosophy. Hormuud has run a variety of community investment programs over the last 14 years fostering community health and stability by devoting a significant portion of its resources to helping Somali refugees, people with disabilities, the unemployed, and school children. Hormuud remains committed in helping mitigate the suffering of the Somali people, including women and children.”

Kenya Defense Forces KDF Lauded For Their Role In Helping Somalia Defeat Al-Shabaab Terrorists

05 March – Source: Intelligencebriefs.com – 375 Words

The Kenyan military intervention in Somalia by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) has weakenrd the Al-Shabaab militants besides liberation of major Somali towns. The 68th most powerful military in the world presence in Somalia has changed the Somali sociopolitical landscape. The political and security situation in Somalia has significantly improved since the KDF deployment. It is important to note that Somali’s current stability has been gradually achieved following the Operation Linda Inchi’s counter-terrorism initiative which successfully overtook the Al-Shabaab’s ruling in Somali as recorded in 2012. Prior to KDF’s invasion of Kismayu town in Somalia, the militant group majorly consisting of Islamic youth had taken over Mogadishu, Somali’s capital city.

The Ugandan Army aided by the Americans and Private Military Contractors failed to secure Mogadishu for years until the entry of the KDF in Somalia. The group controlled businesses, imposed curfews on members of the town and even went as far as staging attacks which equally affected Somali’s neighboring countries. KDF Operations destroyed the logistical, military, and economic capability of the Al-Shabaab. This effectively cut off supplies to the Mogadishu terror troops allowing the UPDF to make territorial gains and subsequent conquest of more territory far east. Kenya military group in collaboration with the Somalia National Army has neutralized the several attacks in Somalia bringing forth a more stabilized government. Reports have shown that KDF has equally countered Al- Shabaab’s effort to establish a forward base through the military’s preemption of attacks.

In 2014, KDF Jet bombers struck vehicles, ammunition depots, food, and fuel storage in Bula-Guduud villages north of Kismayo, a seaport which used to be controlled by the militant group. These operations continue to weaken and destroy the capability of the Al-Shabaab to continue fighting the weak government in Mogadishu. Kenya Army efforts have been applauded worldwide. KDF succeed where the whole world failed. The US Military has immense respect for the Kenyans when they compare the successful operations by the KDF Special Forces and the American Marines during the Black-Hawk Down botched operations in Mogadishu.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Focusing on one of MSF’s project sites, this report describes some of the elements, patterns and dilemmas that characterised its experience of engaging with al-Shabaab during the latter’s turbulent rule over a territory marked by chronic humanitarian crises and frequent medical emergencies. Negotiating access with al-Shabaab was ultimately as much about determining and managing MSF’s own “red lines” as it was about negotiating as such.”

Red Lines And Al-Shabaab: Negotiating Humanitarian Access In Somalia

05 March – Source: Clingendael.nl – 7021 Words

There is no easy way for a Europe-based humanitarian organisation to negotiate access to areas controlled by an armed group whose ideology positions it in opposition to Western power and values. In Somalia between 2009 and 2013 al-Shabaab’s violent and zealous religious disposition, rejection of foreign interference and distrust of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) seriously challenged humanitarian organisations’ attempts to negotiate access.

Al-Shabaab’s relationship with NGOs was ambivalent and always antagonistic to some degree. It largely viewed NGOs with suspicion, characterising them as spies or agents of foreign intervention, and yet at the same time sought to exploit their presence for material gain. But al-Shabaab was also discerning: it observed and passed judgement on organisations, granting access to some while denying it to others. Space to negotiate access existed, at least for some organisations and under certain conditions. At times, however, these conditions forced organisations to explore the limits of the compromises they were willing to make in pursuit of their humanitarian objectives

 

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of AMISOM, and neither does their inclusion in the bulletin/website constitute an endorsement by AMISOM.