May 11, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
EU unveils €100 million fund for Somalia peace effort
11 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/RBC- 136 words
The European Union has announced that it will scale up its Somali funding by €100 million to support the African Union Mission (AMISOM).
The mission was expanded by the rehatting of Kenya Defence Forces early this year.
The money will go towards meeting the increased salaries and wages needs of the regional peacekeeping unit necessitated by the United Nations Security Council resolution of February 26 to integrate Kenyan troops, a move that increased the force to 17,731 soldiers.
The African Union and the United Nations recently agreed to empower Somalia’s national security forces in order to stabilise the chaotic Horn of African nation.
The empowerment plan included training of Somali forces as well as giving them material support to allow them fight the al Shabaab, a rebel group trying to topple the UN-backed transitional government of Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Greek-owned tanker hijacked in Arabian Sea: company (AFP/ Reuters)
- Somali traditional elders storm out of conference discontent over agenda (Radio Shabelle)
- Over 600 Somali Troops Complete Training in Uganda (Jowhar Online)
- Dutch helicopter shot at over Somalia (Expatica News/ Radio Netherlands worldwide)
- Puntland president opposes new draft constitution (Shabelle/Somalia Report)
- EU unveils €100 million fund for Somalia peace effort (Radio Bar-kulan/RBC)
- Gunmen kill two Puntland officials in Bosaso town (Shabelle)
- TFG security forces seizes weapons in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu Somalia Report)
- Three explosives found at Dadaab refugee camp (the Star)
- Widow of 7/7 suicide bomber ‘financed Kenya tourist terror attack’ (the Independent)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali traditional elders storm out of conference, discontent over agenda
11 May – Source: Radio Shabelle – 230 words
Some elders participating in the convention of Somali Traditional elders for approving the new constitution left the meeting in a show of objection, blaming the Prime Minister of Somalia.
The members of the elders, while speaking to Shabelle media showed their discontent with how the affairs are handled in the conference. They said the agenda they have been presented with was not the one supposed to be deliberated, arguing that top TFG officials wanted them to debate among other things, the Kampala Accord.
Suldan Ali Said, an elder from the Juba regions said, said some elders from the Darood clan were asked to attend the meeting only on the last day of the meeting. He also said that such notice created uneasiness within the elders, who are supposed to highly regarded.
Elder Abdiaziz Mohamud (Afgaduud), hailing from Puntland also mentioned that on his arrival to Mogadishu, the president invited them to a meeting and told them that the Darood clan secured 30 members to participate in the meeting which the president tabled before the elders and shared it in the 4.5 formula. Suldan Abdiaziz says he can’t accept such plot.
Suldaan Afgaduud accused the Prime Minister of being irresponsible and called upon the premier to resign from premiership immediately. The development on the departure of the some elders from the convention comes after the some section of Somali public strongly opposed the adoption of the new constitution as it contains chapters that directly contradict with the Islamic Shari’a.
Over 600 Somali Troops Complete Training in Uganda
11 May – Source: Jowhar Online – 416 words
Over 600 Somali troops on Thursday completed a six-month training exercise in the western Ugandan district of Ibanda and are destined for the battle zone back home. During the colorful ceremony held at Bihanga Military Training School, the 603 Somali soldiers who trained along with 248 Ugandan soldiers exhibited among others skills in urban warfare and moving through hostile territory.
Maj. Gen. Abdulkadir Ali Dini, Somalia Amy Chief of Staff thanked the Ugandan government and the European Union for training the troops who he said are important in stabilizing the Horn of African country.
Maciej Popowksi, deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service, said restoration of peace and security in Somalia is critical to the region.
“Without stability, progress and sustainable development is not possible neither in Somalia nor in the entire Eastern African region,” he said. He said reinforcement of Somali troops will enable the Somali government extend its control in the volatile country.
Puntland president opposes new draft constitution
10 May – Source: Shabelle/Somalia Report – 84 words
A document obtained by Shabelle Media Network reveals that the president of Puntland state of Somalia, Abdirahman Mohammed Mohamud (Farole) is against the new draft constitution of Somalia.
President Farole, said the new draft constitution is not suitable for a country, even as a fragmented conflict-ridden nation as Somalia. He also urged amendments made on the contentious issues in the draft constitution.
Read below the full document from the office of Puntland president, Abdirahman Mohammed Mohamud (Farole) that he expressed his opposion to the new draft constitution.
EU unveils €100 million fund for Somalia peace effort
11 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/RBC- 136 words
The European Union has announced that it will scale up its Somali funding by €100 million to support the African Union Mission (AMISOM).
The mission was expanded by the rehatting of Kenya Defence Forces early this year.
The money will go towards meeting the increased salaries and wages needs of the regional peacekeeping unit necessitated by the United Nations Security Council resolution of February 26 to integrate Kenyan troops, a move that increased the force to 17,731 soldiers.
The African Union and the United Nations recently agreed to empower Somalia’s national security forces in order to stabilise the chaotic Horn of African nation.
The empowerment plan included training of Somali forces as well as giving them material support to allow them fight the al Shabaab, a rebel group trying to topple the UN-backed transitional government of Somalia.
Gunmen kill two Puntland officials in Bosaso town
11 May- Source: Shabelle- 118 words
Unidentified gunmen on Thursday evening shot and killed two officials in Puntland administration in Bosaso town, the commercial and coastal city of northern Somalia, witnesses reported. Reports coming from the town said that Major Hassan and Ali Bibi were assassinated by masked men armed with pistols. Both officials have been serving in Puntland army.
The attackers have escaped from the crime scene immediately after the shooting.
TFG security forces seizes weapons in Mogadishu
10 May – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 67 words
The special TFG security forces, known as Gaashaan, started massive security operations in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Thursday. The forces searched the houses in Zobe village and seized a large number of weapons, including machine guns, weapons, bullets and mortars. The chief commander of Banadir region security, Kalif Ahmed Ereg, told the media that they will continue the security operation until the city is safe.
Civilians killed in grenade attack in Mogadishu
10 May – Source: Garowe Online – 172 word
At least 3 people were killed after a grenade attack in Mogadishu’s busy 30 avenues, Garowe reports.
The grenade attack targeted Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops stationed in the busy intersection near Bar Ubah. According to witnesses a group of men threw grenades at a group of troops stationed at the busy intersection. At least 3 civilians were killed in the blast, 5 were injured.
“The blast was very loud, when the smoke cleared all I could see were civilian bodies, it was horrific scene,” said a Mogadishu businessman that was near the scene of the explosion.
The perpetrators of the attack were gone when authorities arrived at the scene. Authorities immediately locked down the busy intersection and conducted an investigation, opening the busy intersection later that evening. A string of blasts and attacks have plagued Somalia’s busy capital admits an ongoing traditional elders conference scheduled to run till next week.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Three explosives found at Dadaab refugee camp
11 May- Source: the Star (Nairobi)- 78 words
Three explosive devices were yesterday morning found near the UNHCR offices, five kilometers from Hagardera refugee camp.
The devices which were discovered by G4S guards at 8 am had been buried in the middle of the road, which is frequently used by UN vehicles to the refugee camps in Dadaab.
Police from the nearly Dadaab police station with the help of ballistic experts managed to donate one of the improvised Electronic Devise and took away the other two.
UPDF soldier sells bullets to Somali boy
11 May- Source: New Vision (Uganda)- 382 words
A UPDF soldier attached to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peace keeping force convicted of selling ammunitions to a Somali boy in Mogadishu is challenging his sentence.
Mubarak Magiri was convicted by the UPDF unit disciplinary committee in Mogadishu after he pleaded guilty to selling 35 rounds of live ammunitions to a boy in the capital city of the horn of African country in March this year.
He was sentenced to one year and dismissed from the force with disgrace for the offence of failure to protect was materials. The unit disciplinary committee heard that Magiri while deployed at Sheikh Abdul AMISOM detach sold 35 rounds of ammunitions to a boy on March 24, 2012.The ammunitions were later recovered from the boy.
EU unveils Sh10bn fund for Somalia peace effort
10 May – Source: Business Daily Africa – 307 words
The European Union has announced that it will scale up its Somali funding by Sh10.9 billion (€100 million) to support the African Union Mission (AMISOM).
The mission was expanded by the rehatting of Kenya Defence Forces early this year.
The money will go towards meeting the increased salaries and wages needs of the regional peacekeeping unit necessitated by the United Nations Security Council resolution of February 26 to integrate Kenyan troops, a move that increased the force to 17,731 soldiers.
The 27-member economic bloc has also pledged Sh1.7 billion (€16 million) to boost the capacity of Kenyan research institutions such as the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF).
“We believe strongly in these research networks and in building capacity for solving issues beyond national boundaries such as droughts, diseases and resilience building,” said Lodewijk Briet, the EU Head of Delegation to Kenya.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Greek-owned tanker hijacked in Arabian Sea: company
11 May- Source: AFP/ Reuters- 212 words
A Greek-owned tanker has been hijacked in the Arabian Sea with a cargo of crude oil, the operating company said on Friday. “At approximately 1115 GMT on 10 May, 2012, an oil tanker managed by Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd. was reported hijacked while it was transiting the Arabian Sea,” the Athens-based company said.
The Liberian-flagged tanker Smyrni is carrying a cargo of 135,000 metric tonnes of crude oil, the company said, adding that “all relevant authorities” had been notified. “No communications have been received from the ship since the ship was boarded,” Dynacom said.
“Dynacom Tanker Management’s top priorities are the safe return of the ship and crew and the integrity of the cargo,” it said.
Kalashnikov-wielding pirates prowl far out across the Indian Ocean from their bases in war-torn northern Somalia, seizing foreign ships which they hold for several months demanding multi-million dollar ransoms.
The sea route off Somalia is considered the most dangerous in the world. Last year alone saw around 230 pirate attacks.
The EU’s Operation Atalanta has deployed between five and 10 warships off the Somali coast since 2008 to escort humanitarian aid shipments and thwart pirate raids on commercial vessels using vital shipping lanes.
EU foreign ministers in March agreed to extend the mission until December 2014.
Widow of 7/7 suicide bomber ‘financed Kenya tourist terror attack’
11 May – Source: Independent – 461 words
The widow of one of the London suicide bombers was financing a terrorist attack in Kenya, it has been claimed. The allegation was made as Jermaine Jhon Grant, a Briton, appeared before a court in Mombasa, accused of plotting a bomb attack. Jacob Ondari, for the prosecution, said the Muslim convert had been helped by Samantha Lewthwaite, the 28-year-old widow of Germaine Lindsay.
“It is our belief that she [Ms Lewthwaite] is connected with Grant and that they were working together. She is believed to be the financier of the whole thing,” Mr Ondari said.
She has been implicated in the alleged plot by several witnesses who claim they saw Grant and a woman they believe was Ms Lewthwaite in Mombasa in November and December last year. It is thought that others may have also been involved, though it is unclear whether they were also British. The money she provided is thought to have paid for the rent of various safe houses used by the group while they were allegedly conspiring to carry out their attack, sometimes paying months in advance.
Grant, from Newham, was first detained in Kenya near the Somali border in 2008, but is accused of escaping custody with the help of a group of Islamist militants belonging to the Islamist insurgents al Shabaab.
Dutch helicopter shot at over Somalia
11 May – Source: Expatica News/ Radio Netherlands worldwide – 130 words
A Dutch navy helicopter was shot at on Thursday off the coast of Somalia, according to a report from the Ministry of Defence. The Lynx helicopter from the frigate HMS Van Amstel was not in serious danger of being downed.
“The unit conducted a reconnaissance flight at high altitude” said a spokesperson for the ministry, who added that gunfire was observed during the flight. So far, it’s unclear if the shots were being targeted from the ground and the type of weapon used is also unknown.
The HMS Van Amstel is part of the EU’s fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia, called Operation Atalanta. The Netherlands isalso taking part in Ocean Shield, NATO’s anti-piracy operation in the region. Starting in June, the HMS Evertsen will join the NATO mission.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“In a nutshell, the fact that Somalis are discussing and debating about the strengths and weakness of a constitution should be welcomed and supported. In order to save the process, Ambassador Mahiga and his stakeholders must listen to the people and allow the next parliament to debate the content of the revised draft constitution and then adopt it provisionally – hopefully, the debate on the constitution will continue at least for the next decade.”
Somalia: Rescuing the process of transition
11 May- Source: Aljazeera Englsih-1726 Words
Sheikh Bashir Salad, the chairman of the Council of Religious Scholars of Somalia, has issued a statement criticising the content of and the process for legitimising the international community-funded and controlled draft-constitution of Somalia. He has called for openness and transparency in the constitution making process and demanded that Somalia’s religious scholars be consulted.
Civic and political forces and several clans followed the religious scholars and made similar demands. In response, the international community has released a warning letter, calling dissenters as spoilers and threatened to punish them.
“The increased risks of the mission could well be of very limited success. In the past, the pirates have proved that they can quickly adapt to new challenges. When the military patrols near the coast were stepped up, they simply went out further to attack freighters. Should they now be faced with EU attacks on the shoreline, they might just withdraw their bases behind the two-kilometer zone and continue their operations as before. The past has shown that in terms of logistics and organization, the pirates are extremely flexible.”
Atalanta mission bears too many risks
11 May – Source: Deutsche Welle – 580 Words
The enlarged mandate for the EU’s anti-piracy mission means that EU troops will soon also be able to fight pirates on land. But DW’s Daniel Scheschkewitz says that this is not the right path.
Named after the virgin hunter from Greek mythology, the EU’s Atalanta mission has been trying to crack down on pirates off the Somali coast at the Horn of Africa since 2008. So far, the mission’s been successful. The number of ships successfully attacked by pirates has indeed gone down.
But for those behind the piracy, it remains a successful business model. Their base of operations remains the failed state of Somalia, from which they can coordinate and launch their raids in the Indian Ocean. The new mandate is to change that. In the future, the pirates’ bases on land are to be destroyed as well. But attacks are only to be permitted at the beach and within a zone two kilometers from the shoreline.
“One of the first was a 21-year-old British man who blew himself up in an attack at an Ethiopian army checkpoint five years ago. The man, whose identity has never been publicly confirmed, recorded his martyrdom video in clear English. So how many more have followed him out to Somalia? Rusi, the security think tank, estimates there are 50 British fighters in Somalia but, to be frank, nobody really knows. Some Somali community leaders have suggested hundreds have been through al-Shabab’s camps.”
Analysis: A British threat from Somalia
11 May- Source: BBC-925 Words
The black flag of al-Shabab flies on Twitter – and its tweets are in English – English that reads like it is written by a native speaker.
We don’t know who the writer is – but over the last five years there have been mounting questions over the number of people from the UK who have been going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, the organisation affiliated to al-Qaeda that controls part of the country.
This spring, those concerns have been focused on the case of East Londoner Jermaine Grant. He is accused in Kenya of being part of a bomb plot orchestrated by the Islamist movement.
“Labelling states as such feeds into a creation of a binary that implies a devaluation of one term in favour of the other. Through this, a simple binary of adjective is created which gives states the option of conformity and ‘success’ or deviation and ‘failure’. As a result, employing the term ‘failed’, while it may be argued that this is simply a factual representation of the condition of stateness, can never be truly neutral.”
Somalia: Why are we failing the failed states?
10 May – Pinpoint Politics – 1409 Words
An abyss for the lost and stolen, and a refuge for the takers, failed states are characterized as the black holes of the international system. Somalia, the archetypical failed state, is condemned by policy makers who maintain that it incubates terror, breeds crime, facilitates piracy and infects regions; with stereotypical images of pirates in tiny skiffs, or an unyielding insurgent and terrorist campaign from al Shabab, it is seen as a land ruled by dangerous warlords. Their problems are not just their own but a menace to everyone, or so the story goes.
On the 24th of February world leaders convened in London, in a meeting described by British Prime Minster David Cameron as “the largest and most influential gathering that has ever come together,” to seek a lasting solution to the problem of Somalia. This two-day long conference was aimed at ending the civil strife in the country, which consistently tops the ranks of the Failed State Index, and to enhance the level of ‘stateness’ in order to curb the international ramifications that this deviant threatens. However, it seems that this conference, in labelling the country as ‘failed’, was labouring under a set of misapprehensions rather than focusing on what is actually affecting Somalia itself.
Top tweets
@Dxon_m It’s the early time regional states sees #Somalia as a potent state and xplore opportunities from this country @YvonneKhamati
@Salah_A_Rasak There is a Transitional Federal Government in #Somalia. But the new constitution will change them permenantly @ajenglish
@abdivancity What do you guys think of the new #somali #constituition? I think it is just another attempt for clan rivalry and greed. #dastuurka
@CFPAAR It’s great news that over 600 #Somali troops complete training in Uganda. Only #Somali forces can bring peace to Somalia. http://bit.ly/J26byl
@SomaliThinker #MOGADISHU
@t_mcconnell Photos from #Mogadishu, a different world before the war: http://bit.ly/Hy6yKE (#
Image of the day
Maj. Gen. Abdulkadir Ali Dini, Somalia Amy Chief of Staff address Somali soldiers at colourful ceremony held at Bihanga Military Training School. Some 600 completed a six-month EU-sponsored military training. Photo: Radio Muqdisho