May 2, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Al Shabaab claims responsibility for suicide attacks in Galgudud and Mogadishu
02 May – Source: Radio Kulmiye/Radio Risaala – 159 words
Al Shabaab claimed the responsibility for yesterday’s suicide attack which killed government officials and civilians including Somali dignitaries in the region.
Seven people, including two MPs, were killed in a suicide attack in central Somalia, authorities in the town of Dusa Mareb have confirmed. Eyewitnesses told radio Kulmiye that the attack targeted a group of about 20 politicians at an outdoor cafe.
The Islamist militant group al Shabaab has said it was behind the attack. Al Shabaab spokesman Ali Mahmud Raage (Ali Dhere) said in a media briefing that they are behind the deadly explosion that occurred in a café in Dhuuso Mareeb and which left scores dead, including some members of the Somali parliament.The spokesman said they targeted three groups of people in the suicide bomb attack that went off in a café.
Ali Dhere said they killed some members of the Somali parliament, Ahlu-Sunna and commanders from the Ethiopian army.The spokesman said all the people who died in the explosion were planning to bring harm to civilians living in central Somalia and that they had succeeded in stopping them.
Al Shabaab is under pressure on a number of military fronts in the south of Somalia – but still mounts frequent attacks and controls much of the country. Al-Sunna Wal Jama’a, the militia which controls much of Galgadud, said the suicide attacker was among the dead. Several other MPs and prominent politicians – including former Security Minister Ahmed Abdi Salam – were also injured in the attack, officials told Kulmiye news. Two civilians and two security guards were also killed.
Key Headlines
- Government condemns Al Qaeda suicide bombing on civilians in Dhusomareb (TFG)
- Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti takes command of AU forces in Somalia (AMISOM)
- Interior ministry warns participants of meetings held in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu)
- World united in protecting Somalia peace efforts (Africa Review)
- Al Shabaab claims responsibility for suicide attacks in Galgudud and Mogadishu (Radio Kulmiye/Radio Risaala)
- High alert a year after Osama gunned down (Daily Nation)
- Details coming in of explosion in Dhuuso mareeb as Ahlu Sunna give a briefing (Radio Risaala/Shabelle)
- Kenya blames Shabaab for Mombasa blasts (Capital News/The People)
- Al Shabaab arrest business people elders in rebel-held Afgoye Town (Shabelle)
- Arrested terror suspects in UK said to be involved in plot to finance Al Qaeda in Somalia (News Track India)
PRESS STATEMENT
Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti takes command of AU forces in Somalia
02 May – Source: AMISOM – 455 words
Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti, has today taken command of the military component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) following a handover ceremony presided over by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia , Ambassador Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra. Ambassador Diarra who was accompanied by the Head of the AU Peace Support Operations Division, Mr. Sivuyile Bam and the AU Focal Point on Somalia, Ambassador Rodney Kiwa commended Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti on his new appointment, saying that his experience and knowledge would be of great benefit to the international effort to restore peace and stability in Somalia.
“Lieutenant General Gutti, will lead AMISOM troops in the ongoing battle to bring peace and prosperity to the Somali people. With the support of the international community, AMISOM will continue to work towards the restoration of peace and freedom of movement for Somalia in the near future, which is critical for the progress in the global fight against terrorism and aspirations for regional stability.” He said.
The new AMISOM Force Commander who has served in the Ugandan military for over 26 years will oversee an expanded AMISOM force, which will include Kenyan, Ugandan, Djiboutian, Burundian and Sierra Leonean forces.He takes over from Major General Fred Mugisha during whose tenure, AMISOM forces helped drive the Al Qaeda affiliated terror group, Al†Shabaab, from fixed positions in Mogadishu, ushering in the longest sustained period of relative peace that the Somali capital has had since the collapse of central government in 1991. His appointment comes at a time when AMISOM is expanding across the country having secured the capital. In February, the UN Security Council raised AMISOM’s authorized strength to 17,731 troops. Once the process of integrating Kenyan and Sierra Leonean units in south Somalia is complete, the force will have a presence in the regions of Bay, Gedo and Lower Juba in addition to Banadir and Middle and Lower Shabelle.
Currently 14,400 AMISOM troops are deployed in Somalia with the recent arrival of an advance party of 100 troops in Baidoa to be soon joined by a further 2,400. Al†Shabaab is becoming marginalized in Southern Somalia as they have lost ground and the support of the Somali population.
Lieutenant General Gutti, commented that the military success of AMISOM has been acknowledged by the current expansion of the mission. He said: “AMISOM’s military progress is critical to the future of peace in Somalia. Security and stability will enable a wide cross†section of Somali’s to engage in the national political dialogue. We will continue working with the Somali Army and affiliated groups to train its soldiers and advance the National Security and Stabilization Plan, an ongoing process parallel to the approval of a draft constitution.”
Government condemns Al Qaeda suicide bombing on civilians in Dhusomareb
02 May – Source: TFG – 188 words
The Somali government strongly condemns the cowardly suicide bombing of Al Qaeda that killed two members of the Somali Parliament and three civilians in the central town of Dhusomareb, who were there to reconcile communities and promote peace in Galgudud region.
The lawmakers killed in the blast were important advocates of peace who served the Somali people and demonstrated a commitment for public service. “We send condolences to the families of the victims and pray for a quick recovery for the wounded” said the Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, Mr. Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed.
The Minister added, “We defeated Al Qaeda in the battle fronts and limited their capacity to launch attacks. However, now they have resorted to suicide bombings which they target innocent civilians.” The government will continue its counter terrorism campaign to ensure that the remnants of Al Qaeda are eliminated across the country.
In an effort to confront the terror groups, government requested the public to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies and tip them with information to foil terror plots. Minister Mohamed urged the public to “remain vigilant and organize themselves to maintain the security of their neighborhoods.”
SOMALI MEDIA
Interior ministry warns participants of meetings held in Mogadishu
02 May – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 105 words
TFG Minister of Home Affairs and National Security, Abdisamad Mo’allim Mohamed told Radio Mogadishu that there were conferences taking place in Mogadishu nowadays that his ministry was not informed of, adding that some of the participating individuals are going to jeopardize the security. Mr. Abdisamad stated that security agencies would take legal steps against those groups who are involved in organizing the meetings against the peace process and development.
Al Shabaab claims responsibility for suicide attacks in Galgudud and Mogadishu
02 May – Source: Radio Kulmiye/Radio Risaala – 159 words
Al Shabaab claimed the responsibility for yesterday’s suicide attack which killed government officials and civilians including Somali dignitaries in the region. Seven people, including two MPs, were killed in a suicide attack in central Somalia, authorities in the town of Dusa Mareb have confirmed. Eyewitnesses told radio Kulmiye that the attack targeted a group of about 20 politicians at an outdoor cafe.
The Islamist militant group al Shabaab has said it was behind the attack. Al Shabaab spokesman Ali Mahmud Raage (Ali Dhere) said in a media briefing that they are behind the deadly explosion that occurred in a café in Dhuuso Mareeb and which left scores dead, including some members of the Somali parliament.The spokesman said they targeted three groups of people in the suicide bomb attack that went off in a café.
Ali Dhere said they killed some members of the Somali parliament, Ahlu-Sunna and commanders from the Ethiopian army.The spokesman said all the people who died in the explosion were planning to bring harm to civilians living in central Somalia and that they had succeeded in stopping them.
Al Shabaab is under pressure on a number of military fronts in the south of Somalia – but still mounts frequent attacks and controls much of the country. Al-Sunna Wal Jama’a, the militia which controls much of Galgadud, said the suicide attacker was among the dead.
Several other MPs and prominent politicians – including former Security Minister Ahmed Abdi Salam – were also injured in the attack, officials told Kulmiye news. Two civilians and two security guards were also killed.
35 Somali youth groups stick together for a common goal
02 May – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 174 words
Over 30 Somali youth groups in Nairobi have merged together to form a united force to advocate peace and stand up for Somali youth’s interests. The merger was announced in a colourful ceremony held in the predominantly Somali neighborhood of Eastleigh in Nairobi. Cabinet minister from the Somali government and the Somali envoy to Kenya Mohamed Ali Americo attended the ceremony at Eastleigh mall conference hall.
Somalia’s defence minister Hussein Arab Isse who spoke at the ceremony called the merger a “victory” for the Somali youths. He urged Somali youths in Nairobi to shun tribalism and work on peace-building initiatives.
Abdullahi Hajji Mohamoud, the special representative of the Somali president on reconciliation affairs, urged youths to distance themselves from immoral activities such as suicide bombings, adding that they should stick to their ancestral way of life. Officials from youth groups who merged together said they were ready to take part in rebuilding the country. Speaking at the ceremony, Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali America promised to firmly support Somali youths in Kenya.
Al Shabaab arrest business people, elders in rebel-held Afgoye Town
02 May – Source: Shabelle – 131 words
Reports from the southern Somalia town of Afgoye, just 30 Km away south of Mogadishu in Lower Shabelle region say that al Shabaab militants have arrested four people over TFG connection allegations.
Witnesses say fighters from al Shabaab have arrested overnight and taken into custody in rebel-held Afgoye town at least 4 locals among business people and elders whom they accused to have links with Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government based in Mogadishu.
Some relatives of the detainees confirmed to Shabelle Media that their beloved ones were illegally arrested by al Shabaab this morning because they say the arrested have no idea about the charges against them.
Details coming in of explosion in Dhuuso mareeb as Ahlu Sunna give a briefing
01 May – Source: Radio Risaala/Shabelle – 224 words
Reports reaching our desk from Dhuuso Mareeb town in Galgaduud region have established that there was an explosion in a restaurant where members of the parliament and Ahlu Sunna officials were meeting. Sources claim two members of parliament were among the dead and many more were injured, including civilians who were at the restaurant at the time of the explosion.
The parliamentarians who were killed in the blast include Yusuf Mirre Seerar and Abdiweli Sheikh Mahamed Mahmud while member of parliament Ahmed Abdi Salaan is among the injured. Duraan Ali, an official from Ahlu Sunna told Risaala news station in Mogadishu that there was an explosion which killed two members of the Somali parliament. He said some civilians who were at the restaurant at the time of the blast also died.
He said the bomber was denied entrance to the restaurant by the security team of the officials present after which he detonated himself outside the restaurant; the situation could have been much worse had the bomber been inside the restaurant. The restaurant that was blown up is in the heart of the town in Galgadud region.
Following the explosion, Ahlu Sunna forces immediately reached the place and stated conducting extensive investigations. This blast comes a day after Ahlu Sunna declared that Dhuuso Mareeb was safe and that there was no insecurity.
Attorney general issues arrest warrant for convicted TFG official
01 May – Source: Markacadeey/Shabelle – 182 words
The National Attorney-General of Somalia government issued an arrest warrant for the chief of Banadir region for his involvement in releasing prisoners at Mogadishu central penitentiary this month. Dr.Ali Mohammed Yusuf who got in touch with Shabelle Media by phone made more comments about the arrest warrant for Aydid Abdullah better know as (Ilka Hanaf) by the office of the attorney-general and said the judge was accused of releasing criminal prisoners on cash in an illegal system.
Yusuf says that after a long running investigation into the case of the judge, the national attorney-general of the Somali government has decided to order the arrest of Mr. Aydid Abdullah. He added: “This kind of crime committed by (Ilka Hanaf) is absolutely against the nationhood of Somalia and to move the country out of corruption.”
The mayors of Mogadishu and Kampala meet in Uganda
01 May – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 56 words
Mogadishu Mayor Mohamed Ahmed Nuur Tarsan met with the Kampala Mayor Ilyas Lukwago in Kampala, Uganda on Tuesday. The two mayors discussed how to strengthen the relationship between the two cities and how to cooperate on several issues. Mogadishu’s mayor told Radio Mogadishu that they invited Mayor Lukwago to visit Mogadishu in the next few days.
Somaliland government and traditional elders agree on a five point strategy
01 May – Source: Somaliland Press – 149 words
The vice president said the government is consulting with traditional leaders in order to discuss a number of issues which the government considers of national importance. VP Hon Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael (saylici) speaking at a gathering of more than 80 tribal leaders (SULTANS) held at Mansoor hotel directed that no single individual or tribal grouping would be allowed to engage with Somalia.
“All individuals or tribal groupings meetings with Somalia are banned forthwith. Security agencies are on high alert to deal with instigators of tribal animosities in the country,” warned the VP. The VP warned that the government will not allow tribalists to destabilize peace in the country. The Minister of internal affairs Hon Mohamed Nuur Arale (Dur) warned that the state is on the lookout for leaders issuing inflammatory and provocative speeches.
REGIONAL MEDIA
World united in protecting Somalia peace efforts
02 May – Source: Africa Review – 262 words
The world has united in cautioning individuals and groups against sabotaging efforts to restore order in Somalia. The United Nations, the African Union (AU) and the Inter-governmental Agency on Development (Igad), stated in a joint statement Tuesday that Somalia’s peace process had entered a critical juncture.
However, the signatories expressed worries that some individuals and groups, in and outside Somalia, were bent on undermining the progress being made. The Somalia stabilisation roadmap, agreed on last September 2011, aims at securing the transitional status to a permanent government by August 20.
However, the international agencies were concerned that spoilers could jeopardise the progress towards such benchmarks as the convening of a constituent assembly, adoption of the federal provisional constitution and selection of a new parliament.
“Non-compliance with or active obstruction of the roadmap for ending the transition in Somalia will be referred to the Igad ministers with our recommendations for the immediate imposition of specific measures and restrictions,” warned the signatories to the communication.
The initiators of the declaration referred to UN Security Council Resolution 1844 (2008), calling for measures to be taken against those who seek to prevent or block a peaceful political process, who threaten the Transitional Federal Institutions of Somalia by force or who take action that undermines stability in Somalia or the region.
High alert a year after Osama gunned down
01 May – Source: Daily Nation – 455 words
Security agencies around the world were on Tuesday on high alert on the first anniversary of the killing of the mastermind of Al Qaeda terror group, Osama bin Laden. In Kenya, security services are at an unprecedented state of alert amid reports that Al Qaeda linked Somali terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, is planning an attack at strategic installations.
A senior official of the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit said they had received intelligence reports that Al-Shabaab terrorists are planning an attack, but adequate security measures are in place to deal with the threat.
Last week, the US Embassy in Nairobi warned that terrorists were planning strikes against hotels and government buildings. The embassy said it had credible information that the attacks were in the final planning stage, but said the timing was not known.
Officials in Britain and the United States have repeatedly warned in recent months of expected attacks in Kenya, which suffered from a spate of abductions of aid workers and tourists late last year.
Kenya blames Shabaab for Mombasa blasts
01 May – Source: Capital News/The People – 574 words
Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Internal Security Minister George Saitoti have linked Saturday’s twin blasts in Mombasa to the Somalia based, Al Shabaab terror group. The leaders who visited one of the blast scenes in Mtwapa also called for increased vigilance among Kenyans.
“We shall not relax until we root out al Shabaab militia out of Kenya and their sympathizers,” said Saitoti. “I have directed the police commissioner to beef up security in all public places and increase their patrols.”
Odinga condemned the attacks and said the government will not allow a terror group to disrupt the nation’s security and economy. “Our resolve to ensure safety prevails here forced us last year to send our security forces in Somalia to hunt and rid this country of terrorists that threaten our peace,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Arrested terror suspects in UK said to be involved in plot to finance Al Qaeda in Somalia
02 May – Source: News Track India – 253 words
British law enforcement officials have said that the seven terror suspects arrested on Tuesday, were allegedly involved in a plot to finance an Al Qaeda group using drug money. More than 500 counter-terrorism cops backed by local police and officers from the UK Border Agency carried out dawn raids in London, Coventry and Cardiff to arrest the seven suspects, The Sun reports. Homeland Security Investigations from the US were also involved in the operation, which was codenamed ‘Iridescent’.
Cash for the al-Shabaab terrorist network in Somalia is said to come from the export of a plant called khat, which contains an alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which causes excitement, to the US and Canada.
UNICEF: Thousands of Somali Children at Risk
01 May – Source: VOA News – 426 words
The United Nations Children’s Fund warned that thousands of acutely malnourished children in Somalia are at risk of death because little money is available to help them. UNICEF said it has received only 12 percent of its $289 million emergency appeal for humanitarian operations this year.
The famine declared in southern Somalia last year is over. But, that does not mean that the crisis is finished. Somalia remains the world’s most complex humanitarian situation.
The U.N. Children’s Fund reported that almost one-third of Somalis are unable to meet their essential food and non-food needs. About 70 percent of these people live in south and central Somalia, areas that have been wracked by conflict for years and recurrent drought.
UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said some 325,000 acutely malnourished children are in great need of assistance. She said her agency scaled up nutrition programs significantly between July and December at the peak of last year’s crisis. But, those programs now are at risk.
Coming face to face with Somalia’s al Shabaab
02 May – Source: BBC – 1314 words
Freelance journalist Hamza Mohamed recounts the day he was able to put a human face to the Somali Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab, in this article published in the latest issue of the BBC’s Focus on Africa magazine.
There is shelling not far from the hotel where I am staying. At the break of dawn I will be making my way out of Mogadishu and into al-Shabab-controlled Elasha Biyaha, to meet the group’s media coordinator.
There I will request access to report from areas under al-Shabaab’s control. Earlier in the day I made a call to see if the coordinator could meet me the next day. Surprisingly, he agreed to a 09:00 meeting. Al-Shabaab are notorious for denying access to foreign media – let alone granting a meeting at such short notice.
Private fleet worth 30m set to fight Somali pirates
02 May – Source: the Australian – 68 words
Plans for a private fleet of armed patrol boats to protect ships negotiating the pirate-infested waters off Somalia have received a huge boost after a prominent insurance figure agreed to provide financial support.
Financial backing from Martin Reith, the founder and former chief executive of the Lloyd’s of London insurer Ascot Underwriting, means that the Convoy Escort Program could be up and running as early as this summer.
U.S. steps up training for African force in Somalia
01 May – Source: Reuters – 652 words
At a training camp in Uganda, a dozen soldiers crouch, weapons raised as they make their way down a dirt road between shipping containers set up to look like buildings in the Somali capital.’ Standing by, observing the Ugandan troops at work, is a U.S. marine, Major Mark Haley.
“Here is where we are going to teach urban warfare, how to fight building to building,” Haley said as the Ugandans moved between containers scrawled with graffiti reading “City of Death” and “Hell Zone”.’ The model of the Somali capital, or “Little Mogadishu” as it is known, was built by American military trainers to prepare the Ugandan soldiers to take part in the African Union mission propping up the Western-backed government in Mogadishu.’
After al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels pulled out of the capital last year, the United States has stepped up efforts to train Ugandan soldiers who will be part of the push by AMISOM to take more territory outside the capital. The United States and other Western powers have been backing efforts to crush al Shabaab as they worry Somalia has become a safe haven for Islamist militants seeking to wreak havoc in the region and further afield.
Washington helps to fund the AMISOM force, provides assistance to the transitional institutions in Somalia and has carried out air strikes within the Horn of Africa nation to kill high-profile al Qaeda and al Shabaab suspects.
Mogadishu’s former splendor becames a military facility
01 May – Source: VOA – 0:49 min
For decades, Somalia’s capital Mogadishu has been synonymous with war, a failed state. But the ruins of the city’s spectacular waterfront district are mute testimony to its rich colonial heritage. The recent expulsion of al-Qaeda linked extremists from the city has allowed a rare glimpse of Mogadishu’s former splendor. VOA’s Peter Heinlein walked through the wreckage of the al-Uruba Hotel, which has recently been turned from a rebel headquarters to a base for pro-government troops.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“AMISOM didn’t want its soldier to be accused of romantically scheming for the Somali women. To deal with that problem, the bus drivers are all UPDF female soldiers”.
In Mogadishu, a Ugandan colonel fights a war of a very different kind
02 May – Source: Daily Monitor – 672 words
On my first lunch at the Amisom headquarters mess in Mogadishu, I sat at a table with Lt. Col. Kamurari Katwekyeire.
The bespectacled and amiable Kamurari looks like a communist party official who is uncomfortable in uniform. He most definitely did not look like an outside-the-box kind of guy. Kamurari is an officer of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), and the coordinator of civil-military affairs for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (Amisom). Kamurari in most of our Ugandan languages is “red chilly pepper”, so it is his name, rather than his appearances, that reveals what kind of man he is.
In Somalia, Kamurari has done something the UPDF has grappled with unsuccessfully at home for over 20 years – engineer a project that makes lots of shilling sense. It all started about a year ago. In the struggle by Somali women in war-battered Mogadishu to make some money and look after their children, they would come to hawk petty items outside the sprawling and high security Amisom headquarters compound.
“British aid to Somalia started in March 2010. A year later, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell announced an average spend of £69 million per annum. Total humanitarian assistance rose by nearly 600% between 2009 and 2011”.
Why Britain’s aid efforts could be a victim of Somalia’s Spring
02 May – Source: the Week – 1169 words
If Somalia experiences its own Arab-style ‘spring’, it might not be a revolutionary wave against its own government – but an uprising against British intervention in the form of ‘aid’. Senior government ministers in Mogadishu have expressed concern at the renewed international interest led by London. They believe the “projectification” of Somalia benefits mainly Nairobi, the capital of neighbouring Kenya, where NGO workers have earned a negative image because of a fondness for driving brand-new Land Cruisers and inflating property prices.
“They don’t consult with us. It’s like a doctor trying to prescribe medicine for a patient you haven’t seen yet”, says Abdullahi Goodah Barre, Somalia’s Minister for Planning and International Cooperation.
According to Barre, it is the Italian NGO workers in particular who are thriving. “One of them is building houses in Nairobi. Another is making cheese. It’s like The Sopranos,” he said.
“Australia-based Jacka Resources plans to start oil exploration in Somaliland, a region of Somalia that declared itself independent in 1991. Somaliland, simply having a conversation about the possible downsides of an oil-based economy is a discussion – and even a curse – worth having.”
Drill for oil in Somalia? Why not, says Australian firm
30 Apr – Source: Christian Science Monitor – 582 words
Imagine a particularly challenging country in which to do business. Let’s say it’s a country that is not recognized by any other country, so all business has to be conducted either in off-shore accounts or in cash. On land, militant groups fight against the government and take the occasional foreign aid worker hostage. At sea, pirates attack and capture freighters, tankers, and even pleasure boats. Most food in the local economy comes from foreign donations, because the region is prone to conflict and famine.
Would you invest in such a country?
Australia’s Jacka Resources gas and oil exploration company would. And if you guessed that the country is Somalia, you’re very close. The country is Somaliland, which declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991, and has remained a functioning, but unrecognized, independent republic ever since. Much safer and more stable than its eastern and southern neighbor, Somaliland also sits in a geological zone where oil is likely to occur, and it recently awarded its first oil concessions to foreign oil prospecting companies.
Top tweets
@OCEANUSLive Malta Independent online: Malta’s Special Forces to Deploy OffSomalia http://www.
@USAfricaCommand Today’s #
@SomaliWord #Somalia
@AfricaNewsRoom Somalia MPs killed in Al Shabaab suicide attack: Seven people, including two MPs, have been killed in a suicide…
@AfricaHand US steps up training for AMISOMhttp://www.reuters.com/
@emairi UK arrests terror-funding suspects that were believed to be financing terrorism in Somalia by smuggling “khat” into the US.
@KhusaafMan #Alshabab should stop this mindless killing and instead com to the table to build: a peaceful and prosperous #Somalia.
Image of the day
TFG officials attending the merger ceremony of over 30 Somali youth groups in Eastleigh, Nairobi merged together to form a united force to advocate for peace and stand up for Somali youth interests. Photo: Radio Bar-kulan.