May 21, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Rawlings calls for credible transitional process in Somalia
21 May – Source: Vibe Ghana/Ghana Web – 433 words
Former President Jerry John Rawlings, the African Union High Representative for Somalia, has in a meeting with the Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, called for renewed momentum and credibility in the Somali transitional process. He said partners and donors will be more forthcoming with resources to support and enhance the process if they are convinced that the process of selecting elders to choose the constituent assembly is a trusted and credible one.
Former President Rawlings who was in Mogadishu on a working visit on Friday also commiserated with the Prime Minister over a recent bomb blast at the National Theatre in Mogadishu which claimed the lives of some senior political leaders. Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammed, who was at the theatre, escaped unhurt.
The Prime Minister assured the AU High Representative that every effort was being made to ensure a credible selection process for the Constituent Assembly so that the transitional roadmap is concluded according to schedule.
Former President Rawlings later witnessed the presentation of thirty-three vehicles by the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) to the Somali National Army. The vehicles, which included 16 Magirus Trucks, four Hilux Pickups, six Land Cruiser Pickups, one Water Tanker and six Water Trailers were donated by the United States of America as part of its ongoing contribution to rebuilding the Somali National Security Sector.
Key Headlines
- Somali opens embassy in South Sudan (Radio Mogadishu/SONNA)
- Rawlings calls for credible transitional process in Somalia (Vibe Ghana/Ghana Web)
- Somali Capital Experiences Post-Shabaab Building Boom (VOA)
- Roadmap summit kicks off in Ethiopia with broad participation (Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Garowe Online)
- Somali Prime Minister in Addis Ababa meets with international community (Radio Mogadishu/OPM)
- Somali elder killed in Badioa town (Radio Kulmiye/Bar-kulan)
- Central Somalia hit by flooding (Daily Nation)
- Explosion targets AMISOM in Mogadishu TFG comments about the attack (Shabelle/Mareeg Online/Dhacdo Online)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali opens embassy in South Sudan
21 May – Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA – 101 words
Somali Transitional Federal Government has on Saturday on this week joined countries having ties with new South Sudan nation by opening an embassy at a colorful occasion held at the new Somali embassy building in Jubba. State Minister of Somali premier’s office, Dr. Ali Nor Hussein and officials from Somalia’s ministry foreign affairs were among officials who attended the opening ceremony of the embassy with attendance of diplomats from Turkey, UK, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Africa, China, Japan, Congo DR and Nigeria.
Roadmap summit kicks off in Ethiopia with broad participation
21 May – Source: Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Garowe Online – 126 words
Representatives from Somali government, the breakaway Puntland region, the central Galmudug region, and the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa are gathering in Addis Ababa for the formation of a permanent government to replace the current transitional government.
Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammed Ali, Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan and as well as TFG president are at the meeting with officials of the United Nations, US, African Union, Arab League and East African peace bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The meeting is scheduled to review what has come out from the previous Roadmap meetings in Somalia as a document that leads towards ending the transitional period on time, in August 2012. It is expected the conference will produce a positive outcome for Somalia.
Meanwhile, Puntland’s response to the draft constitution which it requested the TFG amend before being displayed to the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) will be discussed. According to the Puntland response, the draft constitution was designed for a centralized government which according to the Garowe principles contradicts the federal government designed for Somalia. Traditional elders from across Somalia based on the 4.5 formula were supposed to choose the 825 members of the NCA by the 15th of May but due to setbacks the selection process has been delayed.
Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole who returned from an official visit to India along with Minister of Interior Abdullahi Ahmed (Ilkajir) and other Puntland officials are currently in Addis Ababa to carry out the proposed discussions on Monday.
Somali elder killed in Badioa town
21 May – Source: Radio Kulmiye/Bar-kulan – 108 words
Somali elder Malaak Adow Yoonis was gunned down by unknown armed men in the city of Baidoa which is now controlled by the transitional federal government (TFG). According to the residents in the town the elderman was in connection with the TFG’s administration in Baidoa. Several people were killed in Baidoa since the government recaptured in the city of Baidoa.
Baidoa has been under the control of Islamist rebels of al Shabaab who then claimed to have mergered with al Qaeda’s international network terrorist group. Al Shabaab is accused of being behind the attacks in Baidoa and other places that is now controlled by the Somali’s transitional federal government (TFG).
Somali Prime Minister in Addis Ababa meets with international community
20 May – Source: May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/OPM – 228 words
Prime Minister of Somalia Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and the delegate he was leading reached Addis Ababa for talks with the international community. The premier was welcomed at the Addis Ababa Airport by the Ethiopian officials. Abdiweli met with the EU special envoy Mr. Alexander Rhondes, Ambassador James Swan, deputy special representative for Somalia Peter De Clercg among other officials.
The Premier went on the visit to participate in a meeting where the signatories of the roadmap will converge to deliberate on the ending of the transitional period with the presence of the international community. The Somali leaders are expected to reach conclusive agreement on the ending of the transitional period. The representatives to approve the new constitution will meet in Mogadishu to ratify the new constitution which will later be approved through referendum.
The traditional elders are also expected to select new parliament which will make Somalia to have a new constitution by August and full government viable to deliver services and enjoying the support of its people. Abdiweli told the world leaders of his government’s commitment to end the transitional period in order to have small but competent parliament and a government that can stand for its people.
Explosion targets AMISOM in Mogadishu, TFG comments about the attack
21 May – Source: Shabelle/Mareeg Online/Dhacdo Online – 173 words
Deadly bomb blast targets AMISOM soldiers in Mogadishu with reports indicating possible casualties. AMISOM’s vehicles of personnel carriers were targets of blasts while passing near Arafaat Hospital in Yaqshiid area. The explosion was triggered by a remote control landmine planted on the way of the AMISOM vehicles.
After the explosion, AMISOM fired in all directions although there were no reports of casualties from AMISOM’s fire on the side of the civilians. Yaaqshiid district commissioner of Banaadir province Muhidin Hassan Jurus addressed Mogadishu media saying that AMISOM was the target of the blast.
The commissioner reported casualties sustained by AMISOM but he declined to comment on the exact number of deaths and injuries on AMISOM soldiers.AMISOM officials did not yet speak about the blast that targeted their convoy which becomes the second in two consecutive days. It was only yesterday when another explosion targeted AMISOM in Gubta area of Yaqshiid.
Galmudug state President: election date postponed
21 May – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 130 words
Speaking to radio Kulmiye, President of Somalia’s Galmudug State Mohamed Ahmed Aalin has stated that election dates have been postponed to nine months and denied that presidential elections are intended to be held in Galmudug region by August as quoted. Mr Aalin has also said that his government is serving Galmudug people rightly and is committed to election reforms.
Officials in Galmudug have been arguing about the election reforms in Galmudug which caused a widespread disagreement between the politicians of Galmudug regional state. President Aalin says his government is also endorsing the new constitution but only cautioned that it needs some amendments.
Mogadishu Mayor meets with district commissioners
20 May – Source: Radio Risaala – 178 words
Banadir Governor who is also Mogadishu Mayor, Mr. Mahamoud Ahmed Nur Tarsan held meetings with district commissioners from all Banadir’s 16 districts. The meeting was also attended by senior AMISOM commanders. After the meeting was concluded, the spokesman for Banadir Provincial Authority, Mr. Mohamed Yusuf briefed the media on the issues that were discussed in the meeting.
The Spokesman noted that security was the key issue that was discussed throughout the meeting. Also, it was agreed that AMISOM was to be informed before any aide or food distribution were made so that the peacekeepers can secure and maintain peace and order during the exercise. Mr. Mohamed Yusuf also revealed that among the topics discussed were hygiene and infrastructure in Mogadishu city.
On the other hand, Mogadishu mayor, Mr. Mr. Mahamoud Ahmed Nur Tarsan also held meetings with Turkish government officials where they discussed representations in the upcoming Istanbul Somalia Peace Conference. Development projects and repair of roads are ongoing in Mogadishu and this comes after the Banadir Provincial Administration vowed on reviving the city’s infrastructure and beauty.
Pirates Release NGO Drivers, Cars for Ransom
20 May – Source: Somalia Report – 221 words
On Saturday afternoon (May 19th), Somali pirates released two drivers and two cars rented by the non-governmental organizations Save the Children and Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Agency (HADMA) after seizing them in an ambush near Isku-shuban, in the Bari region of Puntland, last Monday, pirates and local officials confirmed to Somalia Report.
“Yes, it’s true pirates released the hijacked cars from Save the Children. The two cars with their drivers arrived in Isku-shuban Saturday afternoon. Elders from the region played a role in the negotiations,” Mohamed Ahmed Samatar (Liligo), a police officer based in Isku-shuban, told Somalia Report.
Pirates told Somalia Report that ransom was paid for the release of the men and cars. “The cars and drivers were released after at least $10,000 ransom was paid. The government paid the ransom to release these cars because they were rented by Save the Children which operates in the region doing humanitarian operations,” said a pirate based in the region.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Central Somalia hit by flooding
20 May – Source: Daily Nation – 209 words
More than 40 families in parts of Mudug region in Central Somalia have been hit by heavy flooding. Reports from the area indicate that most of the affected families were at Gosol settlement in Harfo district about 700 km north of Mogadishu.
“The floods resulted from heavy rains in the last 48 hours,” Mr Mohamed Osman, an elder in the area told the media. “Shelters for nomadic pastoralists, goats and camels were taken away by the floods,” he added, without specifying quantities.
Mr. Abdullahi Farah Bayle, the District Commissioner of Harfo, urged individuals and institutions with the ability to offer assistance to help the distressed families.
Blast suspect grilled in Mombassa
20 May – Source: the Star – 79 words
Kenyan Police are still questioning man who suspected to be involved in the Bella Vista grenade attack that left one person dead and five injured. Coast ppo Aggrey Adoli says the suspect is being grilled after he was mentioned by Jamal Thabit another terror suspect who is under police custody at coast general hospital. Meanwhile Somalia ambassador to Kenya Mohammed Ali Nur has condemned the recent terror attacks in the country and urged police to deal with al Shabaab sympathizers.
Refugees shot dead and police attacked
20 May – Source: Daily Nation – 313 words
Two refugees have been shot dead at the Ifo camp near Dadaab and two grenades hurled at a nearby police station. North Eastern police boss Leo Nyongesa said the two were shot on Saturday in what is suspected to be a case of rivalry among refugees.
The incident occurred at around 9pm and three hours later, two grenades were thrown at the Ifo police station. No one was injured and there was no damage, Mr Nyongesa said. Though security had been tightened at Ifo and Dadaab camps and in Dadaab town, anxiety is high as the guns used shoot the refugees have not been traced.
Garissa residents said a few hours before the incident, worshippers coming from a mosque in Ifo were attacked by armed men. A woman was shot in the neck and died. The attackers are believed to be al Shabaab.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Rawlings calls for credible transitional process in Somalia
21 May – Source: Vibe Ghana/Ghana Web – 433 words
Former President Jerry John Rawlings, the African Union High Representative for Somalia, has in a meeting with the Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, called for renewed momentum and credibility in the Somali transitional process. He said partners and donors will be more forthcoming with resources to support and enhance the process if they are convinced that the process of selecting elders to choose the constituent assembly is a trusted and credible one.
Former President Rawlings who was in Mogadishu on a working visit on Friday also commiserated with the Prime Minister over a recent bomb blast at the National Theatre in Mogadishu which claimed the lives of some senior political leaders. Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammed, who was at the theatre, escaped unhurt. The Prime Minister assured the AU High Representative that every effort was being made to ensure a credible selection process for the Constituent Assembly so that the transitional roadmap is concluded according to schedule.
Former President Rawlings later witnessed the presentation of thirty-three vehicles by the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) to the Somali National Army. The vehicles, which included 16 Magirus Trucks, four Hilux Pickups, six Land Cruiser Pickups, one Water Tanker and six Water Trailers were donated by the United States of America as part of its ongoing contribution to rebuilding the Somali National Security Sector.
Fight over oil revenues would harm Somalia peace prospects
21 May – Source: Reuters – 466 words
Somalia’s embattled central government will not argue with semi-autonomous Puntland over potential oil revenues for fear of scuttling a fragile peace process, but a top official said on Monday the law made clear control lay with Mogadishu.
Canadian firm Horn Petroleum, majority-owned by Vancouver-listed Africa Oil Corp., and its exploration partners started drilling in March in Puntland’s Dharoor Block but have yet to announce any proven reserves.
Africa Oil and joint venture partners Range Resource Ltd. (RRS.AX) and Lion Energy entered into production-sharing agreements for the Dharoor Valley Exploration Area and the Nugaal Valley Exploration Area directly with Puntland, bypassing Mogadishu which is grappling with an Islamist insurgency. “Our policy is to let the oil come first rather than now going to Puntland and making our point,” Deputy Minister of Energy Abdullahi Dool told Reuters.
Somali Capital Experiences Post-Shabaab Building Boom
20 May – Source: VOA – 209 words
Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, is experiencing something of a building boom. After throwing off the shackles of al Qaeda-linked radicals, its citizens have begun carting away the rubble and repairing the damage of two decades as Africa’s worst failed state. ​​Eight months ago, Mogadishu’s bombed out parliament building was a symbol of 20-years of anarchy. Today, it is under reconstruction to house a new legislature expected to be sworn in later this year.
The strategic K-4 intersection has been called the key to controlling the city. The concrete plinth at the center of K-4 was bullet riddled and bare after years of al Shabaab rule. Today it sports a fresh coat of paint and the five-pointed Somali star of unity.
​​Bakara Market, Mogadishu’s commercial center lay in ruins last August after African Union troops broke years of al Shabaab dominance in weeks of block-by-block combat. Today it is once again a bustling hub, providing jobs for enterprising workers who are busy putting the market back together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The policy champions division and Somalia and its people are not ready for separation nor the so called federal system. Somalia is home to only 9 million inhabitants and that small population should not be forced to break up into two state solution or six or more federal states. Being a tribal society, both federalism as Puntland leaders want and secessionism as Somaliland advocates, will only have severe long-term implications for generations.”
Somalia: Federalism, Division and The Dual Track Policy
20 May – Source: Somaliland Press – 1705 Words
In September 2010 the United States announced a dual-track policy for Somalia that it claimed would broaden its capacity to engage with the Somali government and sub-state political stakeholders in order to promote peace and stability.
The Obama initiative, drafted by the office of Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has however done the exact opposite to its pledges and is only helping divide Somalia even further.
Ever since it came into effect, more than a dozen sub-state regional administrations have been formed or announced by few exiled men high up on the social ladder among their clan peers. Like a kid behind the virtual game, The Sims, the exiled men with the support of small groups have been dotting virtual administrations all over the Somali map. The declarations have reignited long-standing feuds between rival clans largely due to the fact that their virtual clan borders have often overlapped other virtual boundaries.
“When I heard of the TEDxMogadishu event on the radio and heard the name Elman mentioned, memories of a rare and wonderful individual in the Somali capital were kindled. I did a search and soon found the Facebook page of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre and sent a message asking if by any chance they were related to Elman the Electrician from Mog in the Nineties. Within minutes, Elle replied and confirmed that she was indeed Elman’s daughter. I was amazed: Elman Ali Ahmed had been of the few people whose spirit and humanity still burnt bright after years of terrible civil war and famine.”
TedxMogadishu and its spiritual predecessor, Elman the Electrician
21 May – Source: Daily Maverick – 1251 Words
TEDx is an offshoot of the Technology, Entertainment and Design Talks concept, albeit one that the participants themselves have to organise. There have been TEDx events in Hanoi, Baghdad, and now Somalia. No wonder the TED folk want to maintain a little distance – TED usually boasts speakers like Richard Dawkins and Al Gore on “ideas worth spreading”.
No such high-profile luminary was going to venture into the world’s most dangerous city, in the world’s most dangerous country, no matter how badly that country needs ideas worth spreading.
Instead, a few intrepid Somalis trying to rebuild their once-lovely city on the shores of the Indian Ocean got together to do a little morale boosting of their own. Video streaming showed the hundred-odd participants chanting “I love Mogadishu, I LOVE Mogadishu!”
“This is an unfortunate development given that the KDF is fast losing the battle for Somali hearts and minds due to what now appears to be an un-focused military strategy. I was among those Kenyans who believed that the country held the moral high ground when it took the decision to protect its northern neighbour from the clutches of al Shabaab. Now I am not so sure.”
Kenya’s security forces losing the battle for Somali hearts and minds
20 May – Source: Daily Nation – 657 Words
I am glad that Charles Onyango-Obbo had the gumption to ask the “elephant-in-the room” question in hisreport on military actions in Somalia published in the EastAfrican last week: When does the Kenya Defence Force plan to capture the al Shabaab-controlled city of Kismayu?
Ever since Operation Linda Nchi started in October last year, Kenyans have been regaled with stories from the frontline about successful battles against al Shabaab.
But now, six months later, many Kenyans’ sense of pride in our defence forces is beginning to wane as they wonder whether the whole operation was not just a very expensive and ill-conceived show of bravado and whether the ultimate prize, Kismayu, is achievable.
“Today’s status quo — a U.S.-imposed government sustained by foreign troops bolstered by commando EU raids on pirates — is no way to run a country. Neither is it an option for the West to wash its hands of the anarchy. Into the vacuum that its departure would create could come Russia or China, countries with a poor history of governance. Better for the UN to step into this breach — this is one of the purposes for which it was formed — and when it next becomes time to relinquish rule in the Somali territories, their peoples through referendums should have viable options to live apart, in small states based on their autonomous regions, and not just in a greater Somalia that history shows has not been all that great.”
Occupy Somalia
18 May – Source: Financial Post – 773 Words
The EU Naval Force made headlines this week by blasting a pirate base on Somali shores and pirate ships out of Somali waters. The well-publicized and logical rationale for the navy’s aggressive new stance: Somali piracy costs the worldeconomy an estimated US$7-billion a year.
An unpublicized and equally logical reason for this action: On Somali land and under the waters now frequented by Somali pirates lies oil wealth that could rival Kuwait’s.
Many oil companies are manoeuvring for a part of this potential oil bonanza — they include firms from China, Australia, the U.S. and Canada, which are already engaged in drilling — but the inside track may be held by British Petroleum and the UK, which has a long history of resource extraction in both Africa and the Middle East. In recent months, British foreign secretary William Hague visited Mogadishu, the Somali capital, for talks on “the beginnings of an opportunity” to rebuild the country and British Prime Minster David Cameron hosted an international summit on Somalia attended by 55 delegations, including a U.S. contingent led by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
Top tweets
@kk Friends made this interesting video about Mogadishu, #Somalia last week while pulling together TEDxMogadishu >> http://bit.ly/K4kDCU.
@adamhudson5 Informative read about Al-Shabaab in #Somalia. — Al Shabab’s Impact on Peace in Somalia and the Horn of Africa http://bit.ly/LabSIk (.
@Aynte Reading a 1999 speech by #AlShabaab‘s leader, Ahmed #Godane. Fascinating how he planted seeds of jihad in #Somalia (Aweys was there too!).
@joshkariuki Could discovery of #oil in Puntland harm #Somalia‘s fragile peace? #HoAhttp://bit.ly/
@SomaliThinker Priceless picture! 1994. #Elman, the peacenik, in #Mogadishu preaching peace and teaching. http://pic.twitter.
@masaafur We need to hear more about everything outside of #Mogadishu #Somalia.
@MineBanTreaty #Somalia has signed the accession letter to the @MineBanTreaty will soon deposit the instrument before the #UN becoming the 160 State to join.
Image of the day
Officials attend the opening of the Somali embassy in the Republic of South Sudan in its premises at Hai Malakal, Juba. Photo: Radio Mogadishu.