May 23, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Kenya: Mass Deportation of Somalis

23 may- Source: Human Rights Watch -1058 words

The Kenyan authorities have deported 359 Somalis, including at least three registered refugees, since the start of their security crackdown in early April 2014, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have not allowed any to challenge their removal to conflict-ridden Somalia. In the latest move, Kenya deported 98 people, including 12 children, to Mogadishu on May 20 without warning the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) about the deportation.

Returning refugees constitutes refoulement, the unlawful forced return of people to situations where they risk being persecuted, tortured, or exposed to other serious harm arising from generalized violence. Some of those deported were known to be refugees, but Kenya also very likely also committed refoulement when it deported undocumented Somalis without first identifying those wishing to claim asylum. Kenya stopped registering urban asylum seekers in December 2012, which means Somalis arriving in Nairobi and other cities since that time have been unable to claim asylum.

Key Headlines

AMISOM IJA officials discuss security situation (Radio Bar-kulan)
President Hassan: Ethiopia joined AMISOM after request from Somalia and AU (Hiiraan Online/Universal TV)
Abudwak officials and journalists discuss strengthening cooperation (Bar-kulan)
Somaliland Foreign Minister speaks about talks with Mogadishu (Somali Current)
Al Shabaab Warn People against Night Outing (Radio Dalsan)
IDPs complain of lack of medical services (Radio Ergo)
Al Shabaab pledges new terror campaign as allied forces make advance (Garowe Online)
Two terror suspects arrested in Garissa (Star-Kenya)
Diarrhea and Measles Kill 15 Children (Radio Dalsan)
Kenya Defense Forces to Leave Kismayo AMISOM Command to Deploy Djibouti Sierra Leone Troops(intelligencebriefs)
Mandera reservists laid to rest (Star News)
EU Special Envoy urges agreement between SFG and a delegation from Baidoa (EU Somalia Mission)
Grenade attack on police vehicle wounds two in Kenya’s Mombasa (Reuters)
Hygiene awareness for Somali refugees in Kenya (Reliefweb)
Kenya: Mass Deportation of Somalis (Human Rights Watch)
Despite progress Somalia nearing ‘danger zone’ in critical areas warns UN envoy (UN News Centre)
Interim Jubba Administration official wounded in Dhobley attack (Radio Shabelle)

PRESS STATEMENT

Security Council Presidential Statement on Somalia

23 May- Source: UNSOM- 820 words

The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2014/9 reads as follows:

“The Security Council welcomes the Secretary-General’s 3 April letter to the President of the Security Council (‘the letter’ — S/2014/243), identifying options for supporting the federal Government of Somalia to meet its obligations under the partial suspension of the arms embargo. The Security Council underlines that improved arms and ammunition management in Somalia is a fundamental component of greater peace and stability for both Somalia and the region.

“The Security Council underscores the need for the federal Government of Somalia to show tangible progress in complying with the terms of the partial suspension of the arms embargo, as highlighted in both the letter and resolution 2142 (2014). The Security Council remains concerned about the diversion of arms and ammunition, including potentially to Al-Shabaab, which was also highlighted in resolution 2142 (2014). In that regard, the Security Council welcomes the federal Government of Somalia’s establishment of an Arms and Ammunition Steering Committee as the overall body responsible for arms and ammunition management. The Security Council highlights the important role which should also be played by the Weapons and Ammunition Management Technical Working Group (Working Group) with respect to improving weapons management. The Security Council reiterates that its decision in October 2014 on the continuation of the suspension of the arms embargo will be informed by the federal Government of Somalia’s compliance with its obligations to carry out Security Council decisions.

Briefing to the Security Council by Ambassador Nicholas Kay, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, 22 May 2014

22 May- Source: UNSOM- 1680 words

Mr President,

Members of the Security Council,

Thank you for this opportunity to brief the Council and for your continued and united support for Somalia. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) completes its first year of work on the 3rd of June.

A year ago, the Federal Government of Somalia asked the United Nations for “one door to knock on” to help coordinate international assistance as the country emerged from decades of conflict.

In response, UNSOM has established an integrated UN presence across Somalia. Despite significant security challenges, I am proud that today the UN family has a larger presence on the ground in Somalia than at any time in the last eighteen years. The UN’s commitment to live and work alongside Somalis is strong. Our plans are for even greater expansion.

Our work depends on having strong partnerships with the Federal Government, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU) and Somalia’s neighbouring countries and key partners. Our partnership with AMISOM is extremely strong. With both leadership teams firmly based in Mogadishu, we are working increasingly jointly on delivering our mandates.

SOMALI MEDIA

AMISOM, IJA officials discuss security situation

24 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Dhanaan Online-130 words

Officials from Interim Jubba Administration have held talks with high ranking officials from AMISOM police unit in the port city of Kismayu to discuss ways to improve the security situation of the city.

Abdulkadir Lugadhere, the second vice president of the Interim Jubba Administration who talked to Bar-kulan said the two sides agreed to the deployment of a number of AMISOM police force to Kismayu.

Lugadhere added that the AMISOM police will be deployed to the city in order to train and build the capacity of the Interim Jubba Administration police force.

Kismayu, the provincial capital of Lower Jubba region and the headquarters of the Interim Jubba Administration has seen an increase of organized killings in recent months.

President Hassan: Ethiopia joined AMISOM after request from Somalia and AU

23 May – Source: Hiiraan Online/Universal TV/Radio Dalsan – 150 words

Somali President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud said that the inclusion of Ethiopian forces into the African Union Peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) came with the requests from the federal government of Somalia and as well as the African Union.

In an interview with local Somali Universal TV, the president said that the Ethiopian troops were different from the rest of AU peacekeepers adding they will stay for a short period during which they will help the government defeat the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants.

The Ethiopian forces became part of the AU mission earlier this year and so far they helped the Somali government seize nearly ten towns and villages from al Shabaab fighters.

Djiboutian contingent of AMISOM who took control of Buulo Burte had also played a big role in the combat operations which saw the recapture of more towns in south-central Somalia in the first three months of the year.

Somali PM tours Central Bank premises

23 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan-99 words

Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has on Thursday toured the premises of the Central Bank of Somalia in the capital, Mogadishu. During his visit to the central bank, the prime minister was briefed about the current financial status of the bank as well its future plans.

Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed said that the central bank is an example of the financial management reforms achieved by the federal government in the past year.

Finally, the prime minister called on the staff and the officials in the bank to continue their good work.

Somaliland Foreign Minister speaks about talks with Mogadishu

23 May – Source: Somali Current – 137 words

Somaliland Foreign Minister Mohamed Bihi Yoni in an exclusive interview with Dan Damonfrom BBC English section has defended president’s health condition and also spoke about issues pertaining Somaliland’s secret in establishing peace, stability and governance, Somaliland’s hope of recognition as well as why have al Shabaab kept out of Somaliland territory.

Minister Bihi has likewise spoke about his administration’s stance on the coming negotiations with Somali Federal Government.

“There is no way that we give up, because we do believe that we have done well, we do believe that we have done an excellent when it comes to the peace and stability. We have established all the institutions that required for a government, and we are very happy that we are doing so well in a place where there are a lot of chaos and crises in East Africa.

Al Shabaab Warn People against Night Outing

23 May- Source: Radio Dalsan- 89 words

Al Shabaab representative to Banadir region Sheikh Ali Mohamed warned against the places where people go for outing which he said are on the increase and people do there things that are against the Islamic Sharia. He gave the warning via al Shabaab media outlets. He said in those places men and women mingle. Sheikh Ali Mohamed said drugs are sold to some of the customers without their knowledge. He warned all the Somalis to shun from those places which he said his group will take an action against them.

IDPs complain of lack of medical services

23 May- Source: Radio Ergo- 202 words

Hundreds of displaced families living in camps outside Mogadishu are unable to access essential health care due to a lack of health workers and services around the camps.

Habibo Aden, an IDP mother, said four of her children were suffering from pertussis [whooping cough]and measles but could not get any medical help. “There is no medical centre in or near our camps and we can only get medical attention in Mogadishu at our own cost,” Aden told Radio Ergo’s reporter in Mogadishu.

She added that she could not afford to take her children into Mogadishu. “I am already struggling with their food and I have no money for their medical treatment,” she said. About 5,000 people displaced from various parts of the country are living in several camps on the outskirts of the city. Aid agencies rarely operate access this area for security reasons.

Most of the children in the camps suffer from treatable diseases without any treatment, according to an elder, Aliyow Hassan. “When someone is sick we wait to see him either recovering or dying in bed. There’s nothing else we could do here,” Hassan told Radio Ergo.

Interim Jubba Administration official wounded in Dhobley attack

23 May- Source: Radio Shabelle- 78 words

According to news reports from the Dhobley district in Lower Jubba region, a senior official of the Interim Jubba Administration was attacked by armed assailants last night. Although the official was not killed in the attack, the official and his wife were wounded, also his son was murdered in the raid on their home. The name of the official has not been released to the public, and witnesses described that the Interim Jubba Administration have pledged to pursue the perpetrators.

Al Shabaab pledges new terror campaign as allied forces make advance

23 May- Source: Garowe Online- 170 words

Somalia’s al Qaeda linked al Shabaab group has declared that it would boost rampage with violent campaign in Mogadishu as allied forces made advances against militants.

On Thursday, speaking on Pro-al Shabaab station, Radio Andulus the group’s representative to Banadir Ali Mohamed Hussein (Ali Jabal) said they by now launched assaults on military targets and soft structures in the volatile Mogadishu.

He noted that a string of apparently coordinated attacks harmed what al Shabaab official described as ‘the enemy’, referring to Somalia Federal Government and African Union troops.

Continuing, Ali Jabal boasted of strength, stating that the recent rampages were a testament that Mogadishu is not more than a frontline which is unstable.

The claims come weeks after Somali government forces alongside African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) dislodged the militants from a string of strategic towns in central and southern Somalia.

Al Shabaab targeted Somali lawmakers, presidential palace and ministries complex in Mogadishu with planned assassinations and day light assaults, vowing revenge for their overwhelming defeat.

Diarrhea and Measles Kill 15 Children

23 May- Source: Radio Dalsan- 51 words

Different diseases broke out in the IDP camps in Mogadishu. These diseases include diarrhea and measles. People there have not gotten any assistance either from the government or from aid organization yet. Consequently, during the last 24 hours, 15 children died from those diseases and were buried in a mass grave.

Abudwak officials and journalists discuss strengthening cooperation

23 May – Source: Bar-kulan – 122 words

Local administration officials of Abudwak town in Galgadud region have today held talks with some of the media workers and journalists in the town. The focus of the meeting was to address how to establish and strengthen cooperation between the administration and the media fraternity in the area. The two sides also discussed ways to prevent coverage of false news and information about the administration.

Abudwak district commissioner, Abdirisak Hassan Owl warned that his administration will not tolerate the spread of false information and threatened that stiff punishments will taken against any journalist found of covering false news. The commissioner further said that his administration is not at war with the free press but urges journalists to maintain unbiased and professional reporting.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Two terror suspects arrested in Garissa

23 May- Source: Star-Kenya- 232 words

Two terror suspects were Thursday morning arrested by police in Garissa. The officers recovered a gun, 27 bullets and two magazines from them, barely a day after eleven people were injured in a renewed resurgence of attacks.

The duo were arrested at Modika about 12km from Garissa town following a tip-off from members of the public.The suspects were paraded in front of the public at the county commissioner’s office.

Addressing the press outside his office, Garissa county commissioner Rashid Khator said police also recovered a Kenyan ID card, two ATM cards and two mobile phones from the suspects.

He said they are trying to establish if the two are Kenyans and whether they are linked to the Tuesday night grenade attack.Khator, who was with other top security officers in the county, said 11 foreigners have been arrested in a security operation in the town.

Kenya Defense Forces to Leave Kismayo AMISOM Command to Deploy Djibouti, Sierra Leone Troops

23 May- Source: intelligencebriefs-205 words

Somalia has sought the withdrawal of Kenya Defense Forces from the port city of Kismayo and the deployment of Djibouti soldiers there. Intelligence sources confirm that AMISOM command in Mogadishu approved the proposal.

Somalia government does not want the Kenyan soldiers in its territory for a myriad of reasons including the installation of the Jubaland administration which is presided over by warlord Ahmed Madobe, an ally of the KDF.

Somalia claims that Kenya army is partisan in Kismayo. That Kenya is influencing the politics and administration of the Shabelle and Juba regions of Somalia.

Mogadishu also viewed Kenya as intent on curving a semi-autonomous region which could lead to the annexing of the oil rich coasts of Somalia that are near Kenya.

Djibouti soldiers will join Sierra Leone soldiers who have been struggling to learn the geography of the area and to adapt to increasing insurgency.

Mandera reservists laid to rest

22 May – Source; Star News – 164 words

FIVE Kenya Police Reservists killed on Monday by suspected al Shabaab militias were buried yesterday. The five, Bishar Bariare, Aftin Gurale, Hussein Daudi, Hussein Dubow and Ali Farah were among the nine police officers killed between Fino and Arabia villages, some 30kms from Mandera town.

They met their deaths while trying to rescue people in two vans ferrying miraa, which had been carjacked earlier in the day. Ali Gure, a witness, who spoke to the Star on the phone from Mandera said the gunmen blocked the road using rocks prompting the vehicles to stop.

He said they kicked out the drivers of the two vans and sped off in their vehicles towards Somalia. County commissioner Michael Tialal said bodies of those killed by the militias have been brought home for burial.

He said they include six security officers and two civilians; a driver and a loader. Tialal said security has been beefed up in Mandera town and at the borders to ward off militias.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

EU Special Envoy urges agreement between SFG and a delegation from Baidoa

23 May- Source: EU Somalia Mision-110 Words

The EU Special Envoy supports the efforts of the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed to facilitate an Agreement between the Federal Government and the delegation from Baidoa led by H.E. Madoobe Nunow Mohamed.

The EU Special Envoy calls for an agreement that will facilitate an inclusive process of state building and takes into account the Addis Ababa and Mogadishu Agreements.

The Special Envoy remains ready to support on the basis of the Agreement and in coordination with UN, IGAD and AU a process that would pave the way to an Interim Regional Entity and respond to the needs of the population through the Somali COMPACT.

Grenade attack on police vehicle wounds two in Kenya’s Mombasa

23 May – Source: Reuters – 107 words

An attacker threw a grenade at a police vehicle in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa on Thursday, wounding an officer and a civilian, a senior official said.

The city, a major tourist centre and the biggest port in east Africa, has suffered a string of gun and grenade attacks in recent months, largely blamed on the Islamist group al Shabaab, based in neighboring Somalia.

Officers had just picked up two suspects after getting information they were planning an unspecified crime, Mombasa county commissioner Nelson Marwa told journalists at the scene. As the car left “their accomplice threw a grenade which exploded behind the police vehicle,” he added.

Hygiene awareness for Somali refugees in Kenya

22 May – Source: Reliefweb – 172 words

In situations where hygiene is poor and people’s health is weak, diarrhoea can be a killer disease. In fact, it’s the second cause of death of children under five worldwide. When 20,000 Somali refugees suddenly arrived at the Kambioos refugee camp in Kenya there weren’t many toilet facilities and people weren’t that aware of the link between hygiene and disease.

Ahmed Hussein arrived as a refugee. He’s now a hygiene promoter in the camp. When he arrived conditions were difficult. “There weren’t many toilets,” he says. “Faeces were lying in the open and rubbish was everywhere. I remember several children dying and the young and old all had diarrhoea. I even thought having diarrhoea was simply a part of refugee life.”

Catholic Relief Services (CRS – one of Caritas’ US members) set about ensuring the camps inhabitants’ survival in the harsh desert conditions. To curb the spread of disease, Catholic Relief Services began building latrines and training refugees such as Ahmed in hygiene and hand-washing in the newly built Kambioos Camp.

Kenya: Mass Deportation of Somalis

23 may- Source: Human Rights Watch -1058 words

Despite progress, Somalia nearing ‘danger zone’ in critical areas, warns UN envoy

22 May- Source: UN News Centre- 731 words

While Somalia has made political, economic and security progress in the last 12 months, the country is approaching a “danger zone” in a number of areas, the top United Nations official warned today.

“2014 is critical for Somalia. Time is short. I remain a firm optimist, but it is clear that the Government and its international partners must make faster progress,” Nicholas Kay, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), said in a briefing to the Security Council.

Speaking via video teleconference from the capital, Mogadishu, Mr. Kay noted that politically, the Federal Government has started to address some of the major outstanding disputes between the centre and the regions, and that the country has continued to show signs of economic growth.

There have also been recent improvements in security in Mogadishu, said Mr. Kay, adding that a new Government strategy and closer joint work with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is beginning to show positive results on the ground.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Chances are that the next Somali you meet has absolutely nothing to do with al Shabaab and is as much in danger of being blown up in a grenade attack as you are. Therefore, if you have profiled him or her, then he or she is a victim twice over. This is not only unfair and unjust, it is also an unhelpful reaction based on blind fear.”

When you meet the next Somali or Muslim, hug him; he’s also a victim

22 May- Source: Daily Nation-732 Words

Dear Kenyans, today if you meet a Somali or a Muslim, say a cheery habari with a warm handshake or, indeed a comradely hug, if you can. You must do that for two very important reasons. First, as a way of saying sorry for the atrocious way in which we have behaved in the face of terror attacks in this country since September last year.

When Westgate went down, as they say in the street, and the grenades went off and then there was all that talk about VBIED (vehicle borne improvised explosive device) driving around the cities with military grade explosive capable of flattening a block, I think we all responded by looking around for the enemy and going into a defensive, psychological crouch.

In so doing, we have committed a grave injustice to innocent Kenyans and Somalis who are as much of victims of terror as the rest of us. Just look at the maths. There are, at best, 5,000 al Shabaab fighters in Somalia, possibly supported by around 700 members of sleeper cells in Kenya. In total, we are talking about a terrorist infrastructure in Kenya and Somalia numbering about 10,000 bad people.

The population of Somalia is about 12 million and millions more in Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti. Compared to the universe of the Somali population, al Shabaab and its sympathisers are but just a drop in the ocean.

Top tweets

@Abdikarim_Abdi3 #Yemen officially opened their Embassy in#Mogadishu yesterday. #Oman, #Egypt & #Libya to follow suit very soon. #Diplomacy #Somalia

@amisomsomalia A Shopkeeper serves a customer in Mogadishu. Businesses are mushrooming as a result of the relative peace in #Somalia pic.twitter.com/FU0GNdra1V

‏@UNSomalia Read #UN Envoy to #Somalia Nick Kay’s full briefing to the UN Security Council yesterday http://bit.ly/1n8r8Zt @Somalia111 @UN_DPA

@JustinFoxAfrica Dhow of the day: “Somewhere on a beach in Somalia lies the carcass of an ancient dhow.”#WhoeverFearstheSea #Umuzites pic.twitter.com/3TKp9Xvo5e

@OCHASom #Somalia aid chief @UNLazzarini will take your humanitarian Qs on Monday in a LIVE chat! Ask your Qs now#UNLazzarini pic.twitter.com/YJXQcGCr1l

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Image of the day

Image of the day The ambassador’s suite… Inside Britain’s newest embassy in Somalia. Photo: @SocietyGuardian