May 29, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Defense Minister appointed as the acting Minister of National Security

29 May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/RBC/Goobjoog/Hiiraan Online-156 words

Somalia Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has appointed the Defense Minister Mohamed Hassan Hamud as the acting Minister of the National Security four days after the former Minister of National Security resigned.

According to the Information Minister Mustaf Duhulow, a decree from the Prime Minister’s office appointed Minister Hamud as the new acting of the National Security Ministry. “The Defense Minister will also serve as the National Security Minister until new minister is appointed,” Minister Duhulow added.

He said the country needs not to fall into vacuum following the resignation of the former National Security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled after al Shabaab militants attacked the country’s Parliament building on Saturday May 24th, killing at least 10 people, mostly security forces.

The appointment came as a wide reshuffle on the cabinet of the ministers is expected to take place soon after the resignation of the former security minister.

Key Headlines

Defense Minister appointed as the acting Minister of National Security (Radio Mogadishu/RBC)
Ethiopia vows not to withdraw its from Somalia (Radio Goobjoog/Garowe Online)
Night-time curfew imposed on Jowhar town Middle Shabelle region (Radio Bar-kulan)
AMISOM spokesman: “Security of Somalia has tremendously improved since AMISOM intervened”(Radio Goobjoog)
President Attends Celebration for the New Ethiopia (Radio Mogadishu)
Suspected al Shabaab kill two in Mandera (Star-Kenya)
Parliamentary committee plans to enact law that guides the regional states (Radio Goobjoog)
Three al Shabaab suspects arrested in Mahas (Radio Bar-kulan)
Former UN ambassador Mahiga visits Mogadishu (Somali Current/ Radio Dalsan)
Somaliland: Mysterious Explosion in Hargeisa Caused by a Buried Mine (Somaliland Sun)
Promotions for Police Officers (Radio Dalsan)
Human Rights Working Group concern on press freedom in Somaliland (Mareeg Online)
Somaliland: outgoing Commerce Minister hands over duty portfolio (Somaliland Informer)
Families pay heavy price to free migrants (Radio Ergo)
Kenyan matatu operators passengers welcome enhanced security measures (Sabahi Online)
President Uhuru Kenyatta pledges to increase security cash (Standard Media)
Kenya: Media warned over al Shabaab coverage (Star-Kenya)
Somalia’s Jubaland Starts process of establishing its own regional assembly (Parliament) (NTV)
Inside the fight for Somalia’s future (globalpost)
IRGC Seizes Somali Fuel Smuggling Vessel in Persian Gulf Waters (Fars News Agency)
Body of Turkish Airlines security chief killed in Somalia sent home (worldbulletin)
Genel gets more time in Somaliland (upstreamonline)
AMISOM Soldiers To Stay Put in Somalia (CCTV)
Mandate Renewals for UN Missions in Abyei Guinea-Bissau and Somalia (What’s In Blue)
Fighting Militancy in Somalia (CCTV)

SOMALI MEDIA

Defense Minister appointed as the acting Minister of National Security

29 May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/RBC/Goobjoog/Hiiraan Online-156 words

The appointment came as a wide reshuffle on the cabinet of the ministers is expected to take place soon after the resignation of the former security minister.

Ethiopia vows not to withdraw its from Somalia

29 May- Source: Radio Goobjoog/Garowe Online/Kismaayo News/RBC- 142 words

The Prime minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn stated that his country will not withdraw its troops from Somalia until they reach their goal of combating the threats of al Shabaab in the region.

He reiterated that Ethiopian forces since joining AMISOM last year have made great achievement and will continue their fight against al Shabaab.

“There is no cause of withdrawing our forces at this time, we will fight al Shabaab to the maximum possible,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Deslaegn told reporters.

Mr. Hailemariam said al Shabaab create a threat to the region and Ethiopia would support African Union (AU) and Somali troops in the country as long as the threat persists.

Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in November 2011 to back the federal government fight against al Shabaab. The PM’s remarks comes days after al Shabaab attacked the federal parliament.

Night-time curfew imposed on Jowhar town, Middle Shabelle region

29 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 149 words

Security forces in Jowhar town, the provincial capital of Middle Shabelle region have on Wednesday night imposed night-time curfew on some of the major neighborhoods in the town.

The curfew was not previously announced and reports say that Somali security forces were seen carrying out security operations and ordering people to remain indoors at Hawlwadag neighborhood in particular.

A security official in the area who spoke to Bar-kulan said that the curfew and the subsequent security operations were part of wider plans to strengthen and maintain the relative calm in the town. Reports further add that at least 14 people have been arrested in the operations and are being held in Jowhar’s central police station.

The security operations and the night-time curfew are believed to be part of major security measures to curb recent criminal and insecurity activities in the town.

AMISOM spokesman: “Security of Somalia has tremendously improved since AMISOM intervened”

29 May- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 152 words

AMISOM declared to have reached substantial development in Somalia’s peace-keeping mission since African union troops deployed in Somalia before seven years.

The spokesperson of AMISOM Ali Adan Humud in an exclusive interview to Goobjoog FM stated that the security situation of Somalia has tremendously improved since the peace-keeping troops got involved in Somalia.

He reiterated that AMISOM will double its efforts to create peace and harmony in Somalia that was ravaged by war since 1991.

Mr. Humud also said that the training of Somali national army in the country to advance their capability and strength will take in the stability of the country since the forces are trained in their homeland.

In different parts of the world including Somalia the international day of UN peace-keepers is marked to honour the peacekeepers who lost their lives in the cause of peace and pay acknowledgment to the men and women serving the peacekeeping mission.

President Attends Celebration for the New Ethiopia

29 May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Dalsan/SNTV- 145 words

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the second speaker of the parliament Mahad Abdalla Awad, the Deputy PM Ridwan Hirsi Mohamed among other government dignitaries attended a party to commemorate the 23rd Anniversary when Minigistu Haile Mariam was overthrown. The party took place at the Ethiopian Embassy in Mogadishu Wednesday.

This party is done inside Ethiopia every year. When Mingistu was overthrown in 1991, Ethiopia was renamed ‘the New Ethiopian’. The Ethiopian Ambassador to Somalia thanked the leaders of Somalia of the ties Somalia has with Ethiopia. He also said that Ethiopia has developed a lot during the past 23 years. He said it has developed in terms of education and transportation among other aspect of development.

The President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who spoke at the ceremony congratulated the people of Ethiopia over the celebrations of their National Occasion.

Parliamentary committee plans to enact law that guides the regional states

29 May- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 108 words

The parliamentary interior committee stated that they are planning to enact law that guides the establishment of the regional states in the country.

The vice chairman of the committee Dahir Amin Jessow reiterated that the formation of the regional states are unconstitutional. The committee also said that the federal parliament has not yet approved all the established regional states in Somalia.

Mr Jessow stated that they will build a committee to be accountable of the established regional states in the country, he also said that the committee will table the law to the federal parliament for approval.

Three al Shabaab suspects arrested in Mahas

29 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 114 words

Somali security forces in Mahas district in Hiran region have on Wednesday night arrested three men accused of having links with Somalia’s al Shabaab militant group in a security crackdown.

Deputy Commissioner of Mahas district, Mu’min Mohamed Halane told Bar-kulan that the three are believed to be established al Shabaab fighters saying that their ties with the group are known by the locals.

Halane added that the three claimed to have defected from the militant group; however, he strongly denied their claims. He finally said that the three are now being investigated by the security agencies and will be taken to court when the investigations are concluded.

Former UN ambassador Mahiga visits Mogadishu

29 May- Source: Somali Current/ Radio Dalsan- 232 words

Former Special Representative of United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia Agustine Mahiga has paid visit to Somalia where he had a meeting with Somali Federal government Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed.

Agustine Mahiga likewise praised government’s achievement and progress in the sides of peace, development and stabilization.

Speaking about his aim in visiting to Somalia capital Mogadishu told country’ national media, “In my visit to Mogadishu one year after I left and 2 years after the end of the transitional government ended I want to return here Mogadishu again and again. I want to observe the progress made. Yes there is a progress achieved in many sides. My aim was similarly to greet all Somali people wherever they are, inside or outside the country.”

Former Special Representative of United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia thanks Somali Federal government, armed forces, African Peacekeeping Forces, United Nations and partners in their support to Somalia in the sides of peace and development.

“After one year I come back to Mogadishu to see the progress made”. Mahiga said. He added that he is very happy about the different changes of progress that he said he now sees in Mogadishu.

“I met with Prime Minister Abdwali whom I have congratulated and discussed with the further consolidation of this progress”.

Somaliland: Mysterious Explosion in Hargeisa Caused by a Buried Mine

29 May – Source: Somaliland Sun – 93 words

Information indicate that the explosion heard opposite the Civil Service Commission was caused by exploding ordnance buried in the ground decades ago. The buried mine exploded after sanitation activities that saw a fire lit to burn garbage heated the mine to explosion.

Earlier reports indicating the probability of a suspected IED having been thrown from a speeding taxi have thence been negated by resultant investigations.

Nobody was injured or property destroyed during explosion of the undetected ordnance buried underground for decades. Police are expected to provide detailed information once investigations are complete.

Human Rights Working Group concern on press freedom in Somaliland

29 May – Source: Mareeg Online – 157 words

The Human Rights Working Group, a group of international partners comprising the European Union, its Member States, Norway, Switzerland and the United States, wishes to express its concern over the forced closure of the newspapers Haatuf and Somaliland Times, and of the website of Haatuf media.

This is the third incident of the kind in recent months, after the forced closure of Hubaal media and the ban on Universal TV. In the course of 2013, 47 journalists were imprisoned, detained or otherwise harassed without a fair and transparent trial, and often without due process. In some cases, moreover, the journalists were physically abused.

While the release on bail of the chairman and editor-in-chief of Haatuf media on May 27th is a positive development, the case still threatens to reverse a recent trend towards improvement of relations between the media and the authorities, reflected in the establishment of a mixed commission for amending the Press Law in March.

Promotions for Police Officers

28 May- Source: Radio Dalsan- 98 words

The commander of the police force General Abdikariim Dahir said the police were among those soldiers who thwarted the plan of the attack at the parliament. He promoted the security officials from the police who took part in defending the parliament.

General Abdikariim said that the soldiers who were killed in the attacked will be remembered as people who died while defending their country. He added that national symbols to remember them will be made. He also encouraged the security forces to double the operations against al Shabaab so that the society can be protected against their harmful activities.

Somaliland: outgoing Commerce Minister hands over duty portfolio

28 May – Source: Somaliland Informer – 156 words

The outgoing Minister of Commerce, Mr Mohamed Abdilahi Omar handed over his duty portfolio on Wednesday to the newly appointed Mr Musa Kasim Omar during a hand over ceremony that was held at the commerce ministry.

President Silanyo sacked last week Mr Mohamed Abdilahi as the commerce minister and who also held the foreign affairs ministry. The dismissal is believed to be linked with the support that the Minister showed to the chairman of the party Musa Bihi.

Speaking at the venue, the former Minister of Commerce has stated that he achieved much during the one year that he was in charge of the ministry. He revealed that he worked hard day in and day out to lure investment opportunities for the country while attended gatherings held in the globe.

He urged president Silanyo and his main rival Musa to save the party and resolve the current political battle to end through dialogue and peaceful means.

Families pay heavy price to free migrants

28 May- Source: Radio Ergo- 427 words

Thousands of young people every year leave Somalia and migrate seeking jobs and a better life elsewhere. Many of them never come back to Somalia – and many don’t even make it to their desired destination, often leaving their parents to pay a heavy price. Muhubo Ahmed Shire’s eldest son had searched for a job for many months after graduating from a University in Bossaso.

He was deeply disappointed at his failure and one day sneaked away from home, planning to travel to Europe via Libya. “I looked for him everywhere, but he later called me from Addis Abba,” said his widowed mother Shire, who brought him up alone. “I worked hard to make him finish up to university education, hoping he would get a job and let me rest,” she added.

When Shire’s son reached Libya, he was kidnapped by a local gang demanding a ransom and he called his mother to secure his release.“They demanded about $5,000 saying otherwise they would kill my son,” Shire told Radio Ergo’s local reporter.

She had to sell her three-room house and borrow more money from relatives and friends to try to get her son released. “I sent about $5,000, but he was kidnapped again. So far I have paid about $7,000 and he’s still being held in the Sahara as a hostage,” she said.

Awil Abdi, another stricken parent, said his son was studying at a university in Dirirdhabe, Ethiopia. He dropped out of school and travelled to Libya without informing his family. He is now being held in Libya for the fourth time by local militias, asking for ransom money.

“They called us and told us they would take his kidneys out and sell them if we didn’t pay them. I begged people and have collected some money to give the kidnappers,” Abdi told Radio Ergo. So far he has paid about $8,000 to the militia. His son, who has sustained injuries, is still being held hostage.

Maryam Mohamed Nur’s son was in a similar plight but she could get no penny to secure the release of her son who is also being held in Libya. “I can get no money to pay these militias,” she told Radio Ergo’s local reporter in Galkayo.

Many of Somalia’s young would-be migrants are school-leavers and even university graduates. Some risk their lives trying to reach Saudi Arabia via a dangerous sea trip to Yemen, while others head to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. Others migrate to South Africa in a land journey in which they illegally transit several African countries.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Suspected al Shabaab kill two in Mandera

29 May- Source: Star-Kenya- 554 words

Two people have been killed and three injured in two separate incidents Wednesday between Arabia town and Omar Jillow village in Mandera county. In the first incident an E-Coach Bus enroute to Mandera from Nairobi was ambushed by suspected al Shabaab militias. The conductor was killed and the driver and a passenger sustained injuries. In the second incident a trailer following the bus was attacked and the driver shot dead. The turn boy, Burhan Mohamed, was shot in the left leg and two other passengers on board escaped unhurt. Mandera County Referral Hospital acting nursing officer Arnold Tsui said they received three people with bullet wounds.

President Uhuru Kenyatta pledges to increase security cash

29 May – Source: Standard Media – 119 words

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta presents a trophy to the second best all-round recruit Purity Moraa (Kenya Navy) during the recruits graduation at the Recruits Training School in Eldoret, Wednesday.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has pledged to increase budgetary allocations to security agencies to counter the threat of terrorism. Though he did not give any figures, the President assured that security agencies will get more money in the next financial year to effectively combat terror.

Though he did not give any figures, the President assured that security agencies will get more money in the next financial year to effectively combat terror. “Terrorism is a new threat, inside and outside our country. Terrorists seek to kill innocent civilians for no reason,” he stated.

Kenya: Media warned over al Shabaab coverage

29 May- Source: The Star- 138 words

National Taskforce on Community Policing chairman Joseph Kaguthi has urged Kenyan media owners to be patriotic. He said highlighting stories on al Shabaab attacks is not fair to Kenyans and the country. Kaguthi said media houses should avoid negative publicity for Kenya.

He said such publicity serves the interest on “our enermies”. Kaguthi said every Kenyan knows our soldiers are fighting terrorists in Somalia and the war must be supported by the media. He was speaking at a public baraza in Tiwi market on Tuesday. Kaguthi toured Kwale and Kilifi counties.

He was responding to media reports on two KDF soldiers killed in Lamu by al Shabaab militants. “If your country is at war and you are not supporting it that means you are against it so please let us be patriotic and support our nation,” Kaguthi said.

Kenyan matatu operators, passengers welcome enhanced security measures

28 May- Source: Sabahi Online- 1065 words

Kenyan commuters and matatu operators are embracing the government’s directive to screen all passengers and their luggage in an effort to boost security in the wake of a series of recent al Shabaab attacks on buses.

Since police spokesperson Zipporah Gatiria Mboroki and Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo announced the order May 4th, passengers have endured long lines and must take extra time to allow matatu operators to frisk them and search their belongings by hand or using hand-held metal detectors.

Despite initial complaints by some passengers and drivers over the inconvenience of the searches, matatu conductors are taking the order seriously after al Shabaab carried out attacks on two matatus in Mombasa and Nairobi earlier this month, killing six people and injuring hundreds.

Somalia’s Jubaland Starts process of establishing its own regional assembly (Parliament)

27 May- Source: NTV- 2:00 min

The semi-autonomous state of Jubaland in Somalia officially started the process of establishing its own regional assembly (Parliament). The process, which was to end in a month’s time, was expected to help Jubaland find its footing to secure the region and help ensure stability for wider Somalia. NTV’s Peter Mwangangi was in Kismayo, and talked to Jubaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam ‘Madobe’.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Inside the fight for Somalia’s future

29 May- Source: globalpost- 417 words

In the end, it wasn’t clan militias or Islamic militants but a government soldier who killed Dr. Osman. Over his 54 years, the pharmacist had earned a reputation for fair dealing in business, kindness among friends, and piety in the mosque. A family man, he had survived Somalia’s clan wars and then kept his head down when the Islamic militants known as al Shabaab overran his hometown in southern Somalia five years ago. A follower of a softer, mystical branch of Islam, he obeyed the ultraconservative occupiers’ harsh new rules — don’t smoke, don’t chew khat, pay the Islamic tax, go to the mosque five times a day without fail — and carried on.

In February of this year, the military offensive to retake towns like Osman’s, “liberating” them from extremist rule, began. As the fighting drew near Qoryooley [pronounced “kor-ree-oh-lay”], Osman sent his wife and seven children to the capital Mogadishu, telling them they would be safer there. He stayed behind to look after the pharmacy he had built from scratch. He told his family not to worry.

IRGC Seizes Somali Fuel Smuggling Vessel in Persian Gulf Waters

29 May- Source: Fars News Agency- 266 words

Naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) intercepted a Somali tanker ship that was trying to smuggle a large amount of diesel fuel from Iran to a Persian Gulf Arab state. The oil tanker ship was trying to smuggle 500,000 of fuel before its was stopped by an IRGC patrol 18 miles off the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker had reportedly picked up the diesel fuel from small vessels selling smuggled fuel in the Persian Gulf waters. IRGC also arrested 13 Somali crew members aboard the tanker and handed them over to judicial authorities in the southern Hormuzgan Province.

Body of Turkish Airlines security chief killed in Somalia sent home

29 May- Source: worldbulletin-202 words

A Turkish Airlines security chief who was killed in an attack in Somali capital Mogadishu has been brought back to Istanbul for burial. Sadettin Dogan, the head of the Somali branch of a company which provides security services to Turkey’s flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, was shot dead on Tuesday in an attack by unidentified gunmen. Chief executive of the security company, Ahmet Cetin said the attackers approached in a vehicle to block the path of a car carrying Dogan and members of his team before the attackers began shooting at them.

Genel gets more time in Somaliland

29 May- Source: upstreamonline- 206 words

London-listed Genel Energy has been given more time to carry out work on the Odewayne production sharing contract in Somaliland. Joint venture partner Sterling Energy revealed on Thursday that the government had granted a two-year extension to the current work period of the PSC, until 2 November 2016. The outstanding minimum work obligation for the current work period includes the gathering of 500 kilometres of 2D seismic.

The next work period, which will be the fourth period of the PSC, will see Genel need to acquire an additional 1000 kilometres of 2D seismic and drill one exploration well. Sterling also revealed the Somaliland government had decided to establish a trained and equipped oilfield protection unit (OPU) that could provide the security needed by operators to carry out future seismic and drilling operations safely.

AMISOM Soldiers To Stay Put in Somalia

28 May- Source: CCTV- 1:54 min

The African Union force in Somalia has vowed it will continue to do its job. The comment was made while AMISOM was paying respects to troops killed in Mogadishu on Saturday. Its Deputy Force Commander says the three soldiers killed during a raid on the Somali Parliament did not die in vain. This report now from Mogadishu.

Mandate Renewals for UN Missions in Abyei, Guinea-Bissau and Somalia

28 May- Source: What’s In Blue -785 words

Tomorrow (29 May) the Security Council is scheduled to adopt three resolutions renewing the mandates of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Mission in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS).

The draft resolution that is expected to be adopted tomorrow will renew UNSOM for one year. An initial draft was circulated by the UK on 23 May and a brief round of negotiations was conducted yesterday. The draft resolution was put under silence earlier today, but Russia broke silence regarding humanitarian language. At press time, the draft resolution was about to go into blue, following a compromise between Russia and the UK, the penholder on Somalia.

UNSOM’s mandate, which is due to expire on 3 June, will be essentially unchanged from the five components first authorised in resolution 2102 on 2 May 2013: “good offices” in support of peace and reconciliation; providing advice on peacebuilding and statebuilding; coordination of international donor support; government capacity building on human rights; and human rights monitoring and reporting.

Turkish Airlines official killed in Somalia was suspect in Ergenekon trial

28 May – Source: Hurriyet Daily News – 182 words

While the perpetrators and motives for the attack in which a Turkish Airlines (THY) security chief was killed in Mogadishu remain unclear, detailed information about the life of Saadettin Doğan has been revealed.

Doğan was reportedly one of the suspects in the Poyrazköy coup plot case, as he was being charged with “being member of the Ergenekon armed terrorist organization” and was facing a prison sentence of from 7.5 to 15 years.

He had been charged without arrest and had no lawyer representing him in the case, Doğan News Agency reported. The next hearing in the case was scheduled for Sept. 18.

Doğan was also among the Turkish commandos who took part in the military operation on the Kardak (Imia) islets in 1996.

Doğan, who was the chief of a security company servicing THY, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Mogadishu on May 27, when a company car was attacked by unknown people. He was immediately taken to hospital, but could not be saved. His funeral is set to be held on May 29 in the Thracian province of Tekirdağ.

Fighting Militancy in Somalia

26 May- Source: CCTV- 1:47 min

The African Union force Amisom is expected to engage the al Qaeda linked al Shabaab fighters in the coming months, in efforts to liberate more towns from the militant group. The militant fighters are expected to intensify their attacks, during Ramadhan, which is just around the corner. Already though, Amisom is having trouble dealing with blockaded routes, as the militia had cut off supply routes to the towns it has lost.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Kenya’s counterterrorism approach following the Westgate Mall attack is crude — and may actually be spawning more violence.”

‘Playing Straight into the Hands of al Shabaab’

28 May- Source: Foreign Policy- 1673 Words

At around 7:30 p.m. on March 31, three blasts went off in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighborhood. The explosions, which police say were caused by grenades, killed six and injured around a dozen civilians congregating at two local cafes in the suburban area, which is dominated by ethnic Somalis.

The bombings were only the latest in a spat of terror attacks following the September 2013 siege of Westgate Mall by Somali gunmen, which left 67 people dead. In December, a grenade blast killed four people in Eastleigh. In late March, unidentified gunmen entered a church near the coastal city of Mombasa, killing six. In all, nearly a dozen attacks that bear the marks of al Shabaab, a jihadist group based in Somalia that was responsible for the Westgate attack, have rattled Kenya since last fall.

Police are taking a high-profile approach as they respond to these attacks, detaining thousands of Somalis and Kenyan citizens of Somali heritage. But stops and arrests are not based on intelligence. Rather, police officers simply scour ethnic-Somali neighborhoods, sweeping up civilians from the streets.

“Terrorists seem to prefer attacking hotels that accommodate many of people. Hotels with fewer rooms are therefore not quite attractive as a target.”

How Building Design Can Prevent Terrorist Attacks in Hotels

28 May – Source: The Star- Kenya/All Africa- 471 Words

Lately, Kenya has become the unfortunate playing field for terrorists. The major attack was a mall and recent attacks have been targeting crowded places and public transport. At the Coast, a hotel on the beach was attacked using grenades, reminding us of the 2002 suicide bombing at Kikambala Hotel. There are many examples of terrorist attacks worldwide.

Recently, the US issued warnings of possible terror attacks on two Sheraton hotels in Abuja, Nigeria, during the recent World Economic Forum meetings. In July 2010, al Shabaab terrorists attacked a restaurant in Kampala, Uganda, killing 76 people as they were watching a soccer match.

Since the US attacks on September 11, 2001, terrorists have picked on hotels as a good target owing to the fact that most hotel patrons tend to be the society’s elite and foreigners. A good example of this was the attack at Taj Hotel in Mumbai in 2008. But there is a way architectural designs can be used to minimise the risk of a hotel being a potential terrorist target.

Top tweets

‏@amisomsomalia PRESS RELEASE: #AMISOM concludes intensive training of executive leaders & managers in the Civil Service in #Somalia http://bit.ly/1he6XJZ

@SomaliPM #Somalia Constitutional Review Commission Committee unanimously approved by Cabinet today.

‏@EdPomfret Shortages, clan rivalries weaken #Somalia‘s “new” army http://shar.es/Vzri1 pic.twitter.com/1mteNF5OOM

‏@stability_fund Female soldiers join the army ranks in#Somalia: http://bit.ly/1k2ZPA2 pic.twitter.com/Ehvlmxju5o

@harunmaruf Former Intel Chief and current Defense Minister Mohamed Sheikh Hassan is appointed as Acting Security Minister. #Somalia

@OxfamInSOM MT @welcheinleben: #OCHA #SomaliaHumanitarian Bulletin Issued on 20 May 2014http://shar.es/VjvOc via @reliefweb

Follow the conversation →

Image of the day

Image of the day #AMISOM repatriation ceremony for 3 soldiers killed in the line of duty duringSaturday’s attack on Somali parliament. Photo: @amisomsomalia