May 5, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali PM meets security officials in Mogadishu
05 May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Bar-kulan- 160 words
The prime Minister of Somalia Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed had meeting with security institutions in Mogadishu, the security officials and the Prime minister discussed in details the recent explosions in the city that claimed the lives of over six people.
They also discussed ways of maintaining security of Mogadishu and the areas taken over from al Shabaab by the joint military.
The meeting organized by Somali police was attended by security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled, security state Minister Daud Abdukarim, Somali police commissioner Abdihakim Dahir Sa’id and other security officials.
Somali police commissioner Abdihakim Dahir gave details on how security forces maintain the security of the country especially Mogadishu to the PM and the attendees of the meeting.
The police commander also presented plans meant to co-ordinate police and community so as to upgrade the security of the entire country. He asked Somali people to play their part in maintaining peace and order in the country. This security meeting comes a time when landmine explosion in Mogadishu killed over six people including former secretary of Banadir region.
Key Headlines
- Security Council Press Statement on terrorist attack in Somalia (UNSOM)
- Somali PM meets security officials in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu/Radio Goobjoog)
- Mayor of Mogadishu vow to bring perpetrators to book (Radio Shabelle)
- Hiiran administration to assist drought-hit families in remote villages (Radio Bar-kulan/VOA Somali Service)
- Fresh clash between Ahlu Sunna and government forces erupts in Bula-Hawo (Radio Goobjoog/Bar-kulan)
- Kenya: Orange party demands KDF troops withdrawal from Somalia to save lives (Standard Media)
- Puntland Government offers amnesty to Pirate linchpin (Garowe Online)
- DBG-Somalia distributes food aid to IDPs in Southern Somalia (Radio Dalsan)
- Somaliland: President Inaugurates Kalabeid- Wajale Road Junction (Somaliland Sun)
- Information Minister pledges to bring murderers of journalist to justice (Radio Shabelle)
- Al Shabaab orders El-Garas residents to vacate from their homes (Radio Goobjoog)
- Puntland Court hands out Death Sentence to al Shabaab suspects (Horseed Media)
- 16 al Shabaab Killed in Fierce Fighting in Somalia After Attack on AMISOM Base (Intelligence Briefs)
- Kenya: 70 victims taken to city hospital (Daily Nation)
- IIRO Implements New Drinking Water and Irrigation Projects in Somalia (Saudi Press Agency)
- Dadaab: The world’s biggest refugee camp (Al Jazeera)
- Al-shabab claims it carried out explosion killed former Banadir administration secretary (Al Shahid)
- Yemen PM meets President of Somalia’s Puntland State (Yemen News Agency)
- Eastleigh tenants flee as Usalama Watch intensifies in the Estate (KTN)
- Three killed in bus blasts on second day of violence in Kenya (Reuters)
PRESS STATEMENT
Security Council Press Statement on terrorist attack in Somalia
04 May- Source: UNSOM- 286 words
The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms yesterday’s terrorist attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, for which Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility and has caused numerous deaths and injuries. The members of the Security Council expressed their condolences to the families of the victims. The members of the Security Council wished a swift recovery to those injured. The members of the Security Council also extended their condolences to the people and Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, wherever and whenever and by whomsoever committed.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their determination to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations.
The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Somali authorities in this regard.
The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.
The members of the Security Council emphasized that this or any other terrorist attack would not undermine their support to the people of Somalia. In that context, the members of the Security Council underlined their enduring support for the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia.
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali PM meets security officials in Mogadishu
05 May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Bar-kulan- 160 words
The prime Minister of Somalia Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed had meeting with security institutions in Mogadishu, the security officials and the Prime minister discussed in details the recent explosions in the city that claimed the lives of over six people.
They also discussed ways of maintaining security of Mogadishu and the areas taken over from al Shabaab by the joint military.
The meeting organized by Somali police was attended by security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled, security state Minister Daud Abdukarim, Somali police commissioner Abdihakim Dahir Sa’id and other security officials.
Somali police commissioner Abdihakim Dahir gave details on how security forces maintain the security of the country especially Mogadishu to the PM and the attendees of the meeting.
The police ccommissioner also presented plans meant to co-ordinate police and community so as to upgrade the security of the entire country. He asked Somali people to play their part in maintaining peace and order in the country. This security meeting comes a time when landmine explosion in Mogadishu killed over six people including former secretary of Banadir region.
Mayor of Mogadishu vow to bring perpetrators to book
05 May- Source: Radio Shabelle- 105 words
The Governor of Banadir & Mayor of Mogadishu said that the regional administration will find the perpetrators that plant bombs in vehicles of government officials and bring them to justice.
General Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab said that the Somali capital Mogadishu has been liberated from al Shabaab and that the co-allied National Intelligence & Security Agency with Somali Police Force are conducting search operations in the city to monitor the conditions.
The Mayor of Mogadishu threatened the responsible murderers and pledged that the security agencies will bring them to justice. For the last few days, Mogadishu has seen a surge in planned murders and explosions.
Hiiran administration to assist drought-hit families in remote villages
05 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/VOA Somali Service- 97 words
The new administration of Hiiran region has announced its intentions to assist families affected by severe water shortages in remote villages in the region with the support of the African Union forces.
The new governor of Hiiran region, Abdifatah Hassan Afrah made the announcement at a ceremony held in Beledweyne, the provincial capital of Hiiran region. He further urged locals to assist each other during such turbulent and testing times.
Meanwhile, the governor promised that his administration will soon clear the road between Beledweyne and Bule-burte from Al Shabaab remnants to enable its access to the civilians
Fresh clash between Ahlu Sunna and government forces erupts in Bula-Hawo
05 May- Source: Radio Goobjoog/Bar-kulan/RBC – 70 words
Reports from Beled-hawa district in Gedo region indicate that clashes have erupted in the town after armed militia reportedly from Dolow town exchanged fire with the local security forces.
An official from the local administration has confirmed to Bar-kulan that a fierce fighting is now underway in the centre of the town. Heavy gunshots were heard according to eyewitnesses who spoke to Bar-kulan.
The motives and cause of the attack in the border town is yet to be established. Reports added that the two sides were kept apart in the last few days by Ethiopian forces in the area. he Ethiopians were reported to have left their positions in the town early this morning.
Puntland Government offers amnesty to Pirate linchpin
05 May – Source: Garowe Online – 144 words
Puntland Government in northern Somalia has offered an amnesty to pirate kingpin Isse Mohamoud Yusuf (Isse Yuluh) who generated huge profit from the illicit profession, Garowe Online reports.
Isse Yuluh on Saturday arrived in Bari regional district of Armo which is situated 100km south of Gulf of Adan port city of Bossaso according to multiple independent sources.
Following over a month-long discussions between President Gaas’ administration and senior pirate boss, Key presidential officials are said to have received Yuluh in Armo. Puntland Government officials declined to comment on the issue when contacted for details by GO.
Presidency sources further noted that the government lured Yulux into an agreement that would pave the way the informal handover of fighting vehicles and armed-trucks as well as integration of militiamen into Puntland Defence Forces (PDF). The military gears will be positioned on the front lines, sources stated.
DBG-Somalia distributes food aid to IDPs in Southern Somalia
05 May- Source: Radio Dalsan- 107 words
DBG started distribution of Food aid to the conflict and drought affected IDPS in K7-K 13. Each Household received Rice 63kgs, Beans 27kgs, Cooking oil 7 litres and 3kgs Sugar.
The total beneficiaries of this project are 6,260 Households out of which 1250 Households have been reached in early 2013. Among the beneficiaries are 3,263 IDPS who recently benefited from CHF project where emergency shelter kits were given out.
This food was funded by Caritas Germany through DKH and implemented by DBG /DKH Somalia. The distribution period started 3rd may 2014 and expected to end 7th May 2014, where 1000 beneficiaries are reached every day.
Somaliland: President Inaugurates Kalabeid- Wajale Road Junction
05 May – Source: Somaliland Sun – 92 words
President Ahmed Silanyo has unveiled a tarmac road linking Kalabeid junction to border point of Wajale on Sunday. The head of state was accompanied by cabinet members including Presidency Minister Hirsi Ali Hassan among others.
Upon inaugurating the completed road that is estimated to be 15 KMS, President Silanyo also stayed briefly in Wajale town in a move analysts connect to the recent demos that cost the live one person and injuries of a couple of other including policemen quelling the said demos that was sparked after former area administrator was detained.
Information Minister pledges to bring murderers of journalist to justice
05 May – Source: Radio Shabelle – 158 words
The Minister of Information vowed to protect the rights of journalists and media workers as well as bringing their murderers to justice. Speaking at a world press freedom celebration in Mogadishu on 3rd May, Mustaf Ali Dhuxulow declared that any individual or perpetrator found to be guilty of killing of media practitioners will serve a prison sentence.
“Journalists and media workers have the right to carry out their role without being intimidated, threatened or harmed in any physical way. And I call on all Somali journalists to stay alert and further themselves from anything that can put them in harm’s way.” Said the Information Minister
Many journalists and media workers have been killed in Somalia over the years covering dangerous beats.
Mustaf Ali Dhuxulow, the Minister of Information along with other officials in the Ministry, independent media networks and freelance journalists celebrated world press freedom day in Mogadishu yesterday, and commemorated the lives of all the killed journalists.
Al Shabaab orders El-Garas residents to vacate from their homes
04 May – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 120 words
The administration of El-Garas in central Somalia accused Al-shabab fighters of refusing people to use the water wells in the locality claiming that they will report their whereabouts to the government forces and AMISOM troops.
The administrator of El-Garas Hassan Dahir Sheikh told Goobjoog FM that the people in the locality are faced with fear after Al-shabab threatened to kill if they fail to follow their instructions.
Mr. Dahir also confirmed that Al-shabab ordered the residents of El-Garas and El-Lahelay to vacate from their homes which resulted dozens to flee who are in dire humanitarian conditions.
This happens a time when acute water shortage that claimed the lives of over seven people hit the regions of Galgadud and Mudug regions.
Puntland Court hands out Death Sentence to al Shabaab suspects
04 May- Source: Horseed Media- 157 words
A military court in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland has sentenced four suspects having linked to the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab to death penalty. The court in the port town of Bosaso, convicted the four suspects with terrorism on Saturday.
Prosecutors accused them of committing several crimes, perpetrating murder, aiding terrorist groups and intimidation.
Puntland authorities have launched a massive crackdown on the network, which is thought to be seeking for safe haven in the Galgala Mountains after it lost strategic towns in the Southern part of the country to AU and Somali troops.
It has put on trial dozens of accused militants in recent months, jailing many of them and sentencing others to death.
Last year, it executed 13 suspected al Shabaab members including a woman, after the military court found them guilty of orchestrating an assassination of a famous scholar Dr Ahmed Haji Abdirahman.
Somaliland: Health Minister arrives in Buhodle to inaugurate projects
04 May – Source: Somaliland Informer – 135 words
A delegation led by the Minister of Health Mr. Suleiman Isse Ahmed has arrived in Buhodle on Sunday where the exiled individuals headed by Ali Khalif Galayr, a Somali parliamentarian and former PM are currently staying in the city.
Mr. Galayr is believed to be the ring leader who was the mastermind when it comes to the esabslihment of Khatumo. The delegation led by Xagla Tosiye was received by militiamen loyal to him once he arrived at the town’s vicinity.
The delegation left from Ainabo, the regional headquarters of Saraar and is expected to officially open new development projects spearheaded by the minister.
The town is said to be in backwardness ever since the militiamen established basis that posed real threat to the town to cut off from the rest of eastern regions of Somaliland.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenya: Orange party demands KDF troops withdrawal from Somalia to save lives
05 May – Source: Standard Media/Daily Nation – 129 words
The Orange Democratic Movement ( ODM) wants the Government to present the country with a road map for the withdrawal of Kenyan soldiers from Somalia. ODM said in the aftermath of the second terror attack since the Government launched the war on terror, hundreds of Kenyans have continued to lose their lives, a situation the party said is getting out of hand. ODM acting leader Anyang’ Nyong’o demanded that the Government should table a road map for a secure Kenya and a stable Somalia.
The Opposition party also demanded a plan which expedites the training of Somali forces to take charge of their country and for accelerating Somalia’s economic development, particularly through infrastructure that gives Somalis a stake in achieving a better future.
16 al Shabaab Killed in Fierce Fighting in Somalia After Attack on AMISOM Base
05 May – Source: Intelligence Briefs – 84 words
Intense fighting between government troops backed by AMISOM peacekeepers has been going throughout the night in Qoryole, a frontier town in Lower Shabelle region of the Somali republic. Numerous causalities have been suffered by both sides, intelligences sources report. Al-Shabaab militants staged attacks on the Somali National Army base and AMISOM troops late Sunday night prompting a counter-attack. Estimates show Al-Shabaab may have lost more than 16 fighters in the attack.
Kenya: 70 victims taken to city hospital
05 May – Source: Daily Nation – 110 words
Some 71 victims of Sunday’s twin blasts on the Thika Superhighway were taken to a hospital in Nairobi. Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital clinical officer Ayub Torore said two died as they were undergoing treatment.
Mr Torore said 12 of the patients he attended to had suffered critical injuries and were referred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and other health institutions for specialised treatment.
Mr Kennedy Asoka, who was on a Mwiki-bound Mwi Sacco bus, said there was something odd about two young men who alighted before the bus left the terminus on Haile Selassie Avenue. KNH received 16 women, 11 men and four children who were injured in the explosions.
IIRO Implements New Drinking Water and Irrigation Projects in Somalia
05 May- Source: Saudi Press Agency- 71 words
International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) of the Muslim World League (MWL) implemented a number of new drinking water and irrigation projects in some areas affected by a wave of drought and desertification in the north of Somalia.
IIRO Acting Secretary General Ihssan bin Saleh Al-Tayib said that the projects represented in digging about 90 wells fitted with all of its pumps, tanks and generators along with a number of dams construction.
Dadaab: The world’s biggest refugee camp
04 May – Source: Al Jazeera – 190 words
A young, panic-stricken woman sits under a tree, telling anyone who will listen about her plight. “They forced me to leave my children behind,” said Ifrah Hassan, a 29-year-old mother of three. A crowd of dozens, mostly men, has gathered around her to listen.
This is Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, located in an arid portion of eastern Kenya near the Somali border. Kenyan police arrested Hassan at her apartment in Nairobi’s Eastleigh district on April 15. She was sent to Dadaab along with 78 other people following a government crackdown on foreign nationals. “I’m Ethiopian. I have identification papers. They arrested me and took me to Pangani police station, then took me to Kasarani stadium [in Nairobi] before they brought me here,” she told Al Jazeera.
Al-shabab claims it carried out explosion killed former Banadir administration secretary
04 May – Source: Al Shahid – 135 words
Islamist militant group al-Shabab said it carried out the attack, targeting a vehicle of a prominent former government official, who was killed along with his guards. Al-Shabab’s military spokesman, Abdiaziz Abu Musab, told news agencies that the al-Qaeda-linked group had carried out the attack.
At least six people have been killed in the bomb explosion in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The blast took place near the city centre’s “Kilometre 4″ district, close to the Turkish embassy.
The official who died was named as Abdikafi Hilowle, a former secretary for the city’s administration. Policemen and civilians were among the dead, officials said. The number of attacks in Mogadishu has increased in recent months.
Many have been blamed on al-Shabab, which has lost ground to government forces in recent years but still controls many southern rural areas.
Yemen PM meets President of Somalia’s Puntland State
04 May- Source: Yemen News Agency- 196 words
Yemen Prime Minister Mohamed Salem Basindwa met here on Sunday with President of Puntland State of Somalia, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, who is currently visiting Yemen .
In the meeting, Basindwa and Ali discussed the joint cooperation relations, especially with the Puntland State, and the prospects of boosting them so as to serve the mutual interest of the two countries.
They touched on the latest developments in Somalia and the steps that have been achieved towards the comprehensive peace.
In the meeting, the Prime Minister renewed Yemen’s support to all efforts aiming to achieve the security and stability in Somalia, noting to the depth of ties and historical relations between Yemen and Somalia.
Eastleigh tenants flee as Usalama Watch intensifies in the Estate
04 May- Source: KTN- 2:50 min
A section of Eastleigh residents have begun to vacate the estate following the ongoing operation Usalama watch. The residents claim that constant police patrols and road blocks have made their lives unbearable.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Three killed in bus blasts on second day of violence in Kenya
05 May – Source: Reuters – 197 words
At least three people were killed when two buses driving on a busy highway in the Kenyan capital Nairobi were struck by explosive devices on Sunday, the day after attacks in Mombasa. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Kenya has blamed similar attacks on the al Qaeda-linked Somali group al Shabaab, which killed at least 67 people at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi last September.
“So far three people have been confirmed dead, one was killed at the scene and two died in hospital,” Moses Ombati, the deputy police commander for Nairobi told Reuters. “The final report will be known later tonight ortomorrow, once we check with all the hospitals.”
More than 60 wounded – at least 20 of them in critical condition – were taken to various hospitals with shrapnel injuries and torn limbs, medical officials said.
Somali Islamist militants have been carrying out such attacks in retaliation for Kenya’s intervention in neighbouring Somalia in October 2011. The militants want Kenya to withdraw its troops, but Kenya has rejected their demand. Sunday’s blasts came a day after twin explosions in the port city of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean, a tourist magnet.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“After 25 years of lacking a functioning government, smacked in a hostile region, Somali leaders better “smell the coffee” and do something out of the box. As we stand, the decks are stacked high against the current leaders in Mogadishu.”
President Hassan’s fading political footprint
05 May- Source: Wardheernews- 623 words
President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud of Somalia and his government have been lately mired in diplomatic nightmares. The latest bellow was dealt when the United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs, John Kerry, summoned the leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda on May 1, 2014 and sidelined President Hassan. Leaders of these three countries are supposedly regional key team players and partners in Washington’s global “war on terror.”
Kerry invited these leaders to a strategy session on conflict mapping and the necessary potential architecture to tackle terrorism.
Unfortunately, Somalia, the home for most of the terror and the main recipient of its casualties, was treated as a child of a ‘lesser God” by not inviting her to the table. Neither the President nor his Prime Minister was invited to this key strategy session. Neighboring countries are charged to brief Somalia on the big picture.
For a face saving, though, President Hassan and his delegation were posthumously invited to meet with Kerry on his way out of Africa. This hastily organized meeting reportedly focused on reportage and a laundry list for aid prepared by Somalia. Apparent from the State Department’s debriefing, Kerry’s government appeared lukewarm and non-committal to Somalia, but mostly he listened. In the discussion, the US also mentioned its efforts in Somaliland and Puntland.
“Mr. Silanyo’s close family members are in denial to grasp the calamity of the situation and save his legacy by forthcoming with the true status of the President’s health, so his constituents would understand that recent political mishaps are not his doing.”
Who is running the show in Somaliland?
03 May- Source: Somaliland Informer- 415 words
The question in many Somalilander’s minds both, supporters and foes, is has President Silanyo always been this inept, or has something horrible happened to him that compromised and diminished his cognitive skills to conform to the expectations. I am staking for the latter since all indications are supporting that President Silanyo was a man with tremendous capacity of intellect, conviction and patriotism in his yesteryears. Most of the people who have known him in his tenure during Afwayne regime or when he was at the helm of SNM or more recently when he became the chairperson of Kulmiye party, testify that he was a capable man who had a sound judgments with fairness.
However, the current status of his government and the direction it is heading contradicts to his political traits, to an extent that it defies logic. The implementation of some maleficent political decisions, blatant misappropriation of funds, nepotism, corruption, injustice, and inequality are mind boggling to believe that President Silanyo is purporting.
Top tweets
@UNSomalia #UNSC condemns terrorist attack in #Mogadishu, called for perpetrators to be brought to justicehttp://bit.ly/1kB6RHj #Somalia
@StateDept .@JohnKerry meets with #Somalia‘s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. See more photos:https://flic.kr/s/aHsjX9QrB4 pic.twitter.com/vhTZWcneiJ
@Hamza_Africa Fierce fighting between #Somalia gov’t troops & Ahlu Sunnah forces in Belet Hawo after Ethiopian forces under AMISOM withdrew from the town
@Ashkirsom #Somalia: 16 #AlShabaab Killed in Fierce Fighting in Somalia After Attack on #AMISOM Base..http://www.
@Refugees #Somali Abdifatah’s studies were affected when he had to sleep in #Dadaab camp mosque http://rfg.ee/wpjPv
@farhanjimale The Kenyan opposition party ODM calls for#Kenya Defence Force #Somalia exit – News – http://nation.co.ke http://www.nation.co.ke/news/
Image of the day
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud shake hands before a meeting at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, May 3, 2014. Photo: VOA