May 5, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Somalia Army Kills 12 Islamic State Militants
05 May – Source: Xinhua – 137 Words
Twelve militants affiliated to Islamic State were killed by Somalia National Army soldiers in Janale town, southern Somalia, a military statement said Wednesday. The military said the 12 were killed in the Lower Shabelle region, one of the last strongholds of the militant group Al-Shabaab in Somalia. “We killed 12 Daesh fighters in Janale, Lower Shabelle following an operation by army commandos on Wednesday,” said the statement.
The army said those killed included foreign fighters while others were captured alive. Sections of Al-Shabaab fighters have declared their allegiance to Islamic State with many of them killed by Al-Shabaab leadership which still maintains its loyalty to Al-Qaeda. A group calling itself Jabha East Africa in March this year declared it was aligning itself with al-Qaeda and called on militants in the region to relinquish its allegiance to Al-Shabaab.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Army Kills 12 Islamic State Militants (Xinhua)
- Parliament To Debate Sacking Of Chief Justice (Goobjoog News)
- Somali MP Accuses International Community Of Interfering 2016 Election (Shabelle News)
- Demonstrations As Currency Devaluation Threaten Local Economy (Horseed Media)
- Can An App Tackle Domestic Violence In Somalia? (The Guardian)
- Woman On Frontline Against Al-Shabaab (BBC)
- Intelligence Official: Islamic State Growing In Somalia (Voice of America)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Parliament To Debate Sacking Of Chief Justice
05 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 166 Words
Parliament will today debate the sacking of Chief Justice Aidiid Elkahanaf on Wednesday in what is expected to generate a lot of reactions. The debate will see one of parliament’s most crucial proceedings. Questions that are likely to arise include the manner and intent of Elkahanaf’s firing. Elkahanaf who was appointed in 2011 by the Sheikh Shariff administration was relieved of his duties this Wednesday in what the president said was out of age and myriad complaints from the public about the working of the judiciary.
But insiders say reasons for Elkahanaf’s sacking runs deep into differences between Villa Somalia and the Judiciary’s top man. Ibrahim Iidle Suleyman who hails from the Togdeer region in Somaliland was announced as his replacement.
Somali MP Accuses International Community Of Interfering 2016 Election
05 May – Source: Shabelle News – 123 Words
Dahir Amin Jesow, an outspoken Somali parliamentarian has accused the international community of interfering the 2016 electoral process of the country. The MP said the country’s leaders are being dictated to their national duty by the international community, in terms of the decision making process and the election model.
Somali parliament members voiced concern over the electoral model agreement signed by the federal and regional leaders during the recent national consultative forums held in several cities in Somalia. The MP’s comments came as the lawmakers concluded debate on the election model of Somalia on Wednesday. Mr Jesow also called on United Nations (UN) to lift the long-term arms embargo on Somalia, to boost the war on Al shabaab militants.
Demonstrations As Currency Devaluation Threaten Local Economy
05 May – Source: Horseed Media- 165 Words
Angry protesters took to the streets of the Puntland business capital, Bossaso on Wednesday, in a bid to show their grievance over the skyrocketing commodity prices amid currency devaluation in the region. The current inflation crisis has mainly affected small scale business owners as well as the common man, who mainly rely on the Shilling for domestic business transactions, thus exacerbating the already dwindling economic resilience of the local population.
Latest demonstrations come as President Abdiweli Gaas is in Bossaso amid allegations that the current government has done little to stop rampant financial proliferation activities in the region, where business cartels operate illegal currency printing equipment.
The weeklong protest in major towns in Puntland has brought essential business activities into standstill as the value of the Somali Shilling declined against US Dollar, trading at $1=26,000Sh.So in major Puntland exchange markets during the weekdays, unlike the Southern regions that maintained financial stability during the course of the day at $1=22,000Sh.So.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Can An App Tackle Domestic Violence In Somalia?
05 May – Source: The Guardian – 714 Words
Dahrio, a mother of three, lives in a camp for internally displaced people in Mogadishu, Somalia. Her community has always seen her as a strong, happy woman. But for three years her cheerful facade hid repeated, terrifying domestic abuse by her husband, a local policeman. Now the creators of an app used in western countries to support those worried about domestic violence hope to help Somali women be safer in their communities. The app, My Plan, takes women who are worried about abuse through a series of questions about their circumstances. It determines their levels of safety and offers courses of action, as well as live connection to local services and support.
Dahrio was eventually helped by a clinic where NGO the International Committee for the Development of Peoples (CISP) provides medical and psychosocial care for victims of domestic violence. CISP is hoping to use My Plan to help women like Dahrio. Domestic abuse has historically been an accepted cultural practice in Somalia. “Many women endure domestic violence, including physical and sexual assault, and often remain with their husband as a result of cultural beliefs that dictate submissive behaviour of women,” reports the UN’s Somalia gender-based violence working group (pdf). “Loss of their children in case of a divorce might also play an important role in this decision.”
In 2015, the country passed a bill criminalising numerous abusive practices such as gang rape and human trafficking. But to the dismay of rights activists, it did not address marital rape and domestic violence. To challenge these norms and lift women’s rights, CISP with the John Hopkins School of Nursing, runs weekly discussion groups engaging religious leaders, healthcare providers, police, teachers, youth and displaced communities to expedite social norm change. CISP’s research showed a significant drop – from 88% to 14% – of male and female participants strongly agreeing with the statement “a husband has the right to demand/force sex from his wife” after four months of their weekly discussion group.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
Woman On Frontline Against Al-Shabaab
05 May – Source: BBC – Video: 56:12 Minutes
Iman Elman is a captain in the Somali National Army leading a team of soldiers liberating towns and villages from the control of the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab. The 24-year-old is unusual as women make up only 7 percent of Somalia’s military and very few of them go into combat. Her father Elman Ali Ahmed was a peace activist whose motto was “put down the gun, pick up a pen”.
“It would have been better to destroy them when they were 20 or 30 men, before they adapted to the environment; but now the terrorists got used to the climate, they secured access to water wells, routes, and hiding places, “ he said.
Intelligence Official: Islamic State Growing In Somalia
05 May – Source: Voice of America – 616
Pro-Islamic State Somali militants have grown in numbers and are receiving financial and military support from Yemen, a top intelligence official told the VOA Somali Service. Abdi Hassan Hussein, the former Director of the U.S.-backed Puntland Intelligence Agency (PIA) said when the pro-IS Somali faction was founded in October last year it had about 20-30 men, but has since set up training camps and recruited more fighters. He said the group’s fighters now number between 100-150 fighters. “They have graduated their first units and they have received their military supplies,” he said.
Hussein led PIA until a year ago when he was replaced. His main job was to detect militant threats and plan counter-terrorism operations. He said Islamic State has welcomed its Somalia branch and has started delivering supplies through their affiliate faction in Yemen.
“They received military supplies from Yemen – weapons, uniform, ISIS sent trainers who inspected their bases, and they have started sending financial support,” he said. “The weapons’ shipment was delivered by sea from Mukallah city in Hadramouth, it has arrived from the Red Sea coast of Somalia in February and March this year.”
Hussein pointed to a recent video posted by the group that he said shows the group received new uniforms. He said there is also evidence that the group has received financial support from Islamic State. “Evidence of financial support can be seen in the area; they are buying supplies, they are buying vehicles, they bought livestock, they invested in the community by delivering water supplies to nearby community affected by the drought,” he said.
Hussein said reports he has received indicate administrations in Somalia have underestimated the threat of the pro-IS group led by former Al-Shabaab cleric Abdulkadir Mumin. He criticized the Somali government and regional administrations for not taking the threat seriously. He said Islamic State will pose tougher challenge than Al-Shabaab. “Daesh is more dangerous than Al-Shabaab. They are known for committing large scale destruction. They have more finance. They have more impact. They declared to start attacks within Somalia, and they readied units to carry out attacks.”
TOP TWEETS
@gcmcSomalia : #Somalia Somalia: Somalia Rainfall Forecast – Issued: 05/05/2016 http://bit.ly/1ZgmOYW #crisismanagement
@omabha : Somalia: President Relieves Chief Justice Over Corruption – http://AllAfrica.com http://dlvr.it/LDh0RK #Somalia
@mustafaxaaji : #Somalia parliament on urgent session to discuss on the dismissal of #ChiefJustice..Sources.
@TheVillaSomalia cannot fire him it’s #Illegal &#unconstsitutional. #Somalia:
@Cidilibaax : Can an app tackle domestic violence in#Somalia ? #Puntland #Galmudug #Mogadishu
@Soomaalikabe : #Somalia #Somalia: Floods following drought worsen Ethiopian hunger http://soomaalikabe.com/?p=
@Soomaalikabe : #Somalia #Somalia: Woman on Frontline Against Al Shabaab http://soomaalikabe.com/?p=
@digitaldjeli 2h2 hour: #Somalia Former head of Puntland intelligence says Mumin’s ISIS loyal group has increased numbers
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Young artists showcase paintings depicting causes & dangers of Tahrib (migration to Europe).
Photo: @MogadishuImages