May 6, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

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Somali PM calls immediate ceasefire for warring sides in Beledhawa

06 May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/RBC/SNTV- 173 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has called the warring sides in Beledhawa town of Somalia’s Southwest region of Gedo to immediately cease the fighting and allow the local people to live in peace.

In a statement released on Monday night, Prime Minister Abdiweli said his government will conduct full investigation into the both sides involving the fresh fight in Beledhawa which killed at least four people on Monday.

“The government will take legal step against those who involved the fight.” the Prime Minister’s statement read.

“Somali people suffered enough and it is time to renounce violence and start new life of peace and prosperity.” the statement added.

According to residents, the fighting erupted early on Monday in the border town after forces loyal to the Gedo regional administration under the government and others loyal to the Kismayo-based Interim Administration of Jubba clashed for the control of the town.

Hundreds of civilians were reportedly fleeing towards the Kenyan border as the fight intensified.

Key Headlines

Somali PM calls immediate ceasefire for warring sides in Beledhawa (Radio Mogadishu/RBC)
Governor of Banadir region appoints new spokesman (Radio Dalsan)
Beledweyne officials to take new measures to improve security (Radio Bar-kulan)
Majority Leader: Let KDF stay in Somalia (Standard Media)
Somali PM dismisses claims of army recruiting child soldiers (Radio Goobjoog)
Somali Ambassador to Kenya to brief cabinet over Kenya-Somalia ties (Radio RBC)
Hiiraan governor vows to punish officials diverting aid (VOA Somali Service)
Some 37 al Qaeda militants including Somalis killed in Shabwa Yemini official says (Al Shahid)
Heavy rainfall in Mogadishu leaves three dead (Radio Goobjoog)
Were five Nyeri youths executed over terror links? (Standard Media)
Lightning kills two and injures three in Mudug region (Radio Bar-kulan)
President Gelle: “ Rebuilding Somali national army is a fact if the world wants to see Somalia stand on its feet” (Radio VOA Somali)
The Ever Improving Standards of Somaliland Airports (Somaliland Informer)
MP Senator speak out on withdrawal of KDF from Somalia (Standard Media)
Somalia worst place to be a mother: charity (New Vision/AFP)
URP leader wants KDF recalled from Somalia (Standard Media)
Somali Forces Seek Out Terrorists Hiding in Shadows (VOA)
Federal Government of Somalia Completes Construction of U.S.-Funded Armories in Mogadishu(somalia.cms.getusinfo)
U.S. Signs New Lease to Keep Strategic Military Installation in the Horn of Africa (New York Times)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali PM calls immediate ceasefire for warring sides in Beledhawa

06 May- Source: Radio Mogadishu/RBC/SNTV- 173 words

“The government will take legal step against those who involved the fight.” the Prime Minister’s statement read.

“Somali people suffered enough and it is time to renounce violence and start new life of peace and prosperity.” the statement added.

Hundreds of civilians were reportedly fleeing towards the Kenyan border as the fight intensified.

Governor of Banadir region appoints new spokesman

06 May- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Goobjoog/Somaliweyn Online/Mareeg Online-68 words

The governor of Banadir region and mayor of Mogadishu Hassan Mohamed Hussein aka Muungab named Ahmed Osman Muhidin Showqi as the new spokesman of Banadir region to replace the former spokesperson Abdibasid Mohamed Abdirahman. His appointment came after the former spokesman of the region Abdibasid Mohamed Abdirahman resigned, but he declined to give comments about the motive behind his resignation. For less than four months Banadir region has two spokesmen.

Beledweyne officials to take new measures to improve security

06 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 106 words

Somali government officials in Hiran region have once again reiterated their commitment to beef up the security situation in and around Beledweyne, the provincial capital of the region.

Beledweyne town governor, Mohamed Osman Abdi told Bar-kulan that the local authorities have already inflicted heavy losses to Al Shabaab rebel group in the region.

He emphasized that the administration is implementing new measures to heighten the fragile security in an attempt to speed up development programs in the region.

Abdi added they are working with the security forces and urged locals to play their part in the latest efforts to improve the overall security of the town.

Somali PM dismisses claims of army recruiting child soldiers

06 May- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 86 words

The Prime Minister of the Somali Federal Republic reiterated his government’s commitment to prevent child soldiers being recruited in the national army.

Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed the Prime Minister, vowed that the Somali government will protect the rights of child soldiers and make sure that they are not recruited or serving in the army.

The former transitional government was accused by the international community for recruiting child soldiers. At last, PM. Abdiwali said that the justice system in Somalia will protect the rights of the children.

Somali Ambassador to Kenya to brief cabinet over Kenya-Somalia ties

06 May – Source: Radio RBC – 170 words

Somalia ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur will attend the cabinet of ministers’ meeting in Mogadishu to brief over the unwell bilateral relations between Somalia and Kenya following the arrest of Somali diplomat.

According to the cabinet meeting schedule, the ambassador is expected to update the members of the cabinet and the Prime Minister the recent arrest against senior Somali diplomat in Nairobi by the Kenyan police during security swoop against Somali ethnics in Kenya.

The Federal Government of Somalia officially sent a protest to Kenya and asked for reasonable explanation relating the arrest of Mr Siyad Mohamud Shire. In a recent interview, Ambassador Nur admitted that the arrest of the diplomat was a “diplomatic abuse” committed by Kenya and that it could worsen the ties between Mogadishu an Nairobi.

The cabinet meeting will address the government’s position towards the relation between Somalia and Kenya despite the Prime Minister last week declared that his government was very upset on the indiscriminate arrests against Somalis in Kenya.

Hiiraan governor vows to punish officials diverting aid

06 May – Source: VOA Somali Service – 155 words

Abdi Fitah Hassan Afrah, Hiiraan newly appointed governor, on Monday told VOA Somali service that his administration recently obtained documents showing aid diverting which some well-known officials are involved.

“We received a confidential document which points that some well-known officials in Hiran region diverted aid from Beledweyne town in the era of drought. We will bring them in front of the justice so they are punished for looting”, the governor said.

Thousands of sacks of food aid meant for Somalia’s famine victims have been stolen and are being sold in the markets while population languishing in refugee camps can’t find enough to eat, some reports published by news agencies showed.

The governor declined to name the officials before they are brought in front of the court.

Heavy rainfall in Mogadishu leaves three dead

06 May- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 115 words

Mogadishu has witnessed heavy rainfall that began the wee hours of the night, the internally displaced persons (IDPs)have been affected by the torrential pour down in the city. According to witnesses, the heavy pour down has caused floods, at least three people a mother and her two children died after a house they were residing in come down.

Local transportation in the capital was also curtailed as floods washed some of the streets in Mogadishu. Businessmen and students were seen going to the markets and educational institutions on foot.

This heavy torrential rainfall in Mogadishu and its surrounding comes a time when over seven people died in some regions of Somalia due acute water shortage.

Lightning kills two and injures three in Mudug region

06 May- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 115 words

Two people have been killed and three others sustained injuries after they were struck by lightning in Gawaan area, 30 KM south of Hobyo district in Mudug region.

Hussein Salad Weheliye, the Galmudug commissioner of Hobyo district told Bar-kulan that those who were injured in the incident are being given medical attention in Hobyo hospital. Weheliye also added there was an unspecified number of livestock that perished in the lightning incident.

The two were killed Sunday night when a bolt of electricity reportedly hit two neighboring families among the pastoralist communities in the area.

Gawaan is one of the most hit areas in the country affected by severe droughts and water shortages in recent weeks.

President Gelle: “ Rebuilding Somali national army is a fact if the world wants to see Somalia stand on its feet”

06 May- Source: Radio VOA Somali Service/Radio Goobjoog- 194 words

In an interview with the VOA Somali service, Djiboutian president Ismail Omar Gelle said $3 billion of Western promises to help Somalia rebuild its army and the country have not been met.

He said there is no getting around the fact that rebuilding the army is a necessity if the world wants to see Somalia stand on its own feet.

Gelle thanked Obama for what he called a revelation for the development of Africa, including healthcare, education and food security in Djibouti.

United States and Djibouti have signed a new 10-year let out on a U.S. military base in the Horn of Africa nation that the White House called a vital part in fighting terrorism.

President Barack Obama publicized the contract Monday at a White House meeting with Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Gelle.

Both presidents promised to continue working together to increase economic development and fight terrorism in the Horn of Africa, including their loyalty to keep al Shabab from gaining ground.

Obama called the base a critical talent and extremely important to the U.S. role in the Horn of Africa. He said he is indented to Gelle for agreeing to a long-term lease.

The Ever Improving Standards of Somaliland Airports

05 May – Source: Somaliland Informer – 133 words

“Egal International airport in Hargeisa has been rated in terms of security hygiene, infrastructure & managerial to be more superior than Juba, Djibouti and Mogadishu airports” UNCAO.

Now in the her fourth year in power the ruling party Kumliye led by HE Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud alias Silanyo ascent to power came with the dramatic transformation of the country’s airports following the appointment of workaholic & maverick minister of Civil Aviation & Air Transport Mr. Mohamud Hashi Abdi who has done a marvelous job in putting Somaliland airports in the world map by uplifting their standards which were in deplorable conditions before his appointment.

He started by renovating the airports buildings and runways & putting in place a transparent management; he also hired educated youth to run different departments thus bringing the airport from category 2 to 7.

REGIONAL MEDIA

MP, Senator speak out on withdrawal of KDF from Somalia

06 May- Source: Standard Media- 348 words

Two MPs and a Senator from Central Kenya have decried calls to withdraw the Kenya Defence Forces ( KDF) from Somalia in order to contain increasing terror attacks meted by suspected al Shabaab adherents.

MPs, Kanini Kega (Kieni), Ndung’u Gethenji (Tetu) and Nyeri Senator Mutahi Kagwe said withdrawing the military is an act of cowardice and the enemies would claim victory against Kenya.

Kega said withdrawing the military from the neighbouring country would also lead to loss of the gains the KDF has helped gather for the troubled country. “It is time to bite the bullet and hit the dragon.
As much as we sympathise with families of those killed and maimed in the attacks, we should know that withdrawing the KDF could even increase attacks in our land,” said Kega.

Addressing a press conference at the White Rhino Hotel in Nyeri town, the legislator called on Kenyans to support President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy, William Ruto, who have insisted that the military will continue with the incursion until Somalia stabilises.

Somalia worst place to be a mother: charity

06 May- Source: New Vision/AFP- 320 words

Somalia is the worst country on Earth to be a mother, according to a report published by Save the Children on Monday which calls for more action to protect mothers and children in crisis-hit areas.

The London-based charity estimates that 800 mothers and 18,000 young children are dying around the world every day from largely preventable causes.

Finding ways to meet the health and nutritional needs of this vulnerable group is particularly vital in fragile states and humanitarian crises, it says in its annual “State of the World’s Mothers” report.

Almost a third of child deaths are found in West and Central Africa, while another third occur in South Asia, where high mortality rates are increasingly concentrated in socially-excluded communities.

Some 37 al Qaeda militants including Somalis, killed in Shabwa, Yemini official says

05 May – Source: Al Shahid – 123 words

Some 37 militants were killed and dozens injured in the battle the army waged on al Qaeda in Maifa’a district of Shabwa province, a military official said Sunday.

“Most of those militants are from Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Somali, Chechnya and other countries,” the official said. The army has destroyed a number of the militants’ vehicles and weapons, he said, adding that the troops backed by the popular committees are carry on combing operation in the areas the terrorists fled to.

The official called on citizens of Maifa’a and Azzan districts not to shelter or allow the terrorist to enter their homes or villages. The Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed saluted the armed and military forces’ courage in confronting “the elements of evil and terrorism”.

Majority Leader: Let KDF stay in Somalia

05 May- Source: Standard Media- 111 words

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale says Kenyan soldiers should not be withdrawn from Somalia. Duale dismissed calls for an exit plan for Kenya Defence Forces troops serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), saying peace has to be restored. “We must stand by our troops serving in Somalia. The security personnel need support of all Kenyans in the face of rising terror threats. We are not going to leave Somalia,” said Duale. Speaking in Kuresoi South Constituency, Nakuru County, Duale said Kenya was yet to meet its objectives in Somalia. “Until we eliminate terrorists, KDF shall remain in Somalia,” he said.

URP leader wants KDF recalled from Somalia

05 May- Source: Standard Media-210 Words

A United Republican Party ( URP) leader has joined the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in pleading with the Government to recall Kenya Defence Forces ( KDF) from Somalia.

URP’s National Organising Secretary George Ayugi said the Government should withdraw the soldiers from Somalia since the relationship between the two countries has been strained. He said the removal of Somali ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur from the country back to Mogadishu was a clear sign that the country no longer needed our help.

“There is no cordial relationship between Kenya and Somalia after they recalled their ambassador to Mogadishu, hence no reason why our soldiers should continue staying in their country in the name of creating peace,” he said.

Were five Nyeri youths executed over terror links?

06 May- Source: Standard Media- 287 words

Five people whose bodies were found dumped in a forest in Nyeri a fortnight ago could have been killed after they were suspected of involvement in terrorism. Sources have revealed that two of them had secretly travelled to Somalia where they received military training before sneaking back into the country. Three days before they were executed, the two were said to have travelled to Nairobi on an undisclosed mission. A relative to one of the deceased revealed that they were informed by a person whom he declined to name, that the youth were killed over suspicion of being members of the terror group. The fresh details contradict initial reports that the five, Yusuf Mwangi Mohammed, also known as Pique, 18, Mohammed Kaburu, 19, Kelvin Kihuri, 25, Simon King’ori, and Martha Wairimu Gitonga, 25 were common criminals who had been terrorising Nyeri residents. When their bodies were discovered in Tagwa Forest on April 16, shocked relatives told journalists that they were picked by police as they left a popular bar in Ruring’u where they had been watching a football match.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Forces Seek Out Terrorists Hiding in Shadows

06 May – Source: VOA – 153 words

Somalia’s special forces may be one of the few success stories in the country’s feeble armed services, working overtime to nab suspected terrorists. But the national military still has a lot of work to do to ensure the future security of the country.

It’s time for morning prayers in Mogadishu and security forces are just wrapping up a night-time raid.
Somali special forces have rounded up 10 suspected members of the al Qaeda linked militant group al Shabaab. The group is accused of assassinating government officials in the city.

Colonel Farah Ali said the suspects were targeted based on inside information. “We are not looking for just anyone, we are looking for al Shabaab. We have intelligence from people on the ground about them. We are not harassing any other people except al Shabaab and al Qaeda,” he said.

Soldiers from the AMISOM peacekeeping mission work hand-in-hand with Somali military and police to bring security to violence-wracked Mogadishu.

Federal Government of Somalia Completes Construction of U.S.-Funded Armories in Mogadishu

06 May- Source: somalia.cms.getusinfo- 173 words

U.S. Special Representative for Somalia James P. McAnulty congratulates the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) on the recent completion of the construction of two armories in the Gashendeega District of Mogadishu. The two armories form part of a U.S.-funded project to build eight armories in the national capital.

Constructed by U.S.-implementing partner, the Mine Advisory Group (MAG), the armories complement the federal government’s program to build FGS capacity to properly manage, verify, and provide notification of weapons and ammunition purchases. The MAG expects to complete construction of the remaining six armories in the Mogadishu area during the next three to six months. The MAG has also provided training for weapons and ammunition operations and management to personnel in the Somali National Army.

The United States remains committed to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia as it works to stabilize and govern Somalia, and commends the federal government’s efforts to comply with the weapons management requirements of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2142.

U.S. Signs New Lease to Keep Strategic Military Installation in the Horn of Africa

05 May- Source: New York Times- 950 words

The Obama administration said Monday that it had signed a 20-year lease on its military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, the only American installation on the continent and a staging ground for counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia.

Djibouti, a country of fewer than one million people the size of New Jersey that borders the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, has played an increasingly significant role in seeking to stabilize regional crises. The deal reflects the small country’s outsize strategic importance in helping the United States and other Western allies combat terrorists, pirates and smugglers in the region.

In a 40-minute meeting in the Oval Office, President Obama and Ismail Omar Guelleh, the president of Djibouti, covered a range of security and development issues, aides said. But the talks centered on the critical role played by Camp Lemonnier, a sprawling base of 4,000 American service members and civilians that serves as a hub for counterterrorism operations and training.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“It is true that our Forces’ presence in Somalia, if it takes too long and the number of body bags keep mounting, may result in a backlash. It would also be helpful if there is a timeline within which the KDF mission in that country can be described as accomplished. Right now, it certainly is not. Therefore, precipitate, unilateral withdrawal would be totally unwise. It will just encourage Al-Shabaab to try and regain the territory it lost.”

Somalia pullout unwise

06 May- Source: Daily Nation-204 Words

The question of whether the Kenya Defence Forces troops in Somalia should be pulled out is one that requires deep thought devoid of partisan politicking and emotionalism.

It is a fact that the Somali terrorist group, al Shabaab, cites our troops’ presence in Somalia as one of the reasons its murderous operatives have been targeting innocent men, women and children, but it is doubtful whether withdrawing our troops will make them stop their cowardly attacks.

It is also doubtful whether such a withdrawal will not signal to the rest of the world that Kenyan troops are fleeing certain defeat, a conclusion that would be manifestly untrue.

But even more important, it could indicate to the terrorists that Kenyans are cowardly, which may embolden them to strike even harder.

“While condemning the heinous and cowardly attacks in Mombasa and Nairobi, it is important to recalibrate our operational strategies, and reorganise leadership to drive counter-terror operations and restore national security.”

Only bold leadership can defeat terrorism

06 May- Source: Daily Nation-364 Words

Being a Kenyan is a wonderful experience especially in a global context where you have opportunity to interact with other nationalities. Indeed, it is uplifting that Kenya is becoming famous, not just in Hollywood but also at the White House where President Obama is at home with the country’s tag.

That said, some events are obnoxious for they dent the good image we have earned ourselves over the years. The orgy of terrorist violence and poor security remedies, the road carnage, and runaway corruption, are ailments for which our leadership must find immediate cures. We must realise that Vision 2030 is unattainable without a secure environment where business can thrive and people are assured of safety.

Terrorist attacks in our major cities are a reminder that our security plans are either failing or unproductive. Our security agencies must refresh themselves on the basics of operational skills before they start thinking of complex strategies to combat terrorism.

It is quite unfortunate that we seem to overlook safety when handling emergency situations like the bus explosion in Mombasa where crowds proved to be an impediment to the smooth flow of emergency services.

All the conventions and conferences concerning about promotion of friendly relations among states equally oblige countries to respect Sovereign equality of States. For the maintenance of regional and International peace and security, States are widely expected to interject foreign policies based on moral values.

Laws of diplomacy and attitudes of stronger Countries

05 May- Source: Hiiraan Online-1000 Words

The core of International Law is respect for the rights of diplomats. The standard behavior of States in this area were well spelled out in details, applied universally and taken seriously. Since, the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular relations in 1961 and 1963 respectively, it has been considered unjustifiable to harm an emissary sent from another state. The status of embassies and of an ambassador as an official state representative is explicitly defined in the process of diplomatic recognitions. Once they are accredited, the individual enjoys immunities and privileges as a foreign diplomat in the host country.

An attack on diplomats or embassies is legitimately considered as an attack on the territory of the state itself. For this reason explains why Iraq couldn’t confiscate the premises of US embassy in Kuwait in 1991 after Saddam Hussein claimed that Kuwait as a state no longer exists, though Iraq’s forces could easily overrun the facility. On the ground of embassy, rules and laws of the sending state of emissary apply not the receiving state’s laws.

Nevertheless, stronger countries can sometimes abuse diplomatic rules by punishing diplomats from weaker countries because the stronger has the instruments and the resources to manipulate the weaker, and its where the moral values of foreign policy is ridiculed. Neorealist paradigm emphasizes the survival of the fittest as many foreign policy makers embrace the adoption of that model as a choice in foreign relations. In 1997 France persecuted a diplomat from Zaire for reckless driving. In 2011 a US diplomat Raymond Davis employed at US Consular in Lahor was arrested by Pakistani law enforcements criminally charged him with double murder, however, US government erroneously threatened Pakistani government not to persecute the diplomat because of his diplomatic immunity. President Brack Obama said about the incident; ‘there’s a broader principal at stake I think we have to uphold’. Despite the fact that the Pakistani Law practitioners argued that grave crimes have no protection under the diplomatic conventions that underlines article 41 (1) of the Vienna Conventions on Consular relations; ‘Consular officers shall not be liable to arrest or detention pending trial, except in the case of gave crime and pursuant to a decision by the competent judicial authority’, yet he was released under the law of that Convention. And in 2014 Kenya briefly detained Somali diplomat without giving proper accusation whether the diplomat abused the receiving state’s principles of diplomatic engagement. Subsequently, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in protest of Kenya’s mistreatment has recalled its emissary in Nairobi for consultations which is the right approach for resolving diplomatic disputes.

Top tweets

@Oxfam Food security to worsen in southern #Somalia due to intensified conflict http://ow.ly/wv0Kf latest @FEWSNET alert v@OCHASom

@WaaberiProject #Somalia to restructure police force.http://fb.me/26YLXifqN

@GenoWorldview RT @Oxfam: 2.9 million people in #Somaliaare in crisis– we can’t fail them again. Pls add your voice:http://ow.ly/wuYEl #SomaliaAlert

@HLooyaan What I don’t understand is y a country that managed to survive from 24yrs of civil wars cannot do better in learning from z past..#Somalia.

@tres_HOA At a recent ceremony in #Barawe #Somalia,#Shabaab celebrated their “successful treatment” of the mentally ill. pic.twitter.com/zyjKtiti2i

@USAforSOMALIA SRS McAnulty: #US remains committed to supporting the Federal Government of #Somalia as it works to stabilize and govern #Somalia

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Image of the day Somalia MPs gather to discuss a no-confidence motion against the president in Mogadishu. Photo: @tres_HOA