May 8, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report.

SNA Commanders In Bullo-Burde Claim Victory Over Clashes With Al-Shabaab

08 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 168 Words

At least eight from opposing sides have been reported killed after fighting flared up in Abooray locality between the army and Al-Shabaab. The fighting started after government soldiers attacked an Al-Shabaab base military base in Abooray. Somali military commanders in Bullo-Burde town have shared details of the gun battle between government forces and Al-Shabab fighters in areas under Bulla-Burde district; the Commander of Somali National Army Col. Abdullahi Barre Elmi told Goobjoog that they defeated Al-Shabaab fighters in the area after heavy fighting. “We killed several Al-Shabaab fighters and they ran away [with] injuries,” he said. He added that the government will keep on fighting until Al-Shabaab and their sympathisers are annihilated. Al-Shabab did not comment on the claims made by the Somali military. There have been consistent skirmishes between SNA and Al-Shabaab in many towns in Hiiraan region. Al-Shabaab imposed tight sanctions by blocking the main trade routes leading to many towns in Hiiraan region after they lost key strongholds.

Key Headlines

SNA Commanders In Bullo-Burde Claim Victory Over Clashes With Al-Shabaab (Goobjoog News)
Federal Cabinet Endorses Three Key Commissions (Garowe Online)
Technical Committee Of Somali Central State Formation Publicises State Formation Roadmap (Goobjoog News)
Somalia South West Regional Administration Oppose Jubbaland Parliament Formation (Somali Current)
Amid Power Sharing Controversy Two Somali Regions On Collision Course (Hiiraan Online)
Report: Somalia Is The Worst Country To Be A Rape Victim (Somali Current)
3000 Men Trained By KDF Missing (All Africa/The Star Kenya)
Somali Islamists Driven Into North South Pockets (Reuters)
Reviving Culture To Fight Radicalization (Anadolu Agency)
Somalia’s Way Of Seeking Justice For Rape Victims Is Working (Huffington Post)
Somali Citizen Brutally Murdered In Uganda (New Vision/All Africa)
UNESCO Chief Condemns Murder Of Journalists In Separate Incidents In East Africa (UN News Centre)
Is Direct Election Possible In Somalia In 2016? (Wardheer News)
Closing A Huge Somali Refugee Camp In Kenya Would Not Reduce Terrorism (The Economist)
Decades Of Service To Keysaney Hospital In Mogadishu (ICRC)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Federal Cabinet Endorses Three Key Commissions

08 May – Source: Garowe Online – 161 Words

The Federal Government of Somalia’s Council of Ministers endorsed three key commissions in its weekly meeting held in Mogadishu on Thursday, Garowe Online reports. Despite political setbacks, the Mogadishu-based Federal Government said the committees which would have been formed in 2012 underwent a tough screening process. Justice Minister Gen. Abdullahi Ahmed Jama (Ilka Jiir) told a press briefing shortly after the weekly gathering that the cabinet meeting has paved the way to the approval of seven-member Judicial Service Commission, and two members remain pending.

With each committee consisting of nine members, Interior Minister Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein (Odawa) said they have screened 356 candidates for the Independent National Electoral and Boundary Commission. The endorsement of the Judicial Service Commission, and the Independent National Electoral Board and Boundary and Federalization Committee comes a day after Constitutional Review Commission Chairwoman Asho Gelle Dirie resigned over what she called meddling. A week ago, the Somali President along with Federal Member States leaders said that a transparent and credible election will take place by 2016, something analysts called a remote possibility.

Technical Committee Of Somali Central State Formation Publicises State Formation Roadmap

08 May – Source: Goobjoog News – 138 words

The technical committee at the Somali Central State formation conference has confirmed that they will select the delegates of the regional parliament selection body.The chairwoman of the technical committee, Halima Yarey, said that they plan to form a parliamentary selection body by May 15th. “On 25 may, we shall publicise the shortlisted delegates that will sit to form the parliament of soon-to-be-formed Somali Central State,” she said. She added that the parliament will elect the president and deputy president of Central State on June 3rd. “On 5th June, a well-organized inauguration ceremony will be held in which the president and the vice will be sworn in as de jure president and deputy president of Somali Central State.” She also called upon traditional elders, intellectuals, youth, and civil society to support and work closely with the technical committee.

Somalia South West Regional Administration Oppose Jubbaland Parliament Formation

07 May – Source: Somali Current – 158 Words.

Somalia’s South West regional administration has expressed its dissatisfaction with the newly formed Jubbaland parliament, calling it ‘unfair’. Speaking to the media in Baidoa, the South West regional government’s Minister of Information, Ugas Hassan Abdi, said that the selection process of Jubbaland parliament was unfair and called on the Somali government and the international community not to recognize the Jubbaland parliament. “We are calling [for] the federal government and the international community not to recognize Jubbaland parliament,” Abdi said

The Minister said the initial selection process of creating Jubbaland parliament was based on favoritism, and urged MPs from Jubba and Gedo to withdraw from the parliament. Last month, the Somali government and the international agnecies including UNSOM and IGAD applauded the formation of the Jubbaland parliament, terming the move ‘progressive’. Since the Jubbaland government’s inception in 2012, many tribes in Jubba and Gedo have voiced their dissatisfaction, arguing they have been marginalized by the new administration.

Amid Power Sharing Controversy, Two Somali Regions On Collision Course

07 May – Source: Hiiraan Online – 216 Words

The formation of Jubbaland administration’s parliament seems to be an explosive political move for its neighboring Southwestern state which accused it of violating a previous power-sharing deal by not giving equal members to the region in the new parliament. Under the deal, the two sides agreed the allocation of parliamentary seats among stakeholders within each clan according to Somalia’s 4.5 power sharing formula. Despite numerous complaints from certain clans, the Kismayo-based Jubbaland administration recently formed a parliament with the new legislators are expected to be sworn into their offices this week.

Ugas Hassan Abdi, the South-West state Information Minister has lambasted the Jubbaland administration for reneging on the deal between the two regions, calling the international community to cease supporting the Jubbaland administration. The conflict threatens to set back the implementation of the country’s federalism system, as the political rivalry threatens deepen the country’s political crisis. No one could be reached from Jubbaland administration on the development. The two regions are the offspring of Somalia’s federalism system as the government seeks to spread it across the country, however, political analysts predict more pitfalls and clan rivalry will challenge institution-building, and may represent something of a turning point in the federal project.

Report: Somalia Is The Worst Country To Be A Rape Victim

07 May – Source: Somali Current – 298 Words

Somalia is the worst country to be a victim of sexual violence, it emerges. The international humanitarian organization Save the Children made the shocking revelation in report that similarly profiled Somalia as the worst country to be a mother. The Save the Children’s annual Mother’s Index Rankings revealed that the war-torn country was trailing in terms of child mortality, maternal health, women’s income and education. “Victims of sexual violence in Somalia are continuing to face persecution and social exclusion,” said the report. The report criticized the Federal Government of Somalia of being lenient in the effort to empower women and champion their rights, saying in most occasions victims were squarely blamed for the attack. The report chronicled a well published story of a street hawker, 14, who was raped by a rickshaw driver. After she reported it , they (the rapist and the victim) were both arrested and detained. The rapist was set free while the victim was held and “reportedly raped by the prison guard.” Such shocking rape-and-blamed-for stories are not in short supply.“Somali women are not entirely hopeless,” says founder of The Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Somalia’s Mogadishu Fartuun Adan. The organisation she co-founded with her late activist husband Elman Ali is proving to be the only hope rape victims in Somalia can cling to.“There was a time when we all denied, no one said anything about it, no one was saying ‘we have this problem’ and now attitudes can be changing because people are accepting it – the problem we have,” she said. The report by the Save the Children comes at a time when Somalia is bracing for changes in governance and an election in 2016.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

3,000 Men Trained By KDF Missing

08 May – Source: All Africa/The Star, Kenya – 184 Words

An association from Northeastern wants the whereabouts of 3,000 people given paramilitary training in Manyani and Archers’ Post established. The Northeast Professionals Association said the attacks in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties could have be carried out by people trained by the Kenya Defence Forces to fight alongside the Somali Federal Government. The members spoke during a meeting with the Editors Guild in Nairobi yesterday. Nepa chairman Mohammed Arale called on the government to set up a “state-of-the-art” immigration office to check movement across the Kenya-Somalia border.

Arale said for the war on terror to be won, the government needs to win the hearts and minds of the people. He said local communities mistrust both police and al Shabaab. “There is no structured involvement of the communities in intelligence gathering, reporting and protection of the sources,” Arale said. He said imams should be provided with security to embolden them to speak up against al Shabaab. The new county commissioner, Mohammed Saleh said it will no longer be business as usual when his team arrives in Garissa.

Somali Islamists Driven Into North, South Pockets

08 May – Source: Reuters – 441 Words

A military offensive has driven Somalia’s al Shabaab Islamist group out of major strongholds and deprived it of revenue sources, but its retreat to a southern valley and northern hills still poses a threat, the U.N. envoy to Somalia said. The African Union’s AMISOM peacekeeping force and Somali soldiers have pushed the group, which wants to topple the Western-backed government, into smaller pockets of territory since launching an offensive last year. But the group has continued to strike Mogadishu and other government-held areas with bomb and gun attacks from bases in the southern Juba Valley and in northern Puntland’s Galgala hills, a region outside the African Union’s area of operation. “The AU-U.N. have just done a benchmarking review of AMISOM and the Somali national army, as well, and certainly they have recognised that Puntland is an area of concern,” U.N. envoy to Somalia, Nick Kay, told Reuters on Wednesday.

He said expanding AMISOM’s region of operations to the semi-autonomous region of Puntland was “under active consideration”, without saying when it might be agreed. The Somali government has said that the Juba Valley, which lies in the far south near the strategic Kismayo port, was the next target for the military offensive, but has not said when. Puntland, which has been slowly drawing closer to the federal government in Mogadishu, has agreed to integrate 3,000 of its forces into the Somali national army, Kay said. On the political front, Kay said Somalia was laying the groundwork for a revised constitution, although preparations had been delayed, and for parliamentary and presidential elections in 2016. He said it was still not clear whether they could be on the basis of one person, one vote. He said the government was committed to a process that is “more inclusive and more representative” than in 2012, when elders chose parliamentary lawmakers for their communities and lawmakers then chose the president.

Reviving Culture To Fight Radicalization

08 May – Source: Anadolu Agency – 824 Words

The Somali government believes that reviving the country’s culture can help tackle radicalization among its youth, a view shared by the European Union. “We are called a nation of poets,” Somali Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Mohammed Abdi Hayir told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of a cultural event organized by the EU’s delegation to Somalia. Government officials, artists, authors, professionals and members of civil society on Thursday joined Kenyan-Somalis and Somalis living in Nairobi to celebrate Somali culture. “Somalia has been infighting for 25 years. During this period, we have seen a decline in Somali culture, which has created space for youth radicalization,” Hayir admitted.

The fractious Horn of Africa country has remained in relative turmoil since the 1991 ouster of Siad Barre, a military dictator who had ruled the country since 1969. The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group continues to wage a years-long insurgency against the Somali government. For years, the group had controlled much of central and southern Somalia. Recently, however, it has lost ground to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), working in coordination with Somali army troops. Nevertheless, Al-Shabaab has continued to carry out attacks on government officials and security personnel.

Hayir stressed that his ministry knew the importance of Somali culture. “We are reviving Somali culture because we know it will play a vital role in bringing peace, stability, reconciliation and cohesion to Somalia,” he told Anadolu Agency. The minister said it was time for Somali youth to stop hearing the sound of gunfire after a quarter century of violent factionalism and get used to the sound of drums and dancing instead. “My ministry has begun to re-engage Somali youths into bands to promote our culture,” he added. “We continue to promote the culture with singing, dancing and poetry, which in return provides jobs for our youth,” said the minister. “In these days of radicalization that threatens Somalia, the region, and the international community, the promotion of Somali culture provides a powerful alternative,” he asserted.

Hayir called on the international community to help his country during its transition until it was able to stand on its own. He said Al-Shabaab militants had only made progress harder to achieve. “In order to counter terrorist narratives of destruction and violence, we must revive our culture. The terrorists understand the importance of culture, which is why they are against our culture and traditions,” said the minister. EU Ambassador to Somalia Michele Cervone d’Urso, for his part, said it was vital for people from different walks of life to meet and discuss Somali culture. “There is a desire to revive the broad spectrum of Somali culture and transcend nitty-gritty politically correct clan discussions,” he told Anadolu Agency. “It brings joy to the people of Somalia to share their culture and traditions with a foreigner like me,” said the diplomat.

Somalia’s Way Of Seeking Justice For Rape Victims Is Working

07 May – Source: Huffington Post – 340 Words

As journalists, we dutifully report on what’s going wrong, from scandals and corruption to natural disasters and social problems. But far too often the media fails to show the whole picture, neglecting to tell the stories of what is working. From scientific breakthroughs to successful crime-reduction initiatives, the What’s Working Honor Roll highlights some of the best reporting and analysis, from a range of media outlets, on all the ways people are working toward solutions to some of our greatest challenges.

In Somalia, rape and sexual violence are alarmingly commonplace. Insufficient law enforcement and fear of being punished for reporting their attacker keep women from speaking up. Between January and November of 2013, there were 1,700 rapes in the country’s capital, Mogadishu, according to the United Nations. There were just 2 rape convictions in that same year. But one method being used in another Somali city, Hargeisa, holds promise. Founded in 2008, The Baahi-Koob Cente is a “one-stop center where victims can report their crime to police while also receiving medical care, legal counsel, and psychological support,” TakePart’s Jacob Kushner writes. This approach is working in Hargeisa, according to Antonia Mulvey, founder of the NGO Legal Action Worldwide, and now she wants to bring its benefits to Mogadishu. Though there was resistance at first, as well as a struggle to collect resources and funds, the center in Hargeisa has now made it possible for women to report their rapes, seek treatment, and bring justice to their attackers. Just a few years after its launch, 200 cases of sexual violence were being reported to the center each year.

Somali Citizen Brutally Murdered In Uganda

07 May – Source: New Vision/All Africa – 167 Words

Ugandan police in Jinja are hunting for unknown assailants who attacked and gruesomely strangled to death a 40-year-old man on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Ahmed Muhsin a Somali living in Kenya. Ahmed Muhsin was reportedly murdered and his body thrown by the roadside in a eucalyptus tree garden in Masese village, Walukuba/Masese division, Jinja district. His body was discovered by residents who were passing by going to attend to their gardens.

The Jinja Resident District Commissioner, Richard Gulume and the Jinja DPC, Apollo Kateeba arrived at the scene and addressed residents about security issues. Kateeba said that investigations were on to establish whoever committed the gruesome crime and their intentions. “We urge our people especially those in Jinja to cooperate with us and give information that may lead to the arrest of the criminal(s),” said Kateeba. Kateeba promised to keep all information provided confidential saying that some people usually conceal information that may be vital in investigations.

UNESCO Chief Condemns Murder Of Journalists In Separate Incidents In East Africa

07 May – Source: UN News Centre – 342 Words

The head of the United Nations agency mandated to promote freedom of expression and the safety of media workers worldwide has today condemned the murder of two journalists, a Somalian and a Kenyan, and urged an investigation into the two separate incidents. Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), voiced deep concern for the safety of journalists following the murder of Somalian journalist Daud Ali Omar and his wife, Hawo Abdi Aden, in the city of Baidoa on 29 April. “I condemn the murder of Daud Ali Omar and of his wife,” Ms. Bokova said.

“Somali journalists have been paying an unacceptably high price for trying to keep the people of Somalia informed. It is essential that the authorities do all in their power to improve the safety of journalists. This means that they cannot allow such horrific crimes to go unpunished,” she stressed. Mr. Daud, 35, was a producer for the local, privately owned station Radio Baidoa.

Ms. Bokova also urged an investigation into the 30 April killing of Kenyan newspaper publisher John Kituyi, callingon Kenyan authorities to shed light into his murder. “I condemn the murder of John Kituyi,” the Director-General said. “It is important that the Kenyan authorities conduct a thorough investigation into this crime. The freedom to produce, disseminate and receive news and information from free, diverse and independent media hinges on States’ commitment to ensure that media workers can carry out their professional duties without fear of violence and reprisal. This crime should not go unpunished.”

OPINION/ANALYSIS/CULTURE

“All things considered, 25 years of state collapse is more than what Somalia can endure. The political elites should be ashamed in perpetuating irrelevant excuses and must give Somali citizens their rights to elect their leaders. In 2016, the dignity and sovereignty of Somalia will be at stake. Moreover, the international community must not be an accomplice with those putting obstacles to the peace and state-building process in Somalia. They should not reward failed leaders and corrupt system of governance. The Somali people have matured and will no longer accept dehumanizing narratives that make them different from other nations.”

Is Direct Election Possible in Somalia in 2016?

08 May – Source: Wardheer News – 1, 007 Words

The most popular question being asked and debated among Somalis in the media and social gatherings is what will happen in Somalia 2016? The prevailing discussion is focused on the procedures of extension or other alternatives which destabilizes free and fair election expected to take place in 2016. Proposals include total extension for the current parliament and the president or partial extension to the parliament alone and electing a new president. Another proposal posits an intermediate model that combines selection and election in each sub-clan constituencies. All these suggestions are based on one common assumption: holding direct election in Somalia in 2016, although desirable, is impractical. Undoubtedly, the majority of Somalis are exhausted from the 4.5 power sharing model adopted in Djibouti conference held in 2000.

The current 4.5 model was developed by the Somali civil-society and believed to have shifted the Somali state-building process towards the first wave of a peaceful transition. Unfortunately, the 4.5 model, intended to be used temporarily as transition mechanism, persisted longer and did not precipitate the desired goal. Consequently, discussions in various forums and media outlets have expressed strong aversion against this model for its negative bearing on government institutions and political life. For that reason, today, the prevalent attitude among the general public is the desire to participate in the state building process through a democratic transformation that enables citizens to vote. The major document that outlines democratic transformation is known by the misnomer “Vision 2016″. It was adopted by the current regime along with external stakeholders which supposedly ends when a free and fair election is held. However, because of the inadequate performance of the current regime and lack of progress in achieving major milestones of the Vision 2016, many voices began to rattle and express their concerns and hopelessness of the possibility of holding direct elections in Somalia.

“In Dadaab the refugees expressed panic and defiance. Many have lived there for a quarter of a century and are afraid to go back to their country, which is still rent by violence. “Let them come!” says Kadijo Ali, a slim, feisty woman who came to Dadaab as a baby and now has her own six-month-old daughter strapped to her back. “I’m not going anywhere, even if they kill me.” Residents deny that the camps are riddled with jihadists. “There are no Shabab here,” says Mohamed Yusuf, a 44-year-old teacher and clan elder. “I’ve lived in Dadaab for 25 years and have never seen a training ground or met a Shabab. If they came, we would report them to the police.”

Closing A Huge Somali Refugee Camp In Kenya Would Not Reduce Terrorism

08 May – Source: The Economist – 585 Words

Before the refugees came, Dadaab was a forgettable little way-station in north-eastern Kenya on a dusty road to Somalia. More than two decades later the original town is dwarfed by five sprawling camps spread across flat, dry land that together house at least 350,000 people. It is Kenya’s fourth-largest population centre and the world’s biggest refugee settlement. As Kenya’s government struggles to deal with Islamist terrorism, it is blaming Somali refugees and wants Dadaab gone. The Shabab, a group that is linked to al-Qaeda, are based in Somalia but operate with growing frequency in Kenya. They boasted that they had perpetrated a massacre in early April, when four gunmen killed 148 people, mostly students, at a university in Garissa, a town 80 km (50 miles) south-west of Dadaab. The Shabab also carried out an attack in 2013 on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, killing at least 67 people.

Kenya’s response to the latest attack was to threaten to close the camp and to outlaw 85 remittance companies, civil-society groups and businesses, all accused of funding terrorism. “The refugee camps are full of Shabab,” says Albert Kimathi, a local official in Dadaab town. “This is the breeding ground for what goes on in Garissa, Nairobi and Mombasa,” he says, citing Kenya’s port, where Muslim dissent has grown.After Westgate, Kenya’s government proclaimed a “voluntary repatriation” scheme that took over a year to get going and was largely ignored; barely 2,000 Somalis have taken up the offer to return. In the wake of the horror in Garissa, William Ruto, Kenya’s deputy president, said the UN refugee agency that oversees Dadaab should close the camp within 90 days; otherwise, he promised darkly, “we shall relocate them ourselves.”

“We see hardly any incidents at the hospital as we are neutral and impartial. We are here to provide medical aid to those in need regardless of their affiliations. This position has enabled us to remain operational given the situation. Everyone knows Keysaney hospital belongs to the Somali community and is run by an independent body.”

Decades Of Service To Keysaney Hospital In Mogadishu

06 May – Source: ICRC – 741 Words

Dr Ahmed Mohamed began working at Keysaney hospital in Mogadishu in 1992, a year after the fall of the Said Barre regime ushered in a period of civil war in Somalia. The hospital, run by the Somali Red Crescent Society, has assisted many thousands of patients wounded in armed conflict. In his 23 years at the hospital, Dr Ahmed Mohamed – alias Dr Tajir – now 56, has risen to the rank of Chief Surgeon and become synonymous with the hospital. The persistent fighting of the mid-1990s has subsided but there is lingering conflict in parts of Somalia, including sporadic gunfire, attacks and car bombs in Mogadishu, with many of the resulting victims being treated at Keysaney. In honour of World Red Cross Day on 8 May, Dr Tajir spared some time to tell us about himself.

Q: What made you become a surgeon?

A: As a young boy, I always had the passion to be the greatest. Being born into a nomad family, my parents never had much interest in education. It was not a priority. One memorable moment of my childhood years is visiting a relative in hospital who had suffered gunshot wounds. Despite the doctor’s efforts, he succumbed to his injuries. This sad scenario gave me the motivation to study medicine. I was determined to be a good surgeon and save lives. Somalia needed doctors with an understanding of the people and culture.

Q: Two decades of service is a long time. What keeps you going?

A: The spate of attacks and bombings in Somalia has left thousands wounded and in dire need of medical help. There was a shortage of medical doctors and I chose to remain behind and serve the community. The faces of patients who stream into Keysaney hospital are my driving force. They keep me strong and focused as I want to play a part in changing their lives.

Q: The Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) has been supporting the hospital for the last 23 years. What is your take on this?

A: With so many years working in this hospital, I feel more of a SRCS staff member than anything else. The organization aims to alleviate suffering of the people by providing free, quality health care. The SRCS has enabled the hospital to work independently, serving all communities irrespective of their clan, religion or political affiliations.

Q: How do you balance family life with your busy profession?

A: My family supports me in the work that I do. They have been behind me for the last 25 years and any success attributed to me is derived through their support. When at the hospital I am a doctor, while at home I am a father, an uncle and a husband.

TOP TWEETS

@Aynte: Historic: #Somalia cabinet approved 9 member National Independent Electoral Commission & Boundaries Commission. Big step toward Vision 2016

@UNHCRSom: #UNHCR‘s António Guterres in #Somalia 7/5 with President Sheikh Mohamud & PM Sharmarke to discuss return of @refugees

@MoHassan_ppg: A lot of hard work went into the research of#InspireSomalia. Great to see it finally on UniversalTV. Our youths are talented in #Somalia

@4DialogSK: At this critical juncture #Somalia needs all its sons & daughters, all its political parties & movements.

@SomaliaJunkie: A cloudy day here with a new beginning, lots of happiness and blessings. Enjoy all and pray for peaceful and United #Somalia

‏@MakerereU: Prof Ky Luu:Infrastructure & Governance issues need to be addressed to help build resilience in communities like #Somalia #SRR #RANsrr

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

A member of the Somali National Army stands guard on a beach near the city of Merca. Located approximately 70km southwest of Mogadishu, Merca is an ancient port city that was established in the 5th century. It is also the third largest port in southern Somalia. Photo: AMISOM