May 9, 2014 | Morning Headlines
Al Shabaab attacks convoy escorting Somali PM in lower Shabelle region
08 May – Source: Al Shahid – 122 words
Al-shabab militants claimed they attacked on Thursday convoy with Somali PM Abdi Weli Sheikh Ahmed who headed to Qoryoley town in lower Shabelle region where Somali military troops with the support of AMISOM defeated al Shabaab a month ago. Al Shabaab official told the group run media that hundreds of their fighters with heavy weapons ambushed convoy which left from Marka town and headed to Qoryoley town which Shabab see a strategic place for defending Barawe coastal town in the same region. The official said, “Hundreds of our fighters ambushed, the PM unharmed but some of the vehicles were damaged”. “The attack happened Bula Sheikh Resident close to Qoryoley but Abdi Wali escaped narrowly,” he added. Somali government has yet commented the Shabaab’s claim.
Key Headlines
- Somali PM arrives in Qoryoley district Lower Shabelle region (Radio Shabelle/Bar-kulan)
- ASG Cheng-Hopkins concludes visit to Somalia announcing $7 million for peacebuilding support(UNSOM)
- Somali cabinet declares water and food shortages in Somalia (Radio Mogadishu)
- Two al Shabaab militants killed in Puntland forces Raid (Horseed Media)
- Al Shabaab attacks convoy escorting Somali PM in lower Shabelle region (Al Shahid)
- Speaker Jawari allows legislators to debate on motion against President Hassan Sheikh (Radio Shabelle)
- Police: Kenyan teacher killed in Somalia (AFP)
PRESS STATEMENT
ASG Cheng-Hopkins concludes visit to Somalia, announcing $7 million for peacebuilding support
08 May – Source: UNSOM – 457 words
The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Judy Cheng-Hopkins, today concluded a five-day visit to Somalia, announcing an additional US$7 million in support of peacebuilding activities in newly recovered areas of south-central Somalia.
“We are committed to spending $10 million very fast under the UN Peacebuilding Fund’s (PBF) Immediate Response Facility,” ASG Cheng-Hopkins said. “Somalia still has internal problems, and still has a problem with al Shabaab and with other groups, but there are sufficient windows of opportunity in certain parts of the country where we should invest now in peacebuilding so that peace sustainability can be preserved.”
On 19 March, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, announced the allocation of $3 million from the PBF to support stabilisation efforts in newly recovered areas. The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia(UNSOM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Federalism, is currently finalising the first project to release these funds. The funds announced by ASG Cheng-Hopkins are in addition to this, and are expected to boost the capacity of local government, facilitate reconciliation efforts at the grassroots level and fund public works projects for youth and other vulnerable groups, among other things.
ASG Cheng-Hopkins said the PBF was investigating peacebuilding needs in Somalia in consultation with the Federal Government, regional leadership, civil society and donors.
“One project that comes to mind is what we can do for defectors, the so-called disengaged combatants from al Shabaab and other militias, how we can reintegrate these youth back into society by giving them skills, by giving them an opportunity for livelihood so that they don’t fall back into these activities that are the root of the instability in Somalia,” she said.
Speaking with ASG Cheng-Hopkins, women’s groups in Mogadishu expressed their desire for a stronger role in Somalia’s political developments, such as the constitutional review process. The ASG stressed that the UN believes in empowering women both politically and economically to give them confidence to play their role in society, and her department is keen to support broad consultations in constitutional, electoral and other national processes.
During her trip, which included visits to Mogadishu, Kismayo and Hudur, ASG Cheng-Hopkins met with, among others, Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, Speaker of the Federal Parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari, leaders of local administrations, civil society, women’s groups, the youth and traditional elders. Some key areas of discussion included the need to develop public works projects to bring visible symbols of peace to the Somali people; the need to train local government officials and the role of civil society in the peacebuilding process.
The UN Secretary-General declared Somalia eligible to access the Peacebuilding Fund in December 2013. The Fund was set up in 2006 following a request from the General Assembly and the Security Council to support peace-building efforts in countries emerging from conflict or political crisis.
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali PM arrives in Qoryoley district, Lower Shabelle region
08 May – Source: Radio Shabelle/Bar-kulan – 92 words
A delegation led by Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has on Thursday arrived in Qoryoley district of Lower Shabelle region. The prime minister held talks with district administration, army officers and ordinary people in the area. Omar Mohamud Elmi, deputy head of the social services of Lower Shebelle region, who spoke to Bar-kulan said that the prime minister arrives in the region with a mission to assess the current situation of Lower Shabelle which has seen a number of armed conflicts in recent times.
Somali cabinet declares water and food shortages in Somalia
08 May – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 118 words
Somali cabinet ministers met in Mogadishu on Thursday and declared that the country still faces water and food shortages despite the start of the Gu’ rains. The cabinet stated that several regions in south and central Somalia including Bakol, Hiran and Galgadud are mostly hit areas. The cabinet added that the government has set up a new committee to assess the current situation in those areas. Minister for Religious Affairs and Endowment, Ridwan Hirsi Mohamed said that the federal government calls on international community and relief agencies to provide assistance to those affected by the water and food shortages in the country. He added that the federal government carries out everything it can to the assist its people.
Two al Shabaab militants killed in Puntland forces Raid
08 May – Source: Horseed Media – 91 words
Puntland Security forces launched an overnight attack on al Shabaab militants hiding in Galgala mountain ranges, killing at least two militants, officials have confirmed. A commander of Puntland forces told journalists that the operation took place in the outskirts of the coastal town of Bosaso. At the moment of the attack, it was reported the militants had crossed to the highway to collect supplies from a vehicle that arrived from Southern Somalia, as claimed by the security officials. Two other suspected militants were captured and were taken for interrogation to Bosaso town.
Speaker Jawari allows legislators to debate on motion against President Hassan Sheikh
08 May – Source: Radio Shabelle – 100 words
In Thursday’s parliamentary session, the Speaker of the Somali Federal Parliament has allowed for a motion against President Hassan Sheikh to pass and for legislators to call on his resignation. The Speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman ‘Jawari’, was presented with a letter in which stated that around 130 Members of Parliament have decided to call on the President to tender his resignation or that they will have a vote of confidence. Furthermore, the President of the Somali Federal Republic hosted individual meetings in Villa Somalia with certain opposition legislators to discuss the latest confrontation between lawmakers and Mr. Mohamud.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab attacks convoy escorting Somali PM in lower Shabelle region
08 May – Source: Al Shahid – 122 words
Al-shabab militants claimed they attacked on Thursday convoy with Somali PM Abdi Weli Sheikh Ahmed who headed to Qoryoley town in lower Shabelle region where Somali military troops with the support of AMISOM defeated al Shabaab a month ago. Al Shabaab official told the group run media that hundreds of their fighters with heavy weapons ambushed convoy which left from Marko town and headed to Qoryoley town which Shabab see a strategic place for defending Barawe coastal town in the same region. The official said, “Hundreds of our fighters ambushed, the PM unharmed but some of the vehicles were damaged”. “The attack happened Bula Sheikh Resident close to Qoryoley but Abdi Wali escaped narrowly,” he added. Somali government has yet commented the Shabaab’s claim.
50 aliens deported to Somalia as Congolese protesting screening injure officer
08 May – Source: Standard Media – 86 words
Fifty more illegal aliens have been deported to Somalia after they were found to be in Kenya illegally in the ongoing security operation. The aliens were deported on Tuesday after staying in custody for almost two weeks. They are part of more than 200 illegal aliens slated for deportation. Elsewhere, a group 80 Congolese nationals living in the country illegally caused chaos at the Kasarani Police Station after refusing to be searched and vetted. They were arrested in an overnight swoop in the city pending repatriation.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Police: Kenyan teacher killed in Somalia
08 May – Source: AFP – 157 words
Gunmen in Somalia shot dead a Kenyan teacher, police and witnesses said Thursday, in the latest attack to target foreigners in the restive central Galkayo region. Witnesses said two men armed with pistols shot the teacher inside a college compound late Wednesday in Galkayo, a town straddling the border between the autonomous Puntland and Galmadug regions. “A Kenyan teacher was shot dead inside the school building last night, the police are investigating,” local police officer Osman Mohamed told AFP. “I heard gunshots inside the building, then two men came out running,” said Sudi Hassan, a nearby resident. “I saw the dead body of the teacher lying on the floor in a pool of blood.” No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the motive for the killing was not clear. “He was a very polite and nice teacher, I cannot imagine why anyone kills someone like him,” said Ahmed Nur Isa, a student at the college.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The Somali experience in Kenyan politics could have a ripple effect across the wider Horn, encouraging Somalis to play, and win, via political engagement rather than political rejection. All that is in peril in Kenya today. The new lesson Somalis are now learning in Kenya is that they are still not seen as full citizens; their loyalties are suspect, and their political status can be revoked at the stroke of a pen even in a democracy.”
Another casualty of the Kenyan government crackdown on Somalis
08 May – Source: kemenkhaus blog – 723 Words
Most of what needs to be said about the Kenyan government’s heavy-handed and indiscriminate crack-down on Somalis and Somali-Kenyans in Nairobi has already been stated many times over the past few weeks. The criticisms have included the following:
- It is exactly what al Shabaab wants the Kenyan government to do – overact and engage in collective punishment against all Somalis, which could drive Somalis back into the al Shabaab’s arms;
- It is a violation of human rights and due process;
- It is fueling dangerous levels of communal tensions and unfairly demonizing an entire ethnic group in Kenya;
- It is reinforcing a sense among Kenya’s many Somali-Kenyans that they are marginalized, second-class citizens;
- It risks economic consequences as the large Somali business community considers relocating businesses and selling assets in Kenya;
- It has quickly morphed from a security operation to yet another opportunity for corrupt Kenyan security forces to extort money from Somalis;
- It is poisoning already tense relations between the Kenyan and Somali governments, and exposing Kenyans working in Somalia to security threats.
But there is one other casualty in the Kenyan crackdown on Somalis that has not gotten as much attention – the Somali experience with democracy and “normal” politics in Kenya.