November 14, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Puntland delivers first consignment of aid to the cyclone victims
14 Nov- Source: Radio Garowe/Bar-kulan/Puntlandi Online/Halgan Online- 146 words
Puntland authorities have for the first time managed to deliver first consignment of emergency aid to the cyclone-hit victims, according to officials. Interior Minister, Abdullahi Jama Ilka-jir told Bar-kulan that the first consignment of aid has been delivered to the victims in Karhis, Gel-hore, Ir-madobe and other nearby locations.
He stated that hundreds of families have lost their livelihoods to the flash floods coupled with freezing weather conditions left behind by the cyclone storms over the weekend.
He said that many families are also stranded and the torrential rains have hampered the relief efforts over the past few days. He added that the first round of trucks loaded with aid left the port city of Bosaso and made their way to the accessible areas. Over 140 people are confirmed to have been killed, many of whom the minister said were children under the age of seven.
Key Headlines
- Puntland delivers first consignment of aid to the cyclone victims (Radio Garowe/Bar-kulan)
- Government forces take 75 businessmen in Mogadishu to custody (Radio Mustaqbal)
- People flee to caves to escape Puntland storms (Radio Ergo)
- Chinese Industry delegation arrives in Somaliland set to establish industries(Somalilandd Informer)
- Somalia appeals for int”l aid to cyclone victims(Kuwait News Agency)
- Danish flagged ship attacked by pirates off Somalia coast(Standard Media)
- US welcomes agreement on the refugee repatriation process (RBC/Bar-kulan)
- Piracy cash ruled out of real estate boom (The Star)
- Stranded and nearing desperation Middle Shabelle flood victims plea for help(Sabahi online)
- Somalia: New Militant Defectors Aid Spy Service(ABC/AP)
SOMALI MEDIA
Puntland delivers first consignment of aid to the cyclone victims
14 Nov- Source: Radio Garowe/Bar-kulan/Puntlandi Online/Halgan Online- 146 words
Puntland authorities have for the first time managed to deliver first consignment of emergency aid to the cyclone-hit victims, according to officials. Interior Minister, Abdullahi Jama Ilka-jir told Bar-kulan that the first consignment of aid has been delivered to the victims in Karhis, Gel-hore, Ir-madobe and other nearby locations.
He stated that hundreds of families have lost their livelihoods to the flash floods coupled with freezing weather conditions left behind by the cyclone storms over the weekend.
He said that many families are also stranded and the torrential rains have hampered the relief efforts over the past few days. He added that the first round of trucks loaded with aid left the port city of Bosaso and made their way to the accessible areas. Over 140 people are confirmed to have been killed, many of whom the minister said were children under the age of seven.
Government forces take 75 business men in Mogadishu to custody
14 Nov- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 100 words
The police forces of Somali federal government reportedly took several business men in Mogadishu to a custody on Thursday morning. Reports say that government forces seized the businessmen as they were selling meat in the capital.
The reports also indicated that the businessmen violated decree from Banadir regional administration about tax payment estimated $10 dollar.
The business men argued that the tax was $3 dollar but increased by Banadir administration. No comment still from Banadir regional administration for the federal government about this issue relating the arrest of the business men.
People flee to caves to escape Puntland storms
14 Nov- Source: Radio Ergo- 908 words
Radio Ergo Producer Mohamed Hassan spoke on Wednesday by phone to SWALIM’s rain gauge monitor, Hussein Ahmed Shaur, who is based on the Puntland coast in Eyl. This was one of the centres of the tropical cyclone that struck land. He described what happened and how people living there have been affected.
Shaur: As soon as we received the storm alert, we started conducting awareness among the community in Eyl district. We immediately contacted the fishermen who were at sea and told them there was a storm with winds of 75 kilometres per hour due to reach them at around 3:00 pm. All the boats were safely moved out of the sea and the residents cooperated well and alerted almost everyone. As a result, a lot of people survived.
Radio Ergo: Where did problems occur?
Shaur: The problems happened in large rural areas between Hafun and Eyl, which are very difficult to reach due to the poor telecommunications and infrastructure. Many lives were lost and there are a huge number of people who are missing. 12 people whom I personally know have died. The people tried to hide from the storm and rains in caves, but most of the caves were partially destroyed or collapsed in the storms. This morning, we have seen thousands of dead livestock washed up onto the shore. We think it was the storms and heavy rains that swept these animals into the sea from the rural areas.
Radio Ergo: What are you now planning to do in response to the disaster?
Shaur: We are now searching for bodies and finding out the exact number of people who have died in the storm. And our plan is also to search for any survivors. The numbers of dead livestock are countless and there is almost nothing or very few heads of livestock that the tropical cyclone has left behind.
Radio Ergo: How is the situation now and are any further storms or rain expected?
Shaur: There are no rains pouring now and the sun is shining, but rains are expected in the coming days. That could make the situation worse, because the soil is already so wet and unstable, so no one can walk over it. There are no vehicles moving around the area. Humanitarian assistance can only be delivered by air.
Radio Ergo: How can you reach people in the rural areas and other places where there are no connections?
Shaur: We are working with the local administration to reach these people in remote or far areas. But the main problem here is that there is no way vehicles can reach there.
Radio Ergo: How have the people reacted to the SWALIM alerts?
Shaur: People have immediately reacted. All the people who were in the sea were immediately alerted. The livestock were taken to safe sites. But the worst problems happened in the interior rural areas around Hafun. We have also informed people to move away from lower ground and the coastal areas to highlands for their own safety.
Radio Ergo: Currently, is any aid being delivered to these areas?
Shaur: The vehicles can’t travel, but there are helicopters that we believe belong to NATO [EU Naval Force operating counter-piracy patrols off Somali coast] that have delivered aid in some areas.
Radio Ergo: What did the people say about this tropical cyclone? Had they ever experienced such?
Shaur: They compared this to the Tsunami which hit these coastal areas in 2004. However, no such storms and torrential rains have ever hit these coastal districts.
Radio Ergo: The dead livestock that came ashore along the coast can cause diseases. Are there any fears of the outbreak of diseases?
Shaur: We have informed the administration about the problem. While partnering with aid agencies, the local administration should do something about it.
Elsewhere, Radio Ergo Producer, Fatuma Moalim Abukar, contacted a traditional elder living in Kardafu, one of the areas hit by the storm, situated at the far north-eastern tip of Somalia. Osman Mohamed Shire, known as Karjule, described how the storm had affected his community.
Karjule: The storms and floods have left three of the five villages of Kardafu cut off. The heavy rains are still pouring in the areas that have no communication with the rest of Kardafu and no-one can reach them with road vehicles. The humanitarian assistance and other support can only reach us from the sea. So far, I can confirm the death of one person in the rural areas, while 13 other fishermen who were travelling with three boats are missing. We don’t know their whereabouts. However, there is not much information available about the exact number of people who may have died.
Radio Ergo: So, what is the level of destruction in the area?
Shaur: More than 35 houses have been destroyed and people are hiding in buildings that are strong enough to stand up against the heavy winds and rains. More than three boats were destroyed by the storm and also almost all of the livestock in the area was killed. Some camels were left alive, but all the goats are dead.
But I have no information about the places beyond my area. The storm has damaged the telecommunications and possibly the losses are much higher than what I can tell you. Kardafu is situated at the meeting point of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea and the only road which is open for us is the sea.
Chinese Industry delegation arrives in Somaliland, set to establish industries
14 Nov- Source: Somaliland Informer- 204 words
Abiib Diriye Nur, Minister of Industry accompanied by the Director General of ministry of Industry greeted business Chinese industry delegation that arrived at Egal International airport on Wednesday.
The Chinese business delegates are expected to implement projects in Somaliland and the Minister of Industry said during the reception that Somaliland is committed to welcome to her territory to everyone that is determined to spearhead development projects in the country. The Minister extended special thanks to the delegation for their trip to the country.
The delegation said that they are about to establish more than 20 industries throughout the country including one that will be in charge of the production of cars.
They will also establish industries that will produce bikes, electronics and beverages for young kids.
The Chinese industry delegation will stay in Somaliland for two weeks and is due to meet with Somaliland head of state H.E. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo and other senior government officials.
The delegation is set to embark on tour to all regions of the country to see with their naked eyes the reality on the ground and that there is peace and stability throughout the country.
They will see areas that it is suitable to establish industries.
US welcomes agreement on the refugee repatriation process
14 Nov- Source: RBC/Shaaciye Online/Bar-kulan- 101 words
The Special Representative of United States to Somalia James P. McAnulty welcomed the agreement between Kenya, Somalia and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
He said in a statement that the agreement establishes a framework of conditions for the voluntary return of Somali refugees to their homeland with dignity and safety.
The special envoy added that the agreement is in accordance with the United Nations Convention on Refugees. He stated that the government of the United States remained committed to the government and the people of Somalia and will continue supporting Somalia on its quest to a peaceful, stable and prosperous future.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somalia appeals for int”l aid to cyclone victims
14 Nov- Source: Kuwait News Agency-199 Words
Somali Minister of Finance and Planning Mohamud Suleiman appealed Wednesday to international community and relief organizations to help his government provide relief aid to the cyclone-ravaged areas in northeastern parts of the impoverished Horn of Africa nation.
“We need urgent relief aid, including tents, foodstuff, medicine, and means of transportations, to alleviate the sufferings of people displaced by the disaster,” Minister Suleiman said during a seminar held on the sidelines of the Kuwait-hosted Arab-African summit. He went on to say that “hundreds of people and thousands of livestock were killed and hundreds of homes as well as all main roads were destroyed by the cyclone”.
In this regard, Suleiman thanked His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s for ordering USD 3 million-worth urgent relief aid to Somalia.
Danish flagged ship attacked by pirates off Somalia coast
14 Nov- Source: Standard Media- 70 words
The shipping lines also charge kidnap and ransom fees that cover the crew against ransom demands, but not the vessel or cargo. An insurance premium that covers goods transported along the Somali coast is also levied by the liners.
“Vigilance cannot be abandoned just because piracy seems to have fallen. The pirates can adapt and change their modus operandi,” said the Seafarers Union of Kenya Secretary General, Mr Andrew Mwangura.
Piracy cash ruled out of real estate boom
13 Nov- Source: The Star- 610 words
A World Bank, UNODC and Interpol study seeking to ascertain the destination of ransom money paid to Somali pirates has ruled out its influence on Kenya’s property prices.
The report says there is more to the real estate boom “than what is claimed in the streets and office corridors”. The report — titled ‘Pirate Trails: Tracking the illicit financial flows from pirate activities off the Horn of Africa’ — sought to clear speculation by assessing assumptions and perceptions on the flow of ransom cash.
It estimates that between $339-413 million (Sh29-35 billion) was paid in ransoms between April 2005 and December 2012.
Over the past eight years speculation has been rife that cash paid to the pirates off Somali waters could have seeped through Kenya’s porous borders to fuel the rapid increase in property prices.
Stranded and nearing desperation, Middle Shabelle flood victims plea for help
13 Nov- Source: Sabahi Online- 833 words
Nearly two months after the Shabelle River overflowed its banks in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region, thousands of families remain stranded or displaced in areas affected by floods, with little humanitarian assistance coming in.
“We are now stuck in the middle of nowhere since there is no place to run to as the whole region has been impacted by the flooding river,” said Middle Shabelle regional administration spokesman Daud Haji Irro. “The roads are closed and even if we say ‘let us help the people’, it will not be possible to do so by land because vehicles cannot get through. There is a grave disaster in the region.”
At least 50 people died and about 3,500 families were displaced since the Shabelle River overflowed its banks in September, causing severe damage and a humanitarian crisis in the districts of Jowhar, Mahaday and Balad, Irro told Sabahi.
More than 10,000 families remain stranded in areas affected by the floods that have destroyed more than 5,100 homes, he said. Some flood victims are using small boats to get to dry areas.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia: New Militant Defectors Aid Spy Service
14 Nov- Source: ABC News/AP- 511 words
Abdi Ali is awakened by a text message alert asking for urgent help: Five militants on a civilian bus are on the way to Mogadishu. A former al Shabaab foot soldier, Ali has defected from the Islamic extremist group and now helps Somalia’s intelligence agency hunt down militants. The job is dangerous: Ali’s former militant colleagues now hope to kill him and other defectors like him.
Ali does a quick scan around his neighborhood before scurrying along a dirt road and jumping into a car with tinted windows. The car drives to a government checkpoint where Ali helps soldiers search cars.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The evil of the Somali politics is that nobody cares about the beleaguered nation and its people. It has become a project – a project driven by Somali quislings, planned by xennocratics, run by greedy insatiable Somalis. Their only plan is to blame and picker and not knowing anything else, it assures them of running away with the loot before they are caught. And hence, Somalia is the ultimate kakistocracy because this is the prime feature of a nation in ruin.”
Somalia: Reasons or Redemption: The Conflict of the top Somali Leaders
14 Nov- Source: Raxanreeb-1026 Words
It was only a year ago when the current government was ushered in by the Somali Federal Parliament in what was dubbed a historic democratic moment for Somalia . The mutterings of political misconduct and bribery of the Members of Parliament with money from Qatar were snubbed or even dismissed owing to the swelling sense of patriotism and reviviscence of hope for Somalia ’s return into the fold of nations.
Nonetheless, within a short time, the mongery of the executive branch gained momentum causing a sharp peak in social polarization. The unfolding monocracy, where the president overwhelmingly usurped the powers of all the branches of government, instigated feelings of déjà vu all over again.
The executive branch also circumvents the parliament when it deals with the world. The shady agreements with foreign companies such as Favori to manage the airport, Shulman and Rogers to recover Somali money frozen in foreign banks, Soma Oil and Gas Exploration Ltd to do seismic tests, Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group to build coast guards and so forth are all tainted by corruption being neither openly tendered nor transparent. The doors to suckling a few at the expense of nation building are wide open.
“Some refugee advocates would also like to have seen a clear statement dissociating the refugee population from issues they have been repeatedly and publicly linked to by Kenyan authorities, such as terrorism and immigration or identity fraud.”
Briefing: Repatriating Somali refugees from Kenya
13 Nov- Source: IRIN-1776 Words
After months of fitful negotiations, the governments of Kenya and Somalia, and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on 10 November signed a tripartite agreement outlining procedures and legalities for the voluntary repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees who have been living in Kenya for up to 22 years.
According to UNHCR, there are currently 474,483 registered Somali refugees in Kenya, with the vast majority living in the sprawling Dadaab complex of camps in the east of the country.
Their presence has been a political hot potato for years and became especially emotive during campaigns in the months ahead of Kenya’s presidential election in March 2013, and again in the wake of the attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in September, an atrocity which claimed 67 lives and which Kenyan authorities claim was hatched in Dadaab. This briefing unpicks some of the key issues surrounding the agreement.
Top tweets
@UNSomalia #NUSOJ Chairman opens #Somali draft federal media law consultations in #Nairobi. Followhttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/
@Lattif The crisis of governance vs. the crisis of cyclones in#Somalia. @Aminarts, the incisive critic, draws it again!!pic.twitter.com/C6ssN7eEwY
@amisomsomalia Female SNA soldiers at a training camp in#BeletWeyne where they are given training by the #Djiboutiancontingent pic.twitter.com/RaF6V74Egg
@OCHASom Read Flash update 1 on #Puntland cyclone 3A that made landfall at the east coast on 10 Novemberhttp://bit.ly/1cTO7Vt
@unicefsomalia #Important FATWA on ending all forms of#Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting signed in Puntland# Somalia@UNFPA
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NUSOJ Chairman opens Somali draft federal media law consultations in Nairobi. Photo: UNSOM