November 16, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
AU, Somali Forces Capture Village In Central Region
16 November – Source: Xinhua – 175 Words
The Somali National Army (SNA), backed by troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), on Tuesday captured Mir-tugo village in the central Somali region of Middle Shabelle from Al-Shabaab militants. Army official Abdullahi Mohamed told reporters the joint forces captured the area without any resistance from the militants.
“SNA and AMISOM captured Mir-tugo location near Mahaday town in Middle Shabelle region this morning. We were responding to complaints from locals here but the terrorists escaped when we advanced to the area,” Mohamed said. The latest military development comes as lower house elections are due to start in Jowhar town, the capital of Middle Shabelle region.
Al-Shabaab has been driven out of major towns to rural areas in southern and central Somalia, but still carries out frequent attacks in the country. The group has vowed to disrupt the ongoing elections in Somalia, prompting the joint forces to beef up security around polling centers. Somalia prepares for presidential election due on Nov. 30. Parliamentary elections are ongoing in various parts of the country.
Key Headlines
- AU Somali Forces Capture Village In Central Region (Xinhua)
- Ahlu Sunna Wal jama’a Speaks About Shutting Down Radio Galgaduud (Baidoa News Agency)
- Explosions Clashes Continue In Tiyeglow (Hiiraan Online)
- Former Information Minister Elected As Lower House Member of Parliament (Shabelle News)
- Kenya Extends Deadline For Dadaab Refugee Camp Closure By Six Months (CCTV)
- The Next Election To Pay Attention To Is In Somalia (MPR)
- 20000 Somali Kids ‘Out Of School’ Due To Hostilities – UNICEF Concerned (Africa News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Ahlu Sunna Wal jama’a Speaks About Shutting Down Radio Galgaduud
16 November – Source: Baidoa News Agency – 136 Words
Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a has spoken about the reasons behind the closure of Radio Galgaduud which operates in Guri’eel and Dhusamareb, an area controlled by the group. The Spokesperson for Ahlu Sunna said Radio Galgaduud has breached agreements between the radio and the Ahlu Sunna group. The Spokesperson alleged the radio station aired Al-Shabaab news, a move Ahlu Sunna forbids which therefore resulted in shutting down the station.
The Deputy Head of Radio Galgadud Abdulkadir Gure Barre who spoke to Baidoa News Agency said the Ahlu Suna militia has seized all the equipment of the station. The group has shut down Radio Galgadud before, however efforts by media unions have managed to get it back on air again.
Explosions, Clashes Continue In Tiyeglow
16 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 139 Words
Residents of Tiyeglow report that clashes and explosions carried on for the second night as government forces and Al-Shabaab militants battled fiercely for control of the town. Al-Shabaab is said to have launched an attack at government bases with security forces trying to repel the attack.
Mohamed Abdulle, the District Commissioner of Tiyeglow said Al-Shabaab launched an attack with one hundred men at bases being manned by government forces and their allies in the region. He added that there were as many as 8 suicide bomb attacks during the assault.
Yesterday, at least 15 people were killed and many more wounded in a clash that saw both parties claiming victory. Al-Shabaab has been on the offensive retaking back several towns in south and central Somalia that were vacated by Ethiopian troops.
Former Information Minister Elected As Lower House Member of Parliament
16 November – Source: Shabelle News – 95 Words
Former Somali Minister of Information, Mustaf Dhuhulow has been elected as member of the Somali Federal Parliament after beating his main challenger in an election in Adado city on Wednesday. Mr. Dhuhulow secured the seat of the federal MP and he was announced to be the first winner of the election, which is ongoing in the central town of Adado. Galmudug state is holding the second phase of the lower house election, as the electoral process has been marred by internal dispute among the candidates and the delegates.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya Extends Deadline For Dadaab Refugee Camp Closure By Six Months
16 November – Source: CCTV – 156 Words
The Kenyan government has extended the deadline for the closure of Dadaab refugee camp by six months, citing the delicate security situation in Somalia as the reason for the extension. Dadaab camp, world’s largest refugee settlement, is now set to be shut in May 2017. The East African country’s government had set a November 30 deadline for the closure of the camp, saying it posed a huge security threat.
The government said Islamist militants had used the camp to plan and launch attacks in various regions within the country. The UNCHR appealed to the Kenyan authorities to stop the closure of the camp but the government insisted that the camp had to be shut. Kenya’s minister of interior security Joseph Ole Nkaissery said in a press briefing that an elaborate repatriation programme will start next month to ensure the refugees return to their homes safely.
The Next Election To Pay Attention To In Somalia
16 November – Source: MPR – Audio: 25: 45 Minutes
Somalia will elect a president at the end of November, and that election will have a large impact on the Somali population in Minnesota. Alastair Leithead, BBC foreign correspondent in Mogadishu, spoke in a recorded interview about the build-up to the presidential election in Somalia. Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar joined MPR News host Tom Weber in the studio, speaking on what this election means to Somali Americans, and how it will affect the Somali community in Minnesota.
20,000 Somali Kids ‘Out Of School’ Due To Hostilities – UNICEF Concerned
16 November – Source: Africa News – 328 Words
The United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) office in Somalia has expressed concerns over the effect of fighting in the country’s Galkayo region on the education of some 20,000 children. According to UNICEF Somalia, out of over 90,000 people displaced as a result of fighting in Galkayo – located in Central Somalia – 20,000 children were affected. Fighting in the town began a month ago.
“This is a very serious situation for the children of Galkayo and is bound to have a major impact on their education and their lives. We must ensure that there are places for children to learn in a safe environment either in temporary spaces or in schools outside town. The children must be given catch up classes and their schools must be protected from further damage,” said Steven Lauwerier, UNICEF Somalia Representative.
They observed that all schools in the town have been closed adversely affecting the teaching and learning activities. “Teachers have been injured, four schools in Galkayo were damaged, and five schools outside the town are closed as they are now used to house some of the displaced. Those schools that are still functioning are severely overcrowded.” UNICEF noted that along with its partners, they were ‘‘setting up safe temporary learning spaces for the displaced children to allow them to continue their education and are working to ensure that the teachers receive their incentive allowances.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Perhaps, Mohamed Osman Jawari, Speaker of the Federal Parliament, was the only politician elected fair and square in the SW. His election was attended by the media and two U.N observers in order to show the world that the process in Baydhabo was clean and fair.”
All In The Family (Part II): Politics In The Southwest
15 November – Source: Wardheer News – 1,275 Words
President Sharif Hassan of the South West (SW) is trying to ensure that his relatives and friends are elected to the Lower House of the Federal Parliament. He is also creating his own set of clan chieftains. To begin, Sharif Hassan’s own son, Abdulkhadir, has been officially selected for parliament. Abdulkhadir replaced his father two years ago in the Federal Parliament when Sharif Hassan became the head of the Interim South West Administration. Now, Abdulkhadir has returned as an MP again.
In Part One, we discussed Mohamed Mursal, the Wunderkind and nephew of Sharif Hassan. Mursal is the state minister for the presidency office and the head of the election committee. These strange dual and conflicting responsibilities can only possibly take place in the SW. Mursal’s wife, Samro Omar Ibrahim, is running for a seat in parliament with her selection almost guaranteed.
Sharif Hassan’s half-brother, Madeer, is slated to win a seat over Adan Mohamed Nur “Madoobe,” former speaker of Somalia. The two are fighting for a seat for Hadame, a subclan of Mirifle. Madoobe was the politician who had replaced Sharif Hassan as speaker in 2007, when the latter was voted out of office. Madoobe was also once a star in the SW, but has since fizzled out.
In one subclan of Mirifle, Liisaan, Sharif Hassan has anointed a new chieftain by the name of Malaaq Mohamed Adow. Professor Mohamed Mukhtar of Savannah State University’s late father, 100, was the chieftain of Liisaan in particular and Mirifle in general, but has passed away recently. Mukhtar’s brother, Malaaq Ali Malaaq Mukhtar, who lives in Australia, was supposed to lead the sub clan until Sharif Hassan chose his own man, Adow, a butcher by profession, to lead.
TOP TWEETS
@DalsanFM : BREAKING Tension high as delegate gunned down in front of polling station in #Galmudug #Somalia
@Tuuryare_Africa : #UPDATE: Five people + soldiers wounded in an explosion hit small restaurant in #Kismayo town – Police#Somalia
@Abdelnordahir : Congrats to Amb @ygaraad, #Somalia‘s new envoy to the @UN. You’re a role model for us. May Allah give you the strength to perform this duty!
@The_Jag_10 : #Somalia: Thousands flee regional border dispute
@LaetitiaBader : Worrying reports that Mogadishu policy center raided by #Somalia intelligence again, staff previously illegally held
@SomaliaEU : #EU ‘s new ambassador to #Somalia Veronique Lorenzo hits the ground running meeting key officials and policy… http://fb.me/6ejTcUQFM
@HassanIstiila : #BREAKING HirShabelle regional State of#Somalia announces start of Lower House Elections –#Somalia2016Elections #Doorashada2016
@amisomsomalia : Eight MPs elected to the House of the People in #Jubbaland, #Puntland and #Galmudug:http://goo.gl/jnRFCT
#Doorashada2016 #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Kenyan government said it has extended the deadline for the closure of Dadaab refugee during a press conference held in Nairobi.
Photo: @DalsanFM