November 17, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Galmudug State and (ASWJ) Meet In Nairobi Over Power Sharing Deal
17 November – Source: Radio Dalsan – 213 Words
President of Galmudug regional state Ahmed Duale Gelle Haaf, the President of Ahlu Sunna Wa Jama (ASWJ), Sheikh Mohamed Shakir, and Spiritual leader Mr. Moalim Mohamud, arrived in Kenya’s capital, for an IGAD facilitated talks, that is expected to pave way for a power sharing deal between the two main players in Central Somalia, according to Radio Dalsan reports.
The talks have been brokered by IGAD, but the two parties are said to have volunteered to end a long standing impasse between them. (ASWJ) controls a large territories in Galmudug, leaving President Haaf’s administration confined to Adado the capital and part of Galkayo. Efforts by former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud administration to resolve the power struggle between ASWJ, and Galmudug failed with the former head of state seen to back his Damul Jadid party comrade Mr. Abdikarim Hussein Guled, former president of the regional state.
Almost one year into his leadership, President Farmaajo’s administration has seemingly also failed to bring the two to the negotiation table. Former Interior and Security Minister of Somali Government Abdisamad Moalim Mohamud is also attending the Nairobi meeting. A power sharing deal will be advantageous to Central Somalia, as the two will now focus on Al-Shabaab. ASWJ has managed to safeguard a significant position of central Somalia from Al-Shabaab.
Key Headlines
- Galmudug State and (ASWJ) Meet In Nairobi Over Power Sharing Deal (Radio Dalsan)
- Federal Security Ministry Warns Of Activities Against Security (Radio Muqdisho)
- Somaliland Electoral Commission Dismisses Allegations Of Election Irregularities (Hiiraan Online)
- Pentagon Steps Up Somalia Drone Strikes (Daily Mail)
- AU Special Representative For Somalia Joins High-level Government Delegation On A Security Assessment Visit To Barawe (AMISOM)
- United Arab Emirates Plays Destructive Role In Somalia (Daily Sabah)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Federal Security Ministry Warns Of Activities Against Security
17 November – Source: Radio Muqdisho – 116 Words
Federal Minister of Security, Mohamed Abukar Islow Duale, has sent a stern warning to individuals engaged in spreading fake news that undermines the national security. Briefing the Council of Cabinet on Thursday on latest security operations carried out in Afgoye, Minister Du’ale said the operations saw the arrest of at least 29 Al-Shabaab suspects.
He also said that it is unacceptable to undermine security by fabricating false claims against the government security agents since the government is working hard to stabilize areas liberated from the militant group Al-Shabaab. Similar sentiments were shared by the Minister of Information, Abdirahman Omar Osman (Yarisow), who said that anyone found disseminating false information against the government would be held accountable
Somaliland Electoral Commission Dismisses Allegations Of Election Irregularities
17 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 166 Words
Somaliland electoral commission dismissed reports of election irregularities allegedly perpetrated by the ruling Kulmiye Party. The commission’s chairperson Abdulkadir Iman Warsame said it is unfortunate that some people having been spreading fake news of electoral malpractices and pointed out the importance to wait for the final results to be declared by them soon. Warsame stated they are ready to address the concerns made by some of the contesting parties and called on the public to show restraint and remain calm.
Meanwhile, violent protests on Thursday night erupted in parts of Hargeisa and Burao after the police clashed with angry protesters. The violence followed after the emergence of reports that the ruling party Kulmiye rigged Monday’s presidential voting. The Waddani opposition party, specifically, claimed irregularities in Monday’spresidential elections saying that fake ballot papers were used in the voting. The party threatened to suspend cooperation with the electoral commission until their concerns about the alleged election irregularities were addressed also calling on their supporters to stay calm.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Pentagon Steps Up Somalia Drone Strikes
17 November – Source: Daily Mail – 409 Words
The US military has quietly upped the tempo of its operations in Somalia, conducting a growing number of drone strikes against Al-Qaeda affiliated Shabaab militants and other jihadists. Since the start of the year, America has carried out 28 drone strikes in the Horn of Africa nation, with 15 of these coming since September 1, the military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said. That’s a big increase from last year. According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which maintains a tally of US operations in Somalia and elsewhere, there were 15 anti-Shabaab air strikes in the whole of 2016.
The surge in activity comes as the US watches for an influx of fighters from the Islamic State group, which has lost almost all its territory in Iraq and Syria. The US conducted a pair of drone strikes against IS in Somalia on November 3, the first time it has hit the jihadists there. Though the Pentagon has provided few details about the strikes, spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said this week that US forces had killed 40 Shabaab and IS fighters in a series of five strikes on Somalia between November 9 and 12.
On Wednesday, AFRICOM announced a sixth strike that killed “several” Shabaab militants 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Mogadishu. The surge in activity comes after President Donald Trump in March loosened constraints on the US military in Somalia, allowing commanders to take action against suspected terrorists when they judge it is needed, without seeking specific White House approval. The US is supporting the country’s fight against Shabaab, which has carried out a string of devastating bombings in Mogadishu and elsewhere. In May, officials said only about 50 US troops were in Somalia providing training and advice for the Somali military and logistical support, but on Thursday the Pentagon said the figure is now at about 500.
Pentagon spokesman and Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters Thursdaythat he didn’t necessarily think there was a ramping-up of operations, but said the “density of targets” meant more strikes had been possible. “There’s no particular rhythm to it, except that as (targets) become available and as we’re able to process them and vet them, we strike,” he said. McKenzie added that officials keep a close eye on foreign fighters’ movements from Iraq and Syria, but he would not say if the Pentagon was tracking jihadists flowing from their former “caliphate” through Yemen and onto Somalia.
AU Special Representative For Somalia Joins High-level Government Delegation On A Security Assessment Visit To Barawe
17 November- Source: AMISOM – 344 Words
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira, on Wednesdayaccompanied a high-level Federal Government of Somalia delegation on a security assessment visit to Barawe, a strategic port city situated in the Lower Shabelle region.
The visit took place as deliberations on the drawdown of AU troops from key towns in south central Somalia continue, between the Federal Government, the Somali security forces and AMISOM. Under the planned drawdown, the AU troops will relinquish the security of the key towns, to the Somali forces, through a conditions based transition plan, to allow them take the lead responsibility. This is in line with the country’s National Security Architecture and National Defence Strategy, agreed upon by leaders earlier this year. “For AMISOM to be able to be more effective in this area, there is need for convergence of vision and support by the partners and the Somalis themselves, so that together we can degrade and destroy Al-Shabaab,” Ambassador Madeira stated.
The Somali Prime Minister H.E Hassan Ali Khaire, who led the high-level delegation, assured Barawe residents that AMISOM will receive the support it requires to continue with its work of securing the country, until local forces are ready to take over. “We know that you are ready to fight the enemy and we are here in solidarity with you,” the Prime Minister said. “We need to confront Al-Shabaab, we need force enablers and force multipliers. We need mobility, and we need jammers and these things have been put clearly to the partners,” SRCC Madeira noted, enumerating the extent of support AMISOM requires to effectively secure the country.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The geopolitical calculations of the UAE and Saudi Arabia along with the Western gang seem to have changed following Turkey’s determination to help Somalia. They understand that in Turkey they are dealing with a serious nation that is capable of helping Somalia defeat international terrorism,”
United Arab Emirates Plays Destructive Role In Somalia
17 November- Source: Daily Sabah – 1087 Words
Somalia suffered two big terrorist bombings in October. The carnage caused by the car blasts on Oct. 28 was immense, although nowhere close to the death and destruction following the Oct. 14 attacks that killed 358 people. Western news reports regularly blame terrorist acts in Somalia on the shadowy al-Shabaab group. Such media coverage ignores the fact that Somalia is a victim of ugly geopolitics that seeks control of the nation, while seeking to annihilate its population through wars, terrorism and man-made disasters. The United States and its Western crime partners have tried to destroy and subjugate Somalia for many years. Whether the U.S. bombs Somalia in the name of fighting the al-Shabaab terrorist group or Britain tries to cause misery to its people through curbs on remittances, their goals are sinister in seeking extermination of a part of the human race. They are trying to achieve what Europe’s colonialism failed to accomplish.
Countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia also have geopolitical goals in trying to control Somalia. There is an element of power madness in the Saudi bloc these days, as abhorrent as it may seem, but their egos get satisfaction from serving Western bloc leaders be they American, British, French, Israeli or German. They are salivating at the prospect of grabbing more than 3,300 kilometers of coastline, energy and marine resources. They are willing to spill Somali blood as long as there is the slightest chance of even partially achieving their goals. A clear message must be sent to these saboteurs to cease their destructive acts forthwith. The UAE and Saudi Arabia can be accused of such behavior as they are unable to explain what benefits their military and foreign policy adventures bring to their own populations or to the wider region. Prima facie, their actions advance the West’s colonial and imperial interests. The conduct of these countries is hostile toward Somalia. Their arrogance requires them to try to overpower a country that is struggling economically and politically.
The UAE and those who control its leaders appear to have suddenly woken up to Somalia’s significance as a nation. One of their goals is to destroy Somali-Turkish friendship and alliance. If Somalia was so important to them, they could have used their resources to help it recover from war and famine. But that is not how the UAE operates. To cause suffering and misery to the maximum number of people is always a deliberate act of any U.S.-led war. American actions in Somalia are in line with this policy. When Saudi Arabia and the UAE use their resources for apparent charitable causes, they do so as per the wishes of their Western masters. It should not surprise anyone that these two countries showed neither Islamic nor regional solidarity with Somalia when it was reeling under severe famine. Islamic concepts of welfare and justice are anathema to them. Joining “jahiliyyah” and Zionist causes has become fashionable in the Gulf region.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Photo: @DalsanFM |
Galmudug President, Ahmed Dualle Geele Haaf arrives in Nairobi for talks with Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa (ASWJ)