November 18, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Somali President Says He Seeks Political Solution To Conflict
17 November – Source: Bloomberg News – 173 Words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said his government is seeking a political solution in addition to military action to end an Al-Qaeda-linked insurgency that has gripped his nation for nearly a decade: “One thing is for sure, we do not intend to end the phenomenon of Al-Shabaab with the barrel of the gun only, there is always reconciliation,” Mohamud told a conference in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. “We already have results. A very good number of mid-level commanders have reconciled with the government and are coming back to the mainstream army.”
While the Islamist militants have now been pushed back into parts of southern Somalia, they have still managed to launch deadly attacks on government and civilian targets even in the capital, Mogadishu. In September, the group claimed it overran an African Union peacekeeping base in the southern town of Janaale and killed 80 troops. But the number of casualties, according to AU, were much less. The mission, known as AMISOM, has supported Somalia’s Western-backed government since 2007. It has more than 22,000 security personnel from 10 nations including neighboring Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Key Headlines
- Somali President Says He Seeks Political Solution To Conflict (Bloomberg)
- UN Human Rights Condemns Civilian Killings In Somalia Calls For Action (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia Government Delegation To Visit Kenya Security Wall Construction Site (Wacaal Media)
- Afgooye Farmers Raise Concerns Over Growing Insecurity In The Area (Goobjoog News)
- UN Delegation Arrives In Beledweyne Central Somalia Over UNMAS Officer’s Death (Mareeg Online)
- Somali President Says Al-Qaida IS Are Same “Evil” (Associated Press)
- Kenyan Police Destroy Al-Shabaab Hideouts Seize Guns In Vast Forest (Xinhua News)
- China Honours Guard Killed In Somalia Attack (Xinhua News)
- AMISOM Steps Up Somali Soldier Training (CCTV)
- World Must Unite And Confront As One The Menace Of Bloody Terrorism (Daily Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
UN Human Rights Condemns Civilian Killings In Somalia, Calls For Action
17 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 419 Words
The United Nations Human Rights Commission has condemned the killing of civilians in Daynile district, who were queuing for food aid, and called for urgent investigations on the matter. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović said during a media conference in Mogadishu today that those receiving assistance are vulnerable, and access to humanitarian aid should be prioritized.
“I am outraged by the killings of innocent civilians yesterday, who were seeking humanitarian aid in Mogadishu. I wish to stress that perpetrators of this crime must be identified and punished,” said Šimonović. The UN official also called on all actors in the security sector, including the Somali National Army and the African Union backed force, AMISOM, to uphold the rights of citizens while conducting their work. He stressed that cases of violations must be dealt with accordingly.
“As you are aware, allegations of serious human rights violations during military operations are reported regularly. These include allegations of extra-judicial and summary executions, arbitrary detention, and sexual violence. I call on the Federal Government to step up its efforts to protect human rights and on all security forces operating in Somalia, including the Somali National Army, AMISOM and other foreign forces to take effective measures to prevent and address violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.,” said Šimonović.
His remarks come in the wake of reports of human rights violations by government and AMISOM troops. A campaign group, Journalists for Justice, last week released a damning report on alleged human rights violations by Kenyan troops under AMISOM in Jubbaland. AMISOM troops were also accused mid this year of civilian killings in Marka, Lower Shabelle with rape allegations also made against the force September last year. Human Rights Watch report in October noted human rights abuse of people with disabilities in Somaliland.
Šimonović also urged the government of Somalia to abolish the death penalty including by reducing the types of crimes where capital punishment is applied and instead adopt a moratorium on executions. Assistant Secretary-General, who completed his human rights assessment in Somalia, also lauded the government for the progress made in building and reforming its institutions, including in the security sector. Šimonović added that steps by parliament to establish the Commission on Human Rights were commendable but urged Parliament to ensure the Commission’s independence and its compliance with the Paris Principles.
Somalia Government Delegation To Visit Kenya Security Wall Construction Site
17 November – Source: Wacaal Media – 106 Words
A high level delegation consisting of Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament from the Federal government of Somalia is today set to visit Beled Hawo town of Gedo region on a fact finding mission over the security wall that Kenya is constructing in the area. The move comes days after the Federal Parliament of Somalia passed a motion in support of urgent withdrawal of the Kenyan forces from Somalia. The legislators accused Kenya of grabbing land that belongs to Somalia. The Kenyan Government has however denied these claims explaining that the project in question is meant to defend the country against attacks from the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants.
Afgooye Farmers Raise Concerns Over Growing Insecurity In The Area
17 November – Source: Goobjoog News – 172 Words
Farmers of Afgooye town and it environs have expressed concern over gunmen who rob them on their way to and from the market. According to a perpetual victim, Iisho Abdullahi Adan, the robbers waylay the farmers and rob them and sometimes inflict serious injuries on them if they resist.
“They demand money and end up searching our property, running away with whatever we have” she said. The incidents take place when the farmers are on their way to market carrying farm produces from the villages and back from the market.At one point a man pulled out a gun and robbed her in broad daylight as she left Afgooye market.
Commenting on the incidents, the spokesman of lower Shabelle region, Mohamed Shiine said the administration was carrying out an operation to get rid of the muggers. However he pointed out that they had not officially received complaints from the farmers.
UN Delegation Arrives In Beledweyne, Central Somalia Over UNMAS Officer’s Death
17 November – Source: Mareeg Online – 121 Words
A delegation from the United Nations (UN) has reached Beledweyne, the Hiiraan regional capital located in central Somalia to find out the root cause of UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) officer’s death On arrival at Beledweyne airstrip, African Union peacekeepers escorted the UN officials to the headquarters of Hiiraan region, where they held a meeting with Abdifitah Hasssan Afrah, the region’s governor. The meeting was prompted by the killing of UN Mine Action Service head of Hiiraan region Mahdi Hussein Shikhalow, who was shot dead by members of the security guards of Hiiraan governor two days ago in Beledweyne. The UNMAS official was killed in Beledweyne early this week due to what several sources describe as personal dispute with the Hiiraan Governor.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali President Says Al-Qaida, IS, Are Same “Evil”
17 November – Source: Associated Press – 126 Words
Somalia’s President says Al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are parts of the same “evil force” that need to be confronted. In an interview on Tuesday with The Associated Press, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned that “ideologies have no citizenship and no borders. They move around the world wherever they can sneak in.”
He says Al-Qaida and the IS group “are the same people, they’re just rebranding.” Members of the Al-Qaida-linked militant group Al-Shabaab in Somalia have splintered off and pledged support to the Islamic State group, which holds portions of Iraq and Syria in its self-declared “caliphate.” Somalia faces regular Al-Shabab attacks even after driving them from the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011. Mohamud gave the interview while visiting Dubai for a conference on African business opportunities.
Kenyan Police Destroy Al-Shabaab Hideouts, Seize Guns In Vast Forest
16 November – Source: Xinhua News – 375 Words
Kenya’s security forces have destroyed hideouts for Al-Shabaab militants and recovered six firearms and cache of ammunitions in the ongoing security operation in Boni Forest in the coastal town of Lamu. Director operations James Ole Serian said the guns were found hidden in the forest within Pandaguo area of Lamu which is close to the Kenya-Somalia border.
Ole Serian said they are investigating if the firearms were smuggled by Al-Shabaab to be used to carry out attacks or they are same guns used in past terrorists attacks witnessed in Lamu. “Kenya Wildlife rangers recovered the guns in the ongoing operation to flush out the militants. We are investigating the persons who hid the gun and their motives,” said Ole Serian said on Monday. Panda Nguo is one of the locations where more than 100 people were killed in three days of incursions by Al-Shabaab last year in Lamu County.
Ole Serian said the Five 302 and FN assault rifles with 27 bullets were handed over to forensic experts for ballistic examination, reiterating that the security forces will not be leaving the Boni forest anytime soon. He hinted that the security operation which kicked off two months ago to flush out the insurgents who have been using the camps to launch attacks on innocent Kenyans, could take more than the three months originally planned.
China Honours Guard Killed In Somalia Attack
17 November – Source: Xinhua News – 124 Words
China’s Armed Police Force held a ceremony here on Tuesday honoring a guard killed in a July attack targeting embassies in Somalia. More than 1,000 people from the Armed Police Force, Foreign Ministry and Zhang’s family attended the commemoration for Zhang Nan in his hometown of Jinan, east China’s Shandong Province.
Militant group Al-Shabaab launched a suicide attack on the Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu on July 26, killing at least 15 people including 28-year-old Zhang. His remains were buried in Jinan on Aug. 2. Zhang served with the force for 11 years. He was named a security officer in the Chinese embassy in Somalia in February, and chose to stay there after surviving a gunshot wound during another terrorist attack in April.
AMISOM Steps Up Somali Soldier Training
16 November – Source: CCTV – Video: 2:22 Minutes
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The war against terrorism at home must, therefore, be seen in a global context. Al-Shabaab in our region and Boko Haram in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries will only be conquered through a coordinated global effort.”
World Must Unite And Confront As One The Menace Of Bloody Terrorism
16 November – Source: Daily Nation – 702 Words
China might seem like a safe redoubt a world away in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. Yet it is evident that the security agencies are on a higher level of alert. I suddenly see more uniformed and plainclothes police on the streets and markets of Guangzhou. President Xi Jinping has pledged support for global coordination against terrorism, while Security minister Guo Shengkun has instituted stricter surveillance on borders and airports as well railway stations, shopping malls, schools, and entertainment joints.
The ministry has particularly warned that China is not spared the terrorist threat. It has its own suspects that have illegally left the country for Syria and Iraq to join up with the Islamic State for indoctrination and training before returning to plan and conduct terrorist attacks at home: “China is facing the same threats from IS as France and must prepare for similar terror attacks, which were well-planned and targeted multiple locations at the same time,” said Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations quoted in the State-owned Daily News.
The deadly terrorist attacks that scarred the French capital serve to remind the world that no person, no country, no region, and no continent is immune from the deadly modern-day scourge. France and neighbouring countries in Europe that are similarly threatened will be entitled to move firmly and swiftly against the large support networks that provide the breeding ground for terrorism. The institutions and communities that provide succour and shelter for those of ill intention will be under increased scrutiny.
This will be the natural reaction not just in France, but also across the world wherever the threat of violent Islamic extremism hangs heavy in the air. The Paris attacks on Friday that killed 129 people came not long after the October 31 crash of a Russian tourist charter flying out of the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, believed to have been brought down by a bomb placed aboard by terrorists. It killed 224 people.The two incidents so close to each other are a stark reminder of the malevolent hand of a terrorism hiding behind religion to spill blood.
The only option for the civilised world is to unite and confront as one the purveyors of a bloodlust that seeks only to spread mayhem, terror, destruction, and death. The terrorism now afflicting the world may have its origins in the Palestinian struggle for statehood, but it now seeks only to wreak terror in the name of religion.Those who seek to impose their beliefs on the world through terror must be fought with the only weapons they can understand. We in Kenya have suffered terribly and continue to be under the threat of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group out of Somalia that now we can no longer deny is firmly domiciled within our borders.