November 26, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Two suspected al Shabaab foreigner arrested in Kismayo
26 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Dhanaan Online/Markacadeey Online-112 words
The Interim Jubba Administration officials have on Tuesday stated to have arrested two foreign men in the port city of Kismayo, the administrative capital the interim administration.
Sheikh Mohamud Qalib, one of the officials in the city who spoke to Bar-kulan said that the two men, a Kenyan and a Tanzanian were arrested at the main port.
He added that the men were handed over to the Kenyan forces in the region after they admitted to have arrived in a boat from Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Some unconfirmed reports indicate that are believed to be members of al Shabaab group.
Key Headlines
- Two suspected al Shabaab foreigner arrested in Kismayo (Radio Bar-kulan/Dhanaan Online)
- Turkey to open a consulate office in Somaliland (Somaliland Informer)
- AMISOM forces push back al Shabaab militia (Dalsan/Radio Mustaqbal)
- More than 50 fall ill with unidentified diseases (Radio Ergo)
- Somali refugees in Nakivale face worsening living conditions (Radio Bar-Kulan)
- Holland repatriates three men to Somalia (Radio Dalsan)
- Mogadishu Mayor urges more help for the disasters affected people (Radio RBC/Radio Mogadishu)
- Police officials accuse al Shabaab of latest explosion in Kismayu (Radio Bar-kulan/Kismaayo News)
- Kenya: Iranian terrorists fight life sentence (Daily Nation)
- Rights group urges release of jailed Somali rape victim and journalist (Sudan Tribune)
- US concern after Somali ‘rape victim’ held (News24/AFP)
- Tensions rife in Kenya’s ‘Little Mogadishu’ after Westgate attack (Financial Times)
- Somali radio director arrested over rape case (Al Jazeera English)
- Talanta holds Somalia in friendly (Super Sport)
- Improved Education from Conflict Resolution – Gedweyn Success story (Danish Refugee Council)
- Al Shabaab have excluded themselves from Somalia dialogue: IGAD (RFI)
- EU boosts milk industry in Somaliland (Somaliland Informer)
SOMALI MEDIA
Two suspected al Shabaab foreigner arrested in Kismayo
26 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Dhanaan Online/Markacadeey Online-112 words
The Interim Jubba Administration officials have on Tuesday stated to have arrested two foreign men in the port city of Kismayo, the administrative capital the interim administration.
Sheikh Mohamud Qalib, one of the officials in the city who spoke to Bar-kulan said that the two men, a Kenyan and a Tanzanian were arrested at the main port.
He added that the men were handed over to the Kenyan forces in the region after they admitted to have arrived in a boat from Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Some unconfirmed reports indicate that are believed to be members of al Shabaab group.
AMISOM forces push back al Shabaab militia
26 Nov- Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Kulmiye- 142 words
Somalia national army reinforced by AMISOM forces from Djibouti and Ethiopia is reported to have managed to capture new areas from the al Shabaab fighters.
Heavy battle between al Shabaab and AMISOM forces to take control areas previous controlled by Alshabab has been taking place in Hiran province for the last two days.
According to government officials in the area government forces have managed to push back al Shabab fighters and took control of new areas.
Col. Tawane Ahmed Gurey Hiran province military commander said they are now in control of several divisions under Beledweyne district and they are in the process of establishing permanent military bases in order to strengthen the law and order.
On his part AMISOM Hiran sector commander col. Osman Dubad confirmed that AMISOM forces have taken control of various al Shabaab bases in the area.
Mogadishu Mayor urges more help for the disasters affected people
26 Nov- Source: Radio RBC/Radio Mogadishu- 211 words
Mohamed Ahmed Nur Tarsan, the Mayor of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia has urged citizens living in the capital to continue donating the people in the most affected areas of the country following the recent cyclone in Puntland and floods that hit parts of this nation.
The Mayor has addressed hundreds of people who have gathered in Abdiasis neighborhood on Mondayduring a large event to raise money and non food items to the disasters affected regions.
“I urge all the citizens living in Mogadishu not hesitate to donate everything they could.” Mayor Tarsan said. “This is not a simple matter, people are naked dying for hunger and lack of shelter.” he added.
Meanwhile people in the 16th districts of Mogadishu continue on the second week holding fundraising events in the different places. Madina district has donated more than $40,000 while Kaaraan and Abdiasis have pledged similar amount of money.
On the other hand head of the OCHA office for Somalia Justin Brady, said that he was pleased that strong coordination among the humanitarian community and Puntland authorities had led to a good emergency response to the nearly 30,000 people affected by the tropical storm since 11 November.
Turkey to open a consulate office in Somaliland
26 Nov- Source: SomalilandGov/ Somaliland Informer- 187 words
Turkish Ambassador to Somalia, Cemalettin Kani Torun met with the President of Somaliland and agreed to establish an office in the country’s capital, Hargeisa.
The Ambassador’s visit to Somaliland comes after last month’s meeting between Somaliland’s President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan in Istanbul, where they agreed to explore further opportunities for political engagement, economic developmentand cultural exchange. The Turkish government has committed to contributing to Somaliland’s development especially in the areas of health, education and commerce.
Turkey will host a fourth round of talks between Somaliland and Somalia in January 2014, led by President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, respectively. The new consulate office in Hargeisa will assist in maintaining momentum for the Dialogue process.
At a press conference, held today in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s Foreign Minister said:
“Through greater diplomatic and economic engagement, historic relations between Somaliland and Turkey, which have spanned centuries, will only deepen further.”
The Turkish Ambassador has been accompanied by a delegation that includes several investors exploring the many economic opportunities in the country.
Police officials accuse al Shabaab of latest explosion in Kismayu
26 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Kismaayo News- 126 words
Police officials in Kismayu city have accused al Shabaab militants of instigating Monday’s explosion in the city which killed one person and injured six others. Kismayu police chief, Mohamed Abdi Bule told Bar-kulan that al Shabaab and other mercenary groups in the region are believed to have orchestrated the explosion.
The police chief added that the explosion was caused by a bomb planted on a roadside and later set off by a remote control. He further stated that the security forces in the city have arrested a number of suspects in a security crackdown in response to the explosion. He declined to give the exact number of arrests made by his security forces in the crackdown.
More than 50 fall ill with unidentified diseases
26 Nov- Source: Radio Ergo- 211 words
More than 50 people have fallen sick from an unidentified illness that local people in Puntland’s Bari coastal region fear may be linked to the after effects of the tropical cyclone. The first people fell sick three days ago. The local administration say they are trying to identify the cause and treatment.
Ali Mire Hussein, the local authority chairman of Eastern coastal areas of Bari region, said most of those affected live in the coastal village of Tohin. Both adults and children were among those affected, he told Radio Ergo’s Bossaso reporter by phone.
Explaining the symptoms of the diseases, he said people felt skin irritation and itchiness, with infected skin sores. Other symptoms were headache and nose bleeds.
There has been no reported death. The village has no health centre and has been cut off by floods from other parts of the region. Red Cross medical staff in the area for cyclone assistance purposes were reported to be assessing the patients.
A local resident in the area, Ali Muse Sagar, told Radio Ergo that Tohin village was along the coastline where ships are said to have dumped illegal chemical waste. He said that after heavy rain, people always got sick because of the toxic chemicals washed ashore by rough seas.
EU boosts milk industry in Somaliland
26 Nov- Source: Somaliland Informer- 217 words
Somaliland is currently importing the majority of its milk as powdered milk, in order to meet this increasing demand. However, with an economy largely based on livestock, the region has the potential to increase its local fresh milk production, mainly from camels and cattle, and to produce 80% of its consumption needs. With an investment of 4 million EUR, the EU intends to support the sector’s value chain by focusing on institutional and sector capacity building, on animal health and on new marketing methods, also for women milk vendors. It should also put an end to the widespread milk losses caused by poor handling along the value chain.
“This project will support all the value chain actors in the milk sector and will provide a boost for employment creation in Somaliland, said the EU Special Envoy to Somalia, Michele Cervone d’Urso while launching the landmark project. We expect the initiative to increase the income of more than 1.000 pastoralists and agro-pastoralists communities and to provide hygienic milk for more 50.000 households.”
The EU milk initiative will be implemented by the International Centre for Insect Ecology and Physiology (icipe) and the UN’s the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), working in coordination with the Somaliland Ministry of Livestock and the Quality Control Commission.
Somaliland: We have underscored Progress made in the Country for so long-EU Envoy
26 Nov- Source: Somalilandpress- 501 words
Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International relations Hon Mohamed Bihi Younis today meet with the ambassadors of 5 western countries who are based in Nairobi and who came to Hargeisa to initiated dialogue on several issues.
Hon Bihi speaking during a press conference just after the meeting with the emissaries said , “Today with me is here is the EU ,British , Italy, France and America including a delegation from the Australian government ,the envoys who are in the country on a fact finding mission on the progress made in the terms of development they fund and to also see for themselves first hand if the Aid they provide reaches the intended people and to inspect the various development projects which are being funded by their respective governments.
The FM went on to say that the foreign officials were satisfied by what they so today be it in terms of development , Stability, security and good governances of which has been underscored by most foreign countries and also the matter of the ongoing dialogue between Mogadishu and Hargeisa which were stalled after the federal government of Somalia asked them to be delayed for reasons of which needed to be solved urgently.
Holland repatriates three men to Somalia
25 Nov- Source: Radio Dalsan-98 Words
Three Somali men were sent back from Holland to Somalia on Monday after Dutch government rejected their asylum seeking applications. The men were deported back to Mogadishu on board Turkish Airlines flight, according to Mogadishu Airport officials.
Trio have become the third deportation of Somali asylum seekers made by Holland in the past six months. Two months ago, Holland repatriated five young men back to Mogadishu after their asylum seeking documents did not meet the Holland’s requirements. Some of those deported back to Mogadishu were seriously wounded in suicide explosion in the capital last month.
Somali refugees in Nakivale face worsening living conditions
25 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 133 words
Somali refugees in Nakivale Refugee Camp in the outskirts of Ugandan capital of Kampala have expressed complaints about the living conditions in the camp. Some of the refugees who spoke to Bar-kulan lamented that living conditions in the refugee camp have been deteriorating in recent months.
They said at least one person has been injured in a recent stampede caused by overcrowding of refugees after UNHCR ordered all refugees to show up in person for food distributions.
Officials from Ugandan Ministry for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, World Food Programme and UNHCR who travelled to the refugee camp have promised to improve the living conditions in the camp.
Nakivale Refugee Camp in the outskirts of Kampla is a home to thousands of refugees, mostly from Somalia.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenya: Iranian terrorists fight life sentence
26 Nov- Source: Daily Nation- 303 words
Two Iranian men sentenced to life imprisonment for carrying out terror related activities have lodged an appeal against the judgment at the High Court in Milimani.
Sayed Mansour Mousavi and Ahmed Abolfathi Mohammed were each handed a life sentence after being convicted of intending to cause grievous harm—having been found in possession of 15kg of explosives and plotting a crime.
Mousavi and Mohammed, who were arrested in Nairobi in June 2012, want a speedy hearing of their appeal and had also requested to be released on bail pending the appeal.
At the time of the Iranians conviction, it was unclear whether the pair had ties to al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia or were part of another network.
Somali radio director arrested over rape case
26 Nov- Source: Al Jazeera English-450 Words
Somali government security forces have arrested the director of the popular privately owned radio station Shabelle for allowing a reporter to use the station’s camera to record an interview with an alleged rape victim, Al Jazeera has learned.
Speaking from prison on Monday, Abdimalik Yusuf Mohamud said he was arrested because a camera belonging to the station was used by Mohamed Bashir, a Shabelle reporter who interviewed the alleged victim.
“I’m in prison because Mohamed, who is also in prison with me, interviewed the woman that was [allegedly] raped using a camera belonging to the radio station,” Mohamud told Al Jazeera. “They denied both of us lawyers. They put us in jail with convicted criminals.”
Bashir was arrested five days ago when a video interview of the alleged victim surfaced online. In the video posted to YouTube on Nov. 16, the 19-year-old, who Al Jazeera will not name but who works for the UN-funded Kasmo radio station, accuses two journalists working for the state-owned Radio Mogadishu of raping her at gunpoint.
Rights group urges release of jailed Somali rape victim and journalist
24 Nov- Source: Sudan Tribune- 573 words
An East African women’s rights group has called on Somali authorities to immediately release a jailed rape victim and a journalist who covered her story.
Mohammed Bashir, who works for Somalia’s independent Radio Shabelle station, was arrested on Wednesday shortly after the story of the rape victim was aired.
In the interview, the 19-year old breaks her silence for the first time since the alleged incident four months ago, claiming was raped by two journalists working for the state-owned radio station.
“One of the men threatened me with a pistol, and took me to the bedroom by force. Both of them raped me several times, destroying my pride and dignity”, she said.
“I am appealing to the government to take legal action against the rapists, they might have done the same to other poor girls”, she added.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
US concern after Somali ‘rape victim’ held
26 Nov- Source:News24/AFP- 240 words
US officials on Monday voiced concern over the arrest of an alleged rape victim in Somalia and the journalists who reported on her story, calling for a “credible investigation” into her allegations.
Washington was “deeply concerned” about the arrests of the woman, as well as Mohamed Bashir Hashi, the reporter who interviewed her, and Abdulmalik Yusuf, the manager of Radio Shabelle, which aired her story.
“These arrests raise questions about the protection of survivors of gender-based violence, as well as freedom of the press in Somalia,” Will Stevens, spokesman for the State Department’s bureau of African affairs, told AFP.
Talanta holds Somalia in friendly
26 Nov- Source: Super Sport-215 Words
Kenyan Division One side FC Talanta on Monday afternoon secured one all draw against Somalia National Team in a friendly match played at the City Stadium. The visitors opened the scores in the first half after a fluid counter attack that ended in a tap in for striker Mohamed Abdul. The match then turned into a balanced affair with the Kenyans stepping up their attacks towards the end of the first half in vain.
Talanta however eventually got the equalizer in the second half after a costly defending blunder by the Somalia team from a Rodgers Omondi pass. The side’s last season top scorer Patrick Muchiri easily slotted home with the keeper well beaten on goal to secure a draw. The national side, currently preparing for the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Kenya, invited FC Talanta for a friendly to help them keep fit ahead of the tournament kick off in two days.
Somalia was the first to jet into the country on Saturday 23rd November, with their first match expected to be on Thursday 28th against Burundi at the refurbished Machakos Stadium. FC Talanta displayed good football in the match ,a reminder of a successful season that saw them finish second in the Zone A [Group A] standings, missing a playoffs place by a whisker.
Al Shabaab have excluded themselves from Somalia dialogue: IGAD
25 Nov- Source: RFI-03:01mins
The UN has extended the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM, until October 2014. The Security Council has asked the AU to send more troops — from 18,000 to 22,000 — to combat rebels there. The UN has also urged Mogadishu to lead an inclusive national dialogue with the support, among others, of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. IGAD, a regional body that groups Horn of Africa countries and their neighbours, has long called for peace in Somalia. But should the al Shabaab take part in these talks? RFI’s Michel Arseneault asked Mahboub Maalim, IGAD’s executive secretary.
Tensions rife in Kenya’s ‘Little Mogadishu’ after Westgate attack
25 Nov- Source: Financial Times-880 Words
In their night-time raids on parts of Nairobi, police regularly arrest dozens of Somalis at a time. One of them, Faid Ibrahim, a 26-year-old ethnic Somali, says they accuse him of being an Islamist jihadist. Then, he says, he bribes them to let him go.
“This is like a business for the police . . . we have no rights,” says Mr Ibrahim, who is unemployed and lives in Eastleigh, a dishevelled neighbourhood in the Kenyan capital filled with so many Somalis it goes by the name of “Little Mogadishu”.
Over the past several decades, Somali traders have turned Eastleigh from a quiet Asian residential district into a thriving commercial neighbourhood that supplies goods to all east Africa and is home to hundreds of thousands. But policing that is by turns lax, heavy-handed and corrupt has abandoned Eastleigh to its fate.
Last week, western officials said the four Somali terrorists who carried out a massacre in Nairobi’s premier shopping mall in September, killing at least 67 people, lived there undetected for nearly four months beforehand. They believe some worked out at the Andulus Gym in Eastleigh Mall, which bills itself as the “swankiest and fankiest shopping mall” of about 40 in the neighbourhood. Regional intelligence officials believe the four-man cell’s support team comprised 10 or so people.
Recent Shabaab suicide assaults spur Somali and AMISOM operations
25 Nov- Source: Long War Journal-303 Words
Following al Shabaab’s second suicide assault in Beledweyne in a month on Nov. 19, security services, including AMISOM, the African Union peacekeeping mission, and Somali government troops, have ramped up operations near the city. Somali forces arrested 200 Beledweyne residents in a crackdown aimed at boosting security, and also killed six al Shabaab fighters outside of the town who were extorting pastoralists.
Although four Djiboutian members of AMISOM were killed in al Shabaab’s suicide assault, Djiboutian President Ismael Omar Guelleh has refused to withdraw the 1,000 troops his country has committed to AMISOM, saying: “Djibouti’s troops will be in Somalia to help their Somali brothers and they will not change their decision, every soldier killed in there we pray Allah to reward him a Jannah [heaven].”
AMISOM and Somali troops have begun operations outside of Beledweyne as well. They have reportedly conducted security operations in Baragta Elow, Afar Irdod, and other villages 30 kilometers from Beledweyne; and on Sunday, they took the towns of Baardheere and Raangaab without encountering any resistance. Having secured the regions to Beledweyne’s east and west, the forces are now marching south to the town of Bulobarde, the second largest town in the region and believed to be a key Shabaab stronghold.
Improved Education from Conflict Resolution – Gedweyn Success story
25 Nov- Source: Danish Refugee Council-650 Words
The collapse of the Somali government in 1991 had a substantial effect on the country’s education system. All modern systems of learning were destroyed and since then, there have been no formal programmes of education, leaving the children with a bleak future. The responsibility then rested on community education committees who had to maintain what was left of a broken down system where teachers migrated and infrastructure was destroyed. With no unified national curriculum, the community education committees decide on their own curriculum.
In the Gedo region, schools use different curricula including the Kenyan, Ethiopian and the previous Somali National Curriculum. Gedweyne Primary School, which is the only primary school in Gedweyn Dollow District, is faced with many challenges such as lack of trained teachers, classrooms and books. With over 120 students, the academic staff consists of one principle and two teachers, who are paid by the Nomadic Assistant For Peace and Development (NAPAD), a local NGO, and a volunteer teacher.
In April 2013 a conflict arouse between the academic staff, which led to a divided administration, resulting in some teachers refusing to work and the students sent home. With the administration unable to find a solution, the conflict persisted resulting in the school being closed for a long time.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The child soldiers of piracy need to be rehabilitated. Youth living in poverty need opportunities and livelihoods. Communities devastated by the effects of hazardous waste need help. This is the true tragic story of piracy in Somalia, and it needs to be answered with more than military might and epic movies.”
The Backstory of Somali Pirates Does Not Fit Neatly on the Big Screen
25 Nov- Source: Huffington Post Blog-850 Words
Captain Phillips is a cinematic feat of suspense: masterfully directed, superbly acted and beautifully executed. It is a thrilling and compelling ride into a harrowing journey through the pirate infested waters of Somalia. It also happens to be a superficial exercise. The tragic story of Somali piracy is turned into a pantomime.
The pirates of Captain Phillips are cruel, maniacal, murderous and fueled by uncompromising greed. Dark-skinned, emaciated, hollow-cheeked and garbed in rags and AK47s, they are modernized, Africanized caricatures of the stereotypical pirates of lore. When we first see Muse, played by Somali newcomer Barkhad Ali, the leader of the pirateband, standing before a frightened Phillips, played to everyman perfection by Tom Hanks, you can’t help but think that this gaunt, menacing creature is the embodiment of the modern pirate.
The film puts up a façade of contextualizing the motivations and origin of these pirates. Muse at one-point laments that Somalia’s fish had been stolen, that he could no longer be a fisherman. As we watch a hysterical and sobbing Tom Hanks pushed to breaking point, it is hard to sympathize. Other fleeting scenes and throwaway dialogue meant to humanize them, ring hollow.
“Journalist taken by Somali gangsters has been forgotten by the world”
A War Journalist’s Worst Case Scenario: The Kidnapping of Michael Scott Moore
25 Nov- Source: Medium Blog-2656 Words
They came in the night. Jan. 25, 2012. 3:30 in the morning. A dozen members of the elite Navy SEAL Team Six leaped from a cargo plane at high altitude, waiting ‘til the last moment to open their ‘chutes in order to avoid detection.
Their mission was to raid a makeshift base belonging to Somali gunmen—a base that doubled as a safe house for two hostages: Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, both aid workers employed by a Danish agency.
Two hours prior to the jump and 75 miles to the northeast, forces from Joint Special Operations Command Horn of Africa—which oversees American commando missions in Somalia—landed two fixed-wing planes and 11 helicopters at the main airport in the city of Galkayo. The airport and its runways now seized, they would serve as the SEALs’ staging area.
In the weeks prior to the raid, U.S. intelligence had monitored the Somali kidnappers, tapped their phones and pinpointed the location of the hostages. The result was an intelligence picture that lowered the risk of an operation going bad. But Buchanan’s health was declining—the result of a kidney condition. The commandos had to move fast.
Top tweets
@UKinSomalia Good luck to the #Somalia national football team in the East African games. RT @AmbAmericopic.twitter.com/6nRef1h63K
@AmbAmerico Welcoming the #Somalia national football team who came to nairobi to participate the East African games.pic.twitter.com/1ffi4R3j7o
@cewarn “Peace Process must be locally owned and locally led!” Somali CEWERU #Somalia #IGAD #CEWARN@igadsecretariat
@Guuleyste #Alshabaab have taken the notion of “soft target” 2 really new level: #Camels. Roadside bomb kills 20 INFIDEL Camels in southern #Somalia
@ThinkAfricaFeed Warnings of #alShabaab activity could cause more problems for #Somali population in #Ethiopiahttp://buff.ly/1i93DPO
Image of the day
International delegation from UK, Italian, US and EU meet with Somaliland government officials led by President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud ‘Silanyo’ in Hargeisa. Photo: @SomaliaNewDeal