October 1, 2013 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Kenyan MPs ‘to demand Somali refugee camps closures’
01 Oct – Source: Africa Review/Standard Media – 393 words
A Kenyan parliamentary committee is to call for camps for Somali refugees in the country to close in the wake of the Westgate mall attack, a senior MP says. Ndung’u Gethenji, head of the defence committee, told the BBC he had reports that “some of these facilities are being used as a training ground”.
More than 500,000 Somalis have sought refuge from war and poverty in Kenya. Officials say 67 people died after militants from Somalia’s al Shabaab stormed the Westgate on September 21.
Five militants were killed by security forces during the four-day siege, while nine people are in custody after being arrested in connection with the attacks, the authorities say. Al Shabaab, a Somali militant group, said the attack was in retaliation for Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Somali PM his delegation jet back after foreign trip (Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV)
- Westgate attack mastermind flees to Somalia says Kenya media (Raxanreeb)
- Security operations conducted in some suburbs of Mogadishu (Shabelle)
- Kenyan MPs ‘to demand Somali refugee camps closures’ (Africa Reveiw/Standard Media)
- Elders resolve conflict between Puntland Galmudug (Radiao Dalsan)
- Top Sierra Leone defense official vows not to withdraw troops from Somalia despite threats (Shanghai Daily/Xinhua)
- Al Shabaab fighters attack AMISOM base in Beledweyne (Radio Mustaqbal)
- White Widow ‘was married to Kenyan’ (Daily Nation)
- Qatar Charity Establishes Model Village In Somalia (Bernama)
- Somaliland president delegation set for official visit to Turkey (Somaliland Informer)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali PM, his delegation jet back after foreign trip
01 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV – 149 words
The Prime Minister of Somali Federal Government Abdi Farah Shirdon Sa’id and his delegation have returned to the country early morning on Tuesday. The prime minister and members of his delegation were cordially welcomed at Aden Adden International airport by different dignitaries from the executive branch of government and legislators of Somali federal government.
Mr. Shirdon has been on working visits to Switzerland and Turkey. The PM attended conference on human rights held in Switzerland and also met Turkish government officials, Somali Students in Turkey and Somali community in Turkey.
The prime minister has signed agreement during his visit, essential for Somalia which is now recovering from decades of destruction.
Westgate attack mastermind flees to Somalia, says Kenya media
01 Oct – Source; Raxanreeb – 129 words
Kenya media houses report that the Westgate attack mastermind who is only identified as “Abu Sandheere” has fled from Kenya and safely reached Somalia during the four days mayhem in Nairobi. According to different media houses in Kenya, Abu Sandheere is believed to have been the one who escorted the terrorists who attacked Westgate Shopping Mall.
He is suspected to be a 50-year-old Kenyan man who is an associate of the late al Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah, the media said. Abu Sandheere has parents of Kenyan Maasai and a European, is thought to have escaped moments after the assault started on Saturday.
Another man named by the Kenya media is Sheikh Ahmed Iman Ali who is said to be as al Shabab’s de facto leader of Kenyan fighters in Somalia.
Elders resolve conflict between Puntland, Galmudug
01 Oct – Source: Radio Dalsan – 139 words
Elders from southern and northern Galkayo town in Mudug region have come together on Monday in a meeting to resolve the conflict between the two regional administrations of Galmudug and Puntland. Dalsan Radio reporter who attended the meeting said the two-day conference will address deeply-rooted clan-based conflicts between Galmudug and Puntland administrations.
The two neighboring semi-autonomous regions have been in constant security crisis since the past four years as more civilians from the two regions were killed in what seemed as clan based retaliation.
Last week, senior Galmudug regional administration officer called for conclusive ending in the two regions crisis. Both administrations lay claim on Galkacyo town, the regional capital of Mudug under its regional dominant despite the town housing people from the two clans.
Two clan militias battled in Galgadud region
01 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 140 words
Reports from Abudwaq district in Galgadud region in the central of Somalia indicate that two clan militias have once again battled in the areas under that district.
The commander of security forces of Abudwaq district for Ahlu Sunna, moderate administration in central regions Abdi Haji Ali told Mustaqbal radio that the fighting broke after a man was killed in Dabad village, adding that the battle left 5 people from both sides dead.
Mr. Abdi confirmed there are ongoing efforts by the elders to solve the clashes between the two clan militias. It is not the first time that the two clan militias fight in Dabad environment in Galgadud region in central of Somalia.
Security operations conducted in some suburbs of Mogadishu
01 Oct – Source: Shabelle – 96 words
Government troops conducted on early Tuesday morning security operations that resulted the arrest of many people in some suburbs of Mogadishu. The security operations were mainly conducted in Shibis,Karaan, and Heliwa districts of Banadir region.
Government officials who conducted the operation told Shabelle Media that suspected al Shabaab members were arrested during the early morning operations.
Abdi Mohamed Ayale who is the top military commander of the troops based in Heliwa district said that the operations were conducted following Monday’s landmine attack which targeted government troops while they were operating in one of the local markets.
Al Shabaab fighters attack AMISOM base in Beledweyne
30 Sept – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 156 words
Fighters linked with al Shabaab, the anti-government group in Somalia reportedly attacked AMISOM forces in Beledweyne, administrative capital of Hiiraan region on Monday night. Radio Mustaqbal correspondent in Beledweyne reported that al Shabaab fighters launched attacks on Djiboutian forces base in Hawlwadag neighbourhood.
Sounds of guns resulted by the clashes between the fighters and AMISOM forces could be heard inside the town, residents told Mustaqbal radio. Residents said that the fighting did cause casualties on the two sides.
The attackers escaped from scene after conducting the raid. Similar attack occurred in Lafole Area where al Shabaab fighters strike AMISOM and government forces base. No comment still from al Shabaab or AMISOM officials particularly Djiboutian officers in Beledweyne.
Somaliland forces detain well known religious man
30 Sept – Source: Radio Dalsan/Hadhwanaag News – 98 words
Somali police have on Sunday night detained a famous from his home in Hargeisa, family members said. Sheikh Mohamud Abdullahi Gelle was detained by the police midnight on Sunday and was taken into police custody.
Sheikh Gelle’s relatives confirmed that he was arrested by the Somali special forces called RRU alleging that Sheikh Gelle was supporting al Shabaab militant group.
There were no comment from Somaliland police despite several calls seeking for response. Sheikh is the founder and leader of banned Hisbullah Islamic Party which was declared in 2011.
Somalia: 20 companies compete for Bossaso Airport runway bid
30 Sept – Source: Garowe Online – 254 words
The launching ceremony of tender process for Bossaso airport upgrade in Puntland, on Somalia’s northeastern tip brought together 20 international companies on Monday, Garowe Online reports.
The event which held at Bossaso airport was also attended by Puntland’s Minister of Maritime transport, Ports and Counter Piracy, Said Mohamed Rage, the Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation, Abdiqani Gelle, parliamentarians, traditional elders and businessmen.
“Representatives from western, Arab and African companies attended the launching ceremony, the tender will be closed in mid-October and the tender winner is expected to mobilize its operation within two months,” Gelle, the Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation said in an interview with Garowe Online.
Somaliland president, delegation set for official visit to Turkey
30 Sept – Source: Somaliland Informer – 80 words
Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo leading a delegation is expected to leave for Turkey on Tuesday and this has been confirmed by Foreign Minister Mohamed Biihi Yoonis after briefing the house of elders on Monday.
Somaliland’s FM has told the elders that the president and Turkish government officials will discuss on issues of common concern mainly the bilateral ties between two countries. The FM has also confirmed that Somaliland’s president has received an official invitation from Turkish PM.
Somaliland’s Finance minister presents 2014 Annual National Budget to Parliament
30 Sept – Source: Somaliland Press – 139 words
The Minister of Finance Hon Abdiaziz Samaale presented the annual 2014 annual national budget to parliament on Monday after it was approved by the cabinet a few days ago.
The 2014 budget presented to parliament by the minister of finance is said to be the heftiest in the country’s history these compared to previous budget was approved by the council of ministers during a session chaired by the head of state president Ahmed Mahamud Silanyo on Thursday.
In his opening statement the minister of finance said “I do hereby present to you the reviewed draft of this year’s budget 2.910 Billion Somaliland Shilling or $152Million, in addition to the budget of the various government agencies the budget is expected to total more than $220 Million a 37% rise compared to last year’s Budget which was $185,714,033.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan MPs ‘to demand Somali refugee camps closures’
01 Oct – Source: Africa Review/Standard Media – 393 words
A Kenyan parliamentary committee is to call for camps for Somali refugees in the country to close in the wake of the Westgate mall attack, a senior MP says. Ndung’u Gethenji, head of the defence committee, told the BBC he had reports that “some of these facilities are being used as a training ground”.
More than 500,000 Somalis have sought refuge from war and poverty in Kenya. Officials say 67 people died after militants from Somalia’s al Shabaab stormed the Westgate on September 21.
Five militants were killed by security forces during the four-day siege, while nine people are in custody after being arrested in connection with the attacks, the authorities say. Al Shabaab, a Somali militant group, said the attack was in retaliation for Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia.
White Widow ‘was married to Kenyan’
01 Oct – Source: Daily Nation – 658 words
Samantha Lewthwaite, the ‘White Widow’ being hunted on suspicion of leading the Nairobi mall massacre, is or was secretly married to a former officer in the Kenya Navy, a British newspaper said on Monday, quoting a confidential Scotland Yard file.
Her new husband is Mr Abdi Wahid, whom the paper said is currently in Europe and freely moves around. According to the Daily Mail, the dossier throws new light on the life of the mother of four who converted to Islam as a schoolgirl and is now the world’s most wanted woman.
Mahaday residents begin road to recovery following al-Shabaab’s ousting
30 Sept – Source: Sabahi Online – 489 words
Residents of Mahaday district in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region have begun to put their lives back together after two years of al Shabaab rule ended less than two weeks ago. “The problems al Shabaab has inflicted on the residents of Mahaday district are immeasurable,” District Commissioner Sharif Abukar Ahmed told Sabahi.
Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops booted the militant group from the district after a short battle on September 19th that left one al Shabaab fighter dead, according to Ahmed.
The district must now re-build to provide residents basic health and education services. During al Shabaab’s rule, militants looted clinics, making off with drugs and medical equipment, and closed local schools, taking property including classroom chairs, he said.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Top Sierra Leone defense official vows not to withdraw troops from Somalia despite threats
01 Oct – Source: Shanghai Daily/ Xinhua – 157 words
Sierra Leone would not withdraw its military personnel from Somalia despite threats from the al Shabaab group, the country’s top defense official said here Monday.
“Sierra Leone has become part of the troops contributing countries because we were bound by the African Union (AU) declaration,” said Alfred Paolo Conteh, Sierra Leone’s defense minister. It was the country’s “payback” to Africa for what it did in helping Sierra Leone fight a 10-year civil war, which ended in 2002, he added.
Qatar Charity Establishes Model Village In Somalia
01 Oct – Source: Bernama – 142 words
Qatar Charity (QC) has established a model village at a cost of around QAR1 million (RM890,986.75), near the Somali capital Mogadishu, within the framework of Eemaar project, to support the return of Somali displaced to their homes, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
According to a QC’s statement, the village includes a primary school, a mosque, shops and wells with the capacity of about 6,000 persons. It will also be receiving aid including food and non-food items in addition to the distribution of seeds, plowing equipment and pesticides to farmers and other income-generating projects.
QC’s Executive Director for International Development, Mohamed Ali Al-Ghamdi, noted that the establishment of the village comes under Eemaar project a year ago, aimed to support and encourage the displaced Somalis to return to their areas and provide them with income-generating projects.
Somali Militants Mixing Business and Terror
30 Sept – Source: New York Times – 736 words
Illicit ivory, kidnappings, piracy ransoms, smuggled charcoal, extorted payments from aid organizations and even fake charity drives pretending to collect money for the poor — the al Shabab militant group has shifted from one illegal business to another, drawing money from East Africa’s underworld to finance attacks like the recent deadly siege at a Nairobi shopping mall.
Now officials here and in the West are redoubling efforts to defeat or at least contain the group — with a watchful eye on its hydra-headed sources of money — before its fighters can strike again in Kenya or even the United States.
Africa Terrorism Is Symptom of Intractable Problems
30 Sept – Source: VOA – 453 words
The past week’s terrorist attacks in Kenya and Nigeria have renewed attention on militancy and terrorism in Africa. It’s a rising trend, and a difficult one to reverse. The September 21 attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall by Somalia’s al Shabaab militants was a shocking event in generally peaceful Nairobi.
A week later across the continent, the midnight killing of dozens of students at a college in Nigeria was equally shocking, but less surprising. There, the government is at war with the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram.
Rising militancy in Nigeria and Somalia, as well as Mali, Libya, and several other African countries, has killed thousands in terrorist attacks and civil wars. And for the most part, it is linked to local grievances, according to Africa specialist Jason Mosley of London’s Chatham House research organization – speaking via Skype.
Malta’s €150,000 pledge to Somalia aid ‘ludicrous’
30 Sept – Source: Times of Malta – 724 words
The Government’s €150,000 three-year aid package for Somalia has been described as “ludicrous” by international development NGO Kopin. Malta’s pledge formed part of the €1.8 billion that was promised to Somalia by international donors last week in a “new deal” designed to rebuild the troubled country after two decades of civil strife.
Among notable EU donors, Germany pledged €90 million, Sweden €170 million, Denmark $124 million (€92 million) and the UK £50 million (€60 million).
Kopin pointed out that the Government would have more funds to spend on meaningful foreign aid if it did not use much of its overseas development assistance budget for detaining irregular migrants at home.
Kilimanjaro to Assume Pivotal Role in Somalia Oil Project
30 Sept – Source: Market Wired – 663 words
Kilimanjaro Capital (“Kilimanjaro” or “the Company”) (GXG:KCAP), the ethical investment company with acquisitions in the African mining and Oil & Gas sectors, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a farmout agreement (“the Agreement”) with the Australian-Somali company Amsas to obtain a 5% non working interest in the Somalia Amsas-Coriole-Afgoye (“ACA”) Block with an opportunity to earn an additional 5% each in additional three Somali blocks.
The ACA Block is located on the coast of Somalia just south of the capital of Mogadishu and was formerly known as the “Government Block.” Amsas obtained 49% of the block in 2008 from the Somali Transitional Federal Government (“TFG”). The ACA Block is a 4700-square kilometer coastal parcel directly onshore opposite the offshore Block M-7 once held by a Shell unit before the Somali civil war started in 1991. Amsas estimates expect the block to contain 1 billion BOE, while optimistic estimates anticipate 5 billion BOE.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and UN envoy Nicholas Kay examine the challenges facing Somalia and the region.”
The threat of al Shabaab
30 Sept – Source: Al Jazeera English – 394 Words
A gun battle inside a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi has left at least 68 people dead and more than 150 wounded. Twenty-four hours later, an operation to secure the Westgate centre, one of the city’s most exclusive shopping malls, was ongoing. The Somali militant group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, demanding that Kenya pull troops back from its neighbouring country, where the group is fighting against the government.
So what is the situation in Somalia? And how does the conflict affect neighbouring countries? One of those ‘foreign’ nations involved or touched by events in Somalia is Uganda. For years, the country has sent men and weapons to fight al-Shabab. Many Ugandans have died in the conflict in Somalia or after attacks in Uganda itself. On Talk to Al Jazeera we talk to the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, who is one of the longest serving leaders and most experienced politicians in Africa.
“Kenya has suffered a serious shock because of its participation in AMISOM. This is a time to stand firm with Somalia and the African countries that are trying desperately to prevent its return to the chaos that defined it for two disastrous decades.”
Standing with Kenya and Somalia
30 Sept – Source: All Africa – 924 Words
Last weekend’s attack by al Shabaab militants on Westgate shopping mall in Kenya should be a wake-up call that more work is needed to stabilize Somalia and prevent it from falling back into another long period of chaos and famine.
Carried out by the radical Somali group loosely affiliated with al Qaeda, the assault was not aimed at Kenya alone. It was an indirect attack against all of Somalia’s neighbors, the five African countries contributing troops to the Somali peacekeeping force and the international community supporting Somalia’s stabilization efforts.
The main goal was to inflict mass casualties and punish the Kenyan government for joining the African peacekeeping force in southern Somalia. But the bold strike on a high-profile target and al Shabaab’s conspicuous use of social media throughout the four-day standoff also revealed its determination to garner increased international attention for its on-going fight in Somalia.
“The Westgate attack shifts attention to the need for more strategic and intensive engagement with Kenya as a key ally to the US and West. Moving forward, the US should work closely with Kenya to support the East/Horn of Africa coalition against terrorism.”
Attack will draw West, Kenya closer
30 Sept – Source: Daily Nation – 1144 Words
The misguided policy concept of “only essential contact” by the West with Kenya can no longer be indulged given Kenya’s geostrategic importance to Africa’s stability. The cowardly and horrific terrorist attack against innocent civilians at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi will draw Kenya and the West back to their historical close relations.
It also tragically highlights the need to quickly resolve the International Criminal Court (ICC) cases against President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto that are a politicised distraction from pursuing our common interests with Kenya in protecting international peace, advancing democratic governance and prosperity, and promoting justice and reconciliation.
US President Barak Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s early calls to President Kenyatta to offer assistance during and after the attack are clear signals of a shift in policy that will be made more meaningful only with sustained and fully normal engagement unhindered by the ICC.
“As a major power that plays host to many international organisations and foreign companies, Kenya must also take steps to ensure the safety of foreign nationals. The al Shabaab’s latest attack is also a reminder that the gains Kenya has made in Somalia can only be consolidated if it pursues a robust domestic counterterrorism policy.”
Lessons from the Nairobi attack
01 Oct – Source: The Hindu – 445 Words
Al Shabaab’s brazen attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, which killed at least 62 civilians, reflects poorly on the international community’s efforts to stabilise Somalia. While joining hands to eliminate the Shabab, a terror network that has fed off a failed state, several African nations have invited its wrath home.
Shabab has become increasingly desperate, and thus dangerous, in the asymmetric war its diffused cadres have fought since 2008 against the ill-equipped peacekeeping forces of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).
The al Qaeda affiliated group’s assault on one of the most affluent and cosmopolitan neighbourhoods in Kenya may seem audacious but is not surprising. The Kenyan Defence Forces have faced regular casualties since launching a bold attack on al Shabaab’s stronghold in southern Somalia a couple years ago. The KDF won a decisive victory in 2012, when it drove the group from its stronghold and financial nerve centre in Kismayo — but in hindsight, the jubilation seems premature.
Nairobi should have heeded the lessons Uganda has learnt from its protracted involvement with AMISOM. In 2010, al Shabaab had dispatched suicide bombers to venues in Kampala screening the FIFA World Cup final, killing 74 civilians. Those bombings significantly reduced the Ugandan appetite for keeping the peace in Somalia. Now, the Shabab has turned to Kenya in an effort to intimidate its government and civil society.
Top tweets
@IDMC_Geneva Why displaced children of #Somalia hold key to future peace. New blog for @refugees #ExComhttp://wp.me/p2WqUJ-67.
@BBCMonitoring Infographic: #Somalia media in numbers –http://tinyurl.com/pn54bc8.
@anthonydavis82 Remittances are a lifeline for millions, yet Barclays has moved to cut them to #Somalia (too much ‘risk’)http://www.oxfamblogs.org/
@amisomsomalia PHOTO OF THE DAY / #AMISOM / #Somalia– Fisherman of #Mogadishu http://on.fb.me/17hpj4U.
@Somalia111 The threat of al-Shabab http://aje.me/16CSFx6 via @AJEnglish Interview with Pres Museveni and@Somalia111 recorded in NY. @UNSomalia.
Image of the day
Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon meets with Somali students studying in Turkey. Photo: @SomaliaNewsroom.