October 12, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somalia’s New PM: Women will be part of cabinet
12 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal /VOA Somali Service – 223 words
The newly appointed Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said that he is holding consultations to form his cabinet, promising Women presence. The Prime Minister said Women will be part of the cabinet since they were already given 30% quota in the government with reference to the Somalia’s draft constitution that was approved.
Sa’id indicated his cabinet will be different from the previous ones. The Prime Minister also pledged the cabinet ministers will be selected with merits. He told VOA Somali service that he will base his agenda on Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s six-point plan for building the country’s institutions.
The president’s priorities include establishing stability, economic recovery, peace-building, public service delivery, national unity, and improving Somalia’s international relations. The Prime Minister told VOA he is open to make changes to that framework, if necessary. In the coming days, the prime minister who was recently nominated by the president, will appear before the parliament for approval.
Key Headlines
- Somalia’s New PM: Women will be part of cabinet (Radio Mustaqbal /VOA Somali Service)
- U.S. looks to effort in Somalia as model for Mali solution (Washington Post)
- Jowhar militants search people’s mobile phone content (Bar-kulan)
- UPDF battles militants as Ugandans party (New Vision)
- Somalia’s government forces AMISOM clash with al Shabaab in Lower Jubba region (Radui Mustaqbal)
- KDF AMISOM form team to run Kismayo (Standard)
- Heavy fighting erupts in Hobyo district of Mudug region (Raxanreeb)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somalia’s New PM: Women will be part of cabinet
12 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal /VOA Somali Service – 223 words
The newly appointed Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said that he is holding consultations to form his cabinet, promising Women presence. The Prime Minister said Women will be part of the cabinet since they were already given 30% quota in the government with reference to the Somalia’s draft constitution that was approved.
Sa’id indicated his cabinet will be different from the previous ones. The Prime Minister also pledged the cabinet ministers will be selected with merits. He told VOA Somali service that he will base his agenda on Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s six-point plan for building the country’s institutions.
The president’s priorities include establishing stability, economic recovery, peace-building, public service delivery, national unity, and improving Somalia’s international relations. The Prime Minister told VOA he is open to make changes to that framework, if necessary. In the coming days, the prime minister who was recently nominated by the president, will appear before the parliament for approval.
Somali DC survives assassination bid
12 Oct – Source: Shabelle – 83 words
Omar Abdulle Jafan, the District Commissioner (DC) of Mogadishu’s survived a grenade attack on Friday that wounded one of his security guards. “Assailants hurled two hand grenades on my car as I was travelling inside the restive Suuqa-Holaha neighbourhood in northern Mogadishu, former al Shabaab main base” he said, adding that one of his bodyguards was lightly wounded.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the DC blames local businessmen for the failed assignation attempt.
Jowhar militants search people’s mobile phone content
12 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 83 words
Al Shabaab militants in Jowhar town have reportedly started searching people’s mobile phone contents instilling fear among the locals. Heavily armed militants were reportedly seen Friday morning going through people’s contacts, messages and phone memories looking for music and other contents stored in their mobile phones.
Locals who spoke to Bar-kulan on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals alleged that militants physically assaulted people whose mobile phones were found containing music. Al Shabaab considers music as evil and against the teachings of Islam.
Allied forces set up interim administration for Kismayo
11 Oct – Source: Raxanreeb – 135 words
Reports from Somali port city of Kismayo say that an interim local administration was established by the allied forces that will be working until a permanent administration will be formed across Jubba regions. Officials say.
The establishment of this interim demonstration came after the officials from the allied forces, local intellectuals and politicians ethnically and nationally from the port city Kismayo met in the city earlier this month and together agreed to form the administration.
Reports say that Ahmed Madobe was appointed as the head of this interim administration who was in the past the commanding officer of Raskamboni Militias. On the other hand reports say that the commander in chief of armed forces and the director general of Kismayo port and other officers were all appointed.
Somali asylum seekers kicked out of camps in Amsterdam
11 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 121 words
More than ten Somali asylum seekers have reportedly been kicked out of refugee camps in Amsterdam where they have been living for the last two months, forcing them to stay out in the cold. Some of these asylum seekers evicted from the camps were in the country for the last couple of years but failed to obtain refugee status after their applications were rejected.
They are now facing hardships including lack of shelter, food and health care services. Muslim communities in Amsterdam have reportedly extended a helping hand for these evicted Somali refugees.
Ismail Moalim, a Somali national living in the Netherlands told Bar-kulan they are trying to negotiate with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) to reconsider their asylum request.
Somalia’s government forces, AMISOM clash with al Shabaab in Lower Jubba region
11 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 120 words
Reports from Lower Jubba region say that heavy fighting between Somalia’s government forces alongside AMISOM and al Shabaab fighters wrupted on Thursday morning.
The battle was reported to take place in Kulbiyow town. Residents said the fighting erupted as al Shabaab fighters attacked the bases of the allied forces on the outskirts of the town.
The fighting which was going on for hours has resulted the death of 4 combatants while several others were injured. The situation seems calm fow now, according the witnesses.
Heavy fighting erupts in Hobyo district of Mudug region
11 Oct – Source: Raxanreeb – 99 words
Deadly clashes erupted in Hobyo district of Mudug region on Thursday morning between the two semi-autonomous states of Galmudug and Himin-Heeb forces, officials say. The clashes came after delegations led by President of Galmudug state Abdi Awale Kabdid reached Hobyo district on Wednesday.
Mohamed Omar Hagafe, the Speaker of Himin-Heeb administration told RBC that the fighting resulted a lot of casualties as he declined to explain the scale of the casualties. Galmudug officials did not comment on Thursday’s clashes and their presence in Hobyo district.
Aid group donates aid to mental health facility in Galkayo
11 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 84 words
A local aid agency, Kafalo, has reportedly donated humanitarian aid to a health facility in Galkayo for mentally ill people. The aid reportedly includes medical supply and food rations meant for patients in the facility.
Seventeen patients, all women, suffering from mental illness are said to be in the facility and are receiving treatments for their ailments. There are several people suffering mental illness in the city but are getting the necessary medical support they needed due to minimal facilities dealing with such people.
REGIONAL MEDIA
UPDF battles militants as Ugandans party
12 Oct – Source: New Vision – 279 words
As Ugandans celebrated 50-years of independence, the UPDF troops deployed on a peace keeping mission in Somalia did not party as they were involved in a major offensive to secure the road to the strategic town of Baidoa.
After the capture of Wanla Weyne on Sunday, the UPDF drove al Shabaab extremists from Ballidoogle airfield which was a formerly an air force training wing. Ballidoogle is 104km from Mogadishu.
However, the soldiers serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) were not oblivious of the fete at home on Tuesday and the commander of the Ugandan contingent Brig. Micheal Ondoga delivered his golden jubilee message.
KDF, AMISOM form team to run Kismayo
12 Oct – Source: Standard – 324 words
Kenya Defence Forces and their AMISOM counterparts have agreed to establish a two-tier administration to run Kismayo city following its capture two weeks ago. The troops together with the Somali National Army and Raskamboni Brigade met on Wednesday to pave the way forward on an administration.
Operations spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna said tier one will comprise of the chair, his deputy and ten assistants. Two assistants will each head a department. The departments include: Security, Economics, Justice, Social and Relief.
The second tier will comprise of working parties, each having five members in the departments bringing the working number to 25, he added. “It was unanimously agreed that leadership would be rotational. The meeting further agreed that findings of Igad meeting taking place in Nairobi will supersede any arrangements existing in Kismayo,” he said.
International companies to begin Oil exploration in northern Somalia
11 Oct – Source: Sabahi Online – 539 words
Genel Energy and other international firms are moving ahead with plans to explore for oil in Somaliland, a development that officials hope will lead to prosperity and job creation in the region.
In early December, Genel Energy will start taking aerial pictures of Somaliland’s Togdheer region to look for oil deposits, according to Somaliland’s Minister of Mining, Energy and Water Resources Hussein Abdi Duale.
“The aerial search will be followed by oil exploration work, which will start in the beginning of 2013,” Duale said October 3rd as he welcomed a delegation from Genial Energy, which is headquartered in Turkey.
Yemeni President Hadi receives credentials of Somali new ambassador
11 Oct – Source: Yemen News Agency – 222 words
Yemeni President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi received on Thursday the credentials of the newly-appointed ambassadors of Italy, Somalia, Mauritania, the European Union, Canada, Sri Lanka, Austria, Nigeria, South Africa, Belgium and Poland.
The President received the credentials of the new ambassador of the Republic of Somalia Ismail Qasim Naji. They were welcomed by the President who noted the strong relations between Yemen and their countries.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
U.S. looks to effort in Somalia as model for Mali solution
12 Oct – Source: Washington Post – 145 words
The Obama administration is contemplating broad military, political and humanitarian intervention to stop a slide toward chaos and Islamic extremism in Mali, the top State Department diplomat for Africa said Thursday. The international but largely U.S.-funded effort to expunge al Qaeda-linked militants and restore political order in Somalia could present a model for Mali, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson said.
Since 2007, the United States has spent more than $550 million to help train and supply an African proxy force of about 18,000 soldiers in Somalia, which has brought a measure of stability to the war-torn country for the first time in two decades.
Although the United States has not committed to replicating that approach in Mali, Carson and others are holding up the routing of the al Shabaab militia and conducting of elections in Somalia as a template for actions elsewhere.
European Commission boosts resilience through emergency aid in the Horn of Africa
11 Oct – Source: Relief Web – 759 words
The European Commission is increasing by €30 million its aid to the Horn of Africa, helping a million people in Somalia and Ethiopia in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The primary goal is to support immediate life-saving activities with an important share of these funds dedicated to helping build the resilience of vulnerable communities to withstand future disasters.
The new funding comes from the Commission’s Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) and brings the total humanitarian financial contribution from the Commission for the region to €162 million this year.
Increased rainfall and sustained humanitarian assistance has resulted in improved food security in the entire Horn of Africa compared to the acute humanitarian crisis the region faced last year, when famine was declared for the first time since 1992 by the United Nations in parts of Somalia.
EU Naval Force Quick To Capture Suspect Pirate Boat – update (video)
11 Oct – Source: EU Navfor – 242 words
Yesterday EU Naval Force flagship, ITS San Giusto stopped and apprehended a skiff with 7 suspect pirates onboard. The EU warship, that was carrying out counter-piracy patrols as part of Operation Atalanta, had sighted the skiff carrying a ladder and up to 20 fuel drums 180 miles east of Socotra and immediately launched its helicopter to investigate. Once at the scene, the boarding team from San Giusto boarded the vessel and apprehended the men.
Speaking about the successful capture of the skiff, Rear Admiral Potts, who is the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force said “This was the first sighting of a suspect pirate vessel in the Somali Basin for over 3 months and EU Naval Force got to it before it had a chance of carrying out an attack on ships transiting the area.
Rear Admiral Potts added “We knew, as the monsoon period ended this month that pirates would try their luck at sea and this is why we have constantly warned against complacency. My message to the pirates is clear – we are watching you and we plan to capture you if you put to sea. Equally, this is an indication that pirates still intend to get out to sea and all involved in countering piracy, whether they are the military or industry must remain vigilant and prepared.
Minneapolis’ Somali experience may hold lessons for Toronto police
11 Oct – Source: CBC News – 191 words
As Toronto police try to find and prosecute those responsible for shootings that left six young men of Somali descent dead in just four months, there could be lessons learned from Minneapolis police, whose recruitment strategies are helping bring down crime in that city’s Somali enclave. All six men in Toronto were fatally shot since June, and only one arrest has been made — that of Christopher Husbands, who has been charged with murder in the death of Ahmed Hassan at the Eaton Centre on June 2.
Police and relatives of the other victims have made numerous pleas for information in those deaths, but there have been no breakthroughs. Abdulle Elmi, whose cousin of the same name was shot and killed on July 5, wants answers. “We want the community to come forward,” said Elmi, said, speaking of the approximately 18,500 people in the Toronto area of Somali origin.
“It’s not a matter of the community not assisting the police, it’s more the community and the police not developing an understanding, cohesion or any form of trust to have a very constructive conversation about how to deal with these situations.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“AMISOM’s immediate challenge is to keep Kismayo under control, and to win the hearts and minds of the people. However, it is possible that the war in Somalia is taking a new turn and that AMISOM has not even seen the beginning.”
Somalia: The Meaning of AMISOM’s ‘Easy Victory’
11 Oct – Source: All Africa/Institute for Security Studies – 410 Words
The joint Kenyan Defence Force (KDF) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces have achieved their goal of taking control of Kismayo, which was al Shabaab’s last stronghold.
While taking Kismayo represents a huge victory for AMISOM, it does not mean that the threat of al Shabaab has been eradicated. There are indications that al Shabaab is planning to resort to unconventional warfare methods, including deploying suicide bombers and other guerrilla tactics, to make the area ungovernable.
The people of Kismayo remain concerned that al Shabaab has simply blended into the local population. They may be hesitant to show their support for AMISOM, as this may unwittingly court a reprisal from al Shabaab, putting their lives at risk. Now, however, the population is still gradually warming to AMISOM’s presence.
“….the new leadership in Somalia must understand that large parts of the Somalia stabilisation programme will be outside of their remit for some time to come. And a robust leadership is required of them to adapt to the changing situations quickly. Political maturity must be maintained and displayed at all times; ‘G3’ should understand when it’s right to exercise full power or when to assume full control of the country.”
Somalia: the new political order’s pros and cons, and the way forward
11 Oct – Source: Wardheer News – 1615 Words
Promptly after arriving at Doha Airport en route to East Africa this past Saturday evening, I frantically wandered around the departure concourse, looking for a power socket for my laptop. It never bothered me before but I leant during the flight that airlines don’t have equipments that carry live signals in their cabins. All the news that you are able to read or listen from the little screen that is mounted at the back of the seat in front of you is pre-recorded.
I spotted several Somali looking men in the departure lounge that came from the West, and some were possibly heading to similar destination to mine. The boarding time for my flight departure had already been announced over the loud, overhead speakers. But as I couldn’t wait to find out who was nominated as the new Somali prime minister, I turned the little gadget on and stood still by the screen impatiently while the browser buffered.
I had no fewer than four Northern Somalis in mind, and since the president is from the South, I wanted to find out who, among my favourites and fellow Northerners, was chosen as the new Somali prime minister. The individuals in my list, I believe, have greater understanding of the way the masters of this universe – the Western ruling elites – and their societies functioned. The world class Northern professionals who are present in Mogadishu in large numbers, I thought, are the only chance that Somalia had in her entire existence as a nation.
Top tweets
@UNHCRSomalia 980 displacements reported this time last year in #Somalia; 590 displ. in 2010. Current number has almost doubled! http://bit.ly/QjQ6Bd.
@AbukarArman #Somalia There are no impossibilities in the quest for peace; only sincerity, compromise, willingness 2 forgive & patience with the process.
@philippesibelly Really looking forward to #Somali Week in #London. Lots of interesting events and talks. http://www.ukcds.org.uk/_
@Hamza_Africa Historically #Somalia has never been short on Islamist movements & armed Islamists. Remember Sayid Abdulle Hassan (Mad Mullah).
@UNPOSomalia UNPOS works to advance the cause of peace and reconciliation in #Somalia. Learn more abt what we do: http://bit.ly/NbJXsF #ff @UN @UN_DPA.
@Tarey_A When #Mogadisho were liberated by #AMISOM pics of Lida beach inundated. Now Kismayo is, lets C Diaspora Somalis returning 2 invest & swim.
Image of the day
A boarding team from EU Naval Force flagship, ITS San Giusto intercept a skiff with 7 suspected pirates onboard. Photo: EU NAVFOR.