October 16, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
One Soldier Killed In Al-Shabaab Attack On Jowhar Town
16 October – Source: Halbeeg News – 146 Words
At least one soldier was killed and two others injured in fierce fighting with suspected Al-Shabaab fighters in Middle Shabelle region. Reports say the fighting flared up after heavily armed fighters stormed a checkpoint in the south of Jowhar town. The attack which shattered months of relative peace in the town, took place just a few metres away from the presidential palace of Hirshabelle state. Relative calm has returned to State’s administrative after last night’s attack on the town by the fighters. Both Hirshabelle and Al-Shabaab have not commented on the attack in Jowhar town.
The latest attack comes on the heel of coordinated security operations by Somali forces against Al-Shabaab. Last Saturday, Somali forces killed six Al-Shabaab suspected fighters following heavy fighting between the sides. Despite the loss of many towns to Somali forces backed by AMISOM troops, Al-Shabaab struggles to overthrow the Somali government.
Key Headlines
- One Soldier Killed In Al-Shabaab Attack On Jowhar Town (Halbeeg News)
- Keeping Somali Fishermen Safe – New GPS Devices For Boats In Bosaso (Radio Ergo)
- Banadir Governor Meets With UNHCR Special Envoy For The Horn Of Africa (Jowhar.com)
- Shabaab Attacks Somali Force In Southern Somalia (Long War Journal)
- Leaders Take State To Task After Mandera Al-Shabaab Attack (Daily Nation)
- Robow: From Wanted Terrorist To Political Candidate (Wardheere News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Keeping Somali Fishermen Safe – New GPS Devices For Boats In Bosaso
16 October – Source: Radio Ergo – 368 Words
New GPS tracking devices have been installed in 50 fishing boats off the Bosaso coast in the first phase of a plan to improve safety for all the small boats operating in this part of north-eastern Somalia’s Puntland region. The head of the local fishermen’s association in Bosaso, Mohamed Adan Ahmed, said each boat was equipped with an antenna and a red alert button to press in case of an emergency. The boats are linked by satellite communication to a control centre in Bosaso.
The Puntland administration has a fleet of 10 speed boats to respond to emergency distress calls. Fishermen lost at sea or otherwise in distress have in the past relied on their relatives hiring boats to come out and search for them with varying success. Now, boats with the satellite equipment can press the emergency button if they are unable to call on their mobile phones to the mainland. The mobile phone signal does not stretch beyond around 13 miles offshore. Six fishermen died in July after their engine failed at sea. After 14 days of relentless search by relatives their bodies were found at Bargaal, some 335 km away from Bosaso. Nine boats have gone missing this year, later discovered along different parts of the coastline in Bari region.
Mohamud Mohamed Said, known as Shoobme, has worked as a fisherman for 15 years. He told Radio Ergo he has been lost at sea many times. The uncertainty in his line of work makes him write a will before he goes out to sea in case he does not return. “I was lost in the ocean for three days and I had to swim to Qandala coast,” Mohamud said, proud of his survival skills. Despite the risks he still goes out 40 miles into the deep sea looking for fish. He supports his family of nine with the income he earns.
The safety systems were donated by Puntland’s Ministry of Fishing in association with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Mohamed Ali Muse, director of administration and development at the ministry, said they are planning to reach all the fishermen in Puntland within the next five months to install safety devices on their boats.
Banadir Governor Meets With UNHCR Special Envoy For The Horn Of Africa
16 October – Source: Jowhar.com – 173 Words
Banadir Governor and Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman (Eng Yarisow) has received in his office UNHCR Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mohamed Abdi Affey and the Agency’s representative for Somalia, Caroline van Buren. The two sides discussed a range of issues revolving around on how to address the needs of Mogadishu IDPs, youth employment and enhancing cooperation between the agency and the Banadir Regional Administration (BRA)
Eng Yarisow briefed the United Nations officials on the status of IDPs in the capital and stressed the significance to increase support extended to them. “I thank the UNHCR officials for their visit to our offices to jointly discuss the future of thousands of IDPs living in and around Mogadishu and returning refugees as well. BRA fully supports the IDPs and refugees and is working with relevant aid agencies on ways to help the displaced people to rebuild their lives,” noted Yarisow. Affey on his side said they are ready to support the Somali refugees and called for finding a durable solution to IDPs problems.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Shabaab Attacks Somali Force In Southern Somalia
15 October – Source: Long War Journal – 328 Words
Yesterday, Shabaab fighters attacked a Somali-led operation near Araara, Somalia, according to a US Forces Africa Command (AFRICOM) press release today. US service personnel were not present on the ground, but the US military did conduct self-defense airstrikes after the Somali force came under small arms fire. The airstrike killed four Shabaab terrorists and did not injure or kill any civilians.
This is the third time in the past month that US forces have conducted defensive airstrikes following Shabaab attacks. On Sept. 21, al Qaeda’s Somalia branch attacked US and Somali forces 50 kilometers northwest of Kismayo. On Sept. 11, Shabaab attacked US and Somali forces in Mubaraak, killing one partner force member.
These sustained attacks demonstrate that Shabaab retains the ability to launch conventional offensives, in addition to its terrorist attack capability. AFRICOM continues to launch airstrikes in an attempt to disrupt Shabaab and its safe havens. Earlier this week, US forces targeted Shabaab near Haradere, Somalia. At the time of the release, AFRICOM was still investigating the exact results, which should include the number of militants killed and an assessment of civilian casualties. The week prior, AFRICOM conducted a strike near Kunyo Barrow killing one Shabaab terrorist.
The United States has conducted 27 strikes against Shabaab in 2018, AFRICOM’s Maj. Karl Wiest confirmed to FDD’s Long War Journal over email. AFRICOM is set to eclipse last year’s total of 31 strikes. Despite the uptick in US air operations against Shabaab, the military continually describes Shabaab as a direct threat to the US and its allies.
The US State Department has also noted that Shabaab is a persistent threat. Its most recent report on terrorism described Somali as a “terrorist safe haven.” The report explained that “… al-Shabaab experienced significant military pressure during 2017, but the group still maintained control over large portions of the country. Al-Shabaab retained the ability to carry out high-profile attacks using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), suicide bombings, mortars, and small arms.
Leaders Take State To Task After Mandera Al-Shabaab Attack
15 October – Source: Daily Nation – 336 Words
Less than a week after two teachers were killed in an Al-Shabaab raid at Arabia Boys Secondary School, the local leadership is now blaming the national government for the runaway insecurity in the area. Mr Omar Maalim, Mandera East MP and a former deputy governor, has attributed the many attacks in the area to the government’s failure to provide the needed personnel to Arabia. “Arabia is a gazetted sub-county in Mandera, but since its elevation last year we are yet to have functional offices that come with the new status,” he said, adding that the Interior ministry has ignored Arabia.
Arabia and Kotulo, in a gazette notice dated June 21, 2017, were announced new sub-counties in Mandera, but only Kotulo has a deputy county commissioner. “A sub-county has a deputy county commissioner with all the needed security offices,” he said. Mr Abdiaziz Dakat, Arabia MCA, blamed the delayed posting of government officials into the area for the rising insecurity. “Once a deputy county commissioner is posted here, it will mean all other offices will be available and Arabia will be able to tackle her own issues without relying on Mandera East,” he said.
The only police post at the Kenya Somalia border town has been attacked twice by the militants who easily cross in from Somalia. “We shall have an OCPD and fully functioning security teams that shall oversee our security,” said Mr Dakat. Through NGCDF, offices have been built in the town ready for occupation. “Those who need government services like birth certificates and other documents cannot get them in Mandera East because it is known that Arabia is a sub-county,” he said.
The national government closed the Mandera-Omar Jillow-Arabia road to public use in 2015 after a bus plying the route was attacked by Al-Shabaab leaving 28 people dead. “The government cannot close the roads forever when it has the power and ability to deal with the cause of insecurity in Arabia. We need the roads secured for our economic viability,” said the MCA.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Robow has been a quick hand in politics. His candidacy has mobilized a segment in the SW that is disenchanted with the way the region is governed. He has called for women to be included in the Election Commission. His speeches have tapped into the sentiments of those who want security in their region and see any federal interference in their affairs as an affront.”
Robow: From Wanted Terrorist To Political Candidate
15 October – Source: Wardheere News – 1833 Words
Mukhtar Robow, a former leader of the Al-Shabaab terror group, recently announced his candidacy for the President of the South West (SW) regional state in Somalia. Last year, he surrendered to the Somali government and renounced violence. Robow went to Baidoa ten days ago where he was well received. However, a few days after his announcement, the Somali federal government denounced his candidacy and castigated him as unfit to run for office, stating that the requirements for lifting his past international sanction have not yet been met.
The issue of Robow’s candidacy is as complex as Somalia’s political landscape. It highlights the Somali government incompetence in formulating and implementing policies, its failure to speak in one credible voice, and in the dubious role played by competing interests, both foreign and domestic. It’s not clear how Robow — who has been under the protection and watchful eye of the Somali federal government security forces — left Mogadishu in a plane and landed in Baidoa, the seat of the SW regional government, without the full knowledge of top leaders in the federal government.
It was the Ministry of Security, not the Council of Ministers, that issued the statement banning Robow from running for public office. The document bears no name and no signature. “It appears to be authentic, but poorly presented,” an anonymous former official of the Ministry of Security noted.
Through all this, Villa Somalia, the seat of the presidency, has remained silent. This chaotic bureaucratic bungling is common for the current administration, and it begs the question: Who is actually in charge of the government? We all remember the handing over of Colonel Abdikarim Qalbi-dhagax, a Somali citizen, to Ethiopia last year and the ensuing chaos of who was to blame for the debacle.
TOP TWEETS
@EUCAPSOM: A Technical Maintenance and Equipment training course organised by EUCAP aiming at enhancing maritime skills of Somaliland Coast Guard officers started in Berbera, Somaliland, on 15/10. It is designed to provide officers from SL CG skills on effectively maintaining boats.
@TC_Mogadishu: Delighted to attend the opening ceremony of the 4th session of the Upper House. @AqalkaSare.
@Halbeeg_News: Kenya on alert over imminent Al-Shabaab raids https://en.halbeeg.com/2018/
@SahraCabdi: Sahra Abdi Ahmed Retweeted US AFRICOM – Fresh air strikes that #US Conducted in Lower Jubba, few KMs away from West of#Kismayo.
@Magdashi3: BREAKING: #Somalia‘s Defence ministry sends 60 Somali military officers graduated from #Turkish–#Somalimilitary training facility in #Mogadishu to #Turkey for more training to the leadership of #SNA troops. According to Defence minister Hassan Ali.
http://bit.ly/2Aa2iWK .
@sntvnews1: For the first time Somalia holds the first ICT Expo by the the federal ministry of post telecommunication and technology bringing together different players in technology industry.
@stefanomanservi: Honoured to meet Somali Senate’s delegation led by Speaker Abdi Hashi Abdullahi. The Upper House key for a whole of Somalia approach and cooperation between Federal Government and Federal States. Thanks for this important work! @EU_in_Somalia
@flyethiopian: We are back to #Mogadishu, Somalia, effective November 2, 2018. #Flight_to_Mogadishu #EthiopianAirlines
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman met with Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Somalia, today in Mogadishu.
Photo: @engyarisow