October 31, 2016 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Galmudug and Puntland Swap Prisoners

30 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 136 Word

The two belligerent states have exchanged prisoners after local mediation initiative by businessmen and social leaders in Galkayo ended successful. At least four civilians in total were exchanged by the two states. Galmudug has freed three while Puntland freed one businessman. Goobjoog reporter in Galkayo has said.

One of the local elders who involved in the mediation process – Ali Diriye Alore said local businessmen multiplied their effort to free prisoners. “Businessmen in Galkayo made great effort to mediate the release of these people. Businessmen make joint business ventures together and work together” said Alore . The released people are set to be reunited with their families after weeks of captivity. Meanwhile, the security forces of the two states are maintaining their positions in the hotspot neighbourhood of Garsoor in Galkayo, where they were fighting for the last four weeks.

Key Headlines

Galmudug and Puntland Swap Prisoner (Goobjoog News)
New Candidates Join Race For Hir-Shabelle Upper House Senate (Radio Dalsan)
Turkey Fears ‘Foreign Manipulation’ In Somalia’s Electoral Process (Radio Dalsan)
Suspected KDF Jets Bomb Al-Shabaab Camp In Somali (Shabelle News)
Kenyan Woman Rescued From Somali Pirates After 3-Year Captivity (The Star Kenya)
Eight Al-Shabaab Militants Four Soldiers Die In Fierce Gun Battle (Xinhua)
Book Review: Al-Shabaab in Somalia: The History And Ideology Of A Militant Islamist Group (LSE Blogs)

NATIONAL MEDIA

New Candidates Join Race For Hir-Shabelle Upper House Senate

30 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 210 Words

Heavy weight Somali politicians have announced their candidacy for the seats of Hir-Shabelle upper house ahead of the senate’s election scheduled this week in Jowhar town, the state’s headquarters. The newly established Hir-Shabelle state is expected to forward in the coming days its Eight-member candidates list, who will represent them in the Upper House chamber of Federal Parliament of Somalia. Former Somali prime minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, Hajji Muse Suudi Yalahow, Bashir Rageh Shirar and a former diplomat at US embassy in Nairobi are the frontrunners likely to win in the Hir-Shabelle upper house race.

Former Somali president Ali Mahdi Mohamed withdrew his candidacy for the upper house seat over unknown circumstances, according to Radio Dalsan sources. The ballot for candidates representing Hir-Shabelle in the Upper House chamber is expected to take place in state’s Parliament this week, over 20 candidates will compete for the 8 seats quota.The new president of Hir-Shabelle state Ali Abdullahi Osoble is currently making efforts to hold ‘free and fair upper house elections’ by observing the 30-percent quota for women in the ongoing electoral process. However, the horn of Africa country is in period of preparation to hold a general elections of parliamentary and presidential that is scheduled to wrap up in November 30, 2016.

Turkey Fears ‘Foreign Manipulation’ In Somalia’s Electoral Process

30 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 247 Words

Turkish ambassador to Somalia Olgan Bekar has received Omar Mohamed Abdulle, the chairman of the Somalia’s electoral commission at Turkish embassy building in Mogadishu on Thursday, October 27. During their meeting, Turkey ambassador and the chairman Somali electoral commission have discussed a range of issues pertaining to the forthcoming Somalia’s presidential and legislative elections, including financial and security challenges in the election.

According to a statement posted on the official Facebook account of the Turkish embassy in Mogadishu, ambassador Olgan Bekar has voiced concern over possible ‘foreign manipulation’ in Somalia’s electoral process. For his part, Somali election commission Omar Mohamed Abdulle (Dhagey) has assured Mr Bekar that they are committed to hold “transparent, free and credible election.” The incumbent Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud whose term has expired in September 10, is among dozens of candidates vying for presidency, who will be elected by new lawmakers. It seems that Turkey is currently out of the foreign countries that are involved in the electoral process of Somalia.

urkey is facing stiff rivalry from UAE in Somalia, where both countries have economical and military interests.
In June, 2016, Turkish government has opened a new embassy built at Liido beachfront in Mogadishu, becoming the largest and most advanced Turkish embassy in African continent. Turkey has provided Somalia millions of US dollars’ worth of aid, investment and infrastructure rebuilding since 2011. The harbor of Mogadishu and the main airport are run by Turkish companies under a profit-share deal with Somali government.

Suspected KDF Jets Bomb Al-Shabaab Camp In Somalia

30 October – Source: Shabelle News – 111 Words

Suspected Kenya military jets have conducted an airstrike in southern Somalia, targeting an Al-Shabaab training camp in middle Jubba region, sources said.
The Kenyan Air Force targeted Maleyda area located between Jilib and Bu’ale towns, where Al-Shabaab has bases to train its fighters & organize its attacks on Somali and AU troops in the region.According to reports several militants were killed in the airstrike. Al-Shabaab did not comment on the reported air raid on its base in Middle Jubba region on Sunday.Kenyan defense force (KDF) fighter jets have previously launched several airstrikes on Al shabaab camps in southern Somalia, in response to cross border attacks in Kenya by the militants.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenyan Woman Rescued From Somali Pirates After 3-Year Captivity

30 October- Source: The Star, Kenya – 353 Words

A Kenyan woman captured by Somali pirates was on Saturday rescued by Galmudug special forces after more than three years in captivity.Reports indicate Louis Njoki is currently in safe hands of Galmudug authorities awaiting to be repatriate to Kenya.Galmudug is one of the federal regional administrations of Somalia, formed in June 2015.”It was well-coordinated operation where they managed to rescue her. Shots were fired during the raid, but it’s not clear if they were any casualties,” said East African Seafarers coordinator Andrew Mwangura.

Mwangura said Njoki is currently undergoing treatment.Njoki was captured along with her partner James Kuria while delivering medicine in the country in 2014.Kuria was freed during a raid by Somali security forces in February last year.Two Kenyan nationals including George Mburu and George Macharia are still in the hands of their captors since 2014.The two were working for a construction company in Mogadishu when they were kidnapped by militia from Habargidir.Another Kenyan Patrick Amukhuma, who was kidnapped along with Dr Murray Watson in 2008, is still missing.The group believed to have captured the two Kenyan civil engineers is under the control of Mohammed Gafanje.

Eight Al-Shabaab Militants , Four Soldiers Die In Fierce Gun Battle

30 October – Source: Xinhua – 116 Words
Eight Al-Shabaab militants and four soldiers died following a fierce gun battle near Baidoa town in southwest Somalia, government officials confirmed to Xinhua on Sunday.
Information Minister for Southwest State in Somalia, Ugaas Hassan, said the Al-Shabaab militants had ambushed a military base when soldiers allied to Somalia National Army killed them.”The Al-Shabaab fighters attacked a military base near Baidoa and eight of them died during a gun battle with soldiers. We lost four soldiers,” said Hassan.He denied claims by Al-Shabaab militants that they captured a government controlled territory in southwest Somalia.The minister disclosed that six soldiers from Somalia National Army who sustained injuries during the gun battle with Al-Shabaab have been hospitalized.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“The book clinically sets out the rise and partial fall of Al-Shabaab in four phases. First, in 2005, the organisation takes its first baby steps under the umbrella for the Union of Islamic Courts in the capital. It grows in power and reputation from 2007 when it takes up arms against Ethiopian occupation. Then from 2009 to 2010, Hansen identifies the Golden Age of the organisation following victory and territorial control over southern Somalia. Finally this book documents its reversal of fortunes into the present,”

Book Review: Al-Shabaab in Somalia: The History And Ideology Of A Militant Islamist Group By Stig Jarle Hansen

28 October – Source: LSE Blogs – 682 Words

Stig Jarle Hansen’s widely acclaimed book on Al-Shabaab in Somalia: The History and Ideology of a Militant Islamist Group first published in 2013, has been reissued this year with a new preface. This is surely a mark of the book’s success in delivering a comprehensive and readable account of this terror-based organisation that shows no signs of local disintegration or being swallowed up by so called Islamic State. Indeed, this book explains why.Hansen is one of the few Western academics to be based in Somalia when conducting fieldwork on contemporary politics and violence. He has no time for ‘desk-based’ commentators operating from laptops in Nairobi. Instead, he has built up a dense network of intelligence gathering on the ground. His first book was dedicated to his friend

Ahmed Dei, a child soldier in Mogadishu who made good and became an airline manager, only to be killed by local police for not giving them his mobile number. The chaotic, violent and arbitrary nature of Somalia, the world’s favourite so-called ‘collapsed state’ provided the perfect breeding ground for a movement that means Mujahideen Youth Movement or Movement of Striving Youth( الشباب‎).

The author was first aware of the organisation in 2006, when it was part of rule of Sharia Courts in Mogadishu that was providing desperately needed order and stability – a positive force. Nevertheless, from that time, a more sinister sub-group was lurking in the shadows with militant commanders operating under names like Christian killer. This then is the crux of Hansen’s argument. While there is no doubt a strong element of influence from global jihad ideals drawing on medieval notions of Islam and a cosmic war with Western Christianity, local factors initially provided the movement with a ground swell of rank-and-file support.