October 8, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali rebels ban aid group Islamic Relief
08 Oct – Source: Capital News/AFP – 289 words
Somalia’s al Shabaab insurgents on Monday banned the aid agency Islamic Relief, one of the very few groups who were able to work in the war-ravaged region controlled by the al Qaeda linked fighters.
Al Shabaab said it “has officially revoked Islamic Relief’s permit to work” in the areas it controls, according to messages posted on its Twitter account, which were authenticated by al Shabaab officials. Somalia, ravaged by nearly uninterrupted civil war for the past two decades, is one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers and one of the regions that needs them most.
While the hardline gunmen have lost control of a string of towns in recent months to African Union troops and Somali government soldiers, they still control large parts of rural southern and central Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Somali president flies to Uganda to attend national day celebrations (Shabelle/Caasimada Online/Radio Mogadishu)
- Top Somali leaders meet MPs in Mogadishu (Bar-kulan/Jowhar Online)
- Somali rebels ban aid group Islamic Relief (Capital News/AFP)
- Somali military officials vow to secure southern Somalia (Radio Kulmiye/Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online/Radio Mogadishu)
- Kenya welcomes Somali new PM (Shabelle)
- African Union forces capture town in central Somalia (New Vision)
- New survey reveals Somalia’s food crisis remains critical and likely to worsen in coming months (Oxfam)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali president flies to Uganda, to attend national day celebrations
08 Oct- Source: Shabelle/Caasimada Online/Radio Mogadishu – 106 words
Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud jets to Uganda, where he will attend the country’s national day celebrations. During his two-day visit to Uganda, President Mohamud will meet with his host President Yoweri Museveni, and Mohamed Morsy of Egypt as well as several other African Head of States, to discuss Somalia’s transition process and current security developments. This will be Mohamud’s first foreign trip since Somali MPs elected him as president on 10th September, 2012 during election in Mogadishu.
Top Somali leaders meet MPs in Mogadishu
08 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan/Jowhar Online – 119 words
Somalia’s top leaders, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, speaker of the national assembly Mohamed Osman Jawari and the PM designate Abdi Farah Shirdon on Sunday evening held talks with members of the parliament concerning the highly awaited cabinet.
During the meeting which was held in the presidential palace, the three principles and the MPs discussed the approach towards formation of a new cabinet that will be accepted by all Somalis.
Speaking at the meeting, president Mohamud stated the need for consultations in every step the government has to take in order to win public support. He urged the MPs to share their ideas regarding the formation of the new cabinet in order to steer the country into the right path.
Somali military officials vow to secure southern Somalia
08 Oct – Source: Radio Kulmiye/Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online/Radio Mogadishu – 101 words
Somali’s military officials say they are able to secure much of the south and central regions in Somalia. Speaking to radio Kulmiye, Somali military commander Abdikarim Dhagabadan says his troops will secure much of the country’s south and central regions in order to liberate the long roads that links the strategic towns in the south and central regions.
Somali and African Union peacekeepers of AMISOM are fighting against al Shabaab fighters in south regions, specially in the middle and lower Shabelle as well as Jubba regions where Kenyan and Somali national armies are pursuing of al Shabaab militants.
Somali soldiers exchange gunfire in Beledweyne
08 Oct – Source: Shabelle – 86 words
Pro-Somali government soldiers in central town of Beledweyne exchanged heavy gunfire on Monday, leaving one combatant dead and many more others injured, reports said.
Witnesses said at least one soldier was confirmed dead during the clashes that raged on for several hours on Monday morning.nThe violence broke out after soldiers guarding the regional administration building office in the town opened fire on troops in suspicion. The situation has returned to normal, when another government forces intervened.
New Somali PM pledges to stabilize country
08 Oct – Source: Radio Dalsan – 81 words
The newly-appointed Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon pledges to form capable cabinet in order to turn a new chapter for Somalia.nThe prime minter noted that the country has been in chaos for many years and need to be stabilized and developed like other world countries. The prime minter requested collaboration from other stakeholders to achieve development and prosperity.
Kenya welcomes Somali new PM
08 Oct – Source: Shabelle – 149 words
The deputy parliament speaker of Kenya Farah Mo’alin said on Monday that Kenyan government welcomes and congratulates Abdi Farah Shirdon as the Somalia’s new prime minister.
While giving an exclusive interview to Shabelle radio, the deputy speaker encouraged the new PM to set up a transparent and accountable government, to move Somalia out of the crisis.
“Kenya will work together with Somali government to stabilize the horn of Africa nation that was ridden by twenty years of instability following the collapse of former military regime led by Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991,” he added.
Mogadishu residents welcome new prime minister
07 Oct – Source: Radio Risaala – 104 words
President Hassan Sheikh Mahamoud finally appointed a premier, ending days of speculations and anxiety among citizens and politicians alike and this has created a sense of relief for many.
Dr. Abdi Faarah Shirdoon’s appointment as the Prime Minister has won praise from many people across the country and Mogadishu residents were eager to express their satisfaction with the new leader.
Several people Risaala Radio interviewed in Mogadishu welcomed the new premier and urged him to bring positive change and a capable administration. Somali Prime Minister is expected to appoint new cabinet ministers and their deputies in the coming days.
EU congratulates Somalia’s new PM
07 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 145 words
The European Union has on Saturday congratulated Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid who was appointed as the prime minister for Somalia. In a press statement, EU Special Envoy to Somalia, Michele Cervone d’Urso said the development will help foster reconciliation and good governance in the Somalia and wished the newcomer every success.
She said the European Union was ready to work with the prime minister and his new government which was hoped to be inclusive and representative of Somalia’s diversity. “As I told the new Somali leadership last week, the EU will gear up its engagement with Somalia aiming at a true and balanced partnership with the new actors of change in the country.
I look forward to the formation of the government and the presentation of its work programme in order to start working on the country’s new priorities and urgent needs,” Cervone D’Urso said.
Somali Islamists vow to fight newly appointed premier
07 Oct – Source: Midnimo Online/Jowhar Online/Raxanreeb – 96 words
Somalia’s Islamist group al Shabaab has “criticized the appointment of the new prime minister”, describing him as “someone who is not any different from the previous prime ministers appointed for the country.
The spokesman of al Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Dheere has “threatened to fight the Western-backed government” of Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon aka Saa’id.
Ali Dheere’s statement comes days after al Shabab lost the southern strategic port city of Kismayo. A few hours after the announcement of the new prime minister, the Somali government forces, backed by AU troops seized the southern Somalia town of Wanle Weyne.
Somalis in SA systematically targeted in killings and robberies
07 Oct – Source: Garowe Online – 130 words
Frequent attacks on Somalis living in South Africa has created serious uncertainty amongst Somalis living in South Africa, Garowe Online reports. Attacks on Somalis have been persistent throughout South Africa particularly with Somali traders.
Last month three Somali traders from Cape Town were killed within 72 hours of each other. Bashir Ahmed Faray and Ismail Ali Dalabey were killed in the Philipi village a business sector located in Cape Town.
Following that killing, Abdulqadir Hassan a Somali shopkeeper was shot and killed by gunmen and his store robbed. According to police, the gunmen have been behind many robberies and killings in Cape Town. Somalis in South Africa have expressed alarm of the repeated killings and robberies of Somalis with many appeals to police proving unsuccessful in stopping the targeted killings.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Somali rebels ban aid group Islamic Relief
08 Oct – Source: Capital News/AFP – 289 words
Somalia’s al Shabaab insurgents on Monday banned the aid agency Islamic Relief, one of the very few groups who were able to work in the war-ravaged region controlled by the al Qaeda linked fighters.
Al Shabaab said it “has officially revoked Islamic Relief’s permit to work” in the areas it controls, according to messages posted on its Twitter account, which were authenticated by al Shabaab officials. Somalia, ravaged by nearly uninterrupted civil war for the past two decades, is one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers and one of the regions that needs them most.
While the hardline gunmen have lost control of a string of towns in recent months to African Union troops and Somali government soldiers, they still control large parts of rural southern and central Somalia.
Real test now lies in picking Kismayo leader
06 Oct – Source: East African – 411 words
Four men were shot dead in the streets of Kismayo hours after the capture of the port city. One of the men was allegedly shouting about his hopes for a new leadership.
Even before the capture of Kismayo, the African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM was having a difficult time trying to solve the looming leadership crisis once al Shabaab were routed. “There have been discussions on the leadership of the city after its capture,” AMISOM spokesperson Eloi Yao told The East African last week.
During a meeting held last Wednesday in Nairobi, delegates from more than 20 countries discussed efforts aimed at rebuilding Somalia and the leadership challenge in Kismayo. According to sources, AMISOM is considering using two principles — the principle of inclusion and principle of morality — in identifying a new leader for Kismayo.
African Union forces capture town in central Somalia
08 Oct – Source: New Vision – 148 words
Ugandan AMISOM forces in Somalia, have captured the central Somalia town of Wanlwayne from al-Shabaab militants. The town, located in operational Sector 1 of AMISOM lies 86km from Mogadishu. The town is strategically located on the highway from Mogadishu to the strategic central Somalia city of Baidoa.
“We captured Wanlaweyn as our first key town on our long advance to Baidoa. No resistance registered, no casualty,” Capt. Henry Obbo, the Ugandan contingent spokesman, said. This was the second major town to fall out of the grip of the militants, after they lost Kismayu in Sector II, to the Kenyan contingent.
Baidoa was captured by Ethiopian troops and Somali National Army in February. In May, a contingent of Ugandans and Burundians deployed there by air and took charge of key installations, including the airport. However, there are still areas between Baidoa and Mogadishu that are still under al Shabaab control.
Don’t reduce guard on ships, unions caution
06 Oct – Source: East African – 440 words
Piracy off the coast of Somalia could erupt again if the international naval task force protecting ships traversing the area and armed security guards on aboard the ships are withdrawn, international seafarers unions have warned.
UK-based Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickenson said “although there has been a significant reduction in the number of attacks on shipping off the Somali coast, the one thing that everyone agrees on is that there should be no complacency.”
His views were backed by Commodore Bruce Belliveau deputy chief of staff at the NATO counter-piracy centre in London, who acknowledged there had been a marked fall in the Somali pirates’ success rates in recent months.
The number of hijacked ships has slumped from 30 to seven over the past year, with the total of seafarers being held hostage falling from 682 to 177 over the same period.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
New survey reveals Somalia’s food crisis remains critical and likely to worsen in coming months
08 Oct – Source: Oxfam – 837 words
A new survey of people across 40 regions of Somalia by international agency Oxfam has found that water and food shortages are at critical levels and likely to deteriorate in parts of the country over the coming months, risking a prolonged humanitarian crisis well into next year.
While results show a return to famine is unlikely, the situation in the south of Somalia – particularly in Gedo, Lower Juba and Bakool regions – remains critical with alarming malnutrition figures. A poor harvest, depleted incomes and high food prices are forcing people across the country to rely increasingly on aid and leaving them vulnerable to a growing threat from preventable diseases.
The aid agency is calling on the humanitarian community to maintain support for Somalia at what it believes is a “critical moment”. With other emergencies unfolding around the world, it fears there is a danger the international community will turn its attention elsewhere and is warning that without sustained aid many more Somalis may fall back into crisis.
Families of South Korean Sailors Held by Pirates Ask Seoul for Help
08 Oct – Source: New York Times – 465 words
The families of four South Korean sailors held hostage by Somali pirates for more than 17 months appealed tearfully to the government on Monday to intervene for their release.
The MT Gemini, a tanker owned by Singaporean Glory Ship Management, was carrying palm oil from Kenya to Malaysia when it was seized by Somali pirates on April 30, 2011.
Seven months later, the pirates released the ship and 21 crewmen from China, Indonesia and Myanmar after a ransom was paid by the Singaporean company. But the four South Korean seamen remain in captivity in Somalia.
BBC Hardtalk – Musalia Mudavadi – Deputy Prime Minister of Kenya
05 Oct – Source: BBC – 24:34 min
Kenya is a country with big ambitions to be East Africa’s powerhouse economy, and, as is being seen in Somalia, to be a dominant regional player.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Some businessmen in Eastleigh, Industrial Area, Nairobi’s and Mombasa’s CBD made fortunes out of contraband goods ferreted through the porous Somalia border. Many of these are counting loses. Now the brighter side. Somalia’s systems and institutions must be rebuilt and maintained. Kenya stands the best chance for all manner of partnerships with the nascent State.”
Winners and losers in Somalia war
07 Oct – Source: Business Daily – 542 Words
When our armed forces marched towards Somalia, I was worried by the mixed voices from politicians. Some lauded and encouraged the forces; others taunted them for having remained idle for long. It was time they justified their pay, some observed.
In today’s peace-seeking world, our armies should be more of deterrent than attack units. It’s always a better world without war. War takes valued lives and resources. As our forces count victory, we are without some of our officers who gallantly lost lives in the war. Treasury will with time remind us about the budget deficit bequeathed us by this war. So going to war, even when most justifiable, must humble rather than elate us.
“To avert the worst, Somalia’s new government must work with the nascent clans in Kismayo and southern Somalia, to develop a plan for a post-al Shabaab Kismayo. It is also vitally important that African forces in the city begin arming and training Somali government police and army fighters. They must be able to not only help toss out al Shabaab but also maintain law and order in Kismayo. Kenya must also encourage the pro-government militia Ras Kamboni to join the ranks of Somalia’s National Army,that way they will not turn against them.”
Post-al Shabaab Kismayo
06 Oct – Source: AfricaThinker Blog – 329 Words
With the capture of Kismayo,Somalia’s southern port city it is very crucial for the African Union mission in Somalia(AMISOM) which includes Kenyan Defense Forces(KDF) and Somalia’s new government to create a local administration and to open dialogue with the various clans established in the city.
The key challenge—as it for other cities, were al Shabaab were toppled—will be maintaining order. The Somali National Army will obviously have an important role to play in this task but it is doubtful that it will have sufficient resources, at least not right away.
But there is still much that could go wrong in a post-al Shabaab Kismayo. For one, the city has an active support for al Shabaab,which brought peace among rival clans in the city. The collapse of al Shabaab in Kismayo will most likely bring renewed clan warfare threatens the future of Kismayo.
“Somali’s are generally very enterprising and freeing the local economy from the choking grip of the militants will be a bonus. But it must not be forgotten that the insurgents still control vast areas of the interior and remain a threat through their policy of using suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices.”
Somalia needs investment to stabilise
08 Oct – Source: Standard Media – 672 Words
The noise coming out of Somalia is no longer just gloom and doom. In fact, much of it is positive. Kenyan forces with AMISOM and Somalia National Army are moving inward from Kismayu to increase areas under government control in South-Central Somalia.
At the same time, Somalia’s new leader President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has given his assurance that his administration wants an inclusive and participatory government. He says his government will consult with all political players willing to shun violence as a way of ending two decades of instability in the Horn of Africa country.
And nowhere is this more urgent than in the strategic port of Kismayo which is now largely under the control of AMISOM. Capture of the city has dealt a major blow to al Shabaab, the Somali wing of al Qaeda, the global terror organisation.
Top tweets
@UNPOSomalia #UN Envoy #Mahiga congratulates new #Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. Read full statement: http://bit.ly/Q1bTiQ #UNPOS.
@africareview #Kenya government seeking $165 million refund from the #UN for the country’s military operations inside Somalia, government official says.
@BBCAfrica Al-Shabaab in #Somalia has tweeted that it will ban Islamic Relief from operating in areas under its control as it has broken its rules.
@Daudoo Islamic Relief ‘now banned by AlShabaab’ is a #UK based aid organisation & HSM accuses it of working with #WFP. #Somalia.
@smugera #Somali women, nothing can stop an idea whose time’s come RT@BBCNews – Somalia’s first female police cadets in 20 years http://bbc.in/SI43cV.
Image of the day
Somali president Hassan Sheikh (2nd L) pose with parliament speaker Mohammed Osman (L), new PM designate Abdi Farah Shirdoon (2nd R) and outgoing premier Abdweli Ali (R). Photo: Raxanreeb.