September 12, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Somali president discusses his achievements and challenges ahead
12 Sept- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Radio Dalsan- 280 words
Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday night attended an event organized by Heritage Institute of Policy Studies in Mogadishu to mark the end of his second year in office.
The president answered wide range of questions to selected members of the Somali society largely focusing on his achievements and challenges in good governance, federalism, fight against al Shabaab, reconciliation efforts and the controversial maritime boundary dispute between Kenya and Somalia.
He also raised the issue of alleged rape by African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, his government’s relations with Puntland and Somaliland administrations and the stabilization progress made by his government.
Speaking on the maritime boundary dispute between Kenya and Somalia and the subsequent lawsuit filed by his government to the United Nations top court, the president said Kenya has put a claim to a large portion of Somali territorial waters which forced his government to seek international ruling on the issue.
While speaking on the issue of Somaliland, the president said he encourages the continuation of the negotiations between the federal government and the Somaliland administration as he believes only talks between the two sides can produce tangible results and long term solutions.
Meanwhile, he praised Puntland administration for being a beacon in Somalia’s democracy and reiterated the proposed formation of an interim state in central Somalia -which Puntland largely opposes- does not pose a threat to the existence of Puntland administration.
Speaking on the allegations of rape by African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, the president expressed deep concerns over the disturbing allegations and reports of rape and sexual abuse by the AMISOM forces. He said his government has made direct contact with AMISOM over the Human Rights Watch report.
Key Headlines
- Somali president discusses his achievements and challenges ahead (Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu)
- President Mohamud announces he will run for 2016 elections in Somalia (Jowhar Online/ RBC)
- Opposition parties boycott registrations to be conducted in Somaliland (Somaliland Informer)
- Somalia: No famine but trajectory remains a major concern (Radio RBC)
- Former President: federal government has opportunities to tackle challenges ahead (Radio Goobjoog)
- Watch out al Shabaab ‘may strike on 9/21’ (Standard Media)
- Baidoa to host reconciliation conference for Digil Mirifle clans says parliament speaker (Radio RBC)
- Al Shabaab loots small businesses before fleeing ahead of military advance (Sabahi Online)
- Calgary Jihadi may not have been killed in Iraq (Sun News Network)
- Supreme Court concerned over safety of Indians held by Somali pirates (India today)
- Costa Rican police detain undocumented Eritrean Somali migrants (The Tico Times)
- Al Shabaab decapitation (The Economist)
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali president discusses his achievements and challenges ahead
12 Sept- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Radio Dalsan- 280 words
Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday night attended an event organized by Heritage Institute of Policy Studies in Mogadishu to mark the end of his second year in office.
The president answered wide range of questions to selected members of the Somali society largely focusing on his achievements and challenges in good governance, federalism, fight against al Shabaab, reconciliation efforts and the controversial maritime boundary dispute between Kenya and Somalia.
He also raised the issue of alleged rape by African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, his government’s relations with Puntland and Somaliland administrations and the stabilization progress made by his government.
Speaking on the maritime boundary dispute between Kenya and Somalia and the subsequent lawsuit filed by his government to the United Nations top court, the president said Kenya has put a claim to a large portion of Somali territorial waters which forced his government to seek international ruling on the issue.
While speaking on the issue of Somaliland, the president said he encourages the continuation of the negotiations between the federal government and the Somaliland administration as he believes only talks between the two sides can produce tangible results and long term solutions.
Meanwhile, he praised Puntland administration for being a beacon in Somalia’s democracy and reiterated the proposed formation of an interim state in central Somalia -which Puntland largely opposes- does not pose a threat to the existence of Puntland administration.
Speaking on the allegations of rape by African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, the president expressed deep concerns over the disturbing allegations and reports of rape and sexual abuse by the AMISOM forces. He said his government has made direct contact with AMISOM over the Human Rights Watch report.
President Mohamud announces he will run for 2016 elections in Somalia
12 Sept – Source: Jowhar Online/ RBC/SNTV/Radio Goobjoog – 230 words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who completed the first two years in his four years term in office said he will run for the 2016 presidential elections. President Mohamud has made this announcement on Thursdaynight during an event at Villa Somalia Presidential Palace where he celebrated for his second anniversary.
“In 2016 there will be presidential elections which every Somali citizen has the right to run as a candidate for the country’s presidential post and I declare that as a Somali citizen i have the right to run as candidate.” President Mohamud. “I will be a candidate for the upcoming elections in 2016.”the president added.
Recent speculations showed that President Mohamud was attempting to start his election campaign within the next year in a bid to gain public support but the main confusion is which kind of elections will be adopted as the security on the ground seems that it would be impossible for one man for one vote which is what many Somalis would wish to see.
President Mohamud noted that if he loses in the upcoming elections he will be ready and will be convinced to contribute his experiences to any new president for Somalia on 2016.
During the Thursday night event where the president answered dozens of questions from the people as he strongly praised his leadership for achievement during the past 24 months.
Opposition parties boycott registrations to be conducted in Somaliland
12 Sept- Source: Somaliland Informer- 138 words
The Two Opposition Political Parties the Justice & Welfare Party and Wadani have jointly announced on Thursday that they boycotted the civic registration which is supposed to be conducted in the country.
In a joint press conference, the two parties accused the government of breaking earlier agreements signed by the political parties, the government and donor countries. They strongly protested that they will not accept the registrations conducted at the same time.
Mr. Ali Guray has urged the public to remain vigilant and stand united in order the government feel pressurized to find a resolution to the standoff of the registrations to be conducted smoothly.
Deputy Chairman of Wadani Mr. Ahmed Mumin Seed has said that they are sick and tired of the empty promises made by the government.
Somalia: No famine but trajectory remains a major concern
12 Sept- Radio RBC- 137 words
According to the latest findings from a joint assessment by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSNAU), the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) and other partners indicate that an estimated 1 025 000 people across Somalia are experiencing acute food security Crisis and Emergency (IPC Phases 3 and 4) from August to December 2014.
Within this latest findings, Over 2.1 million additional people are in acute food insecurity Stressed (IPC Phase 2) conditions in the Horn of African nation.
The findings also indicate that an estimated 218 000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, 43 800 of them severely malnourished and at even higher risk of morbidity and death (prevalence). These numbers of malnourished children are expected to increase to 393 000 and 76 800, respectively by the end of the year (incidence).
At present, there are no famine conditions anywhere in Somalia, nor are they imminent. However, the current trajectory of key food security and nutrition related indicators is a major concern (see table above). Several of the indicators observed in Gu 2014 are worse or as bad as they were in Gu 2010 – one year before the famine declaration of July 2011. In order to mitigate this situation, 1) timely and adequate delivery of life saving humanitarian assistance between now and the end of the year, 2) timely arrival of the expected near to above normal Deyr (October-December) rains, and 3) improved humanitiarian access and easing of the siege that continues to disrupt trade flow into urban areas recently recaptured by the Government will be crucial.
During the 2011 famine, an estimated 258 000 people died in the context of a severe drought, large-scale food insecurity and in the absence of a timely and adequate humanitarian response. One of the key lessons from the 2011 famine is that an early action, based on available early warning information, could have prevented some of these deaths. Similarly, the need for early action now to avert a further deterioration of the current food security and nutrition situation across Somalia is critical.
Former President: federal government has opportunities to tackle challenges ahead
12 Sept- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 206 words
Former president of transitional federal government of Somalia Abdiqasim Salad Hassan said the federal government of Somalia has faced many challenges the last two years president Hassan was in office. Abdiqasim stated that the government has opportunities to tackle many challenges exist in the country.
Mr. Abdulqasim stated that Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mahmud inherited divided nation that is recovering decades of civil war and destruction.
He asked Somali community to unite and rebuild their country adding that everyone who tries to be Somalia president must prepare hard work and challenge.
Hassan Sheikh Mahamud who was elected two years ago by Somalia federal parliament has promised to focus on security and other important factors.
Mr. Salad recalls his tenure, when he was the president of transitional federal government that was establish in Arte Djibouti 2000 describing biggest challenges he faced was World lords who divided Mogadishu fiefdoms people and rejected his administration but his system succeeded to erect Somali flag at United Nations center in New York.
Finally he prayed Somalis to unite, and work with the federal government of Somalia to create an environment that allows every Somali citizen to feel freedom and stable situation.
Baidoa to host reconciliation conference for Digil Mirifle clans, says parliament speaker
12 Sept – Source:Radio RBC/Radio Risaala – 158 words
Somalia’s Federal Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari has announced that Baidoa town will host the first inter-clan reconciliation conference for Digil Mirifle clans. The Speaker’s announcement came ahead of the yet-to-be-declared new administration for South West regions of Somalia.
“We will host the first reconciliation conference for Digil Mirifle clans which will open on September 14th, as I hope it will end the internal disputes and help the formation of the new administration.” Speaker Jawari said while addressing hundreds of Baidoa residents on Thursday.
He said the reconciliation conference is aimed to bring consensus among the clans of South West regions, as he noted Digil Mirifle as the dominant clans in these regions. “We want the strength of Digil Mirifle and united.” the Speaker added as he received cordial clap by cheerful audiences.
Somalia’s Federal Government has been providing its utmost efforts to form a three-region state for South West regions rather than the locally supported six-region administration.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Watch out, al Shabaab ‘may strike on 9/21’
12 Sept- Source: Standard Media-254 Words
You will have to be extremely careful ahead of the first anniversary of the Westgate attack. A top detective has warned that extremists might use the day to cause more bloodshed and damage, and appealed to the public to be wary of suspicious people and objects. “They (terrorists) are known to use such occasions to cause more injury and suffering. We are prepared for them,” said Nairobi County head of CID Nicholas Kamwende.
On September 21, 2013, heavily armed terrorists stormed the Westgate mall and killed 67 people following a three-day siege of the shopping centre. Al Shabaab later claimed responsibility. Kamwende assured Nairobians of tight security, advising residents to go about their businesses without fear. He however cautioned the public against complacency. The CID boss said: “We are doing our best. We have enough personnel on the ground. It was a bad day, hence the need to embrace community policing. It is the responsibility of all residents to police themselves and their neighbours.”
Al Shabaab loots small businesses before fleeing ahead of military advance
11 Sept – Source: Sabahi Online – 152 words
Before fleeing into remote areas ahead of advancing allied forces, al Shabaab has been looting small shops in the Hiran and Lower Shabelle regions, including in the towns of Bula Marer, Golweyn, Jalalaqsi, Biyoley and Sagarole.
“Al Shabaab men entered stores that sell food in the Bula Marer town market by force. They took the little food that was in the town, and this has caused significant worry among the public,” Ahmed Farah, a 58-year-old traditional elder from Bulo Marer, told Sabahi. “Luckily, God steered them away from food stashed away at a different location by some of the merchants of the area.”
Since the Somali National Army and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) launched Operation Indian Ocean in late August, al Shabaab has been withdrawing from towns across Somalia. Farah said that two days after al Shabaab pulled out of Bulo Marer, commercial traders bringing foodstuffs from Mogadishu resumed their route into the town.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Calgary Jihadi may not have been killed in Iraq
12 Sept – Source: Sun News Network – 153 words
A city man reportedly killed last month while taking part in the Iraq insurgency may still be alive, according to messages apparently posted by the man on social media. Although never confirmed by Foreign Affairs, reports of the death of Farah Mohamed Shirdon spread through various social media sites Aug. 15. No cause of death was given.
A member of a prominent Somali-Canadian family in Calgary, Shirdon reportedly left Canada earlier this year to fight alongside insurgents in Iraq. On Thursday, a Twitter account purportedly belonging to Shirdon claimed that reports of his death were false, and that he was instead recovering from injuries sustained in battle.
The Twitter account believed to be owned by Shirdon contains several pro-insurgent tweets, including a declaration that beheading Shia Muslims is a “beautiful thing,” as well as several messages for his mother and family explaining that his love for the cause outweighed his love for them.
Supreme Court concerned over safety of Indians held by Somali pirates
12 Sept- Source: India today- 454 words
Expressing concern at Indian seamen being held hostage by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and western Arabian Sea, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union government to ensure better coordination with international agencies for securing the release of those Indian citizens.
Pronouncing its judgment in a rare Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with an international dimension, the court took serious note of the fact that seven Indians captured by the Somali pirates four years ago were yet to be traced.
Stressing on the impact of such incidents on the economy, the court said that “combating piracy is imperative for the safety of seafarers as well as successful world trade”.
Costa Rican police detain undocumented Eritrean, Somali migrants
11 Sept- Source: The Tico Times-244 Words
Costa Rican police continued rounding up undocumented migrants this week with the detention on Wednesdayof four Eritreans and four Somalis who were traveling toward the Peñas Blancas border crossing with Nicaragua. The arrests, which included a Costa Rican man traveling with the group, occurred at a police checkpoint outside Abangares, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.
Police stopped the van, driven by a Costa Rican man with the surname Palacios, at about 11 p.m. on Wednesday night. Only one of the passengers, an Eritrean with French citizenship, had a passport.
The migrants had been issued a citation at the Paso Canoas border crossing with Panama ordering them to appear at the Immigration Administration in San José, which often is normal procedure by Costa Rican officials in undocumented migrant cases. However, the travelers ignored that order and continued north.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Despite the death of its leader, the al Shabaab is as dangerous as ever”
Al Shabaab decapitation
12 Sept- Source: The Economist-499 Words
ON SEPTEMBER 1st American aircraft, both manned and unmanned, unleashed a volley of missiles and bombs on a convoy of vehicles close to the coastal city of Barawe in southern Somalia (see map). The strike killed Ahmed Abdi Godane, emir of al Shabaab, an Islamist group battling a coalition of African Union and government forces, and a dozen senior commanders and foreign fighters.
The strike is the latest setback for al Shabaab, which controlled swathes of territory in southern and central Somalia at its zenith in 2010, but which has since been expelled from the capital, Mogadishu, and a number of key towns. Faced with these changing circumstances, Mr Godane had promoted the Amniyat, a secret elite force within al Shabaab responsible for roadside and suicide bombs within Somalia and terrorist attacks in east Africa. Its highest-profile action was on the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, which killed at least 67 people a year ago.
After swearing allegiance to al Qaeda in 2012, Mr Godane purged a number of rivals within his organisation. In the process he became synonymous with al Shabaab. His death is therefore significant and could herald a period of turbulence within the group, some of whose remaining leaders differ ideologically with one another.
“Al Shabaab’s killing of African Union peacekeepers in revenge for the assassination of its leader in a US drone strike indicates that no end is in sight in Somalia’s vicious cycle, writes Gamal Nkrumah”
Melee in Mogadishu
11 Sept- Source: Al Ahram Weekly-609 Words
Somalia as a failed state is a cart before the horse, as it were. The sprawling East African country, perhaps the only nation state on the continent to have only one religion, Islam, and only one ethnic and linguistic group, Somali, was formed by unifying former separate Italian and British colonies.
The Arab League member state was a predominantly non-Arabic, Somali-speaking nation whose borders were drawn as an artificial political entity created to express a consensus amongst rival and oft-warring tribes.
This fetish for unanimity, for all the tribes spoke Somali, and were devout Muslims, could only have sprung from colonial control and manipulation. Ethnic Somalis in neighbouring Djibouti, where they constitute a third of the population, in Kenya, where they number at least four million, and in Ethiopia, where they have their own autonomous region with five million inhabitants, were excluded from becoming part of Somalia on independence in 1960.
“In both Yemen and Somalia, America’s enemy remains very much intact and active, and the U.S. approach has thus far succeeded in managing and containing the threat, but not in destroying it. It’s not welcome news for those seeking a swift, comprehensive American military response in Syria.”
Yemen and Somalia are examples of U.S. mission creep, not success
11 Sept- Source: Washington Post Blog-881 Words
In his speech Wednesday night, President Obama laid out in somewhat unclear terms the planned U.S. campaign to combat the Islamic State, a murderous terrorist organization that has gained strength in the midst of political chaos in Iraq and Syria. U.S. action in Iraq will involve sustained targeted air strikes combined with ground offensives by the Iraqi army and Kurdish militias already fighting the Islamic State. In Syria, the challenge is thornier, with the United States leaning on a constellation of Sunni Arab allies to help reverse the Islamic State’s gains.
Here’s how Obama framed it in the speech: This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out [the Islamic State] wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.
The reference to Yemen and Somalia is curious. One wonders how many Americans were even aware that their country was still technically fighting wars in these two countries — the legacy of America’s post-9/11 war on al-Qaeda and its militant affiliates.
Godane’s death provides a unique opportunity for allied forces to press the advantage against al Shabab and potentially deliver a decisive blow. It gives East African governments a window of time to implement new policies to address the core reasons behind radicalization. And that is what they must do. If not, al Shabaab may die but militant Islam will live on.
Al Shabab’s Last Stand?
11 Sept- Source: Foreign Affairs-1319 Words
Last week’s deadly U.S. strike on Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of the Somalia-based Islamist militant group al Shabaab, could be the group’s undoing. Although the organization was quick to name a successor, Godane’s death has thrown it into disarray, casting serious doubts on its future. Although that augurs well for Somalia, the region is not out of the woods. Al Shabaab’s extremist ideology has already taken root across East Africa. Without further action against al Shabaab and groups like it, militant Islam will only spread further.
For years, al Shabaab was guided by a small council of leaders who formed the group’s strategy and appointed its emir. That started to change with Godane, also known as Abu Zubayr, who was chosen as the top leader in 2008. He ruled the militant group like a dictator, marginalizing the council, crushing internal dissent, and even killing rivals.
In the process of consolidating power, Godane created the Amniyat, a trusted group of hardcore loyalists whose tasks varied from assassinating dissenters to directing high-profile attacks on Somali government installations, allied troops, and foreign targets. He made particular use of this much-feared force during a bitter struggle with other top al Shabaab leaders, which played out on social media in 2012 and 2013.
Top tweets
@Daudoo Dozens of #Mogadishu dock workers protest after loosing their jobs to a #Turkish company working in z dock.#Somalia pic.twitter.com/hOnM6DeEWH
@UNSomalia Visit @UNSomalia‘s #peaceday web page to see how #Somali civil society is promoting #peace in local communities: http://bit.ly/1CVrc6r
@mosalhan Great short film directed by a ambitions young Somali brother, check it out guys http://www.viewster.com/movie/
@mukhtaryare A Somali woman’s journey from St. Paul to Syria.http://www.mprnews.org/story/
@SomaliaNewsroom Interesting: Uhuru picked #Kenya‘s new spy chief “for his success in intelligence-gathering in #Somalia.”
Image of the day
A drama troupe performs at a peace dialogue organised in Mogadishu on 11 September by the Somali Disability Empowerment Network (SODEN) with the support of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Photo: UNSOM