September 12, 2019 | Morning Headlines

AMISOM Daily Monitoring Report

September 12, 2019 | Morning Headlines.
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Daily Media Monitoring
Main Story

Ethiopian Defense Force Says It Captured Some ISIS Members

11 September – Source: Addis Standard – 276 Words

General Berhanu Jula, Deputy Chief of Staff and military operations head of the Ethiopian Armed Forces told Ethiopian Press Agency that the national defence force have recently captured “some members” of ISIS in Ethiopia. According to the General, although repeated attempts by ISIS to mobilize itself around various places in Ethiopia have largely been foiled, the government has enough intelligence about the presence of individuals hailing from various places in Ethiopia and who are trained and indoctrinated by ISIS militants.

“At the moment members of ISIS, what they are doing, where they are moving around, who they have established contacts with, the identities of their members in cities and what they are doing, as well as what their plans are and other details that cannot be mentioned here are under our strict surveillance,” EPA quoted General Berhanu. The General emphasized that the national defence forces were working day and night to protect the people of Ethiopia from any kind of danger. “Members of the national defence force know no break. There is no time we are resting.”

According to him, at times it is unnecessary to apprehend an individual because greater care should be exerted not to lose sight of the bigger picture and considering the ease to follow the rule of law to apprehend suspects. He, however, dismissed information by ISIS that it has a presence in Ethiopia as “psychological warfare. “The people of Ethiopia will not be intimidated and scared by this,” he said and added ISIS has no capacity to enter and operate in Ethiopia. Recently, the VOA reported that “Islamic State militants in Somalia say they will release jihadist materials in Amharic.”

Key Headlines

  • Ethiopian Defense Force Says It Captured Some ISIS Members (Addis Standard)
  • Somalia Hands Over Chairmanship Of The Council Of Arab Ministers At The Arab League (Shabelle Media Network)
  • HirShabelle Leader Holds Meeting With AMISOM Military Commanders In Beledweyne (Hiiraan Online)
  • Minister Beileh Leads Team For 4th SMP Review With IMF In Addis Ababa (Goobjoog)
  • Mortar Attack Kills 1 Wounds 3 In Mogadishu (Anadolu Agency)
  • Australia Delivers Warning Over IS Foothold In Somalia (SBS)
  • Mogadishu Doctors Volunteer Time And Money To Treat The Poor In IDP Camps (Radio Ergo)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia Hands Over Chairmanship Of The Council Of Arab Ministers At The Arab League

11 September – Source: Shabelle Media Network – 136 Words

Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Issa Awad handed over the rotating chairmanship of the Council of Arab Ministers at the Arab League on Tuesday in Cairo, the Egyptian capital. Addressing the final session of the Arab Foreign Ministers, Awad announced that Somalia handed over the chairmanship to Mohamed Ali Alhakim, the Foreign Minister of Iraq.

Awad stated that the six months period he had chaired the Council of Arab Ministers at the Arab League, he worked hard to promote reconciliation efforts among the Arab League member states. He appealed to the League to work towards ending the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen, which have claimed the lives of thousands of people. Meanwhile, he called on the Arab League to bolster efforts towards Palestinian statehood and help end conflicts in Libya, Yemen and Syria.


Hirshabelle Leader Holds Meeting With AMISOM Military Commanders In Beledweyne

11 September – Source: Hiiraan Online – 168 Words

On Tuesday, HirShabelle State leader, Mohamed Abdi Waare, held a meeting with the commanders of the Ethiopian contingent, part of AMISOM, in Beledweyne. Accompanied by senior officials from his administration, President Waare’s meeting with the AMISOM military commanders focused on strengthening of collaboration between his State and the peacekeeping troops, security and opening of main supply routes (MSRs) blockaded by the militant group Al-Shabaab.

“We appreciate the support of AMISOM as they continue to sacrifice their blood and resources to secure Somalia and take part in the rebuilding of the country. We will maintain the close relations we have with AMISOM troops so as to fortify our brotherly bond,” he said. On their side, the commanders of Ethiopian troops pledged to strengthen the coordination and partnership with the Somali forces in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants. At the end of the event, commanders of the Ethiopian contingent presented certificates to some of the State’s leaders for their hard work and role in enhancing cooperation between the two sides.


Minister Beileh Leads Team For 4th SMP Review With IMF In Addis Ababa

11 September – Source: Goobjoog- 151 Words

Finance Minister Abdirahman Beileh is leading a delegation of government ministers and Central Bank Governor in Addis Ababa to engage with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on review of the fourth Staff Monitored Programme. The meeting, according to a tweet by Minister Beileh, will give both sides an opportunity to review the progress made so far.

The SMP IV, which runs between May 2019 to July 2020 will support the authorities’ continued reform efforts, laying the foundation for greater self-sufficiency and higher and more inclusive growth. According to the IMF, the programme will ‘expand and deepen measures to build fiscal sustainability, across the FGS and the Federal Member States, further improve financial stability, address residual anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) gaps, and strengthen governance and the fight against corruption’. The SMP is part of the debt relief process set aimed at building Somalia’s case for debt relief.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA  

Mortar Attack Kills 1, Wounds 3 In Mogadishu

11 September – Source: Anadolu Agency – 108 Words

At least one person was killed and three wounded in a terrorist mortar attack in a high-profile area of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, officials said. Three mortar shells targeted the presidential palace and a nearby residential area in the capital’s Warta Nabadda district, according to local media. Mohamed Bulle, a police sergeant in Mogadishu, confirmed over the phone to Anadolu Agency the number of dead and wounded. Somali-based al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the mortar attack via the internet. The group said it had targeted the presidential palace and the Ethiopian Embassy in Mogadishu with five mortar shells, killing several officials and wounding others.


Australia Delivers Warning Over IS Foothold In Somalia

11 September – Source: SBS  – 469 Words

IS’s foothold in Somalia has caught the attention of the Australian government with the group’s ties there being formally denounced. The Somali arm of IS has been listed as a terror group for the first time, after Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee signed off on a revised list of threats to Australia.  In a submission to the committee, ASIO Deputy Director-General Heather Cook said the militants could pose a threat to Australians – in particular those of Somali heritage. “These groups, IS Somalia included, tend to target Westerners … for kidnapping for ransom purposes,” the submission reads. “It’s not inconceivable that Australians of Somali extraction may be caught up in that sort of conduct.” But she said this threat was yet to specifically target Australians visitors. Five years ago IS began to establish influence in the northern African country. A disenfranchised group of militants linked to Al-Qaeda adopted the tenants of the extremist ideology. The small, but active branch reportedly operates mostly in northern Somalia.

While US President Donald Trump declared earlier this year the total defeat of Islamic State after ousting the group from its territory in Syria, the threat does not appear to be over.  Last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned guerrilla insurgents of the radical extremists to remain. “There are certainly places where ISIS is more powerful today than they were three or four years ago,” he said. Committee Chair Andrew Hastie told parliament on Monday the group has advocated for attacks against westerners and western states.   “We received evidence that Islamic State-Somalia’s primary objective is establishing an Islamic caliphate in the horn of Africa consistent with the global jihadist ideology,” he said. The Intelligence and Security Committee estimated the group comprised of at least 200 fighters, who have carried out a series of terrorist attacks. “Six terrorist attacks can be ‘reliably attributed’ to Islamic-State Somalia,” the report reads. This included the assassination of multiple officials and Ethiopian Christians, an attack on a hotel, and detonation of an explosive device against a vehicle for a peacekeeping mission to Somalia.

The Home Affairs Department considers advice from ASIO on any group’s potential threat and links to Australia before terror listings are referred for review. In this case, the parliamentary committee agreed the Somali-based group and five others set to be re-listed should all be regarded as terrorist organisations. This means Islamic State-Somalia, the Abu Sayyaf Group, Al Qaeda, Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham and Jemaah Islamiyah will be considered as such under the criminal code. Mr Hastie said scrutiny must be applied to this process to ensure proper oversight of terrorist listings. “The regulations mean that individuals associated with these terrorist organisations will be subject to serious offences,” he said. “The committee supports the listing and re-listing of these terrorist organisations and finds no reason to disallow the regulations.”

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

Members of the group contribute funds to support the camps and sometimes get medical supplies from Wehliye and Doha hospitals in Mogadishu. “We are ready to use our manpower and knowledge. Some people help us with drugs. We then see how many patients we can help based on the amount of medicine we have,” Hassan explained.

Mogadishu Doctors Volunteer Time And Money To Treat The Poor In IDP Camps

11 September – Source: Radio Ergo – 289 Words

Families from IDP camps in Mogadishu are being treated for free by a group of 10local medical practitioners, who formed a group to visit people’s homes in IDP camps across the city. Abdulkadir Sheikh Hassan, the chairperson of the volunteers, said they have been treating 200 people a month by offering free check-ups and treatment for malaria, gastritis, syphilis, worms, and other diseases and ailments. The team conducts medical camps twice a month in different parts of the city. Last week, the group known as Saha-Dowr, visited Dayah centre, Awballe, Rahm and Aflah camps, in Kahda, Garasbalay and Wadow districts of Mogadishu.

Hassan said the group surveys each camp to inform people they are coming and identify patients in urgent need of medical treatment. Members of the group contribute funds to support the camps and sometimes get medical supplies from Wehliye and Doha hospitals in Mogadishu. “We are ready to use our manpower and knowledge. Some people help us with drugs. We then see how many patients we can help based on the amount of medicine we have,” Hassan explained.

Maleka Nunow Abshir’s five-year-old son was very sick but she had no money to take him to hospital. Last week, the boy was diagnosed with syphilis and treated by the volunteer group. “We used to get medicine given out by Muslim groups. This child has been sick for two months but now, at last, he has been treated,” said Maleka, a mother of five, who fled Bay region in June after her village was hit by drought. Khadija Abdi Mohamed, who lives in a camp in Kadha district, was treated by the group after she complained about chest pain. She said she was feeling better after two days of medication provided.

Additional Somalia news will appear in the Afternoon Report

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of AMISOM, and neither does their inclusion in the bulletin/website constitute an endorsement by AMISOM.

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