September 14, 2015 | Daily Monitoring Report
Puntland Coast Guards On The Hunt For Migrants Smugglers
14 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 153 Words
Puntland coastal guard forces have launched an operation hunting down people who smuggle immigrants to Sudan.Admiral Abdirizak Diriye, the head of the coastal guards, has told Goobjoog News that the smugglers have now opened a new route through where they ferry people to Sudan. From this location they are taken to Libya where they cross the Mediterranean sea to Europe.
He however denied the existence of Puntland youths recruited by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) or better known as its Arabic acronym Daesh: “It’s a lie that Deash recruits youths here, but I can tell you new smugglers have emerged with new route to Sudan,” said the commander. He said that there was someone who masterminded all these, but now he is on the run.Puntland was known to be a departure point for migrants trying to reach Yemen for decades, but this has stopped since the breakout of war in Yemen.
Key Headlines
- Puntland Coast Guards On The Hunt For Migrants’ Smugglers (Goobjoog News)
- New Illegal Checkpoints Mushroom Along Mogadishu-Baidoa Highway (Goobjoog News)
- Joint Forces Repulse Al-Shabaab In Diinsoor Attack (Wacaal Media)
- UN Envoy For Somalia Welcomes Inauguration Of Interim Jubba Administration President (Horseed Media)
- Terror Suspect Escapes Kisauni Dawn Police Raid (The Star)
- Minnesota Somali Community Facing TSA Issues No-Fly List Mistakes (Fox9)
- Further Solidifying Ties With Somalia (VoA)
NATIONAL MEDIA
New Illegal Checkpoints Mushroom Along Mogadishu-Baidoa Highway
14 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 144 Words
Public transport drivers are complaining of new illegal checkpoints mounted by government soldiers between Mogadishu and Baidoa in which they ask for money.One driver was so frustrated that he had to stop operating along the road: “I am driving a vehicle with the capacity of 8 passengers, and every few kilometers they demand Shs120 ($6) , then what is left for me? The other day they opened fire on another passenger car breaking the driver’s legs. This is done by soldiers who demand unreasonable bribe money,” protested the driver. They called on the Federal Government and South West State to take action against the soldiers. On 10th September, President of South West State Sharif Hassan appeared to condone the illegal checkpoints by saying “a hungry soldier with a gun can do everything”. He was addressing a gathering in Afgoi, where the Federal President, Hassan Shiekh Mohamud, was in attendance.
Joint Forces Repulse Al-Shabaab In Diinsoor Attack
14 September – Source: Wacaal Media – 90 Words
Government forces managed to fight off Al-Shabaab after the militants attacked their base in Buusha Amin settlement near Diinsoor district in Baay region. Confirming the battle, regional commander of the Somali National Army, Hassan Adan Yarrow, said they inflicted a huge damage on the militants but gave no figures. Sources say Ethiopian forces in the area came to the rescue of their local colleagues assisting them to defend their camp. Uneasy calm returned to the area this morning with government forces launching operations in Diinsoor to beef up security.
UN Envoy For Somalia Welcomes Inauguration Of Interim Jubba Administration President
13 September – Source: Horseed Media – 238 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, welcomed the inauguration of Sheikh Ahmed Islam “Madobe” as the President of the Interim Jubba Administration (IJA). Speaking at a ceremony held in Kismaayo, SRSG Kay said, “I congratulate President Madobe, on your election and pledge the United Nations’ continued support in addressing the immense challenges facing the Administration in building a Jubba that future generations can be proud of.” SRSG Kay also congratulated the Federal Government of Somalia and all the people of the Jubba, who made the day possible “through compromise and a recognition of the national interest”. Along with Somali stakeholders, SRSG Kay welcomed the contributions of AMISOM and IGAD to the implementation of the 27 August 2013 Addis Ababa Agreement and the Somalia peace and state-building process.
SRSG Kay encouraged President Madobe and the Jubba Regional Assembly to restore balance in its composition in an inclusive manner, and also welcomed the recent move to increase the number of seats in the Jubba Assembly:“The representativeness and inclusivity of this Assembly will foster confidence in the Administration,” said SRSG Kay. Addressing the national leaders present in the ceremony, SRSG Kay stressed the importance of launching the Consultative Forum on creating a Somali-owned electoral process in 2016. He called on all Somali stakeholders to participate fully in the work of the Forum.The United Nations remains committed to supporting Somalia’s peace and state-building process.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Terror Suspect Escapes Kisauni Dawn Police Raid
14 September – Source: The Star – 500 Words
Terror suspect Farid Omar Awadh has escaped a police dragnet in Kisauni only hours after he sneaked back into the country from Somalia. According to detectives who spoke to The Star on condition of anonymity, Awadh is believed to have returned on Friday. A team of heavily armed Anti-Terror Police Unit and Serious Crime Unit officers stormed his house in the wee hours of yesterday, but he had escaped. The 20 officers broke into the house, turning it upside down as they ransacked the premises for assorted weapons they claim he owns. However, the police later denied any involvement in the operation. Newly posted Coast regional police commandant Francis Wanjohi and regional CID boss Henry Ondiek said they are unaware of the operation. Wanjohi said the police cannot be held responsible for the alleged damage of household items and injuries.“I have sent detectives from the Scene of Crime Unit and we are yet to establish the people behind the raid,” said Wanjohi, who spoke to the Star on the phone.
Awadh’s wife Zahara Bahama said they were held at gunpoint for hours as the officers searched the house: “I heard a loud explosion then suddenly saw the gun-toting officers entering the house. They claimed that we were hiding firearms and protecting a terror suspect,” said Bahama.
Addressing the media, Bahama said the officers climbed into the ceiling and broke into several rooms in the house before they left at around 3am. She said her husband’s whereabouts are unknown and he cannot be reached on phone. The family denied that he had links with terrorism as alleged by the police officers. A senior National Intelligence Service officer who was involved in the operation told the Star that Awadh was on the police radar over alleged recruitment for and funding of terrorism activities.
Minnesota Somali Community Facing TSA Issues, No-Fly List Mistakes
14 September – Source: Fox 9- 274 Words
Mistakenly being placed on a terror watch list can lead to delays and other problems for passengers at the airport. It’s been an especially big problem for the Somali community in Minnesota, but Homeland Security is working to help eliminate these issues.A mobile team from the Department of Homeland Security visited Minneapolis to hold a mass meeting for members of the Somali community on Sunday. They were able to apply for “redress,” a process where they’re able to resolve travel screening issues including getting placed accidentally on the no-fly list.”We thought we would bring mobile redress right to the community, take their applications, complete their applications right on the spot,” Kimberly Walton, assistant administrator of Homeland Security, said.
The Department of Homeland Security redress program is a way to get men and women off the no-fly list that should never have been on it to start. TSA data shows there were 19,500 applications for redress in the last fiscal year to resolve issues pertaining to air travel, border crossings and visas, and more. “I think just watching over your shoulder all the time it creates so much stress,” Farton Weli, a community activists said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“While Somalia has come far in the last two years, many challenges and threats remain. The al-Qaeda-linked terrorists Al-Shabaab have been weakened, but not defeated. Government services are uneven and tens of thousands of Somalis remain displaced from their homes by violence.”
Further Solidifying Ties With Somalia
13 September – Source: Voice of America – 313 Words
Somalia, long torn by clan rivalries, stricken by drought and resulting famine, and attacks by a militant extremist group, has made many strides since completing its political transition in 2012. In a nation once synonymous with chaos, there are now signs of improved security and economic growth. Throughout the process, the United States has stood with the Somali people, providing security, governance and humanitarian assistance to help strengthen democratic institutions and improve stability. Recognizing Somalia’s progress and as a sign of our nation’s deepening relationship with it, the U.S. Mission to Somalia began operations on September 8. It is based within the United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and will be headed by a Chargé d’Affaires until President Obama appoints, and Senate confirms, the next U.S. Ambassador.
It’s a critical step towards normalizing the U.S.-Somalia bilateral relationship since our recognition of the Federal Government of Somalia in January 2013, as announced by Secretary of State John Kerry on May 5during his historic visit to Mogadishu. Since our embassy closed in 1991 amid the country’s then-growing instability, the United States conducted diplomacy on Somalia affairs based out of Nairobi. Over the past five years, U.S. officials began to travel more frequently into Somalia to conduct official business. When security conditions permit, it is envisioned that an embassy will be re-established in Mogadishu.
TOP TWEETS
@Somalia111:#Somalia bigger & more united: all sub-federal Presidents & Federal President & PM came to Pres “Madobe” inauguration
@unicefsomalia:Less than half of children are in school in#Somalia. Now govs want to enroll 1 mil in 3 yrs. Possible?#go2school
@Eye_on_Somalia:#goobjoog Somali-born humanitarian shed light on plight of African immigrants: Sadia Gassim of Kitche…http://bit.ly/1Y2fOAm #somalia
@Asahaaf :The #Somali diaspora are heading back to#Somalia to rebuild their homeland. The best is yet to come for#Somalia.
@MosheikHz:Selling #Somalia: we need indomitable investors, not aid, says foreign minister.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
AMISOM Djiboutian commanders tour the proposed site of Bulla Burdo Airport.
Photo:AMISOM