September 15, 2017 | Daily Monitoring Report
Puntland Faces Challenges In Its Military Campaign Against Al-Shabaab
15 September – Source: VOA Somali Service – 163 Words
Somalia’s semi autonomous state of Puntland is facing increased challenges in its fight against the militant group Al-Shabaab, warns security specialist and former Director of Puntland Intelligence Agency. Speaking to VOA Somali Service, Abdi Hassan Hussein “Abdi Yare” said Al-Shabaab’s steady expansion of its presence in Puntland was a reason to worry and is as result of combined problems including weak leadership in Puntland, poor coordination of security agencies among other reasons. Abdi Yare said this has led to Al-Shabaab carrying out massive raids in the region including the July deadly Af-urur military base raid.
“Al-Shabaab attacking the same military base twice in of 90 days shows the lack of preparedness from the government side to stop Al-Shabaab attacks,” said Abdi Yare. He warned Al-Shabaab was sending more fighters to the region in a bid to gain more influence, calling on the regional administration leadership to review its military strategy towards the fight against the militant group and enhance cooperation with regional states.
Key Headlines
- Puntland Faces Challenges In Its Military Campaign Against Al-Shabaab (VOA Somali Service)
- Residents In Lower Jubba Urged To Be Vigilant On Security (Goobjoog News)
- Al-Shabaab Parades SNA Commander In Central Somalia (Shabelle News)
- Somali Refugee’s American Dream On Hold As Trump Ban Debate (Associated Press)
- The Influence Of Egypt And Ethiopia On Somalia And Somalis (Garowe Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Residents In Lower Jubba Urged To Be Vigilant On Security
15 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 223 Words
The local residents in Lower Jubba region have been urged to be vigilant on security issues and to work with the local law enforcement to maintain peace in the area. Speaking to the media in his office, the Commissioner for Lower Jubba Abdirashid Abdullahi Goni has appealed to the local residents to participate in improving the security of the area, and to share information with the police if they spot any suspicious security threat. “Our conscience should avert us from indifference to security affairs. One has to take the initiative than waiting for the security agents. Charity begins at home” said Commissioner Goni.
He also noted the need for the security agents in the region to keep be very alert at all times. “We need the different security agents to keep their eyes wide open since maintaining good security is an essential.” On the other hand, Commissioner Goni instructed vehicle owners in Kismayo not to park their cars in the wrong side of the streets creating unnecessary traffic jam in the state capital. “Many times, you have seen vehicles overloaded coming from the port to the Argo area till you reach Somali stars which slows the smooth flow of traffic sometimes causing accidents.” Within this month, two deadly attacks have been carried out by Alshabab in Bula Gadud and Beled Hawa in Jubba.
Al-Shabaab Parades Somali National Army Commander In Central Somalia
14 September – Source: Shabelle News – 116 Words
Al-Shabaab militants were reported to have paraded Somali military commander in Galgadud region on Thursday. A statement carried out by pro-Al-Shabaab online sites reported that the commander, Abdullahi Mohamud known as “Jarer” has defected from Somali National Army (SNA) in Beledweyne city.
Mr. Mohamud dressed in army uniform and cladded with AK-47 rifle gun was displayed in an undisclosed Al-Shabaab location in Galgadud region in central Somalia. He was the chief of SNA forces in Elbur town, which is now under Al-Shabaab control. Al-Shabaab, which has links with Al Qaeda has been fighting to topple the UN-backed government for almost eight years, and carried out numerous attacks in the country, mainly in the capital Mogadishu.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Refugee’s American Dream On Hold As Trump Ban Debated
15 September – Source: Associated Press – 588 Words
Somali refugee Asho Manangara Ibrahim has a dream. She wants to educate herself and her children in the United States. For 10 years she went through a rigorous process of interviews and screening and finally she was cleared to travel to the United States. But Ibrahim’s hopes have been dashed. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to maintain its restrictive policy on refugees. The court agreed to an administration request to block a lower court ruling that would have eased the ban on refugees and allowed up to 24,000 refugees to enter the country before the end of October. Ibrahim, a 30-year-old mother of four children, escaped war-torn Somalia in 2007 after three men forced their way into her house and assaulted her. She trekked for three days with her 2-year-old daughter to reach the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp in neighboring Kenya where she stayed for three years.
She was relocated to Kakuma refugee camp where she learned that she could apply to be resettled in a third country. By the time she was cleared to travel to the U.S. on July 19, she had three other children from a second marriage. After years of patiently waiting to be resettled, the news that she may not be allowed into the U.S. because of the Trump administration restrictions has devastated her. “I feel shocked. I forget things now,” she told The Associated Press last month through an interpreter. She and her three daughters and small son pass their days in a makeshift home of mud walls, sticks and battered sheets. The children sit on woven plastic rugs covering a cracked-earth floor amid the barest of possessions: plastic water jugs, metal basins, a simple stove.
Ibrahim is one of about 500 people among the hundreds of thousands in Kenyan refugee camps who are ready for resettlement in the U.S. but are now stranded, said Jennifer Sime, senior vice president with the International Rescue Committee, an organization that helps resettlements.The fear and rhetoric that refugees are a security threat or terrorists looking to infiltrate the U.S. are unfounded, Sime said. “The probability of dying from an act of terrorism committed by a refugee is unbelievably low. Refugees have not perpetrated terrorist acts,” she said. The chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack committed by a refugee is one in 3.64 billion a year, she added, citing 2016 figures from the Cato Institute. Globally about 45,000 refugees have been approved for resettlement in the U.S. and 2,000 are ready to board planes but this has been put on hold, Sime said. Many gave away their hard-earned belongings to start a new life, she said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The presence of Egypt in Somalia is of concern for Ethiopian government in other ways. The government of Ethiopia and the government of Egypt are in contention over the Nile River. This is because the government of Ethiopia had built a dam on the Blue Nile, which is in opposition to the stance by the Egyptian government.”
The Influence Of Egypt And Ethiopia On Somalia And Somalis
14 September – Source: Garowe Online – 692 Words
The regional powers seeking influence and control over Somalia are part of a framework that is worrying Somalis about some foreign governments’ role in Somalia’s instability. In some ways, the competition over Somalia is due to economic interests. The presidents of Somalia and Egypt had discussed the development of Egypt Air in the country where direct flights between Mogadishu and Cairo are planned (Horn Observer, 2017). The Ethiopians would fear the Somali administration that is influenced by Egypt because the shift in regional power would focus on concentrating resources between Egypt and Somalia. This could lead to regional issues between Egypt and Somalia on one side, and Ethiopia on the other.
The recent arrest of a suspected ONLF member was followed by the release of the prisoner to the Ethiopian government. Therefore, the suspect’s arrest by the Galmudug regional police was a recognition that Al Shabaab and other rebel forces are operating or seek to operate in Somalia due to Egyptian influence in the country. Based on the sources of information, the arrest was timely but largely coincidental as the arrest occurred two weeks prior to the transfer to the interim capital of the Somalia state of Galmudug (Horn Observer).
The detention center housing of the ONLF rebel by the Somali National Intelligence Agency in Mogadishu seemed to be a time lapse to prepare for the deal with Ethiopia to facilitate the transfer. The government of Ethiopia considers the ONLF to be a terror group and therefore was agreeing to receive a member of this group in exchange for a Somali prisoner. Overall, the Somali Intelligence Agency had a large role in leading to the detention of Abdihakin Sheikh Muse by facilitating the detention holding after the arrest. The presence of Egypt in Somalia is of concern for Ethiopian government in other ways. The government of Ethiopia and the government of Egypt are in contention over the Nile River. This is because the government of Ethiopia had built a dam on the Blue Nile, which is in opposition to the stance by the Egyptian government.
TOP TWEETS
.@DalsanFM: #MBF2017 I am happy to be at @MogBF “let the books replace the bullets,” @DeputySomaliPM
.@Goobjoognews: GULF CRISIS costing Somalia revenue and investment-UN –
.@AbdurahmanShar: BBC AfricaSomalia with its rich cultural heritage, beautiful sea and history is without any doubt my favourite destintation#SomaliaRising
.@HarunMaruf: Video report: Somalia Opens First Forensic Lab Dedicated to Rape Investigation @VOANewshttps://www.voanews.com/a/
.@ahmedvision1: Ahmed Vision Retweeted Mogadishu Book Fair #MBF2017is not only a book fair event but also healing platform 4 Somalia’s broken hearts. Inspiration & connection opportunities 4 youth.
.@BashiirMaxmud: Breaking: Men armed with pistols shot dead a business man in Mogadishu’s Dharkeynley district, assissins mainly escape@SahraCabdi
.@fahma_gabax: Historic visit Turkey Amabasasor from Turkey at Mogadishu Bookfair @TC_Mogadishu #MBF2017
.@MoHADM_Somalia: Please read here the August report – Country Humanitarian Communique from the Ministry [MoHADM] https://we.tl/bplGHQbD7a
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khayre attends the second day of the annual Mogadishu International Book Fair(MIBF).
PHOTO: @Shidane