September 19, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Explosions take place in Afgoye, operations conducted
19 Sept – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 107 words
Reports from Afgoye district of Lower Shabelle region in the South of Somalia claim grenade explosions took place on Wednesday night inside of the district.
The blasts happened in Bar Isma’il and Hawo Tako villages in Afgoye and were targetting the government troops based in Afgoye.
The perpetrators escaped from the place soon after conducting the attack.
Key Headlines
- Somali AU forces step up battle for Kismayo (Shabelle)
- Somali’s new president demands an explanation for accusations (Radio Risaala)
- Swedish delegation visits Somalia (Africa Review)
- Kenya offers unrelenting support to newly formed Somalia government (Xinhua)
- UNSC welcomes end of transition in Somalia expresses willingness to support new gov’t (KUNA)
- Somali journalists under fire despite Mogadishu peace dividend (Reuters)
SOMALI MEDIA
Explosions take place in Afgoye, operations conducted
19 Sept – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 107 words
Reports from Afgoye district of Lower Shabelle region in the South of Somalia claim grenade explosions took place on Wednesday night inside of the district. The blasts happened in Bar Isma’il and Hawo Tako villages in Afgoye and were targetting the government troops based in Afgoye. The perpetrators escaped from the place soon after conducting the attack.
Somalia’s consul in Nairobi dies
19 Sept – Source: Bar-kulan – 101 words
Somalia’s consul in Nairobi, Mohamed Osman Adan, died on Tuesday night in a hospital in Nairobi, according to the Somali embassy. Somali envoy to Kenya Mohamed Ali Noor “America” confirmed the death of Mr. Adan following what he called a long-time severe illness. The deceased is expected to be buried later in the day to conform to Islamic teachings. Before joining the Somali diplomatic mission in Kenya, Adan was a successful businessman and has contested for the Somali presidency in 2009 after the exit of the former TFG president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed following a power struggle with his then Prime Minister.
Somali, AU forces step up battle for Kismayo
19 Sept – Source: Shabelle – 91 words
The Somali National army (SNA) with the support of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces continue battling against al Shabaab militants for the control of Kismayo. Locals, who spoke to Shabelle Media by phone under anonymity, assured that there were many al Shabaab fighters fleeing Kismayo on Tuesday towards other rebel bastions in the south of Kismayo due to the expecting onslaught by Somali and Kenyan forces.
Meanwhile, the al Shabaab Twitter account stated that the militants had brought down a Kenyan helicopter, a claim since denied by Kenyan military officials.
Al Shabaab denies reports that they abandoned Kismayo
19 Sept – Source: Raxanreeb – 184 words
Mohamed Osman Arus, spokesman for al Shabaab has strongly denied reports that al Shabaab insurgents are leaving and abandoning Kismayo, saying that they have pushed back the allied forces and that they are still in position.
“We are in Kismayo – this is a propaganda war. The Kenyan and Somali forces have already broken off and gone back to their positions,” according to Mohamed Soman Arus, the al Shabaab spokesman. He added “we killed around 100 Somali and Kenyan soldiers and pushed them back’’.
Spokesman: Al Shabaab will not surrender to allied forces
19 Sept – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 147 words
Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Mohamud Ali Rage says al Shabaab fighters will not surrender to the allied forces heading to Kismayo. Fighters from al Shabaab have started to leave their remaining coastal stronghold, Kismayo, in the face of advancing allied African troops, residents and a military official said Tuesday.
Armed militants from al Shabaab left Kismayo in pickup trucks after freeing prisoners in the town, Muse Hassan, a Kismayo resident, said by phone. Col. Cyrus Oguna, a spokesman for the Kenyan Army, which is part of the African Union forces fighting al Shabaab militants, said the fighters were fleeing because they sensed defeat. However, a Shabaab spokesman said on Twitter that the reports were “blatant lies.”
Somaliland elders oppose Somalia’s government negotiation with Somaliland
19 Sept – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 178 words
The traditional elders of Somaliland have directly opposed the speech from Somalia’s new president Hassan Sheik Mohamud that was he will continue the negotiation between Somaliland and former the interim government led by Sharif Sheik Ahmed.
Abdirahman Ahmed Ali, one of the elders from Somaliland told to Mustaqbal radio that Somaliland is ready to open negotiations with Somalia’s new government led by president Hassan Sheik Mohamud. The elder said Somaliland has got its independence as the former regime led by Mohamed Siyad Barre was toppled in 1991 and added Somaliland is seeking its recognition from the world.
Somali’s new president demands an explanation for accusations
18 Sept – Source: Radio Risaala – 157 words
President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud has asked Kenya to back up the accusation their foreign minister threw at former Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. In a press conference, the president said that Kenya must explain its accusation against former president Sharif in which Kenyan FA minister Ongeri claimed that the ex-president was invoved in the suicide attack on al Jazeera hotel where he was meeting Kenyan dignitaries last Wednesday.
The president said that after communicating with some Kenyan officials and demanding an explanation, Kenya said that the accusations were baseless and promised to officially apologize. President Hassan pointed out that Somalia’s former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed deserves nothing but respect and to be applauded for the good job he did in the country. The former president had earlier termed the accusation as baseless. These statements come when Kenya’s foreign minister yesterday pointed former president Sharif as the one behind the Jazeera hotel bombings in Mogadishu last week.
Barre Hirale heads to Kismayo
19 Sept – Source: Raxanreeb – 214 words
Reports from Fah-fah-dhuun district of Gedo region say that former warlord Col Barre Aden shire (Hirale) has on Tuesday reached there with militias and armored vehicles which came from Garbaharey town. Source close to the Col Barre says that he is heading to kismayo to take part in the battle going on many parts of lower Jubba regions for reinforcement of the allied forces battling with Al-shabaab.
Col Barre Aden Hirale who was detained by Ethiopian government and has been in unspecified custody in Ethiopia for months this year after disagreement on military operations in Gedo region now looked that they set aside their differences.
As residents in Garbaharay town confirmed to raxanreeeb media network Col Barre met with Ethiopian officials a couple of days ago before he departed to Fah-fah-Dhuun and he was given much ammunition and military trucks.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Ethiopia would work for stable Somalia: Hailemariam
19 Sept – Source: Walta Information Centre/ENA – 223 words
Somalis have shown their commitment to rebuilding their nation by electing their leader in a free and fair election, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hailemariam Desalegn said on Sunday at the inaugural ceremony of Somalia’s new President, Hassan Skeikh Mohamud.
Hailemariam who attended the inaugural ceremony of President Mohamud in Mogadishu said the role of the Somali People was at forefront in the process to bring peace and stability in their nation, adding that peace loving neighboring like Ethiopia have also played great role in the process.
He also mentioned the relentless efforts made by the late Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi to bring peace and stability in Somalia. Hailemariam said the friendship of the two nations is embedded in people to people relations, adding that Ethiopia has been a second home to Somalis for the past two decades.
Swedish delegation visits Somalia
19 Sept – Source: Africa Review – 2012 words
A Swedish delegation led by Foreign Minister Gunilla Carlsson met Somalia’s new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud in Mogadishu Tuesday. Ms Carlsson said the closed-door meeting at Villa Somalia, the state house, discussed how her country would support the war-ravaged Horn of Africa state.
“Through assistance, we are going to strengthen the relations between the two countries,” said Ms Carlsson, without disclosing the kind of aid her country would offer Somalia. On August 20, a 275-member federal parliament was established in Mogadishu, ending eight years of a transitional federal government.
Kenya offers unrelenting support to newly formed Somalia government
19 Sept – Source: Coastweek/Xinhua – 597 words
Kenyan government has vowed not to relent on its efforts to stabilize Somalia with the newly formed government now in place. Foreign Affairs Minister Professor Sam Ongeri expressed Kenya’s commitment on the war on terrorism and called on the international community to support the continuing effort to restore peace in the war ravaged nation.
“Activities in Somalia will only return to normalcy when we support African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to liberate Kismayo from the arms of terrorists,” Prof Ongeri said in a statement received on Tuesday.
The Kenyan minister who was in Mogadishu last week where he survived a suicide bomb attack said the Kenyan government welcomed the prospects of election of the president in Somalia which he said will bring for lasting peace and reconstruction of Somalia.
UNSC welcomes end of transition in Somalia, expresses willingness to support new gov’t
18 Sept – Source: KUNA – 341 words
The UN Security Council on Tuesday welcomed the end of the transition in Somalia and the creation of new institutions, including the parliament, and urged the government to do more for human rights, rule of law, ending corruption and enhancing financial transparency.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Security Council encourages new Somali president to appoint inclusive government
19 Sept – Source: UN News Center – 199 words
The Security Council today expressed its determination to work closely with the new institutions and offices of the Somali authorities, and encouraged the new President to appoint an inclusive, accountable Government. Somalia has taken a series of landmark steps in recent weeks to bring an end to the Horn of Africa nation’s eight-year political transition, including the adoption of a provisional constitution, the establishment of a new parliament and the election of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as President.
In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council stressed the importance of the new Somali authorities developing a programme to define post-transition priorities, and underlined that a national referendum on the provisional constitution and general elections should take place within the term of the current parliament.
It also underlined the responsibility of the Somali authorities “to support reconciliation and deliver effective and inclusive local administrations, and public services to the people,” and that these initiatives must be complemented by the expansion of rule of law institutions to areas recovered from Al-Shabaab insurgents. The 15-member body also strongly condemned the grave and systematic human rights violations perpetrated by many parties, including al-Shabaab, and emphasized the need for accountability for all such violations and abuses.
Somali journalists under fire despite Mogadishu peace dividend
19 Sept – Source: Reuters – 188 words
They get death threats, they need armed escorts and they never take the same route twice – Somali journalists reporting on events in their largely lawless country have to take extreme measures to survive. The scene of near unremitting conflict for the last 20 years, Somalia has made headlines as the scene of suicide bombings, street battles and pirate attacks on shipping.
Better news has now emerged, with the rebirth of Mogadishu after Islamist rebel fighters retreated last year and this month’s relatively smooth presidential election, the first to take place in the country in 45 years. Nevertheless, Somalia remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists, whether they are reporting from the street or the conference room.
And while reporters have made easy targets in the fighting between government forces and Islamist rebels, the dangers that confront the Somali media will be familiar enough to the war-weary inhabitants of Mogadishu, whose bullet-riddled city was for years one of the most dangerous on earth.
Abdifatah Ahmed, who goes by the nickname Kalga’al, or ‘my dear’, has been a journalist in Somalia for more than a decade.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“As the militants have been squeezed, trade, aid, stability and construction have started to flow into new areas. Somalia’s renowned entrepreneurial spirit, long stifled except in the diaspora, is beginning to slowly show itself at home once again”.
Signs of hope in a perennially gloomy Somalia
19 Sept – Source: The National – 407 words
Long-suffering Somalia is beginning to show signs of emerging from decades of warlordism, anarchy, corruption, extremism, poverty, intermittent famine and non-stop chaos. The country’s fragile new start deserves renewed attention and prudent support from the region and the world. The 10 million Somalis, subsisting on an average of Dh2,200 a year, have endured two lost decades since Mohamed Siad Barre’s dictatorship collapsed into confused, incessant wars among many militias.
But new leadership, supported by a new consensus, is now reviving the national government, which despite international backing had until last year controlled little more than a part of Mogadishu.
Al Shabaab, the principal Islamist militia, is now in retreat before 6,000 African Union troops (most of them from Uganda and Burundi) who are supporting the government’s little army with increasing success from the north. From the south, meanwhile, Kenya has sent troops across the border to counter Al Shabab incursions and influence in that country.
“You wait ages for a new leader in the Horn of Africa, and then two of them come along at once. It’s exciting to think there will be two new faces from the Horn of Africa at summits of the African Union or regional body IGAD. Don’t expect this to happen again any time soon.”
Fresh blood for the Horn of Africa, but can new leaders fix old problems?
18 Sept – Source: Daily Maverick – 877 words
The Horn of Africa is a generally known as a region where leaders can settle down and make themselves comfortable in power. Look at Eritrea, where Isaias Afewerki has been president for nearly two decades and in charge for even longer. Or Djibouti, where Ismail Omar Guelleh assumed office in 1999 from his president-for-life uncle and looks all set to continue the family tradition.
Then there’s Ethiopia – before his death, Meles Zenawi was one of Africa’s longest-serving heads of state. Somalia is the exception, its chaos throwing up new leaders regularly in Mogadishu, while Somaliland has been lauded for its regular elections that have resulted in a change of government.
In this context, last week was momentous for the Horn of Africa, when not one but two new leaders were appointed. This is change on an unprecedented scale. Firstly, in Somalia, a parliamentary vote produced a thoroughly surprising outcome when the unheralded (but well-qualified) Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was chosen as Somalia’s president, replacing the much-maligned incumbent Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
Hassan Sheikh is a civil society activist and academic, considered unsullied by the politicking and corruption to which Somalia’s leaders too often fall prey; his election has convinced many previously skeptical observers that the new government might be something more than just a re-branding of the old, failing government.
Secondly, in Ethiopia, the country’s ruling party ushered in the Ethiopian New Year by finally settling on a successor to the departed Meles. As expected, his deputy, Haile Mariam Desalegn, is the new man in the Prime Ministry, although it took a little longer than expected for the confirmation to come through.
Top tweets
@UNPOSomalia Official #UNSC #resolution 2076 on end of the #Transition in#Somalia now available: http://bit.ly/Qj0TNv #UNPOS.
@BBCAfrica Activist tells #BBCNewsday radicalisation causing some youths in#Kenya to leave communities to join militias in #Somalia &#Afghanistan.
@USAforSOMALIA #Somalia – Update from SRS Interview. USG seen variety of reports saying as many as 5k civilians have departed Kismaayo.
@hoda_dahir Latest Pres Release from #UNSC resolution 2067 (2012) on#Somalia. #UNSOA #UNPOSomalia #AMISOM #AfricanUnion.
@EinteJr Kenya offers unrelenting support to newly formed Somalia government http://bit.ly/ObYtV0.
Image of the day
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (right) receives visiting Swedish minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson in Mogadishu on Tuesday. Photo: Radio Mogadishu.