September 28, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
At least 17 Somali Soldiers Killed In Inter-regional Fighting – Officials
28 September- Source: Reuters – 172 Words
At least 17 soldiers were killed in clashes overnight between forces from two semi-autonomous regions of northern Somalia, local officials said on Wednesday.
Soldiers in Puntland and Galmudug have clashed repeatedly over territory and political rivalries in recent years.As well as fighting in a civil war that began in 1991, national forces, loyal to the Western-backed Mogadishu-based government, and regional militias are battling an Islamist insurgency.
The militias sometimes also attack each other, Puntland said it had killed Islamist militants in an air raid but Galmudug said its soldiers were targeted.”This [story of] killing militants is propaganda. Seventeen of our soldiers were killed and two of our military vehicles were destroyed by the air strike,” Abdi Hussein, the deputy governor of Galkayo, told Reuters by phone. Galkayo hospital confirmed it had received 17 dead and 15 wounded soldiers.A Puntland police colonel insisted the raid killed militants.”Puntland security forces launched a planned attack last night. We killed over a dozen militants and destroyed their vehicles,” Colonel Abdullahi Nur said.
Key Headlines
- At least 17 Somali Soldiers Killed In Inter-regional Fighting – Officials (Reuters)
- Somali Government Condemns The Killing Of Somali Journalist In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Banadir Regional Administration Bans Fake Documents Locally Known As ‘Abdalla Shideeye’(Jowhar.com)
- UN fears ‘manipulation’ As Somalia Delays Elections (Al Jazeera English)
- US Airstrikes Take Out Al-Shabaab Commander In Somalia (VOA News)
- Everyone Wants To See A Stable And Prosperous Somalia (Daily Nation)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Government Condemns The Killing Of Somali Journalist In Mogadishu
28 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 225 Words
Somali government has condemned the fatal shooting of radio journalist Abdiaziz Ali who was killed in Mogadishu on Tuesday evening. Mohamed Abdi Mareeye, Somali minister for information has blamed the Killings of the journalist for Al-Shabaab saying Somali government will bring the killers of Ali to the justice. “We condemn this barbaric killing of Abdiaziz Ali who was serving the public, the government will make sure to bring the perpetrators to book,” said Mareeye.
In a statement, National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has also condemned the killing and asked the Somali government to urgently investigate the incident and punish the perpetrators. The motive for the killing was not immediately apparent, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Ali is the second journalist killed in Somalia this year. In June this year, Sagal Salad Osman, a female producer for the state-run radio station was killed in Mogadishu as she left her university campus. Ali’s burial is expected to take place in one of Mogadishu’s cemeteries on Wednesday morning, according to his family.
Somalia is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media workers. Rights groups say both Islamic extremists and the government have reason to target them. The Committee to Protect Journalists says 59 journalists have been killed in Somalia since 1992, shortly after this Horn of Africa nation plunged into chaos.
Banadir Regional Administration Bans Fake Documents Locally Known As ‘Abdalla Shideeye’
27 September – Source: Jowhar.com – 183 Words
The regional administration of Banadir on Tuesday announced a ban on the Bakaara market produced documents locally known as ‘Abdalla Shideeye’. The Administration’s Vice Chairman for Security and political committee Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Diriye told local reporters at the Bakaara market where he led an operation against the fake document printers that anyone found issuing or using them will face the law. “We are warning those involved in on what is known as the ‘Abdalla Shideeye’ documents by either producing them or using them and from today henceforth, in possession of any fake documents will be arraigned in court,” said Diriye.
Spokesman of the administration Abdifatah Omar Halane said law enforcement agencies have been put on notice to arrest those involved in this illegal business. After the fall of the central government, locals turned to the Abadalla Shideeye segment of the Bakaara market for documentations such as birth certificates, passports, professional and academic certificates among others. Despite printing all types of documents, the illegal printers were also able to post signatures of the different past leaders and officials to legitimize their illegal trade.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Fears ‘Manipulation’ As Somalia Delays Elections
28 September- Source: Al Jazeera English – 443 Words
The United Nations has expressed disappointment over a new delay in Somalia’s presidential and legislative elections, and expressed hope that the balloting will be “transparent and credible.” The UN special representative for Somalia, Michael Keating, said on Tuesday that UN officials are worried about the postponement – the latest in a series of election delays in the troubled Horn of African country.
“The renewed delay raises a number of fears. Let me name just two: that the process is being politically manipulated, and that this delay may only be one of yet further ‘rolling delays’,” Keating told the UN Security Council.”The urgency and the momentum must be maintained and the additional time used to ensure that the process is as transparent and credible as possible,” he said.
On Monday, election officials in the capital Mogadishu announced they were pushing back elections from October to November due to security issues and administrative problems.Omar Mohamed Abdulle, the chairman of the electoral commission, said the delayed presidential election would now take place on November 30, while parliamentary elections would be held from October 23 to November 10.
US Airstrikes Take Out Al-Shabaab Commander In Somalia
27 September – Source: VOA News – 180 Words
U.S. military strikes near Kanjaron village on Monday killed four al-Shabab militants including a former commander, military sources tell VOA Somalia.Airstrikes outside the village killed the former commander and three others
Somali military sources identified the former commander as Bashir Dhere, a former Al-Shabaab deputy militia commander in the Lower Jubba region.Sources say he most recently operated in an Al-Shabaab-controlled area west of Kismayo, though it is unclear where he ranked within the terror network.
In a statement, US AFRICOM said the four were killed in ‘self-defense’ airstrikes after extremists attacked Somali troops and their U.S. advisers outside the port of Kismayo.The strikes took place in an area that has seen increased confrontations between Somali and AU forces supported by U.S. personnel.AFRICOM insists the U.S. role is just advisory.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The country has abundant natural resources, massive uninhabited land, two large rivers, and the longest coastline in Africa, with enormous marine and fishery resources. These can support vibrant and high-value agriculture and resolve the food and unemployment crisis,”
Everyone Wants To See A Stable And Prosperous Somalia
27 September – Source: Daily Nation- 603 Words
Somalia is heading to crucial presidential and parliamentary elections at the end of October that will define the strategic direction of the country for the next few years.The country is trying to overcome its legacy of 25 years of conflict and is gearing up for a one-person-one-vote poll in 2020. The upcoming elections have attracted interest, not only in Somalia but also in the region, as well as the international community as everyone wants to see a stable and prosperous country.
There is still a lot that needs to be done, including empowering the Somali National Forces to secure Somalia. Currently, the forces are assisted by the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). Somalia is indebted to the international community for its assistance to its men and women in uniform. Somali military personnel need proper training and regular and better salaries to prepare to take full responsibility for the country’s security after the exit of Amisom.
The problem of the growing number of unemployed youth needs to be tackled urgently. I believe this is the root cause of radicalisation of young people who join Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda. Resolving this needs a pragmatic approach.Youth under 35 years constitute 74 per cent of the Somali population and nearly two thirds of them prefer to leave the country in search of a better life abroad because of lack of opportunities at home. Many have lost their lives in their desperate attempt to immigrate to Western countries. Yet Somalia’s greatest strength should be its young people and growing population.
The country has abundant natural resources, massive uninhabited land, two large rivers, and the longest coastline in Africa, with enormous marine and fishery resources. These can support vibrant and high-value agriculture and resolve the food and unemployment crisis.The robust entrepreneurial spirit of Somalis can be effectively tapped through facilitating access to capital and financial skills training. Within a few years of focused efforts and smart investments by the government and other stakeholders, youth unemployment can be significantly reduced.
TOP TWEETS
@Omaar_nor:My colleague Abdulaziz Hajji killed by gunmen in#Mogadishu. His death highlights the growing dangers faced by journalists covering #Somalia
@arabeeyjr:Kudos to @SOMTA_Service team ‘Tourists are heading to #Somalia to see the ruins of a two-decade civil warhttps://shar.es/1xw0Ib
@cadow10:I appreciate everyone who left from a beautiful and peaceful land, just to make Somalia better, Welcome 2 home my people. #Somalia
@Vatescorp:#Somalia: UN Envoy Keating: Latest Somali election delay raises risks of manipulation, more delayshttp://ow.ly/FqBS304DtbB
@Daudoo:US says it conducted self defense air-strike against#AlShabaab near #Kismaayo town in Lower Jubba, kills four – Statement #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
A scene from Goobweyn where the Juba river joins the Indian Ocean.
Photo:@AbdulBillowAli