COMMENTARY ON ISLAMIC WEBSITES
Amiir Nuur - The pro-al-Shabaab website reported that al-Shabaab Mujahideens will scale up their attacks against the infidels and infidel-supporting armies during the rainy season. Somali Language
POLITICS
MMD Newswire - Maine resident and candidate for President of Somalia, Said Issa Mohamud, has announced a plan to unify peacekeepers and create the conditions for economic development in his homeland. Entitled the "Somali Security Strategy," it is a first step in normalizing life for the residents of this failed state. Mohamud created The People Party of Somalia to compete in the first democratic election held in his homeland since the civil war. The unveiling of the "Somali Security Strategy" comes on the heels of an uptick in violence. On April 4th a female suicide bomber detonated a bomb killing 10 at the National Theater in Mogadishu as the Prime Minister was giving a speech. On April 9th another bomb killed 12 outside the capital. "Before investment can flow to Somalia, before good jobs and opportunities can be created, the favorable conditions from which these come must be created," Mohamud said. "First, security and the rule of law must be established. This is why I am announcing my plan to bring security and stability to Somalia. Only sustainable security that protects Somalia's sovereignty can lead to political stability and prosperity for all people in Somalia."
SECURITY/AL-SHABAAB
Shabelle - In the last few hours, hundreds of Somalis have fled from their homes this Wednesday fearing armed clashes after Somali and Kenyan troops attacked holdout Islamist al-Shabaab militant positions near the rebel-held Afmadow town locations in the south of the war-wracked country. Columns of 130 families with their young children headed on foot into the town of Dhobley, which is located on the border between Somalia and Kenya, on the outskirts of Afmadow town, as the coalition forces moved into positions they seized from the Al-Qaeda-linked rebels these months after heavy fighting. "These fleeing people are reportedly located at an area in the center of Dhobley town, in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia with no proper shelter to assist them from the cold and the daily scorching sun rays," said a resident of Dhobley.
The Star - A Somali businessman has moved to court seeking the release of 3,500 bags of Sugar allegedly held by Kenya Defence Forces after his lorries strayed into Kenya. Mohammed Ali Abdirhman filed the case yesterday saying he is bound to suffer irreparable loss if the soldiers continue holding the sugar or destroy it. Through his lawyer Evans Ondieki, Abdirahman says the move to detain the sugar was malicious and in blatant disregard of the law. He wants the court to issue an order directing the KDF to release the 3,500 bags and the costs he has incurred after the detention. He wants the court to issue a temporary order to the KDF not to do anything prejudicial to the sugar.
MARITIME
Associated Press - The attorney for a Somali man accused of piracy told jurors at trial on Wednesday that his client never agreed to negotiate the release of four Americans killed aboard a sailing yacht and he was merely acting as a mediator aboard a hijacked German vessel where hostages were tortured by pirates. Mohammad Saaili Shibin faces piracy, hostage-taking and several other federal charges for his alleged role in the hijacking of a German merchant ship in 2010 as well as that of an American yacht off Africa in 2011. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Hatch said in opening statements that Shibin was able to secure a $5 million ransom for the German ship Marida Marguerite and its 22 member multi-national crew. He also said he was the person identified by other pirates as responsible for negotiating the release of the Americans onboard the sailing vessel Quest — though negotiations didn't ensue because one of the pirates mistakenly broke the ship's satellite phone out at sea.
EU NAVFOR - Spanish warship ESPS Reina Sofia, which is now operating as part of the EU’s counter-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta, stopped a Yemeni dhow that was suspected of carrying armed Somali pirates. The French Air Force Awacs E3F, FS Dixmude and her helicopters, as well as an Australian Maritime Patrol and Reconnaisance Aircraft (MPRA) contributed to this operation. As a result they were able to successfully release 4 innocent Somali crewmen who were being held hostage onboard. After transferring the 20 men from the dhow to Reina Sofia, four of the men were quickly identified as innocent Somali crewmembers and they are now being cared for by the Spanish crew. Two Yemeni crew had reportedly already been let go by the suspect pirates after the dhow was pirated in late March.
DIASPORA/DRUG TRAFFICKING
The Seattle Times - Thirteen natives of Somalia and Yemen are on trial in federal court, accused of smuggling a drug common to their homelands but illegal in the U.S. Authorities allege that for six years, the group smuggled millions of dollars' worth of khat, a leaf that is popular in the region around Somalia and Yemen and can produce a mild high when chewed. While a few defendants, including the two alleged ringleaders, have pleaded guilty, most of the accused are fighting the charges and going to trial. Jury selection began Tuesday; the trial is expected to last at least three weeks.
OP-ED
The Guardian - The author, Melanie Teff is senior advocate and EU representative for Refugees International advocates the half-million Somali refugees at Dabaab Camp as an economic asset rather than an economic and security liability to the Kenyan nation as many politicians portray them. "A 2010 study commissioned by the Kenyan, Danish and Norwegian governments showed that the Dadaab camps bring about $14m into the surrounding community each year. The study also found that the annual turnover of refugee-run, camp-based businesses in Dadaab is around $25m. In an area as impoverished as Kenya's north-east province, these are big numbers indeed."
RADIO ROUNDUP
Radio Mogadishu - A pro-government radio station
Mogadishu Mayor Mohamed Ahmed Nur Tarsan said the government will pay anyone who reports seeing al-Shabaab fighters to the tune of $1000 for every ten al-Shabaab fighters. He urged the Somali people to cooperate with the security forces to eliminate the al-Qaeda militias and their supporters from Somalia.
Radio Al-Furqaan - A pro-al-Shabaab radio station
At least eight TFG militias were killed and dozens of others injured as five separate explosions took place in Mogadishu on Tuesday night. The heaviest explosion happened in Siinaay junction, which killed four militias. Al-Shabaab Mujahideen fighters have increased their attacks against TFG and foreign troops over the last weeks.
Radio Andalus - A pro-al-Shabaab radio station
15 Ethiopian Christians were killed and one of their military vehicles burned after al-Shabaab Mujahideen ambushed a convoy of Ethiopians in between Wabho and Elbur districts of Galgadud region. Al-Shabaab Mujahideen military officials confirmed the fighting to Radio Andalus and stated that they inflicted unforgettable loses on the enemy.
Gunmen shot and killed a pro-infidel security officer, Haji Dhere, in Bakara Market of Mogadishu. An eyewitness told Radio Andalus that the gunmen shot the officer three times before they escaped.
Radio Bar-Kun - An independent radio station
A total of 10 bodies of illegal Somali immigrants were found in parts of the troubled Ebyan province of Yemen, where government forces are battling Al-Qaeda militants. There are also reports of number of injured Somalis found in the region. Another ten Somalis are being held by tribal militias in the region for allegedly aiding Al-Qaeda militants in the Arab peninsula. Abdirahman Bana, a Somali lawyer in Aden, told Bar-Kulan he met a group of Somalis who had survived the renewed clashes in this region.
Elders in central Somalia region called on all those parties involved in the renewed conflict in Mataban district to press for peace and immediately halt escalating hostilities. Speaking at a meeting in Dusamareb district, the elders condemned yesterday's clashes in Mataban district where six people were killed and dozens others injured when two rival clans clashed in the area. Speaking to Bar-Kulan, Dusamareb’s council of elders chairman, Elmi Hirsi Arab, urged the warring clans to resolve their differences peacefully and resume talks. He warned of further flare-ups in the area, saying that such deadly confrontations were unnecessary and should not be allowed to recur. A deadly clash between rival clan militias on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least six people, according to Ahmed Mohamed Hashi, head of the area health facility.