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Africa Horn

Somalia: US places $6 million bounty on top Al-Shabaab leaders

2021-11-07

[Garowe] The United States has renewed traditional diplomatic ways of hunting for al-Shabaab ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... Death Eaters, an al-Qaeda linked group that still enjoys support within Central and Southern Somalia, in the latest concerted effort to destroy the Death Eaters. State Department announced that any member of the public who can give information on the whereabouts of top al-Shabaab leaders will get $6 million. Four al-Shabaab leaders linked to attacks in Kenya and Somalia have been identified. Those in the list include Abu Ubaidah, Mahad Karate, Fuad Mohammed Khalaf, and Jafar and are said to be brass hats at the Somalia-based terror group. The officials run different departments within the group. Abu Ubaidah whose real name is Omar Ahmed Direye has led the Death Eater group for just over a year since al-Shabaab's former leader, Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohammed [known as Godane], was killed in a U.S. Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... . His whereabouts still remain unknown. For over a decade, al-Shabaab has caused havoc in Kenya and Somalia under Ubaidah's leadership since 2015, most notably with a massacre at Garissa University in Kenya, in which 148 people were killed and the 2017 Mogadishu twin truck bombings where 587 people died. In September 2015 al-Shabaab announced the appointment of Godane's successor naming Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah, described by Shabaab sources as a close lieutenant to Godane -- although the name is seen as likely to be a pseudonym. The group also vowed to avenge the death of Godane and said they would continue their fight to topple the country's internationally-backed government. Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohammed Warsame reportedly serves as the terror group's shadow deputy leader. Karate has some command responsibility for the Amniyat, al-Shabaab’s intelligence and security wing, as well as the group’s finances, which have been a center of controversy in recent days. The Amniyat plays a key role in the execution of suicide kabooms and liquidations in Somalia, Kenya, and other countries in the region, and provides logistical support for al-Shabaab’s terrorist activities. For Fuad Mohammed Khalaf, he has allegedly facilitated financial support to al-Shabaab; in May 2008, he held two fundraising events for al-Shabaab at mosques in Kismaayo, Somalia. In April 2008, Khalaf and several other individuals directed vehicle-borne bomb attacks on Æthiopian bases and Transitional Federal Government [TFG] elements in Mogadishu, Somalia. In May 2008, Khalaf and a group of fighters attacked and captured a cop shoppe in Mogadishu, killing and wounding several soldiers. Later in 2010, Khalaf was designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under Executive Order 13536 for contributing to the violence and the deterioration of security in Somalia. Jafar also known as Amar, is an al-Shabaab controller and has served as Abdikadir Mohammed Abdikadir's deputy, and is reportedly missing one eye. All the four al-Shabaab leaders have never been seen in public. The decision by the US comes at the time Washington is considering to dispatch elite troops to the Horn of Africa nation, about 1 year after their withdrawal. The US has been a major security partner of Somalia.

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Africa Horn

Somalia's Failure: A Broken System Or Lousy Leaders?

2013-11-29

Those are not mutually exclusive choices... In fact they might be interdependent. Nonsense. There's been no confirmation report by a renowned think-tank yet. Somalia's power-sharing system has failed. In most of the world's parliamentary democracies, it's rare to see presidents and prime ministers bickering, since their roles and responsibilities are more or less distinct and rarely overlap. However, in many African governments, power struggles between presidents and prime ministers are quite common, even when the offices have clearly defined constitutional roles. In Somalia, the president is the head of state. His powers include appointing a prime minister and serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, which includes the power to declare of a state of emergency or war. The prime minister is the chief of the cabinet, guiding and overseeing the work of the other ministers. However, despite these neatly separated roles and responsibilities, Somalia is once again having great difficulty in governing itself under a power sharing system. Although it's designed to encourage collaboration between clans, the arrangement has yet to produce sustainable political stability, with a rift widening between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. The real issue between them is unclear, but according to media reports, the president recently asked the prime minister to resign due to incompetence, while the prime minister claims that the president has no constitutional power to request his resignation. The prime minister has complained that the government cannot achieve its goals because of the slim cabinet that the president had imposed on him, which has resulted in each minister being in charge of three to four ministries. After its independence, Somalia had a parliamentary system based on political parties. But a coup d'état in 1969 installed the Siad Barre military regime, disrupting the democratic process and eventually plunging the country into civil war. Since then, a number of power-sharing agreements aimed at resolving the crisis have crumbled. In 2000, a Transitional National Government was established in Djibouti that ended up disintegrating due to a power struggle that began with President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan and Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galaydh. Similarly, in 2002, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development organized a reconciliation conference in Kenya that gave birth to a Transitional Federal Government and a parliamentary system without any political party presence. The party system was replaced with a clan-based power-sharing formula called the 4.5 system, which awarded an equal share of parliamentary seats to Somalia's four major clans, with a fifth retaining a half-share. But something's not working. Somalia's three most recent presidents have each appointed three prime ministers, a rapid turnover rate indicating ongoing infighting between representatives ofcompeting clans who are loathe to cede power to each other. As a result, Somalia has been plagued by a political process that is based on competition rather than cooperation and compromise. The current fallout between the president and the prime minister is a continuation of the political stalemate that has hampered Somalia's progress for decades. Meanwhile, precious time is being wasted on political brinkmanship rather than dealing with the innumerable challenges facing the country. Security, reconciliation, the economy, education, infrastructure, and healthcare are a few of the many issues that do not get addressed so long as the president and prime minister are locked in a power struggle. Consequently, many Somalis have lost faith in their leaders' ability to unite the nation, which may lead the country towards another civil war and away from economic prosperity. Therefore, the time has come for Somalia to try a different system of governance. Somali constitutional experts should review and amend the constitution from a power sharing system back to political party system in which a president and vice president from the same party are elected on the same platform. The clan-based system has had its chance. Only through a party system, overseen by an electoral commission, can Somalia put together a government with the capacity to solve the country's unique challenges--and bring about the political stability that has eluded it for the last two decades.

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Africa Horn

Somalia minister resigns in protest

2012-12-16

[Africa Review] A newly appointed Somalia Minister Mr Abukar Hassan Ali has resigned, citing clan expectations. The resignation came a day after his appointment as Deputy Minister by the country's Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. The PM also nominated 5 state ministers on the same day. According to Mr Ali, his clan Galje'el deserved more than the position of Deputy Minister of Finance and National Planning. "I consulted with the elders, religious leaders, youth and other prominent persons from my Galje'el clan. I was urged to resign," stated the resigning deputy minister. He added that the fact that each of the ten ministries will have two deputy ministers meant that even a deputy ministerial post he was to assume was just half the position. "Considering the influence of my clan, I cannot accept to assume the position in a ministry with two deputy ministers," remarked Mr. Ali. "There was an earlier consensus that my clan would get a state minister. Thus, this nomination must be undermining my clan's status and I would not go down into the history books as the man who accepted an inferior position for my clan," he added. When the Transitional Federal Government ceased and a non-permanent government was established in September, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and PM Shirdon agreed to form a lean government of 10 ministers. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... several clans that missed ministerial posts complained privately. This, however, is the first major protest against appointments in a nation where clan balance and political roles are closely linked.

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Africa Horn

Al shabab attacks Somali, AU forces in Badade

2012-09-09

(Sh. M. Network)-- Heavily armed Al shabab fighters attacked on Thursday night the town of Badade under the control of Kenyan forces, serving with the AMISOM and the Somalia's Transitional Federal Government soldiers. Residents of northern Mogadishu reported hearing kabooms and gunfire used in Badade combat on Wednesday as Somali government and African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... soldiers advanced on other Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... positions in the same region. The casualty is yet unclear. Al shabab Death Eaters have lost control of the southern town of Badade in last February, and therefore they have receded back towards Kismayu". The offensive comes several days after Al-Shabaab displayed the dead bodies of four soldiers, two Kenyans and two Somalia in Kismayo following heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual light or desultory fighting... in Miido area, close to Afmadow town. Meanwhile, ...back at the secret hideout, Scarface Al sneeringly put his proposition to little Nell... Somali and Kenya continue to step up attacks against Al-Shabaab-controlled port town of Kismayo, where for the fourth-day is under sea, air and ground strikes, forcing local residents to flee their houses.

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Africa Horn

Al Shababskis attack Africa Union forces in Somalia

2012-09-08

Badade — Heavily armed Al shabab fighters attacked on Thursday night the town of Badade under the control of Kenyan forces, serving with the AMISOM and the Somalia's Transitional Federal Government soldiers. Residents of northern Mogadishu reported hearing explosions and gunfire used in Badade combat on Wednesday as Somali government and African Union soldiers advanced on other Al-Shabab positions in the same region. The casualty is yet unclear. Al shabab militants have lost control of the southern town of Badade in last February, and therefore they have receded back towards Kismayu".

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Africa Horn

TFG impounds suspected militants with their weapons in Baidoa

2012-08-30

(Sh. M. Network)-The forces under theSomalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) along with their allied Æthiopian troops reportedly captured several suspected Al shabab fighters and their weapons in Baidoa town, security officials said Wednesday. Col. Mahad Abdirahman, The police commissioner of Bay region for TFG, told Shabelle Media that the alleged Death Eaters were taken into custody. He said the suspected will soon appear in court once the ongoing investigations are completed. Mr.Abdirahman, asserted that the allied troops will continue their purge operations against security threats in the town, which has been hit a rise of security development since Al shabab quit. A Somali government military commander in the town said his forces were moving to the outer edges of the town to ensure they had full control of it. Baidoa is a city in south-central Somalia, situated 256 kilometres (159 mi) by road northwest of the capital Mogadishu. It is the capital of the Bay region.

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Africa Horn

US terror drone kills 5 people in southern Somalia

2012-08-11

[Iran Press TV] At least five people have been killed and several of others injured in an attack by a US liquidation drone in southern Somalia, Press TV reports. The attack took place in Kismayo, a strategically important port city on Somalia's Indian Ocean coast located some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of capital, Mogadishu. More than two dozen people have also sustained injuries in the attack. The incident comes while on August 5 another US drone attack claimed the lives of nine people in outskirts of Afmadow, which is on the border with Kenya. According to Somali Transitional Federal Government military officer Cali Jimcale, the drone attack was launched from a base in Kenya. The US has recently stepped up its drone operations in the famine-stricken Somalia.

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Africa Horn

Somali President: UN Monitoring Group is the enemy of Somalia

2012-07-20

Bet you didn't see this coming... MOGADISHU-The president of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has accused the UN monitoring group of being the enemy of the people of Somalia, and describing its contents as "unsubstantiated allegations." While reacting to Monitoring Group charges of fraud, President Sharif said: " I asked why the UN monitoring group hasn't released such report against Somali leaders accused of corruption and misuse in the last twenty-years of conflict and civil war in the country?".. Many innocent have been killed and their properties looted and uncountable women were raped. Obviously, the group has failed its report on somalia. "The current Transitional Federal government was established through a difficult time in neighboring Djibouti and at that moment nothing was provided to us by the international community, but the local Somali business community was the people who helped and stood with the government shoulder to shoulder to perform the national task," Somali president added. Mr. Ahmed stressed that Every TFG official is in personal money owing, because they have a loan of funds to keep the government functioning. Even the soldiers, sometimes the salary is late or the salary does not come, and the soldiers continue to work because they are defending their country and their dignity. Lastly, the president expressed his dissatisfaction that the recent Monitoring Group report was leaked at such a time whenSomaliais ending the transitional period for the first time. The statement came after U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea suggested rampant theft of public funds is behind efforts by some political leaders to "hijack or derail" the ongoing transition process. The report said 70 percent of money donated never made it into public coffers in 2009 and 2010.

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Africa Horn

Former Somali PM rejects corruption allegations

2012-07-18

(Sh. M. Network)-Former Somali prime minister Mohamed Abdullah Farmajo has rejected Tuesday misappropriation, embezzlement charges during his time in office as PM for the current Transitional Federal Government in 2011. While giving an exclusive interview with Shabelle Media via phone fromNairobi, Mr. Farmajo said: "the allegations suggested for me by the UN, quoting the present Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is totally baseless and false." When asked about statement made by PM Abdiweli Mohamed Ali who told UN Monitoring Group that the missing money intended for Somalia Government went into hands of his predecessor government, namely which led by Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, he answered: "It groundless accusation...my early government has fought against corruption inside the government and shown more competence and strenuous responsibility towards fraud, stealing," formed Somali PM said. Lastly, Mr. Farmajo added that Somali PM was one of his close friends and I it is unfortunate to hear such speech from him, because I helped to win the office.

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Africa Horn

UN report cites massive corruption in Somali Gov't

2012-07-18

(Sh.M.Network) -- A scathing report written for the U.N. Security Council says that systematic misappropriation, embezzlement and outright theft of tax-payer funds have become a system of governance in Somalia. The nearly 200-page report lists numerous examples of money intended for Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) going missing, saying that for every $10 received, $7 never made it into state coffers. The report, written by the U.N. Monitoring Group onSomaliaandEritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age. ... and obtained by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named Monday, says government revenues aren't even clear: The Ministry of Finance reported revenues of $72 million in fiscal year 2011, while the accountant general reported revenues of $55 million. A report commissioned by the World Bank published in May similarly found that 68 percent of TFG revenues in 2009-10 were unaccounted for. "The Monitoring Group's own investigations confirmed the involvement of senior TFG officials in the misappropriation of millions of dollars of domestic revenues and foreign aid," it said. The report further said that the political will to enact reforms "is lacking in the highest echelons of government." "Nothing gets done in this government without someone asking the question ... `What's in it for me?'" the report quoted a senior government official as saying. Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali condemned the allegations linking his office to corruption, calling the allegations "absolutely and demonstrably false." Corruption has flourished inside the hapless Somali government for years. Somalia hasn't had a fully functioning government since 1991. Armed militias have claimed power in Mogadishu until last August, when African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... and Somali government troops pushed the radical Islamist al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... cut-thoat group out of the capital. The weak, U.N.-backed government barely operates outside of Mogadishu. Its U.N. mandate expires Aug. 20, and the international community is working with Somali leaders to appoint a new parliament and elect a new president before then. Because the government was not voted in by Somali citizens, the public has only few mechanisms to hold officials to account for misused funds. The U.N. hopes to transition the country to a more representative form of government, but nationwide or even regional elections appear to be years away. Somali leaders are finalizing a council of elders and powerbrokers that is tasked with naming a new parliament within the next month. That parliament will then vote on a new president. The monitoring group report noted that some current Somali leaders are calling for an extension of the U.N. mandate, which it said is symptomatic of "perverse corruption and the wholesale misappropriation of public financial resources. " The TFG's mandate originally expired last August, but the U.N. granted a one-year extension. The report said that some government officials have tried to introduce greater transparency and accountability into the government's finances, but that the political will to enact reforms does not exist in the highest ranks of government. The famine in Somalia last year -- which killed an estimated 100,000 people -- was also not immune to corruption. The report said government officials and militias acted as gatekeepers in camps that held tens of thousands of internally displaced Somalis, diverting assistance and preventing an effective aid monitoring, the report said.

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Africa Horn

Interior ministry: We Don't recognize the self-declared local administrations

2012-07-09

(Sh.M.Network)- The state minister for Somalia's home affairs and national security ministry, Abdi Ali, declared for the first time that that the government doesn't recognize any of the alarming copious of self-declared regional administrations in the country. Speaking at presser in Mogadishu on Saturday, Mr. Ali stressed that there are no any provincial administrations that Somali government recognizes at the moment since they are not based on the permission or interest of the local people of those regions in Somalia. At this time, there are more than 10 self-declared states and administrations in Somalia, which some of them claim in theory to be under Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and It is not known how this remarks made by the Somali interior ministry would have an impact on the local administrations in the country.

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Africa Horn

Heavy fighting, shelling kill Three in central Somalia

2012-07-09

(Sh. M. Network)-At least Three people are reportedly killed and several others were maimed on Sunday in a fierce battle between Somalia government troops backed by Æthiopian and Djibouti forces and Al shabab faceless myrmidons in central Somalia, reports said. Witnesses said the fighting began at about 6:00 p.m. local time, after heavily armed Al shabab snuffies attacked on military positions inside Beledweyne and other neighborhoods controlled by the hapless Somali government and peacekeeping troops from the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... , mainly Djibouti forces. "The Al shabab agents have attacked the city with mortars and rocked-propelled grenades (RPGs) and the government forces with Æthiopian and Djibouti troops repelled the attack and warded the fighters off from the area," said Abukar Ibrahim Dhakad, Somali military officer. He added that three combatants from both warring sides have been killed during the attack. The fighting involved heavy artillery and mortar fires which were set throughout the city before the combat started overnight between the rival sides.There were some reports that several civilians were maimed in both government- and myrmidon-held areas in the region. Al shabab commanders are yet to release any comments on their ambush attack in Beleweyne, a town which sits just 206 miles (332 km) north of Mogadishu and fell On December 31, 2011, to the Transitional Federal Government who retook control of the city from the Al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban... myrmidons.

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