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Africa Horn

Somalia president reshuffles military amid operations against Al-Shabaab

2023-09-21

[Garowe] President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has for the second time this year reshuffled top officers within the Somali National Army [SNA], in what comes amid an ongoing crackdown against al-Shabaab ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... bandidos snuffies across the country, in the exercise of powers conferred on him as the Commander-in-Chief of the national army. On Monday, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud conducted a mini-reshuffle which saw Brigadier General Madey Nurey Sheikh appointed Deputy Army Commander. The reshuffle comes weeks after a deadly al-Shabaab in Cawsweyne village, Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... state which left many soldiers dead. The mini-reshuffle also saw Dayah Abdi Abdulle promoted to Colonel and he will be the new commander of Land Forces, replacing Brigadier General Ahmed Adan Ali who was only appointed to the post in June. The changes come as a shock given the military is actively engaged in the battlefields. "We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Brigadier Madey Nurey Sheikh, the newly appointed Deputy Commander of the Somali National Army and Lieutenant Colonel Dayah Abdi Abdulle, the new Commander of Land Forces. We hope they bring new experiences to the offensive against Khawarij," the Ministry of Defence announced. In June, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed the decree appointing Brigadier General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhiyadin as the new army chief; and Brigadier General Ahmed Adan Ali as the new Land Forces commander. Muhiyadin is the former commander of the Presidential Guards and had studied army logistics at a Modena military college, in Italia. Ali was one of the officers trained in Æthiopia during President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed’s time. Most recently he was the deputy commander of the 12th April Sector of the army. Muhiyadin replaced Brig. Gen. Odawaa Yusuf Rageh, while Ali replaced Brig. Gen. Mohammed Tahlil Bihi. The troops are currently involved in active operations in central Somalia within HirShabelle and Galmadug states and in due course, most of them will be deployed to Jubaland and Southwest states for similar operations. They are working closely with US Africa Command and 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... Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] troops.

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Africa Horn

Private Company granted license to patrol Puntland waters

2015-04-25

BOSSASO, Somalia -- Puntland Government in northern Somalia granted private company, Somali Security Service (SSS) a license to patrol territorial waters against illegal fishing during a ceremony held at Bossaso seaport, Garowe Online reports. Puntland Fisheries Minister Abdinur Elmi Bindo, Bari Governor Abdisamad Mohamed Galan, Bossaso Mayor Hassan Abdale Hassan, security commanders led by Bari-regional police commander and the head of the Private company-allegedly aligned with Puntland President-Abdiweli Ali Taar attended the ceremony. Blackwater Somali Security Service (SSS) head told journalists at Bossaso port that they will provide Puntland’s Ministry for Fisheries with a ship which will take part in endeavor aiming to fight trawling vessels off the coast of Puntland. He said the move follows calls for increased protection for territorial waters on account of looming national disaster by Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali. Speaking next to Fisheries Minister, Taar stressed the need for more ships with armed guards on-board in the coming months. SSS owner headed now-defunct company, SOMCAN that struck agreement with the Clinton Foundation first Puntland leader Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. SOMCAN militias had since 2008 been remaining under the command of the current Bari regional police commander Abdihakin Yusuf Hussein. As a result of alarming pillage of marine resources and piracy off the East African coast, Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF)-Somalia’s first-ever anti-piracy unit-was set up in 2010. Having launched on-land raids on pirate hideouts, PMPF receives financial support from United Arab Emirates. Analysts tell GO that the decision to hire private company would cast doubt on the mandate of Puntland Marine Forces. Insiders familiar with such developments further noted while talking to GO that track record for private patrolling at sea proved failed in Puntland, with trained officers lured into seizure of ships and crewmen for ransom at the peak of high seas crimes.

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Africa Horn

Somalia: Banadir governor threatens independent Media outlets; accuses politicians

2012-04-11

(Sh.M.Network)- The governor of Banadir region forSomalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Mohamud Ahmed Nur (Tarsan), has sent a verbal threats to the independently owned Media outlets based inMogadishufor their reporting of the reality on the ground. The governor says: "The local Media stations inMogadishuhave exaggerated critics by so called Somali politicians who oppose politically and strategically the administration of Banadir region for TFG." He threatened to take strict measures against the self-governing privately owned Media stations based in Mogadishu soon after accusing of taking part the insecurity in the capital. The Politicians denied these accusations. On the other hand, Somalis in Kenya and Britannia countries confirmed to Shabelle Media that Mr. Tarsan, the current governor of Banadir region for Somali government has burned the national flag of Ethiopia during a demonstration held in front of Ethiopian embassy in UK after Addis Ababa sent troops in Somalia to help TFG led by the dear departed Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Politicians say the governor has also burnt Somalis national flag at Gudha village inLower Jubbaregion while he was with Hassan Turki, a former Union of Islamic courts leader and now Al-shabab member.

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Africa Horn

Foreign cartels blamed for piracy

2011-01-26

[The Nation (Nairobi)] The international community should target the big fish involved in piracy if the war on the crime is to be won, a Somali MP has urged. Lower Shebelle MP Mohamed Omar Dalha on Monday said foreign cartels were involved in the frequent hijacking of ships in Somali waters since they gain a fortune in ransom. In an interview with the Daily Nation in Mombasa, Prof Dalha said piracy was a money-minting machine like drugs, adding that it was time the fat cats were brought to justice if the international community was serious in combating the crime. He asked how Somali youths aged between 15 and 20 could get information that a ship was coming from Europe and plan an attack when they were illiterate and without communication equipment. Prof Dalha, who served as a Cabinet minister and deputy speaker in former president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's regime, said foreign players organised the attacks on ships as they had information on the voyages. He said: "If the international community is serious in combating piracy in Somali waters, they should target the major players in the racket, who earn colossal amounts of cash from ransoms. "We are used to seeing illiterate Somali youngsters being jugged and charged in Kenya while the big fish are left to enjoy their illegal fortunes." The MP said it beat logic to hear that Somali teenagers hijacked ships yet the best assembled warships on earth patrol the local waters. He also called on concerned parties to launch a well-equipped and trained coasties in Somalia. He noted that during former president Siad Barre's reign there were no piracy incidents since there was a force in place to counter the crime. "If we are to eradicate piracy in Somalia, then a coasties must be established with trained personnel and machinery to be able to fight the people involved in the racket." At the same time, the MP proposed that the suspected Somali pirates be tried on their soil, arguing that Kenya had no jurisdiction to prosecute them under international laws. He said Kenya could only try them if they were caught committing the crimes in Kenyan waters.

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Africa Horn

Museveni pushed for 'big stick' treatment of Eritrea on Somalia

2010-12-10

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Uganda pushed for tougher UN sanctions against Eritrea and its leader, President Isaias Afewerki, for supplying weapons to Somalia in 2007. In the leaked US diplomatic cables, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni also criticised former Transitional Federal Government President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed for non-inclusivity and slow pace of building a national army. Eritrea's actions combined with the behaviour of President Yusuf were seen as contributing to the insecurity in war-torn Somalia. In the leaked cable dated September 2007, President Museveni was quoted in a dispatch from the US embassy in Kampala pushing for tough action against Eritrea and pressure on TFG leader Yusuf to be more inclusive and announce a timeline for the transition to democracy. "Museveni said President Isaias was preoccupied with trying to unseat (Ethiopian Prime Minister) Meles (Zenawi). "That was all Isaias talked about, yet Museveni observed that Meles did not appear to be in any less control of Ethiopia despite Isaias, actions," Ambassador Steven Browning wrote. The cable arose out of a meeting between the president and former US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer on September 5 in Kampala. Somalia has been at war with itself since dictator Siad Barre was overthrown in early 1990s. Uganda takes keen interest in Somalia and currently, together with Burundi, it contributes troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) as peacekeepers. Restore security President Museveni believed that Eritrea's actions in Somalia undermined regional and international efforts to restore security. President Museveni thus proposed to Ms Frazer that President Afewerki "needed to be talked to by the members of the UN Security Council who carry a big stick."

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Africa Horn

Somalia's PM resigns to avoid political turmoil

2010-09-22

[Al Arabiya] Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke announced his resignation on Tuesday after a weeks-long dispute with President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The long-brewing feud between the two principals resulted in Sharmarke's exit before a fully-fledged political crisis could blow up, but left the embattled government in limbo as it struggled to fend off a fierce insurgency. "I resigned as the prime minister of the transitional federal government of Somalia after being unable to work with the president," Sharmarke told lawmakers in Mogadishu. "Interest of the nation" (the entire hectare in Mogadishu) "I did it for the interest of the nation at this critical moment," he said, referring to the daily fighting pitting al-Qaeda-inspired insurgents against government troops backed by an African force. "I wish the TFG (government) to overcome the crisis in the country and bring peace and normality," Sharmarke said, adding that he had advised all his ministers to continue working with the president. Somalia's parliament had already tried to oust Sharmarke in May but the premier had declared the vote unconstitutional and refused to resign. Speaking to reporters in Mogadishu on Sunday, Sharmarke had acknowledged the crisis between him and the president but had played down his chances of being sacked or facing a vote no-confidence. "It's not a secret that me and the president do not see eye to eye," he said. "We had a bit of a political storm, having kind of different views on different issues among our leadership." Sharif has blamed Sharmarke and his government for failing to root out the Shabaab, an extremist militia which controls most of the country and has been closing in on the Western-backed administration's Mogadishu quarters. While funding has been erratic for the transitional government's fledgling army, many observers argue Sharif himself has under-performed on the security front and has failed to rally broad popular support for the TFG. Another contentious issue is the constitution which is meant to replace an interim charter when the mandate of the transitional federal institutions expires next year. "Particular time" in Somalia The president reportedly wants it to be submitted to a popular referendum, but Sharmarke argues the security situation does not allow for a credible ballot and says the document should be scrutinized by parliament. "It's really unfortunate to have such a situation at that particular time," Sharmarke admitted, in reference to ongoing efforts led by the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to scale up its operations against the Shabaab. The row between Sharif and Sharmarke confirmed an all-too-familiar pattern of bitter rivalry between the administration's top three officials. In accordance with the country's transitional federal charter, the president, the prime minister and the speaker of parliament each have to belong one of Somalia's three main clan groupings. Sharmarke was endorsed as prime minister in February 2009, replacing Nur Hassan Hussein "Adde", who had his own disputes with former president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Yusuf was also involved in bitter political feuds with Adde's predecessor Mohamed Ali Gedi, who was forced to resign in 2007. Sharmarke, 50, makes a sharp contrast with Sharif. The portly Sharmarke prefers Western suits and wears black-rimmed glasses while Sharif, a former geography teacher and cleric, is rarely seen without his prayer cap. The son of former Somali president Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke who was assassinated in 1969, the outgoing premier holds Canadian citizenship and a master in political economy. His pairing with Sharif had been seen abroad as Somalia's best chance in years, Sharif being tasked with defusing the Islamist insurgency and Sharmarke with running the government competently and wooing the large Somali Diaspora.

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Africa Horn

Somali opposition leader ends exile

2009-04-01

Somalia's opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys might soon return to Mogadishu after quitting self-imposed exile in Eritrea. Local Somali media reported on Tuesday that Aweys was now in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and held talks with two senior Sudanese officials. They added that he was expected to leave Khartoum for Mogadishu later to offer his support to President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's new administration. As a former chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, Aweys worked alongside with Ahmed and they later founded the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. Somali lawmakers convened in Djibouti in January and elected Ahmed as president to succeed embattled Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who failed to end conflicts in the violence-ravaged nation. Reuters quoted a close ally of Aweys in Mogadishu as saying that he was expected to arrive in the Somali capital within two weeks. One senior Somali source in Sudan confirmed Aweys was in the country, and said it was possible Ahmed might travel to Khartoum to meet him there. He gave no other details. Aweys is on the US list of foreign terrorists. However, he has categorically denied the US claims that he has links to al-Qaeda and is opposed to Ahmed's government.

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Africa Horn

Somali lawmakers extend TFG term

2009-01-29

Somali lawmakers have voted to extend by two years the term of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) which was due to expire in August. The TFG was formed in Kenya in 2004 in a bid to restore stability in war-torn Somalia. It has however been unable to exert authority across the country. "We wanted the term of the TFG to be extended until August 2011 so that we can facilitate free and fair elections. We cannot continue with this huge parliament for more than two years," Parliament Speaker Aden Mohamed Nur said. The lawmakers are currently meeting in Djibouti, due to insecurity in Somalia, to elect a new president to replace Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who resigned last month. Clan bickering and violence have scuppered numerous efforts to restore normalcy in Somalia. The Horn of African state has not had a functioning national government since the 1991 ouster of former president Mohamed Siad Barre. In recent years, ensuing instability, coupled with drought, high food prices as well as the collapse of the local currency have significantly worsened the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia.

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Africa Horn

UN envoy welcomes expansion of Somali Parliament

2009-01-27

(Xinhua) -- UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah on Monday welcomed the overwhelming vote by Somalia's Transitional Federal Parliament in favour of expanding the legislative body by an additional 275 Members. "I am extremely encouraged by this vote and I would like to thank Somalia's leaders, the Parliamentarians and all those who have helped work towards such a positive step," Ould-Abdallah saidin a statement issued in Nairobi. The Parliamentary vote, which took place in Djibouti on Monday, resulted in 211 MPs voting in favour of expansion with six against and three abstentions. The Somali Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia agreed last October on the outline of enlarging Somalia's Transitional Federal Parliament and forming a Government of National Unity. Up to 200 new members of Parliament, selected by the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) are expected to be sworn in Djibouti while the expanded Parliament will subsequently elect a new president. The other 75 seats are being kept for members of civil society and opposition who are not members of the ARS. "This is a very good result and will demonstrate to the Somali people that their leaders are committed to moving forward together to restore peace and stability," said Ould-Abdallah. The international community hopes a more inclusive Somali government will be able to reach out to armed groups who are still fighting the interim government and targeting African Union peacekeepers in the capital Mogadishu. "It means Somalia will have a new President who will be able to attend the African Union Summit of Heads of State in Addis Ababa on Feb. 1, demonstrating the progress that was made here in a short space of time." "The international community has also made a key contribution with support for the Parliamentary meetings and, as always, Djibouti has provided most welcome hospitality and backing," said the UN special representative. ARS leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed announced on Sunday he would contest the presidential election. Sharif and Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein are seen as the two main presidential contenders. More than a dozen candidates are expected to vie to succeed former President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who stepped down last month after falling out with the prime minister over a UN-backed peace deal. The lawmakers are also mulling whether to extend by some 10 days over Wednesday's deadline for choosing a new president, to allow contenders time to campaign. But Ould-Abdallah had earlier urged the parliament to respect its Jan. 28 deadline for selecting Yusuf's successor. Under the constitutional charter, a new Somali president, who in turn will appoint a new prime minister, should be chosen by parliament within 30 days of the resignation of the last one.

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Arabia

Yemen grants asylum to Somali ex-president

2009-01-22

Ex-Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed will be staying in Yemen, the country which granted him political asylum after he resigned in late December because of a row with his prime minister, a Yemeni presidency source said on Wednesday. "The president of Yemen granted Somalia's president the right of political asylum last night," the source told AFP. The ex-head of state has been given a permanent home in Yemen, which faces Somalia on the other side of the horn of Africa. Yusuf stepped down on Dec. 29 after having tried and failed to sack Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. The president's bid to push Hussein out of his job was thwarted when parliament backed the prime minister with a massive vote of confidence. Yusuf clashed with Hussein over their approach to the opposition. During his time as president, Yusuf had poor relations with the opposition, who accused him of obstructing the peace process.

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Africa Horn

Somali breakaway state gets new parliament

2009-01-02

A new 66-member parliament for the northern Somali breakaway state of Puntland was sworn in Thursday, a committee of elders said. The meeting of government elders was attended by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who became Puntland's president in 1998 and resigned as Somali president on December 29. "I am urging you to be united and respect each other, also think about your people," Yusuf, who stepped down as head of neighbouring Somalia's transitional administration on Monday, told the lawmakers. Puntland's leading elder Islan Iise Mohamed told AFP that the newly-appointed parliament would elect the territory's president on January 8, with a three-year mandate. "The main priority in Puntland is for peace and people living together in harmony," he said. Fifteen candidates are vying for the post, but the frontrunners are believed to be incumbent president Adde Musa Hirsi, and opposition contenders Abdurahman Farole and Ali Abdi Aware. The coast of Puntland is a major hub for the ransom-seeking pirates that have turned the Gulf of Aden into the world's most dangerous waters, wreaking panic in the world's shipping industry.

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Africa Horn

Somalia's caretaker president says new leader to be named soon

2009-01-02

(Xinhua) -- Somalia's caretaker President Sheik Aden Madoobe, who is also the speaker of parliament, on Thursday pledged to organize the selection of a president within the thirty-day deadline set by the transitional federal charter. Madoobe, who took over the presidency after Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed resigned as president on Monday, spoke in the Parliament in the southern town of Baidoa for the first time as the country's caretaker President, telling lawmakers that a committee will be set up to organize the selection of a new president "as soon as possible". "I will work to uphold the national charter and we will form a committee to organize the selection of the president within the thirty-day duration stipulated by our charter," Madoobe told lawmakers. Former President Yusuf resigned to culminate worsening political disagreement with Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein after international pressure on him mounted. Madoobe in his address to the parliament appealed to the United Nations to send peacekeepers to Somalia to replace Ethiopian troops who will withdraw from the country within the first week of January. A UN-sponsored power sharing agreement between the Somali transitional government and a key opposition faction stipulates the expansion of the current parliament to include opposition members and the election of new leadership for the war-torn Horn of Africa country early this year. The caretaker President, who also chaired the parliament session, urged parliamentarians who were absent from Baidoa, the seat of the legislature body, to return to the town within seven days "in order to participate in the selection of a president for the country". According to the transitional federal charter, two-thirds of the parliament members is required for the election of a president. He warned the lawmakers who were not in attendance that "they will face replacement if they failed to return", saying they should tend their resignation if they are not ready to serve their country so that a replacement will be nominated by their clans. Somali parliamentarians have been nominated by their respective clan elders and factional leaders during the formation of the current legislative assembly in the 2004 national reconciliation conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Several lawmakers are currently outside the country while others have left for other areas in Somalia, including nearly twenty-five pro-Yusuf members of parliament who flew to Galkacyo aday before Yusuf resigned, citing "insecurity and harassment" for their departure. Madoobe promised that security will be strengthened in Baidoa where a lawmaker was killed by unknown gunmen as attacks on Somali government forces and their Ethiopian allies have recently been steadily increasing.

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