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2 Members of Al-Shabaab Executed, Mogadishu Mayor Dies of Wounds, Foreign Hands in Somali Attacks

August 5, 2019

 

Somali soldiers executing two members of Al-Shabab for their role in the Mogadishu attack, August 5, 2019	A Somali injured in a Mogadishu attack, file, Augst 5, 2019

 

Somalia Executes Two Al-Shabaab Militants for Mogadishu Attack

Hiiraan Online Monday August 5, 2019 

MOGADISHU (HOL) -

The Somalia military court executed an al-Shabab militants for being involved in bomb blasts and assassinations in Mogadishu. Anshour O. Abukar 23, and Mohamed A. Borow, 25 were convicted for role in multiple attacks in the city between 2017 and 2018.

Ads By Google The two were said to have participated in orchistrating car bomb blast which claimed the life of Awil Dahir Salad a journalist in 2018 and assassination of General Secretary of Somali women Anab A Hashi. According to the court, the al-Shabaab militants were also assigned by his group to explore where to carry out car bomb attacks.

They were executed by firing squad. The execution comes barely four days after Somali military court sentence ISIS fighter to death for carried out assassination attacks in Mogadishu. Adan Mohamed Ali was convicted of taking part in killing of five people including security officials and civilians.

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Gunmen kill a tax officer in Mogadishu, Somali capital

Shabelle, August 5, 2019

Armed assailants have killed a government soldier while on a mission to collect taxation at the Sinai intersection in Mogadishu.

The killing was allegedly carried out by men armed with pistols, according to witnesses.

It is also reported that the bodyguards of the officer injured one of the killers and arrested him on the spot.

The killed officer reportedly took the taxes from the Sinai merchants in Mogadishu.

Security forces arrived at the scene after the killings and conducted brief searches there.

There is no word yet from the security agencies in connection with the killing.

Somali and AU forces repel an attack outside Mogadishu

Shabelle, August 5, 2019

Somali forces backed by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has foiled al-Shabaab attack on the outskirts of Somali capital Mogadishu.

Heavily armed al-Shabaab on Sunday night attempted to storm a military base manned by Somali forces in Elasha-biyaha locality, prompting brief gunfire between the sides.

According to the sources, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have dispatched reinforcement to the base.

After firing several motor shells on a base of Somali National Army (SNA), al-Shabaab reportedly retreated.

No casualties caused by the attacks have so far been reported.

Somali forces have this morning launched operations in and outside the area to smoke out al-Shabaab suspects.

According to the residents, the forces did not make an arrest but the operations are still underway.

Late Mogadishu mayor’s body laid to rest in state funeral

Shabelle, August 4, 2019

The slain mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Omar Osman was laid to rest in Mogadishu on Sunday.

Senior government officials led by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, Prime Minister Hassan Kheyre, the deputy speaker, Mahdi Mohamed Guled, the speakers of the lower and upper house of parliament attended the state funeral.

The body of the late mayor who also doubled up as the governor of Mogadishu was laid to rest at Somali police Academy cemetery after Janaza prayers at Aden Abdulle International Airport.

The government officials led by President Farmajo delivered their condolences to his family.

Villa Somalia said the legacy left behind by Engineer Yarisow during his tenure will be remembered.

The mayor who succumbed to injuries sustained from an al-Shabaab suicide attack on 24th July was among 8 government officials killed after the suspected female bomber blew her self up during security meeting chaired by the Mayor

Somali-Oromo reconciliation conference kicks off in Jigjiga

Shabelle, August 4, 2019

The second reconciliation conference to end the tribal skirmishes and strengthen cooperation between Somalis and Oromo ethnic communities in Ethiopia has kicked off in Jigjiga on Sunday.

The first meeting was held in Adhama, Oromia administrative capital earlier this year.

Officials from Somali and Oromo regional states of Ethiopia led by President Mustafe Muhumed Omar and President Mr. Shinmelis Abdisa, elites the from the two communities, traditional leaders from both communities attended the conference at the administrative capital of Somali-Ethio regional state.

Somali state President, Mustafe Muhumed Omar who opened the conference recalled the strong cultural and religious relationship between the two ethnic groups saying there is a need to fortify the bond and end the difference.

On his side, the President of the Oromia region, Shinmelis Abdisa urged the two neighboring communities to stop listening to political interest groups and instead focus on their historic relations in the country.

The two communities who are both pastoralists clashed over land, pasture, and water in recent years mainly after the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.

Several people were killed and hundreds displaced as the result of the tension but the new reconciliation conference is expected to bring a lost lasting solution.

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The foreign hand in Somalia’s terror attacks

Hiiran, Sunday August 4, 2019

Many Somalis believe the unceasing violence in Somalia is sponsored by foreign countries or entities out to advance their economic interests in the impoverished state despite vast untapped resources, including oil and gas.

Many Somalis believe the unceasing violence in Somalia is sponsored by foreign countries or entities out to advance their economic interests in the impoverished state despite vast untapped resources, including oil and gas.

Well, it seems Somalis have a reason to think this way.

On 22 July, the New York Times published an expose claiming it had obtained an audio recording from a phone conversation between the Qatari ambassador to Somalia and a Qatari businessman close to the Emir of Qatar boasting about militants who had carried out a bombing in the Somali port city of Bosaso to advance Qatar’s interest by driving out its rivals, the United Arab Emirates.

These reports have resurfaced long after the Gulf Crisis, where Qatar was blockaded by its Arabian Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain allegedly for what they termed as its support to terrorists. 

A UAE-affiliated company, DP World, runs the port of Bosaso in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland.

The bombing referred above by the businessman took place in May outside a Bosaso courthouse, wounding at least 10 persons, including a judiciary official. In yet another separate attack associated with the above commercial motives, unknown gunmen on February 3 assassinated the Bosaso head of DP World, the same UAE company managing the port of Bosasso.

AUDACIOUS ATTACK

If indeed the New York Times expose turns out to be true, which is likely to be so given the Times reputation, then Somalis should brace themselves for worst times ahead. Talking of violence, in July alone, there have been three massive suicide attacks in Mogadishu and Kismayu, killing nearly 50 innocent people.

This includes famous Somali Diaspora journalist Hodan Naleye, who was killed alongside her husband. Even more sadly, she was pregnant. These three attacks have also wounded close to 100 other people, many of who were unarmed civilians.

The latest attack on July 24 was the most audacious. A female suicide bomber blew herself in a hall where the mayor of Mogadishu, Eng Abdirahman Osman Yarisow, was meeting with his District Commissioners to discuss Mogadishu's security.

The blast killed six officials, including three district commissioners and wounded many more, including mayor Yarisow.

Al Shabaab claimed responsibility of the attack, saying they were targeting the new UN envoy to Somalia, James Swan, who had just left the mayor's office moments before the attack.

In the wake of the Qatar accusation, the Somalia government must investigate the serious claims as well as any other corroboration that might be linked to the attacks in Somalia that might be foreign-sponsored.

Surprisingly, Mogadishu simply defended Qatar, saying they believed Doha’s denial of the New York Times article. Many say since Qatar helped fund the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, Mogadishu is likely to ignore the latest accusation of supporting terror in Somalia.

TERRORISM AND RESOURCES

If you look carefully, you will notice a trend of such terror or other private militia linked attacks in most mineral-rich African countries — Nigeria, Mali, Congo, Central African Republic, Somalia, Libya, Sierra Leone and Angola.

This cannot be a coincidence. Violence or terrorism seems to be following oil, gas, gold, diamond, cobalt and other rich minerals.

Ads By Google Just look at those countries closely and you will also notice the presence of high illiteracy and unemployment rates, weak, divided, corrupt and ineffective governments. All these are good fodder for terrorists to use to further their unholy wars. Somalia is a classic example, with all those characteristics in abundant.

For the last 11 years, the world has paid millions of dollars to African Union peacekeepers, whom we must thank for helping to weaken al Shabaab.

However, the Somalia National Army and other Somali forces remain weak, divisive, unpaid, underpaid or in some case totally neglected and demoralised. As a matter of fact, foreign forces can never restore order or peace without a properly equipped and professional government forces who are patriotic. 

In as much as the Somalis must fix their own problems, how do we expect them to secure their country when they cannot arm their military because of a UN Security Council arms embargo?

SOMALIA POLITICS

But that is not the only problem. Politicians are even more divided than the forces. The national government is currently at loggerheads with its federal member states and has of late been acting like a rogue government that has no respect for the law.

It has illegally been usurping power by installing their yes men in the federal states. They have already done that in HirShabele and SouthWest States and are currently fixing Galmudug State. 

The leadership is now fixated on the upcoming Jubaland election, which they also want to control and put their yes man in power. They are apparently doing all this in the hope of getting back to power in 2020 when the next general election in Somalia is expected to be held.

We have no problem with them usurping power in all these federal states, but surely if they cannot take care of Mogadishu alone, how will they secure the whole country? If a female suicide bomber can penetrate all the security layers, checkpoints, armed soldiers and barriers to blow herself inside Mogadishu mayor’s office, what can’t those heartless vagabond terrorists not do?  How safe is the whole country from these terror cells who seem to be getting a helping hand – from both outside the country and within inside the government?

PROXY WAR

Mind you, this is not the first time for a female suicide bomber to hit at the heart of government and kill high-ranking officials. A former Interior Minister was also killed in 2011 by a similar female suicide bomber. Somalia must learn its lessons and know the enemy its fighting against. That is the only way it to can tackle this mammoth task of securing itself.

These are some of the hard questions the Somali people are asking themselves now that it is very clear the violence that has torn apart their country, killed tens of thousands and virtually left them in limbo, is a proxy war between foreign powers fighting over their resources.

But before Somalia can do anything about those foreign legions, it must put its house in order, protect and serve its own people because it is the people who make a nation great. However, as long as the people and their leaders continue to be annihilated like locusts, then there is really a crisis in the making that needs to be seriously addressed by Somali leaders. 

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