Key Headlines

• Puntland Forces Repulse Al-Shabaab After Militants Attacked Their Base In Galgala Hills(Wacaal Media)
• A Wider National Conference On Media In Mogadishu(Somali Update)
• Somali Immigrants Stranded At The Border Of Greece And Macedonia Decry Segregation(Wacaal Media)
• Puntland MPs Blame Federal Government For Stoking Galkayo Clashes(Garowe Online)
• Somali Officials Warn Of Attacks By Al-Shabaab Faction(Voice of America)
• UN Envoy For Somalia Expresses Concerns Over Recent Rise In Piracy Acts(UNSOM)
• How Al-Qaeda And Islamic State Are Fighting For Al-Shabaab Affections In Somalia(The Telegraph)

PRESS STATEMENT

AMISOM Pledges Further Support To Regional Assemblies Of Interim Administrations

26 November - Source: AMISOM - 202 Words

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has pledged further material and technical support to regional assemblies of interim administrations, to strengthen institutions of parliament in the regions. The support to regional assemblies by AMISOM, has been extended to the 89-Member Galmudug Regional Assembly members who concluded a five-day workshop on parliamentary functions, on Wednesday, 25 November 2015.

"Our desire to continue giving support to Galmudug Interim Administration, within our capacity, is exemplified by the training,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson (DSRCC), for Somalia, Hon. Lydia Wanyoto during the official closing of the training, in Mogadishu. She said the training by AMISOM was African Union’s contribution towards the overall success of the legislature in regional states.

It is also part of AMISOM’s mandate, to support the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in establishing the required institutions and conducive conditions for the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections by 2016, in accordance with the Provisional Constitution. During the training, the legislators were taken through the function of law making, constituency and representation, the role of parliament in oversight and audit and parliamentary ethics. AMISOM’s Political Office, which facilitated the training, has previously trained civil servants and parliamentarians.

NATIONAL MEDIA

A Wider National Conference On Media In Mogadishu

26 November - Source: Somali Update - 354 Words

A national conference bringing together media practitioners and senior officials from ministries of information at the federal, state and regional government levels opened yesterday in the Somali capital. The Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Mohamed Abdi Hayir in his opening remarks said: "This is a great opportunity for stakeholders in the media industry. We look forward to tangible results from this conference. The conference provides for a common platform, from where the government, media practitioners and stakeholders, can deliberate on how to improve their work and messages to the Somali public,”.

Organizers said the conference aims to foster better coordination between the Federal Government and governments of the established and emerging federal member states in their relations with the news media. It will also provide an inclusive forum for members of the news media, media organizations and other stakeholders for cooperating, sharing information and having a coordinated approach to messaging. Key partners in the media sector attended the first day of the conference. The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, addressed the gathering and emphasized the importance of accurate and balanced news.

Mr Kay called on journalists to maintain ethical standards in the discharge of their newsgathering duties: "It is a great pleasure to see in the room the representatives of Puntland and the emerging federal member states. I believe it is vital that the government institutions here represented reach agreements on a framework that will promote a coordinated approach in their relations with the news media.”

The Secretary General of the National Union of Somali Journalists Mohamed Ibrahim highlighted the significance of the event for both government and private media. "This is an important forum for Somali media. We know we are operating in a transitional phase and that a proposed media law is under discussion. However, I urge us to reflect on the needs of journalists, whether they work in the regions or in Mogadishu,” said Mohamed Ibrahim. The chairperson of the umbrella organization of women in the media, Malyuun Sheikh Haydar, expressed satisfaction with the meeting, saying things were moving in the right direction.

Somali Immigrants Stranded At The Border Of Greece And Macedonia Decry Segregation

26 November - Source: Wacaal Media - 110 Words

Hundreds of Somali refugees are currently stranded at the border of Greece and Macedonia after they have been refused entry into the European countries they were targeting. Confirming the crisis, Salah Hirsi Absiye who is among the stranded refugees says they were discriminated against as their fellow refugees from Syria and Iraq have been allowed to continue with their journey. Salah is disabled and cannot withstand the rigors of the life he was currently experiencing. He is now appealing to authorities to come to their rescue. Somalis have been flocking to Europe and Americas in the last 25 years in search of better lives after the country fell into anarchy.

Puntland MPs Blame Federal Government For Stoking Galkayo Clashes

25 November - Source: Garowe Online - 133 Words

Some lawmakers in Somalia’s Puntland Parliament have criticized the Federal Government for taking sides in territorial disputes in central Galkayo town on Wednesday. Briefing the media on recent deadly clashes in Galkayo, Five MPs—Abdihakin Mohamed Ahmed, Abdi Saed Samatar, Abdi Dahir, Shaur and Ali Dhega Adde—faulted incitement against Puntland on fierce confrontations that left five people dead and as many as 50 wounded. Ahmed alleged that Mogadishu-based Federal Government is backing newly formed Galmudug administration.

The MPs urged Somalia Federal Government to take part in the de-escalation of the hostility and encourage the consolidation of peace process. Efforts have been ramped up to ease the fresh tensions between Puntland and Galmudug. On Sunday, militiamen from Galmudug-controlled Barahley neighborhood clashed with Puntland forces in intense gun-battle.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Officials Warn Of Attacks By Al-Shabaab Faction

26 November - Source: Voice of America - 228 Words

Somali authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland have warned of potential attacks by an Al-Shabaab splinter faction that recently announced allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group. Commander of Puntland forces General Said Mohamed Hersi has confirmed officially for the first time that Al-Shabaab fighters in Puntland had split into two factions.

General Hersi told VOA's Somali service the new splinter faction is active in planning attacks in order to demonstrate that "ISIS is present” in Somalia, using a common acronym for IS, which is also known as ISIL or Daesh. Asked if there are any specific attacks the faction may be planning, General Hersi said: "Terrorist acts — explosions, assassination of individuals and planting devices.”

He said his security forces are monitoring the situation and are ready to "respond and engage." Last month an Al-Shabaab official who hails from Puntland, Abdulkadir Mumin, declared allegiance to IS. Mumin and his fighters recorded an audio and video published by IS. He is believed to be based in a mountainous area southwest of Bosaso town, Puntland’s biggest town and the main business hub.

UN Envoy For Somalia Expresses Concerns Over Recent Rise In Piracy Acts

26 November - Source: UNSOM - 237 Words

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, condemns the hijacking of a fishing vessel off the coast of Somalia on 22 November, 2015. "I condemn in the strongest terms any form of armed robbery or piracy at sea,” declared SRSG Kay. "While Somalia continues to experience significant political progress, significant security gains and efforts to advance economic recovery, I am concerned that any increase in piracy could erode the progress achieved to date.”

A Pakistani fishing vessel, sailing under the Iranian flag, with 15 crew members on board fell prey to Somali pirates off the coastal area of south central Somalia. The hijacked boat was forced to sail towards a pirate enclave near El Hur. While this seizure off the coast of Somalia marks the third incident in recent months, there have been several unsuccessful attacks over the last two weeks. Piracy has been curtailed over the last three years due to effective deterrence by international naval forces, privately armed security guards on board merchant ships, and mariners avoiding the high-risk area along the Somali coast.

"With the recent rise in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Somali territorial waters, I am deeply concerned that Somalia could be facing a resurgence of piracy. While condemning these criminal acts I urge all fishing vessels to obey the Federal Government’s Fisheries Law and fully respect the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Somalia,” SRSG Kay added.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

"They want to create this perception that they are continually growing - Isil is all about the PR. Al-Shabaab is probably the largest and most sophisticated jihadi group in Africa. It would be a massive scalp for Isil and would loosen al-Qaeda’s stranglehold in Africa, one of its last bastions. The Isil campaign could however backfire spectacularly if the trickle of Al-Shabaab commanders switching loyalties increases to a flood.”

How Al-Qaeda And Islamic State Are Fighting For Al-Shabaab Affections In Somalia

26 November - Source: The Telegraph - 1,004 Words

The global terror movements al-Qaeda and Isil are fighting a tug-of-war for the affections of Al-Shabaab in a battle which could ultimately hasten the demise of Somalia’s home-grown jihadist movement, researchers say. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has repeatedly reached out to militants operating in Somalia with a series of recruitment videos showing young Somali members of Isil urging their brothers to join them. The operation has had some recent success, with two senior Al-Shabaab commanders pledging their allegiance to the global terror network.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia’s president, said the defections were "symptomatic of a group that has lost its way", and warned that Somalis "do not need a new brand of horror and repression". He called on disillusioned Al-Shabaab fighters to take advantage of a government amnesty instead. For Isil, experts say, they will be celebrated and heavily-publicised as examples of its claim to have taken over from al-Qaeda as the dominant global network. To win over the whole of Al-Shabaab, an admired and established terror group with a large army of both local and foreign recruits, would represent "a massive scalp”, they added.

Africa’s other key terrorist organisation, Boko Haram, in Nigeria, pledged allegiance to Isil in March this year, and in return its fighters are purportedly being sent to Isil camps for training. Isil hailed Boko Haram’s pledge, with a spokesman saying in a recording posted online that it allowed "the expansion of the caliphate to west Africa”. Senior Al-Shabaab leaders are however said to be reluctant to break away from al-Qaeda, which provided financing, training and logistical support after the struggling group pledged allegiance to the late Osama bin-Laden’s movement in 2012.

Others believe Al-Shabaab should not be distracted from its domestic, nationalistic aims by the more ambitious plans of Isil. Some of the same militants reportedly objected to the alliance with al-Qaeda for the same reason. Successive heads of the movement have repeated their allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri, its current leader, and the group’s official media, while praising Isil commanders, continues to speak "respectfully” of the al-Qaeda chief, one commentator said.