Somalia thread for the week ending September 13

Garowe Online reports that
Army commander says insurgents have taken Beletwein

An army commander in Somalia has said that the interim government has lost control of a strategic town in the central regions to insurgents, Radio Garowe reports.

Gen. Muktar Hussein Afrah, who commanded Somali government forces in Beletwein, capital of Hiran region, told reporters Wednesday that the town is under the control of Al Shabaab and Sheikh Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma'ow, Hiran's Islamist governor who recently withdrew support to the Somali government.

"The governor [Ma'ow] has joined Al Shabaab and we have left the town," Gen. Afrah said.

Currently, Al Shabaab insurgents control the western neighborhoods of Beletwein while the town's eastern section is empty of soldiers or insurgents.

The army commander defended the decision to withdraw government forces from Beletwein, saying that he listened to the advice of community leaders and aims to protect the public from continued violence.

"We want to show the public that Sheikh Abdirahman [Ibrahim Ma'ow] is a man who wants instability in Hiran region," Gen. Afrah added.

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TFG Minister Denies Change of AMISION Mandate

Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has denied reports that say the mandate of AMISOM troops has broadened to include pre-emptive attacks on insurgent bases in Somalia.

In a press conference held in Mogadishu today, the Minister of National Security Mr. Abduallahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalooshe told reporters that it is not true that the mission of AMISOM troops has been broadened to allow them to engage in pre-emptive attacks on bases under the control of insurgents opposed to the TFG.

The Minister, however, admitted that there has been a discussion to re-examine the mandate of AMISOM troops in Mogadishu.

...

Somalia’s TFG Minister of National Security also denied that Ethiopian forces have recently entered the city of Beledweyne and that they are currently still stationed in some parts of Hiiraan Region. The Minister added that the people who are spreading these stories about the presence of Ethiopian troops in Hiiraan Region have seen Somalia defence forces who are dressed and equipped like Ethiopian troops.

Meanwhile, in Mogadishu, the escalation of battles between AMISOM and the resistance continues

16 people killed in renewed Mogadishu clashes

At least 16 people have been killed in a series of battles in the Somali capital between African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM) and Somali insurgents, Radio Garowe reports.

The fighting erupted overnight Monday after fighters loyal to insurgent factions Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam launched mortars at the military bases of AMISOM peacekeepers in Mogadishu.

At least eight people, mostly civilians, were killed in Mogadishu's Hodan district in an exchange of artillery shells between the pro-government African peacekeepers and the insurgents, local sources reported.

...

On Tuesday morning, heavy fighting reignited in parts of Hodan district after AMISOM peacekeepers expanded between their base at KM4 square and Industry Road, a main thoroughfare for insurgents.

Emergency workers in Mogadishu said upwards of 36 wounded persons were rushed to medical hospitals, with fears that the death toll could rise fast.

AMISOM commanders and insurgents have not spoken publicly about the latest round of violence, which comes on the heels of weeks of renewed clashes between government forces and the insurgents during Islam's holy month of Ramadan.

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The Ranneberger special - spinning reality on its head

Ranneberger described Somalia’s president Sheik Sharif as the most visionary leader in Somalia “I think he is the most visionary leader that Somalia has had and he does have clear ideas of moving things forward so he is very different from former presidents and president Yusuf.”

Mareeg Online adds (in an article engaging in selective quotations to frame their story)

“In fact he is a scholar and intellectual and I think that gives him real legitimacy he is also a figure of a lot of respect with in Somalia,” Ranneberger added.

Back to the Shabelle Media interview,

The US Ambassador to Kenya and also in charge of Somalia affairs, Michael Ranneberger, said Wednesday the only solution of the Somali problem is to support the Transitional Federal Government led by president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed.

“It is important for the Somali people to know also, that the best way to end their suffering is by providing support for this transitional federal government because ultimately they will continue to suffer unless there is stability in Somalia, and the only way to bring about stability is through this Transitional Federal Government” Michael Ranneberger told Shabelle Media Network in an exclusive interview.

Got that? No need to read between the lines now, is there...

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Haaretz on a story that was already mentioned here in an earlier thread
Why did Lieberman really go to Africa?

The journey of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to five African states in nine days is taking place under a hidden cloud of domestic tension. The obvious aspect of the visit, which is stressed by the minister and his entourage, is Israel's willingness to assist countries in the continent to find solutions to their problems: hunger, insufficient clean water, epidemics. The less-publicized aspect is that quite a few
Israelis are hoping that the visit will open the way for more defense exports.

On a level that is even more secretive, there is the hope of developing intelligence ties and cooperation in the effort against international jihadist elements, and especially countering the activities of Iran in some of these African countries.

...

Lieberman began his trip in Ethiopia, where he met with the country's prime minister and its foreign minister, putting the emphasis on the civilian assistance that Israel provides. The assistance comes in the form of biotechnology and agriculture, advanced
water-purification technologies, and medical assistance in combating AIDS. The Foreign Ministry funding these projects out of its own budget, at the cost of several hundred thousand dollars a year.

But Ethiopia is also a key strategic state for Israel, with a long tradition of friendship and cooperation between the countries in military and intelligence matters. Ethiopia's importance lies in its being situated on the Horn of Africa,near a number of Arab states, and overlooking the sea routes to Eilat and the Suez Canal. Moreover, in recent years Iran has been increasingly active in the area, as have been Al-Qaida agents, particularly in nearby Somalia. Naturally these are issues that were discussed during Lieberman's meetings, even though they were not mentioned in the media briefings.

The foreign minister's visit to Kenya was similar in character. ... as in Ethiopia, in Nairobi too they discussed other issues that were made less public. Kenya has cooperated with Israel in the past on counter-terrorism.

On Wednesday Lieberman travels to Nigeria, one of the largest, wealthiest and most important countries in Africa. There is a relatively large community of Israeli businessmen there, working mostly in the fields of agriculture and infrastructure, but it is also an important destination for Israeli defense exports. In recent years, Israel and Nigeria signed arms deals worth about $500 million.

Haaretz's correspondent Melman also had an earlier article -- Israeli arms dealers join Lieberman's entourage to Africa -- before the trip in which he wrote

Secret funding from the United States Central Intelligence Agency was channeled by American trade unions to the Histadrut labor federation, and from the Israeli union to Africa to finance various activities. Among other things the money was used to post an impressive array of Mossad agents in the African states. Many young intelligence officers, such as David Kimche, Reuven Merhav and Nahum Admoni, spent their early working years in Africa.

Of particular importance to Israel's geo-strategic posture were the countries of the Horn of Africa - Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan - which control the shipping lanes to Eilat and are close to Egypt, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. This also gave Mossad agents and Israel Defense Forces officers an excuse to be involved in the internal affairs of African regimes. According to various publications, Israelis were involved in coups d'etat in Uganda and Zanzibar, or at least had prior knowledge of them.

...

"The ugly Israeli" in the guise of the arms dealer (mostly former intelligence and military officials), who promotes weapons sales on behalf of Israeli military industries, with the backing of the defense establishment, have given Israel a bad name world-wide. Israelis have been involved in civil wars (in Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast) and in aiding dictatorial regimes such as in Equatorial Guinea and the two Congo republics.

A case in point is the deal concluded recently between Israel Shipyards and the Nigerian defense ministry, for the manufacture and delivery of two Shaldag patrol boats. According to the Nigerian navy's budget book, the deal is worth $25 million (even if, for various reasons, this may be an inflated price). One boat has already been delivered. Nigerian crews have been trained in Israel, and Israeli instructors will provide further training in Nigeria.

...

These deals have put Israel in the position of interfering in an internal Nigerian dispute that could lead to civil war. The boats and intelligence equipment are intended for the use of Nigerian forces against rebels in the Niger River Delta region.

The Nigerian govt is widely expected to initiate an aggressive military campaign in the Niger Delta starting in mid-September after its so-called 'amnesty' offer expires.

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Inner City Press: Crackdown on Somali Pirates, Based On Letter to UN by Ex-Prez Yussuf, Questioned

UNITED NATIONS, September 10 -- Somali pirates have been the topic at the UN for the past two days. Thursday outside the Fourth Meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, Japanese diplomat Masafumi Ishii, who chaired the meeting, told the Press that money will be raised to fight the pirates, and to implement a "comprehensive" strategy against them, including on land.

Inner City Press asked if the underlying issues of toxic waste dumping and illegal fishing had been discussed at all in the meeting. No, Ambassador Ishii said, that did not come up. Inner City Press asked about a recent incident in which Germany shot and killed a pirate, seemingly in violation of rules procedures as in Afghanistan. No, that incident was not discussed, Ishii said.

The UN Security Council resolution under which pirates are being hunted, Resolution 1851, is based on the purportedly still valid consent of Somalia, on a December 9, 2008 letter to the Council from then-President Abdullahi Yussuf, who was out of power soon after signing the letter. People and even parliamentarians in Somalia have told Inner City Press they have not found it easy to get and see a copy of this letter, which is referred to in Paragraph 10 of Resolution 1851:

"10. Affirms that the authorization provided in this resolution apply only with respect to the situation in Somalia and shall not affect the rights or obligations or responsibilities of Member States under international law, including any rights or obligations under UNCLOS, with respect to any other situation, and underscores in particular that this resolution shall not be considered as establishing customary international law, and affirms further that such authorizations have been provided only following the receipt of the 9 December 2008 letter conveying the consent of the TFG."

On September 9, Inner City Press asked U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Countryman about the letter. He said he was not aware of it. Also on September 9, Inner City Press asked UN Security Council Affairs staff how to get a copy of the letter. You'd have to ask the Somali mission, was the answer.

And so on September 10, while Ambassador Ishii spoke, Inner City Press asked an omnipresent Somali deputy ambassador for a copy of the letter. No, he said. You have to ask the Council. This is called the run around.

Yusuf wasn't in a particularly friendly mood during that period since the writing was already on the wall and he had been essentially all but replaced by Nur Adde, so I would assume that any such letter was neither composed by nor signed by Yusuf.

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A new feature story by Elizabeth Dickinson at Foreign Policy

Arming Somalia

The United States sent RPGs, machine guns, mortars, and -- in the words of one U.S. official -- "cash in a brown paper bag" to Somalia last spring. Foreign Policy reports on how the shipments took place, and who's not happy about it.

When the admission of the State Dept first broke, I had pointed out that, if the U.S. intended to maintain the facade of any legitimacy in what they were doing, they would be supplying UN Monitoring Group on Somalia with some specifics, as laid out in the groups' recent guidelines, and for any reporters not content with the State Department's evasive backgrounder, as anyone paying attention wouldn't be, that committee would be one of the first sources to check with.

I still haven't seen any news story that has done so yet -- Dickinson doesn't, though she does refer to the groups December 10, 2008 report -- but the FP article at least gets a bit closer.

Late in May ... packages of ammunition, weapons, and cash began arriving from the United States as part of an attempt to help the country's flailing Transitional Federal Government (TFG) stave off collapse.

...

The contents of those shipments, not previously reported, included 19 tons of ammunition, 48 rifle-propelled grenades, 36 PKM machine guns (a model of the Russian-made Kalashnikov), 12 DShK machine guns (Russian-made heavy artillery weapons), and 10 mortars (the firing apparatus for shells). The shipment was detailed in a letter from a U.S. official to the U.N. Security Council committee set up to oversee the 17-year-old arms embargo on Somalia. The U.S. official, Alejandro D. Wolff, deputy permanent U.S. representative to the United Nations, requested an exemption to the embargo, which was put in place in 1992 at the onset of civil conflict. In a second letter to the Security Council, Wolff explained that $2 million was also being sent to the Somali government "for the immediate procurement of equipment (weapons and ammunition) and logistics support (food, fuel, water, engineering services)."

...

The letters from Wolff explain that the cash was to be transferred to Nairobi, Kenya, and then moved by air to Mogadishu. The money was intended to be spent locally to buy arms, ammunition, and other supplies. ... Meanwhile, ammunition was to be shipped to Somalia's capital by air from Entebbe, Uganda. The transfer of the weapons is not described in the letters. However, a regional analyst, who was not authorized to speak on behalf of his affiliation, told FP that the shipments have been arriving in installments, doled out by the African Union peacekeepers who are guarding the Mogadishu airport.

It will be interesting to see how the Monitoring Group handles the U.S.' use of essentially unaccountable proxies like this, which entirely violates the embargo as it has existed so far.

And for those reporters still hungry (and you should be), look into what was on the ill-fated Illyushin 76 on March 9th of this year, which the U.S. had contracted, that exploded right after takeoff from Entebbe and merited the assistance of at least 3 separate EODMUs (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit) for recovery/disposal.

Back to the FP feature,

The [nameless] State Department official working on Somalia counterterrorism policy told FP that "every element of the U.S. government seems to have its own piece of the Somalia plan." There was no formal policy, he said, because of a disagreement about whether and how to support the Transitional Federal Government. "The Department of Defense thought they were just out of their minds [to send the arms shipment]," he said. "But since it was State's money, the plan went through." (Queried about this claim, Defense Department spokeswoman Almarah Belk responded via e-mail, "Policy toward Somalia is coordinated via the NSC [National Security Council]. DoD [Department of Defense] agrees and supports the DOS [Department of State] security assistance to the TFG.")

There is also some question as to how popular the shipment was within the State Department itself. The State Department official told FP that there was no support and even active opposition to the plan among his colleagues. When a reporter at the June 26 briefing insinuated that the decision "was made at the highest level," the briefing official replied that the policy was a "national decision" agreed upon by "the secretary and the NSC," meaning Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the National Security Council.

Wouldn't this be due to the fact of the matter that it is still primarily the CIA driving, on behalf of special interests?

The rest of the article omits substantial context and, overall, uncritically extends the USG official narrative (read: political fantasy) on Somalia.

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Daily Monitor: UPDF Officers to Train at U.S Base

At least 50 UPDF officers were yesterday sent to the American army base in Djibouti to acquire skills in military planning. The officers, who will visit the ship where various military operations are conducted, will get training in disaster management and other operational skills.

"We are engaging in peace keeping in Somalia and Uganda is working towards forming an East African brigade. There is need to equip the army with skills to work with international forces," UPDF Air force spokesman Tabaaro Kiconco said yesterday.

The operation follows a decision by African Union to renew the mandate of UPDF in Somalia to allow them attack the Al-Shabab militants. Capt. Kiconco said the officers will use the acquired skills to train junior officers to work confidently with any international force. "We are grateful to the US forces for giving us skills to crack down terrorism and helping us in case of any disaster," he added.

Asked whether the training was in line with the AU mission to attack Al-Shabab militants, Capt. Kiconco said the objective is to train the army to work with international forces.

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While the western media continues to work at creating the impression that there is increasingly serious discord amongst the factions of Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen, an article at Garowe Online points out

There is growing friction among the top TFG leaders, as President Sheikh Sharif has "sided" with Finance Minister Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden and Fisheries Minister Abdirahman Ibbi over Prime Minister Sharmake.

A TFG delegation led by President Sheikh Sharif is currently in Djibouti, where Fisheries Minister Ibbi reportedly signed an agreement with a Djiboutian government minister regarding the training of a Somali naval force on Djiboutian soil.

Puntland officials say this deal in Djibouti is a violation of the Galkayo Accord, which awarded Puntland the right to establish the headquarters of the Somali navy in Puntland territory.

And, in Mogadishu

Fresh fighting between government soldiers kills two, wounds 5 in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (Sh. M. Network) – at least two people including government soldier have been killed and 5 others haven been wounded after fresh fighting between TFG soldiers broke out in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Saturday.

Sources told Shabelle radio that the clashes started at around Villa Somalia, the presidential palace of the transitional government of Somalia where the soldiers exchanged heavy gunfire..

...

The fighting started as protesting military forces closed the use of some of the streets that leads to the presidential palace which caused the security forces of the Villa Somalia to clash with the other forces by using machine and automatic guns during the war which continued few hours.

Four government soldiers and young teenager were wounded as fighting continued in Mogadishu and there is no comment from the government officials about the clashes between the TFG troops in around the house of president Sharif Sheik Ahmed so far.

The conflicts between the government soldiers are part of the several clashes between the government troops which often happens in the government controlled areas in the capital.

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David Axe continues his exercises in propaganda

What`s striking is the similarity between the [Minneapolis] Somali gangs and Shabab [sic], which not coincidentally means “youth” in Arabic. Like the Somali gangs in Minneapolis, Shabab originally formed to defend innocent victims of violent crime, before evolving into the armed wing of an Islamic political movement from which it subsequently split. Today, the group mainly functions as a loose alliance of mercenaries, religious zealots, criminals and, yes, street gangs.

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Mareeg Online: AU soldiers kill eleven camels in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (Mareeg)—Eleven camels have been killed in Mogadishu by the African Union troops in Mogadishu known as AMISOM, witnesses said on Sunday.

Residents said the soldiers opened fire indiscriminately to camels near Mogadishu airport overnight. Four other camels have also been injured in the incident.

It is not known why the AU soldiers killed the camels, but a resident near the airport said the soldiers might have suspected the camels and opened the fire.

Owners of the camels of have expressed concern about the killing of their camels and met AMISOM officials in the airport to talk about the matter.

Reuters: AU soldiers mistake camels for Somali rebel attack

African Union soldiers shot dead 11 camels in the Somali capital on Saturday night, mistaking the galloping animals for an insurgent attack, residents said.

Al Shabaab rebels sometimes use passing civilians and vehicles to give them cover before attacks, police said, and the peacekeepers from AMISOM mission thought they were behind the camels which ran past the entrance to Mogadishu's airport.

"We thought Islamists and AMISOM were fighting last night, but this morning we just saw 11 dead camels," resident Farah Aden told Reuters. "Each camel had at least 10 bullet wounds -- the whole area was covered with blood."

"We admit there was a mistake and we've spoken to the owners," said Barigye Ba-hoku, spokesman for the AU troops who face nearly daily attacks from hardline Islamist rebels.

"It was our new forces and they were not aware of the camels' movements. They say they were attacked, and so opened fire," he told Reuters.

Fortunately they didn't pump any nearby passenger bus full of lead too