WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, made the following statement during today's joint hearing with the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights entitled, "Assessing the Consequences of the Failed State of Somalia": Thank you Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you including the terrorism subcommittee in today’s hearing. I held the gavel of the Africa Subcommittee once. Mr. Payne and I saw many African nations make good strides during that time, and since. Sadly, Somalia remains a failed state. Nowhere are the consequences of Somalia more evident than when it comes to international terrorism and the threat from al-Shabaab, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. In the past few years, the Shabaab threat has grown dramatically. Roadside bombs and suicide blasts have come to Somalia. Militant compounds there reportedly resemble “Pakistan-style terror training camps.” And because of the influx of foreign fighters, one Mogadishu neighborhood is referenced by locals as “Little Afghanistan.” A year ago, the group conducted its first attacks outside of Somalia, killing 76 – including one American - in Kampala, Uganda. There is growing concern that al-Shabaab leaders are striving to strike targets beyond Somalia and Africa. A European plot was recently in the works.Links between al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – the most active of the al-Qaeda franchises – are becoming clearer. They are communicating more about operations, training and tactics. AQAP’s bomb-making expertise plus al-Shabaab’s recruits with Western passports make this a deadly combination. That's why last month then-CIA Director Panetta called al-Shabaab’s threat to the U.S. homeland “significant and on the rise.” U.S. forces have gone on the offensive, targeting Shabaab leaders from the sky. But we should have a diplomatic attack as well, targeting al-Shabaab’s outside sources of support. The Government of Eritrea’s support for al-Shabaab is well-documented. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson has testified to Congress about Eritrea’s supply of weapons to terrorists inside Somalia. The U.N. Security Council – acting largely at the urging of African neighbors – passed sanctions against Eritrea, demanding that the country “cease arming, training, and equipping” al-Shabaab. With al-Shabaab under pressure, it's time to tackle its state supporters before this menace reaches our shores. We must have an honest recognition of the destructive role Eritrea is playing in the region ... and designate it as a state sponsor of terrorism. ### http://www.royce.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=250316 Committee NewsKigali — The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) is working on guidelines under which its troops would enhance the protection of civilians as they battle Al Shabaab militants in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
This was the theme of a conference held at the Kigali Serena Hotel, which brought together experts from the AU, NGOs and Somalis from the Diaspora.The meeting, opened by Rwanda's Foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo was among the biggest convened by Amisom.Ms Mushikiwabo said that it was time Somalia got a fully fledged government that did not carry the tag "transitional".She said Rwanda was ready to help Somalis settle the lengthy dispute that was sparked 20 years ago by the overthrow of President Mohamed Siad Barre. She added: "If Rwanda can make it, Somalia also can."Effects of conflictThe seminar included a trip to the Rwanda Genocide Memorial to show the Somali delegates the effects of conflict.The delegates also toured the clean streets of Kigali, which were a battlefield in the early 1990s as troops led by President Paul Kagame advanced towards the Parliament and the presidential palace.Currently, Kigali is a thriving metropolis with many construction projects, including a massive convention centre sponsored by Microsoft boss Bill Gates.
Somalia Conflict: An Indepth Look
Somalia has seen many of its senior officials killed by power-hungry and blood thirsty warlords and their militias. Assassinations against top government officials by suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices began in 2006 after the Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia to ouster the then powerful Union of Islamic Courts that were led by the current President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.The killings were targeted at Ethiopian officials and the Transitional Federal Government, which was accused of bringing the foreign troops into Somalia. Interestingly, no arrests have ever been made to the facts that the assassins also die in their fatal mission. For instance, the militant group al-Shabaab is known to plant road-side bombs to blow up vehicles. These deadly scenarios have been well captured in a music video done by a Somali music group Qeylodan.It is reportedly said that the al-Shabaab group has well trained professionals who help in setting up bombs and landmines, as well as teachers who train potential suicide bombers.The death toll associated with the suicidal attacks is viewed by some as a major blow to the TFG leadership, with al-Shabaab boasting of having systematically succeeded on its war against the TFG, especially in the capital Mogadishu. Apparently, based on recent attacks, the assassins seem to target only ministers of National Security and Internal Affairs.
Assassinations on top TFG heads begin
A car bomb targeting the immediate former Somalia president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, missed its target killing eight people on 18th September 2006 outside parliament buildings in Baidoa town.‘‘At the time of the attack, the former president was inside the parliament building when the car bomb detonated in a nearby compound. He was not harmed,’’ Hassan Noor, a former TFG MP told tf.sf. Nine people, including the former president’s brother, were killed and all the vehicles were burnt beyond repair forcing the President to walk on foot to his home. ‘‘That was the closest attack ever aimed at Abdullahi Yusuf while serving as a President,’’ Noor added.Al-Shabaab dominance and the Ethiopian forces assassinations on the rise The al-Shabaab’s dominance began in 2007 when Ethiopia had a year ago rolled hundreds of its troops in armored vehicles rolled into Somalia to crush the then emerging powerful Islamic militants who controlled the capital Mogadishu.In 2007 to 2009, the country saw the assassinations of Ethiopian security officials mostly whom fell into the hands of women who were used to lure them into traps.‘‘We lured many, including commanders into our suburbs and then we would call the ICU who broke their heads; we later dragged their bodies into the streets as a sign of solidarity and victory,’’ Layla Elmi, a former supporter of the Islamic Courts Union told tf.sf.
We has learnt that the Somali wing of al-Shabaab have little knowledge of bombs but have basic skills in setting up landmines and use of hand grenades. ‘‘The Somalis cannot do anything apart from shooting and digging trenches, they lack the latest fighting tactics,’’ Yunis (not real name) a former al-Shabaab commander told Somalia Report.‘‘The Pakistanis, Syrians, Afghans and Yemenis brought the new breed of improvised explosives devices into the al-Shabaab war strategy that was highly welcomed,’’ Yunis added. An African Union peacekeeper in Mogadishu told tf.sf that the explosive vests, belts and the car bombs are man-made and fall under the category of IED’s.
TFG officials and MP’s assassinations begin
The assassinations of top TFG officials was first witnessed in 2009 when Ahmed Issa Abtidoon a member of Parliament allied to the Transitional Federal Parliament was gunned down in broad daylight by masked gunmen. The incident took place in the government administered side of Wardhigley as the MP was walking towards his home at around 2pm local time (0200 GMT).The incident caused panic inside the capital and the Somali MPs were put on high alert with most of them changing their homes for fear of a similar attack.‘‘Most of the MPs feared for their lives and were only seen around the presidential compound,’’ a veteran journalist with Radio Mogadishu at that time told tf.sf.The then Somali Interior Minister Sheikh Abdikadir Ali Omar narrowly escaped an assassination attempt from the al-Shabaab in the densely populated Bakara market that left two of his aides brutally killed. The incident put Sheikh Sharif and Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake, the then premier on high alert that saw security boosted for the government ministers.On June 18, 2009, Somalia was plunged into sorrow after the al-Shabaab militia successfully killed the Minister of National Security Omar Hashi Adan in a car bomb explosion in Beledweyn, the capital of Hiiraan region. The al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, with Mukhtar Rhobow Abu Mansoor, the former group’s spokesman commending the perpetrators, and stating that the war had officially started. ‘‘The infidels, the MPs and all those who work for the ‘‘enemy’’ shall perish after the Mujahideen take over the country,’’ Rhobow said in a recorded audio obtained by tf.sf.
The Somalia Ambassador to Ethiopia Abdikarim Husssein Farah was also killed in the same blast as he was accompanying the minister in his tour of the central region. A dozen other people were also killed in the explosion, among them clan elders and senior Somali security officials. ‘’We lost a very humble man, a courageous one for that matter; he was a man of the people and dealt with all issue fairly without leaning on tribal lines,’’ a close family member of the late minister told tf.sf.The death of the two men was a blow to the government, which had completely failed to provide the minister with adequate security, whereas for the al-Shabaab the killings were a huge bonus and a clear sign to the whole world that assassinations in Somalia had officially started.A day later Hussein Adow, a TFG Member of Parliament, was gunned down by the Islamists insurgents in Karan district located north of the capital Mogadishu with the al-Shabaab confirming to be behind the killing of the MP.At this time now the government had placed all top security officials on high alert over possible al-Shabaab attacks with basically AMISOM securing the presidential palace and the parliament to avert a suicide attempt in those areas.
Suicide bombers enter hotels and restive joints
December 3, 2009, al-Shabaab attacks a graduation ceremony of journalists, doctors, engineers and lawyers killing cabinet ministers at once after a man of Danish and Somali nationality based in the hotel for a week dressed like a woman and detonated himself in the middle of the graduation ceremony.The Minister of Education Ahmed Abdalla Wayed, Culture and Higher Studies Professor Ibrahim Hassan Adow, Health minister Qamar Adan Ali and Suleiman Olad Roble for Youth and Sports all lost their lives in the deadly attack.Some 21 people died in the same attack as well with the graduating students, parents and other invited guests all perishing in the horrific suicide attack.‘‘Whatever has befallen us is a painful thing, we have in our midst an evil person, a killer who kills innocent people without any mercy,’’ Habiba Mayow, a mother to one of the killed victims told tf.sf at her home in Bondhere district.‘‘We all know those who were killed; they were our future doctors, lawyers, teachers, journalists and many more; they were all innocent and may God bless them wherever they are,’’ Habiba added.The deadly attack that took place at around 10 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) in hotel Shamow, a famous hotel that houses ministers and MPs in the capital. The incident sparkled unrest in the capital with the President touring the site where he saw the body of the bomber, a belt tied to the bomb and a veil that covered the face of the man. The incident drew condemnation from all quarters with the TFG President, African Union, European Union and the United Nations condemning the attacks and blaming the al-Shabaab for the killings.However, neither the al-Shabaab nor Hizbul Islam claimed responsibility over the attacks but the TFG President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed blamed the militant group of al-Shabaab with a Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende confirming the man as a 23-year-old Danish national.Eye witness accounts ‘‘I was there as it all happened and a day that was meant to be the happiest day of my life was ruined into a black day for me and my friends,’’ said Yasmin, a medicine graduate from Banadir University who escaped the attack unharmed.‘‘May the good lord bless all the innocent souls that lost their lives in that barbaric and cowardly act,’’ she said.Families of the killed students continue to mourn the death of their children whom they counted for to better their livelihood.‘‘My son was to become a great doctor and he would have got me out of this poor financial state and he would have assisted the poor as well,’’ said Layla Aweys, a mother to one of the killed students.On August 24, 2010, al-Shabaab attacks Hotel Muna in a rather unfamiliar style in the heartland of the capital, killing four MPs and 30 other people who were at the hotel at the time. The al-Shabaab attackers dressed up in full TFG uniform and launched a deadly assault on the hotel killing four MPs on the spot and wounding six others.‘‘They came and told us that they needed drinking water thinking that they were TFG forces, I gave them water and they opened fire at me and my colleague who died on the spot; I recuperated after a month but most of the hotel staff were killed in the daring attack,’’ Abdifatah , a hotel worker told tf.sf.‘‘The men began firing at anyone they saw in front of them and after they ran out of bullets they detonated killing dozens who were still in the hotel,’’ Abdifatah added. The men came in a vehicle that is normally used by the TFG forces and neither the hotel staff nor the guards outside were able to identify them as al-Shabaab. Once again the blame was shifted to the government for not providing adequate security to the legislators.The hotel is in Mogadishu's Hamar Weyne district, not far from the Villa Somalia and was widely known to house lawmakers and top TFG security officials. ‘‘Most of the MPs began going to other countries, like Kenya and Uganda, fearing for their lives. The government was not ready to allocate enough security to them at that time,’’ A TFG MP told tf.sf who chose not to use his name in this report.‘‘The government was still struggling to provide better security to the few cabinet ministers and therefore was not able to issue security to the more than 550 legislators,’’ the MP said.
Security Precaution and government costs
Every Minister is assigned four security guards, one a professionally trained body guard who carries a pistol with him at all times, two average soldiers who are advised to shoot any unfamiliar thing approaching the minister awkwardly and a driver who is a soldier with excellent driving techniques.
The two soldiers are armed with normal AK 47 rifles and each of them is entitled to $150 as salary. A minister’s full security costs roughly stands at $1000 USD per month. On Friday, June 10, 2011, the new administration under the leadership of the former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo suffered its deadly blow after a lady suicide bomber killed the Minister of Interior and National Security Abdishakur Sheikh Hassan Farah.
Minister of Interior and National Security Abdishakur Sheikh Hassan Farah. May God bless his soul.
The ‘‘would be bomber’’ was confirmed to be the minister’s niece and was to leave the country soon for further studies as promised by the late minister. The lady who was a welcomed member of the family used to live in the same house with the minister. A week ago before his death, the minister called on all the Somali people to work jointly with the security forces in reducing the crime level in the city and report all suspicious looking characters more so those who have weapons in their possession.
The minister succumbed to the deadly wounds sustained from the attack, after being rushed to hospital. The incident took place at around 6pm local time (0600 GMT). The al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility of the attacks and vowed to continue using the same pattern. Habon Abdulkadir Khalif, the niece to the late minister was later confirmed to have links with the al-Shabaab and more so the top foreign commanders. The incident was condemned by all quarters with the then Prime Minister Farmajo condemning the al-Shabaab for their evil attack and vowed to flash them out of Mogadishu. ‘‘Today we mourn the death of a beloved friend, workmate, hero, national killed in the hands of the al-Shabaab ‘‘extremists’’; the enemy has shown his cowardly act and killed an innocent man working to better his country and people’’ Farmajo said.The death took place as the Somali police warned Mogadishu residents to watch out for attacks by al-Shabab rebels, who security forces said may take advantage by carrying out attacks while the anti Prime Minister’s support was going on.“This attack must be condemned by all those who want to see Somalia back on track to peace and security,” said Augustine Mahiga, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia. “The violent minority who carry out such vicious attacks must not be allowed to disrupt the ongoing peace process.”
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