Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Egyptian ex-minister jailed 15 years over Israel gas deal
Thursday, 28 June 2012
By AFP
A criminal court on Thursday jailed for 15 years each a former Mubarak-era cabinet minister and a businessman for selling Israel natural gas below market value, a judicial source said.
“The Cairo criminal court sentenced former oil minister Sameh Fahmi and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem to 15 years in prison each over the (Israel) gas deal,” the source told AFP.
They were accused “of exporting gas to Israel at below market value” undermining the interests of Egypt, the source added.
Five former high ranking officials from the oil and gas authority received jail sentences raging from three to 10 years on similar charges, the source added.
The military rulers who took over power in Egypt after veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak was ousted by massive streets protests in February 2011 launched sweeping probe into corruption.
“The Cairo criminal court sentenced former oil minister Sameh Fahmi and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem to 15 years in prison each over the (Israel) gas deal,” the source told AFP.
They were accused “of exporting gas to Israel at below market value” undermining the interests of Egypt, the source added.
Five former high ranking officials from the oil and gas authority received jail sentences raging from three to 10 years on similar charges, the source added.
The military rulers who took over power in Egypt after veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak was ousted by massive streets protests in February 2011 launched sweeping probe into corruption.
In April Egypt’s new rulers cancelled a controversial 15-year deal to export gas to Israel which was signed in 2005 but said they would be ready to negotiate a new agreement.
Egypt supplies roughly 40 percent of Israel’s gas supplies.
The sale of gas to Israel, which signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, has always been controversial in the Arab world’s most populous country.
Bedouin militants have bombed the gas pipeline -- which also supplies Jordan -- in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula at least 14 times since the uprising that toppled Mubarak.
Egypt provides for 80 percent of Jordan’s fuel needs and Amman has expressed concern about cuts in the supply of Egyptian gas, saying it could cost the kingdom more than $2 billion in 2012.
Exports to Israel were launched in 2008, three years after the accord which came in for heavy criticism at the time from Egypt’s then banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood dominated parliament after three-phased elections late last year and early this year and their candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won the June presidential poll.
Several Mubarak ministers and cronies were arrested on charges of corruption after the former leader was forced to quit, and he too was arrested and jailed.
On June 2 a Cairo court handed down a life sentence against Mubarak over his involvement in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ousted him from power.
But Salem, who also holds a Spanish passport fled to Spain with his son and daughter last year, was sentenced in absentia in October 2011 to seven years in jail for profiteering.
In March a Spanish court approved his extradition
Salem, is a former partner in the East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG), an Israeli-Egyptian consortium, which was accused of selling natural gas to Israel at low prices.
Mubarak’s sons, Gamal and Alaa, were tried for corruption along with their father but were acquitted because of the expiry of a statute of limitations.
However both the brothers are to be tried in a new corruption trial due to open July 9.
Mubarak has been slipping in and out of coma since June 20.
Egypt supplies roughly 40 percent of Israel’s gas supplies.
The sale of gas to Israel, which signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, has always been controversial in the Arab world’s most populous country.
Bedouin militants have bombed the gas pipeline -- which also supplies Jordan -- in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula at least 14 times since the uprising that toppled Mubarak.
Egypt provides for 80 percent of Jordan’s fuel needs and Amman has expressed concern about cuts in the supply of Egyptian gas, saying it could cost the kingdom more than $2 billion in 2012.
Exports to Israel were launched in 2008, three years after the accord which came in for heavy criticism at the time from Egypt’s then banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood dominated parliament after three-phased elections late last year and early this year and their candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won the June presidential poll.
Several Mubarak ministers and cronies were arrested on charges of corruption after the former leader was forced to quit, and he too was arrested and jailed.
On June 2 a Cairo court handed down a life sentence against Mubarak over his involvement in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ousted him from power.
But Salem, who also holds a Spanish passport fled to Spain with his son and daughter last year, was sentenced in absentia in October 2011 to seven years in jail for profiteering.
In March a Spanish court approved his extradition
Salem, is a former partner in the East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG), an Israeli-Egyptian consortium, which was accused of selling natural gas to Israel at low prices.
Mubarak’s sons, Gamal and Alaa, were tried for corruption along with their father but were acquitted because of the expiry of a statute of limitations.
However both the brothers are to be tried in a new corruption trial due to open July 9.
Mubarak has been slipping in and out of coma since June 20.
Research shows traces of alcohol in soft drinks
Thursday, 28 June 2012
By NADIA MAYEN
Research conducted by the National Institute of Consumption (INC) in Paris claims to have found low traces of alcohol in several popular soft drinks.
One of the most recognizable brands in cola showed positive traces of approximately 0.001 percent of alcohol per liter.
The research was published in French magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs which printed a list of ingredients found in 19 of the world’s popular soft drinks. The drinks were tested in a laboratory as they were unable to obtain ingredients from the leading cola manufacturers.
One of the most recognizable brands in cola showed positive traces of approximately 0.001 percent of alcohol per liter.
The research was published in French magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs which printed a list of ingredients found in 19 of the world’s popular soft drinks. The drinks were tested in a laboratory as they were unable to obtain ingredients from the leading cola manufacturers.
Their research led them to find startling revelations, namely that ingredients weren’t mentioned on the label. They found several plants, citrus fruits, spices and highly allergenic ingredients.
According to 60 Millions, the presence of other “controversial” ingredients such as phosphoric acid or ammonia-sulfite caramel E150D food coloring were present, the latter of which is listed as carcinogenic in California.
The cola companies changed their recipes after the discovery in California but have no plans of doing so for Europe.
Lyon based newspaper Le Progrès also reported that 10 of the 19 soft drinks tested by the magazine contained alcohol.
French law states a beverage is only considered alcoholic if it contains more than 1.2 percent alcohol. This labels soft drinks non-alcoholic as they only contain around 0.001 percent.
However, in their article on this issue, French newspaper Le Monde wrote that consumers should be more concerned about the amount of sugar found in the soft drink: 17 and 18 sugar cubes per liter for the two respective leading cola drinks.
According to 60 Millions, the presence of other “controversial” ingredients such as phosphoric acid or ammonia-sulfite caramel E150D food coloring were present, the latter of which is listed as carcinogenic in California.
The cola companies changed their recipes after the discovery in California but have no plans of doing so for Europe.
Lyon based newspaper Le Progrès also reported that 10 of the 19 soft drinks tested by the magazine contained alcohol.
French law states a beverage is only considered alcoholic if it contains more than 1.2 percent alcohol. This labels soft drinks non-alcoholic as they only contain around 0.001 percent.
However, in their article on this issue, French newspaper Le Monde wrote that consumers should be more concerned about the amount of sugar found in the soft drink: 17 and 18 sugar cubes per liter for the two respective leading cola drinks.
Egypt’s Mursi meets with Christian leaders, activists to broaden support
Thursday, 28 June 2012
By AL ARABIYA WITH AGENCIES
Egyptian youth activists and Christian leaders met with President-elect Mohammed Mursi on Wednesday to work towards “achieving the goals of the uprising which ousted his predecessor Hosni Mubarak last year,” the Egypt Independent newspaper reported.
Egyptian activist Wael Ghoneim, known for his prominent role during the January 25 Revolution, said the meeting discussed the importance of transparency in all decisions made by Mursi’s government, which is due to be installed after he is inaugurated at the weekend.
Ghoneim has previously said he has several reservations on the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mursi even though he voted for him.
“Many people did not vote for Mursi because he is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or the chairman of its political wing the Freedom and Justice Party, but because they did not want to opt for a member of the former regime,” Ghoneim said earlier this month in reference to the election runoff which saw Mursi pitted against former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.
In the talks Mursi held with the youth activists, Asmaa Mahfouz, one of the founders of Egypt’s April 6 Youth Movement, said Mursi’s promises “are calculated but he seems to mean well for Egypt,” Egypt Independent reported.
Mursi also met with Christian leaders and the families of those killed in the uprising, seeking to broaden support before a handover of power by the ruling generals, due by June 30.
His first appointments as president-elect of Egypt will be a woman and a Coptic Christian, his spokesman has told the Guardian this week, as he moves to allay fears of the Brotherhood.
Samah al-Essawy said that although the names of the two choices had not been finalized, they would be Mursi’s two vice-presidents.
When the appointments go through, they will constitute the first time in Egypt’s history that either a woman or a Coptic Christian has occupied such a high-ranking position.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday congratulated Egypt’s newly elected Islamist president, but cautioned that the election was just a first step towards true democracy.
“We have congratulated President (Mohammed) Mursi and the Egyptian people for continuing on their path to democratic transition,” Clinton told reporters in Helsinki.
President-elect Mursi, of the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood, is in the process of forming a government after he was proclaimed Egypt’s first democratically elected president on Sunday, a year and a half after street protests toppled veteran strongman and U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak.
“We have heard some very positive statements so far,” Clinton said, hailing among other things Mursi’s pledge to honor international obligations, “which would, in our view, cover the peace treaty with Israel,” signed in 1979 and which many feared could be abandoned with an Islamist in power.
However, Clinton cautioned, “one election does not a democracy make.”
The historic vote was “just the beginning of hard work, and hard work requires pluralism, respecting the rights of minorities, an independent judiciary and independent media,” she said.
“We expect President Mursi to demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity that is manifested by representatives of the women of Egypt, of the Coptic Christian community, of the secular, non-religious community and young people,” she added.
Mursi also met with Christian leaders and the families of those killed in the uprising, seeking to broaden support before a handover of power by the ruling generals, due by June 30.
His first appointments as president-elect of Egypt will be a woman and a Coptic Christian, his spokesman has told the Guardian this week, as he moves to allay fears of the Brotherhood.
Samah al-Essawy said that although the names of the two choices had not been finalized, they would be Mursi’s two vice-presidents.
When the appointments go through, they will constitute the first time in Egypt’s history that either a woman or a Coptic Christian has occupied such a high-ranking position.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday congratulated Egypt’s newly elected Islamist president, but cautioned that the election was just a first step towards true democracy.
“We have congratulated President (Mohammed) Mursi and the Egyptian people for continuing on their path to democratic transition,” Clinton told reporters in Helsinki.
President-elect Mursi, of the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood, is in the process of forming a government after he was proclaimed Egypt’s first democratically elected president on Sunday, a year and a half after street protests toppled veteran strongman and U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak.
“We have heard some very positive statements so far,” Clinton said, hailing among other things Mursi’s pledge to honor international obligations, “which would, in our view, cover the peace treaty with Israel,” signed in 1979 and which many feared could be abandoned with an Islamist in power.
However, Clinton cautioned, “one election does not a democracy make.”
The historic vote was “just the beginning of hard work, and hard work requires pluralism, respecting the rights of minorities, an independent judiciary and independent media,” she said.
“We expect President Mursi to demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity that is manifested by representatives of the women of Egypt, of the Coptic Christian community, of the secular, non-religious community and young people,” she added.
Somali president accuses world of balking at aid
(Reuters) - Somalia's president on Wednesday accused the international community of refusing to fund the creation of local security forces capable of tackling piracy and al Qaeda-linked militants and urged them to pay up.
"The international community spends millions of dollars (because of piracy) and when you ask them to contribute to building forces on the ground they evade our request," Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a conference on piracy in Dubai.
Somalia has been mired in civil strife, grinding poverty, Islamist militancy and maritime piracy since warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, leaving the African nation without an effective central government.
Ahmed said he thought international donors such as the United States were reluctant to contribute funds because they were concerned that the money would be embezzled and said he was willing to allow them to pay and train such forces themselves to allay such fears.
"If they (donors) are willing to help ... we can give them the chance to come and do the training, to give salaries to soldiers by themselves," he said.
Ahmed's complaint came as it was announced that the United Arab Emirates has pledged to donate $1 million to help build a Somali coast guard. Anwar Gargash, the UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, confirmed the news to reporters.
Piracy is just one of many problems plaguing Somalia. Ahmed's Western-backed government has been fighting al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants who still control large swathes of the country and want to impose sharia law.
Ahmed, who survived an assassination attempt by al Shabaab militants last month, has pledged to defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates in the war-ravaged country.
"Uprooting Shabaab can only be done through building the capabilities of the Somali military, Somali intelligence," he said.
AL QAEDA THREAT
His government also needed funds to help integrate hundreds of former Shabaab members who had renounced their former affiliation, he said, adding that the government was already rehabilitating more than 500 former fighters.
"It was mostly extremists who wouldn't accept negotiations and they were members of al Qaeda, but we've been able to include a great number of al Shabaab in our side," he said.
Asked whether Shabaab and the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were closing ranks after Yemeni forces drove Islamist militants from several cities in the south, Ahmed said they were all part of the same group.
Yemeni officials spearheading a U.S.-backed offensive against Islamist militants have repeatedly identified Somali fighters among the casualties.
Ahmed said the threat from al Qaeda was far from over: "As far as we know, militants who were inAfghanistan started moving to Somalia and Yemen and this adds a lot of burden on us".
Ahmed's interim federal government is tasked with adopting a new constitution by August, aimed in part at redefining the relationship between Mogadishu and the regions and ending the cycle of violence.
He said parliamentary elections were also due in August.
His government last month held talks in London with the breakaway enclave of Somaliland for the first time since the entity declared its independence from Somalia in 1991.
"We are working towards bringing Somalia back to its natural unity, I have no doubts about our success," he said. "What we've agreed on is to start negotiations."
Asked whether the two sides discussed uniting in a federation or a confederation, he said: "We're discussing the important issues now."
Somaliland has enjoyed relative stability compared to the rest of Somalia, and has held a series of peaceful general elections.
(Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Somalia adopts Ethiopia’s federal constitution with Sharia Law
http://somalilandpress.com/
MOGADISHU — Somalia has unveiled a new final draft constitution that was recently approved in Nairobi by Somali leaders in the presence of Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Dr. Augustine Mahiga.
Africa
MOGADISHU — Somalia has unveiled a new final draft constitution that was recently approved in Nairobi by Somali leaders in the presence of Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Dr. Augustine Mahiga.
The text is somewhat an exact duplicate of Ethiopia’s 1994 draft paper and was in the making for eight years. The similarities are very striking apart from the fact that Somalia has declared Sharia Law as its main source of legislation in the new constitution.
The new draft is clearly the work of Puntland region, Islamists including Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamma and President Sheikh Sharif, the former leader of Union of Islamic Courts.
Under Chapter One, article 1 states that “Somalia is a federal state with democratic structure based on the principles of majority rule and justice for all”.
Chapter two (State and Religion), article one states that Islam is the state religion and article two prohibits any religion to be preached in Somali soil apart from Islam.
Article two also specifies that any legislation not based on Islamic Sharia Law will not be established or approved. Islam was always the state law but never in the history of Somalia has identified Sharia as the key source of legislation.
Article four stresses that this Constitution is the second supreme law of the land after Sharia and is the foundation for all the federations.
Apart from its strict call for Sharia law, the draft is very much a duplicate of Ethiopia’s Federal constitution. Unlike Ethiopia, Somalia has not even defined the States in the Federation and this is most likely to cause a new headache considering Somalia has always been a tribal society with no defined or marked borders.
To complicate the matter the draft does not contain all vital signatories for future federation states including Azania, Jubba Valley Administration, West Puntland State, State of Ras Aseyr, Himan and Heeb and the larger South Central Somalia (Southwest State).
There is also dispute over the draft itself. According to the technical committee drafting the constitution, the transitional government has submitted a draft copy that is different to the one signed in Nairobi (See New rift emerges between Constitution Committee and TFG).
Article 55 in Chapter 5 notes that federation states will maintain all their affairs apart from: A) Foreign relations B) National defense C) Citizenship and immigration and monetary policy.
The constituent assembly can make the new 98-page constitution law if a big enough majority supports it. Otherwise it must go to the technical drafting committee.
The draft recognizes Somali and Arabic as the official language(s) of Somalia under article 5. The paper reiterates that Somalia is part of Africa and the Arab World.
If approved Somalia will officially become the Federal Somali Republic.
The draft text can be viewed below, which is available only in the Somali language.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tanzanian police quiz migrants after 42 suffocate to death
Wednesday
June 27, 2012
June 27, 2012
By AFP
Posted Wednesday, June 27 2012 at 12:21
Posted Wednesday, June 27 2012 at 12:21
DAR ES SALAAM
Tanzanian police Wednesday were questioning 74 migrants who survived suffocation in a truck where 42 fellow travellers perished, Deputy Interior Minister Pereira Silima said.
"Police and immigration officials are questioning the survivors to establish their identity including names and nationality," Silima told AFP.
It was initially reported the migrants were from Malawi, but officials said that they were suspected of coming from the Horn of Africa region to the north, and were on their way southwards to Malawi.
"Preliminary reports have it that the immigrants were destined to Malawi," Silima said.
Police said the truck driver fled the vehicle after finding the dead bodies.
The bodies were discovered on Tuesday in the truck in Dodoma province, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Tanzania's economic capital Dar es Salaam.
In December, 20 Somali migrants were found dead in Tanzania.
Foreign ministry spokesman Isaac Nantanga said at the time that an increasing number of Ethiopians and Somalis were crossing the country to make their way to South Africa, the continent's richest country.
Somali Forces Gain Against Al-Shabab
VOA Voice of America
Somali government and African Union forces have driven al-Shabab militants from the strategic town of Balad, north of the capital, Mogadishu.
Balad is on a key road in the Middle Shabelle region, about 30 kilometers from the capital.
The capture means the roadway between Balad and Mogadishu is under government control for the first time in at least three years.
Balad resident Bahjo Abdullahi said he awoke Tuesday to the sounds of African Union tanks rolling into town. He heard no fighting. "There was no heavy fighting in the town because al-Shabab has been fleeing since last night towards Jowhar. The town is quiet. The soldiers are making searches and situation is calm," the resident said.
Balad is about 60 kilometers from the regional capital of Jowhar, which remains in the hands of the al-Qaida-allied group.
Somali government soldiers open fire during an ambush by al-Shabaab rebels on the outskirts of Elasha town, May 29, 2012.
Pro-government forces are moving to capture the last three major towns still under al-Shabab control. They include Jowhar, the port city of Kismayo and Merca, capital of the Lower Shabelle region.
Al-Shabab once controlled most of southern and central Somalia, but has steadily lost ground in an offensive by AU, Somali, Kenyan and Ethiopian forces.
Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow Somalia's transitional government and impose a strict form of Islamic law.
Balad is on a key road in the Middle Shabelle region, about 30 kilometers from the capital.
The capture means the roadway between Balad and Mogadishu is under government control for the first time in at least three years.
Balad resident Bahjo Abdullahi said he awoke Tuesday to the sounds of African Union tanks rolling into town. He heard no fighting. "There was no heavy fighting in the town because al-Shabab has been fleeing since last night towards Jowhar. The town is quiet. The soldiers are making searches and situation is calm," the resident said.
Balad is about 60 kilometers from the regional capital of Jowhar, which remains in the hands of the al-Qaida-allied group.
Somali government soldiers open fire during an ambush by al-Shabaab rebels on the outskirts of Elasha town, May 29, 2012.Al-Shabab once controlled most of southern and central Somalia, but has steadily lost ground in an offensive by AU, Somali, Kenyan and Ethiopian forces.
Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow Somalia's transitional government and impose a strict form of Islamic law.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Al-Shabaab leader's call for jihad a confession of defeat, analysts say
By Mahmoud Mohamed in Mogadishu
June 20, 2012
In an audio recording released Monday (June 18th) on Radio Andalus, the mouthpiece for al-Shabaab, the group's leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, also known as Mukhtar Abu al-Zubair, called on his fighters to stand firm on the battlefields, promising paradise to whomever dies defending their religion.
![AMISOM Contingent Commander Brigadier Paul Lokech (centre) briefs soldiers before advancing on Afgoye on May 25th. Al-Shabaab's loss of Afgoye is considered one of a series of recent blows to the movement. [Stuart Price/AFP]](http://sabahionline.com/shared/images/2012/06/20/somalia-amisom-tfg.jpg)
"Victory remains in the hands of the mujahedeen," Godane said in his message. "The world is teaming up to occupy Somalia under the pretext of fighting the al-Shabaab mujahedeen group."
However, political and security analysts who have been monitoring the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab movement say Godane's message is an attempt to raise morale among his fighters, and is nothing short of a confession that the movement is nearing defeat after losing several of its key strongholds in southern and central Somalia.
Al-Shabaab in an 'unenviable situation'
Political analyst and expert on Islamist groups in Somalia Mohamed Hassan said the al-Shabaab movement is in "a state of utter frustration bordering on despair".
"Godane's message is a confession that his fighters have been defeated in the current battles in Somalia, so he is trying to boost low morale among the rebel ranks," he told Sabahi.
"Al-Shabaab is in a difficult and unenviable situation, one that is highly dangerous as a result of military pressure from multiple fronts, which is why the movement is struggling to stay alive," Hassan said.
In his message, Godane also called on Somali tribes to join the so-called jihad against the Somali and African Union forces and their allies.
"We call on all Somali tribes to join jihad and to support efforts of establishing an Islamic state that would represent an umbrella for all Muslims in the region," Godane said.
"This [invitation] will fall on deaf ears and will not be heeded by Somali tribes," said Mogadishu-based political analyst Abdinaasir Osman.
"Somali tribes do not support terrorism and there is no tribal support for groups that reject peace," he told Sabahi. "The tribes stand by the state and proof of this is the meeting that brought together all the Somali tribal elders from all over the country in Mogadishu to select the delegates of the [National] Constituent Assembly and members of the new parliament."
Osman said the Somali people, especially those living in areas under al-Shabaab's control, have suffered and are still suffering from the movement's hard-line approach and draconian measures, which is why there are no tribes sympathetic to the call of the al-Shabaab leader.
A downward spiral
Ali Ahmed, a security analyst and retired officer from the Somali army, said al-Shabaab is in a downward spiral facing mounting regional military campaigns against it.
"If the current military campaign against al-Shabaab continues in its intensity, then it is [highly] likely that this movement will cease to have a strong military presence in a matter of months," Ahmed told Sabahi.
"What we see today is that al-Shabaab has found itself in a serious crisis and that it is suffering heavy losses, not to mention that its fighters are withdrawing without resistance from every town that the Somali armed forces and African Union troops are approaching," he said. "This is an indication that the combat capability of the group has been weakened."
During the past few months, al-Shabaab lost several key cities and towns, most recently Afgoye and Afmadow. Analysts say these victories achieved by the Somali army, with support from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and allied regional troops, compounded by al-Shabaab's loss of its main strongholds and strategic cities, dealt a serious blow to the movement.
As Somali and African Union forces advance, all eyes are now on their last remaining stronghold, the port city of Kismayo.
"The national army, with support of friendly forces, are tightening the noose around al-Shabaab in the city of Kismayo," said Colonel Daahir Abdulqadir, one of the commanders of the Somali Armed Forces in Lower Juba.
"We are preparing to launch the final attack on Kismayo because seizing this city represents the final blow to the group," he told Sabahi.
Abdulqadir said al-Shabaab does not have the power necessary to defend the city and will likely flee to the thick forests outside the city.
'Last nail in al-Shabaab's coffin'
Since the United States announced on June 7th a $33 million bounty for seven of al-Shabaab's top leaders, several media outlets have reported them fleeing Kismayo. Security analysts say these rewards will increase pressure on al-Shabaab.
"If Kismayo falls in the hands of Somali government forces, al-Shabaab would then be in a politically, financially and militarily desperate situation that would drive the last nail in al-Shabaab's coffin," Abdulqadir said.
The port of Kismayo is thought to provide substantial income to al-Shabaab and is considered to be a lifeline for the movement in terms of funding. Making matters worse for al-Shabaab are the internal divisions and deep differences among al-Shabaab leaders.
"Divisions within al-Shabaab are deepening due to current setbacks as the group loses most of its key strongholds," said political analyst and activist Ahmed Aadan.
"This issue has come to the fore after the group announced it would join al-Qaeda last February, and since then, internal divisions have been on the rise day after day," he told Sabahi.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)