Islamist Militants Kill at Least 14 in Somalia Restaurant Siege

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NAIROBI, Kenya—A deadly orchestrated attack by Islamist militants on two popular seaside restaurants in Somalia’s capital is the latest reminder that they have been far from cowed by African Union troops and U.S. drone strikes against its leaders.
At least 14 people were killed late Thursday when a group of gunmen from the armed group al-Shabaab exploded a car bomb near two seafood restaurants along Mogadishu’s Indian Ocean waterfront. Another group of gunmen stormed the restaurants from the beach, according to Somalia’s security minister. Somali security forces finally ended the siege in the early hours of Friday.
Presidential spokesman Daud Aweis said eight militants carried the operation. Six were killed in the fighting and two were captured, he said.
The coordinated raid underscored al-Shabaab’s ability to launch major attacks in Somalia despite the success of forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM, in retaking control of territory from the militant group in the past year.
It also signals the possible start of a period of bloody confrontations involving Islamist militants across Africa. Already in the new year, al Qaeda’s Saharan affiliate killed 30 people in a raid on a hotel in Burkina Faso, while Boko Haram militants are carrying out almost daily suicide attacks in the border region between Nigeria and Cameroon.
Al-Shabaab has been very active, too. Last week, it assaulted a Kenyan military base in southwestern Somalia in what may yet turn out as one of the worst defeats ever suffered by Kenyan government forces.
Islamist Militants Kill at Least 14 in Somalia Restaurant Siege


“The gunmen entered the popular Lido Sea Food Restaurant from the back door and started shooting... a few minutes later there was a heavy explosion at the front gate while people were trying to escape,” Halane said.
“There was confusion, everybody started panicking, and some of them ran towards the gunmen and they were shot dead, I was lucky to escape,” he said.
Another witness described how some of those killed had died in the large blast, while others were shot dead at point blank range.
“There is a big mess here and many people died, I saw the dead bodies of 19 people who were killed during the attack,” said Hussein Ali, who saw the bodies being carried out of the damaged building.
“Some of the people died in the explosion while fleeing and others were shot dead up close.
Shebab militants kill 20 in Somalia restaurant attack - Newspaper - DAWN.COM

It never ends.
 
Africans migrating to Europe to escape famine, sectarian wars...

Adrift The Invisible African Diaspora
February 2016 - As Europe continues to absorb a migrant flow of seemingly Biblical proportions, stories of those fleeing the shock of war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have come to dominate headlines.
But stories of sub-Saharan Africans, the economic migrants and refugees of chronic instability and regional violence, are less likely to resonate globally — unless their travails are met with calamity. Of an estimated 130,000 Africans who attempted the journey in 2015 alone, most are escaping the entrenched day-to-day norm of institutionalized and grinding poverty — what some call the residual effects of a bygone colonial era.

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In a makeshift encampment in Rome, 16-year-old Gambian migrant Morro Saneh put it more succinctly: “We simply want to live like human beings.” Hailing from even the farthest reaches of the Sahel, the sub-Saharan migrants’ two primary routes to the “promised land” intersect Libya, the lawless morass of internecine warfare and dueling government entities. It’s here, in the cauldron of the post-Arab Spring Maghreb, where the grim prophecy attributed to ousted despot Moammar Gadhafi appears to be coming true: “The Mediterranean will become a sea of chaos.”

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Those open waters now before them, an oceanic expanse of desert behind, they’re faced with the defining decision of their journey: whether to risk crossing fickle tides that, having claimed a record 3,771 migrants in 2015, on a calm day reveal the tantalizingly close shores of Southern Italy. But even for those lucky enough to reach the resort-studded coast, paradise quickly becomes a kind of purgatory. Like their Middle Eastern counterparts, the sometimes stateless travelers remain deadlocked between smugglers who exploit their hardship with impunity, and the governments that won’t permit them to stay. These are their stories.

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Editor’s note: Despite important distinctions between the terms migrant, refugee and asylum seeker, we were unable to confirm the entire personal backstory of each subject interviewed, and therefore use the terms somewhat interchangeably.

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Deadly New Trend Developing in African Migration to Europe
February 27, 2016 — The International Organization for Migration reports a sharp increase in the number of sub-Saharan Africans making the dangerous sea journey from Libya to Italy. But the organization says a deadly new trend is developing on board the boats that smuggle these migrants.
The International Organization for Migration calls death by asphyxiation on board smugglers’ boats sailing from Libya to Italy a horrific new trend. The latest incidence came to light in the last few days when more than 1,000 migrants were rescued at sea and brought to two different Italian seaports. IOM spokesmen, Itayi Viriri says among those brought ashore by rescuers were five bodies — three women and two men from Sub-Saharan Africa. They apparently had died from asphyxiation during the journey. “The vessels that they are being put on are quite overcrowded. So, whereas normally you hear of migrants drowning in large numbers, now we are seeing more and more being squashed in these vessels that they are being put into,” he said.

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Red Crescent workers prepare to carry the lifeless body of a migrant, in the port city of Khoms, Libya. The International Organization for Migration calls death by asphyxiation on board smugglers’ boats sailing from Libya to Italy a horrific new trend.​
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Nothing stopping smuggling gang in Libya

Viriri says these migrants are extremely vulnerable because there is no real authority in Libya to stop the smuggling gangs from putting people on overcrowded boats. IOM estimates nearly 9,000 migrants have arrived by sea in Italy since the beginning of the year. It says most making this dangerous crossing originate from Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular Nigeria, Gambia, and Mali.

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Migrants are rescued by the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea, in this picture released on January 28, 2016 by Italian Navy.​

Viriri tells VOA African migrants pay the smugglers between $600 and $800, which is about half the amount paid by Syrians and other migrants from the Middle East, Bangladesh or elsewhere. He says Africans suffer discrimination as a consequence of this unequal pay scale. “In those cases, where you have other nationalities, other than Sub-Saharan nationals—yes, based on how much they pay, they are put in the hold and those who pay more are put up on, maybe what could be safer, upper decks,” he said.

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Rescuers work to help survivors and remove bodies of migrants trapped beneath the deck of a boat after it sank in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of in Zuwara, Libya​

IOM says the exodus of refugees and migrants into Europe continues unabated. According to the latest figures, more than 120,000 have arrived in Greece and Italy so far this year. This far exceeds last year’s figure of 100,000 arrivals by June.

Deadly New Trend Developing in African Migration to Europe
 
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ISIS growing in Somalia...

Intelligence Official: Islamic State Growing in Somalia
May 05, 2016 | WASHINGTON — Pro-Islamic State Somali militants have grown in numbers and are receiving financial and military support from Yemen, a top intelligence official told the VOA Somali Service.
Abdi Hassan Hussein, the former Director of the U.S.-backed Puntland Intelligence Agency (PIA) said when the pro-IS Somali faction was founded in October last year it had about 20-30 men, but has since set up training camps and recruited more fighters. He said the group’s fighters now number between 100-150 fighters. "They have graduated their first units and they have received their military supplies,” he said. Hussein led PIA until a year ago when he was replaced. His main job was to detect militant threats and plan counter-terrorism operations.

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Pro Al-Shabaab demonstrators attend a protest in Somalia.​

He said Islamic State has welcomed its Somalia branch and has started delivering supplies through their affiliate faction in Yemen. “They received military supplies from Yemen – weapons, uniform, ISIS sent trainers who inspected their bases, and they have started sending financial support,” he said. “The weapons’ shipment was delivered by sea from Mukallah city in Hadramouth, it has arrived from the Red Sea coast of Somalia in February and March this year.”

Hussein pointed to a recent video posted by the group that he said shows the group received new uniforms. He said there is also evidence that the group has received financial support from Islamic State. “Evidence of financial support can be seen in the area; they are buying supplies, they are buying vehicles, they bought livestock, they invested in the community by delivering water supplies to nearby community affected by the drought,” he said.

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Hussein said reports he has received indicate administrations in Somalia have underestimated the threat of the pro-IS group led by former al-Shabab cleric Abdulkadir Mumin. He criticized the Somali government and regional administrations for not taking the threat seriously. He said Islamic State will pose tougher challenge than al-Shabab. “Daesh is more dangerous than al-Shabab. They are known for committing large scale destruction. They have more finance. They have more impact. They declared to start attacks within Somalia, and they readied units to carry out attacks.”

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