Undoubtedly the top story is our exclusive report that al-Shabaab
leader Ahmed AbdiGodane may have arranged for top al-Qaeda operative
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed to be killed by government forces amid
a power struggle between foreign and local commanders. If what our many al-Shabaab sources are telling us is true, the
big question is whether Godane will be eligible for the US government's $5
million reward for Fazul. Given al-Shabaab's reported financial problems, the
money would come in very handy. The soldiers who shot Fazul are equally keen to get their hands on
the money, tellingSomalia Report that they feel they deserve to be rewarded and describing
the last moments of the man believed to have masterminded the
deadly 1998 bombings of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es
Salaam. While al-Shabaab's well-known internal divisions would seem to
present an opportunity for the Transitional Federal Government to build further
on its recent gains, the politicians are far too busy fighting amongst
themselves to take advantage. The machinations of the various parties have not slowed down the
fighting, however, with pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa (ASWJ) battling
al-Shabaab for control of areas in Central Somalia. In
what you may detect is a familiar theme, ASWJ has been weakened by internal
divisions, but al-Shabaab has so far been unable to exploit the quarrels and
take new ground. On the piracy front, the foreign security team arrested for
bringing in $3.6 million in ransoms for two ships was due to appear in court in Mogadishu on
Thursday. The team's lawyer was looking to get all six bailed, providing an
aircraft and the money in Somalia's central bank as security. Details have
yet to emerge from the appearance. Reports the money is still in the bank has not stopped the release
of the two ships it was destined for. The MV Yuan Xiang was released last week,
while the second vessel the money was reportedly heading too, the MV Suez, gained freedom on
Saturday. Somalia Report is probing to find out if
the money was quietly released from the bank, or if the owners/insurers simply
took a punt on paying more money in the hope of getting their cash back from
the Somali government. That's it from us. Have a great weekend, and thank you for
continued loyalty to Somalia Report. We hope you find reading our website as
rewarding as it is creating it. Regards, The Editor.
Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo's
refusal to quit in line with the KampalaAccord, which
agrees to delay elections in exchange for a new cabinet, has set the cat
amongst the pigeons. Analysts say Farmajo will ultimately have to go, but
that behind-the-scenes negotiations are going on, involving the international
community, to see if he can be retained in some capacity given the massive
demonstrations that followed the news he was being forced out.
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Somalia Report Weekly Newsletter
Dear Readers, Welcome to the latest edition of our roundup of all the major events in Somalia of the last week.