01 NOV 2011 – Morning headlines
Key Headlines:
- Kenya and Somalia agreement
- Demonstration against Kenya held in Somalia town
- AMISOM troops rewarded in Somalia
- Kenya and Somalia set on eliminating al Shabaab stronghold
- Tension high in northern Galkayo Mudug region
- Kenya Somalia seek support for war on al Shabaab
- A history of conflict in Somalia
- US citizen perpetrated Somali suicide bombing: Islamists
- Ships to carry armed guards off Somalia
- FBI using DNA evidence to try to confirm whether suicide bomber in Somalia was Minneapolis man
- Somalia: Banadir regional administration warns against al Shabaab attacks
PRESS STATEMENT
Kenya and Somalia agreement
31 Oct- Source: Somali National News Agency SONNA- 466 words
The governments of Somalia and Kenya agreed the mission of the Kenyan military operation inside Somalia is limited to eliminating the threat posed by the al-Shabaab militants, according to a communiqu� issued by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga and his Somalia counterpart H.E Abdiweli Mohamed Ali following bilateral talks in Nairobi on Monday afternoon.
- That Kenya’s security operation inside Somalia is aimed at eliminating the threat posed by Al Shabaab to Kenya’s national security and economic well being, and is based on the legitimate right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter;
- That Al Shabaab constitutes a threat to both Somalia and Kenya and is therefore a common enemy for the entire region and the world. This threat must be fought jointly by the two nations with support from the international community;
- That the current operations are being led by the TFG of Somalia Forces with the support of the Kenyan Defence Forces in pursuit of legitimate Al Shabaab targets;
- That the Somali Government supports the activities of the Kenyan forces, which are being fully coordinated with the TFG of Somalia and being carried out in the spirit of good neighbourliness and African unity.
- That there will be continuous sharing of intelligence and information on Al Shabaab activities and the military operation to flush them out. In this regard, a joint high level coordination committee has been established which will maintain regular ongoing contact including periodic meetings in Nairobi and Mogadishu.
- To mount a joint diplomatic campaign by both countries to galvanize support for the operation beginning with a joint meeting with select members of the Diplomatic Corps in Nairobi on November 1, 2011 and followed by visits to several select capitals.
- That additional AMISOM troops be provided to move into the liberated areas in Southern Somalia to help safeguard peace and security and assist the establishment of local administration with the guidance of the TFG.
- That the international community assists in providing immediate humanitarian assistance in the liberated areas and provide needed funding for other urgently needed services such as in health and education.
- That the TFG will seek ICC assistance in beginning immediate investigations into crimes against humanity committed by individuals within the Al Shabaab movement with the aim of seeking their indictment.
- That the international community provides the necessary logistical and financial support for the blockade of the Port of Kismayu until Al Shabaab is removed;
- That the Kenya Government shall not negotiate with Al Sahbaab but the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia is free to negotiate with all armed opposition groups within the instruments guiding this road map(i.e. The Djibouti Peace Process and the Kampala Accord as recommended by IGAD and the African Union) provided they renounce violence.
SOMALI MEDIA
Kenya and Somalia set on eliminating al Shabaab stronghold
31 Oct – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 102 words
In a joint communique, the two governments have now established a joint high level coordinating committee that will hold periodic meetings in Nairobi and Mogadishu. Kenyan PM Raila Odinga and his Somali counterpart Abdiweli Mohamed Ali have both vowed to work together in an effort to put an end to threats posed by al Shabaab.
Tension high in northern Galkayo, Mudug region
31 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 124 words
Tension is reportedly high in a Puntland-administered northern part of Galkayo town after unknown gunmen on Sunday night shot dead two people including former head of Puntland’s Development and Research Centre Abdikadir Jama Yasin.
Banadir regional admin warns against al Shabaab attacks
31 Oct – Source: Shabelle – 123 words
The Banadir regional administration on Monday warned against further al Shabaab attacks in Mogadishu. Ahmed Ali Gure, Deputy Banadir region Governor for Policy and Social Affairs addressed hundreds of people gathered in a square in Mogadishu’s Wardhigley district.
http://www.shabelle.net/
Demonstration against Kenya held in Somalia town
31 Oct- Source: Radio Shabelle, Kulmiye – 92 words
A large demonstration has been staged by the residents of Jilib District, Middle Jubba Region, opposing the attack by Kenyan warplanes in the district. The residents who were staging the demonstration walked along the main streets of the district as they chanted slogans condemning the Kenyan government for the aerial bombardment of a camp for the displaced in Jilib.
More than 25 al Shabaab fighters said to surrender to Somali military
31 Oct- Source: Mareeg Online, Somalia report, Shabelle – 112 words
Somalia’s national security agency has displayed more than 25 fighters they said had defected from al Shabaab in Mogadishu. The agency said some of the defectors came from al Shabaab-controlled regions while others came from the capital.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenya, Somalia seek support for war on al Shabaab
31 Oct- Source: Daily Nation- 406 words
Somali rebels on Monday vowed to avenge a deadly Kenyan air raid as the two countries’ prime ministers met over the controversial military assault launched by Nairobi two weeks ago. Nairobi’s decision to send troops and warplanes across the border had caused unease in Mogadishu.
Kenya, Somalia invoke ICC on al Shabaab
31 Oct- Source: Capital FM- 610 words
Kenya and Somalia now want leaders of the rag tag al Shabaab militia to be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) based at The Hague. This was announced by PMs Raila Odinga and Abdiweli Mohammed Ali in a communiqu� following a meeting in Nairobi yesterday afternoon.
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/
AMISOM troops rewarded in Somalia
31 Oct- Source: NTV- 1:09 min
Operation Linda Nchi, the codename for Kenya’s military operation against the al Shabaab militia in Somalia entered its 16th day on Monday, with reports that 3 people were killed and 52 others were injured in southern Somalia’s Lower Jubba region after an air bombardment that hit an internal displacement camp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Somali diaspora supports incursion
01 Nov – Source: Standard Media – 501 words
Hundreds of Somali nationals living in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the US have held a demonstration in support of Kenyan troops that are currently deep inside Somalia hunting down the al Shabaab militia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
FBI using DNA evidence to try to confirm whether suicide bomber in Somalia was Minneapolis man
31 Oct- Source: Washington Post, AP- 146 words
The FBI is testing the remains of a suicide bomber in Somalia to try to determine his identity. The terrorist group al Shabaab says an American by the name of Abdisalan Taqabalahullaah carried out Saturday’s suicide attack in Mogadishu.
A history of conflict in Somalia
01 Oct Source: ABC (US) – 484 words
Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October in pursuit of insurgents that Kenya blames for a series of kidnappings on its soil and frequent cross-border assaults on its security forces. Somalia has been mired in anarchy since warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Here are details of previous incursions into Somalia by foreign troops.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
Ships to carry armed guards off Somalia
31 Oct – Source: UPI ( US) – 201 words
To protect against pirate attacks, British merchant ships sailing near Somalia’s coast will be allowed to carry armed guards, Prime Minister David Cameron said. “The fact that a bunch of pirates in Somalia are managing to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system, I think, is a complete insult, and so the rest of the world needs to come together with much more vigor,” Cameron said.
Rains ease Somali drought
31 Oct – Source: BBC News – 744 words
The long drought has lifted in southern and central Somalia, with fairly good rains now falling across much of those regions gripped by famine. The rain brings some risks, with particular concern among aid workers about communicable diseases like cholera spreading, above all in the crowded camps in Mogadishu.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
US citizen perpetrated Somali suicide bombing: Islamists
31 Oct – Source: AFP – 488 words
An American citizen of Somali origin was one of the two suicide bombers behind a twin attac k on a pro-government military base in Mogadishu, the Islamist Shabaab movement said on Sunday.Several pro-Shabaab radio stations broadcast what they said were the last words of Abdusalam al-Muhajir who said that he “wanted to die as a martyr” after spending the last two years fighting alongside the rebels.