11 Jul 2001 – Morning headlines
Key Headlines:
- Al Shabaab withdraws from military bases in Lower Jubba
- Senior Shabaab commander rumored to have been killed in recent predator strike
- Somali terror group curtailed
- Aerial attacks against al Shabaab will continue: Somali official says
- Somali Premier in Kenya for drought talks
- UN refugee chief calls for drought aid inside Somalia
- UN: Somalia drought is worst humanitarian crisis
- Official: Ten die of hunger in southern Somalia
- Al Shabaab blocks residents from accessing humanitarian assistance
- AU plans new Somali battle rules
- Parliamentary meeting concludes in chaos
- 7 soldiers die in battle for Mogadishu
SOMALI MEDIA
Parliamentary meeting concludes in chaos
10 Jul- Source: Shabelle, Mareeg Online – 232 words
The transitional federal parliament of Somalia (TFP) on Sunday met in Mogadishu to discuss and approve the June 9 Kampala Accord extending government’s term for a year, but ended in uproar and shouting.
http://shabelle.net/article.php?id=8596
Al Shabaab withdraws from military bases in Lower Jubba
10 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Suna Times – 289 words
Reports from the port city of Kismayo in Lower Jubba region say al Shabaab has shut down its military bases and training camps in and around Kismayo in fear of foreign air strikes.
http://www.bar-kulan.com/2011/07/10/al-shabaab-withdraws-from-its-military-bases-in-lowerjubba/
Somali Premier in Kenya for drought talks
09 Jul – Source: Bariga Afrika – 246 words
The prime minister, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed is in Kenya to hold talks with international humanitarian organisations regarding ongoing efforts to help those affected by the drought in Somalia.
http://www.barigaafrika.com/en/read.php?id=4428#axzz1RdLMTvyo
Leaders from Somalia attend inauguration of southern Sudan
10 Jul – Source: Shabelle – 302 words
The president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Puntland leader, Abdurrahman Sheikh Mohamed Farole and the president of the break away republic of Somaliland, Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo attended the inaugural celebrations of Southern Sudan on Saturday in the capital, Juba.
http://www.shabelle.net/index.php?archive=1&lang=en
Kenya police apprehend Somali clerics in Dhagahley refugee camp
08 Jul – Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Kulmiye – 148 words
Kenyan police have apprehended at least six Somali clerics in Dhagahley refugee camp in northeastern Kenya, reports said on Friday. The clerics were arrested upon reaching Dadaab where they had been called to a mediation meeting between Kenya police and Somali refugees at the camp.
Bomb explosion wounds two in Mogadishu
10 Jul – Source: Shabelle – 142 words
Two displaced people were wounded after an abandoned bomb exploded at an IDP camp in Mogadishu, witnesses and officials said Sunday.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=8594
Official: Ten die of hunger in southern Somalia
09 Jul -Source: Radio Shabelle – 144 words
At least ten people have died of hunger and starvation while they were traveling between the districts of Luq and Dolow in Gedo region, southern Somalia, according to Mohamed Abdi Kalil, the governor of Gedo region.
Puntland forces fire warning shots at British warship off Somali coast
09 Jul – Source: Hiiraan Online – 276 words
Security forces from Puntland reportedly fired warning shots at a British warship that anchored near the coastline of the semi – autonomous region. The provincial commissioner of Sanaag region, Mohanmud Dabayl said the war ship sailed towards Laasqoray, a strategic port town in the north of Somalia which is part of a territory disputed by the Puntland and Somaliland authorities.
http://www.hiiraan.com/news2/2011/July/puntland_forces_fired_warninig_shorts_at_british_war ship_off_somali_coast.aspx
Aerial attacks against al Shabaab will continue: Somali official says
09 Jul – Source: Radio Shabelle – 147 words
Aerial attacks targeting top al Shabaab leaders in Somalia will continue, according to Deputy Defense Minister, Abdirashid Mohamed Hidig. The primary aim of the air strikes is to force al Qaeda’s foreign militants fighting alongside al Shabaab to leave the country or be killed, he said.
Somali PM, Puntland leader discuss cabinet appointments in Nairobi
10 Jul- Source: Shabelle- 131 words
The prime minister, Abdweli Mohamed Ali and Abdurrahman Mohamoud Farole the president of Puntland have reportedly held discussions about cabinet appointments in Nairobi, Kenya.
http://shabelle.net/article.php?id=8574
Government estimates 9,474 IDPs reach the capital
10 Jul- Source: Raxanreeb- 247 words
The ministry of health estimates that 9,474 new internal displaced people have reached Mogadishu in recent weeks. 253 new displaced families arrive on a daily basis into the capital from regions in southern Somalia according to a report released by the ministry of health.
http://www.raxanreeb.com/?p=103026
Al Shabaab bans Khat in southern Somalia
09 Jul – Source: Mareeg Online – 118 words
Al Shabaab has reportedly banned the use of Khat mainly in Afgoi, a town 30 kilometers south of Mogadishu including other towns in southern Somalia, officials said on Saturday.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.php?sid=20335&tirsan=3
Somaliland President meets with British foreign secretary
08 Jul – Source: Somaliland Press – 243 words
President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo met with the British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Friday in Addis Ababa to discuss bilateral, humanitarian and regional issues.
http://somalilandpress.com/somaliland-president-meets-british-foreign-secretary-22920
MP: Internal rifts erupt within al Shabaab
09 Jul – Source: Shabelle – 180 words
Infighting between the leadership of al Shabaab has erupted after the decision to lift the ban on aid agencies from operating in Somalia was announced, according to Salad Ali Jelle, a member of parliament.
http://www.shabelle.net/article.php?id=8527
Al Shabaab blocks residents from accessing humanitarian assistance
09 Jul – Source: Mareeg Online – 203 words
According to reports, al Shabaab has prevented residents trying to access humanitarian assistance near the border between Somalia and Kenya from leaving Kismayo in Lower Jubba, southern Somalia.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.php?sid=20330&tirsan=3
REGIONAL MEDIA
Bibhu Prasad Routray: Weakening the Al Qaeda Structure: Brick by brick
10 Jul – Source: Alarabiya -730 words
The anti-Al Qaeda operations of the United States have gained in strength and have been able to neutralize top leaders directly or indirectly affiliated with the terrorist movement. Since the 2 May killing of Osama Bin Laden, the US drone strikes have been able to kill at least three senior terrorist leaders affiliated with the al Qaeda.
http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2011/07/10/157056.html
AU plans new Somali battle rules
09 Jul- Source: Daily Nation- 540 words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) held a “very successful” seminar in the Rwandan capital that brought together experts on international and humanitarian law with the aim of enhancing the protection of civilians as the AU battles militants in Mogadishu.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/AU+plans+new+Somali+battle+rules+/-/1066/1198194/- /12us241/-/
July 11 marked amid tight security
10 Jul – Source: New Vision – 506 words
THE Police and other security agencies have stepped up security in Kampala and the countryside as Uganda today honours those killed in last year’s twin bombings. (…) “The extra security is a precaution against any possible terrorist attack and retaliation for the killing of their fellow militias in Somalia by the AMISOM troops. We cannot take any chances anymore. They have been issuing continuous threats during this period. We suspect they are targeting the commemorations. We are not ready to lose more lives,” the Uganda Police Force deputy spokesperson, Vincent Ssekate, told the press in Kampala.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/759902
Kenya’s neighbours reluctant to host courts to try Somali pirates
10 Jul- Source: Daily Nation- 569 words
Regional states have balked at hosting a specialised Somali court to try suspected pirates, a report prepared by the United Nations (UN) secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to the Security Council states. Only Tanzania has expressed readiness to host the extraterritorial court, but is demanding full international co-operation, including sufficient funding, among other forms of support.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Kenyas+neighbours+reluctant+to+host+courts/-/1056/1197498/- /c0wu25z/-/
The Somali conundrum
10 Jul – Source: Khaleej Times – 383 words
The horn of Africa is back in news. Somalia’s human tragedy tale has taken a new turn as millions sit on the brink of malnutrition. The country is deep in the throes of hunger, and poverty has taken a toll in all walks of socio-economic life. To add further misery is its unending political strife that has denied the east African country of its future.
Urgent plight of Somalia’s child refugees
09 Jul – Source: Al Jazeera – 02:33 The international community has finally taken notice of Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp in Kenya. But doctors say the situation is becoming increasingly worse, and that more aid is needed.
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/07/20117912512492331.html
UK agencies to aid 10m hit by drought
10 Jul- Source: Daily Nation- 558 words
Fourteen UK aid agencies have launched a joint appeal to help more than 10 million people across Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan deal with their worst drought in over half a century. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) chief executive Brendan Gormley said the aid agencies, which include Oxfam, Christian Aid, the Red Cross and Cafod, “have a duty to help quickly before the situation spirals out of control”.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/UK+agencies+to+aid+10m+hit+by+drought++/-/1056/1197816/- /unfhtuz/-/
AU peacekeeping unit set to boost security for Somalis
09 Jul- Source: Daily Nation- 250 Words
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.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Senior Shabaab commander rumored to have been killed in recent predator strike
09 Jul- Source: Long War Journal – 616 words
A senior Shabaab commander, Ibrahim al Afghani, who fought in Afghanistan and has close ties with al Qaeda is reported to have been killed in the Predator airstrike that took place in southern Somalia late last month. The report is unconfirmed.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/07/senior_shabaab_comma_1.php
Somali terror group curtailed
10 Jul – Source: Washington Times 684 words
A Somali-based terrorist group sent an unmistakable message a year ago Monday when it bombed two nightclubs here: It had the ability and determination to strike outside Somalia, the failed, violent nation on the Horn of Africa. (…) A year later, however, al Shabab has scored only one follow-up attack outside Somalia, when a grenade detonated prematurely and killed three people beside a Kampala Coach bus in Nairobi, Kenya, in December. Its goal of turning Somalia into an Islamic state looks ever more improbable.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/10/somali-terror-group-curtailed/?page=2
7 soldiers die in battle for Mogadishu
10 Jul – Source: Press TV – 198 words
At least seven Somali soldiers have been killed in bitter clashes between al-Shabaab fighters and transitional government troops in Mogadishu.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/188372.html
UN: Somalia drought is worst humanitarian crisis
10 Jul – Source: AP, The Telegraph – 717 words
The head of the U.N. refugee agency said Sunday that drought-ridden Somalia is the “worst humanitarian disaster” in the world after meeting with refugees who endured unspeakable hardship to reach the world’s largest refugee camp.
Somalia recognizes independence of South Sudan
10 Jul – Source: Xinhua – 240 words
The Somali government on Sunday announced that it has formally recognized the independence of South Sudan after the newest African state celebrated its sovereignty on Saturday, state radio reported.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7434887.html
Somalis gather in internal camps to escape drought
09 Jul – Source: BBC – 303 words
Camps of people fleeing East Africa’s worsening drought have started forming inside Somalia, says medical aid agency Medicine Sans Frontieres. One camp had more than doubled in size in a matter of days, and now holds around 5,000 people. The aid agency can provide medical help, but has no food to give them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14092363
UN refugee chief calls for drought aid inside Somalia
09 Jul – Source : BBC – 952 words
Some of the youngest refugees are too weak to eat, too weak to cry The head of the United Nations refugee agency, Antonio Guterres, says he wants aid agencies to go into Somalia to help drought victims.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14096163
500 000 children face death in Horn
10 Jul- Source: Times Live- 123 words
The lives of half a million children in the Horn of Africa are at risk, according to international aid agencies, as the worst drought in decades forces thousands of people to flee their homes each day.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/2011/07/10/500-000-children-face-death-in-horn
CULTURE/BLOGS/EDITORIAL
Museveni Versus al Shabab
11 Jul: Souce: Wall Street Journal- 109
Days after al Shabab bombed two Kampala nightspots in the closing minutes of the World Cup last year, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni vowed to crush the al Qaeda-linked, Somaliabased terror group. One by one, with the exception of tiny Burundi, African nations began to distance themselves from Mr. Museveni’s zeal, arguing that greater involvement in the Horn would make the continent less safe.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812104576437680269912792.html?mod=go oglenews_wsj