February 20, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Heavy fighting in Mogadishu kills 2 civilians

20 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle – 115 words

The fighting flared up in mid last night at Ex-control of Afgoye checkpoint on the outskirts of Somalia capital Mogadishu controlled by Somali government forces, killing two civilians in the area while injuring unconfirmed number of people.

Ahmed Yare, one of TFG troop officers at Ex-control Afgoye checkpoint told Shabelle that his army managed to push back the attacking militants from the area, inflicting casualties on al Shabaab during the battle. Al Shabaab did not make any comments about the Somali military claim so far.

Key Headlines

Somalia’s Prime Minister en route to Brussels (Radio Mogadishu)
Al Qaeda & al Shabaab merger put further twist to Somali crisis: Politician ( Shabelle)
Heavy fighting in Mogadishu kills 2 civilians (Radio Shabelle)
Arab League calls for UN support to boost AU troops in Somalia ( Radio Bar-kulan)
‘UAE will remain key aid provider to Somalia’ (Khaleej Times)
Military tension rises in southern Somalia regions ( Shabelle)
Kenyan troops strike key al Shabaab town (Daily Nation)
ICU supporters form new political party in Mogadishu ( Somalia Report)
500 al Shabaab militants flee to Yemen ( Mareeg Online)
Somali Islamists attack Kenyan police outpost ( Capital News/AFP )
AMISOM Official welcomes expected troop increase (VOA)
Briton on trial over Kenyan bomb plot (Guardian)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somalia’s Prime Minister en route to Brussels

20 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 127 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is to start an official two-day visit to Brussels, Belgium. The Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali received a formal invitation from the leaders of European Union where he is expected to discuss with the issues of Somalia, the progress made on the Roadmap and the Garowe conference which all ended with good results.

Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is scheduled to hold talks with the European leaders including the head of the EU José Manuel Barroso and other leaders. The premier is also lined up for meetings with European Union Security Council and also Belgium leaders. The premier will also meet with the Somali Diaspora in Belgium to keep them abreast of the latest development in the country.

Heavy fighting in Mogadishu kills 2 civilians

20 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle – 115 words

Two people were killed and many others wounded in heavy fighting between Somali government soldiers backed by AU peacekeeping troops and al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants occurred overnight in Mogadishu, witnesses say. The fighting flared up in mid last night at Ex-control of Afgoye checkpoint on the outskirts of Somalia capital Mogadishu controlled by Somali government forces, killing two civilians in the area while injuring unconfirmed number of people.

Al Qaeda & al Shabaab merger put further twist to Somali crisis: Politician

20 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 168 words

Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar, Spokesman for Hil Qaran party and a well-known Somali politician said the merger of al Shabaab and al Qaeda will cast shadow and constrains on the country’s crisis.

Giving an exclusive interview to Shabelle Media via telephone while in Washington D.C, Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar said that his party does seem this shift of al Qaeda-al Shabaab merger would make the political processes harder, saying al Shabaab has already opposed people to move forward.

Professor Samatar noted that al Qaeda-al Shabaab combination may slide the country into a new colonization from world powers, pointing out that both groups will take the responsibility. Mr. Samatar called on people to unite and fight against terror groups in order to avoid colony and foreign military interventions in the pretext of war against al Shabaab-al Qaeda in the country.

Arab League calls for UN support to boost AU troops in Somalia

20 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 175 words

The Arab League has called on the United Nations to back efforts to increase the African Union Force in Somalia and provide these troops with all logistic and financial aid.

In a final communiqué following an extraordinary meeting in Cairo, the Arab League council hailed the role played by the African Union peacekeepers in Somalia and called for increased number of these troops up to about 18,000 soldiers. It also said the Arab League will support all efforts meant to stabilize the war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation of Somalia.

The statement called for broader cooperation and coordination among all Arab League, African Union, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations to render Somalia transitional period successful. The council underlined the importance of offering support to the transitional Somali government to achieve reconciliation among all warring parties, rebuild state institutions and provide citizenry with basic needs.

ICU supporters form new political party in Mogadishu

19 Feb – Source: Somalia Report – 384 words

Top former officials of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) who had previously supported the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) on Saturday declared in Mogadishu the formation of a new political party which they called Midnimo (Unity). They said that the party will work towards the cooperation and unity of Somalia. According to party officials, the formation of this party follows ten months of consultation and meetings which took place inside and outside of the country.

The chairman of the party Sheikh Umar Dahir Abdurahman Mahamed who delivered a speech at the declaration ceremony in Hotel Nasa Hablod II in Mogadishu on Saturday said that the party was formed by the members of the Islamic courts who gave peace a chance but can be joined by any Somali individual with the same intentions.

“The aim of the party is to work closely on to bring together and reunite the Somali people, while learning from the problems existing in our country for almost a quarter century,” said Sheikh Umar. He also stated that the party will welcome anybody who wants to work towards the common interests and unity of Somali people and gave special mention to the meeting which takes place in London, saying that it will be based on Somali interests.

In the ceremony, it was mentioned that the party consist of 48 members, 43 of whom were named in the declaration party while five other members live around the world. The prominent members of the party include Sheikh Abdirahman Isse Addow who was the former spokesman for the ICU, MP Abdinasir Gaarane Mahamed who was one of the ICU’s top officials, Dr Abdirisak Aden Warsame, Sheikh Abdirahman Mohamed Ali, Sheikh Abdikalik Abdulahi Hamza and others. There is one woman as a member of the party.

Sheikh Qaaliq Abdulaahi was chosen as deputy chairman, while Abdurahman Mahamed Ali was selected as general secretary. All the members were selected through election. This meeting which led to the declaration of this new party went on for three days.

Somaliland: Delegation led by President Silanyo leave for London Somali Conference

19 Feb – Source: Somaliland Press – 341 words

Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo left the country on Saturday leading delegation to the London Somali summit where Somaliland was invited to participate in the conference. Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo and his delegation will make a short stop over at Kenya before departing to London.

The delegation headed by the president is accompanied by Ministers, MP’s and members of opposition parties. Speaking to local press, the president reiterated that they will present Somaliland case at the conference as he said “forty five countries are invited to attend the conference in order to find a lasting solution to Somalia and issues affecting the region”.

The president clarified that Somaliland was extended an invitation to attend the summit which is scheduled to take place on 23 Feb 2012 at London thus giving Somaliland an opportunity to make their case heard and will bring our issue on the table. The president expressed his commitment that they will make their voice heard by every attendee at the conference.

Military tension rises in southern Somalia regions

20 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 160 words

Reports from Bay and Bakol regions of southern Somalia say on Monday that there is tension of possible battle between allied forces from TFG, Ethiopia and al Qaeda linked rebels of al Shabaab. Residents in Bardale, El-barde and Yeed districts in Bay and Bakol regions of southern Somalia where Somalia government soldiers backed by Ethiopian troops are advancing towards the town which are under the control of the militants.

Witnesses in Berdale town told Shabelle Media by phone that al Shabaab fighters in the area are making military exercise and fortifying their defences against the allied forces moving to their stronghold towns.

A TFG military official in region confirmed to Shabelle Media on condition of anonymity that tha allied armies are getting ready to take over the towns of Hudur and Wajid soon, two militant-held districts near the border between Somalia and Ethiopia.

Oman sends aid to Somalia

19 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 128 words

Oman has sent more than 1,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Somalia, where hundreds of thousand have been displaced by the recent drought and famine that has hit the Horn of Africa.

The Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO) on Saturday dispatched a private ship carrying aid amounting to more than 1,000 tonnes of medicines, medical equipment, food stuff and shelter materials for the displaced and famine-hit people in north of the country.

Reports say that Omani Relief Team will head today to the city of Berbera to receive the aid and distribute them at the camps and the hospitals in the northern cities of Somalia. The Sultanate has earlier sent aid to famine-affected areas in Somalia, which was by then facing the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world.

500 al Shabaab militants flee to Yemen

19 Feb – Source: Mareeg Online, Hadhwanaag Times – 133 words

Somali embassy in Yemeni capital Sanaa disclosed on Sunday that 500 militants from al Shabaab have reached in the country to join al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula. Hussein Hajji Ahmed, Somali Ambassador in Yemen told the Media during an interview that the militants began fleeing from Somalia into Yemen in the past few weeks to merge with al Qaeda operatives in the region.

Mr. Ahmed noted that the merger of al Shabaab and al Qaeda has enabled the militants to come in Yemen to show more collaboration and support each other. He said this move created fear among Somali immigrants who live in refugee camps in Yemen. Somali ambassador said the security forces of Yemen have not so far succeeded in arresting al Shabaab linked sympathizers and operatives in the country.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenyan troops strike key al Shabaab town

20 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 327 words

Kenyan troops intensified attacks on al Shabaab in Somalia with air strikes on a key rebel settlement at the weekend. They carried out air strikes in Xaayo Town, 30 kilometres from Billis Qooqani Town on their way to Afmadow. The commander of Kenya’s forces in central Somalia, Lt Col Jeff Nyagah, said al Shabaab insurgents had concentrated most of their logistical material and war tanks in southern Somalia. “We have not estimated the damages caused by the attack,” Lt Col Nyagah said.

Kenyan forces went into Somalia last year in an attempt to crush the al Shabaab militia group that was accused of abducting tourists and civil servants besides grenade attacks in the country. On Sunday, Lt Col Nyagah said they had noted an increase in population in the towns that had been liberated by the Kenya Defence Forces.

He cited Hosingow and Dhobley as towns whose populations had risen after being liberated. He said that in the recently liberated Hosingow, the population had increased from 150 to 500 people.

Somali Islamists attack Kenyan police outpost

20 Feb – Source: Capital News/ AFP – 216 words

Gunmen believed to be Somali al Shabaab insurgents killed a Kenyan policeman in the northeastern border region with war-torn Somalia, the latest in a string of attacks, police said Sunday.

“We lost one officer in the raid late on Friday night, and another person shot in the attack is still in hospital,” a senior police officer in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The attack took place at Fafi in Garissa district, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the frontier with Somalia. “One rifle loaded with at least 20 bullets was stolen by gunmen, who escaped to Somalia,” the police officer added. Regional police chief Leo Nyongesa confirmed the attack, adding that no arrests had been made but that “the attackers are being sought.”

‘UAE will remain key aid provider to Somalia’

19 Feb – Source: Khaleej Times – 490 words

The UAE government and people have been and will remain a major contributor and provider of all forms of support and aid to Somalia, Faris al Mazrouei, Assistant UAE Foreign Minister for Security and Military Affairs, affirmed today at a pan-Arab meeting.
“Over the elapsed three years, the UAE pledged over AED 100 million in humanitarian and financial assistance to Somalia and has provided healthcare services to about 770,000.

children and elderly people in addition to other 450,000 cases in the north of the country. It also opened Hanano Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Mogadishu to boost the health sector,” al Mazrouei to the extraordinary meeting of Arab League council at the permanent representatives level.

The meeting aimed at exploring ways of supporting Somalia and crystalising a unified Arab stance which will be presented at international conference on Somalia the UK will host later this week. On 23 February senior representatives from over 40 governments and multi-lateral organisations will come together in London with the aim of delivering a new international approach to Somalia. They will discuss how the international community can step-up its efforts to tackle both the root causes and effects of the problems in the country.

Arab Ministerial Council calls for support to help Somalia in transition

19 Feb – Source: Saudi Press Agency – 179 words

Cairo-based Permanent Representatives of Arab countries to the Arab League called in a meeting here today for helping Arab League (AL) member country Somalia to cross the current unstable transitional phase to a country run by stable government establishments.

Chaired by Qatar’s Permanent Representative to Arab League Saleh bin Abdullah Albu-Einain, the Al Ministerial Council, whose Arab Foreign Ministers constitute its highest level, welcomed the steady improvement in the security situation at the Somali arena.

The meeting also called for the provision of more assistance to Somalia, including the expansion of the African Peace-keeping Mission in Somalia to 17731 from 12,000, the provision of United Nations logistic support for the African force and the participation of Arab and African countries to send additional peace-keeping forces to help spread the African force in Somalia.

The Arab League senior officials also underscored the importance of providing contingent support for the Somalian government to rehabilitate the country. They also called for an expanded humanitarian Arab conference to look for the best ways to confront the impact of drought and displacement in Somalia.

Somalia: Citizens Reject Al Shabaab Merger With Al Qaeda

17 Feb – Source: Magharebia – 973 words

Somali citizens marched through downtown Mogadishu on Wednesday (February 15th) to denounce the recent merger between al Shabaab and al Qaeda. President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told the crowd, “This country is for Somalis and not for foreign fighters like al Qaeda – we do not tolerate their violence any longer.”

“We have suffered enough and do not want more violence: al Qaeda should stop meddling with Somalia’s affairs and leave our country,” protestor Suleiman Mumin told AFP. “Al Qaeda and al Shabaab have said, ‘no to life’ in Somalia, so everyone is ready to fight against them now,” Mumin said.

The unprecedented protest march through the capital city followed a video announcement by al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri that Somalia’s Harakat al Shabaab al-Mujahideen had officially joined the global al Qaeda terror network. The February 9th video featured al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane (aka Abu Zubair) pledging an oath of loyalty to al-Zawahiri, who then confirmed the merger.

Four suspected Somali pirates handed over in Mombasa

19 Feb – Source: Coastweek, Xinhua – 387

Four suspected Somali pirates who were captured by a Danish warship in the Indian Ocean were handed over to Kenyan authorities by the Netherlands Navy on Saturday. The four suspects who were handed over to Kenya police in the coastal city of Mombasa were arrested in January.

According to sources privy to the arrests and investigations, the suspects, aged between 17-20 years, are hard core suspected pirates, and were in a group of eight, with the rest being handed over to the Seychelles authorities before the naval ship docked in Kenya. Sources said the pirates were 25 in total, and that others were dropped at the Somali shores.

The handing over of the suspects is a positive indication that the international community and Kenyan government has now renewed cooperation in the fight over pirates, several months after the government expressed its frustrations over the process.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

AMISOM Official welcomes expected troop increase

20 Feb – Source: VOA – 421 words

A spokesman for the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, has welcomed the news that the U.N.Security Council will vote this week to increase the size of AMISOM forces from 12,000 to nearly 18,000.

AMISON is battling the Somali militant group al Shabaab, which warned over the weekend that it will step up its bombing campaign in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for AMISOM, saod the peacekeepers need the additional troops and what he calls “force enablers,” such as helicopters, maritime assets and engineers.

“We requested for an increment to at least 17,000 to deploy another 6,000 in other sectors of the country. We need more force enablers; we need helicopters; we need maritime assets; we need engineers. All these will be very, very crucial to help us launch phase two of the operation,” he said.
Ankunda said AMISOM welcomed the contribution of Kenyan troops in the fight against al Shabaab and was anxiously awaiting the passage of the U.N. Security Council resolution.

“First of all, we welcome the Kenyan troops that were in the south. What we need now is the United Nations Security Council resolution so that they can transfer to the A.U. Mission. Now, the fact that they will be deploying in the south, that means that they help us launch more easily into Phase II, because Phase II we were supposed to take over part of south Somalia, including key al Shabaab cities like Kismayo,” Ankunda said.

Somalia: Far from a failed state?

20 Feb – Source: BBC News (UK) – 600 words

With some sectors of Somalia’s economy booming, BBC Africa analyst and Somalia specialist Mary Harper argues there are reasons to hope for the war-torn country’s future. Leaders from more than 50 countries and international organisations, including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, are due to gather this week for the London Conference on Somalia.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has managed to convince all these powerful people to come to London because Somalia is seen as the world’s most comprehensively failed state, representing a threat to itself, the Horn of Africa region and the wider world. The conference will focus on three issues that have already had far-reaching and devastating consequences: Piracy, terrorism and famine.

But away from the headlines and the stereotypical media images of skeletal children, skinny pirates in tiny skiffs, and gun-wielding Islamist insurgents, their heads wrapped in black and white scarves, there is another side to the Somali story that is positive, enterprising and hopeful. Remarkable things are happening which could serve as models for a new start.

It may come as a surprise that, despite coming top of the world’s Failed State Index for the past four years in a row, Somalia ranks in the top 50% of African countries on several key development indicators. A study by the US-based Independent Institute found that Somalia came near the bottom on only three out of 13 indicators: Infant mortality; access to improved water resources and immunisation rates.

It came in the top 50% in crucial indicators like child malnutrition and life expectancy, although this may have changed since last year’s famine. “Far from chaos and economic collapse, we found that Somalia is generally doing better than when it had a state,” said the institute.

“Urban businessmen, international corporations, and rural pastoralists have all functioned in a stateless Somalia, achieving standards of living for the country that are equal or superior to many other African nations.” ‘Freewheeling capitalism’ Of course many people in Somalia have suffered horribly during the past 20 years of state collapse, but some sectors of the economy, both traditional and modern, are positively booming.

Briton on trial over Kenyan bomb plot

19 Feb – Source: Guardian – 605 words

A British man charged with possessing explosives is to go on trial in Kenya in a case highlighting fears that Somalia may become a new training ground for terrorists under the Islamist rebels al Shabaab.

Jermaine Grant’s trial in Mombasa opens on Monday three days before Britain hosts a conference in London to formulate an fresh international approach to the crisis in Somalia, where al Shabaab is fighting African Union peacekeepers, as well as Somali, Kenyan and Ethiopian forces.

Grant, 29, from Newham, east London, was arrested with three others in Mombasa in December and charged with possessing explosives and planning to use them in an attack in Kenya. Kenyan police said he had also been questioned about possible links with al Shabaab, which has already carried out deadly attacks in Kenya and Uganda.

UN leader welcomes Somali deal

19 Feb – Source: iol.co.za, Sapa, AFP – 399 words

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday invited Somalia’s leaders to engage in “full and timely implementation” of a weekend deal on the future government of the war-ravaged country.

Somalia’s president, the presidents of the breakaway Puntland and Galmudug regions, and the commander of the powerful anti-Shabaab militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa signed the deal on Saturday under UN auspices.

The accord signed in the northern town of Garowe proposes a parliamentary system for anarchic Somalia to replace the country’s fragile transitional body, with both Puntland and Galmudug recognised as states within a federal system.

“The secretary general applauds the spirit of unity and commitment demonstrated by the road map signatories,” the United Nations said in a statement.Ban “particularly welcomes the inclusion of a minimum of 30 percent women in the Independent Electoral Commission, the Constituent Assembly and the new Federal Parliament”, the statement said.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“In Somalia, nowhere to hide; and the agenda for this month’s London Conference shows that the UK government now recognises that there is no point trying to hide the failure of all previous foreign efforts to stabilise Somalia. Somaliland, which has largely been ignored by the outside world, has a stability that is home-grown. Finding ways to support Somaliland and the other, less secure, autonomous regions Puntland and Galmudug, is on the London agenda.” “African-led military operations will be needed and establishing sustainable funding for Amisom is another important aim of the Conference. Al Shabaab has just been ‘welcomed’ into the al Qaeda family by Osama bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and remains one of the most serious global security challenges. Disrupting piracy and terrorism training camps are also on the security agenda for the London meeting.

Somalia: Can Amisom cause a miracle?

20 Feb – Source: Daily Monitor – 2036 Words

“In Somalia, nowhere to hide!” These are words of Major Duncan Kashoma who was wounded in Mogadishu five years ago while serving in the The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) force. Major Kashoma was hit by shrapnel from an 83mm mortar shell – a large and devastating weapon in an urban battlefield. His chest and abdomen were ripped open. “My intestines came out. I didn’t realise. I was trying to find out what had happened to my soldiers. I didn’t know I was hit until someone told me!” Six Ugandan soldiers died that day, among the first Ugandan casualties. Major Kashoma didn’t stop bleeding for three days, by which time he was in a Nairobi hospital. He is waiting for further surgery on his legs and his body still carries shrapnel fragments, some are still in his eyes.

As the London Conference on Somalia takes place on Wednesday, Uganda People’s Defence Forces chief, Gen Aronda Nyakairima, says the situation has changed in Mogadishu since five years ago. With Amisomforces controlling Somalia’s capital, and Kenya on the offensive from the south, Somalis could see light at the end of the tunnel soon.

“But how to fix Somalia? Sensibly ruling out military involvement (apart from anything else, it’s simply too expensive for Britain’s economised army), Britain hit upon a better idea, an idea honed over generations of colonial government: let’s just tell the unruly natives what to do. Bring them all together in London, show them a few of our big shiny buildings to make sure they know how powerful we are and then solve their problems for them. In one day.”

Analysis: Britain’s rudderless ride to Somalia’s rescue

20 Feb – Source: Daily Maverick – 1212 Words

Peace conferences are generally good ideas. Talking is always better than fighting and conference rooms are safer than battlefields, for everyone.

So that’s why the talks in London on Thursday to address the vexed and varied problems of Somalia should be such welcome news. There will be plenty of important Somalis present, lots of even more important diplomats and the conference venue is none other than Lancaster House. Britain’s diplomats are so excited about this initiative that they even designated a Twitter hashtag (#LDNSomalia), which was for a few weeks used exclusively and enthusiastically by British diplomats themselves, until it was adopted by a wider audience.

Underpinning all this enthusiasm is the optimism of naïveté. Britain is still on an adrenalin high after its Libyan adventure, which was a boost to David Cameron’s popularity if nothing else. Suddenly, intervention doesn’t seem so scary. And what country is in greater need than Somalia, the two-decade-old basket case on the Horn of Africa? That’s right. There’s no better opportunity. If Britain can solve Somalia, if it can fix a failed state, then clearly it still matters.

“Is this the last chance for Somalia, I asked, a nation that has proved at the very least to be frustrating? There have been 16 international conferences on Somalia in the past, though none hosted by a member of the UN Security Council such as the UK. President Ahmed said: “At every conference it has been said it is the last chance for Somalia.”

World ‘Must Share Blame’ For Somalia’s Problems

20 Feb – Source: Sky News – 1015 Words

Somalia’s president has all the trappings. An entourage that speaks in whispers, bodyguards who speak into their sleeves, a soldier in a red beret guarding his office, creaking leather furniture and an official residence called Villa Somalia.

He has some prestige too. He will lead talks at an international conference which will open in London on Thursday on the future of his country. Twenty years of civil war and criminally-fuelled anarchy has meant that Somalia has the distinction of being the world’s most failed state.

The only relatively peaceful part of the former nation is the autonomous region of Somaliland, a reluctant participant in the London conference. Puntland, semi-stable but blighted as the headquarters of the Somali pirate industry, is going along. So are warlords and leaders from self-styled regions like Azania, on the Kenyan border, Jubaland in the south, and various other clan-based groups.

“It is an exaggeration to say that some tribes in Somaliland are forming their own administrations and Somaliland is crumbling from inside, as again incorrectly indicated by the Aljazeera report. That is very untoward and far from the truth; Somaliland has had exemplary internationally monitored multiple free and fair elections since 2001. There is no Arab country that can match Somaliland’s record in democracy and human rights. Thus, the Arab and Muslim worlds must be proud for what Somaliland has achieved without or with diminutive external help.”

London Conference on Somalia: fears and Expectations a biased report from Aljazeera

19 Feb – Source: Somaliland Press – 848 Words

On February 16th, 2012 The Aljazeera centre for media research published a report in its Arabic website that is misleading, superficial and lacks the neutral stance that Aljazeera is known to offer to its faithful followers from all over the world. This departure from factual and unbiased information will only damage the brilliant stature and the credibility of Aljazeera. Aljazeera reporters, editors and researchers must do a thrall research and do justice to all before they embark on publishing a prejudiced and damaging report such as the one in hand.

It is inaccurate to say that Somaliland got its independence from Great Britain on June 27th 1960 as the Aljazeera report indicates. Somaliland got its independence from Britain on June 26th, 1960. Furthermore, the author of the report ignores to highlight the cause of Somaliland’s recuperation of its independence from Somalia.

Top tweets

@digitaldjeli Politicians have made a profitable business out of making #Somalia not work says Mary Harper but isn’t that true of lots of places in Africa?

@ZizoZeliaye Politics in #Somalia don’t matter to me. Cause somalida lack the understanding of compromise for greater good. #uwillneversucceed

@Conflict Media #Somaliaconference should be held in Addis Abeba since Ethiopia is the entity with most influence on Somali politics. #LDNSomalia

@SomaliThinker I don’t understand why British Journos and diplomats, all over sudden, want us to believe UK is delivering heaven to Somalia. #LDNSomalia

@masaafur Arab League members called for the organization of an Arab conference to tackle the humanitarian situation in #Somalia, good idea.

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Image of the day

Image of the day Somali intelligent agency displays some of the explosives intercepted over the weekend from two vehicles in Mogadishu