February 21, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

1 soldier killed as TFG, al Shabaab battle in Mogadishu

20 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 166 words

At least one soldier was killed and an unconfirmed number of others were injured as pro-government troops and al Shabaab battle in the north of the Somalia capital, Mogadishu, military officials say on Monday. The fighting erupted in the early hours on Monday morning when al Shabaab fighters launched an attack on TFG and AMISOM bases in bases at Jamhuriyah village in Mogadishu’s northern district of Karan with both sides.

Key Headlines

AMISOM Force Commander meets with Mayor UN over Afgoye returnees ( Source: AMISOM Force HQ)
President Sharif meets his Djiboutian counterpart (Source: Radio Bar-kulan)
President Sharif blames Somali pirates for supporting the terrorists (Source: Radio Kulmiye)
David Cameron calls on world to tackle problems of Somalia (Source: AP)
Trade Minister calls on Somali diaspora to return and rebuild Somalia (Source: Radio Mogadishu)
Trade Minister calls on Somali diaspora to return and rebuild Somalia (Source: Radio Mogadishu)
Official: EU set to support expanded Somali force (Source: AP )
KDF won’t talk with al Shabaab on kidnaps (Source: The Star)

PRESS STATEMENT

AMISOM Force Commander meets with Mayor, UN over Afgoye returnees

20 Feb – Source: AMISOM Force HQ – 327 words

As civilians continue to flee to Mogadishu from insurgent held areas, AMISOM officials have held meetings with local authorities in the capital to coordinate efforts and ensure they are looked after.

Over the weekend AMISOM Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha and his deputy, Brig. Gen. Audace Nduwumunsi held discussions on the issue with the Deputy Mayor of Mogadishu, Mr. Mohammed Iman Icar. Gen Mugisha later met with the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Mogadishu, Mr Kilian Kleinschmidt.

The city Mayor said government was making arrangements to receive the civilians seeking protection while working with other stakeholders to provide them with immediate needs as appropriate.
Gen. Mugisha said AMISOM was seeking to liberate the population in Afgoye, provide access to the humanitarian community and secure the people of Mogadishu.

“These meetings are part of ongoing consultations with local authorities to ensure that civilians are protected. Afgoye Corridor is home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, many of whom had initially fled fighting in Mogadishu, and is controlled by al Shabaab, the Al Qaeda backed militants, who have prevented aid agencies from accessing the beleaguered population. ” he said.

“Afgoye is also used as a centre for planning and coordinating terrorist attacks on the civilian population in Mogadishu and it is no secret that Al Qaeda leaders frequently hold meetings there to plan such attacks,” he added.

“AMISOM understands and appreciates the concerns of the humanitarian community. However, the choice is either to leave Afgoye in the hands of Al Qaeda or to liberate its people. In any future operations, AMISOM will, as it has done in Mogadishu, take all measures to minimize harm to the civilian population,” he said.

In August 2011, AMISOM helped expel the Al Qaeda backed militants from Mogadishu, significantly improving the security situation and allowing international aid agencies to deliver supplies to the city. Partly as a result, the humanitarian situation in the country has eased and in January, the UN declared that the famine had ended.

SOMALI MEDIA

President Sharif meets his Djiboutian counterpart

20 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 109 words

President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed meets his Djiboutian counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh in Djibouti, where they discussed range of issues, including bilateral relations between the two countries and the upcoming London conference. Speaking to the press after the meeting, President Sharif said his meeting with the Djiboutian leaders was aimed at coming up with a common agenda before attending the London conference.

1 soldier killed as TFG, al Shabaab battle in Mogadishu
20 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 166 words

President Sharif blames Somali pirates for supporting the terrorists

20 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 159 words

Somali president Sheikh Sharif Ahmed accuses Somali pirates of supporting al Shabaab. Mr Sharif says most of the pirate groups have already funded the terrorist group. “We are aware that the pirates are helping the terrorist group of al Shabaab, they are (destined) the same fate”.

Scholars say 5th grade curriculum contains fundamental Islamic error

20 Feb – Source: Gaarowe Online – 316 words
Islamic scholars in the region of Mudug have met to discuss the new 5th grade curriculum which they say contains errors on a fundamental concept in Islam. The scholars who met in Galkayo on Saturday held a press conference in which they spoke of the 5th grade Islamic studies textbook which states that there are three forms of Tawhid. Tawheed in Islam is the oneness of God or monotheism which is the religion’s most fundamental concept.

Trade Minister calls on Somali diaspora to return and rebuild Somalia

20 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA -111 words

Deputy Somali Deputy PM and Trade and Industry Minister H. E Abdi Wahab Ugas Hussein has called on the Somali community abroad to play a crucial role in the rebuilding of the country. The Somali Deputy PM also called on the Somali Diaspora to return back home citing the improved security situation following the successful offensives by the Somali national army and the intelligence units.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somalia evicts squatters to rebuild

20 Feb – Source: Al Jazeera – 2:42 min

After 20 years of violence, the government of Somalia is looking to rebuild the capital, Mogadishu, but to do that, they have evicted hundreds of squatters who say they have nowhere to go.

KDF won’t talk with al Shabaab on kidnaps

20 Feb – Source: the Star – 456 words

The Kenya Defense Forces have ruled out any possibility of negotiating with the al Shabaab militia group in a bid to rescue the more than 10 Kenyans being held hostage in Somalia. Instead the forces have indicated that they will be relying on local people and religious groups who support the attacks on the insurgents, in efforts to rescue the Kenyan captives.

Trial of Briton in bomb plot adjourned

20 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 414 words

The trial of a British citizen facing terrorism related charges was on Monday adjourned for two months after it emerged exhibits in the case have been sent to the United Kingdom for further analysis.

Mr Jermain Grant alias Ali Mohamed, a British citizen from Newham, east London, is charged of being in possession of explosive materials alongside Mr Fuad Abubakar and Ms Warda Breik.

President Kibaki to attend London conference on Somalia

20 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 312 words
President Kibaki is on Tuesday scheduled to make a three day official visit to the United Kingdom to attend the London Conference on Somalia.

The plane carrying President Kibaki and his delegation will depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly after 10.00 pm.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Official: EU set to support expanded Somali force

20 Feb – Source: AP – 123 words

An official says the European Union is willing to help pay for more African Union peacekeepers inSomalia in an effort to clear al Shabaab militants from the country.

The official, who could not be named under EU rules, said the bloc is prepared to provide “significant new resources” to help fund the force, and to help Somalia’s interim government return the nation to stability. He did not specify a figure.

David Cameron calls on world to tackle problems of Somalia

20 Feb – Source: Huffington post, AP – 404 words
David Cameron has called on the “whole of the world” to tackle the “incredibly difficult” problem of Somalia but admitted that people needed to be “realistic” about what could be achieved.

The prime minister was talking a few days ahead of the London Somali Conference on Thursday where representatives from more than 50 governments and international organisations, including US secretary of state Hilary Clinton, will gather to discuss how to tackle “piracy, terrorism, conflict, poverty and famine” in the east African country.

Warring parties put children at grave risk

21 Feb – Source: Reief Web – 795 words

Somalia’s warring parties have all failed to protect Somali children from the fighting or serving in their forces, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Islamist insurgent group al Shabaab has increasingly targeted children for recruitment, forced marriage, and rape, and attacked teachers and schools, Human Rights Watch said. “For children in Somalia, nowhere is safe,” said Zama Coursen-Neff, deputy children’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “Al Shabaab rebels have abducted children from their homes and schools to fight, for rape, and for forced marriage.”

Somalia looks to end of transition

20 Feb – Source: UPI News – 192 words

A constitutional conference in Somalia is an important step to ending the government’s transitional period, the U.N. secretary-general said.

Members of the Somali transitional government met with parliamentary leaders and representatives from the self-declared autonomous regions for a constitutional summit.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“I recently led a team of researchers who were tasked with investigating the role of the Somali diaspora in relief, development and peacebuilding for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). We conducted research in six diaspora cities – Dubai, London, Minneapolis, Nairobi, Oslo and Toronto, as well as in Somaliland, Puntland and south/central Somalia. Three of our six sites in the south were under the control of the Islamist al-Shabaab militia at the time, and three were allied with the transitional federal government.”
“We found that in all areas, the diaspora was heavily involved in promoting education, healthcare, public infrastructure and private enterprise. In the relatively peaceful north the emphasis was on post-conflict reconstruction and development, whereas in the south the more dire humanitarian picture meant more people were involved in providing life-saving support to their relatives and communities.”

What role for the diaspora in Somalia’s future?

20 Feb- Source: The Guardian- 826 Words
In the run-up to the 23 February London conference on Somalia, a flurry of meetings have been held with Somalis in the diaspora to elicit their thoughts on the way forward for the country. This kind of engagement may be unprecedented; the Foreign Office’s efforts to include as many people as possible in this consultation period have included several meetings with Somalis in the UK as well as in Nairobi and Qatar. The foreign minister, William Hague, hosted a Q&A via Twitter, and the FO has fostered discussion via that medium as well as on Facebook and its online blog.

“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.”

Somalia: Far from a failed state?

20 Feb- Source: BBC- 1318 Words
Leaders from more than 50 countries and international organisations, including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the US Secretary of State, Hilary 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.

Is the race stronger than culture?

20 Feb- SomaliaOnline Forum

I was having a lively discussion with one of my friends which is If a person was raised and lives under a different culture among people of different ethnicity, no contact with his culture or people, how would he react when he see his people for the first time? Will he feel identified or no?

Before I went to Somaliland last summer, I always defined myself as being “Somali”. Whenever someone asked me where I was from? I always responded with “I’m Somali”. I was very proud to be Somali and that for sure gave me something to hold onto as an identity in the Arab culture. but my major shock was that I didn’t understand the people there and there were times I felt I related more to Arabs than the Somalis there

After this experience I’ve come to realize that even though I’m racially Somali, I’m not culturally a real Somali because you can be a certain race, but not identify with it culturally which means in my opinion that culture is stronger than race.