February 22, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Al Shabaab wants girls to join war front against Somali govt

22 Feb – Source: Daily Monitor – 367 words

Sheikh Fu’ad Mohamed Khalaf Shongole, the chief of awareness raising of al Shabaab, the radical Islamist group opposing the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, has insisted that unmarried girls should join the Jihad (holy war) against the pro-government forces.

Addressing a congregation at the weekend at a mosque at Eelasha Biyaha, a large settlement south of Mogadishu where thousands of people who fled the wars in Mogadishu found refuge, Sheikh Shongole ordered parents to inspire the girls to fight for the Islamist movement. “At this stage of the jihad, fathers and mothers must send their unmarried girls to fight alongside the (male) militants,” Sheikh Shongole said.

He added that girls could form formidable fighting units in all the movement’s brigades. According to information periodically released by the movement, the main brigades include hooded fighters, landmine planters, and character targeting operatives, suicide bombers and beheading executers.

Al Shabaab had always employed men, especially young boys, to fight for the movement. However, it has recently been encouraging people from across society, including community elders, to join the struggle. Sheikh Shongole’s statement provoked anxiety among the girls and parents in areas controlled by al Shabaab, the movement which early this month merged with al Qaeda.

Key Headlines

President Sharif arrives in London (Radio Bar-kulan Radio Mogadishu Universal TV)
Statement by the United States Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador James Swan (US Embassy (Nairobi)
Joint forces heads towards Baidoa as al Shabaab fighters flee ( Radio Kulmiye)
TFG: al Shabaab will be expelled from Somalia (Shabelle Bar-kulan)
Al Shabaab quits two key Somali towns closes down Radio Andulus (Radio Shabelle Jowhar Online)
Ethiopian troops take Somali town from al Shabaab (Reuters)
Hillary Clinton to attend London meeting on Somalia ( Coast Week Xinhua)
UN to bolster Somalia peacekeeping troops by 5700 (BBC)
Al Shabaab wants girls to join war front against Somali govt (Daily Monitor)
The EU renewed its commitment to foster peace and security in Somalia (Europa)
Kenyan forces delay siege on Somalia’s Kismayu port (Coast Week Xinhua)
TFG soldiers sentenced to six months in prison (Radio Mogadishu Somalia Report)
AUC Chairperson welcomes foundation for new constitutional order in Somalia (Ethiopian News Agency)
Kenyan troops kill 14 al Shabaab militants (Standard )

PRESS STATEMENT

Statement by the United States Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador James Swan

21 Feb – Source: US Embassy (Nairobi) – 1064 words
The United States takes a comprehensive approach to Somalia – one that reflects the inter-related security, political, and humanitarian/development issues. Improving security, stability, and governance in Somalia is central to addressing many related concerns – including piracy, terrorism, human rights abuses, and underdevelopment. The United States’ approach places Somalis and Africans in the lead, and looks to regional organizations such as the African Union as a guide.

The EU renewed its commitment to foster peace and security in Somalia

21 Feb – Source: Europa – 920 words

Today, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, announced that the EU stands ready to provide additional support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), following a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.

The announcement comes ahead of an international conference on the future of Somalia that will take place on 23 February in London and is subject to UN Security Council endorsement of a strengthened AMISOM. The High Representative and Vice President of the Commission, Catherine Ashton and EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, will be in London to reaffirm that stabilising and developing Somalia, together with the African Union and international partners, is an EU priority.

The new commitment will contribute to the proposed increase in troop strength active in the African Union-led Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EU aid covers costs such as troop allowances, medical care, housing, fuel, and communication equipment.

SOMALI MEDIA

President Sharif arrives in London

22 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu, Universal TV – 176 words

Somalia’s president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Tuesday night arrived in London where he will attend a conference on Somalia hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron. The event will draw heads of state and foreign ministers from over 50 countries as well as representatives of the United Nations and the African Union.

Somali Foreign and Defence ministers and ASWJ officials were among those accompanying the president to his trip in London. In an exclusive interview with Bar-kulan inside the Heathrow Airport in London, president Sharif said the London conference will once against bring the international community’s attention to Somalia.

The president said he hopes the meeting will also see Somalia move step forward in stability as well as humanitarian issues. He added Somalia will soon have its institutions fully functional, saying that a national conference will be held where new parliament will be elected.

Joint forces heads towards Baidoa as al Shabaab fighters flee

22 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 172 words

Ethiopian soldiers and Somali government forces closed in on the major al Shabaab-held stronghold of Baidoa on Wednesday, as insurgents fled several positions in the area, officials and witnesses said. Witnesses in Berdale, some 50 kilometres west of Baidoa, said the al Qaeda allied al Shabaab withdrew from there late on Tuesday, with Ethiopian and Somali forces now moving in to take control.

“Our forces, and the Ethiopian soldiers assisting them, took control of Berdale – will keep advancing until we seize Baidoa very soon,” said Mohamed Ibrahim Habsade, a lawmaker and military commander with the advancing troops.

“The attack will not spare a single area under the rule of the terrorists, we will remove them from each and every village and town they control,” he added. Witnesses in Baidoa said people were fleeing the town towards the rebel-held Afgoye corridor, close to the government-held Somali capital Mogadishu.

TFG: al Shabaab will be expelled from Somalia

22 Feb – Source: Shabelle, Bar-kulan – 142 words

Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) said it is committed to continue fighting against the al Qaeda linked al Shabaab militant’s rebels who control swathes of central and southern Somalia. Mohamed Mo’allin Noor, the State Minister for Defence told reporters in Somalia capital, Mogadishu that his government is setting a plan to end and expel Al Shabaab militants from southern Somalia in the coming days.

“TFG security committee expect in the near future that al Shabaab will be rid of Somalia with the help ofAMISOM, Kenya and Ethiopia because they are merely bringing harm to Somalis living in their regions,” said Mohamed Mo’allin Noor, the State Minister for Defence.

Mr. Noor called on the young al Shabaab fighters in the battle to withdraw from the militants and surrender themselves to the government, saying they were brainwashed and forced to take part the ongoing combat in Somalia.

Al Shabaab quits two key Somali towns, closes down Radio Andulus

22 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle, Jowhar Online – 120 words

The Somali Islamist group al Shabaab has withdrawn from Baidoa and Bardale towns in southwestern Somalia. Residents are said to be fleeing Baidoa town and tension is said to be high. The withdrawal from Bardale town comes after Transitional Federal Government forces backed by Ethiopian troops yesterday seized several villages surrounding the town from the al Shabaab Islamist militants, adds the station.

Ethiopian soldiers backed by many Somali government troops are now headed to the strategic town of Baidoa. Radio Andalus, which is owned by al Shabaab and broadcasts in the region, was off air last night after al Shabaab removed its equipment due to growing fear. Radio Andalus has frequencies in Kismayo (southern Somalia), Jowhar (north of Mogadishu) and Baidoa (southwestern Somalia).

TFG soldiers sentenced to six months in prison

21 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 46 words

The Somali Military Court on Tuesday sentenced nine TFG soldiers to six months in jail for carrying weapons in civilian populated areas. The head of the military court, Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab, stated that they will never allow the soldiers to carry weapons in public areas.

Two vessels carrying arms for Somali Islamists dock in Kismayo

22 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle – 114 words

Two vessels carrying weapons for the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab have docked at the southern port city of Kismayo. The vessels are reportedly “carrying light and heavy weapons”. Eye witnesses in Kismayo say “nobody knows the origin of the weapons”.

High ranking al Shabaab officials are said “to have been holding a meeting to discuss the fighting in Gedo, Bay, Bakool and Jubba regions and ways to defend their territory”, adds the radio. Those who attended the meeting “include Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, among others. This meeting comes as al Shabaab is facing Kenyan forces in the south, Ethiopians in central and southwest and AU peacekeepers in the outskirts of Mogadishu.

6 people dead in Bay region

21 Feb – Source: Bariga Afrika – 130 words

At least 6 people have died and 10 others injured in the south central city of Berdale after an IED was detonated destroying a cargo truck instantly killing the passengers and injuring nearby pedestrians. The cargo truck was coming from the region of Gedo which Ethiopian and TFG troops recently departed from. The death toll could rise due to the many injured in critical condition.

Local authorities cannot confirm but speculate that the IED was planted by al Shabaab agents that have gone on a defensive after Ethiopian and TFG troops have entered the region. Unconfirmed reports say that al Shabaab insurgents have gone on the defensive sending most of their agents to protect Baidoa capital of Bay region which is a strategic stronghold in Bay for the terrorist organization.

REGIONAL MEDIA

AUC Chairperson welcomes foundation for new constitutional order in Somalia

22 Feb – Source: Ethiopian News Agency – 210 words

Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) , Dr. Jean Ping congratulated the Somali parties for reaching a political agreement on ending the transition and laying the foundation for a new constitutional order.

According to a press statement AU sent to ENA on Wednesday, AUC said the Somali-owned agreement, known as the Garowe II principle, adopted on 17 February 2012, in Puntland, Somalia, marked a significant step forward in the peace and reconciliation process.

The agreement will be held on Thursday at the London Conference where a number of members of the international community are expected to agree on a holistic and coordinated approach, building on the political progress made by the Somalis and the achievements on the ground by the AU and TFG forces, the statement noted.

Al Shabaab wants girls to join war front against Somali govt

22 Feb – Source: Daily Monitor – 367 words

Addressing a congregation at the weekend at a mosque at Eelasha Biyaha, a large settlement south of Mogadishu where thousands of people who fled the wars in Mogadishu found refuge, Sheikh Shongole ordered parents to inspire the girls to fight for the Islamist movement.
“At this stage of the jihad, fathers and mothers must send their unmarried girls to fight alongside the (male) militants,” Sheikh Shongole said.

Kenyan troops kill 14 al Shabaab militants

22 Feb – Source: Standard – 201 words

Kenyan troops in Somalia killed 14 al Shabaab militants and destroyed their command centre. The troops, together with those of the Somali Transitional Federal Government, said they recovered communication equipment in the Tuesday dawn raid. Military Spokesman, Maj Emmanuel Chirchir said no casualties had been reported on the troops’ side.

“One technical destroyed and communication equipment recovered. No casualty on KDF/TFG troops. The command centre located between Elade and El Wilnley,” he said in a Twitter posting. Maj Chirchir also called for the support of commanders on the ground as they battled with the militants.
“Let commanders fight their battles. Let’s rally behind their concepts as they step up the good work,” he tweeted.

Kenyan forces delay siege on Somalia’s Kismayu port

22 Feb – Source: Coastweek, Xinhua – 1056 words

After an 18-week military advance of roughly 95,000 square km territory into Somalia, the Kenyan armed forces have ruled out laying a siege on the strategic port town of Kismayu, often regarded as the ultimate prize in the war. “The success so far is unimaginable. “It would not give us any tactical advantage to advance to Kismayu if the areas under control are not yet stable,” said Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)’s Director of Military Operations in charge of Information Colonel Cyrus Oguna.

The military official emphasized on the need for destroying the militia’s support elements including their source of income, command bases and their infrastructure. “It would have taken a year to capture,” he said, explaining the tactical effort that would have been mounted into an operation of this magnitude.

Oguna said a military operation covering a massive border area measuring 860 km would have taken several months to capture from marauding fighters from across the border, which still posed a real threat to the security of the East African nation.

2,500 KDF soldiers to join AMISOM

21 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 223 words

The United Nations Security Council is on Wednesday expected to formally approve the integration of 2,500 Kenyan troops to the African Union forces battling al Shabaab militia. This comes as the world’s focus shifts to London on Thursday, where lasting peace and stability to the war-ravaged Somalia will be sought. Al Shabaab recently announced it had joined world terror gang, al Qaeda.

This integration would save Kenya billions of shillings, with donor nations taking over the cost of maintaining Kenyan forces in southern Somalia. Kenya’s UN ambassador Macharia Kamau says he expects the council to approve the plan despite misgivings about its cost by France, one of the council’s five permanent members.

“Kenya has been carrying the full burden of the international community’s responsibility,” Mr Kamau told the Nation last week. On Tuesday, President Kibaki led a delegation including Internal Security minister George Saitoti and Defence’s Yusuf Haji to the conference hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Hillary Clinton to attend London meeting on Somalia

22 Feb – Source: Coast Week, Xinhua – 275 words

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will kick off a four-day trip to London and North Africa to attend meetings on Somalia and Syria, the State Department said on Tuesday. While in London on Thursday, the top U.S. envoy will attend a conference on Somalia hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron, dedicated to building stability and peace in the East African nation, the agency said in a statement.

The event will draw heads of state and foreign ministers from over 50 countries as well as representatives of the United Nations and the African Union.
“The timing of the conference is significant as it convenes six months prior to the end of Somalia’s political transition which is set to take place by August 20, 2012,” the agency said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

UN to bolster Somalia peacekeeping troops by 5,700

22 Feb – Source: BBC – 204 words

The UN Security Council is to vote to increase the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia by more than 5,000 soldiers, diplomats have said. The resolution will increase the number of troops in the country to 17,731 from its current level of 12,000. The vote on Wednesday comes ahead of an international conference on Somalia to be held in London. British Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC the threat from Somalia’s al Shabaab militants was “substantial”.

“It is based on the fact that al Shabaab is an organisation that has now explicitly linked itself to al Qaeda, and it encourages violent jihad not just in Somalia but also outside Somalia,” Mr Cameron said. The armed Islamist group controls many southern and central parts of Somalia, which has been without an effective central government since 1991. Nearly 1.5 million Somalis have been forced from their homes during the conflict.

Last year, al Shabaab was forced out of many parts of the capital, Mogadishu, by forces allied to the UN-backed government. Since then, the group has also lost ground in other areas. In October, Kenyan troops crossed over the border in pursuit of al Shabaab members it blames for a series of kidnappings in Kenyan territory.

Ethiopian troops take Somali town from al Shabaab

22 Feb – Source: Reuters – 223 words

Ethiopian troops backed by tanks wrested control of a town in southern Somalia on Tuesday from the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, officials said. Addis Ababa sent troops into neighbouring Somalia in November as part of a wider campaign to crush al Shabaab rebels who control swathes of central and southern Somalia.

Residents said Ethiopian tanks, supported by Somali government soldiers, rolled into Yurkud town after a brief gunbattle with members of al Shabaab who are fighting to topple the Western-backed government of the Horn of Africa country.

Yurkud, a strategic town that links Bakol, Bay and Gedo regions of the lawless country, is about 110 km (70 km) northwest of Baidoa, a stronghold of the rebel group. “We have captured Yurkud town, our objective is to secure Bay and Bakol regions,” Abdifatah Mohamed, a commander of the Somali government forces told Reuters by phone from Yurkud.

“With the help of Ethiopian troops we are determined to oust al Shabaab. They attacked us and we repulsed them. Now we have advanced from Yurkud, Baidoa is now only 85 km away.” Al Shabaab confirmed the capture of Yurkud.

“Ethiopian troops are now at Yurkud after fierce fighting this morning. We burnt two of their military lorries,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the spokesman for al Shabaab’s military operation told Reuters from a location in southern Somalia.

Somalia to get millions in rebuilding aid

22 Feb – Source: the Independent – 188 words

Millions of pounds of aid for Somalia is expected to be announced at a major conference in London tomorrow, as politicians seek to break the cycle of violence and start to rebuild the country. Somalia remains one of the poorest nations in the world. Wracked by civil war and without a central government for more than two decades, it has become a hotbed for terrorism and piracy.

Representatives of more than 50 governments and international organisations, including the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will arrive in London tomorrow for an international conference which hopes to prove a catalyst for rebuilding the failed state.With piracy and terrorism now considered a global security threat, the international community is attempting to fight the root causes of poverty and conflict in the Horn of Africa nation.

Britain is expected to announce a comprehensive package, including a £20m contribution to a new stability fund, which aims to draw areas away from armed violence by supporting the national reconciliation process, local peace deals and community-driven initiatives. The fund will mean a significant increase in support targeted at the most war-torn areas.

Rights Group: Protect Somali Civilians, Civil Society, Journalists

21 Feb – Source: VOA News – 512 words

Amnesty International said this week’s international conference on Somalia in London should add human rights abuses to the agenda. The group said much more needs to be done to protect civilians and restore the rule of law in the country.

Benedicte Goderiaux, an Amnesty researcher on armed conflict, said, “The UK conference…is significant for a number of reasons because it will…mainly discuss the future and the stability of Somalia. However, it is less significant in some ways for us, a human rights organization, because human rights specific concerns have not made it on the agenda.”

Other issues in the forefront

“We believe the international community is more interested in discussing piracy, counter terrorism (and the) political process. And what we are concerned about is that if human rights and the protection of civilians are not addressed, this will also have an impact on the effectiveness of future plans on Somalia,” she said. Amnesty agrees the agenda does contain important issues, but said the topics should be broader.

UK weighs up air strikes against rebels

21 Feb – Source: the Guardian – 911 words

Mounting concern about the twin threats posed by pirates and Islamic insurgents operating in Somalia has led Britain and other EU nations to consider the feasibility of air strikes against their logistical hubs and training camps, the Guardian has been told. The issue has been rising up the agenda of David Cameron’s National Security Council in recent months, reflecting anxiety in the west about piracy, but also the ambitions of some leaders within al Shabaab, the clan-based movement that is fighting against Somalia’s western-backed transitional government.

Though the “war games” remain on the drawing board for now, the disclosure that they have been under serious scrutiny shows the depth of unease about the situation within the British government, which is hosting an international conference on Somalia in London starting on Thursday.

According to sources, the international coalition that has been spearheading the fight against the pirates drew up contingency plans in the summer of 2010, and again last year, for what was termed “over the beach” air strikes against Somali camps.

President Jonathan to attend Somalia Confab in UK

21 Feb – Source: Pm News Nigeria – 132 words

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan will travel to the United Kingdom, Wednesday morning, to attend the International Conference on Somalia, scheduled to hold at Lancaster House, London, on Thursday, February 23.

The conference, to be attended by heads of governments or their representatives from 40 countries as well as international organisations, will address the issues of security, piracy, counter-terrorism, political processes, humanitarian challenges and the need for global coordination and handling of long-standing Somalia crises.

UN-run camps for Somalia refugees in Kenya enter 20th year of existence

21 Feb – Source: UN – 403 words

The world’s largest refugee camp – the Dadaab settlement in eastern Kenya – set up to host tens of thousands of people who fled Somalia following the 1991 collapse of the government and the ensuing civil war-related humanitarian crisis is marking its 20th anniversary with the population having grown exponentially, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

The original three camps in Dadaab – Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadera – were established by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) between October 1991 and June 1992 to host up to 90,000 people. They are currently home to more than 463,000 refugees, including some 10,000 third-generation refugees born in Dadaab to refugee parents who were themselves born there.

During last year’s famine in Somalia, arrival rates frequently exceeded 1,000 people a day, UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic told reporters in Geneva. About 30,000 people arrived in June, 40,000 in July and 38,000 in August last year, placing additional strain on services. Local authorities and UNHCR and partners managed to address the influx by establishing reception centres and rapid response assistance for new arrivals.

Somali community in Britain begins to find its voice

22 Feb – Source: the Guardian – 1486 words

They like to talk in the dimmed light of the Food Palace, a Somali cafe in west London. As daylight recedes, men of a certain age sip coffee, nibble on finger dishes or grapple with big round plates of rice and lamb, all the while bouncing opinions back and forth. Much to talk about this week, as William Hague and the government embark on their grand diplomatic scheme to save Somalia, with an international conference involving heads of state from 55 countries.

All very good, says the cafe talk. About time for the seemingly endless war and the issue of Somalia to be discussed at the highest level. But at the same time, there is another question; what about the fate of Somalis here? A question David Cameron explored with leading figures in the UK Somali communities at No 10 on Monday.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“After 25 years of getting Somalia wrong, there’s no easy way out of the imbroglio today. There have been six fully fledged international peace conferences and 14 other major peace initiatives, as well as four foreign military interventions, and Somalia is no better off. As designed, the meeting in London is fated to be just another one of those failures.” “Instead of gathering Somalia’s discredited politicians and promising them more help, Cameron should support what already functions well in Somalia: the vibrant middle class and Somaliland.”

Getting Somalia right this time

21 Feb – Source: New York Times – 1009 Words

Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain will convene a big international meeting on Somalia on Thursday. The tasks: stopping piracy in the Indian Ocean, uprooting terrorism, relieving a famine and ending a civil war. The approach: Western ships, U.S. drones, African soldiers and international money for the Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu. This is all very laudable, except for one thing: It won’t work.

“By all means continue aid and support to Somalia if we feel we have the money and the energy to spare. But any sensible immigration policy with an eye on our own security would say politely – not just to Somalis but to the inhabitants of other countries where the spectre of Jihadism incubates – sorry, we are having real difficulty in curbing Islamist extremism in these islands. It’s actually a very difficult thing to do in a parliamentary democracy under the rule of law.”

What to do about Somalia? Cut the jargon and close the doors

22 Feb – The Week – 757 Words

THE Foreign Office is hosting a conference on Somalia tomorrow attended by “our international and Somali partners and key stakeholders… to agree practical outcomes”. Most of the jargon-heavy sound-bites on the Foreign Office website could easily be herded into Alexander Cockburn’s verbal tumbrils and dragged off to the guillotine. My personal favourite is the breathless “We must break the piracy business cycle”. Things were simpler when we hanged pirates or made them walk the plank.

The pre-conference publicity is a master-class in politically correct expression. The signature photograph for the whole affair is a Somali tribesperson looking longingly out to sea – at a democratic future based on diversity and respect for different cultures and sexualities one assumes, not at a tempting Taiwanese container ship.

“A more stable Somalia is therefore essential. We cannot afford to ignore the human suffering or the threats posed by Somalia’s instability to Somalis, to East Africa, or to the UK. We therefore have common cause in helping Somalia back from the brink. It’s for these reasons that Somalia matters.”

Why a stable Somalia is in our interests

21 Feb – FCO Blog – 871 Words

As the first British Ambassador to Somalia for twenty years, people often ask me why we should get involved with Somalia at all: haven’t we got enough to worry about?

Somalia has an unenviable record as a failed state. Its twenty-year civil war has brought lawlessness and chaos at a massive human cost: one million Somalis are believed to have died; another 750,000 Somalis are currently seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Last year alone, as the effects of drought, conflict and famine took hold across southern Somalia, it is estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 people died; half of that number were probably children.

Somalia’s lawlessness is also breeding new threats. Large parts of the country are controlled by a group of extremists and criminals known as al Shabaab – an organisation that only a few weeks ago publicly declared its relationship with al Qaeda. Its leadership encourage fighters and sympathisers from around the world to use Somalia as a base for terrorism. The bombings that claimed the lives of 74 people in Kampala in July 2010 were planned and executed in Somalia.

“Rashid Abdi, an independent Horn of Africa analyst, told IRIN, “[We are by and large] wary of foreign-led peace initiatives. The current scepticism about London on the Somali streets is understandable considering past failures. However, there is hope too that London can be different and must be different. That is the only way to restore Somali faith in the internationally led peacemaking and state-building processes.”

Could London Conference mark a turning point on road to peace?

21 Feb – Source: IRIN/ Horseed Media – 789 Words

World attention is on the war-torn Horn of Africa nation once more, with analysts saying the London Conference on 23 February could mark a turning point in the country’s quest for peace and stability.

Somalis from across the country and the diaspora – including for the first time a delegation from the self-declared autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland – are expected to attend the conference, hosted by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, together with representatives of 44 countries, the UN and Arab League, among others.

Life in Somalia’s capital – audio slideshow

21 Feb – Source: The Guardian – 4.45 min

For almost two decades, Mogadishu has been a scene of conflict. The withdrawal last August of the Islamist group al-Shabaab has brought some respite, but what is it like to live in a city where gunfire, hunger and sickness are part of everyday life? Photographer Kate Holt visited the Somali capital last year, using her vantage point alongside Amisom troops to document the experiences of local people. Her pictures are accompanied by audio commentary from Mogadishu residents Ghuled Mohammed, Falso Mohammed Mohammed, Ibrahim Mustafa and Madina Mohammed

Somalis coming back to help homeland

21 Feb – Source: Soobax Blog

Countless Somalis have left comfortable lives in the West to contribute back to rebuilding their country. Meet Hussein Abdi Dualeh, a former engineer with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority who now heads up the Ministry of Mining, Energy and Water Resources of Somaliland. Hussein managed maintenance contracts for Los Angeles where he lived with his wife and three sons. Today, he’s helps rebuild his homeland and joins others who’ve returned from the United States, the United Kindom and Canada to also run the Ministries of Energy, Information, Planning, Foreign Affairs and Fisheries ministries. To those that say it is too difficult, scary, or there aren’t opportunities, we hope Hussein’s story and that of countless others will inspire you to contribute back.

Top tweets

@junokushi #Somalia: UK weighs up air strikes against rebels lnkd.in/sfmri8.

@islamicreliefsa Back from the Brink: putting people before politics in #Somalia fb.me/1AvLc4woV.

@chrismwoods If the UK is to take action against #Somalia terrorists, surely an aircraft carrier is needed? bit.ly/zP2PvV.

@shephardm The last thing #Somalia needs is another conference… but….. bit.ly/wfdrj1 #LDNSomalia.

@OxfamEAfrica Leaders at #LdnSomalia conference must recognise that #Somalia is about more than terrorism & piracy oxf.am/o8i argues @edpomfret.

@AbdirizakAH #Somalia‘s political crisis is nothing but institutionalized disorder with its clan argument. The dilemma remains who is gonna bell the cat?

@HodanLioness Oh, you thought #Ethiopian forces left #Somalia for good last month didn’t you.

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Image of the day

Image of the day British Prime Minister David Cameron meeting representatives of Britain’s Somali community at Downing Street ahead of London Conference on Somalia. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/AFP/Getty Images.