February 24, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Foreign militants killed in Somalia in strike on car
24 Feb – Source: Reuters / BBC – 287 words
At least three foreign militants of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels were killed in a strike on a car in a rebel stronghold in southern Somalia early on Friday, a senior Somali intelligence official and residents said.
The intelligence official, who declined to be named, said he was investigating reports that the explosion could have been caused by an airstrike or missile attack on a car carrying foreign fighters. “At least three foreign militants were killed in the explosion, and we are investigating if it was air strikes or a missile and whether there are more casualties,” the intelligence official told Reuters. Residents said the strike took place in the lower Shabelle region, 60 km south of the capital Mogadishu. A missile launched from an unmanned aircraft killed a foreign fighter with al Shabaab on January 21, which the militant group said came from a U.S. drone.
Key Headlines
- Somali government vows push against al Shabaab ( Shabelle)
- The beginning of end for al Shabaab – Baidoa and Huddur liberated ( TFG)
- Pro-TFG militia group vows to takeover rebel positions in parts of Hiiraan region ( Radio Bar-kulan)
- Senior al Qaeda operatives killed air strikes in Somalia ( Shabelle)
- Details emerge from Air strikes against militants in southern Somalia (Radio Shabelle Kulmiye)
- London conference seeks to colonize Somalia – al Shabaab (Shabelle Kulmiye Somali Memo Somali Midnimo)
- It’s official: KDF troops to fight under AMISOM ( Standard)
- Uganda will send further 2000 troops into Somalia (Coast Week Xinhua)
- Foreign militants killed in Somalia in strike on car ( Reuters / BBC)
- Baidoa hopes as troops search for Somali rebel remnants ( Reuters)
PRESS RELEASE
The beginning of end for al Shabaab – Baidoa and Huddur liberated
23 Feb – Source: TFG – 279 words
The Somali Armed Forces with the help of Ethiopian forces liberated the cities of Baidoa and Huddur ( the capitals of the Bay and the Bakol regions respectively ) yesterday without any resistance from al Shabaab (al Qaeda).
The residents of both these cities, who had lived through the hell of the al Shabaab rule for three years, welcomed the liberating armies with relief and jubilation and thanked God for the deliverance. Both the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister of the TFG congratulated the Somali Armed Forces and their Ethiopian counterparts for this glorious victory and added that the liberation will not stop here but will continue until the whole country is liberated.
The Acting Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunication, H.E. Abdullahi Bile Noor, in a statement to Somali National News Agency (SONNA), said to day “It is a great joy to all Somalis and particularly to the population of these cities to finally see the yoke of the al Shabaab terrorists lifted from these great regional capitals and the surrounding areas.”
“ It is now vital that the rule of law should be restored immediately, as already started, and that there should not be revenge attacks on those individuals suspected of having had close relations with al Shabaab in the past. The rule of law and the respect for the due process of the justice system were always the hallmarks that differentiated the TFG from the al Shabaab terrorists.” The Minister added. “Those young people still in the ranks of the al Shabaab forces should think very hard now before it is too late. The Somali government and its people will welcome and help them even at this late stage.” The Minster ended his statement.
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali government vows push against al Shabaab
24 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 141 words
The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia TFG says it will double its attacks against any rebel position in the country in abid to crush the militants, an official says on Friday. Mohamed Ali Atosh, the Deputy Defence Minister of Somali government told reporters in Mogadishu that TFG is planning to recapture all al Shabaab strongholds in south and central Somalia to restore peace and order in the conflict ravaged horn of Africa country.
“Our troops and AU troops will go to everywhere in the country to gain control of all militant-controlled regions that is a part of our plan as well as the UN and AU,” said Mohamed Ali Atosh. This move followed gains made by TFG soldiers backed by AMISOM and Ethiopian troops beyond the capital capturing areas from al Qaeda linked group of al Shabaab.
Pro-TFG militia group vows to takeover rebel positions in parts of Hiiraan region
24 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 127 words
Pro-government militia group in Hiran region has threatened to attack two rebel-held towns in the region.
Col. Issack Ali Abdulle, an official with the militia group told Bar-kulan that they are now ready to attack Bulo-burte and Jalalaqsi towns. The two towns are among the few areas Al-Shabaab still controls in Hiiraan region.
Abdulle said they received requests from locals in these towns asking for immediate intervention from his militia group to liberate them from Al-Shabaab. He said his militias in collaboration with Ethiopian troops in the region will soon move towards Bulo-burte and Jalalaqsi to restore law and order.
Abdulle, however, welcomed the recent move by Somali and Ethiopian troops to wrest control of Baidoa town from Al-Shabaab without facing any resistance from the rebel fighters.
Senior al Qaeda operatives killed air strikes in Somalia
24 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 136 words
Unidentified fighter jet bombed on Friday a militant-held village in southern Somalia, killing a number of senior al Qaeda operatives, witnesses say.
The jet hit on a small luxury car with top al Shabaab and al Qaeda commanders who have been travelling on a road in 60Km area which is between rebel-held Afgoye and Shalanbod towns in Lower Shabelle Region of southern Somalia.
Residents confirmed to Shabelle Media that at least 4 senior al Shabaab and al Qaeda members were killed during the air raid- mostly foreign operatives fighting with al Shabaab militants in Somalia. Al Shabaab has not said any word about the air strike so far. This comes after the prime minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Abdiweli Muhammad Ali, welcomed air strikes against Al-Shabab Islamists during the London conference on Somalia. Al Shabaab is waging war against the weak UN-back Transitional Federal Government (TFG) for control of the parts of the country.
Details emerge from Air strikes against militants in southern Somalia
24 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle, Kulmiye – 102 words
Details are coming from the latest Air strikes against militants in southern Somalia region where the al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab was targeted. The aerial attack took place at 60 Km area in the Lower Shabelle region after unidentified warplanes hit militant vehicles, killing 6 al Shabaab top leaders, including Sheik Abukar hajji Ahmed and other Kenyans whose names have not been released to the media so far.
No comments were immediately available about the air strikes from the Islamist militants of al Shabaab linked with al Qaeda. No government claimed responsibility for the attack.
London conference seeks to colonize Somalia – al Shabaab
24 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Kulmiye, Somali Memo, Somali Midnimo – 190 words
Somalia has a long story of all kinds of colonialism, a press statement released by al Shabaab has said.
The statement further noted that the London conference on Somalia (held on 23 February) was not different from other conferences held outside the country. The Islamist group said the conferences were meant to colonize the country, adding that the African troops in Somalia will only lengthen the instability in the country.
In the statement, the al Qaeda-linked radical Islamists urged the (Somali) public to reject the outcome of any meeting held outside the country, saying the signatories of the London conference have no solution for Somalis. More than 40 Christian nations gathered in London and planned to attack the Muslim population of Somalia, the statement added. The Islamists said they will never accept any involvement from outside the country.
The statement added that Britain has long been involved in the affairs of Somalia as it provided [military] training and financial assistance to nations that invaded the country. The Islamist militant group vowed to continue to fight countries that intend to colonize Somalia until it forms an Islamic government in the country.
UK Foreign Secretary Meets Somaliland Leaders
23 Feb – Source: Hadhwanaag Times – 76 words
UK’s foreign secretary William Hague held talks with Somaliland leaders including the president Ahmed Mohmud Silanyo and other officials. During the meeting, Somaliland republic and the United Kingdom discussed more key issues.
The bilateral relations between the two nations were among the main agendas focused in the meeting. According to statement from Somaliland presidential palace, the UK government pledged it will help Somaliland. The UK foreign secretary William Hague thanked Somaliland for its acceptance to attend the conference.
Seychelles and Somaliland Taking Steps towards Prisoner Transfers
23 Feb – Source: Somaliland Press – 166 words
Seychelles President James Michel and Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo have discussed, in a meeting in London today, the transfer of convicted Somali pirates currently in prison in Seychelles, to Somaliland to serve their sentences.
The meeting was attended by the British Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham, Seychelles Minister Home Affairs, Environment, Transport and Energy, Joel Morgan, Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Paul Adam, and the British High Commissioner to Seychelles, Matthew Forbes, and the Somaliland Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamed Abdullahi Omar, as well as the UNODC Counter-Piracy Programme Coordinator Alan Cole.
The two leaders signed a joint statement to recognize their joint concern about the serious impact piracy has on the region and on international security, and agreed that it is vital to ensure pirates are brought to justice. President Silanyo confirmed that both the Council of Ministers and Somaliland Parliament had now approved and passed the piracy and prisoner transfer legislation to allow the transfer of convicted pirates.
Djibouti president urges creation of strong Somali forces
24 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 186 words
Djiboutian president Ismail Omar Guelleh has said the International community has to consider establishment of strong Somalia policing forces, and its own military units rather than opting for foreign military intervention for peace keeping mission. “You know that my country is part of AMISOM mission in Somalia and contributed troops to Somalia, in tackling the situation and help Somalis better future in the name of our brotherhood and also our neighboring couses” said President Guelleh.
The president urged the International community to undertake measures to ensure stabilizations in Somali’s own national army forces both in the maritime and also on the ground, saying that strong military will allow them to handle the situation. Djibouti is among three troop contributing countries in Somalia. Uganda and Burundi are the other contributors.
Al Shabaab fighters started vacating central and Lower Shabelle regions
24 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Somalia Report – 62 words
Al Shabaab militias fled from Mahas, Wabho, Gorof, War-holo, Dac, El-dher, Elbahay, and other villages in Galgadud and Hiiran regions in central Somalia. Fighters from the extremist group also ran away from Wanlaweyn and Burhakaba districts in Lower Shabelle and Bay regions respectively. This comes a day after the Somali National Forces took control of Baidoa town with the help of Ethiopian forces.
REGIONAL MEDIA
It’s official: KDF troops to fight under AMISOM
24 Feb – Source: Standard – 313 words
Kenya troops have joined the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) forces amid reports that key al Shabaab leaders and militiamen are fleeing Baidoa and Mogadishu towards Kismayu. Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesmen and Ugandan Amisom commanders reported Thursday that al Shabaab commander Hassan Dahir Aweys has fled to Kismayu to lead militant forces against advancing KDF, Ethiopian andAmisom forces.
Amisom’s military command reported that boatloads of weapons had been delivered to Kismayu this week. “Close to 300 people, mainly foreign fighters, are streaming into Yemen,” said Amisom forces commander, Major General Fred Mugisha, who described this as “signs of defeat”.
KDF Spokesman Colonel Oguna said Kenyan troops would retain the right to use maritime resources outside the new UN mandate if its sea borders were threatened. This is despite Wednesday’s mandate allowing them to join Amisom, which bars the use of seaborne military equipment.
Maj Gen Mugisha said al Shabaab’s union with al Qaeda had not made the Somalia militants any stronger, militarily. Mugisha and Major Emmanuel Chirchir of the KDF said Aweys and other al Shabaab leaders are now operating between Merka and Kismayu on Somalia’s Indian Ocean Coast.
Uganda will send further 2,000 troops into Somalia
24 Feb – Source: Coast Week, Xinhua – 248 words
The Ugandan military said on Thursday that it is to send an additional 2,000 troops to volatile Somalia, a day after the UN Security Council approved an increase in the number of African Union (AU) troops in the Horn of African country.
Col. Felix Kulayigye, the army spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that the additional troops will help keep peace and security in the areas that have been liberated from the al Shabaab militants. He said Kenya will also be sending an additional 3,000 to 4,000 troops and Djibouti will send 900.
“Kenya and Djibouti will also send troops. “We need the additional troops to man the security of all the liberated areas from the insurgents (al Shabaab),” he said. The UN Security Council on Wednesday approved a resolution that the number of AU peacekeeping troops in Somalia be increased to over 17,000 from the earlier-needed 12,000 troops.
Foreign jihadists sighted sailing from southern Somalia port
24 Feb – Source: Africa Review – 220 words
Reports from Kismayu, 500km south of Mogadishu, indicated that upto eight boats docked at the port in the last 48 hours. The boats are reportedly on a mission to transport foreign fighters, known locally as Al-Mujahedeen Al-Muhajereen (migrant jihadists) to other destinations.
The foreigners are said to have been in Somalia to fight alongside al Shabaab militant, against the forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its allies such as Amisom peacekeepers, and Kenyan and Ethiopian troops.
Sources following the events in Kismayu suspect that a number of boats sailed with at least 100 jihadists to Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden. Meanwhile, reports reaching the local media from the southern Mogadishu confirmed that an airstrike took place around K60 Area in Lower Shabelle region, about 60km south of Mogadishu.
Inside Story – Saving Somalia
23 Feb – Source: Aljazeera – 25:00 min
African and Western leaders at a major London conference discussed political change, terrorism and piracy in Somalia. But why the world should take the Somali conflict seriously? Guests are: Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, David Anderson and George Saitoti.
Kenya ‘disappointed’ with UN
23 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 351 words
Kenya expressed its “disappointment” over a decision by donors not to fund its navy, a move that would help it patrol the Somalia coastline.
This emerged as the Kenya’s Defence Forces revealed that it might be up to six months before its soldiers are fully integrated into the African Union Forces in Somalia (Amisom) despite the United Nations endorsement on Wednesday.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) approved a plan to integrate some 4,000 Kenyan troops intoAmisom. This “rehatting” initiative would save Kenya billions of shillings. The UN appropriated $304 million to support Amisom in the fiscal year ending this June. However, under the plan endorsed on Wednesday, UN support for Amisom could increase to more than $500 million a year.
But speaking in London, Kenya’s ambassador to the UN Macharia Kamau said the resolution expandingAmisom’s strength does not provide the $10 million in funding for all the equipment Kenya had hoped to receive for four of its Navy vessels operating off the Somalia coast.
UAE proud to back initiative on Somalia
24 Feb – Source: Khaleej Times, WAM – 223 words
The UAE is proud to support the new Local Stability Fund (for Somalia), through a commitment of $2 million for its initial operating year, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan told an international conference on Somalia here on Thursday.
“Funds must follow international commitments to Somalia. In this respect, the UAE is encouraged by the London Conference’s work toward realising the Joint Financial Management Board to ensure an effective delivery of international financial support. Providing an effective financial auditing support is an important service the international community can further deliver to the Somali people,” Shaikh Abdullah said in his speech at the London Conference on Somalia.
“After all, it is the people of Somalia who are the greatest victims. Their livelihoods, economic futures and well-being are being systematically deprived by the insecurity that ongoing criminal activities generate. Therefore, we must ensure that the people of Somalia are placed at the centre of any international and regional strategy of support,” Shaikh Abdullah added.
Uganda army welcome new U.N. resolution on Somalia
24 Feb – Source: Coast Week, Xinhua – 714 words
As an international conference on Somalia opens in London on Thursday, the Ugandan military has welcomed a UN Security Council resolution to increase the African Union (AU) troops in the volatile Horn of African country. Lt. Gen. Katumba Wamala, Commander Land Forces, told Xinhua in a telephone interview from London where he is attending the conference that the increase in the troop levels will enable the AU force do a better job than before.
“We think these troop levels will enable us to do a better job and possibly within a shorter time than what it would take us with the troop levels we had,” he said. The UN Security Council on Wednesday approved a resolution that the number of AU peacekeeping troops in Somalia be increased to over 17,700 troops from the earlier-needed 12,000 troops.
Uganda contributes to the AU forces in Somalia with more than 6, 000 troops. Other countries with troops in Somalia include Burundi, Kenya and Djibouti. Wamala said Uganda is planning to deploy another 2,000 troops to consolidate the areas that have been captured from the militants al Shabaab.
Security boost in Somalia’s battle against al Shabaab
23 Feb – Source: Al Jazeera – 2:41 min
Peacekeepers in Somalia are establishing a perimetre around the capital Mogadishu, while African Union forces will soon be boosted to more than 17,000 troops on the ground. Nazanine Moshiri reports.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Foreign militants killed in Somalia in strike on car
24 Feb – Source: Reuters / BBC – 287 words
At least three foreign militants of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels were killed in a strike on a car in a rebel stronghold in southern Somalia early on Friday, a senior Somali intelligence official and residents said.
The intelligence official, who declined to be named, said he was investigating reports that the explosion could have been caused by an airstrike or missile attack on a car carrying foreign fighters.
“At least three foreign militants were killed in the explosion, and we are investigating if it was air strikes or a missile and whether there are more casualties,” the intelligence official told Reuters.
Residents said the strike took place in the lower Shabelle region, 60 km south of the capital Mogadishu.
A missile launched from an unmanned aircraft killed a foreign fighter with al Shabaab on January 21, which the militant group said came from a U.S. drone.
Reports of air attack said to kill 4 militants in southern Somalia
24 Feb – Source: Washington Post, AP – 131 words
Two officials in Somalia say an overnight air attack has killed four militants in southern Somalia.
One official on Friday said the overnight attack happened in the Lower Shabelle region, where the al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab controls wide swaths of territory. The Somali military official said a Kenyan commander named Akram was among the four killed. The official said he could not be named for security reasons. A second Somali intelligence official confirmed the attack but also could not be named.
Baidoa hopes as troops search for Somali rebel remnants
24 Feb – Source: Reuters – 235 words
Ethiopian and Somali troops searched houses for lingering al Shabaab militants in the captured rebel stronghold of Baidoa on Thursday, said a regional official and residents hopeful of a new start. The al Qaeda-backed militants suffered a significant blow when they surrendered the strategic city on Wednesday after columns of Ethiopian troops backed by tanks rolled through outlying areas.
“We were engaged in house-to-house inspections today. With the help of residents, we collected bombs, grenades and explosive devices,” Abdifatah Mohamed Ibrahim Gesey, the governor of Bay region which includes Baidoa, told Reuters. Ethiopian soldiers set up bases at the former government headquarters and at the city’s airstrip, as well as checkpoints on the road leading southeast to Mogadishu.
Al Shabaab appear weakened as Ethiopian and Kenyan troops move on rebel strongholds in southern Somalia, but they must be routed from the port city of Kismayu, their main outpost, for any hope of a military victory, security analysts say.
Ex-Somali PM won’t contest war crime claims in US
24 Feb – Source: AP – 812 words
The former prime minister of Somalia on Thursday ended an eight-year legal battle by accepting legal liability for alleged war crimes and killings that occurred under the regime of dictator Siad Barre. But he denied wrongdoing and said he never approved any slayings.
Mohamed Ali Samatar, 76, was a top official in the Barre regime serving throughout the 1980s as vice president, defense minister and prime minister, up until the months before the regime’s collapse in 1991. But for more than a decade, he has lived quietly in the Washington suburb of Fairfax, Va., surrounded by a large extended family. Samatar was sued in 2004 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria by several members of the Isaaq clan, who said they suffered brutal repression — including torture and mass killings — under the Barre regime.
Samatar fought for years to have the case tossed out of court and was initially successful. In 2007, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Samatar enjoyed immunity from the litigation as a former official of a foreign state. But the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the lawsuit.
He tried to avoid a trial and filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday in the hope it would be postponed. But a bankruptcy judge allowed the case to go forward. On Thursday, as jury selection was about to begin, Samantar said he would accept a default judgment against him and would not contest the allegations.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Probably the most important task is to finalise the draft constitution by May in consultation with all Somali stakeholders and to adopt it provisionally through a Constituent Assembly until conditions permit a referendum. The other main task would be to select a new Parliament, which will then choose the new leadership.”
Waging peace in Somalia
24 Feb – Source: New Straits Times – 718 Words
YESTERDAY’S important high-level conference on Somalia in London, sponsored by the British government and attended by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, presented an unprecedented opportunity to take stock of — and reinvigorate — the international community’s engagement in Somalia. The meeting could not have come at a better time — these are momentous days in the Horn of Africa.
In early December last year, Ban travelled to Somalia and announced that the UN Political Office for Somalia (Unpos) would move its headquarters to Mogadishu. There was no shortage of doubters, but my office has now relocated from Nairobi, and for the first time since 1995 a Special Representative of the Secretary-General is based in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
“We must be under no illusions about how long it will take to achieve it and our approach must be realistic and sober. We cannot turn Somalia around with one conference and the future is ultimately in the hands of Somalis themselves. However, Somalis cannot do it on their own; that is why we called this conference – to galvanise international support to Somalia and to send a signal to the people of Somalia that we will stand by them.”
Getting Somalia back on its feet
24 Feb – My joy Online Opinion – 631
Yesterday Britain hosted a major international conference on Somalia, attended by heads of government and senior representatives from more than 50 countries and organisations, including UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, the AU Secretary General Jean Ping, Ghana’s former President in his capacity as the AU Special Envoy for Somalia J.J. Rawlings and a large delegation of Somali leaders.Together we agreed that the time was right to work on a series of practical measures aimed at helping Somalia get back on its feet.
“From a purely security point of view therefore, it is in Nigeria’s national interest to participate in any political initiative aimed at restoring peace, stability and development in Somalia.” “As a matter of fact, Nigeria’s involvement in Somalia dates back to several years. Nigeria granted asylum to Muhammed Siad Barre, former Prime Minister of Somalia on purely humanitarian grounds in 1991 where he remained till his death in 1995. It also took part in the United Nation’s peace keeping force in Somalia in early 1990’s and has supported the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).”
Why (Nigerian President) Jonathan participated in Somalia conference
24 Feb – Source: The Nation Online – 249 Words
(Nigerian) President Goodluck Jonathan participated in the British government organised conference on Somalia because of Boko Haram’s link with Somalia’s terrorist group, Nigeria’s envoy to the United Kingdom Dr. Sarki Tafida, said. The two-day conference ended yesterday in London.
Tafida said: “There are unconfirmed suspicions that Boko Haram may have drawn inspiration, if not support, from al Shabaab and similar terrorists organisations in the sub-region including al Qeada in the Maghreb-Sahelian region.
Online reactions to UK conference on Somalia ( #LDNSomalia #SomaliaSpeaks)
24 Feb – Aljazeera English
Somalia’s leadership will join representatives from 40 countries, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the leaders of Uganda and Kenya, along with international bodies at the meeting in London on February 23. Here are collections of some reaction on social media platforms.Nigeria’s president arrived in the UK to attend the conference yesterday and was criticised for attending while the Boko Haram group wrecks havoc back home.
“President Goodluck Jonathan arrived in London on Wednesday to attend the International Conference on Somalia scheduled for Thursday. Dallymoore B Samuel. Reaction from the Somali diaspora was mixed.
“I am Saeed Abdi called AJKA from Somalia, I wish the result of the conference is held in London on 23th, Feb 2012 will be useful to Somali society in their future. Amen…Amen” Said Ali. “Let me hope the Conference on Somalia in London is not all about sharing the war ‘booty’ when al-Shabaab is wiped out by the so-called allies.” Barnabus Iga
Al Jazeera reached out to residents of Somalia with the Somalia Speaks project, asking the following questions in their local language via SMS:”Waa maxay farriinta aad u direyso ergada shirka Soomaaliya ee London? Fadlan soo raaci halkaad joogto iyo magacaagaba. Waa suurtagal in aragtidaada la baahiyo” (“What is your message to the London Somalia Conference? “)
On Twitter, we asked people to share their thoughts using the #SomaliaSpeaks. hashtag. Here are some of the responses we received:
“My massage to #londonconference attendees.Please put your differences aside and focus on what you‘ve in common#optimistichere #SomaliaSpeaks.” IDIFLE
“Somalia finds itself in the clutches of anarchy, religious extremism, and poverty ahead of the London Somalia Conference #SomaliaSpeaks.” JPClough
“Somalia’s problem can only be dealt in Somalia, conferences have been held everywhere yet there’s no difference. #LDNSomalia #SomaliaSpeaks.s HopesDesire. Click here to view the rest of the online reaction to the conference.
Top tweets
@GdnDevelopment Catch up on all our #LDNSomalia coverage & analysis here ow.ly/9fnVc #globaldev #
@StateDept #SecClinton: We must keep the pressure on al-Shabaab so that its grip on #Somalia continues to weaken. go.usa.gov/UTz #
@BBCWorld Are world leaders helping or hindering #Somalia? The BBC’s Mary Harper analyses the outcome of the #LDNSomalia summit bbc.in/
@PlutoJetStone Dear Somali People, Don’t Hold your breath. I promise you, these people do not have a single one of your interests at heart. #LDNSomalia
@fellytyzo #Ethiopia still doing the same mistakes they did earlier in #somalia. Using a hammer to kill a mosquito. But ofcourse they dont care.
@SomaliThinker British Journos&Diplomats: #LDNSomalia
@Aarmaanta If we had women politicians we wouldn’t need aid, they would be collecting #Hagbad instead & giving it to the most needy first #LDNSomalia
@AJEnglish Voices from #Somalia: My sincere advice is for my brothers not to return our country to colonial rule | aje.me/xUeam1 #SomaliaSpeaks
@TurkishPolitics Turkey has been praised by nations attending the London conference on #Somalia for its contributions to help rebuild the African nation.
@SBengali Um, ok. Here’s a 1966 AP photo calling #Somalia ‘perhaps the most democratic country on the dark continent’ foreignpolicy.com/
Image of the day
Delegates pose for picture during the Somalia Conference at Lancaster House in London, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. President of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is not present as he is in a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-Genaral Ban Ki-Moon. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool) ALL+EPA