May 25, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Somali Cabinet Ministers clear Hormuud Telecommunication of UN accusation

24 May – Source:Office of the Prime Minister /Radio Mogadishu – 323 words

Somalia’s interior minister and National Security has today briefed the cabinet about an investigation carried out on Hormuud Telecommunication Company where the UN leveled accusation against the company on 17th February. The minister said a thorough investigation was carried out in which AMISOM, the UN and Djibouti were informed about it. The report of the investigation finds Hormuud Telecommunication not guilty of accusations. After a lengthy discussion, the cabinet unanimously endorsed the findings of the report and also to send messages to the UN and the international community of the legitimacy of Hormuud operations.

Hormuud Telecommunication was launched in March 10, 2002 and officially started operations on April 2002. Hormuud is a company that renders services of telecommunication. The company is registered with the relevant ministry and operates with the name Hormud Telecom Somalia Inc. The Company is owned by Somalis in shares. It was formed by combinations of 3,000 individual shareholders. Hormuud has 5,000 regular staff and 15,000 subordinate staff

Hormuud’s coverage reaches Bandiredley on Mudug region up to the regions at the border with Kenya. It’s a taxpayer company which is involved in community support activities including Education to the level of colleges, orphanage centers, training and imparting skills, rehabilitation of youths, supporting hygiene etc. The aggregate number of formal staff, subordinate staff and shareholders of Hormuud is more than 150, 000 which approximately translates into 20,000 families, each with 7 members.

Hormuud Telecommunication serves a wide range of clientele including UNDP, UNPOS, AMISOM, AU, IGAD, TFG, TFP,OIC, Arab League, Turkish Embassy, Ethiopian Embassy, Libyan Embassy, Egyptian Embassy, Sudan Embassy, Djibouti Embassy and all other international agencies operating within Hormuud Network coverage.

Key Headlines

Somali president arrives in South Africa (Radio Kulmiye/RBC/ Radio Mogadishu)
Somali al-Shabaab militants abandon Afgoye stronghold (BBC)
Somali Cabinet Ministers clear Hormuud Telecommunication of UN accusation (Office of the Prime Minister /Radio Mogadishu)
Cabinet Ministers hold session in Mogadishu (Office of the Prime Minister/Radio Mogadishu)
Somali Government Condemns the Killing of a Journalist in Mogadishu (TFG)
AU Special Representative condemns the murder of Shabelle Media Journalist (AMISOM)
AMISOM/TFG forces offensive is advancing to new grounds (Radio Kulmiye)
Somali Islamists release video on kidnapped Kenyans want troops out (Standard)
AMISOM Spokesman says key is minimizing civilian casualties in Afgoye (Bar-kulan)
Al-Shabaab Radio Station off the Air in Somali Capital (VOA)

PRESS RELEASE

Somali Cabinet Ministers clear Hormuud Telecommunication of UN accusation

24 May – Source:Office of the Prime Minister /Radio Mogadishu – 323 words

Somalia’s Interior Minister and National Security has today briefed the cabinet about an investigation carried out on Hormuud Telecommunication Company where the UN leveled accusation against the company on 17th February. The minister said a thorough investigation was carried out in which AMISOM, the UN and Djibouti were informed about it. The report of the investigation finds Hormuud Telecommunication not guilty of accusations. After a lengthy discussion, the cabinet unanimously endorsed the findings of the report and also to send messages to the UN and the international community of the legitimacy of Hormuud operations.

The Company is owned by Somalis in shares. It was formed by combinations of 3,000 individual shareholders. Hormuud has 5,000 regular staff and 15,000 subordinate staff

On 24, May 2012, which coincides with today, the government of Somalia has issued a message, after a comprehensive investigation, which clears blame from Hormuud Telecommunication and that all accusations leveled against it are unfounded. Therefore, the Somali cabinet ministers ask the international community to review the accusations and withdraw them.

Cabinet Ministers hold session in Mogadishu

25 May – Source: Office of the Prime Minister/Radio Mogadishu – 311 words

The Somali cabinet minister yesterday held their ordinary meeting under the auspices of acting Prime Minister who is also the Minister for Trade and Industry. They discussed about Addis Ababa meeting by the Somali leaders, the operations of the joint forces in their push towards Afgoye, Hormuud Telecom among others.

The acting prime minister briefed the ministers of the Addis Ababa meeting which was concluded last night in which important agreement was reached regarding the implementation of the roadmap on ending of the transitional period by 20th August 2012. The ministers agreed to support the decisions made at Addis Ababa meeting and asked the Somali population to support the government in its mission to move out of this critical period.

The military operation to liberate Afgoye was also discussed in the cabinet session. The ministers underscored the importance of the operation which they said is meant to create stability and allow access of humanitarian aid to the population in Afgoye.

The cabinet praised the Somali National Army and those of AMISOM for successful operations and the efforts to liberate areas from the control of al Shabaab. They also commended the good work of the joint military for minimizing harm to the civilians and asked the humanitarian agencies to speedily help the population in Afgoye corridor.

Minister for Transport and port explained to the ministers the reason behind the delay in the incoming flights of Turkish Airlines at Mogadishu International Airport saying that there was a problem which is currently being looked into. He expressed optimism that the flights will resume in the weeks comings.

The ministers sent their condolences to the Turkey government for the death of a Turkish businessman who was killed in Bakara market. Investigations are under way to determine the cause of the killing and why the businessman didn’t inform of his presence in Bakara to the security agencies.

Somali Government Condemns the Killing of a Journalist in Mogadishu

25 May – Source: TFG – 203 words

The Somali government strongly condemns the killing of Mr. Ahmed Addow Anshur, a journalist from the Shabelle Media Network that was reportedly assassinated today at the Bocle Market in Mogadishu by an unidentified men armed with pistols.

The Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed “Jahweyn” said today in a statement to the media “We learned with great sadness the killing of Mr. Ahmed Addow Anshur, who has been a well-known media personality in Mogadishu.”

The Minister added, “The government condemns this heinous crime that took the life of a great journalist” making the number of journalists killed in this year the sixth, in which two of them were the staff of Shabelle Media Network.

Mr. Anshur is the latest victim of the criminal activities against journalists, including managing directors of media houses, executives and civil society members. The attack of journalists and prominent civil society members is tantamount attacking the government because they are an indispensable segment of the Somali society that contributed to the peace progress in the capital.

The government sends condolences to the bereaved family of the victim. The government is committed to investigate and to ensure that perpetrators are brought before a court of law.

AU Special Representative condemns the murder of Shabelle Media Journalist

24 May – Source: AMISOM – 144 words

The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra has learnt with sadness the assassination of Shabelle Media journalist by unidentified gunmen at his home in Mogadishu.

Ambassador Diarra while condemning the murder of Mr. Ahmed Addow Anshur who was news anchor in both radio and TV stations of Shabelle Media Network called for the relevant institutions to ensure a speedy investigation to bring those responsible to justice.

He said; “I am particularly concerned that journalists continue to loose their lives while performing the crucial role of informing the population on issues of national importance. Such criminal and barbaric actions cannot be tolerated.”

This latest incident brings to nine the number of journalists killed in targeted assassinations in Mogadishu in the last seven years. The AU Special representative offered his condolences to Shabelle Media , relatives and friends.

SOMALI MEDIA

AMISOM/TFG forces offensive is advancing to new grounds

25 May – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 171 words

Reports from the outskirt of capital Mogadishu are indicating that military offensive against al Shabaab militants is continuing in parts of the Shabelle region. According to a commander of the Somali national army forces Abdullah Ali Anood the operation to free Shabelle is reaching a new places in the region.

“We are advancing, al Shabaab is fleeing from the region since the offensive started, we are trying to avoid civilian casualties in this are. But the situation is still worse in some places because al Shabaab is regrouping and recruiting the young people in Shebelle region,” said Abdullah Ali Aanood

Government troops backed by African Union forces launched a major military offensive last Tuesday called ‘Operation free Shebelle’ seizing much of the Mogadishu’s residential outskirt where millions of internally displaced people sheltered since the violence in Mogadishu several years ago, civilians fled from the area after the offensive.

AMISOM Spokesman says key is minimizing civilian casualties in Afgoye

25 May – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 128 words

Paddy Akunda, spokesman for AMISOM in Somalia has said that they are closing on Afgoye corridor. The spokesman reiterated that they will do all they can to avoid battling with al Shabaab in the streets of the town in order to minimize the civilian casualties.

Akunda stated that the joint forces of TFG and AMISOM are now three kilometers away from the town.
He further added that small remnants from al Shabaab fighters are still in the town but will ultimately leave their posts as the joint forces advance towards the area.

He vowed that once Afgoye operation concludes, the joint forces will explore other al Shabaab strongholds and continue their offensive against the militant group. Al Shabaab fighters have on Wednesday night reportedly evacuated from Elasha Biyaha and Afgoye.

Somali president arrives in South Africa

25 May – Source: Radio Kulmiye/RBC/ Radio Mogadishu – 173 words

Somali’s president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is in South Africa’s city of Johannesburg for talks with his counterpart president Jacob Zuma. Initial information obtained by radio Kulmiye from South Africa is saying the president had a serious talks with his counterpart Zuma for the issues of Somali Diaspora in South Africa who faces violent attacks carried out some South African gangs and other foreign nationals in the country.

Somalis have been under attack in South Africa since the beginning of their residence in South Africa in 1990th with many of them being killed by armed gangs who looted their properties in the country. Somalis are considered the second population in South Africa comparing to other foreigners in South Africa according to an independent survey.

South Africa has recently launched a frame diplomatic presence in Somalia making a historic visits to Mogadishu by a high ranking delegates from the goverment of South Africa to show solidarity to Somali goverment taking as part of their efforts to help rebuild the country after 21 years of unrest.

CPJ condemns murder of Shabelle journalist, calls for end of impunity

25 May – Source: Shabelle – 158 words

Assailants in Mogadishu gunned down the host of a critical radio program, further punctuating what has already been a deadly year for the Somali press corps and for the journalist’s employer, the Shabelle Media Network.

Four unidentified men fired repeatedly at Ahmed Addow Anshur at around 1:45 this afternoon while he was in Bo’le Market, in Dharkenley District, local journalists told CPJ. Ahmed was on his way home from work, the journalists said. Eyewitnesses said that soldiers of the Somali government were in the general area of the shooting, but did nothing when the attack happened, according to local journalists. The motive for the attack was unclear, and no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Ahmed produced and hosted a popular late-night political program, “Qubanaha Waraka” (News Content), that was highly critical of both the Somali government and the insurgent group al Shabaab, according to local journalists. He had worked for Shabelle Media Network for more than three years.

Al Shabaab arrests khat traders in Afmadow district

25 May – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 72 words

Al Shabaab fighters in Afmadow district in Lower Shabelle region have on Friday morning arrested six men suspected of selling khat. The six were accused of selling khat secretly to Afmadow residents and breaching the group’s orders of banning the sale of the narcotic plant. Relatives of the arrested men asked for their immediate release. Al Shabaab militants have recently banned trading and chewing of khat in cities such as Kismayo, Afmadow and Jilib.

Amnesty International condemns murder of Shabelle journalist, calls for protection of Somali journalists

24 May – Source: Shabelle – 303 words

Amnesty International condemns today’s murder of Shabelle media network journalist Ahmed Adow Anshur in Mogadishu, the seventh journalist to be killed by gunmen in the past six months in Somalia.“The Somali authorities and the international community must do everything possible to stop this renewed and alarming pattern of targeted killings against Somali journalists and ensure their safety.

“Despite the Somali authorities having opened investigations into all six recent killings, since veteran journalist Abdisalan Sheik Hassan was murdered in Mogadishu in December 2011, no one has been brought to justice. Somali journalists will continue to be at great risk until the Somali authorities are able to arrest and prosecute those who perpetrate such attacks.”

Next week (31 May) an international conference on Somalia will take place in Istanbul, to discuss the future of the country and follow up on the commitments made by Somali and international actors at the London conference on Somalia in February.

Al Shabaab urges civilian population to take part in “holy war”

24 May – Source: Radio Risaala – 135 words

As AMISOM and Somali government forces advance towards al Shabaab positions in the Lower Shabelle Regions, the group is calling on the Somali civilian population to take up arms and join them in their fight against TFG and AU forces. Al Shabaab governor for the Lower Shabelle, Mohamed Abu Abdalla while addressing the media, urged the residents and the business community of the Lower shabelle to take part in countering what he termed as an invasion by AMISOM and TFG forces.

He called on all the people living in the region, both men and women to take part in what he called “jihad”. Al Shabaab usually call on the civilian population for help whenever they face defeat and urge them to fight alongside them though most of the Somalis are tired of these incessant wars.

Grenade hurled at mosque kills two in Galkayo

24 May – Source: Somaliland Press/Bar-kulan – 130 words

Unidentified gunmen hurled a hand grenade at a mosque in Isra area of Somalia’s central town of Galkayo on Thursday evening, killing at least two people. Eyewitnesses in the town said the hand bomb was hurled at a group of worshipers outside a mosque minutes after finishing evening prayer.

Police said the suspects managed to flee after the attack. They added eight others that were hurt in the attack, some with serious injuries, were shifted to a nearby hospital. Police cordoned off the area and launched efforts to trace the culprits. Galkayo remains one of the most dangerous cities in Somalia, where various insurgents continue to launch serious assaults. Just two weeks ago an independent reporter was gunned down in the divided city, which is claimed by Puntland region and Galmudug State.

Internally displaced persons flock back to Mogadishu

24 May – Source: Radio Risaala – 191 words

Civilians are flocking back to Mogadishu from its environs where a bloody battle is raging on between Somalia government forces and AU peacekeepers on one side and al Shabaab on the other. Most of the people fled from their homes in Eelasha-Biyaha, Tareedisho, Garasbaleey, Alamada, Arbiska, Lafoole and other locations in the Lower Shabelle. Risaala Radio interviewed some of those fleeing to Mogadishu from the conflict zones, among them is Abdiqadir Mohamed.

Abdiqadir like many others fled his home due to the heavy shelling and fighting ongoing in those areas. He pleaded with the warring sides to take their war outside civilian population centers and to open up escape routes for those who are trapped in the conflict.

The provincial commissioner for the Lower Shabelle, Abdiqadir Mohamed Nur Sidi who briefed the press in Ex-Control Afgoye urged the humanitarian agencies to be swift and to provide assistance to the hundreds fleeing from the conflict zones. Mr. Abdiqadir Nur also revealed that AMISOM and TFG forces were closing on Afgoye and will seize it within a matter of hours.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali Islamists release video on kidnapped Kenyans, want troops out

25 May – Source: Standard – 265 words

The al Shabaab terror group has released the latest video of a tearful District Officer whom they abducted in January in Wajir District, appealing for his release. Seated in a chair, Yesse Mule sent a plea to President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to come to his aid and secure his release.

“My release depends on the actions of Kenyan people and Government. I appeal to Kibaki and Prime Minister to assist so that I can come home,” Mr Mule said. “I am 30 years old and recently married. I don’t have a child and I was hoping to have a great future but under these circumstances, that future seems dim,” he added.

In the 15-minute video, Mule urged the Kenyan government to call off its military operation in Somalia to enable his release and that of Fredrick Irungu, a clerk at the Ministry of Immigration, who was captured when al Shabaab militants raided a police post in Wajir on January 11.

“I am urging the Government and Kenya Defence Forces, please move out of Somalia. Somalia is not our country. We should instead cultivate good neighbourliness,” Mule said.

War-torn country officially bans anti-personnel mines

24 May – Source: Al Shahid – 350 words

Somalia has joined the landmark Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or Ottawa Convention, becoming the 160th State Party to the international treaty which bans the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines. With Somalia’s accession, every state in Sub-Saharan Africa is now bound by the Convention.

“Somalia’s decision to join this international movement is significant,” said H.E. PRAK Sokhonn, the senior Cambodian Minister who presides over the Convention. “Somalia had decided that, in the face of incredible challenges facing the country, it will do its utmost to end the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines.”

Somalia is plagued with anti-personnel mines and other explosive remnants of war as result of both recent and historic conflicts.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali al-Shabaab militants abandon Afgoye stronghold

25 May – Source: BBC – 335 words

Somali Islamist militants have abandoned a strategic town near the capital, Mogadishu, which allowed them easy access to the city. Residents in Afgoye told the BBC al-Shabaab fighters had left because of an joint advance towards the town by government and African Union troops. Analysts say these forces have yet to take the town, perhaps fearing a trap.

Eyewitnesses say Afgoye’s main administration buildings were looted following the militants’ departure. The town’s loss will be a big blow for the group, which joined al-Qaeda earlier this year. Afgoye, 30km (18 miles) north-west of Mogadishu, lies on a strategic crossroads for routes to the north, west and south of Somalia.

Al-Shabaab Radio Station off the Air in Somali Capital

24 May – Source: VOA – 436 words

For the first time in years, people living in and around Somalia’s capital will be free from radio propaganda put out by militant group al Shabaab. Radio Andalus, the pro-al Shabaab station which was broadcasting in the outskirts of Mogadishu, went off the air after African Union forces took control of the area Tuesday.

Abdiaziz Abdinur is a Somali freelance journalist based in Mogadishu. He was a frequent listener of pro-al Shabaab Radio Andalus. For Abdinur, like other journalists who do not have access to the militant group’s leaders or press conferences, listening to Radio Andalus was the only way to get al Shabaab’s side of any story.

Abdinur told VOA that the last time he heard the station broadcast was on Tuesday afternoon, when al Shabaab said it repelled an attack by the AU and Somali national army in the Daynile district, northwest of Mogadishu. “The last reports broadcast by Radio Andalus were the fighting which took place in Daynile district,” he says, “where the government said it defeated al Shabaab. They have also broadcast a recorded interview by Abdikhadir Mumiin, one of al Shabaab’s leaders, who is in Galgala Mountains,” he said.

Grenade attack wounds three in Kenya refugee camp

24 May – Source: Reuters – 169 words

At least three people were wounded in a suspected grenade attack at a hotel in a refugee camp in northeastern Kenya, police said on Thursday, nine days after another attack in the same location.

The attack occurred at a hotel in Hagadera in the Dadaab refugee camp. North Eastern Provincial Police Commander Leo Nyongesa, said the blast had wounded two people who had been rushed to hospital.

“A grenade was thrown at a restaurant, it exploded. So far two people who sustained serious have been taken to hospital,” he told Reuters. The Kenya Red Cross said on its Twitter feed that three people were wounded and it was responding to an explosion at the hotel.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“After decades of division, unity is the key. In order to bolster security and prevent more food crises, the federal government will need to exert control beyond Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years. That requires cooperation from other regions, some of which are essentially independent from the central government.”

August 20 In Somalia: A New Beginning, Or Another Failed Attempt?

24 May – Source: International Business Times – 1557 Words

On Wednesday, a group of high-ranking Somali politicians concluded talks that could shape the future of their war-torn country. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Somalia’s interim leaders agreed on a schedule to end the current transitional period. By August 20, they hope, a newly elected government will lead a unified Somalia away from its tumultuous past.

Although the schedule is tight, the formation of a new government cannot be done hastily. The challenges facing Somalia have persisted for decades; it is one of the most chronically unstable failed states on earth, and new leaders will be tasked with uniting a country whose divisions are deeply entrenched.

“The air strikes could not have gone off without significant intelligent assets on the ground. Do not be surprised if small special or conventional force incursions follow. There will be a need to develop further intelligence and take out high value targets from the ground as well. All of these actions fit into the original plan and do not overly entangle the United States or Europe in Somalia.”

Western Military Intervention in Somalia: The Correct Approach

25 May – Source: E-International Relations – 772 Words

Western military intervention into Somalia reflects a reasoned logic and understanding of the environment that is rare. Having said that, the lessons of the first western intervention into Somalia have taught us that great plans can morph into chaos in a heartbeat. This is especially true in the current foreign policy context dominated by armed democratization and a low tolerance for mass atrocities or human suffering in any state.

Before delving into the mission creep that could manifest in the Somali case, it is necessary to emphasize the genius of the current approach. Some scholars have taken issue with the development of the joint combatant command overseeing Africa, (AFRICOM).

“As important as the story is, though, it is intensely dangerous. On Tuesday, when an aspiring freelance journalist sought advice on going to work in a place like Somalia, Gettleman was blunt: “Don’t go.” Even for experienced international journalists, both freelance and staff, security issues are significant. Gettleman said colleagues often contact him for advice in planning a reporting trip to the region. In one case, he recalled, an international journalist was held captive for more than a month in Somalia, in part because a local support worker was insufficiently vetted.”

At CPJ Debrief, Gettleman cites Somalia danger, reward

24 May – Source: CPJ Blog – 507 Words

Jeffrey Gettleman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent, says he travels with “a small militia” whenever he reports from Somalia, the East African country afflicted by armed insurgency, poverty, and hunger. As intrusive as the security detail might be, he feels far more fortunate than the local reporters who face sustained and often deadly risks, or the freelance journalists who don’t have the extensive support system the Times can provide.

Gettleman spoke to a crowd of about 100 at the Half King pub in Manhattan on Tuesday in the first event in the new CPJ discussion series, “CPJ Debrief.” Gettleman, the East Africa bureau chief for the Times, has worked in the region for six years. With East Africa’s needs so acute, and the volume of international reporting on the decline, the assignment has given him a chance to have a profound impact.

“That first night I met Shiine and his fellow singers, I discovered a rare passion of cause. I had never seen anything like it in any other band. This wasn’t just a family of pop icons flashing signs and raking in cash. They were actually a rarely paid, often threatened collection of friends, bonded through collective trauma and promising to each other to sacrifice everything to help their people re-imagine what a peaceful Somalia will be like.”

Risking everything for music and peace in Somalia

24 May – Source: Matador Nights – 1201 Words

MANY SAY WHEN YOUR BACK’S AGAINST THE WALL and you feel like the world is against you, that is when you fight the hardest to live and to thrive. Nowhere have I found a more awe-inspiring example of this survival instinct than with the Somali hiphop and RnB collective Waayaha Cusub (New Era). These past months, I’ve been getting to know the group as they plan their journey to lead one of the most ambitious and dangerous concert tours in the world, performing across their troubled home country of Somalia to the newly reunited capital, Mogadishu.

Brewing hybrid new genres that combine hiphop, RnB, and Afrobeat, with realist but hopeful lyrics in Somali, Swahili, and English, Waayaha Cusub are made up mostly of war refugees turned singers now based in Nairobi, Kenya, some of whom have lost everything if not just their country, Somalia.

“The problem with al Shabaab is that its buys its ideologies and modus operadi hook, line, and sinker from al Qaeda. Posting kidnapped victims’ video messages on the Internet is one of them. Al Qaeda has used this style in Iraq and Afghanistan with little success. It is unlikely this video, which we doubt Mr Mule recorded of his own volition, will move the Government an inch. There is no way punishing innocent civilians will aid the militia’s war effort. It can only harden the Government’s stance.”

It’s illogical for al Shabaab to punish innocent civilians

24 May – Source: The Standard (Kenya) – 180 Words

The al Shabaab have released a heart-breaking video of one of the two Kenyans kidnapped by the militia in Wajir in January pleading with President Kibaki to end the war in Somalia.

In the video, posted on the Internet, a brave Yesse Mule Edward, a District Officer, is seen pleading with the Government to withdraw the army so that he can be freed. “My release depends on the actions of Kenyan people and Government,” says Mule who breaks into tears at least once.

Top tweets

@EuropaWorld Will these new proposed arrangements finally bring stability and a functioning central government to #Somalia? http://bit.ly/KwZQss.

@mikejsunderland “Do u know why yr going to Mogadishu? Is it important enough 2 risk yr life?” @HumanitarianCat on communicating crises http://bit.ly/KPVTRo.

@fanamokoena I pray for #Somalia. May we all find a permanent solution for our people. Gid help us #AfricaDay.

@cobbo3 #Somalia to open embassy in Burundi. Of course, little Burundi is a ‘superpower’ in #Somalia right now with its AMISOM troops.

@BillaoJournal Reuters Picture – #TFG soldiers react to camera as they cross farmland near outskirts of #Afgoye http://tinyurl.com/78oc9qw #Somalia.

@kishkafka Combined forces of #AU & #Somalia army troops have had an ipact on #Shabaab t in the Lower Shabelle region http://aje.me/LtsQhr #AMISOM.

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Image of the day

Image of the day Ugandan soldiers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali National Army (SNA) taking part in major offensive dubbed ‘Operation Free Shabelle’ on foot near Afgoye, west of Mogadishu. Photo: REUTERS/Stuart Price/AU-UNIST