June 4, 2012 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Security forces in Baidoa kill al Shabaab extremist carrying bombs

03 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/ SONNA – 133 words

One of al Qaeda linked group of al Shabaab who was carrying bombs and wanted to harm civilians in Baidoa city of Bay region has been shot dead last night by the security forces of Somali Transitional Federal Government, officials said. T.F.G officials in Baidoa city confirmed that the security forces foiled an attack and killed al Shabaab extremist who was having explosive elements in his hands at Isha-Baidoa village in the southern Somali city last night.

Residents in Isha-Baidoa village informed the security forces about the al Shabaab militant before they shot him dead and the forces conducted operation from the entrance and exit checkpoints there. T.F.G troops backed by the African Union Peacekeeping Forces and the Ethiopian soldiers are controlling Baidoa as the al Qaeda linked group of al Shabaab was removed from there early this year.

Key Headlines

President Sharif responds to World Bank’s report on lack of accountability in TFG revenues (Raxanreeb)
Lack of helicopters could hinder AMISOM progress (Daily Monitor)
Istanbul II Declaration (UNPOS)
Banadir administration implements solar lighting system project in Mogadishu roads (Radio Mogadishu/SONNA)
Conclusions for day one of the second Istanbul conference on Somalia (UNPOS)
Four guilty of Danish plot over Muhammad cartoons (BBC)
President Kikwete Pledges support for Somalia (Daily News/Tanzania)
Somali PM meets with Somali Diaspora in Turkey and introduces new Somali ambassador to Turkey(Radio Mogadishu/OPM)
Security forces in Baidoa kill al Shabaab extremist carrying bombs (Radio Mogadishu/SONNA)
Somali soldiers train for urban combat in rural Uganda (AFP)
Puntland forces detain five suspects over Galka’yo blast (Shabelle)
Several journalists arrested in Las Anod (Bar-kulan)
Somali elders return home after attending Istanbul conference (Radio Kulmiye)

PRESS STATEMENT

Istanbul II Declaration

01 Jun – Source: UNPOS – 2580 words

1. The Second Istanbul Conference on Somalia, under the theme “Preparing Somalia’s Future: Goals for 2015,” took place on 31st May and 1st June 2012. Maintaining the multi-dimensional and multi-layered approach of the first Istanbul Conference in 2010 on Somalia, it was attended by high level representatives from 57 countries and 11 international and regional organizations, as well as by the TFG leadership, the regional administrations, and representatives from wide-ranging segments of Somali society, including youth, women, business community, elders, religious leaders and the Diaspora.

Introduction

2. The Conference reaffirmed its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia. It agreed that for genuine peace to take hold in Somalia, Somali people should seek dialogue, reconciliation and political cooperation including in establishing inclusive, accountable and legitimate governance. The Conference is grateful for the wide-scale and strong Somali participation, including women, in this Conference, and the powerful and meaningful messages they have pronounced.

3. The Conference noted that at this critical period in Somalia’s history, the security, political, social and economic achievements of the past year have given Somalis and the international community a renewed hope for the future. Somalia has made considerable progress towards achieving stability, security and reconciliation: this opportunity should not be missed. The Conference emphasized that August 2012 is the beginning of a new phase of peace-building, in which all Somalis would contribute to peace and have their voices heard.

4. The Conference highlighted that primary responsibility for establishing a political solution in the country lies with Somalis. The role of the international community is to support Somalis to provide leadership and ownership in rebuilding a functioning state and local governments that can provide security, ensure the rule of law and respect for human rights, provide basic social services and create an enabling environment that allows for economic opportunity for all its citizens.

5. It reconfirmed the importance of the London Conference that constituted a milestone in gathering the international momentum on Somalia, and pledged to ensure a continued coherent and cooperative international approach.

Conclusions for day one of the second Istanbul conference on Somalia

31 May – Source: UNPOS – 1105 words

General Conclusions

The Conference emphasized the importance of encouraging inclusive and equitable growth to reduce poverty in Somalia, including through the promotion of inclusive business practices. It was acknowledged that without stability, security, capable authorities and the rule of law, economic growth and large scale investment would be significantly constrained.

Participants agreed on the importance of planned and prioritised public sector institutional capacity development at all levels to provide institutional oversight as well as to establish and implement a regulatory framework, including appropriate standards for civil works. Alongside this, the Conference recommended the establishment of private-private partnerships to strengthen the capacity of the local contracting industry to participate in tenders and deliver on contracts.

It was reiterated that large scale, multi-year, predictable financing was urgently needed, both for infrastructure projects and to enhance the resilience of Somali communities. It was agreed to explore the role and design of an investment guarantee fund in Somalia without any delay. The Conference agreed on the importance of determining a number of priority infrastructure projects for which indepth feasibility assessments should be undertaken.

Resilience Conclusions

Recognizing the urgent need to enhance resilience of Somali households and communities, the Conference agreed on the need for sequenced, multi-year and sectoral investments that are specific to each geographic reality within Somalia. Such investments will create productive opportunities and expand basic social services. Job opportunities for men, women and youth represent essential employment instruments in this regard. The Conference confirmed the importance of timely, predictable and transparent safety nets that would protect vulnerable households as well as enable them to take advantage of new opportunities and access social services while enhancing their capacity to respond and adapt to shocks and hazards.

The Conference acknowledged that good governance supports the resilience outcomes, and highlighted the need for Somali communities to be at the centre of this process, in order to create stability. Several partners are aligning their current engagement in Somalia and others are encouraged to do so.

The Conference recognized the importance of a household and community approach towards resilience and strongly encouraged the international community and Somalis to support it. Success will depend on international assistance evolving to medium –longer term strategic investments in Somalia, with less reliance on short term ad hoc response. The partners on community resilience support the realignment of their respective programmes and the monitoring on a regular basis of the implementation of the resilience strategy.

Water Conclusions

The Conference recognized that local private sector initiatives have made significant progress in improving water systems in towns and in some rural areas. This entrepreneurship is a driving force in water system development locally, despite on-going conflict and the constraints of post-conflict reconstruction. There is therefore clearly both a need and a case for investing in water infrastructure in Somalia. Through partnership, outside investment can capitalise on the capacity of the local private sector and widely established localised management models.

The Conference also recognized that a common strategy for the development of the sector should focus on investment in systems and people, with systems investment in hardware, software, and regulatory frameworks, and in people in vocational, management, and governance capacity. It should follow three core principles:

1. Management and service delivery are decentralised to the extent possible and make use of innovative technologies.

2. Investment in any infrastructure must include investment in human resources, and sustainable operation and maintenance capacity. Through regulation, public needs and private sector interests should be balanced allowing for the development of a pricing strategy for sustainable
cost recovery.

3. All development in the sector must take place under a common strategic framework that is enacted through government-led sector coordination and within a multi-threat risk management framework

The Conference further recommended that targeting and sequencing of water development initiatives should be based on needs and take into account existing inequities in water access.

Roads Conclusions

The Conference noted that Somalia’s road network is barely adequate to meet the transport needs of the economy. It also acknowledged that its condition had deteriorated sharply due to low investment and maintenance. It was agreed that Somalia had very limited capacity and an under-defined
institutional and legal framework–though some routine maintenance work had been successfully completed.

The Conference further noted that future action should be categorized as short term or medium term as follows: In the short term (two years), the focus should be to undertake a comprehensive road inventory and, on that basis, formulate a road transportation master plan for the next five to ten years.

At the same time, the Conference affirmed the critical importance of developing institutional capacity in the sector by defining an institutional framework; training sector staff and supplementing them with international expertise (including where possible from the Somali Diaspora); and developing guidelines for sector-specific procurement, tendering and contract administration.

Over the medium-term (three to five years), larger-scale reconstruction would involve selecting projects to be implemented, based on technical and economic feasibility studies and identifying potential anchor financing (including possibly multi-year donor trust funds).

The Conference also stressed that nationally-owned road contractors should be involved to the greatest extent possible. Priority road rehabilitation and construction projects should be realized as soon as is feasible in order to meet the road accessibility needs of the
Somali people.

Energy Conclusions

The people of Somalia have suffered from a lack of access to reliable and efficient energy and call upon the United Nations and other international organizations to take measures to mitigate energy poverty on an urgent basis.

The Conference agreed that access to reliable sources of energy is critical for improving social indicators and triggering economic development in Somalia. It welcomed the offer by the Republic of Turkey to field a technical mission to undertake a detailed assessment to identify gaps and prioritise
investments in the energy sector in Somalia.

Participants concluded that Energy Sector Investment Plans needed to be developed at the national level to ensure that initiatives deal comprehensively with the energy challenge. It was noted that tripartite partnerships between the governmental institutions, the private sector and development partners needed to be nurtured. The Government of Turkey in collaboration with Somali government institutions and the United Nations agreed to support the development of institutional structures in the field of energy and natural resources.

The Conference took note of the need to initiate vocational trainings and university level studies in order to develop a trained work force that is able to respond to the changes in the energy sector and is well positioned to setup related businesses. Participants endorsed the proposals by the Republic of Turkey to offer training in the energy sector in Somalia.

SOMALI MEDIA

Banadir administration implements solar lighting system project in Mogadishu roads

04 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA – 20 words

Banadir regional Administration has today on Monday launched a project of installing solar lighting system in the main Maka-Al-mukarama road in the Somali capital Mogadishu, official said.

Secretary General of Banadir regional Administration, Abdikafi Hillowle Osman said that Norwegian government offered the solar lights to the local government of Somalia and they are installing them in the Maka-Al-mukaram as a pilot.

Mr. Abdikafi stated that those lights function with sun-rays and will turn the capital into very beautiful one, adding that Banadir Administration is planning to make traffic lights for whole city. This is part of development programs that Banadir regional administration carries out in 16th districts in the capital Mogadishu where daily sanitation also continues.

President Sharif responds to World Bank’s report on lack of accountability in TFG revenues

02 Jun – Source: Raxanreeb – 230 words

Somalia president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has cautiously welcomed the call from the World Bank which suggested full investigation on Somalia’s government institutions after the Bank issued a report saying the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia TFG has not accounted for most of the revenues and donations it received in 2009 and 2010.

“We welcome the report but we urge the international community to check whether the donations were given to the government.” Presidents Sharif said during a press conference in Istanbul after the conclusion of the Istanbul conference II. The president said some of the foreign donations are used for payment of the security forces but he asserted that some of the so-called donations were not given directly to the government.

“It is simple to allege but you must make it clear and tangible. Where the money has gone is what we want to know also.” President Sharif added. “They say that more than one hundred dollars are missing but we may say we did not receive this money, we may also ask the international community.”

The World Bank report issued on Wednesday demonstrated that the bank’s auditors found the government had collected at least $94 million in revenues in 2009. But the government reported only $11 million in revenues. In 2010, auditors found the government collected $70 million in revenues, while the government reported just $22 million.

Security forces in Baidoa kill al Shabaab extremist carrying bombs

03 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/ SONNA – 133 words

Puntland forces detain five suspects over Galka’yo blast

04 Jun – Source: Shabelle – 107 words

The security forces from Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland have arrested at least five people in connection with an explosion that took place in Galka’yo town two days ago, security Officials said on Monday.

Lieutenant colonel Jama’a Mohammed Ahmed, a police officer, told reporters that the 5 suspects were detained early on Monday in an operation carried out by Puntland forces at Garsoor village in northern Galka’yo town and they are now under inquiry at a prison in the town. Last week, a landmine blast killed at least six people, mostly Puntland soldiers at Garsoor village in northern divided Galka’yo town, 750 Km north of Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Several journalists arrested in Las Anod

04 Jun- Source: Bar-kulan – 125 words

Somaliland police in Las Anod town have reportedly detained a group of journalists who were on their way to Hargeisa to attend a seminar. The journalists who came from Bosaso, Galkayo and Beledweyene were accused of illegally entering Somaliland administered areas, according to the area police boss Ali Ismail who spoke to the local media.

Ismail said the journalists did not have legal permits to allow them enter Somaliland in order for them to attend the seminar in Hargeisa. He added they will only be released if they will return to where they came from. Somaliland has unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of Somalia after the fall of Somalia’s central government in early 1990s but is still internationally recognized as part of Somalia.

Somali elders return home after attending Istanbul conference

04 Jun – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 83 words

Somali traditional elders and other delegates who attended Istanbul conference in Turkey returned to Mogadishu yesterday. The president of Somalia, prime minister and other high leveled diplomats and ministers were also presence in the conference in Istanbul which was focused on the current situation in Somalia.

Imaam Mohamed Yussuf Ali Iimaan, a traditional elder addressed the media at the airport saying that they were well received in Turkey and that the Istanbul conference was a success. He said the role of the elders in the Istanbul conference was instrumental and that important decisions were made regarding the fate of Somalia.

“The Turkish government welcomed us warmly. The meeting we attended ended successfully. As Somali traditional elders, we are committed to further the peace of our country for the well being of this great people and nation”, Iimaan said.

Turkey to open liaison office in Hargeisa

02 Jun – Source: Somaliland Press – 135 words

Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs have disclosed that the Turkish government would open a liaison office in Hargeisa and that the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir BozdaÄŸis is slated to visit the country soon. In a press circular, the department described the Somali Conference that just concluded in Istanbul as a diplomatic and political success for the country.

“This is the second time the international community have acknowledged the essence of Somaliland when ‘Article 6’ was incorporated into the communiqué,” the statement said. The article was that of the London Lancaster House Conference which averted that “facilitation should be made for consultations between Somalia and Somaliland” to go ahead as two separate entities. Fifty seven countries attended the Turkish Conference on Somalia in which the FM appealed for them to establish bilateral relationship with Hargeisa.

Somali PM meets with Somali Diaspora in Turkey and introduces new Somali ambassador to Turkey

03 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/OPM – 254 words

Somali Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali met with the Somali Diaspora in Turkey particularly the students introducing them to the new ambassador of Somalia to Turkey. The premier was accompanied by the new ambassador Mohamed Mursal Sh. Abdirahman, the Minister for Finance, Minister for Planning, the mayor of Mogadishu among others.

Abdiweli thanked the people and the Turkey government for offering education sponsorship to the young Somalis who will later become the future leaders of Somalia. He urged the students to make use of the opportunity. A total of 1,500 Somali students are in Turkey for education. The students asked for a close relationship with the Somali embassy so that their demands can be met. They also requested that they be offered with opportunities for attachments for academic purposes.

The premier introduced the new Somali ambassador to the students. The new ambassador Mohamed Mursal Sh. Abdirahman spoke to the Diaspora pledging the embassy’s support to the students and Diaspora in order to cover the needs of the Somalis in Turkey. “I am new to the position. I need your support since you are the Somali students”, the ambassador said urging the Somalis to observe the culture, maintain peace and respect the policies of Turkey.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Lack of helicopters could hinder AMISOM progress

04 Jun – Source: Daily Monitor – 307 words

Lack of helicopters to attack the enemy and evacuate casualties might delay AMISOM’s fight against Somali rebels, the commander of the Ugandan contingent has said. Brig. Paul Lokech told Daily Monitor last week that a lack of helicopters could bog down efforts by the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to advance to other areas.

“We are planning to move to Marka which is 90 kilometres from Mogadishu. How will you evacuate causalities in that distance if you do not have helicopters?” he asked. He added: “Having them would be force multiplier. Our mission will continue but it will be slowed down because we have to be more cautious.”

AMISOM troops from Uganda and Burundi control the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and recently took the strategic town of Afgooye, forcing al Shabaab fighters to flee to Marka and Kismayo towns. AMISOM troop commanders have long complained about the lack of helicopters, which could have allowed them to attack the fleeing fighters.

The United Nations, the European Union, the US and the African Union support AMISOM but it is not clear why the much-needed helicopters have not been provided. Nevertheless, Brig. Lokech said his troops are committed to the fight, which has brought peace and stability to parts of a country that had been lawless since 1993.

President Kikwete Pledges support for Somalia

04 Jun – Source: Daily NewsTanzania – 258 words

The President of the Transitional of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, flew where he held talks with the head of State, Mr Jakaya Kikwete. The Somali president asked president Kikwete to help him build a stable government. “We want Tanzania to help Somalia to set up government institutions and build the public sector because at the moment there are positive developments in the horn of Africa.

We are in the process of putting together national armed forces,” said President Sharif Ahmed through an interpreter. The nearly four-hour meeting between President Kikwete and President Sharif was held at Ngurudo to Mountain Lodge immediately after the Somali head of state landed at the Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Striving to ensure that peace reigned at the horn ofAfrica, President Jakaya Kikwete assured Somali that his government will do everything to help stabilize the country’s governance because the political strife at the horn of the continent also had adverse effects to East African region.

Saitoti assures of security, calls for vigilance

03 Jun – Source: Capital News – 463 words

The government has once again assured Kenyans enough security, despite the recent threats by the al Shabaab militia. Internal Security Minister George Saitoti on Sunday said his ministry has put enough measures that will ensure no more attacks in the country.

He has called on leaders and Kenyans at large to have faith in the Kenya’s security force, adding that the increase in the attacks especially in the major cities is due to the good progress made by the Kenya Defence Force in fighting the militia in Somalia.

“The al Shabaab is under very heavy pressure right now. Afmadow as you know has already been captured and they know very well it will be a matter of time, before Kismayu is taken. And it is going to interfere with the revenue they have been getting through Kismayu to continue with their work. So they are going to do everything possible,” Saitoti said.

Saitoti’s assurance comes two days after a US-based private intelligence firm Intel Center, warned that al Shabaab will be carrying out major strikes in Kenya in two weeks time targeting major buildings. Speaking at a church service in Nairobi, Saitoti insisted that Kenyans have to be vigilant and report any suspect around them to a nearest police station, adding that the al Shabaab continues to recruit the Kenyan youths.

UN seeks aid to avoid power vacuum in Somalia

01 Jun – Source: Al Jazeera – 241 min

The UN Secretary-General has warned armed groups may take advantage of a power vacuum in Somalia after a scheduled change of government in August. Speaking at a conference in Istanbul, Ban Ki-Moon called on the international community to help the country strengthen its security forces.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali soldiers train for urban combat in rural Uganda

04 Jun – Source: AFP – 179 words

Somali soldiers patrol a quiet village as locals sit on the terrace of a cafe, chatting and reading newspapers, when suddenly rebels armed with assault rifles appear and ambush them. The soldiers evacuate their wounded and take up positions while they wait for reinforcements. The scene is far from the sandy streets of Somalia’s war-torn seaside capital Mogadishu. The Somalis are at the Bihanga military camp, which lies in a region of lush green rolling hills in south-west Uganda.

The fighters are neither battle-hardened soldiers nor Islamist insurgents, but rather new recruits wrapping up their training in a mock urban environment. About 600 Somalis, including 15 women, from the security forces have spent the past six months being coached by instructors from Uganda and the European Union. Since April 2010 the mission has trained some 1,700 recruits.

The idea of the training came after the overthrow of Somalia’s Islamic Courts Union in 2006 by the US-backed invasion of Ethiopian troops. It was followed by the establishment of a weak Western-backed transitional government, protected by an African Union force, AMISOM.

At the time, the international community reckoned it had “the best opportunity of the past 20 years to stabilise Somalia,” said EU political advisor Jean-Francois Hasperue. It was obvious there was no army in Somalia. The army was more a jumble of militia groups than an actual army and so we had to recreate one.”

Four guilty of Danish plot over Muhammad cartoons

04 – Source: BBC – 167 words

Four men have been found guilty by a Danish court of planning a terrorist attack the offices of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Copenhagen. The court heard the men wanted to kill a large number of people in revenge for the paper’s publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.

The four were all Muslims resident in Sweden. Police said they were arrested just hours before the foiled attack. They had denied charges of terrorism. They face up to 16 years in jail. Jyllands-Posten’s publication of the cartoons of Muhammad sparked riots in Muslim countries.

Munir Awad, Omar Abdallah Aboelazm and Munir Ben Mohamed Dhahri, a Tunisian citizen, were picked up by police on 29 December 2010 at a flat near Copenhagen. Sabhi Ben Mohamed Zalouti was arrested a day later after crossing into Sweden, then extradited back to Denmark.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Since I have eliminated al Shabaab as the main source of Kenya’s security woes, I want to ask a central question. Who else would want to harm Kenya? The Swahili have a saying – kikulacho ki nguoni mwako. The English equivalent is that “your enemies are among your friends”. My theory here is that there is a criminal element embedded in the State.”

Who’s behind terror attacks against innocent Kenyans?

02 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 924 Words

The recent terror attacks on Kenya could be the tip of an iceberg. Methinks that very dark forces are at work. Some very bad people are trying to wreck Kenya.

Unless security is quickly restored, Kenya could become another African catastrophe. Terrorists, drug cartels, criminal gangs, secessionists, rogue politicians, and merchants of impunity are tearing at Kenya’s fabric.

Mark my words. It’s not a long distance from here to Somalia, or the DRC. Which begs the question – why does the Kenyan State appear to be asleep at the switch when the country is under attack? Is it incompetence, complicity with the attackers, or State failure? Let’s take a “deep dive”. I have three theories about who’s attacking Kenya.

“To prevent a further breakup of Somalia, which would encourage breakaways by independent-minded peoples in other countries, the nations meeting in Turkey are promising to reward the leaders in Puntland if they’ll stay, and those in Somaliland if they return.”

Lawrence Solomon: Drop effort to keep Somalia together

01 Jun – Source: Financial Post – 746 Words

To save Somalia from piracy, terrorism, hunger, corruption, warlordism and a third decade of anarchy, representatives from 54 countries, along with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, met in Turkey on Friday.

The root causes of Somalia’s many problems, and the remedies, should by now be obvious to all involved. Instead, the dignitaries assembled in Turkey — representing one-quarter of the nations on Earth — are proposing policies that would continue to doom the Somali people.

“It is essential for Somalis to effectuate their own dynamics and activate their own entrepreneurs through joint ventures and partnerships, according to Serdar Çam, head of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.”

Somalia may rise from the ashes

02 Jun – Source: Hurriyet Daily News – 804 Words

Somalia has the potential to rise from its ashes and become a regional trade hub along the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden through implementation of a wise development plan and the devoted hard work of Somalis inside and outside the country, according to the head of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TÄ°KA).

“We will of course continue our work in Somalia thanks to the energy and power provided to us by our government, but it’s essential that they effectuate their own dynamics and activate their own entrepreneurs through joint ventures and partnerships,” Dr. Serdar Çam, head of TÄ°KA, told the Hürriyet Daily News in an interview.

“The most telling feature of the Ethiopian document is its failure to mention anything about the roadmap process, which has been orchestrated by the Western “donor”-powers through the United Nations, and which is supposed to eventuate in a new constitutional government for Somalia by August 20, 2012. That process appears to be at the forefront of every other actor’s mind; Ethiopia is alone in passing it by. Addis Ababa seems to have judged that the entire “transition” of Somalia to an altered political arrangement will have no significant effect on its policy towards Somalia.”

Ethiopia’s Analysis of Somalia’s Political Situation: “A Web of Obstruction”

01 Jun – Source: Garowe Online – 926 Words

On May 11, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a position paper, “Ethiopia’s policy towards Somalia,” which defines where Addis Ababa stands in the current conflicts in the territories of post-independence Somalia. The tightly structured document provides an account of what the Ethiopian government judges to be a change in Somalia’s threats to Ethiopia (from a Greater Somalia agenda to Islamic terrorism); a vision of a best-case scenario for Ethiopia’s relation to Somalia (focused on access to Somali ports and cooperation on water sharing); a reading of the present political situation in Somalia; and guidelines for Ethiopia’s response to that situation.

“I do not have vista of the current gloomy political upheaval in Somalia ending in the years to come, but still, I can foresee another war taking place after Somalia’s political dust settles – that is if it does settle down. The final war will be over the spoils left by the Turks and that might drag on long after we are all gone. I might be proven wrong, but I believe the Turks are dead wrong and will not be able to bribe and subjugate Somalis to become Turkey’s version Europe’s 15th century Americas.”

Somalia: Turkey is dead wrong

02 Jun – Source: Somaliland Press – 748 Words

Having only met with the ignorant and power obsessed trio-TFG leaders and their opportunistic followers, the Turks are jumping up and down with joy and thinking that they have all over again discovered a new 21st century Americas in the continent of Africa, which is heaving with riches.

The Turks wrongfully assume that they will be able to settle in Somalia, dominate Somalis politically and simply drain Somalia’s natural resources as the European settlers did in the 15th century Americas. They are thinking if that worked with the Kurdish people for so long, why not with the Somalis? They also ambitiously see Somalia as a gateway to their future Horn of Africa colonies.

“Missing in the summary is a detail about money printed by the TFG in Sudan two years ago and how the the printed money was put into circulation. In 2009 The Somali government appointed PriceWaterhouse Cooper to audit its books. Has external auditor been made aware of donations from from Middle East countries ? The TFG has not responded to the World Bank report allegations.”

SOMALIA: Is the TFG hotbed of embezzlers?

02 Jun – Source: Raxanreeb – 487 Words

Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has few months to pave the way for a new government to end the transition based on the roadmap . Both the president Sharif Ahmed and his prime prime minster, Dr Abdiweli Ali, are presidential hopefuls, each with set of advantages and disadvantages. A summary of World Bank Financial Diagnostic Assessment of“Audit Investigative Financial Report 2009-10” distributed during the Istanbul Conference on Somalia cautiously argues that the TFG is a hotbed of corruption caused by funds misused or neglected by the TFG.

According to the summary the misused funds were funds donated directly to the TFG but the summary does invite readers to conclude that the findings can be a basis for labelling the TFG a corrupt entity because the “summary of the Katuni Consult report must be considered as provisional and subject to correction as further information becomes available.”

“Rasna beautifully juxtaposes Mogadishu in all its pre-civil war glory and after the devastation and destruction that followed the collapse of the state in 1991. In movie terms, it is Two Days in Paris meets Apocalypse Now — offering a contrast between what the city used to look like and what it has been reduced to now so that people can see that Mogadishu once had a history and culture.”

Mogadishu on her mind: A conversation with Rasna Warah

02 Jun – Source: African Review – 1517 Words

One woman serenaded a language – Arabic; a culture – Arab culture; and a country – Egypt – more than any other person.Umm Kulthum. The iconic image of Umm Kulthum — accompanied by a retinue of male percussionists — is that of her standing on a stage clutching tightly at her scarf. She would throw her voice one notch higher each time, as if reaching for the very heavens, as waves of ecstasy swept her listeners, who wept and called for encores.

Umm Kulthum’s concerts were a must-see in the Arab world; for prince and pauper, for the Gulf Royals and for ordinary Cairo residents. Another woman at another time is serenading another country — Somalia; and another culture — Somali; and this time a city — Mogadishu. That woman is the Kenyan writer and Daily Nation columnist Rasna Warah.

Top tweets

@ianbirrell Whoops! £85m given to Somalia has gone missing – & UK just increased aid there to £63m pa http://bbc.in/LQXzG3.

‏@valtervilkko Soft power, hard cash: hit the head of the nail there, @loughrichard. Reuters reports on #Turkey in #Somalia:http://bit.ly/LpDw2z.

@MinisterHashi The Second #Istanbul Conference on#Somalia, Final Declaration, 1 June 2012 http://bit.ly/L901vV.

@mary_harper #Somali chief Haji Warabe (the ‘Hyena’) on his 100 year career as a nomad and 70 year’s as a chiefhttp://bit.ly/M3EakH.

‏@nlidow In our survey of #Mogadishu, we find that areas dominated by a single clan have better services and security than mixed-clan areas.

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Image of the day

Image of the day Leaders attend the Second Istanbul Conference on Somalia, under the theme “Preparing Somalia’s Future: Goals for 2015” that took place on 31st May-1st June in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo Calanka.