June 28, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali president accuses world of balking at aid

27 Jun- Source: Reuters-283 words

Somalia’s president on Wednesday accused the international community of refusing to fund the creation of local security forces capable of tackling piracy and al Qaeda-linked militants and urged them to pay up.
“The international community spends millions of dollars (because of piracy) and when you ask them to contribute to building forces on the ground they evade our request,” Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a conference on piracy in Dubai.

Key Headlines

Prime Minister Ali travels to Kampala Uganda (Bar-Kulan)
Benadir clan elders meet to discuss stabilization of Benadir region (Hiiraan Online)
Al Shabaab ambush Somali Ethiopian forces in Baidoa town killing 3 (Shabelle)
Ahlu Sunna to beef up security in Dusamareb Galgadud region (Bar-Kulan)
Information ministry and independent media officials meet in Mogadishu (SONNA)
Kenyan Police escape landmine attack in Daadab (KBC)

SOMALI MEDIA

Prime Minister Ali travels to Kampala, Uganda

27 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-Kulan/Radio Mogadishu- 117 words

PM Abdiweli Mohamed Ali on Wednesday afternoon travelled to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, after receiving a formal invitation from the Ugandan government. Before flying to Kampala, the PM told the media that he will be meeting top Ugandan government officials during his trip to the East African country.

Benadir clan elders meet to discuss stabilization of Benadir region

27 Jun- Source: Hiiraan Online- 273 words

Over 50 people from the entire Benadir council of elders met with women groups as well as youth and religious leaders in Mogadishu on Monday. In the meeting, the elders and other civil society groups discussed the current security problems in Benadir region and what can be done to improve it. They also spoke of the role that traditional elders play in the stabilization of Benadir region.

Al Shabaab ambush Somali, Ethiopian forces in Baidoa town, killing 3

27 Jun- Source: Shabelle- 135 words

At least three people died and an unconfirmed number were wounded in a fierce fighting between Somali soldiers along with Ethiopian troops and al Shabaab fighters in a village near Baidoa town, witnesses and officials said.
An attack on a convoy carrying Somali and Ethiopian troops in the central Somali village of Goof-Gaduud by al Shabaab early on Wednesday left three people dead, according to Somali military officials.

Ahlu Sunna to beef up security in Dusamareb, Galgadud region

27 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 136 words

Ahlu Sunna group has said it has established a special unit of its armed militias to bolster security situations along the major roads linking Dusamareb to other towns the region.
The move is aimed to contain escalating banditry activities in the area targeting travelers, according to Farah Maalim Ali, the head of ASWJ militias tasked with security issues in the district.

Information ministry and independent media officials meet in Mogadishu

27 Jun- Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA- 98 words

A crucial meeting between officials of the Somali government’s information ministry and independent media on Wednesday took place in Mogadishu. The meeting took place at the Headquarter of ministry of information; officials from the ministry of information and journalists from local F.M stations, news agencies and T.V stations attended it.

REGIONAL MEDIA

UAE Foreign minister calls on world community to support Somalia’s response to fighting maritime piracy

27 Jun- Source: Emirates News Agency- 402 words

The UAE today called on the international community to provide support for Somalia and its neighbours so as to build their national effective response capabilities to piracy off their coasts.

”In this respect the UAE is pleased to contribute US$ 1 million to building and upgrading capabilities of Somali naval forces and coast guard to carry out their missions properly,” HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the opening session of the 2nd high-level, public-private UAE Counter-Piracy Conference, co-convened by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and global marine terminal operator DP World.

Kenyan Police escape landmine attack in Daadab

27 Jun- Source: KBC- 333 words

Police patrolling a refugee camp in Dadaab narrowly escaped death Tuesday when an Improvised Electronic Device (IED) exploded a few seconds before their vehicle reached the spot.
The device which was planted right in the middle of the road in IFO 2 refugee camp was targeting the police vehicle and its occupants.

Kenya denies Iranians on terror charge bail

27 Jun- Source: Africa Review- 163 words

A Kenyan court has rejected a bail application by two Iran nationals arrested with explosives.
Nairobi senior principal magistrate Paul Biwott said Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi were a “flight risk”.
The court said the accused, who were charged on Monday, were only “safe in custody since they have no known abode in Kenya”.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali president accuses world of balking at aid

27 Jun- Source: Reuters-283 words

Couple held by Somalia pirates returns to South Africa, describes 20-month ordeal

27 Jun – Source: Washington DC/AP- 320 words

A South African woman and her Italian partner were handcuffed throughout the nearly two years they were held by Somali pirates, who fed them little but rice, pasta and bread, the now-freed couple said Wednesday after arriving in South Africa.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Guantanamo Bay no longer takes new inmates, though it continues to house prisoners who haven’t yet been transferred to other countries. In practice, however, Obama’s plan to get America out of the international jailer business means that developing-world prisons have picked up the slack. A look inside the Bosaso prison provides a snapshot of what life is like in a post-Gitmo world.”

Somalia’s Prisons: The War on Terror’s Latest Front

27 June- Source: The Daily Beast-1158 Words

So now it’s official: United States soldiers have been hunting down al Qaeda affiliates in Somalia. When the White House confirmed earlier this month what has long been an open secret, most of the ensuing chatter focused on the need for greater transparency about the expanding war on terror. Less discussed was what happens to all those alleged terrorists when they’re captured alive.