July 16, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali athletes defeat hardship for shot at glory

14 Jul – Source: Daily Nation – 449 words

Running from war, dodging bullets and defying Al-Qaeda linked Islamist insurgents who ordered them stop: Somalia’s determined Olympic hopefuls have overcome challenges few other athletes could even imagine. “Somalia has had no real government for the last 20 years, but determination, good fortune and hope will take us close to victory,” said 18-year-old female athlete Zamzam Mohamud Farah.

Key Headlines

Top Somalia government officials meet with the cultural elders (Radio Risaala)
Somali Speaker warns of more delays in adopting of the draft constitution (Mareeg Online)
Security forces kill an al Qaeda member in Shibis district (Radio Mogadishu)
AMISOM contingents to be deployed in Baladweyne (Radio Kulmiye)
TFG officials meet with elders over delays (Garowe Online)
African Union summit opens in Addis Ababa (Radio Bar-kulan)
Security forces seize 89 al Shabaab extremists (Radio Mogadishu)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali Speaker warns of more delays in adopting of the draft constitution

15 Jul – Source: Mareeg Online – 101 words

The Speaker of Somalia’s Transitional Federal parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden has warned of another delay for the adoption of the new draft constitution aimed to rule Somalia in the future. After meeting with the Traditional Elders tasked to select a national constituent assembly NCA this month, the top Somali government officials, the speaker urged the elders to spare no efforts to speed up the selection processes of the NCA.

Security forces kill an al Qaeda member in Shibis district

15 Jul – Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA – 140 words

National security forces have last night killed an al Qaeda member who was armed with a pistol and a bomb in Shibis district in Mogadishu. National security chief commander, Khalif Ahmed Erag told Somali National News Agency that they got a report indicating that an armed al Shabaab extremist was staying near Rawdo mosque in Shabis district and security forces immediately went there and after a short gunfire was killed there.

AMISOM contingents to be deployed in Baladweyne

14 Jul – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 133 words

AMISOM contingent is expected to be deployed in parts of southern Somalia, especially in Baladweyne the Hiraan region in central Somalia. The spokesman for the AMISOM forces said contingents will be deployed in Baladweyne as soon as possible.

TFG officials meet with elders over delays

14 Jul – Source: Garowe Online – 115 words

TFG president Sheikh Sharif Ahmed met with the traditional elders after delays in the constitutional vote. TFG’s top ranking officials met with the traditional elders in Mogadishu, to reach a resolution on the selection of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) who will vote on the constitution. Traditional elders at the meeting said that they selected 75% of the 825 members of the NCA which were supposed to convene on Thursday.

African Union summit opens in Addis Ababa

15 Jul – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 110 words

African Union’s 19th summit on Sunday kicked off in Addis Ababa where leaders discussed a range of issues including Somalia’s political situation. During the summit, attended by almost all African heads of Sates, leaders will discuss Somalia’s security situation, progress made in implementation of the country’s political process.

Top Somalia government officials meet with the cultural elders

14 Jul – Source: Radio Risaala – 94 words

Somalia’s president, Prime Minister and speaker of the parliament all held meetings with the Cultural Elders whose mandate is to pick members who will then approve the draft constitution. President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, in his speech, urged the elders to speed up the process of picking the members. The Somali Premier, Dr. Abdiwali Mohamed Gas and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aadan, whose position as the speaker of the national Assembly is cause of much dispute, also delivered sermons to the elders.

Puntland elders and representatives prepare for constitutional vote

15 Jul – Source: Garowe Online – 59 words

Puntland’s traditional elders and their representatives for the National Constituent Assembly are getting ready to depart to Mogadishu to begin the constitutional conference. The UN Special Representative to Somalia, Augustine Mahiga met with Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole to discuss how to conclude the Roadmap on schedule in spite of delays in the constitutional vote.

Security forces seize 89 al Shabaab extremists

14 Jul – Source: Radio Mogadishu/ SONNA/ RBC/Hiiraan Online – 162 words

A joint force comprising the TFG Police force, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Somali National Army last week cordoned off suspected terrorist hideouts in several neighborhoods as part of series of night raids in the capital city of Mogadishu. A total of 89 al Shabaab terrorist suspects were arrested and remain in custody. The objective of the raid was to weed out the remnants of the al Qaeda-affiliated terror group, in the wake of numerous roadmap activities being held in Mogadishu.

Al Shabaab raid AU convoy in Afgoye corridor

15 Jul – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 84 words

The spokesman for the al Shabaab group Sheikh Abdi-Asiz Abuu Mus’ab said their fighters have attacked a convoy of African Union forces on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Mus’ab says the fighters attacked a convoy of African Union troops and government soldiers, killing and burning military vehicles.

Somali MP criticizes Kenyan air attacks in Somalia

15 Jul – Source: Mareeg Online – 116 words

A lawmaker in Somalia’s parliament has strongly condemned Kenya’s air raids inside Somali territory, a day after Kenyan fighter jets carried out deadly attacks in Gedo region, west of Somalia.
Mohamed Omar Geedi, the MP said during an interview with Somali Media that it will not be tolerable that Kenyan military to continue their air raids and kill innocent civilians of Somalia.

Kenyan warplanes reportedly kill 20 al Shabaab fighters in Somalia

13 Jul – Source: Radio Shabelle/ Jowhar Online/Garowe Online – 85 words

Kenyan warplanes have hit al Shabab bases in Gedo Region in southwestern Somalia, killing 20 militants. “The warplanes targeted al Shabaab bases in Birta dheer locality in Buurdhuubo District. Twenty fighters have been killed and others injured. Three battle wagons belonging to al Shabaab were also destroyed,” the source quoted Muhammad Abdikarin, the governor of Gedo as saying.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kidnapped Kenyans aid workers moved to Somalia pirate hub

14 Jul – Source: The Star – 376 words

The abductors of three Kenyan aid workers kidnapped in Puntland on Wednesday evening have moved them to a pirate hub in Hobyo but have not made any demands. The kidnappers moved the International Aid Services employees Ms Madoni, the head of the delegation, Mr Kariyota, an engineer, and Abdinur Kambase a doctor, after meeting resistance from residents opposed to the kidnap.

Somali athletes defeat hardship for shot at glory

14 Jul – Source: Daily Nation – 449 words

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

African Union urges to restore peace in African countries

15 Jul – Source: Xinhua – 368 words

The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council on Saturday addressed multiple conflicts raging in the continent in its final communique, calling on all sides to restore peace as soon as possible.

Somalia antipiracy tour extended

14 Jul – Source: Japan Times – 115 words

The government said Friday it will extend by one year the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s antipiracy mission off Somalia, which had been due to end July 23. Piracy off East Africa is still rampant, officials said, and Japan will maintain its presence of two destroyers escorting merchant and other ships and two P-3C patrol planes for conducting surveillance from the air.

South African becomes first woman to head AU

Jul 16 – Source: BBC – 500 words

South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma won a closely fought election to become the new head of the African Union Commission, the first woman to hold the post, African leaders said.
She beat the incumbent, Jean Ping of Gabon, after several rounds of voting.
“Now we have the African Union chair Madame Zuma, who will preside over the destiny of this institution,” Benin’s president and current AU chairman Thomas Boni Yayi said.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“The reform and transformation campaign that is beyond mere “perception management” must be launched. However, as a fragile state, the post-transitional government would need, among other things, collective vigilance, both internally and externally”.

Somalia: Post-Transitional Political Fault Lines

14 Jul – Source: Horseed Media – 1303 words

Internally—where it matters the most—the overall status of a government is judged by how the average citizen perceives it. From that perspective, and due to a number of factors, in Somalia not much has changed in the past three decades since the military government went astray.

Still, the average Somali sees his/her government as the archetype of power abuse, the magnet of demagoguery, the personification of partisanship, the agents of disunity, the epitome of incompetence, the exploiters of resources, the executioners of injustice, the promoters of corruption, the purveyors of propaganda, the distorters and manipulators nationalism, of duty, of citizenship, and mutual interest!