October 12, 2012 | Morning Headlines.
New Somali PM pledges competent, trustworthy government
11 Oct – Source: VOA News – 83 words
Somalia’s new Prime Minister has pledged to form a competent, trustworthy government ready to work toward developing the country, as it emerges from a U.N.-backed transition plan. Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdoon Saaid told VOA in his first interview since taking the post that he will base his agenda on Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s six-point plan for building the country’s institutions.
Key Headlines
- President Mohamud jets back to Mogadishu (Bar-Kulan/Jowhar Online)
- Somali and AMISOM forces advance towards Burhakaba town (Raxanreeb)
- Al Shabaab appoints Sh. Hassan Yakub as head of Gal-gadud region (Raxanreeb)
- Kenya Somalia soldiers’ bodies recovered in Kismayu mass grave (Africa Review)
- Pirates “expel” Qeybdid from Hobyo (Bar-Kulan)
- Al Shabaab fighters with armed vehicles mostly evacuated from Jowhar Town (Radio Mustaqbal)
- Iran ready to share experiences with Somalia (Fars News Agency)
SOMALI MEDIA
President Mohamud jets back to Mogadishu
11 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan /Jowhar Online-89 words
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday returned to Mogadishu after attending Uganda Golden Jubilee in Kampala, where he also held talks with other African leaders. The president and his entourage were warmly received at Adan Adde International airport in Mogadishu by the new Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, Speaker of the National Assembly Mohamed Osman Jawari and cabinet ministers.
Somali and AMISOM forces advance towards Burhakaba town
11 Oct – Source: Raxanreeb – 103 words
The Somali and AMISOM forces on Thursday said they have been advancing towards the rebel -eld town of Burhakaba of Bai region and that they will hopefully seize the town in the coming hours. Ali Abdi Garun, the district chief for Burhakaba town told the media in Mogadishu that the allied forces will hopefully enter the town in the coming hours without facing any resistance.
Al Shabaab fighters with armed vehicles mostly evacuated from Jowhar Town
11 Oct- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 123 words
A resident in Jowhar town, the head quarter of Middle Shabelle region in the south of Somalia confirmed that al Shabaab fighters with armed vehicles have mostly vacated Jowhar town. The resident who requested his name to be broadcast in the media for insecurity reason said al Shabaab fighters and officers with their vehicles have been removed from the town and are headed to Buleberde district in Hiran region.
Italian aid group donates medical aid to Puntland
11 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 72 words
An Italian aid group, Pericheo International, on Thursday delivered 40 tonnes of medical aid to Puntland administration. The donation worth $11 million was handed over to the regional health ministry as part of Italian efforts to support health care in the region. Puntland’s health minister Ali Abdullahi Warsame was quoted as saying that the donation was made at a time local health facilities in the region were in dire need of medical supplies.
Al Shabaab appoints Sh. Hassan Yakub as head of Gal-gadud region
11 Oct – Source: Raxanreeb – 88 words
The former al Shabaab chancellor of Jubba regions Sheikh Hassan Yakub Ali was transferred to Gal-gadud region of central Somalia by the group’s superiors. Sheikh Hassan Yakub Ali was the head of al Shabaab in Jubba regions of southern Somalia but on Thursday he was appointed to be the commanding officer of Gal-Gadud region in the central Somalia, according to al Shabaab media.
Pirates “expel” Qeybdid from Hobyo
11 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 91 words
A fierce clash has reportedly erupted between regional soldiers from Galmudug headed by the area president Abdi Awale Qeybdid and a group of pirates at Hobyo, a notorious pirates-hub in central Somalia. The fight occurred when heavily armed pirates attacked president Qeybdid and a group of foreign engineers trying to demarcate a site for the construction of the proposed Hobyo harbor who arrived at the coastal town early yesterday morning.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Chopper mystery: Firing airforce officers irregular
11 Oct – Source: Daily Monitor – 159 words
The Mil MI-24 attack helicopter of the type flown by UPDF that went down in Mt Kenya in August has fairly well documented capabilities. Two thousand pieces have been manufactured since 1969. Maximum speed- 335 Km/hour; Range-450Km or 280 miles and Service ceiling- 4,500 meters that limits the maximum height above sea level above which it can safely fly. It is flown as both an attack and utility helicopter. The three choppers that went down on that night of infamy were in a squadron of three attack and one utility helicopters.
Kenya, Somalia soldiers’ bodies recovered in Kismayu mass grave
11 Oct – Source: Africa Review – 126 words
African Union roops have recovered bodies of four Kenyan and Somali soldiers who went Missing in Action (MIA) in the lead-up to the capture of former Al-Shabaab stronghold Kismayu. The bodies had been buried close to a cemetery along the city’s coast line in a mass grave. Kenya Department of Defence spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said the four soldiers went missing after the Miidiow attack as Amisom troops moved eastwards towards Kismayu.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
New Somali PM pledges competent, trustworthy government
11 Oct – Source: VOA News – 83 words
Somalia’s new Prime Minister has pledged to form a competent, trustworthy government ready to work toward developing the country, as it emerges from a U.N.-backed transition plan. Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdoon Saaid told VOA in his first interview since taking the post that he will base his agenda on Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s six-point plan for building the country’s institutions.
Iran ready to share experiences with Somalia
11 Oct- Source: Fars News Agency- 159 words
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced his country’s preparedness to share experiences in different fields with African states, specially Somalia.”Iran is ready to transfer its experience in all fields, including the fields of healthcare, energy, road building and urbanization, to Somalia,” Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with Somalia’s Ambassador to Iran Khalif Kadieh Musa in Tehran on Wednesday.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Corruption is part and parcel of the Somali media. Journalists don’t normally ask themselves if a story is important or interesting. It is about how much money they can get from their sources to publish it. It’s known locally as sharuur, and it’s a form of bribery. The sad reality is that such behaviour can be witnessed on a regular basis. Something I often say to fellow Somali journalists is that we were meant to expose corruption; instead, we are the bad guys.”
Somali journalists are dying from corruption as much as conflict
11 Oct – Source: Guardian – 990 Words
It’s been a terrible year for Somali journalists. Fifteen of them have been murdered in 2012 so far – mostly victims of targeted killings. That makes Somalia one of the deadliest places to be a journalist. In all of these cases, the perpetrators have never been caught. As a Somali journalist, the issue is close to my heart and I would like to shed light on it. In my view, journalists in Somalia fall victim to three circumstances.