March 1, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali president grants amnesty to pirates, but not kingpins

28 Feb – Source: Reuters World Service

Mogadhishu, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has granted an amnesty to hundreds of young Somali pirates to reduce the threat to shipping in the seas off the Horn of Africa state, a senior regional official said.
The amnesty will not apply to bosses running the gangs responsible for hijackings that have ramped up shipping costs while earning criminal syndicates tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, a second official close to Mohamud said.

Key Headlines

Donors step up ties with Somalia; praise rebuilding efforts (Reuters World Servic)
Somali Govt calls on the public to participate in development (Radio Mogadishu)
Things are falling together order resuming again (Shabelle net)
Thousands of troops intended for the Jubba’s stranded at Gedo region (Radio Kulmiye)
War on Terror over al Shabaab (Shabelle)
Galgadud residents urged to maintain peace ( Radio Bar-kulan)
Somalia Police on study tour in Sierra Leone (Awoko News)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali Govt calls on the public to participate in development

28 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Risaala – 117 words

Somalia Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs. Fowsiya Yusuf Haji Adan has urged the civilian population to participate actively in all development projects and peace agendas ongoing in the country. Mrs. Fowsiya who also doubles as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, called on the citizens to forgot the dark past and embrace the present and the future with dedication and optimism. She highlighted the importance of people coming together and pursuing a common goal that will benefit each and every citizen. Somalia is rich in mineral resources, agriculture and fishing and as such, the country was enough to provide for everyone. “Achieve this goal, the people need to work with and cooperate fully with their government”, Mrs. Fowsiya remarked.

Things are falling together order resuming again

28 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 97 words

After yesterday war between the government troops and Alshabab is that the situation has calm down in the town of Burhakaba and people are continuing with their normal daily routine. The government and Ethiopian troops are conducting operation of finding out the Alshabab in the area after throwing them out yesterday. Also the number of the troops in the area is increasing and all what their doing is to make sure that there are no Alshabab in the area again and so many people have been arrested in the operation that took place today in the morning.

Thousands of troops intended for the Jubba’s stranded at Gedo region

28 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 140 words

Bood Abdulahi Magan who was one of the former parliament members of the transitional federal government also one of the individuals originally from the Jubba provinces have talked about thousand of soldiers those are stranded at some parts of the regions including the Jubba regions. Also, Abdille Magan has told that a number of 4800 Somali soldiers those were trained in Kenya are suspended at the environs of El-Wak and Gariley as the Somali government have not yet talked about the issue. Bood has indicated that these soldiers are scheduled to remove Al-Shabab from the Jubba and Gedo provinces but their position are entered by a replacement of a Kenyan forces part of AMISOM those are doing their work. he has requested the president of the of the federal state to do something about the soldiers those are stranded there.

War on Terror over al Shabaab

28 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 120 words

it was again another misery that Alshabab surprisingly attacked Amison and government troops which are based in Janale Lower Shabele. The District Commissioner of lower shabelle Abdiqadir Mohamed Nuur who spoke with shabelle radio in Mogadishu said that the war happened early in the morning which ended to four members of Alshabab being caught and arrested. Also the district commissioner said that today there was demonstration and we are aware about it and we are making follow ups with what the citizen are complaining about and we shall make sure that Alshabab will be removed from the region and he also urge the citizen to work with government authorities so that they can assist them removing Alshabab from the region.

Galgadud residents urged to maintain peace

27 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 99 words

Galgadud governor Ahmed Yussuf Iyow has appealed to residents in the region to maintain peace and end recently witnesses clan related skirmishes in the region. Speaking to Bar-kulan, the governor said it’s saddening that locals are now turning to each other and warned of consequences if the trend continues. His sentiment comes a day after local pastoralists clashed along the Somali-Ethiopian border over ownership of water reservoirs, sparking massive displacement of people. Iyow urged local leaders and diaspora communities who are natives of the region to intervene the situation and negotiate peace talks between warring clans in the region.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali president offers amnesty to pirates

28 Feb – Source: Capital FM/AFP/Sky News – 151 words

Somalia’s president has offered an amnesty to young pirates in a bid to end attacks off the Horn of Africa nation’s coast, he told AFP. “We have been negotiating with the pirates indirectly through the elders,” said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. “Piracy has to end”. Mohamud, elected by lawmakers six months ago, said that he wanted to offer an “alternative means of earning a living” to young Somalis who have taken up the gun to join pirate gangs. However, Mohamud said that the amnesty was not open to pirate kingpins — those who take the vast majority of the profits from the attacks — some of whom are wanted by Interpol.“We are not giving them amnesty, amnesty is for the boys,” he said. Somalia has been ravaged by conflict since 1991 but a new UN-backed government took power in September, ending eight years of transitional rule by a corruption-riddled administration.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali president grants amnesty to pirates, but not kingpins

28 Feb – Source: Reuters World Service

Donors step up ties with Somalia; praise rebuilding efforts

28 Feb – Source: Reuters World Service – 400 words

Washington, Major Western donors have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to reengage with Somalia, opening the way for increased development assistance to a country trying to shake off years of conflict.
A senior British official said in Washington that London will host a conference with the new Somali government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on May 7. The meeting will focus on rebuilding the security forces, police, and justice system and discuss how to reengage with agencies like the World Bank.
Somalia has been mired in civil strife for more than two decades, leaving the African nation in grinding poverty, militancy and maritime piracy, without a functioning central government.
“Part of the challenge of mine is to communicate really the degree of opportunity and success that has happened so far in Somalia – mixed with a fairly hard-nosed realism about some of the old challenges that still exist there,” said Nick Kay, Africa Director at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Somalia Police on study tour in Sierra Leone

28 Feb – Source: Awoko News – 117 words

A high powered delegation from Somali Police Force (SPF) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are currently in Sierra Leone on a study visit, to acquaint themselves with the successes of peace in the country. The team which arrived on Monday comprises of SPF Commissioner, General Sharif Shekuna Maye and other three senior officers, accompanied by AMISOM police Commissioner and AMISOM Police Reform, Restructuring and Development Coordinator. Sierra Leone has been identified as a record success story that Somalia could benefit from by sharing experiences. Head of Police Media, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ibrahim Samura said that the team considered Sierra Leone as post-conflict country that has made tremendous improvement in consolidating peace and stability.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“About 80 per cent of teenagers and young adults in a recent survey indicated that they are optimistic about Somalia’s future. This optimism should be grabbed by the international community as it presents the best opportunity Somalia has witnessed in decades.”

Somalia: Rising from the Ashes

28 Feb-Source: Huffington Post Blog-788 Words

Known for topping the list of failed states, Somalia seems to be rising from the ashes of war and all its connotations. Its capital Mogadishu, infamously known for Black Hawk Down and often described as one of the most dangerous cities on earth, has seen a revival since August 2011 when AMISOM ousted Al-Shabaab fighters from the city after four years of intense battle.

Just a few days ago, AMISOM reported to have secured further cities in Middle and Lower Shabelle in the surrounding region of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab announced a temporal tactical withdrawal – they have not yet returned.