April 11, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Immigration officials order all foreigners in the country to register themselves

10 Apr – Source: Radio Kulmiye/Shabelle – 91 words

The Immigration Department of Somalia has requested all foreigners to register themselves at the immigration department offices in Mogadishu. The head of the immigration department Mr. Abdullahi Gaafow Mahmud said this while addressing the media in Mogadishu. Mr. Gafow added that the foreigners in the country are welcome and can travel freely in the country if they follow procedures lawfully. He added that a lot of foreigners have arrived in Mogadishu over the past months, some seeking jobs while others were already working with organizations that have relocated in the country.

Key Headlines

Somalia strives to shake off “failed state” tag (Reuters VOA)
Nigerian Formed Police Officers receive medals in recognition of their contribution to AMISOM (AMISOM)
Immigration officials order all foreigners in the country to register themselves (Radio Kulmiye)
The lower Shabelle Administration cries foul over Roadblocks along Mogadishu-Afgoye highway(Shabelle)
Somali PM urges Uganda to expand role in Amisom (Daily Nation)
Somaliland: Two Dead in a Violent land Dispute in Burao Town (Radio Bar-kulan)
Global cost of Somali piracy down as higher security deters attacks (Al Shahid)

PRESS RELEASE

Nigerian Formed Police Officers receive medals in recognition of their contribution to AMISOM

10 Apr – Source: AMISOM – 423 words

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in conjunction with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) held a medal parade at Mogadishu Stadium in appreciation of the contribution made by officers and men of the Nigerian Contingent of the AMISOM Formed Police Units who are about to complete their tour of duty .

140 officers and men from the Nigerian Contingent of the AMISOM Formed Police Unit were decorated with medals by Col. Timothy Kiguti (rtd) assisted by the Assistant Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Mr. Danazumi Doma in recognition of their outstanding performance and committed service to the African Union Mission in Somalia. Mr. Doma while congratulating the officers and men for successfully serving in the AU Mission in Somalia reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Government to peace in Africa.

“The Nigerian Government as a member of the African Union is committed to peace and stability on the continent in general and Somalia in particular. Our deployment of both Formed and Individual Police

Officers is a clear testimony of our strong commitment to peace not only in Somalia but also the entire continent.” He said.

The Nigerian Formed Police Officers alongside their colleagues from Uganda were deployed in Somalia last year to form the first deployment of Formed Police Units in the peacekeeping history of the African

Union.

Speaking on behalf of the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, the AMISOM Chief Administrative Officer, Colonel (rtd) Timothy Kiguti expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Government for its continued support to peace in Somalia and the police component of AMISOM in particular.

“Your country’s commitment to the stability of Somalia and the restoration of rule of law cannot be overemphasized. We recall with appreciation that in 2010, Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone were the

first countries on the African Continent to contribute Individual Police Officers (IPOs) to the AU mission in Somalia. Their deployment marked a significant milestone towards the long journey of efforts to

restore the rule of law in Somalia.

“Further history was made in the same year when the IPOs were first deployed in Mogadishu at the height of intense fighting in Mogadishu where at that time, AMISOM and the Somali Government only controlled 30% of Mogadishu.” He said.

Colonel Kiguti extended the Head of Mission’s appreciation and that of the African Union to all donors and partners particularly the European Union, the governments of Italy, Germany and Japan for the material and financial support provided to the Police Component of AMISOM.

SOMALI MEDIA

Immigration officials order all foreigners in the country to register themselves

10 Apr – Source: Radio Kulmiye/Shabelle – 91 words

The Immigration Department of Somalia has requested all foreigners to register themselves at the immigration department offices in Mogadishu. The head of the immigration department Mr. Abdullahi Gaafow Mahmud said this while addressing the media in Mogadishu. Mr. Gafow added that the foreigners in the country are welcome and can travel freely in the country if they follow procedures lawfully. He added that a lot of foreigners have arrived in Mogadishu over the past months some seeking jobs while others were already working with organizations that have relocated in the country.

Lower Shabelle Administration cries foul over Roadblocks along Mogadishu-Afgoye highway

10 Apr – Source: Shabelle – 105 words

The Assistant of the Regional Finance Officer of the lower Juba region who contacted Shabelle media informed us that men wearing government troops uniforms have put several roadblocks along the main highway connecting Mogadishu and Afgoye road. Mr. Abdi Fatah Abdule Yusuf who is holding the above position said that the number of men collecting money from motorists and businessmen using the highway were growing. He added that the roadblocks are not far from each other.

Somaliland: Two dead in violent land dispute in Burao town

10 Apr – Source: Somaliland Press , Radio Bar-kulan – 125 words

The residents living in the Southern suburbs of Burao town were yesterday woken up by the rattling sound of machine guns after three armed men attacked a consignment of security forces moments after the minister of livestock and environment Dr. Abdi Aw Dahir laid the foundation stone in a contested piece of land known as Burao.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali PM urges Uganda to expand role in Amisom

10 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 93 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon has urged the Ugandan government to expand the role of its troops in the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). Prime Minister Shirdon on Wednesday said Uganda needs to take an active role in reforming Somalia’s security institutions. “He (the PM) believes the security situation (in Somalia) has improved and there is a need to work on delivering services in order to maintain government mandate,” said a statement from his office.

Global cost of Somali piracy down as higher security deters attacks

10 Apr – Source: Al Shahid – 139 words

The cost of Somali piracy to the global economy has declined by 12.5 percent since 2011 as attacks fell sharply, a survey showed on Tuesday, but the cost of armed guards to protect ships soared. The annual report by the Oceans Beyond Piracy advocacy group estimated the cost of piracy at $5.7-6.1 billion in 2012. For much of the last decade, young Somalis in sometimes tiny boats have wreaked havoc among Indian Ocean shipping, seizing vessels and sailing them to pirate havens where they remain until millions are paid in ransoms.

Dadaab records high cases of sexual violence: report

10 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 94 words

Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya is among areas with increased cases of child sexual offences in Africa according to a new report released on Tuesday. A report by Save the Children, a non-government organisation (NGO) notes that girls and boys under the age of 18 and living in Dadaab refugee camp near the Kenya – Somalia border have been frequent victims of sexual violence. In its new report Unspeakable Crimes Against Children, children are often molested when fetching water and firewood, most of which are activities conducted away from the security of their camps.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia strives to shake off “failed state” tag

10 Apr – Source: Reuters – 173 words

Western powers are in early talks on writing off Somalia’s debt, a big shift for a country that was long branded a failed state and has with help scored successes against al Qaeda-linked rebels and piracy. Just two years ago, Islamist militants and African peacekeepers fought daily street battles in Mogadishu.

Now the city is rid of insurgents, though still vulnerable to attack, and the government’s focus is on bolstering security, rooting out corruption and imposing the rule of law. Foreign diplomats point to a determination to re-enter the international fold under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, elected last year in the country’s first vote for decades.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Donors to Somalia, including the US, the UK, the EU and Japan, should work to ensure Somali journalists can do their jobs without fear of government reprisals.”

Rectifying Somalia’s wrong turn

10 Apr- Source: Al Jazeera English-758 Words

“Journalists should not be sent to prison for doing their job,” tweeted Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon in response to a recent court ruling in the case of a journalist who interviewed a rape victim. And yet on March 3, a Mogadishu court of appeals upheld the conviction of the journalist, Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, without explaining what crime he was supposed to have committed.

Finally, the Supreme Court rightly ordered his release on March 18 after 66 days in detention, the first step in rectifying a case that was wrong from the start. He had been detained after interviewing a woman who said she had been gang-raped by Somali security forces – and who herself was arrested for reporting the crime, sentenced to a year in prison, but eventually acquitted on appeal. “It will take time,” Shirdon continued on Twitter, for Somalia’s judiciary “to become an institution that delivers justice effectively and inspires public confidence.”