July 8, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali finance ministry denies UN report

05 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 132 words

The Somali finance ministry has denied on Thursday allegations in a U.N. report linking him to irregularities regarding millions of dollars withdrawn from the bank, saying the charges were baseless.Speaking to the media in Mogadishu, Somali Federal government finance Minister Mohamud Hassan Suleiman said that the UN report is unfounded and far from the reality.
The minister added that they are ready for the evidence of these allegations to be brought, stating that whatever had been withdrawn from the bank was an order from the ministry of finance, as it was managed lawfully. According to a UN report, money at the Central Bank of Somalia is not used to run government institutions in Somalia, with an average 80 percent of withdrawals made for private purposes.

Key Headlines

Government authorities participated the prayers over King-Abdullahi in Mogadishu (BBC Somali Service)
Somali finance ministry denies UN report ( Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali peace ‘historic responsibility’: Turkish FM (Anatolia News Agency)
Fighting erupts on outskirt of Jowhar town ( Shabelle)
Saudi ban lifting boosts Somali cattle trade (Arabian Business/Aljazeera)
Mogadishu plots to eject Kenya Defence Forces out of Somalia ( Standard)
KDF now sucked into Somalia power struggle (The East African)
Al Shabaab attacks Kenyan troops in Kismayo (Radio Mustaqbal)
Local farmers in Sool ask for skills training (Radio Ergo)
Somalia Somaliland delegations meet with Turkish FM (Hiiraan Online)
Jubaland president arrives to big welcome in Puntland (Garowe Online)
Galgadud administration welcomes new military operation declared by Somali PM ( Radio Bar-kulan)

SOMALI MEDIA

Government authorities participated the prayers over King-Abdullahi in Mogadishu

07 Jul- Source: Radio Kulmiye/BBC Somali Service -76 words

Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended the burial prayers of the late King Abdullahi Boqor Muse in Mogadishu’s Aden Adde airport. The late King passed on June 24 in Finland and his body was transported for burial through Mogadishu to northern Somali town of Qardho, where he was buried.

Fighting erupts on outskirt of Jowhar town

06 Jul- Source: Shabelle- 146 words
News sources from Jowhar town in provincial capital in middle Shabelle region say that skirmish resulted casualties broke out the outskirt of Jowhar between Somali federal government forces and al Shabaab militants. The clashes happened around the stadium of Jowhar town where Somali troops and AMISOM forces have military camp. Witnesses who spoke to Shebelle Media said that the fighting caused casualties, although the exact number of casualties on both sides is not yet known.

Al Shabaab attacks Kenyan troops in Kismayo

07 Jul- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 110 words
Reports from say that al Shabaab attacked Kenyan troops port city of Kismayo, the head quarter of Lower Juba region in Southern of Somalia. Al Shabab claimed that it attacked Kenyan troops with mortar shells that caused death and wound of Kenyan troops in Airport of Kismayo. The sound of Mortar shells could be heard in the town as al Shabaab forces attack the bases of Kenyan forces. Al Shabaab claimed it had killed 7 Kenyan soldiers in the attack. No comment yet from Kenyan troops in Kismayo about the mortar shells that happenedon Sunday night.

Local farmers in Sool ask for skills training

06 Jul- Source: Radio Ergo- 136 words

Small farmers in Sool have asked for agricultural training to improve their production. The farmers from Barwaaqo farming association met at a conference held at Nugal University to assess farming needs in the region. Fatuh Mohamed Jaama, a small scale farmer, said ignorance was the greatest obstacle they faced. “We were not traditionally farming people, so we are quite new to this and we need to be educated on planting, weeding, protecting and harvesting the crops. As we want to improve our productivity, we need experts from the University or from aid agencies, it doesn’t matter, to train us,” he said. Maallin Abdirizak Jama, a professor at the university, told Radio Ergo he had visited some of the farmers and observed many practices that needed changing or improving.

Somalia, Somaliland delegations meet with Turkish FM

07 Jul- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Hiiraan Online- 154 words
Helping Somalis “in every possible way” is a “historic responsibility” for Turkey, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday. Davutoglu held a joint meeting with delegations of government officials from Somalia and Somaliland in central Istanbul in a continuation of peace talks that began on April 13 in Ankara. “The relations between Somali, Somaliland and Turkey are beyond any kind of borders,” Davutoglu said. “Despite geographical distance, historically we are like a family.” The minister described the first meeting on April 13 as a “historic start”, where parties agreed on a joint statement to plan future talks. The statement had said country representatives would meet again in three months. On Sunday’s meeting in Istanbul, the Turkish foreign minister met ministers and MPs from Somali and Somaliland, including Somali Interior Minister Hussein Gulled and Somaliland Trade Minister Muhammed Omar.

Somali finance ministry denies UN report

05 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 132 words

Jubaland president arrives to big welcome in Puntland

06 Jul- Source: Garowe Online- 564 words
Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole welcomed the new president of Jubaland State Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) at Garowe airport on Saturday. President Madobe’s plane first landed at Abdullahi Yusuf International Airport in Galkayo city of Puntland, where President Madobe and his delegation visited over 50 persons receiving medical treatment at hospitals in Galkayo. The persons were wounded in last month’s fighting in the southern port of Kismayo between Jubaland forces and a militia loyal to former warlord Col. Barre Hirale. Speaking in Galkayo, Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe thanked the people and government of Puntland and the people of Galkayo for helping wounded persons with medical assistance.

Galgadud administration welcomes new military operation declared by Somali PM

06 Jul- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 130 words

The Somali Federal government administration in Galgadud region in central Somalia has cordially welcomed the new military operation dubbed “Shabeel” declared by Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon which is intended to drive al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab group from the rest of the country. Speaking to the media, Galgadud regional governor Ahmed Hassan Yusuf (Ciyow) said this new military operation declared by the Prime Minister is the only way to liberate the areas still controlled by al Shabaab militant group. Ciyow added that al Shabaab rebel group remains active in many parts of the central regions of Somalia, terrifying locals. The new military operation is aimed to free many districts and villages of the southern regions of Somalia where the outlawed group still controls.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Saudi ban lifting boosts Somali cattle trade

07 Jul- Source: Arabian Business/Aljazeera-2: 33 min

Fortunes for cattle traders in Somaliland have drastically improved since Saudi Arabia lifted a ban on meat from the de facto state in 2009.

Mogadishu plots to eject Kenya Defence Forces out of Somalia

06 Jul- Source: Standard- 304 words
Somalia has taken the first official step to remove Kenyan troops from Kismayu by asking the African Union to deploy a “multi-national force” there. Officials in Mogadishu also demanded an urgent inquiry into recent clashes and the naming of non-Kenyan Amisom political officers for southern regions. The requests were part of a strongly worded protest letter by Somalia’s Foreign minister to the AU that The Standard on Saturday has obtained. The letter, which accuses a Kenyan commander of “incompetence” and “poor judgement”, escalates a fresh diplomatic row between Somalia and Kenya.

KDF now sucked into Somalia power struggle

06 Jul- Source: The East African- 654 words
A growing suspicion that the Kenya Defence Forces have taken sides in the ongoing power struggles in Kismayu prompted the Somalia government’s unprecedented call for their withdrawal. There are concerns that the KDF, which is serving under the African Union Mission for Somalia (Amisom), is getting sucked into local politics. Early in the week, Somalia Deputy Minister for Information Abdishakur Ali Mire accused the Amisom forces in Sector Two, which KDF is manning, of detaining Somali army commander Col Abbas Ibrahim Gurey, and visiting violence on civilians.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali peace ‘historic responsibility’: Turkish FM

07 Jul- Source: Anatolia News Agency – 254 words

Helping Somalis “in every possible way” is a “historic responsibility” for Turkey, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday. Davutoglu held a joint meeting with delegations of government officials from Somalia and Somaliland in central Istanbul in a continuation of peace talks that began on April 13 in Ankara. “The relations between Somali, Somaliland and Turkey are beyond any kind of borders,” Davutoglu said. “Despite geographical distance, historically we are like a family.”

UN official concerned about humanitarian situation in Somalia

06 Jul- Source: China.org/ Xinhua- 161 words

A UN official on Friday expressed his concern about the escalated humanitarian distress in Somalia’s key southern port city of Kismayo. Philippe Lazzarini, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, was concerned about the humanitarian situation in Kismayo which witnessed heavy fighting in June, said UN associate spokesman Farhan Haq.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“No longer can Aweys state, as he did in 2006, that his organization is not tied to Al Qaeda. After all, the Shabab has boasted of the connection. The question is simply what chances will he be given now?”

Somalia’s al Shabaab shakeup and the importance of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys

07 July- Source: The Toronto Star-938 Words
The call for the interview came just minutes before we were to meet. “Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys will see you. Now,” an intermediary told us by phone. We ran to our cars, guards in front, guards behind, and raced through Mogadishu’s sandy streets in the heat of an October afternoon. Aweys’ home was somewhere off Ballad Rd., although all I can remember clearly is a little boy cradling a dusty blender and waving furiously at us as we turned onto his street. “Ask me anything,” Aweys began our interview, although after an hour of talking through a Somali translator it was clear he would dodge as many questions as he would answer.

“Shutting down money transfer services in the UK will, in effect, strangle a significant player in Somalia’s economy. As the UK-based Somali Money Services Association pointed out, the decision by Barclays could have the unintended consequence of pushing the money transfer service underground into the hands of unlicensed, unregulated and illegal providers, thereby exacerbating money laundering and other vices, the very vices that led to the Barclays directive in the first place.”

Bank’s move could strangle Somalia’s economy, force ‘hawala’ underground

07 July- Source: Daily Nation-679 Words
The announcement by Barclays Bank Plc of the UK that it will from this week withdraw banking services from some 250 money transfer companies has caused panic among Somalis in the diaspora who use these companies to send money to family members back home. Explaining the move, Barclays stated: “It is recognised that some money service businesses don’t have the proper checks in place to spot criminal activity and could, therefore, unwittingly be facilitating money laundering and terrorist financing.” Critics of the decision say that remittances are a “lifeline” for the millions of Somalis who are not served by formal banking institutions and that thousands will not be able to pay for food, education and medical expenses. Some researchers have suggested that Somalis operate and even thrive in a largely unregulated and informal economy because of remittances.