August 20, 2013 | Morning Headlines.
Prime minister Shirdon says political opposition should be based on “facts”
19 Aug – Source: Raxanreeb – 90 words
The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia Abdi Farah Shirdon Saacid has strongly dismissed allegations from political figures which have been recently circulated on the local media. The prime minister said any political opposition against the government should be based on facts instead of false claimings. “It is not bad for anyone to oppose anything, but it is not good if a political figure uses his opposition for unproven words which may return back to him.” Prime minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said in his facebook account this morning.
Key Headlines
- Somali Parliament Speaker returns to Mogadishu (Bar-kulan)
- Land mine explosions target AMISOM troops in Kismayo (Shabelle media)
- Demonstration against pulling out of MSF from Somalia took place in Jowhar (Radio Mustaqbal)
- Jubaland and Federal Govt to resume talks (Garowe Online)
- Family mourns AP’s death in Garissa raid (Daily Nation)
- UNHCR pays tribute to staff killed in the line of duty marking World Humanitarian Day 2013 (UNHCR)
- Somalis aiming high after historic FIFA course (FIFA News)
SOMALI MEDIA
Prime minister Shirdon says political opposition should be based on “facts”
19 Aug – Source: Raxanreeb – 90 words
The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia Abdi Farah Shirdon Saacid has strongly dismissed allegations from political figures which have been recently circulated on the local media. The prime minister said any political opposition against the government should be based on facts instead of false claimings. “It is not bad for anyone to oppose anything, but it is not good if a political figure uses his opposition for unproven words which may return back to him.” Prime minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said in his facebook account this morning.
Somali Parliament Speaker returns to Mogadishu
19 Aug – Source: Bar-kulan/Mustaqbal – 70 words
A high level delegation led by Somali Parliament Speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari has today returned to the Somali capital Mogadishu from Uganda. Addressing the media at Mogadishu international airport, Mr Jawari stated that they have met Ugandan Parliament and discussed wide range of issues, including signing of agreement with the Ugandan Parliament. He added that he met Ugandan president Museveni during visit, discussing the relations between the two countries.
Land mine explosions target AMISOM troops in Kismayo
19 Aug – Source: Shabelle – 58 words
Land mine explosions rocked southern Somali port city of Kismayo targeting AMISOM peacekeepers. The two separate explosions targeted Kenyan convoys at Via- Afmadow and the central business district areas of the city. The explosions were so loud and could be heard in the whole city and its surrounding and are believed to have caused damages to the peacekeeping troops.
Demonstration against pulling out of MSF from Somalia took place in Jowhar
19 Aug – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 92 words
Several people took to the streets of Jowhar town in Middle Shabelle region in Southern of Somalia, expressing their feelings and impression about the withdrawal of MSF from Somalia. The demonstrators were mostly women and children and expressed their sorrows about the cessation of humanitarian activities by the aid agency. Some of the traditional elders and the district commissioner of Jowhar spoke to the people gathered and expressed their worry about the humanitarian situation since MSF announcement.
Jubaland and Federal Govt to resume talks
19 Aug – Source Garowe Online/Bar-kulan – 104 words
A bilateral talks between Somalia’s Jubaland administration and Mogadishu-based Federal Government are due to kick off in Ethiopian capital of Addis ababa under the auspices of IGAD this week, Garowe Online reports. In an effort to restart the forthcoming round of talks, Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) flew to Addisababa on Monday. The first round of talks, which took place in Addisababa in July 2013, brought together President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s close aide and State Minister for Presidency, Farah Abdulkadir and President Madobe who accepted to join the bilateral discussions after an immense pressure from IGAD but the talks hit deadlock over Jubaland recognition.
REGIONAL MEDIA
FAMILY MOURNS AP’S DEATH IN GARISSA RAID
19 Aug – Source: Daily Nation – 67 words
A family is mourning after the killing of an administration policeman by al Shabaab militia. Corporal David Muchira, 40, was among four officers shot dead during a raid at an AP post in Garissa on Friday last week. The insurgents opened fire on the officers, killing them instantly before setting the post on fire.
Soon after the attack, soldiers were dispatched to Garissa to pursue the suspects.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UNHCR pays tribute to staff killed in the line of duty, marking World Humanitarian Day 2013
19 Aug – Source: UNHCR – 127 words
Francois Preziosi turned out to have tempted fate when in July 1964 in a field report from the UNHCR office he headed in eastern Congo, he described to colleagues the dangerous work he was doing in trying to protect refugees. “If I seem to take some risks by going frequently to the front lines, it is not out of pure curiosity, but to be able, when the time is ripe, to intervene and try to prevent any inconsiderate action against the refugees both in the field and in the resettlement centres,” he wrote. “To be able to do this I have to become a familiar sight among the officers and soldiers and therefore to visit them frequently.” Preziosi was murdered only weeks later, on 18 August 1964.
Somalis aiming high after historic FIFA course
19 Aug – Source: FIFA News – 103 words
After years of unrest and civil war, football in Somalia is set to enter into a new era with FIFA’s first development course in Mogadishu since 1986 finishing today, Monday 19 August 2013, in the city’s Banadir stadium. “This course represented a major milestone for our football,” Secretary General of the Somali Football Federation (SFF), Abdiqani Said Arab, told FIFA.com. “It was a great platform for a new generation of Somali people, and a big step towards the normalisation of football in our country. The security situation in Somalia is getting better, and we believe that it’s possible to move things forward.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Somalia needs America to do better. There’s incredible opportunity for engagement but we’re not seizing it, and, instead, sticking to our old ways in America’s so-called “war on terror.” Ways that are military-focused, not socio-economically inclined, and engaging only segments of the population, not the disenfranchised and marginalized. If we want to win over Somalis, an about-face is needed, and it is needed now.”
Our moral obligations in Somalia
19 Aug- Source: Washington Post-926 Words
When pundits and politicos in Washington think of Somalia, the first thing they likely think of is al Shabaab, the violent rebel group that sprung from the military wing of the Islamic Courts Union that once ran the country. That’s especially true in light of last week’s news that Doctors without Borders is pulling out of Somalia after 20-plus years in the country, due to an increase in violent attacks. That’s also likely what the Department of Homeland Security was thinking when they detained me for questioning at JFK Airport after I returned from Somalia last week. The al Shabaab fit nicely into the characteristics of the West’s war on terrorism as well as the conservative’s narrative about Islam and violence. But there is much that is misunderstood about this movement and the country that is trying to quell it.