October 4, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Despite local agendas, al Shabaab and other Islamic militant groups in Africa develop ties

03 Oct- Source: Washington Post/AP- 497 words

The Westgate Mall attack in Kenya threw the spotlight on al Shabaab, a Somalia-based group of Islamic militants that claimed responsibility. But its relationship with al-Hijra, a relatively obscure cell of extremists in Kenya, represents what terrorism analysts say is a worrying trend in Africa: an increase in collaboration among religious radicals across borders and vast, poorly policed regions. For now, the experts say, this networking lets militant groups in Africa aid one another in the face of pressure from security forces, but doesn’t entail a coordinated, continent-wide strategy that could sideline the local agendas they hold dear. The fear is that the more these groups talk to each other, the more people they will kill as they thwart efforts to contain them.

Key Headlines

Somali military court sentence soldiers for killing colleagues (Radio Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Radio Mustaqbal)
Fishermen in Puntland to be registered for ID cards (Radio Ergo)
Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon welcomes foreign investment in Somalia (Office of the Prime Minister)
Somali Community in Ottawa welcomes Somali Foreign Minister Central Bank Governor ( Hiiraan Online)
President commemorates lives lost on twentieth anniversary of “Black Hawk Down” (Office of the President)
Stretched forces leave Somali militants room to plot strikes (Reuters)
Banadir hospital runs out of medicines (Radio Ergo)
Allied troops clash with al Shabaab in Lower Juba region (Radio Shabelle)
Kenya: Somalia women deny charges (Star)
Barclays Backtracks Over Somalia Money Transfers (Voice Online)
Interview With Abdirahman Omar – Spokesman Office of the President Somalia (Citizen TV)
AMISOM spokesman: More troops aid needed for Somalia (Sabahi Online)
Despite local agendas al Shabaab and other Islamic militant groups in Africa develop ties (Washington Post/AP)
Somalia to cooperate with Turkey on counterterrorism: Somali PM (hurriyetdailynews)

PRESS STATEMENT

President commemorates lives lost on twentieth anniversary of “Black Hawk Down”

03 Oct- Source: Office of the President – 242 words

His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today commemorated the Somali and American lives lost during the Battle of Mogadishu on 3-4 October 1993.

“Twenty years ago Somalia was plunged into anarchy as the result of the collapse of the central government and the international community intervened to stabilise the desperate humanitarian situation. Unfortunately, far too many lives were lost during Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu,” the President said.

“On the other hand, 20 years later, the United States was the first government to recognize our new government after the end of the transition and today our two great countries stand together as friends and allies. As we celebrate our recovery we also mark with sadness and respect the lives lost on both sides in the madness of that conflict and we say firmly, never again.”

The President paid his respects in Villa Somalia and said it was important to honour the victims of the fighting on both sides.

“Many people around the world know Somalia only through the distorted lens of Black Hawk Down. Yet, Somalia has moved on into a new chapter with a recognized government that is healing the wounds of war.”

“Somalis have known nothing but conflict and suffering for two decades. Today we have at last emerged from the ashes of war. We are establishing Africa’s latest democracy, we are rebuilding our government and resurrecting our economy.”

Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon welcomes foreign investment in Somalia

03 Oct- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 298 words

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today welcomed important foreign investment in Somalia after the Cabinet unanimously approved the agreement between Soma Oil and Gas Exploration and the Ministry of Natural Resources. The agreement will see Soma Oil and Gas begin a seismic survey of 60,000 sq. km of territorial water and limited onshore areas.

“Foreign investors see the huge steps that Somalia has taken and are keen to invest here. We have to continue to work hard as a government to attract investment and demonstrate that Somalia is open for business” said the Prime Minister, who was chairing the weekly Council of Ministers in Villa Somalia.

The Prime Minister also briefed Cabinet on his recent trips to Geneva and Turkey. In Geneva he addressed the UN Human Rights Council who strongly welcomed Somalia’s commitment to protecting and enhancing human rights, as well as the founding of 27th August as Somalia’s national Human Rights Day.

Briefing the Cabinet on his meetings in Turkey, the Prime Minister spoke of the “special relationship and bond” between Somalia and Turkey and outlined plans for the establishment of a joint committee between the two countries to examine how best Somalia and Turkey can work together for the benefit of both countries.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali Community in Ottawa welcomes Somali Foriegn Minister, Centeral Bank Governor

03 Oct- Source: Hiiraan Online-495 Words

A welcoming reception for Deputy Prime Minister Fowzia Yusuf H. Adam and her delegation at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre last night saw hundreds of Somali-Canadians uniting in support of a common goal—for individuals living abroad to return to a safe Somalia and to congratulate the beginning of women in politics. For the first time in twenty-two years, official delegation from Somalia is in Canada striving to establish international relations that will elevate the country on the world stage. Among the Somali delegation was Yussur Abrar, the newly appointment governor of the Somali Central Bank. She reminded the audience that many countries around the world have been built and developed by their diaspora communities. She cited Israel as a relevant example of having a strong diaspora connection.

Fishermen in Puntland to be registered for ID cards

03 Oct- Source: Radio Ergo- 113 words

The Puntland administration is to start the registration of fishermen and their fishing boats in a plan to make it easier to distinguish legitimate fishermen from pirates. The director of Puntland’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Abdiwahid Jocar, said they will issue unique identity cards to fishermen. “The fishermen have suffered a lot because they have been unable to distinguish themselves from the pirates and because they are all Somalis and look alike,” Jocar told Radio Ergo’s local reporter in Garowe. He said the new ID cards would be funded by the ministry and would stop innocent fishermen from being mistaken for criminals.

Somali military court sentence soldiers for killing colleagues

03 Oct- Source: Radio Shabelle/Hiiraan Online/Radio Mustaqbal- 111 words

Two Somali military soldiers were on Thursday sentenced to death after a court session hearing was held in Mogadishu. According to the judge, enough evidence has been gathered confirming that 33 year old Yahye Sheikh Abdullahi Ahmed and 37 year old Hussein Ali Ahmed shot and killed fellow government soldiers in Mogadishu’s Wardigle suburbs. The killing occurred when the 2 accused soldiers confronted the two deceased soldiers in unknown circumstances in last month’s incident. “The executions or penalties will be take place in the coming days. We will carry out the execution as per the court ruling,” said Mr Keyse who is an official of the military court.

Banadir hospital runs out of medicines

03 Oct- Source: Radio Ergo- 161 words

Banadir Mother and Children hospital has run out of drugs, according to its director, Dr Lul Mohamud Mohamed. She said several international organizations that used to support the hospital have stopped their funding over the past six months due to insecurity in the city. These include German Emergency Doctors and Women and Health Alliance International (WAHA), among others. Dr Mohamed told Radio Ergo’s local reporter in Mogadishu that they had to buy medicines available in the local markets. This was jeopardizing the hospital’s ability to maintain free health services to patients. “The staff are not paid and we don’t even have fuel for the generator to have electricity,” Dr Mohamed said. Mohamed called for financial support from Somali government, business community and aid agencies in order to continue the hospital’s medical services to the people. The director of health department of Somalia’s ministry for development and public services, Dr Abdirisaq Yusuf Ahmed said the government was negotiating with various aid agencies.

Allied troops clash with al Shabaab in Lower Juba region

03 Oct- Source: Radio Shabelle- 85 words

A heavy battle between Somali government troops allied with Kenyan troops who are part of the AMISOM contingent and al Shabaab fighters occurred at Qoqani district which is located in the lower Juba region of Somalia. Residents told Shabelle radio that they heard a heavy gunfire and exchange of mortars between the two sides. The fighting started when al Shabaab fighters attacked a military base manned by the Kenya peacekeeping forces and government soldiers. The casualties caused by the fighting are not yet known.

Somalia: Bossaso airport upgrade to boost Puntland aviation sector

03 Oct- Source: Garowe Online-537 Words

Twenty international companies are competing for Bossaso airport runway bid and the tender winner is expected to upgrade and bitumen in conformity with code 4C operations requirements, the existing runway from 1800m to 2650m, Garowe Online reports. Puntland government in northern Somalia says, the project went through various stages to boost the region’s aviation sector which was neglected by the former Somali central governments. The development phase sent many citizens in Puntland into celebration as the demand for aviation in Puntland has been increasing in both the number of passengers and the volume of cargo and the current regular flights to Puntland are unlikely safe due to the poor safety of aircrafts and lack of aviation safety facilities at major airports. In view of these circumstances, the current government requested to Italy for continued assistance in supporting aviation infrastructure upgrades.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya: Somalia women deny charges

03 Oct- Source: Star (Kenya)- 53 words

Two women of Somali origin appeared before Senior principal magistrate Margaret Onditi and charged for being in the country illegally. Amina Ibrahim, 25 and Fraha Mohammed, 26 denied that on October 1 they were found without work permits. Prosecutor Michael Kiprop requested the court to remand the two.

Interview With Abdirahman Omar – Spokesman, Office of the President Somalia

03 Oct- Source: Citizen TV- 31: 57 min

Kenyan Citizen TV: Interview with Abdirahman Omar Osman – Spokesman, Office of the President Somalia (Video).

AMISOM spokesman: More troops, aid needed for Somalia

02 Oct- Source: Sabahi Online- 546 words

The African Union Mission in Somalia has made progress in many areas — such as boosting security and fostering reconciliation among tribes — but much more work needs to be done, AMISOM spokesman Colonel Ali Aden Humad said. “Today we can see that life has returned to Mogadishu, and international flights with passengers are arriving and departing,” he told Sabahi. “We see many people who have hope in Somalia’s development, either Somali nationals coming back to their country or non-Somalis saying, ‘How can we take part in the development of the country?’ Every day, there are [many foreign] governments meeting with the Somali government.”

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Stretched forces leave Somali militants room to plot strikes

03 Oct- Source: Reuters-542 Words

Militants in Somalia can plot attacks like the Kenyan mall massacre because Somali government forces and allied African troops lack the soldiers and firepower needed to crush the insurgents for good, a senior Somali official said on Thursday. Abdirahman Omar Osman, an adviser and spokesman to the Somali presidency, said al Shabaab rebels occupied swathes of remote countryside beyond the reach of Somalia’s ill-equipped army and an over-stretched African Union peacekeeping force. From their rural hideouts, the group’s commanders were able to mastermind deadly assaults inside Somalia’s borders and beyond, Osman said. Al Shabaab says it was behind the Westgate mall attack in Nairobi on September 21, when gunmen sprayed people with bullets and hurled grenades, killing at least 67. A failure to equip the military offensive against al Shabaab in Somalia with helicopter gunships and heavy weaponry was hampering efforts to build upon the security gains won over the past two years, Osman said.

Despite local agendas, al Shabaab and other Islamic militant groups in Africa develop ties

03 Oct- Source: Washington Post/AP- 497 words

Barclays Backtracks Over Somalia Money Transfers

03 Oct- Source: Voice Online- 238 words

People wanting to send money to friends and family living Somalia will still be able to do so with Barclays after the bank made a U-turn on its decision to scrap money transfer services to the country, while it goes to court over its closure plans. Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, launched a campaign against the bank when it first said it would close the accounts of money transfer companies and remittance firms sending money from Britain to Somalia.

Somalia to cooperate with Turkey on counterterrorism: Somali PM

03 Oct- Source: hurriyetdailynews- 410 words

Somalia will engage in tight cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism issues, its prime minister announced during an interview published Oct. 3. The country in the Horn of Africa faces a constant threat from the al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab organization, which controlled the capital Mogadishu until recently and conducted a deadly attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi two weeks ago.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“The decision to launch a terrorist attack abroad might reflect its inability to mount a successful offensive against African Union troops on the ground but it is also a mark of al Shabaab’s enduring strength.”

What next for al Shabaab?

03 Oct- Source: Newstateman-554 Words

It didn’t take long for the Somali militant group al Shabaab to claim responsibility for the deadly siege on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi. The group, which maintains an active social media presence despite repeated attempts to close its accounts, announced on Twitter that it was carrying out the attack in retribution for Kenyan troops now fighting militants in southern Somalia. Al Shabaab, which means “the youth” in Arabic, first emerged as a radical youth arm of the Union of Islamic Courts, an Islamist coalition, and gained prominence as part of the armed resistance to Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia in 2006. It flourished in the lawlessness that followed Ethiopia’s withdrawal in 2009, bolstered by funding from Eritrea. In 2011, African Union troops forced al Shabaab out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, but swaths of the country are still under al Shabaab control. Al Shabaab officially joined al Qaeda in February 2012 but has long aligned itself with al Qaeda’s narrative of global jihad. In 2010 al Shabaab suicide bombers killed 67 people in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and since 2011 it has carried out smaller attacks in Kenya.