October 16, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Top government leaders join faithfuls on Eid celebrations

15 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan/SNTV – 87 words

Somali Federal government’s top leaders have marked Eid al-Adha celebrations with the people at the Somali capital, Mogadishu on Tuesday. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari together with ministers and members of the Somali Federal Parliament have prayed with thousands of faithfuls in an open grounds at the capital. Speaking to the worshipers after the prayers, Somali president sent his best wishes to the Muslims around the globe for the annual Eid-ul Adha celebrations, on Tuesday, October 15.

Key Headlines

AMISOM wishes Muslims a happy Eid-ul-Adha (AMISOM)
President of Somalia praises parliamentarians and encourages them to maintain the momentum(OPS)
Top government leaders join faithfuls on Eid celebrations (Bar-kulan/SNTV)
Millions of Somali lives depend on UK court decision says President (OPS)
Somali regional leader arrested in Europe (Somali Current)
Ten killed in fighting near Mogadishu (Garowe Online)
Police in central Somalia arrest suspected al Shabaab members (Raxanreeb)
Building a New Somalia: The Diaspora Experience (VOA)
Building a New Somalia: The Diaspora Experience (Aljazeera)
Notorious Somali pirate ‘Big Mouth’ arrested in Belgium (AFP)

PRESS STATEMENT

President of Somalia praises parliamentarians and encourages them to maintain the momentum

15 Oct – Source: Office of the President – 270 words

The President of Somalia, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Speaker of the Parliament Hon Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawaari and the Prime Minister, H.E. Abdi Farah Shirdoon Saa’id today hosted lunch with members of the parliament for the occasion of Eidul Adha. The Deputy Prime Minister, ministers and members of the parliament were present at the lunch event, which was held in the Office of the President.

Speaking to MPs, the President gave them Eid congratulations, praised their work during the past 12 months and encouraged the legislators to redouble their efforts for the coming years.

“I am really pleased with the progress in parliament over the last year, which showed leadership, unity and excellent partnership working with the government,” the President said. “You have enacted necessary laws, the foundations of a functioning state. It is vital you now maintain this hard-won momentum.

The next two years are very critical in order for us to move forward Of course there have been differences between the government and the legislature, as there should be in any democracy, but these have been minimal. I am confident together we will continue to focus on the big picture and the urgent need for us to bring peace and stability to Somalia.”

The President, speaking on the government’s achievements to date, said: “There have been huge improvements in terms of security, international relations, public finance management and political reconciliation among Somalis. However, we need to further maintain and improve the security as it is the prerequisite to the development and prosperity of the country. This, above all, is where our efforts must bear fruit.”

Somalia President sends Eid wishes to Muslims around the globe

15 Oct – Source: Office of the President – 167 words

H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, speaking to media in Mogadishu today, sent Eid wishes to all Muslims and in particular to Somalis around the globe.

President Hassan said “Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, all Somalis wherever they are should welcome this important day in our life and remember neighbours and all disadvantaged people so that they will celebrate the occasion of the Eidul Adha. Somalis should be mindful to our children as we need to teach them the Eid occasion and we should ensure that all Somali children celebrate with pride and happiness.”

The President also said: “ I wish all Muslims performing Hajj in Mecca and Medina to complete their Hajj performance so that Allah can reward them. I also hope that Allah accepts their prayers.”

The President of Somalia called on all Somalis to show mutual respect and tolerance to each other, encouraging them to join forces and rebuild the nation in order to bring peace and stability to Somalia.

AMISOM wishes Muslims a happy Eid-ul-Adha

15 Oct – Source: AMISOM – 142 words

As Muslims across the world prepare to mark the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif sends his best wishes to the Somali people.

“It gives me great pleasure to send my best wishes to the people of Somalia on this important day. Today marks the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites and the culmination of a period of prayer, reflection and charity,” said Amb. Annadif.

The SRCC wishes to further remember and thank the Muslim troops serving in the different AMISOM contingents for their efforts and contributions to the restoration and maintenance of peace and stability in Somalia. “To the people of Somalia and Muslims around the world, I wish you all a blessed and joyful celebration,” Amb. Annadif concluded. “Eid Mubarak.”

of Somali lives depend on UK court decision, says President

14 Oct – Source: Office of the President – 166 words

His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today said the lives of millions of innocent Somalis depended on the decision expected tomorrow in a British court affecting money transfer companies.

“Our people are now recovering from a long and devastating civil war and this is not the time to punish them again by closing the legitimate lifeline on which millions of Somalis absolutely depend,” the President said.

“We are watching with great concern the events unfolding in London and sincerely hope that Somalis are not made to suffer unnecessarily. Here in Somalia we have always argued that the innocent millions should not be made to suffer because of the crimes of the guilty few.”

“I would like to thank the many friends of Somalia, including British MPs, the UN, IMF, World Bank, NGOs like Oxfam, and all others who have contributed to this important matter. I earnestly hope that common sense will prevail. Anything else will destroy lives and completely undermine the international community’s policy towards Somalia.”

SOMALI MEDIA

Top government leaders join faithfuls on Eid celebrations

15 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan/SNTV – 87 words

Somalis celebrate with Muslims on first day of Eid al-Adha

15 Oct – Source: Somali Current – 74 words

Somali people celebrate with Muslim worshipers around the world to mark the yearly Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday. People gathered early in morning at mosques and open grounds in the cities to perform the Eid prayers. Eid al-Adha – the Feast of Sacrifice – marks the end of hajj, an annual pilgrimage undertaken by some 1.5 million Muslims this year in Saudi Arabia.

Baidoa security tightened amid Eid celebrations

15 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 70 words

Somali government administration in the southern Somali region of Bay has reportedly tightened security in the city as faithfuls gather at Baidoa mosques to mark the celebrations of Eid al-Adha Tuesday. Speaking to Bar-kulan, Bay deputy governor Sandhere Mohamed Iftin said that security forces are patrolling the whole city amid Eid al-Adha celebrations. Mr Sandhere has also sent wishes to the Muslims, particularly Somali people around the globe.

Somali regional leader arrested in Europe

15 Oct – Source: Somali Current – 104 words

Mohamed Aden Tiiceey, a former leader of Himan and Heeb , a local administration in central Somalia, has been arrested in Belgium, authorities said. Mr. Tiiceey was arrested on Saturday at Brussels airport accompanying a notorious former pirate leader Mohamed Abdi Hassan known as Afweyne and was being held in Bruges where they are expected to appear in court. Belgian prosecutor, Johan Delmulle said in a press statement, that Tiiceey was an accomplice along with Afweyne. News reports suggest that Tiiceey was approached, dangling a fake job as an adviser to a fake movie about piracy that would mirror his life as a pirate.

Ten killed in fighting near Mogadishu

14 Oct – Source: Garowe Online – 94 words

At least ten people reportedly died and ten others have been wounded in two separate clashes that took place on the outskirts of Mogadishu during the afternoon and the night of Sunday. Local reports say, the Somali Federal Government troops fought each other near a hospital situated outside of Mogadishu when they disagreed over the collection of tax from under construction building, leaving three soldiers dead and eight others wounded. According to the Somali government forces commander, the fighting erupted between armed militiamen disguised as military soldiers and the government forces.

Puntland burns 1500 sacks of counterfeit money in Bosaso

14 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 97 words

Puntland authority in Bosaso commercial city in Somalia has on Monday burnt at least 1500 sacks of papers that were intended to make counterfeit money.Minister of ports and transpiration of autonomous Puntland region of Somalia Said Mohamed Rage said that a court in Puntland has yesterday ordered the burning of these sacks in a public place outside the city. Rage stated that the papers were held at a police station in Bosaso before putting them on fire this morning. The minister added that there is an ongoing operation of searching goods that arrive in the area.

Police in central Somalia arrest suspected al Shabaab members

14 Oct – Source: Raxanreeb – 79 words

Police in central Somalia have nabbed three al Shabaab suspects after operation in the town of Beledweyneon Monday, RBC reports. Hiiraan police commissioner Col. Isxaq Ali Abdulle, said the police managed to arrest three men who were believed to be al Shabaab members of the Amniyat cell. “These men were part of a network of al Shabaab’s Amniyat [intelligence], those who carry out assassinations and bomb explosions in the region,” Col Abdulle said.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Building a New Somalia: The Diaspora Experience

15 Oct – Source: Al Jazeera – 131 words

Two Somalis died when a bomb they were making detonated in a house in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, as thousands gathered to watch a football match, officials have said. “The ones who died were of Somali origin,” Ethiopia’s Minister of Information, Redwan Hussein, said on Monday. The two deceased were in Ethiopia illegally and had rented a house in a Somali neighbourhood near the airport where the bomb exploded, Redwan said. “They were Somali nationals and plotted to carry out a suicide attack disguised as fans on either the stadium or areas where large crowds gathered to watch the game,” government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said. Explosives, arms, hand grenades and football shirts were found at the scene of the blast, at a residential address an hour before kick-off, Shimeles said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

We were informed of U.S. raid: Somali President

15 Oct – Source: Hindu News – 137 words

The failed U.S. navy Seals raid along the coastal town of Barawe in Somalia was part of a broader US-Somali military and intelligence engagement to fight insurgents in the conflict-prone east African state, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud said in a rare interview. President Mahmoud said no firm evidence had yet emerged that that Somali nationals were involved in last month’s insurgent attack on a mall in Nairobi, Kenya, or that the attack was planned on Somali soil. In a joint report last week, the United Nations and African Union warned that al Shabaab, the al Qaeda affiliated militant group that took responsibility for the Nairobi attack, was rearming, regrouping and refinancing even as the 17,709-strong contingent of African troops in Somalia (AMISOM) was geographically stretched and unable to make fresh inroads into insurgent territory.

Building a New Somalia: The Diaspora Experience

15 Oct – Source: VOA – 119 words

There is great hope and optimism in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, for those residents who lived through years of war. In a gallery at the Center for Research and Dialogue in Mogadishu, Somali artist Adan Farah Affey stands in front of one of his paintings. It is called “Empty Suit” and depicts a business suit without a body that he says represents politicians from the diaspora. “The first politicians that came to the country… the ones who got into politics, not business, were those that experienced hard times abroad and came here wanting to make quick money,” said Affey. Affey has lived in Mogadishu his entire life. He took his painting underground during more than 20 years of conflict.

Notorious Somali pirate ‘Big Mouth’ arrested in Belgium

14 Oct – Source: AFP – 146 words

One of Somalia’s most notorious pirate leaders, known as “Big Mouth”, has been arrested in Brussels and placed in custody pending charges, judicial sources said Monday. Mohamed Abdi Hassan, known as “Afweyne” or “Big Mouth”, was being held in Bruges after being detained at Brussels airport on Saturday on disembarking from a flight from Nairobi, Belga news agency said. Judicial sources told AFP that the federal prosecutor would hold a news conference later Monday. Afweyne announced in Mogadishu in January that he was quitting piracy after a highly profitable eight-year career. He said he was working to persuade other pirates to do the same. Described last year by the UN as “one of the most notorious and influential leaders” in Somalia’s pirate hub, he notably was involved in the 2008 capture of the Saudi-owned Sirius Star oil supertanker, released for a ransom of several million dollars.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“With a comprehensive policy, or through a strategic partnership that is mutually beneficial, the Somali-U.S. relationship can improve beyond symbolism. However, the process cannot be managed from the periphery and outside the conventional diplomatic means.”

Getting US-Somali relations on the right track

14 Oct- Source: The Hill Blog- 1000 Words

A great deal of optimism surrounds the fact that the Somali-U.S. diplomatic relationship is now back on track. However, at this embryonic stage, it would be naïve to assume that such newly gained optimism is sufficient to effectively cultivate a sustainable strategic partnership that is beneficial to both nations. There are real challenges ahead that must be dealt with by sound policies, and with a mutual effort carried from both ends. On the Somali end, I would briefly underscore three main priorities: institution-building without which ending chronic corruption and culture of impunity is impossible; cultivating the right space for a genuine reconciliation; and providing tangible public services. [Readers who may be interested in more in-depth analysis on Somalia may want to visit my blog at Foreign Policy Association]. While the two nations never engaged in direct conflict, actions by certain non-state actors during the past two decades of semi-anarchy in Somalia have caused political apprehension, thus gradually causing these two friends to drift apart.