November 6, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali Money Transfer Firm Wins British Reprieve

05 Nov- Source: VOA/IRIN/Financial Times/BBC-426 Words

A British court has prevented Barclays bank from cutting off service to the Somali money transfer company Dahabshiil. The decision will allow Somalis to continue receiving remittances from abroad. Somalia has no formal banking sector, and the remittances are a key lifeline for thousands of people there. Barclays had threatened to suspend business with Somali money transfer companies, on concerns the remittances are being used to fund terrorism. But Britain’s High Court issued an injunction Tuesday that will keep Dahabshiil’s operations going until at least the end of a full trial sometime next year, should Barclay’s decide to appeal the ruling. The CEO of Dahabshiil, Abdirashid Mohamed Duale, welcomed the ruling. In an interview with VOA, Duale said millions of Somalis, other African communities and humanitarian aid groups depended on his company’s services.

Key Headlines

Prime Minister: “Permanent solution must be found to keep open this vital lifeline”(Office of the Prime Minister)
Ethiopian Foreign Minister arrives in Mogadishu(Radio Mogadishu)
Somaliland president meets with UK deputy ambassador to Ethiopia(Somaliland Informer Online)
Gunmen kill local NGO employee in Mogadishu(Radio Bar-kulan)
Somaliland Foreign Minister meets with IGAD Secretary General(Somaliland Informer Online)
Somali FA Refutes FKF Claims(Citizen TV News)
Somalia welcomes bank remittance reprieve(AFP)
Oxfam reaction to temporary injunction granted to Somali money transfer operator in case against Barclays(Oxfam)

PRESS STATEMENT

Prime Minister: “Permanent solution must be found to keep open this vital lifeline”

05 Nov- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 157 words

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today welcomed the decision by the UK High Court forcing Barclays to keep open the money remittance lifeline to the people of Somalia.

“I welcome today’s court decision to continue this vital service to millions of ordinary Somalis.

“As Somalia continues to recover from two decades of unrest these remittances remain an essential source of income for more than half of all Somalis. To many these remittances pay for a basic standard of living, allowing families to put food on the table, clothe their family, treat illnesses and educate their children,” said, the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister urged all parties to work together on finding an acceptable long-term solution.

“Governments, the money remittance sector and all key stakeholders must now work together to find a permanent legitimate and transparent solution that keeps open this vital lifeline”.

SOMALI MEDIA

Ethiopian Foreign Minister arrives in Mogadishu

Nov- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Bar-kulan/Radio Risaala/ Dhanaan Online- 93 words

Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom has on Tuesday arrived in Mogadishu to participate in the closing ceremony of the Jubba reconciliation conference. AMISOM and Somali security forces have been dispatched to heighten up security as officials from the federal government received the foreign minister and his delegation at Aden Adde International Airport. Government officials led by president Hassan Sheikh, Interim Jubba Administration officials and other dignitaries are due to attend the closing ceremony of the conference. A final communique is expected to be released during the closing stages of the conference.

Somaliland president meets with UK deputy ambassador to Ethiopia

05 Nov- Source: Somaliland Informer Online- 262 words
Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo has received at his office on Tuesday British deputy ambassador to Ethiopia Mr. Chris Allan who paid working visits to Somaliland. After the meeting ended, Commerce and International Investment Minister Dr. Mohamed Abdilahi Omar held press conference on which he briefed the media representative the focus of their discussion. The minister said that the purpose behind the ambassador’s visit to Somaliland is to consolidate the existing working relations between the UK government and Somaliland. The minister added that such visit reveals the friendly ties between the two governments.

Gunmen kill local NGO employee in Mogadishu

05 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 93 words
Gunmen have on Monday killed a local human rights watchdog employee in Wadajir District in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Mohamed Farole had been admitted to Medina General Hospital where he later succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the shooting. The assailants immediately disappeared from the scene and the motives behind the attack are yet unclear. Reports say that government forces arrived at the scene and investigations are ongoing. This is not the first time local and international aid workers in Somalia came under attack from gunmen believed to be Al Shabaab fighters.

Landmine explosion kills one person in Burao

05 Nov- Source: Haatuf News/Radio Bar-kulan/Mareeg Online-100 words

A landmine explosion has on Monday killed a truck driver in Burao, one of the largest towns in Somaliland. Mustapha Yusuf Mire, a driver of an electricity company in Somaliland died after the explosion hit his truck during an electricity installation exercise in October District. Qadan Abdi Awad, the local area representative lamented that it is not the first time a landmine explosion caused damage to the locals in Burao. Awad calls on the local government and Demining Agencies to tackle the landmine issues in which she said has been a persistent problem in the town, particularly in October District.

Somaliland Foreign Minister meets with IGAD Secretary General

05 Nov- Source: Somaliland Informer- 109 words

Somaliland Foreign Minister and International Cooperation Mr. Mohamed Biihi Abdi who is on working visit to the neighboring country of Djibouti for the past couple of days met with IGAD members on Monday. The meeting took place at IGAD’s main office in the Djibouti and the FM held talks with Secretary General Mr. Mohamoud Ma’alin. Other IGAD members also attended the meeting. Somaliland’s FM was accompanied by the Secretary of the foreign Ministry and Somaliland representative to Djibouti. The focus of the talks were the projects that IGAD implements in Somaliland and workers from member countries of IGAD can use their travel documents in order to enter in to Somaliland territory.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya: 21 sued for illegal stay

05 Nov- Source: the Star- 123 words

Some 21 foreigners were charged in a Kenyan court for being in the country illegally and planning crime. The accused were arrested last Friday in a swoop on criminals in Eastleigh in Nairobi. They were among the other 220 suspects arrested the same day. According to the prosecution, the crackdown was aimed at ridding the estate of illegal immigrants especially from Somalia. The area is high on crimes and the police have been on high alert since the terror attack at Westgate Mall that left more than 70 people dead.

Somali FA Refutes FKF Claims

05 Nov- Source: Citizen TV News-290 Words
Somali Football Federation (SFF) has refuted claims by Football Kenya Federation boss Sam Nyamweya on a ‘peace for Somalia’ initiative through the upcoming CECAFA senior challenge cup to be hosted in Kenya. “Somali FA is not aware of it” said SFF Secretary General Abdi Qani. “It came to us as a surprise when we heard in the media FKF President Sam Nyamweya announcing a decision of football for peace meeting on Somalia and what he described as ‘peace for Somalia’ theme for the 2013 CECAFA senior challenge cup, said Qani. Qani says anyone who wants to join peace efforts in Somalia through football can directly contact Somali Football Federation which is the only body to organize or announce such football for peace initiative for Somalia.

Travelport extends its reach to Somalia

05 Nov- Source: Zawya/ Buying Business Travel-266 Words
Travelport – the leading distribution services and e-commerce provider for the global travel industry – has continued to expand its footprint across Africa with the launch of business operations in Somalia. Travelport has appointed Euro Africa Services – an established regional travel operator – as its distributor in the country, making this the latest milestone in its expansion in Africa. Travelport is now present in 48 African countries, with more in the pipeline. Under the terms of the new agreement, Euro Africa Services will have exclusive rights to distribute Travelport’s Galileo technology and services in Somalia, providing travel agencies in the region with access to extensive global travel content, leading edge technology as well as customer support and training.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Money Transfer Firm Wins British Reprieve

05 Nov- Source: VOA/IRIN/Financial Times/BBC-426 Words

Somalia welcomes bank remittance reprieve

05 Nov- Source: AFP/France24-515 Words
Somali money transfer company Dahabshiil on Tuesday welcomed a temporary injunction by a British court allowing it to continue sending vital funds to the war-torn nation. With no formal banking system, diaspora Somalis turn to money transfer services to support their families back home, sending some $1.3 billion (one billion euros) each year, according to aid agencies Oxfam and Adeso. Barclays, the last major British bank still working with transfer companies, had said it would close all dealings with money transfer systems, cutting a $500 million yearly flow to Somalia. The bank defended the move citing fears of money-laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. But Dahabshiil challenged it in a London court. “The court handed down its judgement, granting an interim injunction which has the effect of preserving Dahabshiil’s banking arrangements with Barclays until the conclusion of a full trial,” the company said in a statement. In a first reaction a Barclays spokeswoman later said the bank was “very disappointed at today’s decision, and we will be appealing.

Oxfam reaction to temporary injunction granted to Somali money transfer operator in case against Barclays

05 Nov- Source: Oxfam-128 words
In response to the High Court granting a temporary injunction to the money transfer operator Dahabshiil in the case against Barclays, Oxfam’s Director of Campaigns and Policy Ben Phillips said: “The ruling provides a small window of opportunity for Somalis living in the UK to send money home to loved ones in one of the poorest countries in the world. However, this does not solve the problem – a long-term fix is needed to safeguard hundreds of thousands of people relying on the money for food, medicines and education. “It is now critical that the Treasury shows leadership across government to implement its proposed reforms of the sector and works with the banks to create a robust long-term solution to allow money to be sent legally to Somalia.”

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The hijack-ransom is shocking in its simplicity and impressive in its profitability. What makes this method effective is not simply the enabling conditions, but the innovative operational methods that have been introduced. The recent success of the international community to slow Somali piracy might convince some that the threat has been removed, however the factors that produced hijack-ransom piracy are in place in other regions indicating that Somali-style piracy could be poised to spread.”

Somalia’s Innovating Pirates

05 Nov- Source: World Peace Foundation Blog-985 Words
The MT Smyrni, a Liberian flagged Tanker, was sailing 250 nautical miles off the Omani coast when pirates were sighted. The pirates closed fast, attacking with automatic weapons. The crew was able to drive the pirates off once, but a second attack overwhelmed the Smyrni. Within moments the vessel had been commandeered, the 26 crewmembers kidnapped, and a new course set towards the Somali coast. The ship’s owners were contacted, ransom negotiation initiated, and its crew held hostage to hedge against attempts to forcefully free the vessel. Ten months later the pirates received $9.5 million dollars, and the owners of the Smyrni received their ship back. The attack on the MT Smyrni is hardly unique. Over the last eight years, Somali pirates have emerged as perhaps the most successful maritime brigands of the modern age. Between 2005 and 2011, they hijacked 218 vessels and held 3,741 sailors hostage. Their operations peeked between 2010 and 2012, when roughly 3,000 Somali pirates extorted $429.37 million for the global shipping community.