November 15, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Cabinet endorses plans to reopen Somali National University

Key Headlines

Over 400 families lost livelihoods in Puntland(Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Garowe)
Somaliland President Silanyo Meets Visiting Islamic Development Bank Officials(Somaliland Press)
Mudug Administration contributes aid to cyclone victims(Radio Bar-kulan)
KDF will completely crush al Shabaab – survey(Capital News)
Somali region appeals for aid after cyclone(Al Jazeera)
Troop Surge Could End Al-Shabab Insurgency Says AU official (VOA)
Zuma sends condolences to Puntland (SAPA/iol News)

PRESS STATEMENT

Cabinet endorses plans to reopen Somali National University

14 Nov- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 295 Words
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon and Cabinet were today briefed government plans to rebuild and reopen Somali National University at the weekly Cabinet meeting. The plans were unanimously supported by the Cabinet.
Somali National University was established in 1974, consisting of 13 faculties, 700 staff and educating over 15,000 students. The physical structure of the National University campus has been heavily damaged, it is estimated it will cost $3.6m to refurbish the university.
“Education must be at the heart of every civilised country’s agenda and Somalia is no different. Through education we fight poverty, illiteracy and ignorance and we promote social development,” the Prime Minister said.
“Now that peace is returning to Somalia, we urgently need to re-establish our education system, which has been devastated by two decades of fighting. The Ministry for Human Development and Public Services has already launched the ambitious Go 2 School campaign, which will see $117 million invested over three years, with the aim of getting one million more children into schools.
“We must now focus on reviving our state higher education system. Reopening Somali National University will allow our brightest and most talented pupils to once again aspire to attend university in Somalia.
“A generation has already lost its education through war. Without education we will not build a new Somalia. ”
The Cabinet also discussed and welcomed the United Nations Security Council backing for the package of non-lethal support to be provided to the SNA through a UN trust fund and the increase in number of AMISOM personnel.
“This increased support and manpower will help to bring about a final end to the fighting, allowing Somalia to get on with reconstructing our country and rebuilding our economy,” said His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon.

SOMALI MEDIA

Over 400 families lost livelihoods in Puntland

14 Nov- Source: RBC/Puntladpost/ Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Garowe- 110 words

Puntland Ministry of Livestock Husbandry indicated that as many as 400 nomadic families might have lost their livestock to the flash floods in Puntland’s coastal areas over the weekend. Deputy Minister of Livestock Husbandry, Abdiweli Hirsi Noor has on Wednesday assembled veterinary doctors in Garowe to discuss how to deal with the situation. Noor said that his ministry is now planning to dispatch veterinary teams to the most-hit areas. He said that it is difficult for the authorities to get the exact number of casualties due to shattered communication lines. Recent reports indicate that the death toll from the stormy rains and tropical cyclone might rise to over 300 people.

Somaliland President Silanyo Meets Visiting Islamic Development Bank Officials

14 Nov- Source: Somaliland Press- 247 words
Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud ( Silanyo) received a Islamic Development Bank delegation which is currently visiting the country. The Islamic Development Bank delegation has been in the past four days visiting the various projects they support which are connected with land improvement and public health services in the country. President Silanyo during the meeting at presidential palace said, “On behalf of the people of Somaliland I extended my gratitude to the Islamic development bank for the continued support in funding much needed development projects in the country. The Islamic Development Bank is currently funding ongoing rehabilitation projects in the Hargeisa Group Hospital, and also Hargeisa and Gabiley orphanages.

Mudug Administration contributes aid to cyclone victims

14 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 105 words

Mudug Administration stated that it has dispatched emergency aid to the Puntland Disaster Management and Rescue Committee in Garowe to be delivered to cyclone victims. Mudug region Governor, Mohamed Jama Yusuf Tigey told Bar-kulan that they have sent food, dried dates, clothes, mosquito nets and other essential supplies to the victims. He said they have made urgent appeals to other parts in the region to contribute everything in their capacity to the relief efforts and are helpful of an immediate response. The relief efforts are expected to continue until the rescue operation comes to an end, he said.

REGIONAL MEDIA

KDF will completely crush al Shabaab – survey

14 Nov- Source: Capital News- 546 words

A new survey released by Ipsos Synovate reveals that more than half of Kenyans are confident that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will successfully defeat Somalia’s al Shabaab militia. Synovate Lead Researcher Tom Wolf however said Kenyans fear retaliatory attacks due to the incursion in Somalia. “Fifty six percent of Kenyans believe that the al Shabaab militia will mainly be defeated by the Kenyan military in Somalia.”

Somali region appeals for aid after cyclone

14 Nov- Source: Al Jazeera- 370 words

Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland has declared a state of emergency and is appealing for international aid after floods triggered by a cyclone killed at least 300 people and left hundreds missing. The United Nations said some 30,000 people were in need of food, water, shelter and medical supplies, according to government estimates. Puntland’s government has described the situation as a “disaster”. Puntland forms the tip of the Horn of Africa and has its own government, but unlike neighbouring Somaliland, it has not declared independence from Somalia, which has been unstable since 1991 when President Siad Barre was overthrown.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Troop Surge Could End Al-Shabab Insurgency, Says AU official

14 Nov- Source: VOA- 522 words

The United Nations approval of the troop surge in Somalia will help the African Union’s goal of defeating hard line militant group al Shabaab in East Africa, according to Erastus Mwencha, the AU’s deputy chairman. He said the strengthening of African Union troops (AMISOM) and support for the Somalia national army will make it possible to intensify the military campaign against the militants and expand the authority of the Somalia government. It will also facilitate the political process, which will culminate in the adoption of a federal constitution and the holding of elections. Mwencha outlined the rationale behind the AU’s decision to seek the UN Security Council’s approval for a troops surge in Somalia.

Zuma sends condolences to Puntland

14 Nov- Source: SAPA/iol News-100 Words
South African President Jacob Zuma sent condolences to Somalia on Thursday following a tropical cyclone which killed 150 people. “Our sincere sympathy goes out to all the victims of the cyclone, in particular women and children, who are the worst affected during such natural disasters,” Zuma said in a statement. “The people of South Africa share the pain and loss of those who lost their loved ones, their homes and property.” He wished the injured a speedy recovery. The international relations department said more than 250 000 households had been affected and a million head of livestock had died during the cyclone.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Kenyan-Somalis offer an insight into the daily challenges they encounter.”

In Pictures: A Garissa tale

14 Nov- Source: Al Jazeera English-102 Words
Kenya is home to 42 tribes. One of those is Somali. Kenyan-Somalis make up around five percent of the population – making them the sixth-largest tribe in the country. Distinct from them, however, are non-Kenyan Somalis who have fled the civil war in Somalia. The Dadaab refugee camp on the border of the two countries holds most of them but there are many in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and its North Eastern Province, whom the government periodically rounds up. In the North Eastern Province’s Garissa county, Kenyan-Somalis offer an insight into their lives and the challenges they encounter, from border security to drought.