December 30, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

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AU Special Representative condemns the bomb attack in Dayniile

29 Dec- Source: AMISOM-146 Words
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif has condemned the bomb attack on civilians in the Dayniile district.
Saturday, at 1100 hours, a Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) went off in a cafeteria frequented by members of the Somali National Army (SNA). 6 soldiers and 5 civilians lost their lives while 15 civilians were injured.
“Somalia has made significant progress this year and we cannot allow ourselves to go back on this achievement,” said Ambassador Annadif, adding that such senseless attacks only strengthened the resolve of Somalis to take charge of their destiny and improve their lives.
Ambassador Annadif also reiterated that all of AMISOM’s resources including emergency medical care remain at the disposal of the Somali people and called for more support to enable the Somali security forces respond better to such incidents.

Key Headlines

Somali forces seize new territories from al Shabaab in Bay region(Radio Mogadishu/Radio Dalsan)
Somalia to evacuate its citizens from South Sudan (Radio Mogadishu/SNTV)
Losing glasses brings Somalia war zone into focus (BBC)
Djibouti to Send More Troops to Somalia (VOA)
Three wounded in hand grenade explosion in Mogadishu (Radio Dalsan)
Prime Minister Re-Opened Old Moalim Jama School(Hiiraan Online)
New health centre opens in Galkayo’s Alanley camps(Radio Ergo)
Food aid arrives in Jowhar Middle Shabelle region (Radio Bar-Kulan)
Trust: The driving force behind many Somali traders’ success (Standard Media)
Somali-American imam leading the fight against al Shabaab theology (African Review)
Challenges abound in voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya (Sabahi Online)
Ismail maimed in Somalia is thriving in Arctic Circle (Toronto Star)

PRESS RELEASE

AU Special Representative condemns the bomb attack in Dayniile

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali forces seize new territories from al Shabaab in Bay region

29 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Shabelle/Radio Mogadishu/Dalsan- 107 words

Somali government forces in Berdale district of Bay region have seized new territories from al Shabaab militant group, according to government officials. Government officials in Berdale stated that their forces have seized new territories including Moore Warabe, Walaq and Is-koris near Berdale district from al Shabaab fighters. Berdale district Commissioner, Mohamed Isak Qara’ase who spoke to Bar-kulan stated that the government will continue to intensify its offensive against the militant group. Somali troops and their Ethiopian allies have in recent months conducted security operations and offensives against al Shabaab fighters in Berdale district in Bay region.

Somalia to evacuate its citizens from South Sudan

29 Dec- Source: Somali Current/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV- 140 words
Somali Government is ready to evacuate its citizens out of South Sudan as fighting between government and rebel group spreads in the country. Somalia’s outgoing Foreign Minister Fowsia Yusuf Haji Adan said that the government will send emergency plane to Juba, South Sudan’s capital, to airlift citizens back home. “We have decided today to send an airplane to South Sudan, which will land in Juba, the reason is to evacuated Somalis out of the conflict in that country, we will arrange another flight if this flight is not enough,” Fowsia said. The Minister directed Somalis in South Sudan to go to their embassy in Juba. More than ten thousand of Somali citizens are estimated to be in South Sudan for business. Three Somalis are confirmed dead during the weeks of conflict in the newly established government of South Sudan.

Djibouti to Send More Troops to Somalia

29 Dec- Source: VOA Somali Service/Radio Bar-kulan/Shabelle/Hiiraan Online- 190 words
Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh says his country will send more troops to violence-ridden Somalia within the next three weeks. Guelleh told VOA’s Somali service his country will deploy one more battalion to boost its troop presence in central Somalia. He said operations will soon begin to liberate the town of Bulobarde in central Somalia, where the al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab has carried out many attacks. “We want to add one more battalion to our troops in Somalia, and that deployment will happen within the next three weeks” Djibouti is one of the countries that contributes troops to the African Union-led peacekeeping force in Somalia, which has endured more than two decades of chaos and conflict. Bulobarde is about 200 kilometers north of the capital, Mogadishu, where al-Shabab militants periodically carry out bombings.

Three wounded in hand grenade explosion in Mogadishu

29 Dec- Source: Radio Dalsan- 131 words
At least three people were confirmed injured in a hand grenade explosion targeted at Sahafi hotel at the busy KM4 junction in Mogadishu. The Police at the Central Investigations Department said that they have apprehended dozen of people suspected to be behind the grenade explosion targeted to the hotel where lawmakers of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, Politicians and business people reside. The grenade was hurled by a person on board a minibus passing the road on Saturday evening shortly after the evening prayer. The police at the area immediately identified the minibus and cordoned off the area to arrest the perpetrators. The police later released the driver and the other passengers while two suspected were detained for the blast.

Hargeysa residents protest lack of water

29 Dec- Source: Somaliland Informer/Somaliland Press/Horn Cable TV- 221 words

Hargeisa is calm after Riot police dispersed the protesters using tear gas. The angry residents were protesting shortage of water after drivers of water boozers, which supplied water, went on strike due to heavy taxes. There are conflicting reports about the number of casualties. There are reports saying that shoe shiner was the only one who lost his life. It is also reported that at least three people sustained injuries. Somaliland Minister of Interior Mr. Ali Mohamed Warancade visited the villages where the protests were taking place and assured that the water supply services will resume soon. the interior minister said that an agreement was reached with the drivers on strike in order to start the services. Residents in Mohamoud Haybe and Ahmed Dhagah villages south of Hargeisa blocked the city’s roads using stones and burnt tyres. It is reported that police opened fire to disperse the protesters.

Prime Minister Re-Opened Old Moalim Jama School

28 Dec- Source: Hiiraan Online- 361 words
The new Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia Abdi Weli Sheik Ahmed revealed that his government is taking as a matter of priority the rebuilding of Somalia’s educational institutions to help the full recovery of the country’s national educational system. Although private schools and universities were functioning, to certain extent, the state educational institutions were completely destroyed by the civil war since 1991. Speaking at the ceremony to re-open Moallim Jama School; one of the oldest schools in Mogadishu on Saturday, the Prime Minister said that the reconstruction of the school has been implemented by the Civil Service Development Ministry, as part of its plan to rebuild the educational institutions destroyed during the civil war in the country.

Explosion kills 7 in Daynile district, Banadir region

28 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu- 107 words
At least 7 people were confirmed to have died after a roadside bomb exploded in Daynile district, Banadir region. Five government soldiers were among the dead, while the other two are said to be civilians who were walking along nearby road at the time of the explosion. Daynile district Commissioner, Hirey Muhidin Omar who spoke to Bar-kulan said that the bomb was planted on a roadside close to a government forces’ base in the area. Meanwhile, the commissioner did not mention the number of injuries caused by the explosion. No one has claimed responsibility of the explosion so far.

Prominent Elder killed in Afgoye

28 Dec- Source: Radio Shabelle- 131 words
A renowned Somali elder Sultan Abdikadir Sultan Balile was last night shot several times by unknown gunmen. The incident occurred early Friday evening at the heart of the town as confirmed to Shabelle radio by the residents of Afgoye district and the offenders escaped easily from the murder scene. It took almost an hour for government troops to arrive at the scene whereby they conducted security operations at the nearby suburbs leading to arrest of several people. The murder of the well known elder was condemned by Ali Ganey, a Member of Parliament residing from the lower Shabelle region who spoke to Shabelle radio via the phone .

New health centre opens in Galkayo’s Alanley camps

28 Dec- Source: Radio Ergo- 179 words

A new health centre providing free medical services for the internally displaced people has opened in Galkayo’s Alanley camps. The centre opened last month offering maternity services for IDP women as well as general treatment for common diseases such as diarrhoea, malaria and respiratory ailments, said Fauzia Ahmed Karshe, the supervisor of the centre. “The health centre will also offer paediatric services to children under five and also general treatment for adults,” Karshe told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. More than 850 displaced families living in five camps in Alanley village will benefit from the centre which was funded by the Italian humanitarian aid organization, CESVI. “We receive medicine supplies from CESVI weekly and monthly,” said Karshe. Dozens of patients from the camps line up every day seeking medical treatment from the clinic. Karshe said they receive more than 260 patients each week, mostly from the camps but also including residents living around the camps. The centre is also equipped with a vehicle used as an ambulance to transport women with pregnancy complications to the main hospitals in the town.

Food aid arrives in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region

28 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Kulmiye/Radio Mustaqbal- 81 words

More than twenty trucks carrying food aid have on Friday arrived in the Somali town of Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region. The food aid is aimed at assisting the flood survivors and the families affected by recent inter-clan conflicts in Middle Shabelle region. Middle Shabelle administration officials have recently set up a committee to work on the distribution of aid to the survivors. Hundreds of families have badly been hit by Shabelle River flooding and recurring inter-clan conflicts in Middle Shabelle region.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Trust: The driving force behind many Somali traders’ success

29 Dec- Source: Standard Media- 394 words

The phenomenal growth of Somali businesses in Kenya’s commercial towns and urban centres is an envy to any would-be entrepreneur or business person. From the often frequented restaurants in Nairobi’s Central Business District to well-stocked boutiques their business models have created a massive economic touch, which cannot be overlooked. Behind this upward curve though is a business based on trust, a character trait that has remained elusive in many conventional entrepreneurs, who find it hard to trust their wealth with others, however creative their ideas may be. Trust, in a good number of the Somali community resonates loudly in respect to raising enough capital among family members and close friends for a profitable venture as well as one that creates an even economic impact in the entire society. Takaful Insurance Managing Director Hassan Bashir agrees that trust in the community has played an incredible role in fuelling success in their business growth.

Somali-American imam leading the fight against al Shabaab theology

28 Dec- Source: Africa Review- 1886 words

Many people assume the Somali militant group al Shabaab enjoys the support of most Islamic leaders. However, Somali-American Imam Hassan Ali Mohamud condemned the group’s attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in September. He spoke to Africa Review’s Rasheed Abdy about youth radicalisation, the failures of Muslim leaders, and what the future holds for Somalia. The interview was contacted in Somali, and translated by Abdy.

Challenges abound in voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya

27 Dec- Source: Sbahi Online- 1233 words

Kenya, Somalia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are facing serious challenges in creating favourable conditions for Somali refugees in Kenya to voluntarily return home under a tripartite agreement reached in November. Currently, there are more than 500,000 registered Somali refugees in Kenya, according to UNHCR, and many others are believed to be undocumented in Nairobi and other areas. UNHCR has identified the Somali towns of Baidoa in Bay region, Luuq in Gedo and parts of Kismayo in Lower Jubba region as priority areas where it can assist refugees in voluntary returns.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Losing glasses brings Somalia war zone into focus

28 Dec- Source: BBC- 958 words

A different side to Somalia is discovered – one of mango plantations and bustling markets, as well as a country devastated by two decades of conflict – after losing a pair of spectacles. This is the story about how I mislaid my spectacles on a battlefield in central Somalia. But it’s also about how I learnt something new to me – that many parts of Somalia are very beautiful. There are green fertile plains and there are soaring mountains. I got to see these parts of Somalia – and yes, I can see without my reading glasses – through the bullet-proof windows of an armoured personnel carrier.

Ismail, maimed in Somalia, is thriving in Arctic Circle

28 Dec- Source: Toronto Star-3160 Words
A warm glow starts to spread over the white-capped mountains framing this snowy island town, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The polar nights are beginning, three months of winter when the sun will stay below the horizon, offering only a couple hours of twilight each day. It is so quiet, the blue light hauntingly beautiful, like looking at the sky through thick ice. “Want to see me run?” Ismail asks, handing me his coffee cup. He sprints through the snow without waiting for an answer, his arms swinging awkwardly in a bulky ski jacket, snowflakes swirling about as he jogs toward the darkness at the end of the dock. He turns, comes back laughing, no noticeable limp. Cagmadhige. That’s what his Somali friends called him as a kid, which literally translates to “one who runs so fast his feet do not touch the ground.” It also means “restless.” “See?”

Situation of human rights in Somalia

28 Dec- Source: afriquejet/PANA 219 words

UN expert tasks Somalia on human rights roadmap – UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Mr. Shamsul Bari, on Thursday urged the Somali government to finalize and carry out a human rights roadmap endorsed by the cabinet in August. PANA in New York, reports that a UN statement said the roadmap defines the government’s responsibilities and sets goals to be achieved in a short period of time. Mr. Bari stated: ‘Finalizing it would demonstrate a sincere commitment by government to rebuild the foundation and structures of human rights in Somalia.’

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Political and security pillars of peacebuilding reinforce each other and play an important role in consolidating economic growth. Environmental assets interconnect with politics, security, justice and economics.”

Mainstreaming Environment into the “Somali New Deal Compact”

29 Dec- Source: Hiiraan Online/Markacadey-1429 Words

It appears that the Somali Compact – a process based on the New Deal Principles developed to determine the priorities of Somalia for the next three years (2014 – 2016) – has failed to mainstream the environment into its different Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs). Environmental mainstreaming is the inclusion of relevant environmental concerns into the decisions of the institutions that drive national development policy. It establishes, for instance, linkages between the different pillars of peacebuilding and the environment, particularly those that are related to security, economic recovery, and justice. Gender issues, capacity development, and the respect of human rights are mainstreamed in the Compact as cross-cutting issues. The environment, however, is not. The inclusion of some information on the management of natural resources in the “PSG 4” of the Compact is noted; but it is limited in its coverage.

“After acknowledging that cultural issues change continually; we also need to acknowledge and appreciate the need to review and change cultural or traditional values that deny certain members of society, especially women, the chance to fully participate in and benefit equally.”

Somaliland: How Cultural Circumstances Affect Gender Issues

29 Dec- Source: Somalilandpress-523 Words
Culture is part of the fabric of every society. As somalilanders we have a strong and proud culture and traditions that shape the way we do things and the understanding of why we do things the way we do. Our expectations about the attributes and behaviours appropriate to women and men, and about relations between women and men are shaped by our culture. These identities and relations are critical aspects of our culture because they shape the way we live our daily lives in the family in the community at the work place and in the wider society.