January 10, 2014| Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Kay meets with new Puntland President and traditional elders

09 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Hiiraan Online/Radio Garowe- 102 words

The United Nations Special Envoy to Somalia, Nicholas Kay has on Thursday met with the newly elected President of Puntland, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas in Garowe. Kay commended the electoral process in the semi-autonomous region and said that he was impressed with his first meeting with Abdiweli Ali Gaas as the new President of Puntland. He congratulated Gaas for his election and promised that the United Nations will closely work with the new president and his government. Kay also met with traditional elders in Garowe and thanked them for their remarkable role in organizing a transparent and democratic election in the region.

Key Headlines

Kay meets with new Puntland President and traditional elders (Radio Bar-kulan/Hiiraan Online)
Somali police remove illegal roadblocks in Lower Shabelle region (Radio Shabelle)
Somaliland president to visit Ethiopia (Somaliland Informer)
Relocated Hargeisa IDPs ask for schools (Radio Ergo)
Kenya: Mombasa Governor inspects visiting Chinese Navy Escort flotilla (Coastweek)
New al Shabaab call for rebellion Analyst aays Somalis want peace (VOA news)
Development Secretary meets UK Somalis in Ealing (gov.uk)

SOMALI MEDIA

Kay meets with new Puntland President and traditional elders

09 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Hiiraan Online/Radio Garowe- 102 words

Somali police remove illegal roadblocks in Lower Shabelle region

09 Jan- Source: Radio Shabelle- 149 words

illegal road blocks has become a common phenomenal in the lower Shabelle region, however Government forces consisting of the army and the police have tried their best to remove this common practice. Thursday’s mission was carried out by the Somali federal police in some areas surrounding Afgoye district of the Lower Shabelle region. Colonel Abdiqadir Ahmed who led the mission to eradicate some of the existing roadblocks in the region elaborated on how they carried out their mission. “We are determined to eradicate all the existing roadblocks in some districts and divisions of the Lower Shabelle region. We have succeeded to remove some and will remove the few remaining ones,” said colonel Abdiqadir. The eradication of the illegal road barriers comes at a time when motorists and pedestrians using major roads in the Lower Shabelle region complain on daily basis on the problems caused by the militia manning roadblocks.

Somaliland president to visit Ethiopia

09 Jan- Source: Somaliland Informer- 108 words

A delegation headed by Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo is due to leave for Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital on Friday according to sources. Sources said that the president has received an invitation from Ethiopian government and during the meetings that the Head of State of Somaliland will be holding is to address the consolidation of the bilateral ties between the two countries based on security, trade education and intelligence sharing. Ethiopia now heavily dependent on the use of the port of Berbera for importing goods and other stuffs. During the talks between Somaliland government and the Ethiopian counterpart, the issue of Berbera port will be addressed.

Relocated Hargeisa IDPs ask for schools

09 Jan- Source: Radio Ergo- 316 words

Hundreds of displaced families relocated to Digale camp on the outskirts of Hargeisa are asking local authorities and aid agencies to establish education centres in the camp. Sahra Abdi, a displaced mother with several children was relocated to Digale from Mohamed Moge camp in Hargeisa town. She said her children used to study at schools in the town, but have not been able to continue their classes in Digale camp. “I have left some of my children back in town to keep their studies going because we can get no schools around here,” Abdi told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. She added that the displaced families were expecting to receive all services including education that will improve their living conditions. They are currently provided with health services and water, our reporter said. The relocation process of IDPs from Mohamed Moge was launched two months ago by the UN OCHA Office for Somalia. The Somaliland administration provided the land on which more than 500 families were built houses by the UN and several other agencies. Each of the displaced families was given a single room in Digale camp. An official from Somaliland’s Ministry for Resettlement, Omar Mohamed, said they are considering the IDPs’ concerns. But the resettlement process, he said, is still going on. “When we are done with the resettlement process, we are going to address the displaced families’ concerns,” Mohamed told Radio Ergo

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya: Mombasa Governor inspects visiting Chinese Navy Escort flotilla

09 Jan- Source: Coastweek- 205 words

The 15th Chinese navy escort fleet arrived in Mombasa, the Indian Ocean port city of Kenya, on Thursday for a four-day visit. The fleet formed by amphibious docking vessel Jinggangshan and missile frigate Hengshui was received by representatives from the Kenyan government and navy, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Guangyuan, other Chinese diplomats, and representatives of overseas Chinese upon its arrival at the port of Mombasa. Kenya Cabinet Secretary for Defense Raychelle Omamo said at the welcome ceremony that the visit strengthens and deepens the mutual relations between the Kenyan and Chinese forces. The Kenyan navy will also watch anti-pirate tactics actions from the fleet.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

New al Shabaab call for rebellion, Analyst aays Somalis want peace

09 Jan- Source: VOA news-553 Words

The al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab carried out an average of one deadly attack every seven weeks during 2013. At least 18,000 African Union soldiers are in Somalia attempting to crush al Shabaab and end more than two decades of conflict. But the militant group is still pushing to overthrow the internationally-recognized government. On Wednesday one of the top al Shabaab commanders in southern Somalia called on the locals to rebel against the government. More than two years ago al Shabaab withdrew from the capital Mogadishu, and for the first time in decades the city was relatively safe from street battles. But the situation has remained fragile. The militant group is still capable of carrying out deadly attacks on government facilities and public places. The government insists Mogadishu is safe and that it is doing its best to prevent terror attacks. Somali government spokesman Ridwan Haji Abdiwali tells VOA the government is going to put more effort into training and bolstering the national army to provide security. In 2014, he says, the government plans to strengthen the army, to provide sophisticated weapons and to train more soldiers and commanders. He says the government is also working on operations to take more territory from al Shabaab.

Development Secretary meets UK Somalis in Ealing

09 Jan- Source: gov.uk- 371 words

Justine Greening met with members of the UK’s Somali community in London to discuss Britain’s aid and development programmes across Somalia.Ms. Greening set out the UK government’s plan to create a more peaceful, stable and prosperous Somalia after years of conflict. She also set out different government departments are working to enable remittance payments to continue to flow in to the country. Justine Greening said: “The links between the UK and Somalia are very strong. I want to hear from Somali people based here in London about what they want DFID’s programme in Somalia to focus on. Together we can help the country and its people reach their full potential after years of devastating conflict.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Are Despised and Abused by Just About Everyone They Meet”

The Glue-Sniffing Street Kids Of Somaliland

09 Jan- Source: VICE-2685 Words

On an ordinary night, after the sun sets over Hargeisa, Somaliland, Mohamed packs up his shoe-shine kit and heads to the storm drain where he lives when he’s not working. All things considered, it’s a good spot for the 12-year-old to sleep—the discarded snack wrappers and plastic bottles help keep him warm, and when the sun creeps in each morning the shadow of a nearby skyscraper shields him from the heat. The skyscraper, which was built in 2012 and houses a company whose business is to bring high-speed internet from neighboring Djibouti, is one of the many symbols of Hargeisa’s relative wealth. The city itself is the crown jewel of Somaliland, a self-declared republic in northwest Somalia. Although Somaliland’s sovereignty has yet to be formally recognized by any other country or the UN, it has its own democratically elected government and a 30,000-strong military. Its nascent borders contain valuable natural resources—the Turkish oil company Genel plans to drill for oil there in the next two years—and the bustling northern port city of Berbera, which are two good reasons Somalia doesn’t want the region to secede.