08 Aug 2011 – Morning headlines
Key Headlines:
- Al Shabaab lost strategic frontlines pulling out of Mogadishu
- Al Shabaab fighters vacate Mogadishu after overnight gun battle
- SRSG welcomes news of al Shabaab vacating Mogadishu
- Somali AU troops expand in Mogadishu after al Shabaab withdrawal
- Somali PM: We shall keep on hunting al Shabaab
- Fleeing al Shabaab militias reach Bur-hakaba town
- Somalia army declares Mogadishu ‘free’ after al Shabaab flight
- Somalia fighters quit capital but remain a threat
- Rawlings reiterates call for urgent aid to Somalia
PRESS STATEMENT
SRSG welcomes news of al Shabaab vacating Mogadishu
06 Aug- Source: UN- 264 words
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Dr. Augustine Mahiga, has welcomed the news that Al-Shabaab insurgent elements have begun to leave Mogadishu and have already vacated key strategic points throughout the city, including Baakara Market. “I am very pleased to learn of the progress made over the last several days on the security situation in Mogadishu. There is no doubt that the departure of Al-Shabaab would be a positive development and a step in the right direction for a city that has seen so much misery and devastation.” Dr. Mahiga said, “But as we look forward, it is important that we acknowledge that real security risks, including from terrorist attacks, remain and must not be underestimated.” Tens of thousands of Somalis have perished as a result of the crisis, almost half of whom are under five years of age. “The immediate priority must now be to focus on the humanitarian situation and I call on all parties, from the donor community to all parts of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), to do everything possible to ensure and facilitate the immediate delivery of assistance to those most in need.” Dr. Mahiga stated. The SRSG also called on the TFG use this opportunity to guarantee the security of its population and do everything in its power to assist and protect the civilian population. Dr. Mahiga reminded all armed groups of the appeal of the Security Council, expressed in the Presidential Statement of 11 May 2011, to lay down their arms and join the peace process, which is ultimately the key to long term stability in Somalia.
http://reliefweb.int/node/
SOMALI MEDIA
Al Shabaab lost strategic frontlines pulling out of Mogadishu
06 Aug- Source: Hiiraan- 368 words
Al Shabaab on Friday night withdrew its militants from Mogadishu following intense artillery shelling from forces of the TFG backed by AMISOM. Al Shabaab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage told Radio Andalus: out of Mogadishu as part of their own military strategy. “The reason why we moved our forces out is to change our military and battle tactics (…) but in the next few hours we will conduct a wave of military battles to wipe out AMISOM and TFG forces”
http://www.hiiraan.com/news2/
Al Shabaab fighters vacate Mogadishu after overnight gun battle
06 Aug- Source: Raxanreeb- 151 words
The spokesman of al Shabaab Ali Mohamed Rage told al Shabaab’s radio that they vacated the entire city describing that it was ‘military tactic’. Eye witnesses in the outskirts of Mogadishu told RBC Radio that they have seen at least nine battle wagons full of al Shabaab fighters retreating from the capital on early morning of Saturday.
http://www.raxanreeb.com/?p=
Somali, AU troops expand in Mogadishu after al Shabaab withdrawal
07 Aug- Source: Shabelle- 91 words
The transitional federal government forces and AU troops started to expand themselves in Mogadishu. The areas Somali forces and AMISOM troops reached include Stadium Mogadishu, Wadnaha road, Sodonka road and many neighborhoods in the capital. The expansionism measures were gradually made by the government forces as al Shabaab have previously planted bombs before fleeing areas of Mogadishu.
http://shabelle.net/article.
Baidoa elders welcome al Shabaab’s withdrawal
07 Aug- Source: Radio Bar-kulan, Radio Mogadishu- 140 words
Elders in Baidoa town, Bay region, have welcomed al Shabaab’s move to withdraw from Mogadishu after sensing defeat in Mogadishu. Upon hearing the news, jovial elders called al Shabaab’s withdrawal from Mogadishu as a victory for the entire Somali population. Meanwhile, extremists have imposed a night-time curfew on district of Wajid and Bardale in the regions of Bay and Bakol respectively, cutting off the telephone lines and other telecommunications in these districts.
Somali govt say remnants of al Shabaab should surrender today only
07 Aug- Source: Mareeg- 83 words
Somali transitional federal government has on Sunday said that remnants of rebel group of al Shabaab should surrender to the government today or else the opportunity would be expired, official said. Director of national security agency, Ahmed Mo’allim Fiki said, ”al Shabaab and their supporters who remain in Mogadishu have only today to surrender to the government or else where the time will expire from them”.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.
Somali PM: We shall keep on hunting al Shabaab
07 Aug- Source: Shabelle- 104 words
The prime minister of Somalia Abdiweli Mohamed Ali on Saturday vowed his government will keep on hunting al Shabaab fighters that abandoned the capital of Somalia one day ago. Speaking at press conference held in Mogadishu, Mr. Ali said they will eradicate al Shabaab fromSomalia completely, calling for the TFG soldiers to continue their battle against them.
http://shabelle.net/article.
Somali cabinet meet on security following al Shabaab pull out
07 Aug- Source: Shabelle- 917 words
In a meeting held in Mogadishu, the cabinet of Somalia on Sunday discussed ways to ensure the security and tranquility of the capital days after al Shabaab’s withdrawal. Somali premier Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali presided over the today’s cabinet ministers’ meeting. The cabinet also agreed the formation of Special Forces to ensure the security and to fight against the bandits and looters, according to the spokesman.
http://shabelle.net/article.
Fleeing al Shabaab militias reach Bur-hakaba town
07 Aug- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 151 words
At least two hundred fleeing al Shabaab militias aboard battle wagons have arrived in Bur-hakaba town, Bay region, after fleeing their bases in Mogadishu. A local resident, Ali Hussein Issack, told RBK that the militia group arrived in the town and immediately set up a base at Bur-hakaba Bridge.
Somali president, premier congratulate national army on their victory over the war against rebel group
06 Aug- Source: Mareeg- 105 words
Somali president Sheikh Sharif Sh.Ahmed and PM Abdiweli Mohamed Ali have on Saturday sent congratulation to the Somali national army, AMISOM and people following al Shabaab’s removal from the Mogadishu, officials said. Sharif and Abdiweli Mohamed Ali jointly held a press conference in the presidential palace on Saturday saying they had two enemies, al Shabaab and the bandits among govt soldiers robbing people property.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.
President Sharif arrives in Kampala
07 Aug- Source: Radio Bar-kula, Radio Mogadishu, Shabelle, Risaala- 77 words
A high level delegation from Somalia led by President Sharif Sheikh Adan has just arrived in Kampala, Uganda. The presidential entourage includes deputy prime minister, who is also Foreign Affairs minister and other top gov’t officials. The president is set to hold talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yuweri Museveni, and discuss several issues including Somalia’s current security situation, especially the recent military achievement in Mogadishu.
Somali forces, al Shabaab clash in parts of Mogadishu
07 Aug- Source: Shabelle, Mareeg Online, Jowhar Online- – 93 words
Sporadic clashes between Somali government forces and al Shabaab fighters on Sunday took place in Mogadishu, officials said. At least one government soldier was killed and at least two others injured during the brief clashes in the Yaqashid district, according Abdullahi Ali Anod, government military officer who spoke to radio Shabelle at Stadium Mogadishu.
http://shabelle.net/article.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab abandon Mogadishu bases
06 Aug- Source: Daily Nation- 304 words
The radical Islamist movement opposing the Somalia Transitional Federal Government al Shabaab has abandoned its bases in Mogadishu. Positions lost by al Shabaab include its main base in the city, Mogadishu Stadium, and Warshadda Baastada (former Pasta Factory), a strategic location used by the fanatical Islamists to control the northern districts of the city.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/
Somalia army declares Mogadishu ‘free’ after al Shabaab flight
07 Aug- Source: Daily Nation- 306 words
The Somali army has declared Mogadishu a “free territory” after fighters from the radical al- Shabaab Islamist group fled the capital. Deputy army commander Gen Abdikarim Yusuf Aden confirmed the fundamentalist group’s dramatic pull-out Sunday morning, adding that it had been as a result of military pressure from government forces and its allies, including AU peacekeepers.
Government troops occupy old al Shabaab base
07 Aug- Source: Al Jazeera- 55 words
Somalia’s president is claiming victory after al-Shabab fighters began pulling out of Mogadishu. Officials say it is the most significant gain for the UN-backed transitional government in years. Al Shabaab say it is a change in military tactics rather than a retreat. Al Jazeera’s Peter Greste visited the Islamist group’s former headquarters in Mogadishu.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Somali embassy in fundraising drive
05 Aug- Source: New Vision- 431 words
The Somali Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has launched a fundraising drive for its hunger stricken nationals across Somalia. The initiative was announced today by the Somali ambassador to Uganda Sheik Sayid Ahmed Dahir. “Across Somalia, more than 3.7 million people – more than half the entire population – are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance”, Sayid said.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/
African MPs want action against hunger in Somalia
07 Aug- Source: The Citizen- 289 words
Parliamentarians in Africa and Europe have made an earnest appeal to the international community to find a lasting solution to the debilitating famine, currently threatening lives of millions of people. Members of the East African Legislative Assembly joined their counterparts from 30 nations, under the aegis of the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa, to renew calls for additional aid and support to the affected region, Somalia in particular.
http://thecitizen.co.tz/
Qatar Red Crescent sends aid to Somalia
07 Aug- Source: Qatar News Agency- 63 words
The Qatar Red Crescent Society has extended emergency food assistance to families affected by famine in Somalia, as part of Qatari relief efforts. The Society said in a press release that a team specialized in relief and disaster management arrived in southern Somalia to provide emergency food items to about 250 families affected by disaster.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.
UAE charity body to distribute food, dig wells in drought-hit Somalia
06 Aug- Source: Gulf News- 172 words
The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment and the UAE embassy in Ethiopia held a coordinative meeting on Thursday to chalk out a plan for emergency relief operations in the Horn of Africa.The Establishment will distribute essential food supplies to alleviate the suffering of the Somali people who fled to the borders of Ehiopia in the wake of the worst famine in half a century in their country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia fighters quit capital but remain a threat
07 Aug- Source: Reuters- 157 words
African peacekeepers have forced Somalia’s al Shabaab Islamists to abandon their campaign to hold the capital Mogadishu, but the fighters’ retreat hardly ends the country’s bloodshed and could herald a wave of al Qaeda-style suicide attacks. As convoys of al Shabaab pickup trucks with mounted machine guns sped from Mogadishu, President Sheikh Sharif Mohammed — whose rule is limited to the capital and propped up by 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops — held a news conference to declare victory.
http://af.reuters.com/article/
Rawlings reiterates call for urgent aid to Somalia
07 Aug- Source: Ghana Web- 826 words
Ghana’s former President and African Union (AU) High Representative for Somalia, Flight- Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, has called on the international community to urgently come to the aid of Somali= a to help alleviate the agony of famine. He said a medium to long-term programme had to be put in place to prevent the reoccurrence of the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa Region.
http://www.ghanaweb.com/
Somalia: Seven killed in armed food aid looting
05 Aug- Source: BBC- 551 words
At least seven people have been killed and several wounded after a gunfight broke out at a camp for displaced people in the Somali capital. Residents of the Badbaado camp, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, were queuing to receive aid when the violence happened. It was not clear who was behind the shooting.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
Turkey calls for Islamic meeting on Africa famine
05 Aug- Source: Reuters – 226 words
Turkey has called for the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference to hold an emergency meeting on the famine in Somalia and the risks that poses to other African countries, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday. “It doesn’t matter whether the meeting is held in Istanbul or Jeddah, we want OIC to step in as soon as possible” he told reporters in Ankara after Friday prayers
http://af.reuters.com/article/
US lawmaker urges humanitarian corridors in Somalia
05 Aug- Source: AFP- 389 words
A US lawmaker called Friday for world leaders to negotiate humanitarian corridors in Somalia to allow in food aid, warning of a massive loss of life without greater effort to fight the famine. Representative Chris Smith said that so-called corridors of tranquility — where all sides guarantee safe passage of vital aid — have proven successful in past crises, including Ethiopia’s famine in the 1980s.
U.N. report: al Shabaab is raising millions illegally in Somalia
05 Aug- Source: CNN- 621 words
According to a UN report, al Shabaab now “generates between $70 million and $100 million per year, from duties and fees levied at airports and seaports, taxes on goods and services, taxes in kind on domestic produce, ‘jihad contributions,’ checkpoints and various forms of extortion justified in terms of religious obligation,” according to the July 18 report from the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/
Toronto Somalis mobilize to aid famine relief
07 Aug- Source: Inside Toronto 871 words
Muslims mark sundown during the holy month of Ramadan with extravagant dinners to break their daily fasts. Yet that nightly celebration is unthinkable for most Somalis struggling to survive the worst drought in a half century in the Horn of Africa. “How can we fast knowing people in Somalia are starving?” asked Omar Farouk, president of the International Muslims Organizations, a Rexdale mosque.