March 28, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Prime Minister meets with Ethiopian Prime Minister to discuss ongoing operations against al Shabaab

27 Mar – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 417 words

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed today held a side meeting during the IGAD Drought Resilience Summit with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, to discuss ongoing operations against al Shabaab, the political process in Baidoa and regional infrastructure development.

The Prime Minister conveyed his thanks to Ethiopia for their ongoing support, commitment and sacrifice to the AMISOM mission in Somalia. Whilst the Ethiopian Prime Minister congratulated the Prime Minister and praised the bravery of the Somalia National Army in their successes in liberating ten key towns from the hands of al Shabaab.

The Prime Ministers discussed yesterday’s liberation of El-Bur town and the Federal Government of Somalia’s stabilisation efforts across liberated regions. The pair discussed the role Ethiopian engineers from AMISOM are playing in rebuilding local infrastructure following al Shabaab’s targeted destruction of water points, power stations and other key infrastructure. Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, said: “Operations across Somalia against al Shabaab continue with great speed and success, thanks to the bravery and commitment of the Somali National Army and our AMISOM brothers.

Key Headlines

Prime Minister meets with Ethiopian Prime Minister to discuss ongoing operations against al Shabaab(Office of the Prime Minister)
SNA AMISOM launch security crackdown in some villages east of Buulo-Burde (Radio Goobjoog/Radio Shabelle)
Prime Minister addresses IGAD Drought Resilience Summit (Office of the Prime Minister)
AMISOM confirms capture of town in central Somalia (Daily Nation)
EU to start training Puntland Marine Forces (RBC)
Prime Minister discusses issues of mutual concern with Kenyan Foreign Minister (Office of the Prime Minister)
Puntland President calls for more cooperation from EU ambassadors in Somalia (Bar-kulan)

PRESS STATEMENT

Prime Minister meets with Ethiopian Prime Minister to discuss ongoing operations against al Shabaab

27 Mar – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 417 words

“The liberating forces are being welcomed with open arms by the local people and we must quickly restore peace and order to these regions. Al Shabaab have left a trail of destruction as they have fled and we must now stabilise and rebuild these towns with utmost urgency. “All those that put down their weapons and renounce violence will be given the opportunity to re-integrate into the community and re-engage productively in the rebuilding of our nation.”

The Prime Minister briefed his Ethiopian counterpart on the political and reconciliation engagements efforts ongoing in Baidoa to promote a unified process for the formation of the regional administration. The Federal Government of Somalia has invited the political and traditional elders to Mogadishu for a pre-consultation meeting aimed at taking this reconciliation and political process forward.

Discussing the role regional infrastructure development projects could have for economic growth and security across the region, the Prime Minister, said: “Improvement of and investment in infrastructure within the region would greatly improve the connectivity, economy and the lives of people and communities across the region.

“Ethiopia has already started the construction of a hydro energy power grid that could in future bring power to Somalia and I look forward to continuing to take discussions on this forward. This is an example of the type of project and investment that our region should be working together on to develop and implement.”

Prime Minister addresses IGAD Drought Resilience Summit

27 Mar – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 276 words

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, today addressed the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Drought Resilience Summit calling on IGAD to “work harder together to sustainably save lives in our drought prone region”. The meeting held in Kampala is the second IGAD summit on drought resilience following the devastating drought of 2010-2011.

Addressing the Summit Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, said:

“Drought is one of the root cause of conflict and underdevelopment. Across the IGAD region there are now five times more people living in the drought-prone pastoral areas than there were 60 years ago.

“We must focus on early warning and preparedness in drought prone communities and a quick response when drought hits, moving quickly and strongly. Our region will always be hit by drought and we have to be prepared and responsive. We have to work and craft long term solutions to continue to mitigate through safety nets and by building resilience.

“As a region we must harmonise our approach on cross boarder issues including refugees, trade and strengthening peace and security, this is what we are doing across the IGAD region. To do this we must build regional infrastructure for greater regional integration and find regional solutions to reduce our reliance on aid. By continuing to work together and doing things differently to prevent and alleviate the devastating impact drought can have.

“We must move forward to a sustainable solution to drought and Somalia strongly commits to regional efforts to find that solution. All of us: regionals, internationals and governments must work harder and smarter together to sustainably save lives in our drought prone region.”

Prime Minister discusses issues of mutual concern with Kenyan Foreign Minister

27 Mar – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 240 words

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed today held a side meeting during the IGAD Drought Resilience Summit with Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed. The Prime Minister expressed sympathy for the lives lost in the terror attacks in Mombasa and condemned the attackers. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister discussed the situation of refugees following the decision by the Kenya Government that all refugees must return to camps and other issues of mutual concern.

The two parties emphasized the close collaboration between the parliamentarian institutions of the two countries and the need to speed up the work of the Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC).

Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, said:

“Somalia and Kenya have both suffered at the hands of terrorism and we share their security concerns in our battle with a common enemy- al Shabaab. Those who commit these attacks in the name of Islam should know that there is nothing Islamic in their actions and in particular attacks on all sacred places of any religion.

“Our two countries have many issues of mutual concern and benefit to each other. We have always had strong brotherly relations between our two peoples and governments and we will continue to work together to secure both our nations from the threat of terrorism. The Somali and Kenyan governments will maintain its work towards implementing the tripartite agreement on voluntary repatriation of refugees.”

SOMALI MEDIA

SNA, AMISOM launch security crackdown in some villages east of Buulo-Burde

27 Mar – Source: Radio Goobjoog/Radio Shabelle – 96 words

Somali National army and AMISOM troops conducted security crackdown in Bulo Burde to beef up the security of the town. One person who is suspected to be a senior member of al Shabaab was arrested during the operations in Aborey and Yas Omane localities east of Buulo Burde town district, the joint forces seize the control of Aborey and Yas Omane after al Shabaab withdrew as Gen. Abdullahi Bare Omar confirmed to Goobjoog FM. This operation comes after al Shabaab attacked government bases in Buulo Burde Wednesdaynight.

EU to start training Puntland Marine Forces

27 Mar – Source: Radio RBC/Goobjoog/Horseed Media – 224 words

European Union announced to start giving direct financial support to Puntland state of Somalia. The Union of European countries vowed to support the new government of Puntland headed by the President Abdiwali Gaas. They also promised to give direct to Puntland their share from any financial contribution pledged for Somalia. European representatives to Somalia announced to give training to Puntland Marine Force in Djibouti in quest of securing Puntland shores. This came after President Abdiwali Gaas accompanied by some of his cabinet members met European envoys to Somalia onboard warship. European countries contribute millions of Dollars to Federal government of Somalia while Puntland government many times claimed not to have received their allocated share.

Puntland President calls for more cooperation from EU ambassadors in Somalia

27 Mar – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 121 words

The president of the semi autonomous regional state of Puntland in Somalia Abdiweli Ali Gas has said the strengthening of the cooperation between the EU and his administration will develop the security and the economy of Punt Land. Abdiweli was speaking during a meeting with European Union ambassadors to Somalia inside French navy ship. EU special envoy to Somalia Michele Cervone said the European Union and the larger international community will help Somalia fight against piracy and play role it’s in return of peace and stability. She said the return of peace and stability will allow Somali nationals to live amongst themselves in their own country. President Abdiweli has promised to deliver the promises he made during the election campaigns.

REGIONAL MEDIA

AMISOM confirms capture of town in central Somalia

27 Mar – Source: Daily Nation – 203 words

Eel Bur town, 320 kilometres north of Mogadishu, in Galgadud region, has fallen into the hands of the pro-government forces. The news was confirmed by Colonel Ali Aden Hamud, the spokesman of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). The seizure of the town was achieved following an offensive by Ethiopian troops belonging to Amisom together with the forces of the Somali National Army. Fighters loyal to al Shabaab, the al Qaeda linked Islamist group have fled the town.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenya President Tackles Security, Corruption in National Address

27 Mar – Source: VOA – 391 words

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has pledged to address insecurity in the country by boosting police forces and committing to operations in neighboring Somalia, following recent terrorist attacks and threats. In a state of the nation address Thursday the president also vowed to fight corruption and waste within the government. Speaking at a special session of parliament, President Uhuru Kenyatta underscored his administration’s focus on combating terrorism by recalling the attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in September by the Somali militant group al Shabaab.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Somalia’s current leadership must demonstrate high levels of openness, creativity, fairness, assertiveness, and humor. I would recommend that President Hassan surround himself with the most qualified professionals and technocrats he can find and remind himself not to micromanage government affairs.”

Challenges of Leadership in Somalia

27 Mar – Source: Somali Current – 590 Words

Experts and academics describe leadership as the ability to influence others to follow the leader’s direction. Because leadership and vision cannot be separated, leaders who have no vision cannot lead, influence, direct, or accomplish. A leader must have a well-defined vision, a clear plan of where to go and of what success looks like and how to achieve it. As many leading leadership experts argue, vision alone is not enough to accomplish a goal or mission. Therefore, today’s leaders must present, share, and act on their visions to succeed. The former CEO of General Electric said, “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and restlessly drive it to completion.” There is no doubt that the leaders in Somalia from 1991 until the present have had courage and a vision and have made an effort to lead and make a difference. However, no leader presented, shared or articulated his vision, and none of them have given a clear purpose or direction to his leadership. America’s thirty-fifth president, John F. Kennedy, explained that “efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” When a leader understands the internal and external pressures and technical and adoptive challenges and also has a clear road map of where he or she wants to go, the leader will find it easier to more concisely, determine the destination. It is impossible to plan, budget, or evaluate if one cannot determine the direction and the distance between starting point and the final destination.