April 25, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Cabinet approves Central Bank Governor

24 Apr – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 244 words

The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia His Excellency Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed chaired the Somali Cabinet’s regular session today, during which cabinet members discussed the approval of the Governor of the Central Bank and his deputy. Members also discussed the formation of administrations in the country’s regions and districts.

After listening to recommendations from the Ministry of Finance and discussing them, the Cabinet approved the appointment of Bashir Isse Ali as the Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia and the appointment of Maryam Abdullahi Yusuf as his deputy.

“I am very happy with the cabinet’s decision to approve the appointment of the Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia. The Central Bank is essential to managing government revenue in a transparent manner, and I expect the government’s plan to create trustworthy and effective economic institutions will boost Somalia’s efforts to regain its status,” said H.E. Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed.

Key Headlines

Somalia Cabinet Submits Anti-terrorism law to the Parliament (Horseed Media)
Cabinet approves Central Bank Governor (Office of the Prime Minister)
Anti-terror operation will continue says President Kenyatta (Daily Nation)
Somali Presidential Advisor resigns (Bar-kulan/Goobjoog)
Kenya on alert following Shabaab video threats (Turkish Press)
Warta Nabada district commissioner replaced in Mogadishu (Radio Shabelle)
Police reveal how they nabbed Pangani explosive-rigged car (Standard Media)
40 Somali women conclude peace conference in Galkayo (Bar-kulan)

PRESS STATEMENT

Cabinet approves Central Bank Governor

24 Apr – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 244 words

In addition, the Cabinet also had an extensive discussion on the formation of regional administrations and districts in the country. The cabinet acknowledged the immediate need to establish administrations in recently liberated areas and agreed that the Ministry of Interior Affairs would take the lead in facilitating the process to create these administrations.

“The Cabinet has decided to delegate the responsibility of facilitating the creation of regional administrations and districts to the Ministry of Interior Affairs, which will present its recommendations to the Cabinet for approval,” said Prime Minister Ahmed.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somalia Cabinet Submits Anti-terrorism law to the Parliament

24 Apr – Source: Horseed Media – 73 words

The Somali Federal Cabinet has submitted an anti-terrorism Act to the parliament for approval, Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Axmed has said. The Act is expected to ensure government is able to punish groups engaged in terror related acts. Somalia’s parliament will debate on the law that targets groups such as the al-Qaeda-linked militant al-Shabaab in the upcoming weeks. “We have submitted to the Parliament the Anti-terror law and expect them to approve’’.

Somali Presidential Advisor resigns

24 Apr – Source; Bar-kulan/Goobjoog – 82 words

Somali Presidential Advisor who also doubles up as the Presidential Spokesperson, Eng. Abdirahman Omar Osman Yarisow has on Thursday resigned from his post. He confirmed his resignation to Bar-kulan but declined to give details regarding his departure from the position he held for the last 12 months. He rejected any rifts between him and high ranking government officials leading to his departure. Yarisow served various government positions including Minister of Information and Minister of Treasury in the former transitional governments of Somalia.

Warta Nabadda district commissioner replaced in Mogadishu

24 Apr – Source: Radio Shabelle – 106 words

In an official handover ceremony held today in Mogadishu, Deqo Abdikadir Ahmed, former district commissioner of Warta Nabadda was replaced with Yasin Nur Isse. The ceremony was attended by officials from the Benadir regional administration and other representatives from the Somali Federal Government. Before Deqo Ahmed handed over the title as district commissioner to Yasin Isse, she reminded the guests of all the development projects she implemented in Warta Nabadda as commissioner and requested Yasin Isse to continue what she started. The newly appointed district commissioner of Warta Nabadda declared that the number one priority for his administration is to strengthen the security in the district.

40 Somali women conclude peace conference in Galkayo

24 Apr – Source: Bar-kulan – 101 words

A three-day conference which brought together over 40 female participants has been concluded in Galkayo, the provincial capital of Mudug region on Thursday. The meeting which was organized by Genera Service Agency, a humanitarian organization in Somalia focused on the role of women in restoring peace and order in Somalia. Galmudug President, Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdiid who spoke at the closing ceremony applauded the efforts of Somali women towards the restoration of peace and security to the country. Omar Salad Elemi, one of GSA officials promised that his organization will continue organizing such meetings for the Somali women in the future.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Anti-terror operation will continue, says President Kenyatta

24 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 149 words

President Uhuru Kenyatta has assured Kenyans that the government will not back down in the ongoing fight against terror and other forms of crime in the country. Speaking at the General Service Training School in Embakasi on Thursday during the pass-out parade for 1,779 recruits, the President said for the country to attract investors and other visitors, peace and stability were of paramount importance. “We are committed to the fight against crime whatever form it may take, ranging from terrorism to cattle rustling,” he said. Even as he asked the police to increase their resolve to combat terror networks, the President told them to treat Kenyans with dignity and “obey the law as they enforce the law”. President Kenyatta reassured Kenyans that the ongoing war on terror was not targeting any religion or community but criminals who posed a threat to stability and economic development in the country.

Police reveal how they nabbed Pangani explosive-rigged car

24 Apr – Source Standard Media – 129 words

Police have revealed how they spotted and stopped the terrorists’ car that went off with explosives killing two police officers and two suspects at the Pangani police station, Nairobi. Inspector General of police David Kimaiyo said the slain officers were part of a team that was manning a roadblock near the police station for normal security checks when they spotted the Toyota NZE drive on the wrong lane. “The occupants were flagged down and questioned about why they were driving on the wrong side they couldn’tÂ explain,” said Kimaiyo. He said the officers were forced to board the car after the two occupants tried to defy their orders and drive off in the 8 pm incident. The officers decided to take them to Pangani Police Station for further interrogation.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenya on alert following Shabaab video threats

24 Apr – Source: Turkish Press – 198 words

Kenyan security forces have been placed on alert after Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militant group threatened to carry out fresh attacks similar to last September’s deadly attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall. “There is a security alert in Mombasa, Nairobi and parts of North Eastern [province] following the threats,” Mombasa Police Commander Robert Kitur told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday. The move follows the recent release of an 11-minute video in which Al-Shabaab threatens attacks on the scale of last year’s Westgate Mall siege, in which 67 people were killed and which was later claimed by the group. Westgate is not enough. There are still hundreds of men who are waiting to be part of a similar operation,” one militant says in Swahili, the national language of Kenya. Masked men in camouflage brandishing AK-47 rifles and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) then sing in Swahili. “Nairobi we have arrived. Similar attacks are on the way. We will blow you up until we finish you off,” they proclaim. “Al-Shabaab is very dangerous. You can never defeat us. We fight for our faith,” the militants add. There are reportedly 300 Kenyan fighters within Al-Shabaab’s ranks, mostly drawn from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kenya’s North Eastern province.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“In Somalia, al Shabaab took religious extremism to the realm of madness, banning people from sport, watching television and other ordinary activities. The Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram, has made large swathes of Nigeria ungovernable through bombings, kidnappings and killings. Yet they do not fight to rid Nigeria of its notoriously corrupt elite or to force the government to reform the oil sector to benefit ordinary Nigerians. These dreaded merchants of death are driven primarily by opposition to – wait till you hear it – Western-style education!.”

Africa doesn’t have too many wars, we just need to pick the right fights

24 Apr – Source: Daily Monitor – 418 words

Most of the times Africa makes the international news agenda, it is because of some catastrophe, a terrible disease like Ebola, or, as is often the case, war. The scene is predictably repetitive: soldiers in dirty fatigues and gumboots, chains of belts strung across their chests, walking through some bushy landscape past bodies lying in pools of blood. If it is an urban contest, the images could be of soldiers riding through a dusty village on a jeep with a machine gun bobbing on the roof. Close your eyes and point to the map of Africa and you could easily stick your finger in a country with some form of war going on, from South Sudan to Somalia, Central African Republic to Mali. A fight over control and use of the River Nile would be terrible all around but it would be a war over principle and an attempt to correct a historical colonial injustice that gave Egypt dominion over upstream countries. Similarly, a war against Somalia to end piracy and the spill-over insecurity in the region has consequences but it is a ‘good’ war to fight, as would a war to ensure open access for African products to foreign markets or raw materials.