June 30, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

UPDATE: At Least 15 Killed In Fighting Between Somali Army, Al-Shabaab

29 June – Source: News 24 – 236 Words

Mogadishu – At least 15 people were killed early on Monday in clashes pitting Somali and African Union troops against the Islamist group al-Shabaab near the southern port of Kismayo, officials said. Eight al-Shabaab militants were killed, said regional administration spokesperson Abdinasir Seerar. An unspecified number of security force members were also killed, he said, though it was not clear if they were soldiers or local police officers. Witnesses said civilians were also among those killed. Al-Shabaab members trying to enter Kismayo airport attacked an army patrol but were defeated, Seerar said. The militants also attacked an AU military base in Lafoole, 20km south of Mogadishu, police official Ismail Ali said.

Some of the Burundian AU soldiers and Somali police officers who were at the base were injured but repelled the attackers, Ali said. The attack followed the killing of more than 50 Burundian peacekeepers in southern Somalia on Friday. Al-Shabaab spokesperson Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said on Sunday the group had their bodies and would publish photos of them. The pro-insurgent radio Andalus said al-Shabaab had executed three men accused of spying on behalf of the United States and of helping its drones attack the group. Hundreds of people witnessed the executions in the southern town of Saakow on Sunday, according to the report. It did not say if those executed were members of al-Shabaab.

Key Headlines

AMISOM Technical Committee Meet In Addis Ababa Over Somalia (Somali Current)
Uneasy Calm Prevails In Kismayu As Reports Emerge Of Impending Al-Shabaab Attack (Wacaal Media)
Militants Execute Three For Spying For CIA (Garowe Online)
Puntland On The Verge Cutting Relations With The Federal Government (RBC Radio)
Former Employees Of Oman Embassy In Somalia Live In Appalling Conditions (Dalsan Radio)
Soldiers Beheaded As Al-Shabaab Islamists Attack Another Army base (International Business Times)
Pre-vetting Broadcast News For Extremism Threatens Freedom Of Speech (The Guardian)
Fostering Barren Lands: Somali Scientists Seek Help From KU (The Express Tribune)
Getting To The Core Of Al-Shabaab’s Conflict With Kenya (PBS News Hour)
Somalia — From Great Hope to Failed State (Somali Current)

NATIONAL MEDIA

AMISOM Technical Committee Meets In Addis Ababa Over Somalia

29 June- Source: Somali Current – 182 Words

The 15th Summit of the AMISOM operations in Somalia today started in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa where the technical committee of the AMISOM forces in Somalia deliberated on a raft of issues. The summit was attended by the commander of the military unit and his police counterpart as well as senior officials from the troop contributing countries and other African nations who are members of the African Union. The chairman of the African Union Committee on Peace and Security, Ismail Chirgui, spoke to AMISOM forces and their Somali counterpart about the need to retake the areas still controlled by the militant group Al-Shabaab in their bid to liberate the country from the group. Chairman Chirgui also sent his condolence to the families of the fallen soldiers killed by the militant group on Friday at AMISOM base in Leego in the Lower Shabelle region of the country. African Union’s Special Representatives to Somalia, Maman S. Sidikou updated the summit over the state of the nation in Somalia, particularly on the areas of security and the political transition.

Uneasy Calm Prevails In Kismaayo As Reports Emerge Of Impending Al-Shabaab Attack

29 June – Source: Wacaal Media – 68 Words

Residents of Kismaayo city had a sleepless night following reports that Al-Shabaab was planning to attack the city. The Interim Jubbaland Administration however acted swiftly and placed forces on high alert averting any planned attacks as a result. Major roads and streets within the city were cordoned off by the heavily armed troops as those leading to and from the city were also sealed off.

Militants Execute Three For Spying For CIA

29 June – Source: Garowe Online – 109 Words

Somalia’s Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group has executed three people for allegedly spying for US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in agriculture-rich town of Saakow in southern Somalia, Garowe Online reports. The pro Al-Shabaab media reported that Saakow residents witnessed the public execution of the three whose names have not been released to the media yet. The execution marks the first to be conducted by Somalia’s beleaguered militant group in Ramadan. Al-Shabaab stepped up attacks on military targets, killing over a dozen African Union peacekeepers in the latest rampage. Self-appointed Al-Shabaab judges have previously handed out execution sentences for youths accused of being informants for the U.S, Somalia Federal Government and AMISOM.

Puntland On The Verge of Cutting Relations With The Federal Government

29 June – Source: RBC Radio – 168 Words

Somalia’s North Eastern autonomous state of Puntland is on the verge of cutting all relations with the Federal government amid controversial conference intended to form a state in Central Somalia currentlu underway in Adado and Dhusamareeb. Hundreds of residents in Galkacyo have today taken into main streets of the town, protesting against the president of the Federal republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Parliament speaker Jawaari.

Regional and district officials taking part in today’s mass protests in Galkacyo have given speeches before the large crowds of protesters demanding Puntland government to cut all relations with Hassan Sheikh’s government. Speaking in the protests, Mudug regional government Abdikadir Shire Ereg said that Mudug residents are urging Puntland government to end all cooperation with the Mogadishu based federal government. He stated that Mudug was Puntland before and will remain part of Puntland forever despite the upcoming Gal-mudug state’s claims on Mudug region.

Former Employees Of the Oman Embassy In Somalia Live In Appalling Conditions

29 June – Source: Dalsan Radio – 116 Words

Former employees of the Sultante Embassy of Oman in Somalia during the regime of deposed President Siad Barre have said they live in appalling condition and don’t have any means of supporting their families. Aden Idris Osman and Abdikarim Sheikh Mohamed Sheikh Hassan who were members of the Oman Embassy workers told Radio Dalsan that they have not been paid any salary or any support other from the Ambassador of Sultante Oman in Mogadishu. They said the Oman Ambassador who came to Mogadishu three months ago promised to rebuild the embassy near Al Uruba hotel nest to Lido beach. Former employees also said the Oman Charity Organization which is distributing food aid in Mogadishu did not consider their plea for help.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Soldiers Beheaded As Al-Shabaab Islamists Attack Another Army base

29 June – Source : International Business Times (IBT)- 217 Words

Several soldiers were killed after Somali Al-Shabaab militants attacked an army base on Sunday, 28 June.The offensive has come within days of an earlier onslaught, in which the al-Qaeda linked insurgents raided an African Union’s (AU) military establishment killing numerous soldiers.Some troop members who were captured by the extremists were beheaded, according to the AFP. “There were machine guns and rockets, and the fighting ended when the soldiers were overpowered,” a witness, who recounted seeing at least nine dead bodies, told the news agency. Local reports suggest that heavy gunfire had lasted for several hours. Somali security forces have been witnessing a wave of attacks by militants, who have recently vowed to uproot the government by 2016.

On Friday, 26 June, the Islamists stormed the Leego base in southern Somalia killing as many as 80 soldiers. The militants claimed to have brought back 60 dead bodies of the soldiers. The death toll remains unverified as the AU confirmed only the assault and not the death toll. “Al-Shabaab has consistently shown its ability to strike in urban areas and regroup in rural bases.It will take much longer to defeat the group and require Somalia’s security services to be significantly improved,” Ahmed Soliman, Horn of Africa analyst at the London-based Chatham House, told the Bloomberg news.

Pre-vetting Broadcast News For Extremism Threatens Freedom Of Speech

29 June – Source: The Guardian – 654 Words

Plans for the new extremism bill outlined in the Queen’s Speech have created some concern amongst broadcasters, programme-makers and publishers. The bill’s goal is to tackle extremism and incitement to hate, but we must also be alert to the unintended consequences that could arise from it, specifically to any chilling effects on freedom of expression. We must of course wait until the government publishes the full detail within the draft bill. We already know that the intention is to strengthen Ofcom’s powers to take action against channels which broadcast extremist content. As part of this,Ofcom could be empowered to intervene in news and documentary reporting prior to broadcast, in a bid to prevent “extremist material” making it on air.

This would be a backward shift in regulation. Ofcom’s current role in news reporting is to investigate any breaches of the code after a programme has aired. Ofcom is a robust regulator of broadcast content and has significant post-broadcast powers, including the ability to fine and even shut down the broadcaster in the case of serious breaches. As part of its broadcasting code, Ofcom already requires that broadcasters do not incite the commission of crime. Giving Ofcom a pre-broadcast vetting role would strike at the heart of editorial freedom in news and programme–making. Why? Because the key to credible news reporting is being at arm’s length from politicians and public bodies: journalists must be free to report the news without prior intervention by the state. That independence is seriously undermined if the regulator has a statutory role to intervene in editorial judgments pre-broadcast.

ITN makes programmes for three public service broadcasters: ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. We have an ongoing contract with the investigations strand Dispatches and make other leading current affairs programmes such as Tonight and On Assignment. Our editors make decisions every day about reporting terrorism. Our programmes have interviewed controversial figures – including Omar Bakri Mohammed, jihadi fighters on the frontline in Syria and Al-Shabaab militants. On each occasion, their views were broadcast, their perspective was appropriately challenged and contested, placed in a factual context and all in the public domain for the public to form their own view. Ofcom adjudicated post broadcast on such reports and found them on the right side of the line. Would such extremist views be erased from our screens if this bill became law? The challenge for the government is to ensure that they are not and that Ofcom remains a post-broadcast regulator for news and current affairs.

Fostering Barren Lands: Somali Scientists Seek Help From KU

29 June – Source: The Express Tribune – 450 Words

Scientists from Somalia have requested their counterparts from Karachi University (KU) to assist them in the rehabilitation of the barren and saline regions of Somalia by using latest technology so that the fodder for the livestock and agricultural crops can be grown. Prof Dr Bilquees Gul, a senior researcher associated with KU’s Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization (ISHU) told the media on her return from a conference on the sustainable development goals on biodiversity, climate change and water, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the aegis of Unesco. The world is currently experiencing a fast change in climate than it ever had in the past, she said adding that higher average global temperatures are causing fresh water crisis that is posing challenges for cash crop, fisheries and livestock. The problems of cash crop production due to drought and salinity can be overcome by using latest technology and expertise available at KU, she said.

The Unesco office in Addis Ababa has also invited ISHU to participate in programmes related to floating mangrove in the dry regions of Somalia to develop fodder crops on saline lands, she added. “If such things are successful in Pakistan then it may be useful for African countries to ensure sustainable cattle farming, which would play a vital role in increasing the production of milk and meat in the region and help reduce poverty and famine,” she elaborated. The researcher said the conference held in Addis Ababa was focused on the sustainable development of dryland agriculture in the arid and saline regions of Somalia and the formulation of conventional and non-conventional fodder crops. She reiterated that there are vast surfaces of untapped resources of barren and abandoned marginal lands that are commonly believed to be useless but have been proven to be of high value. With specific reference to Pakistan, an agro-based economy that employs 60 per cent of its rural population, she said Karachi University’s ISHU is making optimum utilisation of modern technology to understand the physiology of salt tolerance in plants. This is all the more crucial, she said, as good quality water for agricultural uses is becoming ever more limited in regions where irrigation is necessary due to increasing requirements for domestic and industrial uses.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“Even though Al-Shabaab continued to lose ground—they did not lose the ability to launch attacks. It has assassinated transitional government officials, bombed government ministries, carried out suicide attacks against soft-targets—hotels—in Mogadishu. And the attacks have also gone beyond Somalia.”

Getting To The Core Of Al-Shabaab’s Conflict With Kenya

28 June – Source: PBS News Hour – Video – 9:00 Minutes

With its base in Somalia and links to al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab has carried out several attacks against neighboring Kenya that has made the militant group a potent threat in the region. NewsHour special correspondent Martin Seemungal reports from East Africa with an in-depth look at the roots of al-Shabab’s conflict with Kenya. It has been two months since Al-Shabaab Islamic militants targeted the university in Garissa, Kenya. A nation made up of more than 80 percent Christians, it was the Christians that the Islamic militants were after, sparing the lives of students they believed to be Muslims. Cedric Barnes is the Director of the International Crisis Group in Nairobi and an expert on Al-Shabaab.

“There was a feeling of tremendous optimism. I think people overestimated and romanticized the Somali democratic leaders. There was a charismatic, young prime minister, Abderrazak Hagi Hussein who wore stylish white suits and was literally seen as a knight in white armor. There were, however, underlying problems of corruption and tribalism.”

Somalia — From Great Hope to Failed State

28 June – Source: Somali Current – 3, 549 Words

While today the mention of Somalia may conjure up images of a destitute nation run by warlords, such was not always the case. When it gained independence and the territories of British and Italian Somaliland were unified to create what we know today as Somalia, there was great optimism about the country’s political future. The country’s flag, a white five-pointed star on a light blue background, symbolized the five areas considered to be “Somali”, due to a shared language, culture, and religion in the newly formed nation as well as French Somaliland, northeastern Kenya, and western Ethiopia. At the time of independence, Somalia’s cultural unity pointed towards an easier path to democracy than that faced by other newly-independent African nations that struggled to incorporate the competing claims of varying ethnic groups.

In the 55 years since its independence on July 1, 1960, what was once considered to be one of Africa’s great hopes has instead embodied all that can go wrong as a state works to build a democratic society. Coups, civil wars, warring clans, and natural disasters have sunken the dream of Somali democracy. Moreover, the prospect of being bogged down in a messy nation-building situation now drives away nations looking to help the country back on the path toward a democratic future, as the events of 1993 and “Black Hawk Down” embody the dangers of foreign intervention in Somalia. Richard L. Jackson was a junior officer who was stationed in Mogadishu from 1960-1961. Peter Bridges was the Ambassador to Somalia from 1984-1986. James Bishop, Jr. was the Ambassador to Somalia from 1990-1991. Thomas Null III was stationed in Mogadishu as a Public Affairs Officer from 1983-1986. Leon Weintraub was worked at the State Department’s International Organizations (IO) Bureau from 1992-1993 and was heavily involved in the multilateral intervention in Somalia in the early 1990’s. Karl Inderfurth was the U.S. Representative for Special Affairs at the UN from 1993-1997.

All were interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy; Jackson beginning in August 1998, Brown in December 1996, Weintraub in July 2005, Inderfurth in April 2001, Bridges in October 2003, Null III in January 2010, and Bishop in November 1995. Go here to read when the U.S. was expelled from the Kagnew Station in Eritrea in 1977. You can read other Moments on Africa, including Soapy Williams’ love of square-dancing. “There was a vast underestimation of the problems involved” Somalia was then [in the 1960s] one of the great hopes in Africa; of course, then there was tremendous optimism about Africa as a whole. There had been the great wave of African independence in 1960. There were people like [State Department Assistant Secretary for African Affairs] Soapy Williams structuring Africa policy. The thinking was that with our resources and know-how, we could quickly pattern these countries after ourselves and that they would prosper in the democratic path.