July 9, 2015 | Morning Headlines

Main Story

Kenyan Foreign Minister Receives New Somalia Ambassador

08 July – Source: Garowe Online – 169 Words

Kenyan Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohamed has received newly-appointed Somali Ambassador Jamal Mohamed Hassan at her office on Wednesday, Garowe Online reports. Hassan handed over letter of appointment to Amina, and discussed the relations between the two countries despite heated maritime boundary dispute. The new Somali ambassador to Kenya will present to President Uhurru Kenyatta his credentials in the coming days. Hassan replaced Somalia’s long-serving envoy Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur America who held the post for eight years. He was among five ambassadors assigned to Kenya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Nations Human rights council. Kenyan Defence Force (KDF) crossed the border into Somalia in late 2011 to battle Al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants following a series of kidnappings and killings in northeastern counties. In mid-2014, Somalia’s Federal Government filed a lawsuit against Kenya at International Court of Justice (ICJ). Ever since, diplomatic ties have been remaining precarious. Somali officials allegedly reached to the UN court after Kenya laid claim to 40,000 square miles of waters.

Key Headlines

Kenyan Foreign Minister Receives New Somalia Ambassador(Garowe Online)
State Making Process For Hiiraan And Middle Shabelle Regions Set To Kick Off in Beletweyne. (Wacaal Media)
Somalia To Submit Maritime Dispute Case with Kenya to International Court of Justice Next week (Somali Current)
Banadir High Rank Official Survives Murder Attempts (Goobjoog News)
Puntland President Meets New Cabinet Ministers (Garowe Online)
500 Killed In Recent Terror Attacks ( Daily Nation)
Kenyan General Is The New AMISOM Force Commander (Gazette Weekly)
Is AMISOM Willing To Unify And Empower Somali National Army? ( Sahan Journal)
Facing Snakes Scorpions – And Fear Of Attack – On Kenya’s Walk of Hope (The Guardian)

NATIONAL MEDIA

State Making Process For Hiiraan And Middle Shabelle Regions Set To Kick Off in Beletweyne.

08 July – Source: Wacaal Media – 119 Words

A conference that will form a regional state for Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions is set to kick off immediately after the holy month of Ramadan, it has been revealed. Speaking to the press in Beletweyne, Secretary General to the Hiiraan regional administration Salad Hassan Abdi confirmed that the conference will open its doors in Beletweyne and preparations were underway. Abdi added that a consultative meeting for Hiiraan region was at an advanced stage to ensure the region’s share is distributed equally. His sentiments came after a similar conference for Mudug and Galgaduud regions was recently concluded after the Adaado conference elected the head of state and his deputy. The conference first opened its doors in April this year.

Somalia To Submit Maritime Dispute Case with Kenya to International Court of Justice Next week

08 July – Source: Somali Current – 140 Words

Somalia Federal Government said it will submit maritime dispute case with Kenya to International Court of Justice next week.The decision came days after Kenyan government said they have received pledge from Somalia government that they want to solve the case out of UN court. The government said it reached the decision after wide consultation with maritime experts and international lawyers. Somalia government exuded confidence that they will win the case against Kenyan arguing the disputed area belongs to the ocean countr. An agreement reached and deposited with the Law of the Sea Commission in New York in 2011 following similar diplomatic negotiations was scuttled by Somalia’s parliament, setting the stage for the suit at the UN’s highest judicial body. In 2012, Somalia accused Kenya of awarding offshore oil and gas exploration blocks illegally to multinationals Total and Eni.

Banadir High Rank Official Survives Murder Attempts

08 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 123 Words

The director of Neighbourhood Watch Program which was launched by the administration of Banadir region, Abdikahiim Sheikh Mohamed Al-Hidaya has survived murder attempts after an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) fitted to his car detonated in Waberi district of Mogadishu on Wednesday. Witnesses confirm that no casualties occurred during the explosion but other reports say vehicle was destroyed. One of the witnesses says the directors came out of the car unhurt after the explosion. No other civil casualties were reported and no group has yet claimed the responsibility of the attack. It was yesterday when two civilians were killed and four others were injured after a bomb was placed inside a car that was passing near a bus station in Karan district north of Mogadishu

Puntland President Meets New Cabinet Ministers

08 July – Source: Garowe Online – 124 Words

The President Puntland, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has met with eight new cabinet ministers at the State House on Wednesday, Garowe Online reports. Ali briefed new ministers for Justice, Security, Finance, Education, Environment, Health, Livestock and Agriculture on the agendas lying ahead, three weeks after massive shuffle. He asked them to execute the tasks at hand in speedy manner and work on the ongoing employees reform programme. On June 16, Puntland President made his first cabinet reshuffle, sacking 8 ministers. Some ministers changed positions, and among those removed were Minister of Education, Ali Haji Warsame and Minister of Health, Dr. Sadik Enow. President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is facing tough conundrum in the formation of what he described ‘phantom’ state in central Somalia.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

500 Killed In Recent Terror Attacks

08 July – Source: Daily Nation – 326 Words

At least 500 people have been killed in about 150 separate attacks from 2012 to June 2015 countrywide. Most of the deaths have been in Nairobi, Garissa and Mandera. Mandera has witnessed the highest number of attacks. Between January 2012 and December last year, 312 people were killed. Nairobi had 113 deaths and Mandera accounted for 68. Sixty-seven others were killed in Lamu County, according to the police. On April 2, terrorists killed 148 people at Garissa University College, the highest toll in a single attack. The Tuesdaymorning raid in Mandera occurred just five days after nine herders were shot dead by Al-Shabaab militants in the same county. On July 2, at around 4pm, at Adan Jiro in Fino Location, 15 people who were tracking 26 camels that had gone astray were attacked while resting at a dam. They were surrounded by gunmen who shot and killed the nine. The victims were identified as Mohammed Gabow Takoi 28, Mohammed Mohamud Ibrahim 50, Abdulahi Noor Maalim Aden 38, Abdi Ali Amed 45, Yusuf Abdirahim Ahmed 34, Muhamud Bare 28, Abdi Kuresh Maalim 40, Aden Abdulahi Aden, 37, and Abdi Ibrahim Yakub, 62, who was the owner of the dam. Their bodies were buried immediately at the Lafey Sub-County headquarters. On March 16, at 8.30pm, four people were shot dead by gunmen in Mandera Town, two days after Governor Ali Roba’s convoy was ambushed on the Mandera-Arabia road, leaving two policemen and a civilian dead.

Kenyan General Is The New AMISOM Force Commander

08 July – Source: Gazette Weekly – 496 Words

A Kenyan general Lt. General Jonathan Rono has taken over leadership of the six country Amisom Force from a Ugandan military officer Lt Gen Andrew Gutti.Lt Gen. Rono is the new AMISOM Force commander and last week visited Kuday Island, which was liberated by Somali National Army and AMISOM troops in March 2015.Another Kenyan, LT Colonel Paul Njuguna is the AMISOM military spokesman.

The Island which is 120 km south west of Kismayo along the Indian Ocean was a strategic logistical hub for the Al-Shabaab militants after the fall of Barawe and Kismayo seaports.Also captured during the same time with Kuday were Dagazi and Mgao islands where the AL Shabaab have been launching attacks on Kenyan troops in Somalia.The Force Commander toured defence positions and interacted with troops.“Al-Shabaab propaganda will not succeed. Our troops in all the sectors are well placed. Just because they were able to ambush a camp or execute a surprise attack on troops does not mean Al-Shabaab are winning. Al-Shabaab are losing and they have been losing. We will deal them a final blow in the coming few days,” Lt. General Rono told troops in Kuday.

He was accompanied to Kuday Island by AMISOM Force Chief of Staff, Brig Gen Cyprien Ndikuriyo, Force HQ Operations Staff Officer, Lt Col Ahmed, Sector Five Operations Officer Col Ndagisimana Diomede and Deputy Chief Military Operation Officer, Lt Col Ezra Kukundakwe as well as the Commanding Officer of Sector Kismayo Lt Col, John Kipya and AMISOM’s Chief Security Officer Col (Rtd) Peter Chege.Lt. Gen. Rono has also visited Burundian troops on the frontline in Jereredo Army base in Sector 5 and briefed them on the on-going re-adjustment and re-organization of troops in strategic towns, saying it was aimed at revitalizing security in the outposts.
“I want to pay gratitude to you for the tactical role you play, commiserate with you on the loss of lives we recently encountered while executing our mandate and defending the noble cause in Leego.” Lt. Gen Rono said.He said that AMISOM and the Somali National Security Forces, will intensify activity and momentum and build on the eighty per cent score and hopefully take the remaining twenty percent.The Force Commander has urged the troops to observe the principle of unity, pan-Africanism and brotherhood while effecting their mandate.

OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE

“The Somali government emphasizes the need for an integrated national army with no practical move to do so. The regional administrations have enough troops to be unified under SNA and can take charge of the country’s fate.”

Is AMISOM Willing To Unify And Empower Somali National Army?

08 July – Source: Sahan Journal – 798 Words

On July 1, Somalia celebrated 55 years of independence from colonial rule and formation of the Somali Republic. As we celebrate this important date on our calendar, I can’t stop thinking if we are still fully independent and what it is that we are missing. A lot has happened since those heady days in 1960: the birth of a democratic Somalia, a military revolution, a bloody civil war, the formation of weak transitional governments, the rise of the Union of Islamic Courts and the formation of al-Shabaab, who is battling the federal government and the African Union forces known as AMISOM. Despite the enormous challenges Somalia has faced, there are tangible achievements in terms of security and transformation, which was only possible with the resilience shown by the Somali people. Al-Shabaab was pushed out of major towns. Interim federal administrations are currently being formed as the country prepares to hold a national election in 2016. This is partly thanks to the Somali National Army (SNA), who, together with AMISOM, is actively engaged in liberating the country from the militant group.

However, the big question is how and when are AMISOM troops going to leave Somalia? What is their exit strategy and what are they doing to achieve that? The only force that should replace them in this case is a strong, unified, well-equipped SNA. This is the only way Somali ownership could be achieved given all the efforts being put to build a sovereign Somali state. Unfortunately, AMISOM’s objective is not to hand over the country to SNA but to “hand over the mission to a United Nation peacekeeping operation,” according to its website. I wonder if this is in line with Somalia’s vision 2016. I don’t understand why we need UN peacekeeping operation when we already have our own national army, which is expected to eventually take full control of the country’s security.
And what if the so-called ambitious national election fails to take place? Well, my thoughts augur well with what late Ambassador Mohamed Osman Omar hypothesized about the contingency plan of the AU for Somalia in an article published in his blog on Jan. 17, 2014:

“In one place, an old man insisted on offering us tea. The borehole there broke in 1978. No one had bothered to repair it”

Facing Snakes, Scorpions – And Fear Of Attack – On Kenya’s Walk of Hope

07 July – Source: The Guardian – 1,113 Words

We set off on the morning of 13 June from the town of Garissa in eastern Kenya. At first, our group was hundreds-strong, and included officials from the county and national government, all of us walking together to restore dignity and promote peace in a long-neglected region. After 11km, only seven walkers remained as people offered their excuses, wished us luck and headed back into a town made infamous when Somali insurgents from al-Shabaab killed 147 people, mainly young students, on a university campus in April. As I write, those of us who continued the Walk of Hope have covered 500km, heading deep into Kenya’s North Eastern province. Our destination: border point one in Mandera, a town near Kenya’s borders with Ethiopia and Somalia. In all, we planned to cover a gruelling 728km. In one place, an old man insisted on offering us tea. The borehole there broke in 1978. No one had bothered to repair it. In north-eastern Kenya, the land is flat with sparse vegetation cover. Temperatures soar to 40C during the day and the nights can be cold and windy. Most people living here are ethnic Somalis, as am I.

The idea was to walk every day to the nearest settlement, by whatever means, covering between 15km and 43km. We never planned to sleep in the bush – we feared the snakes and scorpions. As it turned out, we saw many scorpions on the road and just three snakes. It can be a little disappointing if you build an expectation. Our choice of food was informed by ease of preparation rather than anything else. None of us felt like competent cooks. We packed a pickup full of tinned tuna, juice, energy drinks, dates and mineral water.The settlements we walked through typically featured a mixture of permanent and semi-permanent houses, a small school, a clinic and a borehole, if the residents were lucky. The unlucky ones had just a school and maybe a borehole producing saline water. Clinics are a luxury in these places. The economy revolves round livestock: the settlements boom in the rainy season and bust during the dry season. In one village, an old man insisted on offering us tea. The borehole there had broken in 1978, and nobody had bothered to repair it. I was born that year. One thing stood out in all the villages we passed through: each had a beautiful little mosque with solar lighting and a booming speaker for the call to prayer. Some settlements had two mosques, competing for attention.

I was exhausted all the time and felt like I was walking on thorns, always inches away from giving up. On average, we walked 30km every day with the aim of finishing the walk in 25 days. That’s a brisk pace, which results in blisters and muscle pains. At 38, I was the oldest walker, an unfit lecturer: I was not a star performer. I was exhausted all the time and felt like I was walking on thorns, always inches away from giving up. My blisters became well known when I posted a picture on Facebook of my swollen feet, and the BBC’s Somali service picked up the story. My blisters are overshadowing my real self, I mused. Red Cross paramedics followed us, ready to deal with our injuries, and sometimes offering massages. In one settlement, people were bemused by these strange walkers. They had not yet heard about the Walk of Hope. So they grilled us to make sure we were not thugs or hoodlums. Then, they gave us mats and a temporary shed to sleep in. We were welcomed in many settlements with the traditional honour of slaughtering a goat.