January 11, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Al Shabaab executes an alleged spy in Kismayo

11 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 152 words

Al Shabaab extremists in the Southern port town of Kismayo have on Tuesday publicly executed one of its members for allegedly spying for the Kenyan troops who are battling the group. Reports say rebel fighters executed a Kenyan national in public after rebel court allegedly found him guilty of spying for the Kenyan troops in parts of the region. Hundreds of locals witnessed the execution.

Key Headlines

  • Somali PM asks to accelerate the release of funds for the Roadmap (Source: Garowe Online)
  • AU asks UN Security Council to expand Somalia mission (Source: VOA News)
  • Security Forces Abusing Civilians Near Somalia Border (Source: Relief Web)
  • Security Council urges reliable support for African peacekeepers in Somalia (Source: UN News )
  • Al Shabaab still forcing young people to fight (Source: TFG)
  • Al Shabaab executes ‘Kenyan spy’ (Source: Daily Nation)

PRESS RELEASE

Al Shabaab still forcing young people to fight

11 Jan – Source: TFG – 152 words

Over the past week the government has received reports from the residents of the Middle and Lower Shabelle regions, as well as from parts of the Gedo region still in the hands of the extremists, that al-shabaab are forcing young men and boys to join them in their unholy fight against the government and allied forces.

Loud-speakers mounted on cars were threatening that any young person who did not immediately join them will face severe punishment.

They went as far as going into ordinary schools and even to Koranic schools, where pupils are barely above the age of 13 years, in order to force them to join in this ant-Islamic and ant-Somali war of destruction.

They have clearly resorted to such desperate measures after suffering defeat in the hands of the Somali Armed forces ( Xooga Dalka ) and allies, over the past few weeks and months, and on many fronts throughout the country.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali PM asks to accelerate the release of funds for the Roadmap

11 Jan – Source: Garowe Online – 132 words

PM Abdiweli Mohamed Gaas has asked the international community to speed up the release of funds for the proposed Roadmap so that the government can continue to move out of the transition period. PM Abdiweli, who was speaking at a conference in Nairobi, said that it is vital that Somalia receives the funds for implementing the rest of the Roadmap.


Health ministry restocks Mogadishu hospitals through medical aids

11 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-Kulan – 130 words

TFG’s Ministry of Health has delivered medical supplies to three Hospitals in the capital, Mogadishu, to meet the growing demands of patients seeking medical care in the city. The medical supplies from Egyptian based Al-Azhar Al-Sharif agency was delivered on Tuesday to Madina, Banadir and Keysanay Hospitals in Mogadishu to help ease profound human suffering in the region.


A soldier kills an elder in southwestern Somalia

11 Jan – Source: Shabelle – 142 words

A Somali government soldier shot and killed a prominent traditional elder in the heart of El-wak town of Gedo region, which is adjacent to the country’s border line with neighboring Kenya, witnesses said on Wednesday. Contradictory reports said the soldier opened fire on the elder whose name was released only as Sulay over  an unspecified dispute, while some sources say, he has been killed for ethnic retaliation.


Al Shabaab executes an alleged spy in Kismayo

11 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 152 words

Al Shabaab extremists in the Southern port town of Kismayo have on Tuesday publicly executed one of its members for allegedly spying for the Kenyan troops who are battling the group. Reports say rebel fighters executed a Kenyan national in public after rebel court allegedly found him guilty of spying for the Kenyan troops in parts of the region. Hundreds of locals witnessed the execution.


Al Shabaab asks Muslim group to join their movement

11 Jan – Source: Garowe Online, All Africa Global Media – 150 words

Al Shabaab has asked the Tabliqi group to join their fight against AMISOM and the TFG after a shelling of a Tabliqi mosque al Hidaya in Mogadishu, Radio Garowe reports. Al Shabaab official Sheikh Abdiqadir Mumin who spoke to al Shabaab run radio said that the two sheikhs that died in clashes Saturday are not the only Tabliqi sheikhs that will be targeted. He added that AMISOM is responsible for the killing of those sheikhs and the shelling of the Tabliqi mosque al Hidaya.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Al Shabaab execute ‘Kenyan spy’

11 Jan – Source: Daily Nation, The Star – 372 words A man said to be a Kenyan fighting for al Shabaab has been executed by the Somali militant group for alleged espionage. The Kenya Defence Forces confirmed that the non-Somali Kenyan was stoned to death by the militants in Kismayu on Tuesday after he was convicted of aiding Kenyan troops identify their targets in Somalia. “It is true, he was stoned to death. One of our people filmed the incident and sent us the pictures which are grisly,” military spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir told the Nation.


Garissa mayor denies backing al Shabaab

Garissa mayor Ismail Garat yesterday denied allegations that he has been allocating land to al Shabaab sympathisers. The visibly furious

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Security Forces abusing civilians near Somalia border

12 Jan – Source: Relief Web – 1,057 words

The Kenyan security forces are beating and arbitrarily detaining citizens and Somali refugees in Kenya’s North Eastern province, which borders on Somalia, despite repeated pledges to stop such abuses, Human Rights Watch said today.


AU asks UN Security Council to expand Somalia mission

11 Jan – Source: VOA News – 421 words

An African Union delegation asked the United Nations Security Council Wednesday to approve the expansion of its mission in Somalia and provide it with logistical and other support it needs to crush Islamist insurgents who have challenged the transitional government and threatened peace and security in the Horn of Africa and beyond.


Security Council urges reliable support for African peacekeepers in Somalia

11 Jan – Source: UN News – 708 words

The Security Council today called for predictable, reliable and timely resources to support the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia to strengthen its capability to help the country’s transitional government implement its commitments to restore peace and stability.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

Somaliland’s Place in the World

11 Jan- SomaliaOnline Forum

In 2011 Chatham House held a small roundtable meeting with Somaliland politicians, civil society, diaspora and thinkers along with experts and observers from key international partners. The roundtable was held under Chatham House Rule, and aimed to encourage new thinking about Somaliland’s place in the world twenty years after it’s self-declared, and still unrecognised, independence. This conference summary presents some of the issues raised in the discussion.

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of AMISOM, and neither does their inclusion in the bulletin/website constitute an endorsement by AMISOM.