January 24, 2012 | Morning Headlines.



	Somalia: UN envoy re-establishes office in Mogadishu after 17-year hiatus 24 Jan – Source: UN News Centre 425 words The United Nations envoy for Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, today formally moved his office back to the country’s capital, Mogadishu, from neighbouring Kenya, where it has been based for 17 years. Mr. Mahiga, who was received at the airport in Mogadishu by Somalia’s Prime Minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, other officials and diplomats, said he was delighted that the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) will now carry out its work from Mogadishu.
Key Headlines Somali PM welcomes UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Somalia (Source: Office of the Prime Minister) AMISOM displays latest strategic military bases seized from al Shabaab (Source: Shabelle) Somalia: UN envoy re-establishes office in Mogadishu after 17-year hiatus (Source: UN News Centre ) Ethiopian troops ‘kill civilians’ in central Somalia (Source: Shabelle ) Somali government AMISOM hail Al-Berjawi’s death (Source: Radio Shabelle) OIC organizes Somalia water conference in Djibouti ( Source: OIC)

PRESS STATEMENT Somali PM welcomes UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Somalia 24 Jan – Source: Office of the Prime Minister – 206 words After an absence of 18 years from Moagdishu, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Somalia has today officially opened the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) in Mogadishu. The UN secretary general visited Mogadishu on 9th December 2011 and announced the relocation of the UNPOS to Mogadishu. The Special Representative Ambassador Augustine Mahiga was welcomed at the airport by Prime Minister Abdiweli, Somali officials and foreign diplomats from EU, Italy, Norway and Arab league where the UN flag was raised in the capital. The special representative afterwards went on to the Villa Somalia where he was warmly welcomed by the president of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and identity documents were handed in to the president. “It is a great day in the history of Somalia. The Somali people have been waiting for the UN to relocate to the country for 18 year. The efforts of the government on security matters have paved the way for the peace we are witnessing today and made the operations of the international agencies easy in the country”, Prime Minister Abdiweli said “The presence of the UN will play substantial role in the government’s efforts in restoration of peace and stability to Somalia”, the premier added. SOMALI MEDIA AMISOM displays latest strategic military bases seized from al shabaab 24 Jan – Source: Shabelle – 504 words The high officials of the African Union peacekeeping Mission in Somalia AMSIOM has displayed and invited journalists at the frontlines and the latest strategic military bases liberated from the al Shabaab recently in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Before travelling to the frontlines, the Uganda Contingent Commander, Brigadier Paul Lokech has given briefing to journalists saying that they had reached great achievements in their military operations that liberated the al Shabaab extremists from whole of Mogadishu over the past days. Tension prevails in Kamsuma as warplanes fly over the area 24 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 88 words Reports from parts of Lower Juba say low flying warplanes were seen in the al Shabaab controlled areas of on Tuesday. Locals in Kamsuma area say they saw three low flying fighter jets hovering above them, causing frustrations among them. There were no reports of any airstrikes in the area. Kenyan jet fighters have been conducting airstrikes against rebel positions in the region since Kenyan military launched its offensive against al Shabaab early last October. Somali government, AMISOM hail Al-Berjawi’s death 24 Jan – Source: Radio Shabelle – 101 words Somali Transitional Federal government and Ugandan peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu have synonymously welcomed the killing of a senior Al-Qaeda operative Bilal Al-Berjawi two days ago by AU drone attack. The prime minister of Somali Interim Federal government Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, told the Medias that his government welcomed and was happy to hear the killing of a foreign al Qaeda leader in Somalia. Ethiopian troops ‘kill civilians’ in central Somalia 24 Jan – Source: Shabelle – 132 words The Ethiopian troops in the town of Beledweyn in Hiran region, central Somalia have deliberately shot and killed at least three civilians over suspicion of belonging to al Shabaab, reports said on Tuesday. The Ethiopian soldiers have separately killed on Tuesday afternoon three persons, including teenagers and a well-known businessman, whom they blamed to have links with al Shabaab militants. Former Somaliland VP warns UK-sponsored Somalia conference 24 Jan- Source: Hadhwanaag Times- 104 words Former Somaliland vice president and the deputy chairman of opposition UDUB party Ahmed Yusuf Yasin has warned Somaliland not attend the UK sponsored conference on Somalia. The official cited there are many risks for Somaliland behind this Somalia conference that will be held in London on February. He said the conference may harm the sovereignty of Somaliland . REGIONAL MEDIA OIC organizes Somalia water conference in Djibouti 24 Jan – Source: OIC – 279 words The Organization of Islamic Cooperation will convene a conference on “Water for Life in Somalia” to help solve the water crisis in this country. The conference will be held in the Republic of Djibouti on Thursday, 26 January 2012. The conference comes as a follow up to the Cairo conference, which was held on 5 October 2011, as part of an OIC campaign to mobilize civil society organizations in the OIC Member States to contribute actively towards solving the problem of clean drinking water shortage for the people in Somali. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Somalia: UN envoy re-establishes office in Mogadishu after 17-year hiatus 24 Jan – Source: UN News Centre 425 words The United Nations envoy for Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, today formally moved his office back to the country’s capital, Mogadishu, from neighbouring Kenya, where it has been based for 17 years. Mr. Mahiga, who was received at the airport in Mogadishu by Somalia’s Prime Minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, other officials and diplomats, said he was delighted that the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) will now carry out its work from Mogadishu. Boko Haram got al Qaeda bomb training, Niger says 24 Jan – Source: Reuters – 4000 words Members of the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have received explosives training at al Qaeda camps in the Sahel region of northern Africa, Niger’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. The group, which has killed more than 200 people this year in increasingly sophisticated attacks that include bombings, may have also received training from Somalia’s al Shabaab insurgents, Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum said. Violence worries Somali aid group 24 Jan – Source: UPI – 184 words An official with the Somali Red Crescent Society said he was “extremely worried” about the situation there after mortar shells struck a hospital in Mogadishu. The International Committee of the Red Cross, one of the few humanitarian groups working in Somalia, said last week it halted distribution of food aid because deliveries to central and southern Somalia were blocked. Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, president of the Somali Red Crescent Society, said that although nobody was injured, a mortar attack on a hospital in northern Mogadishu highlighted the ongoing risks in the country. SOCIAL MEDIA CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS The Renaissance of Piracy: New Characters, New Plot, Same Goal 24 Jan- Source Hubpages- 2399 Words The practice of piracy has long been thought of as extinct, outdated and archaic by many people today because of the lack of publicity the issue receives, but no longer is this the case. When the average person is asked to think of a pirate, they typically envision the Hollywood version of them, namely the blockbuster series Pirates of the Caribbean, which features swashbuckling outlaws fighting against the establishment for a just cause. However, this inaccurate representation cannot be applied to the modern-day pirates who are nothing like the romanticized images from childhood stories. The pirates terrorizing the waters off the coast of Somalia engage in the lowest forms of criminal activity, including kidnapping, extortion and murder. While it is true that they believe themselves to be freedom fighters acting on behalf of their cause, they are more than just a ragtag band of peasants desperate for a new source of income. These pirates have systematically evolved into various organized crime syndicates which successfully take on the international shipping industry in a conflict that they are prepared to die for. While the jury is still out on what their intent is, the issue of who is winning the conflict remains one that sparks debate. The past few years have helped clarify the answer to the question as to who has the upper hand in the new golden age of piracy. The international community is losing the war on piracy because it has not only failed to stop the attacks and robberies committed by these criminals, but it has also failed to think of a long term solution to a rapidly increasing problem. Despite the continued number of attacks on mariners and sailors in the region, there are still people who point to the cooperation and coordination of different nations as evidence of success in this fight. These advocates accentuate the numerous ‘crackdowns’ and eager responses from different countries to combat the threat that pirates pose. Evidence of this reaction can be found in the International Chamber of Commerce’s Maritime Bureau report that compiled a chart chronicling the number of pirate attacks from 1994 to 2005. In this document, they noted that the number of attacks in 2003 was 445, compared to only 273 attacks in 2005. The decline is attributed to increased pressure by the United Nations to coerce local governments and law enforcement in the area to be more proactive when combating piracy. This reaction by the global community was further emphasized when naval vessels from various nations set sail for the troubled waters of the Indian Ocean to protect commerce and travellers that passed through, regardless of nationality. In her article, “Pirates Bringing Us Together”, reporter Oh Kongdan wrote about this unusual phenomenon proving true the old adage, people helping people. Despite tensions running high between different nations today, the list of universal kindness is still a basic trait: