April 10, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Obama takes first step to selling arms to Somalia

08 April – Source: AFP – 375 words

President Barack Obama took the first step Monday toward providing US military assistance to Somali forces battling Islamist militants, after the easing of a UN arms embargo last month.
Obama signed a determination stating that having the legal capacity to offer defense equipment to Somalia was in the national interest of the United States and could promote peace and stability in East Africa.
The move allows the US Secretary of State to consider the provision of arms to Somalia but does not signal a decision to provide specific assistance, said National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden.

Key Headlines

President of Somalia attends the inauguration ceremony of the new Kenyan president(:Radio Shabelle/Radio Mogadishu)
“President Hassan Sheikh tours Somali Military and Police training facilities”(Jowhar Online/RBC)
US Takes First Step To Arm Somali Forces(VOA)
Somali govt. launches universal healthcare plan(al Shahid/Presstv)
Al-Shabaab kills a woman in Bulo-burte for alleged espionage(Radio Bar-kulan)
Puntland security officer gunned down in Galka’yo(VOA Somali Service)
Al-Shabaab vacates parts of Lower Shabelle region(Radio Mustaqbal)
Respected Somali cleric escapes assassination attempt(Halgan Online/RBC)
President Silaanyo & Delegation Head For Turkey( Qaran News)

SOMALI MEDIA

President of Somalia attends the inauguration ceremony of the new Kenyan president

09 Apr- Source:Radio Shabelle/Radio Mogadishu/Radio Risaala/Hiiraan Online- 89 words

The president of the federal republic of Somalia Mr. Hassan Sheikh arrived in the capital city of Kenya , Nairobi where he attended the inauguration of the newly-elected president of Kenya Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta.
After the ceremony the two presidents discussed different issues concerning the two countries.

Puntland security officer gunned down in Galka’yo

09 Apr- Source: Raxanreeb/VOA Somali Service- 169 words

Reports from central Somalia say that unidentified armed men gunned down a security officer in the Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland on Monday evening.
Ahmed Mohamed Dhagaweyne, who was Mudug region coordinator for Puntland security ministry was shot to dead by unknown assailants in Garsoor neighborhood at Galka’yo town, the provincial capital of Mudug region around 7.00 pm local time.

Al Shabaab vacates parts of Lower Shabelle region

09 Apr- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 116 words

Reports from parts of Lower Shabelle region in the Southern of Somalia say that al Shabaab vacated Qoryoley in Lower Shabelle.

Eyewitness in Qoryoley confirmed to Mustaqbal radio that al Shabaab fighters left Qoryoley as Somalia’s government troops backed by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) headed to the town and its outskirts.

President Hassan Sheikh tours Somali Military and Police training facilities

09 Apr- Source: Jowhar Online/RBC- J 506 words

The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia H.E Hassan Sh. Mohamud made a tour of the Jazeera Military Training Compound and the General Kaahiye Police Training School (School Polizia).
The President, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Defence H.E Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud and the Chief of Staff of the Army General Dahir Aadan Elmi (Indhaqarshe) assessed the training facilities and programmes of the new cadets and officers of the Somali National Army and the Somali Police Force.

Respected Somali cleric escapes assassination attempt

08 Apr- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/ Halgan Online/RBC- 195 words

Sheik Bashiir Ahmed Salad, the chairman of Somali Mullah foundation has survived an explosion which occurred in Mogadishu on Monday.
Reports say that Sheik Bashir was attempted to be killed as an explosion device was connected to his vehicle. The explosion took place in Teleh village of Hodan district in Mogadishu while the car moved from his home.
The district commissioner of Hodan district Mohamed Warsame Dhabarey contacted by Mustaqbal radio after the blast confirmed that Sheik Ahmed was intended to be killed as his explosive device was hidden in his car.

Al Shabaab kills a woman in Bulo-burte for alleged espionage

08 Apr- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 200 Words

Al Shabaab rebel group on Monday shot dead a 24 year old woman for allegedly spying for the Somali government, reports say.
The woman was killed by firing squad in Bulo-burte town, Hiran region.
An al Shabaab court found Ayan Mohamed guilty of providing information to Somalia’s intelligence agency.
‘We arrested her on her way from Mogadishu to Beledweyne. She was found guilty of spying on the Mujahideen’, the chief judge of al-Shabaab court in Hiran region said at a public gathering.

President Silaanyo & Delegation head for Turkey

08 Apr- Source: Qaran News- 261 words

A delegation led by the Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silaanyo” is winging its way to Turkey in order to take part in the preliminary talks with the provisional government in Mogadishu.
The President speaking to the media before departing for Turkey stated the goals of these meetings hosted by the Turkish government is ”to discuss Somaliland’s future relations with Somalia as two separate nations, but to also gain a platform from which the country can state its case for being recognised as a sovereign state”.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali govt. launches universal healthcare plan

09 Apr- Source: al Shahid/Presstv- 245 words

Somalia says every Somali citizens will have access to basic healthcare by 2016 under a new government-led strategic plan.
The four-year plan will be a test for the new Somali government’s ability to provide services to its people suffering from two decade of civil war and recurrent famine.
The plan is expected to cost 350 million dollars, 70 to 75 percent of which will be spent on actual health services. It is expected to improve financing, human resources, medicine supply, and infrastructure in the health sector.

Ethiopia supports Somalia to ensure sustainable peace

08 Apr- Source: Ethiopian News Agency- 287 words

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn said Ethiopia will further continue strengthened support until sustainable peace is ensured in Somalia. While holding talks with a higher level delegation led by Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon here Monday, PM Hailemariam said ensuring peace and stability in Somalia significantly contributes to maintain peace in the Horn of Africa and also to speed up development in the surrounding countries.

Al Shabaab execute woman suspected to be US spy

09 Apr- Source: Africa Rview- A321 words

A woman of Somali origin suspected of being an American spy has been executed through firing squad by a radical Islamist group, reports say.
The woman, whose name was not given, was sentenced by a court run by the radical Al-Shabaab movement, which has strong links with Al-Qaeda.
Witnesses in Buloburte town, some 200 km north of the capital Mogadishu, said the shooting occurred Monday morning at a town square in front of a large crowd.

Displaced persons in Mogadishu brace for rainy season

08 Apr- Source: Sabahi Online- 750 words

Springtime rains have started to fall in Mogadishu, sparking worries among internally displaced persons (IDPs) that heavier downpours could worsen their misery.
“Displaced families living in this camp are concerned that the temporary shelters that accommodate them might not be enough to protect against the falling rain,” said Fadumo Ali, a 38-year-old mother of five living at the Tarabuunka Camp in Mogadishu’s Hodan district.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Piracy Cost Seen Down to $6 Billion as Attacks Thwarted

09 Apr- Source: bloomberg-210 words

The cost of Somali piracy to the global economy fell 13 percent last year to about $6 billion as the increased presence of navies and private armed guards deterred attacks, according to a non-profit foundation.
The economic cost was between $5.7 billion and $6.1 billion, compared with $7 billion in 2011, according to Oceans Beyond Piracy, a project of the Broomfield, Colorado-based One Earth Future Foundation. Hijackings dropped 50 percent and attempted attacks fell more than 70 percent, the organization said in a report today.

US Takes First Step To Arm Somali Forces

08 Apr- Source: VOA- 131 words

U.S. President Barack Obama has taken the first step toward providing U.S. military assistance to Somalia. President Obama issued a memo Monday to Secretary of State John Kerry that said Somalia is eligible to receive defense equipment. The move does not immediately grant military assistance to Somalia. However, it allows Secretary Kerry to consider taking steps to do so in the future.

Obama takes first step to selling arms to Somalia

08 April – Source: AFP – 375 words

Turkey to host three-way talks with presidents of Somalia, Somaliland

08 Apr- Source: todayszaman.- 502 words

Turkey will hold a meeting with leaders of Somalia and Somalia’s autonomous Somaliland region in Ä°stanbul on April 13, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
A senior Turkish diplomat who spoke to Today’s Zaman on the condition of anonymity stated that after the tripartite meeting, which will also be attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Somaliland President Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo may also come together in a tête-à-tête meeting, adding that the two leaders may also hold talks with Turkish officials in Ankara after their meeting in Ä°stanbul.

Mogadishu music festival helps city move past sounds of war, where militants once banned song

08 Apr- Source: Washington Post/ AP- 355 words

Fueled by the high-volume music and fast-talking rappers, the Somali crowd danced, shouted and sang. Mogadishu’s first music festival in decades acted as another step in moving past a city soundscape once filled with gunfire and mortar shells.
The Reconciliation Music Festival was organized by a Somali rap group who moved overseas, Waayaha Cusub. Last week’s performances attracted international artists to a capital city that until recently was music-free.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“The war in the SSC regions is developing into a war for the resources of North Somalia. The human and material cost suffered by the SSC population is of no relevance to Somaliland and the oil companies.”

Conflict in North Somalia: “Congo” Style War for Resources

09 Apr- Source: Global Research Centre for Globalization-1437 Words

On Monday the 5th of November 2012, Somaliland (self-declared republic) forces mounted an offensive against Khatumo state (centered on the northern Somali regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn or SSC) forces based in Hudun town.
Hudun town is situated in the western parts of Sool province, in what was a relatively peaceful area of Northern Somalia.
Pro Somaliland media outlets reported that “the skirmishes” were the result of elements who were trying to intimidate voters in the “local elections ” that was held in Somaliland. However the offensive launched by Somaliland on the 5th of November proved to be just the start of what would be a prolonged offensive campaign waged by Somaliland on Khatumo State forces based in Hudun town.