April 12, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Shabelle River continues to rise with fears of more floods

11 Apr- Source: Radio Ergo- 196 words

The river Shabelle has seen a drastic increase in river levels after heavy rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands and fears of further flooding of farm areas.

District commissioner of Janaale in Lower Shabelle, Mohamed Idris Abdi, told Radio Ergo floods had wreaked havoc. “Villages of Siigaale and Malable, and other areas in Jannale district, have been completely flooded and the inhabitants of these areas have tried their best in wedging and blocking some of the places where the river banks have burst,” he said.

The commissioner said 10 hectares of crops, including tomatoes, onions, and pumpkins, had been destroyed in the floods. Families have been displaced. He called on the federal government and aid agencies to assist the local community in strengthening weak spots in the river’s banks.

Key Headlines

Somali Prime Minister arrives in Bujumbura (Radio Mogadishu)
Tackling Somali piracy needs new onshore focus – World Bank (Reuters)
Somaliland president confers with UK Minister for Africa (Somalilandinformer)
Puntland launches new Radio (Raxanreeb)
Commissioner Lamamra meets Mr. Mark Simmonds the UK Minister for Africa (African Brains)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali capital hosts meeting on economic effects of piracy

11 Apr – Source: Hiiraan online – 186 words

An international meeting on the economic effects of piracy was today held at an airport in Mogadishu. International delegates, Somali government ministers and experts on piracy attended the gathering.

The World Bank Africa director, Ms Bella Bird, told the meeting a study on piracy was important to end the vice. She said the World Bank was ready to work with the international community and the Somali government to stabilize the country and end piracy.

The Somali resources minister, Abdirizaq Umar Muhammad, said Somalia’s government needed foreign help to protect the country’s marine resources.

Somali Prime Minister arrives in Bujumbura

11 Apr- Source: Radio Mogadishu/Radio Mustaqbal/ Hiiraan Online/SNTV- 83 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon and his delegation arrived on Thursday in the capital of Burundi, Bujumbura. During his visit, the Prime Minister will meet officials from Burundi in order to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

The talks are expected to focus on recent developments in Somalia. The Prime Minister and his delegation paid a visit to Djibouti, Ethiopia and Uganda before arriving to Burundi.

Shabelle River continues to rise with fears of more floods

11 Apr- Source: Radio Ergo- 196 words

The river Shabelle has seen a drastic increase in river levels after heavy rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands and fears of further flooding of farm areas.

Somaliland president confers with UK Minister for Africa

11 Apr- Source: Somalilandinformer -151 words

President of Somaliland Ahmed M. Silanyo leading a delegation has met with UK Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian capital city on Wednesday.

The two sides discussed ways and means of strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.

British Minister in charge of African Affairs, Mark Simmonds speaking about the long standing historical ties between Somaliland and UK has appealed to the government of Somaliland under the leadership of incumbent president Silanyo to attend the London Somali Conference, which is scheduled to take place in May 2013.

Puntland launches new Radio

11 Apr- Source: Raxanreeb-153 words

Puntland president Dr. Abdurrahman Faroole has officially opened a new radio which will be aired from Garowe.

Italian government has funded the radio project and will be the voice of Puntland administration.

The radio is on the air now for testing and the enrolment of staff that will be running the radio is underway.

Mr. Faroole who spoke at the opening ceremony stated that they had been contemplating founding a Radio and TV station for Puntland for a long time to disseminate the interest of Puntland state.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali piracy drives up global trade costs by $18bn: World Bank

11 Apr- Source: Africa Review- 599 words

Somali piracy drives up the cost of international trade by $18 billion annually, a new World Bank report says, even as figures showed that hijackings have dropped significantly over the past 12 months.

This amount dwarfs the $53 million pirates are estimated to have earned since 2005, suggesting a radical change of approach in ending the menace is needed, the Bank said.

Heavily-armed naval patrols and better security aboard commercial vessels explained the plunge in piracy episodes in 2011 and 2012, but this is only short term, the report, launched Thursday in the capital Mogadishu, noted.

Uganda to train, equip Somali military

10 Apr – Source: Uganda News.com – 139 words

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday said his country would work with the international community to help train the Somali military.

Museveni, who was meeting visiting Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, said building a strong military is critical in stabilizing the Horn of African country that has faced decades of war.”The pillar of the army is officers.

We really must train officers and if there is any way we can support you, we are happy to do that. We need to get well educated officers and non commissioned officers with the right ideology and organize and support them to take control of the security of their country,” he said, according to a State House statement issued here.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Tackling Somali piracy needs new onshore focus – World Bank

11 Apr – Source: Reuters World Service – 720 words

Mogadishu, Ending Somali piracy requires a shift from reliance on security at sea to targeting those on land who enable the lucrative business to thrive, according to the World Bank.

Although the number of attacks has markedly fallen since 2011 thanks to tougher security aboard ships and increased Western naval patrols, piracy emanating from the lawless Horn of Africa nation may still cost the world economy about $18 billion a year, the bank said in a report released on Thursday.

Commissioner Lamamra meets Mr. Mark Simmonds, the UK Minister for Africa

11 Apr- Source: Africanbrains- 183 words

Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, Commissioner for Peace and Security, met with Mr. Mark Simmonds, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa.

The two diplomats discussed, among other pertinent issues, preparations for the London Conference on Somalia slated for 7 May 2013, and to which Mr. Simmonds invited the African Union Commission to participate at the highest level.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Somalia cannot borrow from international institutions because it defaulted on foreign debt during its civil war in the 1990s. But the World Bank’s renewed interest in Somalia may presage a first step towards debt relief. Mr Hassan needs his foreign friends more than ever.”

Somalia and piracy: The cost on land as well at sea

11 Apr- Source: The Economist Blog-538 Words

FOR all the attention Somali piracy has attracted, not least from the armada of warships keeping watch over the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, the total cost to the world economy appears to have been underestimated. Shipowners, insurers and a handful of middlemen reckoned it was draining an estimated $53m a year in ransom payments. Similarly, governments in the region noticed they were losing millions more by getting fewer tourists and catching less fish. A report published earlier this year by Oceans Beyond Piracy, an American non-profit organisation, estimated the total cost to have been around $6 billion in 2012. But the World Bank has now put an annual price on piracy, during its surge between 2005 and 2011, of $18 billion. That is equivalent to the Somali buccaneers imposing a tax of just over 1% on all the ships passing through the waters they prowled.