April 17, 2014 | Daily Monitoring Report.

Main Story

Kenya deports second group of Somali nationals from its country

17 Apr – Source: Radio Goobjoog/Shabelle/Radio Mogadishu- 97 words

The Government of Kenya is deporting the second group of undocumented Somali nationals from its country. The ambassador of Somalia to Kenya Mohamed Ali Amerika told Goobjoog FM that at least 90 people are now in Jomo Kenyatta airport ready to be taken back to Somalia. He stated that many other Somali nationals were released after investigations by the security forces.

The ambassador also said that they convinced Kenyan government to uphold the rights of the Somali nationals in its country. Earlier last week, the government of Kenya has deported over 80 people from its country.

Key Headlines

Unknown gunmen wound new spokesman of Afgoye administration (Markacadey Online)
Somali Prime Minister addresses soldiers at military training camp in Kismayo (OPM)
Puntland: The City of Galkayo establishes a new City Council (Puntland State of Somalia)
Kenya deports second group of Somali nationals from its country (Radio Mogadishu)
Puntland to deport 53 Ethiopian Illegal Immigrants (Horseed Media/Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali Speaker stresses need for Kenyan government to protect rights of Somali nationals (Radio RBC/Radio Goobjoog)
Somalis displaced by military offensive pressured by government to return home (Sabahi Online)
Puntland to tax UN and the other International organisations in the region (Radio RBC)
Uganda deploys new force in Somalia (New Vision)
“Travel Ban on British Nationals to Somaliland Lifted” Mark Simmonds (Somaliland Informer)
Residents of Buur-dhuubo district in dire condition (Radio Goobjoog)
Somaliland to Establish a Trade and Investment Advisory and Promotion Office in the UAE(Somalilandsun)
Daniel Wanyoike: In The Hands Of al Shabaab (Citizen TV Kenya)
Mombasa students ‘are being radicalised’ (Star- Kenya)
Massive displacements in Somalia (Trust.org)
Chastened by Islamists Somalia redraws Mogadishu security plan (Reuters)
Barclays and remittance group reach deal on Somalia services (Financial Times)
The Mob Justice of Kenya’s Somali Stop-and-Frisk (VICE)

PRESS STATEMENT

Somali Prime Minister addresses soldiers at military training camp in Kismayo

17 Apr- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 428 words

The Prime Minister of the Somali Federal Government His Excellency Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed toured a military training camp in Kismayo on Wednesday April 16th where new recruits of the Interim Jubba Administration are in training and offered them words of encouragement and wisdom. The encamped forces are in training to promote peace and security in the three Jubba regions and take part in operations to rid the area of terrorists.

Cabinet members, parliament representatives, ambassadors, and officials from the Interim Jubba Administration and AMISOM accompanied the Prime Minister on his tour of the military training camp. After training, the soldiers, who are currently receiving instruction from both Somali and AMISOM officers, will join various divisions of the Jubba Administration’s armed forces.

In the briefing received by the Prime Minister and his delegation, officials from the Jubba Administration said the soldiers are receiving a variety of training and are preparing to take part in the country’s defense. Some of the recruits have also been sent to neighboring countries for training.

H.E. Prime Minister Ahmed thanked AMISOM and Somali instructors for their service and urged the training soldiers to work for the public good while at the same time protecting human rights.

“You have to defend the lives, property and honour of the public and protect the country from its enemies, starting with our primary enemy al-Shabaab. However, as you are fighting al-Shabaab, you will also have to carefully separate the terrorists from the innocent citizens so that you do not infringe upon their rights,” Prime Minister Ahmed told the soldiers.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister told the troops the Somali Federal Government is preparing to equip the troops so that they can adequately perform their duties, and is currently formulating a plan, in consultation with senior security officials, to distribute these soldiers among the different divisions of the armed forces.

“My government will strive to support you in your work so that you can safeguard the security of Jubba and the rest of Somalia. We will integrate you into the different sections of the armed forces such as the Somali National Army, police, corrections and intelligence,” the Prime Minister said in his address to the training officers.

“Soldiers from the Somali National Armed Forces have the same goal whichever region they are based, and that is to liberate the country from its enemy and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia. You are required to stay committed to that goal,” Prime Minister Ahmed said in his concluding remarks.

Puntland: The City of Galkayo establishes a new City Council

17 Apr – Source: Puntland State of Somalia – 192 words

In a special event at the Presidential Residence, the President of Puntland State of Somalia H.E Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, some of the Cabinet Ministers, and some Members of the Puntland Parliament last night oversaw the swearing-in of 25 of the 27 City Councilors for the City of Galkayo. Candidates for the remaining two seats are still being.

The new Council comprises of more diverse and qualified Councilors including; women, activists, dynamic members of the business community, and particularly youth leaders from the City of Galkayo. A Vetting Committee appointment by the Minister of Interior and Local Government, Hon. Mr. Ahmed Elmi Osman screened and processed the candidates.

“We are very much pleased by the establishment of the City Council of Galkayo and congratulate the new Councilors. We also thank the residents, elders, and civil society groups for working with us over the past few days on the process of nomination and vetting”. Said.

The Establishment of the City Council of Galkayo will improve governance, support economic development and advance the democratization process underway across Puntland. Elections for the new Mayor of Galkayo are being organized to take place Friday evening.

Somali President “Conflict in Taleh should be solved through dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful means.”

16 Apr- Source: Office of the President- 312 words

H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia calls upon all concerned stakeholders to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Taleh district and said, “Conflict in Taleh should be resolved through dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful means.

The Federal Government of Somalia is ready to assist all concerned stakeholders in the area to find a lasting solution to the conflict. We need to protect our citizens and to find a solution to the historic conflict in the area.” The President continued: “I am very much concerned by the renewed conflict in Taleh. Our people are tired of conflict and chaos and we all need to work together so that all such conflicts can be resolved through peaceful means.

Our culture is so rich when it comes to finding solutions to conflicts, such as our tradition of our elders sitting under the trees to find a ‘win-win’ solution to a problem. “ The President said, “It is very unfortunate to see a renewed and unnecessary conflict breaking out, one which results in civilian casualties.

We want our people to enter into a dialogue to decide their future. Only through this approach can we be comparable with our counterparts around the world. This way we can protect our civilians and bring about the return of the dignity and pride that are key elements of our culture. We can only achieve that if we show political maturity, compromise and respect and protect the security of our citizens.”

“The government’s policy is that we should resolve all disputes through peaceful means and reconcile with all key stakeholders. That in turn will allow us to implement good governance and accountability and to achieve our vision of holding fair and free elections in 2016.”

SOMALI MEDIA

Unknown gunmen wound new spokesman of Afgoye administration

17 Apr – Source: Radio Goobjoog/Markacadey Online/Weheliye Online – 73 words

Unknown gun men have severely wounded the newly appointed spokesman of Afgoye administration Mohamed Sheikh Dagacade. Witness told Goobjoog FM that men armed with pistols attacked the spokesman near his house and immediately disappeared. The spokesman was instantly rushed to Mogadishu hospitals where he is now being treated.

The administration of Afgoye has declined to give remarks about the spokesman’s attack last night. No group has claimed the responsibility of the attack.

Puntland to deport 53 Ethiopian Illegal Immigrants

17 Apr – Source: Horseed Media/Radio Bar-kulan – 96 words

A court in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland has on Wednesday ruled the deportation of more than 50 illegal Ethiopian immigrants who were en route to Yemen.

Nugal Court judge, Mohamed Nur told Journalists that the court reached the decision for their safety and will be returned to their homes soon in order to reunite with their families.

The 53 immigrants were arrested by Puntland security forces as they boarded trucks heading to Puntland coastal town of Bosaso, where they were expected to be smuggled by boats to cross the Gulf of Aden and reach Yemen.

Puntland to tax UN and the other International organisations in the region

17 Apr- Source: Radio RBC- 171 words

Tax department of the ministry of Finance of Puntland has announced to start the taxation of United Nations and the other international organization working in Puntland.

“We are in the middle of the process of taxing the International and United Nations organizations in Puntland.” Said The head of Nugal Tax department of Punland’s finance ministry Abdiwahab Farah Ali speaking on a local media house.

Abdiwahab stated that the first time since Puntland was established, they will start taxing the relief and development organizations in the state in a bid of increasing revenue to finance the intended developments projects of the new government of Puntland led by President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas.

Within the move of the new government of Puntland of increasing tax revenue, the tax of commercial companies in the region had been increased so as to meet the expected finance of the development projects in Puntland.

Following his resumption of office in January this year, President Abdiweli vowed to increase taxation to increase government’s revenue to take Puntland forward.

Kenya deports second group of Somali nationals from its country

17 Apr – Source: Radio Goobjoog/Shabelle/Radio Mogadishu- 97 words

Somali Speaker stresses need for Kenyan government to protect rights of Somali nationals

17 Apr- Source: Radio RBC/Radio Goobjoog- 168 words

The speaker of federal parliament of Somalia Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari while in Italy condemned the Kenyan police abuses against Somali nationals in Eastleigh and asked the government to stop arbitrary arrest and detention against Somalis. Mr. Jawari stressed the need for Kenyan government to uphold and protect the rights of Somali nationals in her country. He said that the federal parliament of Somalia will not tolerate the brutal mishandle of Somali national by Kenyan security forces any more.

The speaker reiterated that the two parliaments, the parliament of Somalia and Kenya have several times signed conventions that states protection of human rights. He commended the stand of some members of Kenyan MPs who strongly denounced the single out punishment against Somali national in Kenya.

The federal parliament of Somalia in an extra-ordinary meeting asked the Kenyan parliament to talk about the on- going massive operations in Eastleigh. This comes a time when the government of Kenya is deporting the second group of Somali nationals in its country.

“Travel Ban on British Nationals to Somaliland Lifted” Mark Simmonds

16 Apr – Source: Somaliland Informer/Somali Current – 172 words

The President of Somaliland Republic HE Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo has on Wednesday hosted the United Kingdom (UK) Minister for African Affairs Mark Simmons who was on a visit to the country. The president was accompanied by a number of cabinet members in his meeting with Simmons that was held at the presidency on Wednesday in Hargeisa.

The meeting which took more than five hours was also attended by the Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation Minister Mohamed Bihi Yonis. Upon conclusion of the said meeting, Bihi accompanied by Simmons addressed the anxious press within the premises of the presidency on the nature of the talks that transpired between Simmons’s Government and the Head of State.

Bihi revealed that the meeting stressed on the need of strengthening the bilateral relationship between Somaliland and UK. He also hinted that the meeting highlighted the general development that the country has undergone albeit the lack of international recognition coupled with the importance of Diaspora community in the UK and their significance to economic sector of the country.

Residents of Buur-dhuubo district in dire condition

17 Apr- Source: Radio Goobjoog- 122 words

The administration of Buur-dhuubo district in Gedo region alarmed the dire condition the residents are facing, there are difficulties in getting basic needs.

The commissioner of Buur-dhubo Hassan Mohamed Ali told Goobjoog FM that the residents are in desperate conditions following the recent fight in the region by government forces backed by AMISOM and al Shabaab in the region.

He called the federal government of Somalia and international aid agencies to send emergency relief to the people in the area.

Hundreds of people fled from their homes when the fight between the sides intensified that has made difficult for dissemination of relief by the aid agencies.

The federal government of Somalia sent relief to some of the areas taken over from Al-shabab especially Qoryooley.

Somaliland to Establish a Trade and Investment Advisory and Promotion Office in the UAE

16 Apr – Source: Somaliland Sun – 164 words

The Government of the United Arab Emirates is intent on promoting trade and investment with Somaliland. This was informed by the Somaliland minister of Commerce and International Investment Dr Mohamed Abdilahi Omar during a press briefing at the presidency in Hargeisa after participating in talks between the visiting UK minister for Africa Mark Simmonds and President Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo.

In Elaboration Dr Omar who returned a day ago from the UAE commercial capital of Dubai where he led a delegation representing the country in the Annual Investment Conference said that following a meeting with the Emirates minister of Economy Mr. Sultan Mansouri arrangements to establish a permanent Somaliland Trade and Investment Advisory office in the Gulf country were agreed upon.

“The advisory office will not only foster closer economic cooperation between our two countries but act as a one stop shop for information on abounding multi-sectored business opportunities existing in the country and advise on official foreign investment policies as well” Said Dr Omar.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Uganda deploys new force in Somalia

17 Apr – Source: New Vision – 233 words

A new force constituted by Uganda to protect UN personnel and installations in Somalia will start arriving in Mogadishu on Thursday. The force, dubbed the UN Guard Unit, was flagged off by the deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Charles Angina, at the peace operations support centre in Singo in Nakaseke district yesterday, after undergoing a two months training.

Comprised of 410 UPDF soldiers, the force is the first of its kind to be deployed under UN in the war ravaged horn of Africa nation. UN has similar guard units in Libya and Central African Republic.

Uganda’s military chiefs said there were high expectations in the UN circles in Mogadishu and among the Somali population about the new force Uganda has constituted to facilitate peace keeping operations in the country.

Daniel Wanyoike: In The Hands Of al Shabaab

16 Apr- Source: Citizen TV Kenya-05:39mins

A week after he was rescued from the jaws of the al Shabaab militants in Somalia Dan Wanyoike is still too traumatized to even start looking for his wife and child who left while he was in captivity. He hopes they shall hear of his reappearance and come home to join him and the rest of the family. Sylvia Chebet has just returned from Gichagi-ini village in Murang’a County where Wanyoike is rebuilding his life.

Mombasa students ‘are being radicalised’

16 Apr- Source: Star- Kenya- 352 words

Students are starting to be radicalised in Mombasa, according to county education director Abdikadir Kike. He said some secondary school pupils are demanding to be allowed to grow long beards, and to dye them different colours.

“This kind of indiscipline is not usual,” said Kike. He said the ministry will approach moderate Imams and sheikhs to talk to students as soon as they open for second term. Kike said such signs should be a wake-up call for teachers and parents.

“The students have to know that the business of radicalization is not their business. Their business is to learn and help the county grow economically,” said Kike.

“Radicalization has not affected our schools just yet but there are signs of it in pockets in some schools,” said the education director. He did not name the schools where the students are being radicalised.

Somalis displaced by military offensive pressured by government to return home

16 Apr- Source: Sabahi Online- 476 words

Aisha Osman, 30, fled on foot with her husband and six children from Bufow village near Marka in the Lower Shabelle region in late March after Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops clashed with al Shabaab near her village.

“Some of our neighbours were killed by mortars that hit the village. That is when we decided to escape quickly,” she told Sabahi. “We walked on foot for 24 hours before we found a vehicle to bring us to Mogadishu.”

Osman and her family are now residing in the Sayidka Camp, a camp in Mogadishu’s Hawlwadag district that houses internally displaced people who settled there four years ago.

“Since we arrived here, we have not received any aid except from the displaced people who hosted us in a makeshift hut,” she said. “It is the hot season, and the heat from the sun is bearing down on us and causing us problems. The rainy season is also coming soon. The makeshift hut we live in does not protect us from the sun or the cold.”

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

UN-led troops to travel to Somalia

17 Apr – Source: AP – 207 words

About 400 Ugandan troops will be deployed to Somalia under a new United Nations guard unit charged with protecting UN staff and installations in the violence-prone Somali capital, Ugandan military officials said. Dressed in the UN’s blue helmets and Ugandan military fatigues they will wear while on duty in Mogadishu, the troops were urged to show discipline in a ceremony witnessed by their Western trainers on Wednesday.

Aleem Siddique, the spokesman for the UN mission in Mogadishu, said about 60 Ugandan troops would arrive in Mogadishu on Thursday and the rest would arrive at the end of the month. The troops are tasked by the UN Security Council to protect UN civilian staff and facilities in Mogadishu.

The UN last year recommended the deployment of a “static” guard unit to strengthen the security of its compound within the international airport in Mogadishu, which has been attacked repeatedly by Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels of al-Shabab.

“They will enable us to continue working in a high-risk area,” Siddique said. “This is the first time the Ugandan People’s Defence Force has deployed personnel in support of a UN field mission in Africa. And we’re very grateful for their vital contribution in enabling us to continue our work here in Mogadishu.”

Massive displacements in Somalia

17 Apr- Source: Trust.org – 139 words

Almost 50,000 Somalis have fled their home during the last month and sought refuge elsewhere in the country. A very volatile security situation and fear of fighting and violence have forced people on the run. The Danish Refugee Council is working hard to address their needs.

Fear of being in the middle of the fighting and violence around Somalia has forced 50,000 Somalis to flee their houses and thus becoming internally displaced. AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) has launched operations against al Shabaab in several districts in Somalia and people fear the consequences of these operations.

The largest influxes have happened in the towns of Mogadishu, Luuq and Baidoa – all places where the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is present and doing everything possible to support the newly displaced but the needs are immense.

Chastened by Islamists, Somalia redraws Mogadishu security plan

16 Apr – Source: Reuters – 895 words

When Islamist militants blasted their way to within 50 metres of the Somali president’s residence, they forced a sharp rethink of security in the capital Mogadishu. The deadly February 21 assault on the Villa Somalia compound was the closest al Qaeda-linked insurgents had got to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The assault by al Shabaab at the heart of government, and a bloody attack five months earlier on a Kenyan shopping mall, showcased the rebels’ destructive reach at home and abroad and cast more doubt on Mohamud’s pledge to improve security.

“The government’s sugar-coated promises are the norm in Mogadishu. So too are bomb blasts,” said 30-year-old Samira Farah, echoing widespread scepticism that Mohamud is capable of quashing the seven-year-old insurgency.

Since February, Somalia’s Western-backed government and security services have taken new steps to improve security and regain the confidence of their potentially most effective ally – the public. Spy chiefs, military bosses and commanders of peacekeeping forces from other African countries have been headquartered in one building.

Barclays and remittance group reach deal on Somalia services

16 Apr – Source: Financial Times – 291 words

Barclays has defused a legal row with Africa’s biggest remittances provider by agreeing to keep its account open for a period of time that allows the company to find a replacement bank. Dahabshiil, which remits hundreds of millions of dollars back to Somalia each year, said it had agreed a settlement to its injunction against Barclays on “mutually acceptable terms”.

Barclays had tried to shut down the company’s account, which it has run for 15 years, over concerns that the money transmission sector was at risk of being used for money laundering and terrorist funding, and did not meet new regulatory requirements.

Following years of civil war, Somalia has been left without a functioning banking industry, and remittances sent to the country via transfer shops and kiosks are worth about $1bn-$2bn a year, exceeding official international aid.

Barclays is the last major bank providing services to companies that operate in Somalia, and the flow of funds is expected to fall dramatically if it stops providing accounts to a number of companies that send money from the UK to Somalia.

But the bank came under pressure to reverse its decision from a variety of sources including the Somali government, Somali-born British athlete Mo Farah and the charity Oxfam.

The Mob Justice of Kenya’s Somali Stop-and-Frisk

16 Apr – Source: VICE – 1834 words

Eastleigh, a bustling business district in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, is home to thousands of ethnic Somalis—both Kenyan citizens as well as refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia. Every time I visit Eastleigh, I want to come back for the colorful street scene, the outdoor cafes, the late night shisha bars, and heaping plates of rice and camel meat. But ever since Kenya invaded Somalia in 2011 to fight Al Shabaab militants, Eastleigh has become synonymous with terror.

Kenya’s government and its majority population have long viewed Somalis with suspicion. In recent years, there’s been a trend of underpaid police using anti-terror operations as an excuse to round up and extort innocent Somalis.

In the middle of March, there was another terror incident in Kenya. Gunmen shot up a church in the port city Mombasa, killing six people. Part of the government’s response was to order all refugees in Nairobi to report to refugee camps in the country’s north, apparently because refugees might harbor terrorists. There are over 500,000 Somali refugees in Kenya—mostly in the camps—but some 50,000 live in Nairobi too.

After the order, I visited Eastleigh to see the mood. My first stop was a community health clinic, where I met Dr. Abdulkadir Warsame. Dr. Warsame said he was shocked at the directive to send refugees to the camps, and people were nervous that the police would follow through. Already, many of his patients stopped showing up for appointments.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“While expansion of government territory is important, it should not come at the expense of security in the most important and populous Somali city. Now that the bulk of the SNA and AMISOM are operating relatively far from Mogadishu, al Shabaab will have even fewer obstacles to inserting men and materials into Mogadishu.”

Mogadishu security declines as armed forces stretched outside capital

16 Apr- Source: African Arguments-873 Words

In March, the AU and the Somali National Army (SNA) launched their long-awaited offensive against al Shabaab. As was expected, Al-Shabaab withdrew from most areas without putting up much resistance. On the surface, the Somali government has won a huge chunk of territory back from the insurgent group. However, the facts on the ground suggest something else.

It would seem that al Shabaab has been cut in half, with the allied forces controlling the main roads from Mogadishu to Beledweyne, and from Mogadishu to Baidoa. However, al Shabaab continues to ambush allied troops using these roads, and is known to cross from east to west of the main roads whenever it wants.

This is made possible because the allied troops occupy the main cities on the roads, with Al-Shabaab continuing to rule some villages. For instance, when the Djiboutian-led forces captured Bulo Burte on 12 March, al Shabaab started laying siege to the city from all sides.

“Kenya can and must do better than this in countering the terrorist threat, as well as addressing illegal migration. Blanket actions that look like collective punishment of a particular minority and faith group can only marginalise – and radicalise – further. The president and senior security officials need to call out the terrorist tactics of communal division – as they did after Westgate – and build greater community and national cohesion. This is not only the right thing to do: such actions will enhance intelligence gathering and help interdict terrorist plots. The damage done in the past two weeks is not irreparable, but it is a real setback for a country that needs the trust and cooperation of all its citizens.”

The Crackdown on Somalis Will Probably Backfire

16 Apr – Source: Crisis Group Blog – 967 words

The round-up and mass detention of Somalis in Nairobi, which began in earnest on 31 March, deliberately conflated immigration issues with counter-terrorism and has widened dangerous communal divides. Al Shabaab and its extremist allies in Kenya will be very satisfied. What the attack on Nairobi’s Westgate mall last September failed to do – sow division among Kenyans – might well be achieved by these detentions and deportations.

This month’s events brought out the worst in Kenya, from the prejudice shown, especially in social media, by ordinary citizens, to petty point scoring by the political class, to police extortion of bribes from lawfully resident Somalis, to the extrajudicial execution of the controversial Muslim preacher known as Makaburi (“graveyard”).

The terrorist threat is real enough. In March, security forces seized a pick-up truck packed with explosives, reportedly part of a planned multi-pronged attack in Mombasa. (Authorities believed the truck was one of several devices.) Soon thereafter, armed gunmen killed six worshipers at a Christian Church in the Likoni area of Mombasa.

There was also a spate of grenade attacks targeting Christians, and claiming another six lives, in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh, where people of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds live side by side.

“Somaliland is a thriving and relatively stable part of a region plagued by crime and political violence and offers many investment opportunities. Could the breakaway region become a blueprint for development in Somalia?”

Is Somaliland a model for regional development?

16 Apr – Source: Global Rish Inisights – 930 words

In 1991, the northern enclave of Somaliland separated from the rest of Somalia after the collapse of Siad Barre’s authoritarian regime. Somaliland established its own currency and its government has transitioned through several peaceful elections. The autonomous region is struggling to gain international de jure recognition, but that may change soon.

Somaliland’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Bihi Yonis, has said that with the new government in Somalia as a willing negotiating partner, he is confident that bilateral recognition would soon follow. Turkey has taken the lead in facilitating negotiations between Somalia and Somaliland in Istanbul.

Despite these promising signs, bilateral recognition may still be some time off. Somalia wishes to regain control of the region’s airspace and questions its right to issue oil licenses. Furthermore, sources reported that Somalia still intends to retain a policy of national unification. In addition, bitter border disputes and political tension continues between Somaliland and its fellow autonomous region of Puntland .

Top tweets

@HanaWarda8 Lots of new apartments coming up in#Mogadishu #Somalia time to invest there is lots of $$$ to be made I heard.. pic.twitter.com/MCmEMHpepD

‏@EUNAVFOR EU Naval Force and NATO Force Commanders meet at sea http://bit.ly/1hLaazF #counterpiracy #Somalia @oceanshield pic.twitter.com/4wqcsqXvTC

‏@MEsipisu President @UKenyatta with Deputy President@WilliamsRuto as they met Leaders from the Somali Community earlier today pic.twitter.com/OrcwOHynBS

@SomaliMediaMap Somali media mapping is an interactive online platform listing all the media outlets in Somalia#Somalimediamapping

@amisomsomalia PHOTOS: #AMISOM Gender Unit held a review of #Somalia Ministry of Gender & Human Rights Action Plan http://bit.ly/1r1Kuyl

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Image of the day

Image of the day Uganda’s Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Maj. Gen. Charles Angina inspecting the troops dressed with blue helmets at Singo Training Military School during their pass out. The new force constituted by Uganda will protect UN personnel and installations in Somalia. Photo: New Vision