April 26, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

AMISOM soldier accused of murdering colleague

25 Apr – Source: Daily Monitor – 246 words

A Military Court yesterday remanded a junior soldier who allegedly murdered his colleague in the war-torn Somalia in February this year. Cpl. Samuel Katwesigye appeared before the General Court Martial (GCM) at Makindye chaired by Brig. Charles Angina for plea and denied the charges.

He was charged with murder and failure to protect war materials. However, Cpl. Katwesigye denied the charges prompting Brig.

Key Headlines

Somaliland: no negotiations with Somalia till obstacles are removed (Source:Radio Risaala)
UAE to host the second international counter piracy conference in June (Source: Emirates News Agency)
Call for Voice of Peace director’s “immediate and unconditional” release in Puntland (Source: Reporters with out Borders)
Al Shabaab weapons haul exposes deeper differences (Source: Somalia Report)
Police apprehend man with large amount of explosives (Source: Garowe Online)
AMISOM soldier accused of murdering colleague (Source: Daily Monitor)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somaliland: no negotiations with Somalia until obstacles are removed

25 Apr- Source:Radio Risaala- 178 words

Somaliland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs has said that talks between his government and Somalia’s TFG were being compromised by TFG’s rigid policies and it’s mindset about the whole issue.
Mohamed Abdullahi Omar, Somaliland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, urged the Somali government to withdraw the names of some of the members it included in the TFG committee which whill negotiate with the Somaliland authorities. He described these members as obstacles to the talks and called for their dismissal.

Al Shabaab weapons haul exposes deeper differences

25 Apr – Source: Somalia Report – 309 words

Al Shabaab’s military spokesman announced last Wednesday that the group had found, while on a routine patrol of a deserted Mogadishu neighbourhood, a weapons cache that included anti-tank missiles. The weapons had been buried in a house in Sinka Dheer on the outskirts of the Somali capital near Elasha Biyaha.

Police apprehend man with large amount of explosives

25 Apr – Source: Garowe Online – 135 words

Galkayo authorities apprehended a man with explosives early Wednesday morning.
Chief of police for Mudug region Colonel Jama Mohamed Ahmed held a press conference in Galkayo and said that the man was apprehended Wednesday morning with a large amount of explosives in close proximity to Omar Samatar secondary school and municipal headquarters in Galkayo.

REGIONAL MEDIA

UAE to host the second international counter piracy conference in June

25 Apr- Source: Emirates News Agency – 251 words
UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan said: ”The UAE believes that maritime piracy, notably in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, remains of serious global concern. Pirate activity off the coast of Somalia continues to plague our region. Attacks by pirates endanger the lives of hundreds of seafarers, just as they undermine the prosperity and livelihoods of Somalia, its immediate neighbourhood, and the world.

AMISOM soldier accused of murdering colleague

25 Apr – Source: Daily Monitor – 246 words

He was charged with murder and failure to protect war materials. However, Cpl. Katwesigye denied the charges prompting Brig.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Call for Voice of Peace director`s “immediate and unconditional” release in Puntland

24 Apr – Source: Reporters with out Borders – 441 words

Reporters Without Borders calls on the authorities of the semi-autonomous northeastern region of Puntland to immediately release radio Voice of Peace director Awke Abdullahi Ali, who has been held in the region’s capital, Bossasso, for nearly two months. Ali has not been charged although, under the law, no one should be held for more than 48 hours without charge.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“The concerns raised by experts then are little changed now, namely that Kenyan forces may not be supplied with the right equipment, such as body armour, that will help them operate in an urban scenario in which they will encounter ambushes and roadside Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on the streets of Kismayo. For the sake of military forces in Somalia and for the success of the operation, we hope those concerns have been addressed before an attack on Kismayo.”

Operation ‘Linda Nchi’, Kenya’s Forces In Somalia – Moving On To Kismayo?

25 Apr – Source: Kenya Forum – 602 Words

Six months on from Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) crossing the border into Somalia and the African Union in Somalia (AMISOM) forces seem to be bogged down both literally and figuratively. That may be about to change, however.

Two experienced military analysts have been telling the Kenya Forum their views on what is happening militarily in Somalia, what they believe is about to happen, and of their concerns. Both are experienced former military officers and both advise on security matters in East Africa.