August 7, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Senior al Shabaab media representative detained in Nairobi

06 Aug – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Dalsan/Bar-kulan – 150 words

A senior member for al Shabaab radio owned Al Andulus was arrested by police in Nairobi after he sneaked into Kenya for treatment. Hassan Hanafi Haji was arrested on Sunday in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate while seeking treatment for injuries he sustained in Somalia. Hanafi is a journalist by professional and joined al Shabaab in 2006. Counter terrorism detectives marked him a “high value” suspect and held him for interrogation at an undisclosed location. It is believed he was injured in AMISOM and Somali National Army offensive in the Bula Burte town one year ago. Detectives questioned him on how he hoped to get in touch with doctors, and at the same time live in Kenya undetected. The security sources wanted to know who he was working with in the country. It is believed the man is a key mastermind of several attacks that have occurred in the war torn country targeting journalists.

Key Headlines

Senior al Shabaab media representative detained in Nairobi (Radio Mogadishu)
Hiiraan administration warns serious water shortage in the region (Radio Goobjoog)
IGAD delegation confers with president Silanyo of Somaliland (Somaliland Informer)
Kenyan police dogged by extortion charges (Al Jazeera)
Spanish frigate escorts WFP ship as a welcome to new EU Naval Force commander (Defence Web)

PRESS STATEMENT

UN Representative for Somalia welcomes Himan and Heeb signing of intent to form new administration in central Somalia

06 Aug – Source: UNSOM – 167 words

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, welcomed the addition of Himan and Heeb as a signatory to an agreement in principle to form a regional administration in central Somalia.

Parties to the agreement, initially signed by other stakeholders on 30 July, have agreed to work together towards the establishment of a new administration in central Somalia.

“I welcome the addition of Himan and Heeb as a signatory to this first step in the process of state formation in central Somalia,” SRSG Kay said. “I congratulate all three signatories and the Federal Government of Somalia on the important progress in the path towards peace- and state-building”.

“I urge parties to the agreement to engage in constructive consultation and reconciliation involving all stakeholders, ensuring that the interests of both emerging and existing administrations are protected,” he added. “As a witness to the agreement, the United Nations is committed to supporting its implementation and to Somalia’s overall peace- and state-building goals,” Mr. Kay said.

SOMALI MEDIA

Senior al Shabaab media representative detained in Nairobi

06 Aug – Source: Radio Mogadishu/Dalsan/Bar-kulan – 150 words

Hiiraan administration warns serious water shortage in the region

06 Aug – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 120 words

The administration of Hiiraan region has issued warning of serious water shortage in the region that was caused by delay of Gu rains. The mayor of Beledweyne district Omar Adan Ibrahim aka Timajilic told Goobjoog FM that many people in the region are in poor humanitarian conditions and need immediate help. The mayor added that the serious water shortage in the region has caused a good number of families to flee their houses in search of water. He stated that his administration will soon start emergency aid by sending water tankers to the affected areas so as to save the lives of residents. He urged the federal government of Somalia and internal aid agencies to deliver support to Hiiraan residents.

IGAD delegation confers with president Silanyo of Somaliland

06 Aug – Source: Somaliland Informer – 261 words

IGAD delegation headed by its Envoy to Somalia Mr. Mohamed Abdi Affey has met with President Ahmed Silanyo of Somaliland on Wednesday according to a press statement released from the presidential palace. Somaliland’s Foreign Minister Mr. Mohamed Bihi Yonis who was in attendance at the meeting has spelled out further that the two side’s discussion focused on areas that they can cooperate. He added that the delegation also met with country’s vice president.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Al Shabaab commander arrested

06 Aug – Source: Daily Nation – 178 words

A senior al Shabaab commander was arrested by police in Nairobi after he sneaked into Kenya for treatment. Identified as Hanifi Hassan, he was arrested on Sunday in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate while seeking treatment for injuries he sustained in Somalia. Counter terrorism detectives marked him a “high value” suspect and held him for interrogation at an undisclosed location.

Kenyan police dogged by extortion charges

06 Aug – Source: Al Jazeera – 1065 words

When Kenya’s security forces knocked on the door of Abdinasir Ismail’s house during a counter-terror crackdown last May, little did he know that they would ask for a bribe. “There was a bang at the door followed by a loud command: ‘Open the door,'” recalls 36-year-old Ismail. Six policemen stood at the door and asked for his identification papers, he told Al Jazeera. The group were part of “Operation Usalama [peace] Watch”, launched to hunt down people suspected of having links to Somalia’s armed group al Shabaab, which is blamed by the Kenyan government for a series of deadly attacks, including last September’s siege on a mall in Nairobi that left 77 people dead.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia: irresistible investment?

06 Aug – Source: CNN International – 07:12mins

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, speaks with CNN’s Fred Pleitgen about his country’s prospects.

Spanish frigate escorts WFP ship as a welcome to new EU Naval Force commander

06 Aug – Source: Defence Web – 293 words

As part of her counter-piracy role with the EU Naval Force, Spanish frigate ESPS Navarra has completed an escort at sea of a World Food Programme (WFP) vessel along the coast of Somalia. The merchant vessel’s ports of call were Kismayo and Mogadishu both in Somalia. Both cities are used as distribution bases to organise food aid deliveries to displaced persons in the region. The captain of the WFP vessel expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the assistance given by EU Naval Force warships to help keep WFP ships safe from pirate attack. The EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Muhlen, in one of his final official duties, spoke to ESPS Navarra’s ship’s company on completion of this latest EU Naval Force escort duty.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“No one party is without its shortcomings and weaknesses in the federalism process socially, politically, and constitutionally. Rushed non-inclusive announcements from the Somali government or rash misguided moves by individual regions risk delaying the formation of federal states and finishing the provisional constitution.”

Somalia’s New Federalism Deal Is a Disaster (And It’s Everyone’s Fault)

06 Aug – Source: Somalia Newsroom – 1161 words

On 30 July 2014, Somali government officials and foreign diplomats officially inaugurated their third straight fiasco during the country’s controversial federalism process. A ceremony was held in Mogadishu to announce the intent to form an interim Central State administration consisting of Mudug and Galgadud regions that could eventually become a Federal Member State. The UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay hailed the deal but caveated its non-inclusive success: Every region in Somalia is home to all Somalis, and is very diverse. Today not every representative managed to attend this ceremony, but I hope that very soon all stakeholders will be at the table and part of this historic process. I urge in particular full participation by women. In other words, the deal has almost zero local legitimacy–which is supposed to be the foundation of the federal system. While nine different officials within the federal government and international community signed onto the document, no local representatives did apart from ASWJ leader Ibrahim Hassan Gurey and Galmudug president Abdi Hassan “Qeybdiid”.