February 27, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

UN bans trade in charcoal from Somalia

25 Feb- Source: East Africa – 563 words

The UN Security Council last week moved to cripple anti-government fighters financially by ordering an international ban on trade in charcoal from Somalia.

Exports of charcoal from the port of Kismayu in southern Somalia generate at least $15 million a year in revenues for Al Shabaab militants, according to a report by a UNmonitoring group.

Key Headlines

The TFG welcomes the outcome of the London conference (Source: TFG)
African Union satisfied by the outcomes of the London conference on Somalia (Source: AU)
Al Shabaab militias withdrew from Bula-burte Hiiran region (Source: Radio Bar-kulan)
UN bans trade in charcoal from Somalia (25 Feb- Source: East Africa – 563 words)
Britain leads dash to explore for oil in war-torn Somalia (Source: Guardian)
Al Shabaab says extends reach into Somalia’s Puntland (Source: Reuters / Chicago Tribune)
Islamists in Somalia’s Puntland region merge with al Shabaab ( Source: Radio Galkacyo Radio Kulmiye Risaala)

PRESS STATEMENT

The TFG welcomes the outcome of the London conference

24 Feb – Source: TFG – 209 words

The Transitional Federal government of Somalia has welcomed wholeheartedly the communiqué released by the international conference on Somalia concluded yesterday in London. The Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications H.E Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed, who, participated in the conference said
last night, “the result of the London conference is a great victory for all the Somali people everywhere as well as for the Transitional Federal Government.”

The Minister continued, “The International community is wholly united in its seriousness of genuinely helping the Somali people in finding a lasting solution and solving their problems.” “All the participants of the conference recognized the progress made by the TFG and congratulated the it for its achievements, especially in its victories over Al Shabaab , the Al Qaeda linked terrorists.” The Minister continued.

When asked how he sees the present united position of the international community in London, the Minister replied, “It is a great opportunity for the Somali people and the TFG and was primarily made possible by the international community seeing and recognizing the genuine achievements made by the TFG in the political, reconciliation and security fields, as well as in the progress made on the Roadmap.”

Finally the Minister said, “I hope for and believe that the decisions made here in London will be fully implemented”.

African Union satisfied by the outcomes of the London conference on Somalia

24 Feb – Source: AU – 602 words

On 23 February 2012, the African Union (AU) participated in the London Conference on Somalia, held a t Lancaster House and that was convened by Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom. The AU delegation to the Conference, which was led by the Chairperson o f the Commission, Jean Ping, included Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra, AU High Representative for Somalia, former President Jerry John Rawlings, and AU Special Representative for Somalia, Head o f AMISOM, Boubacar Diarra. Mr. Boni Arifari, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic o f Benin, represented the Chairperson of the Union, President Thomas Yayi Boni.

In his address t o the Conference, the Chairperson of the Commissionnoted that the London meeting was taking place at a critical time in the history of Somalia, with an unprecedented opportunity to further peace, security and reconciliation in that country. The Conference, he added, should build on the current momentum, byfacilitating thepromotion of a holistic and coordinated approach to the challenges at hand,spurringfurther support for the efforts being made on the ground by the Somalis andAMISOM, and helping the people of Somalia open a new chapter i n their troubled history.

Welcoming the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 2036 (2012), which significantly enhances UN support t o AMISOM, the Chairperson of the Commission reiterated the commitment of the AU, working in concert with IGAD, the UN and otherpartners, t o ensure that AMISOM operations create more political space to facilitate the necessary outreach and reconciliation among the Somali stakeholders. He called on the Somali stakeholders to sustain the current momentum in the peace and reconciliation process. He also paid tribute to the TFG and Ethiopian forces for having liberated the strategic city of Baidoa.

On his part, Minister Arifari called for increased support to Somalia and continued mobilization of the international community towards the realization of peace and reconciliation in the country. He also called on the Somali political leadership t o honour fully the commitments made t o complete the transition on time and put in place a more representative and inclusive political dispensation.

Both t h e Chairperson an the Minister expressed t h e AU’s appreciation to the UK Government, particularly Prime Minister David Cameron, for UK’s continued support to the AU’s efforts i n Somalia and, more generally, t o its peace and security agenda. They noted that the London Conference wouldgo a long way in furthering peace and reconciliation in Somalia, as well as greater stability and security for the region and beyond.

On the margins of the Conference, the Chairperson o f the Commission and his delegation held bilateral consultations with a number of heads o f delegations and other senior officials.

At the end of the Conference, Chairperson Ping participated i n a press conference alongside t h e Prime Minister David Cameron, TFG Prime Minister Abdiweli Mo h ame d Ali, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. All f o u r speakers expressed their satisfaction a t the outcomes o f the London Conference and looked forward t o sustained international mobilization i n support o f Somalia.

SOMALI MEDIA

Al Shabaab militias withdrew from Bula-burte, Hiiraan region

26 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 94 words

Al Shabaab militias have on Saturday night withdrawn from Bula-burte of Hiiran region following tension caused by TFG forces on their bid to wipe-out al Shabaab from the area. According to eyewitnesses, the destination of the militia is not yet established.

Somali president arrives in Mogadishu

26 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 163 words

Somalia president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed arrived yesterday in the capital Mogadishu after a few days of tour in and outside the country attending the Somalia conference brokered by British government.

President Ahmed spoke to the reporters in a press conference today after his return to Mogadishu.

Somali army calls youths to defect from al Shabaab

26 Fe b- Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA – 140 words

Somali army Chief of Staff has called on the Al Qaeda-affiliated extremists overpowered in Baidoa and central Somalia to cross over and join the Somali TFG. The government pardon’s duration has been increased to enable fighters willing to cross over from the extremists side and join the government.
The Defense minister added that any al Shabaab fighter who disarms and surrenders to the government will be given full life care and employment.

TFG, al Shabaab militants claim victory over Gedo fighting

25 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 167 words
Both Somali government and al Shabaab fighters claimed victory over heavy fighting and shells which took place parts in Gedo region of southwestern Somalia, causing an unconfirmed number of casualties.

Al Shabaab claimed the upper hand of the combat occurred on Saturday at Ged-weyn area, a small village located between Luq and Dhoblay districts in Gedo region, saying it killed a number of TFG soldiers and enabled al Shabaab to seize war wagons and weapons.

Al Qaeda foreign fighters fleeing Somalia

25 Feb – Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA – 174 words

Reports from Bakool and several other region in South Somalia suggest that al Shabaab extremists commanders are fleeing the town in fear of the rapid Somali national army movement. Residents told SONNA that the top movement commanders and their fighters were seen fleeing in convoys and were also using dhows to reach safer grounds. “They heard that the government forces were near and they opted to flee” Leyla a local resident told SONNA.

TFG welcomes Friday’s US drone attack in southern Somalia

25 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle – 136 words

Somalia’s TFG has on Saturday welcomed Friday’s US drone attack against al Shabaab in Lower Shabelle region, killing senior commanders. Colonel Abdullahi Ali Anod, one of the Somali government troop officials told reporters that his government hails Friday’s attack in the Lower Shabelle region, where al Shabaab still controls wide swaths of territory. A Somali military official said a white Kenyan commander named Akram was among the six killed.

Al Shabaab imposes night-time curfew on Afgoye town

25 Feb – Source: Mareeg Online – 149 words
The Al-Qaeda linked militant group of Al-shabaab imposed on Saturday a night-time curfew on rebel-held Afgoye town, 30km away south of Mogadishu city, reports say. Residents said militants in cars with microphones took to the streets, ordering locals to desert business centers, schools and public gatherings in the town around the time of evening prayers 7:00pm.

Heavy fighting in southwestern Somalia town kills 3

25 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 149 words

At least three people were killed and many others wounded in a heavy battle between TFG soldiers and al Shabaab fighters in Lower Jubba region of southwestern Somalia, officials say on Saturday. TFG military officers in the region say the combat broke out after militants launched a surprise attack on bases controlled by Somali government and Kenyan troops on the outskirts of Qoqani town inLower Jubba region, killing three people.

Dr. Farole ‘Somalis abroad and at home need to unify’

25 Feb – Source: Garowe Online – 202 words

Somalia’s leaders were invited to a gathering hosted by the Somali Diaspora in England during which Puntland President Farole, TFG President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Governor of Banadir Ahmed Nur Tarzan gave speeches to the mainly Somali audience. President Farole, who gave a lengthy speech, touched on the fact that Somalis have been divided in the past by civil war but need to unify in order to fix the dire situation.

Puntland arrests ten suspected pirates in Jariban district

24 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 177 words

Puntland’ anti-piracy officials have arrested ten suspected pirates in Jariban district after conducting an operation aimed at curbing piracy activities in its coastline, officials say. The area’s district commissioner Abdikarim Keytun told Bar-kulan that their anti-piracy forces launched a major operation to clear pirates from the region. He said they have now pushed the sea gangs 160km away from the district.

The DC said they set up Special Forces to deal with piracy in the region as part of their strategy to fight piracy.

Islamists in Somalia’s Puntland region merge with al Shabaab

25 Feb – Source: Radio Galkacyo, Radio Kulmiye, Risaala – 130 words

An Islamist group based in the Galgala mountains of Somalia’s Puntland region has declared it has “joined” al Shabaab Islamic Movement. According to the radio, the commander of armed fighters loyal to Shaykh Mohamed Said Atam, who is opposed to the Puntland regional administration, told the media that his fighters have “joined” al Shabaab Movement. The commander of the Islamic militants fighting in the Galgala mountains, Shaykh Yasin Khalid Osman, further stated that they are “happy” to become al Shabaab mujahidin fighters and for Shaykh Muktar Abu Zubayr to be their leader, the radio said.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Military rules out negotiations with al Shabaab for release of two

25 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 383 words

Kenya will not negotiate with al Shabaab militants for the release of two abducted public officials, the Kenyan military spokesman said on Saturday. Colonel Cyrus Oguna said the position of the KDF had not changed and neither the KDF not the government would never negotiate with a criminal organisation.

Col Oguna said it was wrong for the militants to label the two officials prisoners of war when they had been abducted while offering civilian-related services to ordinary Kenyans.

Eritrea criticises Kenya over Somalia incursion

24 Feb – Source: the Star – 322 words

Eritrea has criticised Kenya’s military incursion into Somalia, saying that it is worsening and undermining the country’s peace process. In a statement directed at the Kenya Defence Forces and their Ethiopian counterparts who have crossed into Somalia, and likely to spark off another round of diplomatic row, the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the the Operation Linda Nchi and asked all Somalia neighbours to pull out of Mogadishu. The statement was sent through the Eritrean embassy in Nairobi yesterday.

Guarded optimism as leaders fail to tackle Somalia’s humanitarian crisis

25 Feb – Source: Daily Nation – 526 words

After the international community during the London conference on Somalia at Lancaster House last week, there was no certainty about prospects of finally helping the troubled country to emerge from a long-drawn humanitarian crisis and regain stability. During the meeting, which was attended by President Kibaki and other world leaders, it was acknowledged that Somalia needs urgent support from the international community if it is to emerge from its still precarious political situation.

Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda AMISOM big winners from London Somalia Conference

25 Feb – Source: East African – 1019 words

Last Thursday’s London Somalia Conference has been dismissed as having broken no new ground, and recycling the same tired old rhetoric. Wrong. The big story at the conference was precisely in the photo opportunities, and the actions that the regional players in the region took so that they could look strong on the world stage in London.

Kenyan Military Operation in Somalia “Linda Nchi”

25 Feb – Source: Citizen TV – 2:53 min

WAR ON TERROR: New AMISOM role for KDF in Somalia. Integration process to take over 3 months.

Somalia coast guard to join counter-piracy task force

25 Feb – Source: Coastweek, Xinhua – 935 words

Somali’s Defence Minister Hussein Arab Essa, has announced the formation of a national coast guard to enhance the fight against piracy, following the outcome of the London conference.

“The Minister of Defence of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is pleased to announce significant progress in the fight against piracy,” the minister said in a statement received in Nairobi on Saturday, a day after the London conference was held.

UN bans trade in charcoal from Somalia

25 Feb- Source: East Africa – 563 words

The UN Security Council last week moved to cripple anti-government fighters financially by ordering an international ban on trade in charcoal from Somalia.

Exports of charcoal from the port of Kismayu in southern Somalia generate at least $15 million a year in revenues for Al Shabaab militants, according to a report by a UN monitoring group.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Britain leads dash to explore for oil in war-torn Somalia

25 Feb – Source: Guardian – 688 words

Britain is involved in a secret high-stakes dash for oil in Somalia, with the government offering humanitarian aid and security assistance in the hope of a stake in the beleaguered country’s future energy industry.

Riven by two decades of conflict that have seen the emergence of a dangerous Islamic insurgency, Somalia is routinely described as the world’s most comprehensively “failed” state, as well as one of its poorest. Its coastline has become a haven for pirates preying on international shipping in the Indian Ocean.

Al Shabaab says extends reach into Somalia’s Puntland

25 Feb – Source: Reuters / Chicago Tribune – 351 words

An Islamist militia group in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region has merged with the al Shabaab rebel group, said the insurgents on Saturday, a union which threatens to destabilise the relatively secure area targeted by oil explorers.

Al Shabaab said it wanted to scrap the licenses of Western oil and gas firms drilling in Puntland. The al Qaeda-backed insurgents used social media site twitter to declare all oil and gas exploration and drilling licenses nullified.

Private firm flouts UN embargo in Somalia

26 Feb – Source: Independent – 1434 words
Eight months after SA-linked private military company Saracen International was fingered in a UN Security Council as the “most egregious threat” to peace and security in the failed state of Somalia, Saracen continues to run and train a private army in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Saracen, one of a cluster of shadowy private military contractors born from the ashes of the SA/British mercenary outfit Executive Outcomes, after nearly 18 months of military activity in the region, has yet to secure permission to operate as a security provider in a region so volatile Somalia has not had a functioning central government for upwards of 20 years.

Somalia promises west oil riches as diplomats vow to defeat al Shabaab

25 Feb – Source: Guardian – 333 words

They expect the oil to flow within weeks. Coming from two miles underground, the crude should reach the arid plains of Puntland in the north-east corner of Somalia by April.

Around the same time, Somali diplomats say an offensive against al-Shabaab militia in the south of the country, backed by US drone strikes, should have damaged the Islamist group’s “effective fighting capability”.

Interview in Somalia with Islamist militants al Shabaab

23 Feb – Source: Channel 4 News – 6:13 min

Somali reporter Jamal Osman has been into the region for an exclusive meeting with the Islamists of al-Shabaab, a major party missing from the London summit.

Somalia’s President: Still the ‘best hope,’ or leader of a failed state?

26 Feb – Source: The Star (Canada) – 955 words

There was a time when Somalia’s future rested on the shoulders of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the trim and bespectacled Sufi scholar appointed president three years ago and the leader busy greeting visitors this weekend in suite 309 of his Park Lane hotel.

Sharif had come to London for Thursday’s conference on Somalia — a gathering of world leaders from 55 countries, hosted by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron — which catapulted the East African nation on to the world stage.

Britain reportedly joins dash to explore for oil in Somalia

Feb 26 – Source: MSNBC – 600 words

Britain is secretly seeking oil-drilling rights in Somalia as it offers the beleaguered country humanitarian and security aid, The Guardian of London reported Saturday.

But al-Qaida-backed terrorists and other Islamist groups say they will fight against any Western powers drilling for oil in Somalia.

Kenyan troops in Somalia to join United Nation Forces in country

Feb 25 – Source: Bloombrg – 220 words
Kenyan troops deployed in Somalia will join the United Nations backed African Union military force operating in the country, a spokesman for Kenya’s armed forces said.

“Kenya Defence Forces have formally received United Nations endorsement to join AMISON troops in Somalia,” Colonel Cyrus Oguna, an armed forces spokesman, told reporters in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, today. AMISON is the African Union Mission in Somalia.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Engagement is crucial if a sustainable, realistic and attainable path to peace and stability is to be found. However hard to establish and however hard to work through, a dialogue is essential if Somalia is to find a stable future. If talks with al-Shabab have already been dismissed, then Somalia risks another two decades of problem stating, not problem solving.”

Somalia needs problem solving, not problem stating

26 Feb – Source: Ekklesia – 527 Words

Since 1991, there has been no central government which has managed to control the whole country. In the decades of civil war that have followed, customary, religious and tribal law have dominated, and large parts of the country have reverted to an informal bartering economy. What infrastructure there once was is now weakened, broken or destroyed. Piracy disrupts international trade routes and the influence of al-Shabab, part of al-Qaeda, continues to cause international concern.

This week David Cameron convened the latest in a long line of conferences to discuss and contemplate the future of Somalia. On Thursday, international leaders from 55 countries met in London, including the American Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, the transitional president of Somalia, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon.

“Nigeria is one other nation in which terror attacks have gone viral, and some Nigerians are said to have received training in Somalia. Foreigners have also been fingered among those who carry out attacks in northern parts of Nigeria. Northern states are on the same lateral line, and are just some four nations away from Somalia.”
“Like Nigeria intervened in places such as Liberia and Sudan, good sense dictates that a problem should be nipped at source. More troops under AU umbrella have been approved to be deployed in Somalia lately, and Nigeria will be keen to be part of it; Nigeria has always been part of it. “

Why Somalia is Jonathan’s latest baby

26 Feb – Source: Tribute 1102 Words
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan travelled out of Nigeria recently. He went to take care of one of his children in London. And that is because Nigerian presidents have always had more than one nation to cater for. A caring father would have more than one child on his hands anyway, not to mention one with enough financial muscles, and one with more than enough armed forces to spare.

So when David Cameron invited people to talk Somalia, he did not start on a false note. A meeting on peace for Africa without Nigeria in attendance is a fruitless effort. Everyone knows that. So it was good that President Jonathan didn’t have sleepless nights before he took the decision to go to London. He cancelled a trip to Davos, Switzerland, not long ago. Incessant terrorist attacks in his backyard were a reason for him to think twice on that occasion. But all seems relatively silent from the northern end lately.

And so in London, the president talked Somalia with forty other leaders from Africa, Middle East and Europe in attendance. Why is Somalia an issue for Nigeria, and Britain? Why has it been for anyone for almost two decades?

“As one participant in a consultation between the Somali diaspora and the British government held at Chatham House said, the international community must be prepared for the possibility that its current efforts could fail. If the emphasis is placed on short-term military strategy rather than long-term development and economic growth, failure is almost certain.”

What can the West do to help Somalia?

26 Feb- Source: Gulf Today- 456 Words
The London Conference on Somalia has received a surprising amount of publicity at a time when economic turmoil in Greece and unrest in Syria are pressing international concerns.

The presence of high-level participants including Hillary Clinton, Ban Ki-moon and a host of Presidents, Foreign Ministers and officials from over 40 countries and international organisations has drawn mediaattention, and offers the hope that the UK government has set solid groundwork for its ambition to galvanise the international community into co-ordinating its approach to Somalia.

There has been scepticism about the reasons behind holding another international conference like this.