February 26, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali, AU forces secure more areas in L. Shabelle region

25 Feb – Source: Bar-kulan – 97 words

Somali government forces backed by African Union forces (AMISOM) on Monday captured several key villages in Lower Shabelle region. The allied forces took control of Qardho and Jira-kulow villages without facing resistance from al Shabaab fighters who have been holding these villages for the last couple of years. Army official Gen. Abubakar Abdullahi Issack confirmed the seizure of these villages by the coalition forces, adding that they are now in full control of the area.

Key Headlines

From Peacekeeping Mission to humanita rian work AMISOM’s helping hand (AU/UN IST)
Police in Hamarweyne caught drugs (Shabelle)
East African countries agree on energy access targets (Daily Monitor)
Kenya”The money of the tourism services partly gets in the hands of Al-Shabaab”( Radio Kulmiye)

PRESS STATEMENT

From Peacekeeping Mission to humanitarian work, AMISOM’s helping hand

25 Feb – Source: AU/UN IST – 566 words

In September last year, most of the people here at the Eljalley IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camp lost their homes when heavy rains led to severe floods in and around Beledweyne in the Hiiraan Region. Djiboutian soldiers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) helped evacuate affected families to dry land and has since been providing security and clean water to approximately 400 people camped at Eljalley. The troops also regularly donate food and other supplies to the IDPs from their own stores.

“The international community and our Somali brothers and sisters should do whatever they can to help us. We’ve got lots of problems here, for example we need water and shelter, let them come and give whatever they can,” said Arda Ahmed Hirsi, who lives in the camp with her grandchildren after losing their home in the floods. Located some 300 kilometers from the capital Mogadishu, Beledweyne was under the control of extremist group al Shabaab until December 31, 2011, when members of the Ethiopian Defense Force working with the then Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and pro-government militia groups ousted the al Shabaab.

In September 2012, soldiers from Djibouti serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), arrived in Beledweyne and took over security operations. Beledweyne, located in the fertile Hiiraan region, is a not only Somalia’s fifth largest city, but also a critical trading hub for the entire country. Animals from the Beledweyne Livestock Market are shipped to Mogadishu, Bosaso, Berbera for domestic consumption and export to the Gulf States.

AMISOM’s presence in the area, and support to the Somali National Army, have made it possible now for entrepreneurs to resume their business activities after years of brutality and unlawful taxation by al Shabaab scared them off. “We have good security now. If security was bad, there would have been no one here. If it wasn’t safe, this market would not be bustling the way it is now,” said Adawe Elmi Nur, the Deputy Governor of Hiiran, on a visit to the livestock market.

Somalia has seen major changes over the last 22 months as large swathes of territory and major towns and cities were liberated from the once-feared al Shabaab by government forces backed by AMISOM troops. The Djiboutian contingent are fondly referred to as ‘hiil walaal‘ which means ‘brother, supporter or help meet’ by Beledweyne’s residents, for their role in repulsing sporadic attacks by al Shabaab, resolving clan disputes, providing humanitarian assistance and promoting commercial activity.

“As AMISOM, we appealed to the local population to place their trust in us. They did, and it has made our job easier and helped us to interact well with the communities here which is very important and we’ve managed to integrate really well with all levels of society,” said Col. Osman Dubad, the Djibouti Contingent Commander.

AMISOM is also training over 500 former pro-government militia fighters – that have now been integrated into the Somali National Army – in IED detection and demining, first aid and quick response, tactical driving as well as communications.

AMISOM’s goal is that eventually the Somali National Security Forces will be sufficiently trained and equipped to protect the population from the al-Qaeda associated al Shabaab. In the meantime, Beledweyne’s people are gaining more and more confidence every day that their dreams and prayers for hope and prosperity in their city and country are becoming a reality.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali, AU forces secure more areas in L. Shabelle region

25 Feb – Source: Bar-kulan – 97 words

Kenya: “The money of the tourism services partly gets in the hands of al Shabaab”

25 Feb – Source: Radio Kulmiye – 97 words

A recent Kenyan official report written about the entrance of the Kenyan troops into Somalia say that the monetary budgets intended to boost the economy of Kenya were in the last two years taken away by the al Shabaab militants fighting inside Somalia. The report in which the Kenyan government talked about its economic growth claims that the economy of the sector lost a substantial amount.

Al Shabaab says Kenya is fuelling the fighting in Kismayo

25 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 106 words

Days after clan militia skirmishes in Kismayo, al Shabaab is now accusing Kenyan military on the ground to be fuelling the fighting in the city. Former governor of al Shabaab in middle Jubba region Hassan Yakub says Kismayo has not gone back into the dark days when the city was the epicenter of clashes between rival warlords. Speaking to an al Shabaab-owned radio, Hassan accused Kenyan forces in the town of arming rival clan militias to sustain their presence in the area. “The forces of infidels are trying to fuel these conflicts, their strategy is to create hostility and divisions between the Somali clans” he said.

Media Discover the Limits of Freedom in Somalia

25 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 500 words

Media advocates in Somalia worry that a recent case against a journalists who exposed the story of a gang rape involving members of the national security forces will serve as a deterrent to journalists countrywide.

Journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim was arrested on Jan. 10 for publishing the story of a 27-year-old woman who alleged that she was gang-raped by five Somali security forces in August 2012.

REGIONAL MEDIA

East African countries agree on energy access targets

25 Feb – Source: Daily Monitor – words

14 countries in the East African bloc have approved a new plan to attain energy access targets.The agreement was reached by representatives of Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Comoros, Seychelles, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Uganda; the host, last week at the 17th meeting of Intergovernmental committee of experts.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

EU Naval Force transfers twelve suspect pirates to Mauritius for prosecution after attack on Merchant Vessel off Somalia

25 Feb – Source: EU Navfor -14 words

Following an attack in early January on a merchant vessel 260 miles off the Somali Coast, twelve men suspected of committing an act of piracy, were today transferred by EU Naval Force warship FS Surcouf to the Mauritian authorities for prosecution.When the attack happened on 5th January, the master of the merchant vessel sent out a distress call reporting that he and his crew were coming under attack by six men in a fast moving boat, armed with rocket propelled grenades.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Let us begin to appreciate what they have done and continue to do for us. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” I wonder if we are bold enough to do justice to our Somali mothers.”

Somali women: The unsung heroes

25 Feb- Source: Hiiraan Online-1260 Words

For two decades, Somalia was in a state of lawlessness in which a brutal civil war evolved through different stages, all contributing to the loss of lives and enormous damage to the country’s infrastructure. The major actors of this time were warlords who produced business-lords that in turn reproduced religious-lords that finally appealed to the unconscious minds of the international community. All these actors planned a total destruction to our society.

Perhaps, many may ask what sustained the existence of the Somali community even though there was no central government for over twenty years. Despite the challenges they faced in a society that under-rates them, one group withstood the test of difficult times- the Somali women. I write this out of my experience of strong Somali women that I have seen or touched my life while growing in Dadaab refugee camp.