February 28, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Landmine blast at Mogadishu stadium injures 8

27 Feb – Source: Shabelle, Kulmiye, Rissala – 153 words

At least 8 people have been wounded in a huge landmine blast which took place in Mogadishu, witnesses said on Monday. The explosion happened at around 5:00 a.m. local time inside a stadium at Mogadishu’s Wardhiglay where a game intended for the integration of the people in the capital was being held. All injured ones were confirmed to be fans and spectators who had come to watch the game.

Key Headlines

Fierce fighting reported in Somalia’s Lower Jubba Region (Source: Radio Shabelle)
Eelasha-biyaha merchants relocate to Mogadishu Capital ( Source: Radio Bar-kulan)
The world’s options for aid in Somalia (Source: NPR News)
Somali Embassy in Nairobi receives aid from Libyans (Source: Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali PM hopes to see al Shabaab fighters gone soon (Source: Daily Nation)

SOMALI MEDIA

Fierce fighting reported in Somalia’s Lower Jubba Region

27 Feb- Source: Radio Shabelle- 121 words

Fierce fighting between Somali goverment forces backed by Kenya troops and al Shabaab fighters has erupted at Kolbiyow locality in Lower Jubba Region. The fighting started when al Shabaab fighters ambushed and planted a landmine targeting a lorry transporting government soldiers which had left Kolbiyow locality on its way to Badhaadhe District, Lower Jubba Region.

Landmine blast at Mogadishu stadium injures 8

27 Feb – Source: Shabelle, Kulmiye, Rissala – 153 words

Eelasha-biyaha merchants relocate to Mogadishu

27 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 105 words

Business people from Eelasha-biyaha district have started moving to Mogadishu where many people have recently gone back following fear of conflict between al Shabaab militia against a collaboration of AMISOM and TFG forces. Some of the merchants said that the last displacement has affected the population in Eelasha-biyaha in many ways.

Kenyan forces clash with al Shabaab militants in Somalia

27 Feb – Source: Shabelle – 202 words
Fighting between Kenyan army and the Al-Qaeda linked militant group of al Shabaab occurred Monday at Kulbiyow village nearby Badade town in Lower Jubba region of southwestern Somalia, killing seven soldiers, officials say.The fighting broke out after the militants launched an ambushed offensive on a convoy carrying Kenyan army and allied troops of pro- Somalia government as they were coming from Kulbiyow village and heading towards Badade town, a town close to the border and controlled by TFG soldiers.

Somali Embassy in Nairobi receives aid from Libyans

27 Feb – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 131words

Somali embassy in Nairobi has received aid from Libyans who contributed to the Somali people grappling with many challenges both inside and outside the war-torn nation. Aid reaching 2000 thousand tons were allocated; the embassy has so far received 25 tons composed of foodstuffs, date and nutritious materials.
First secretary of the Somali embassy in Nairobi, Ali Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh alias Ali Bagedi said that the aid was from Libyans in Tripoli and Benghazi which will be distributed to refugees in Dadaab campsite as well as camps inside the war-torn Somali nation.

Somali police conducts security operations in Mogadishu

27 Feb – Source: Bariga Afrika, Shabelle – 115 words
The police forces of the TFG on Monday conducted search operations in parts of Mogadishu’s districts, arresting dozens of people suspected of being al Shabaab militants. Most of the operations took place in Bondere and Shibis districts which are filled with newly returned people after three years of conflict in Mogadishu.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenyan killed in Somalia shelling

27 Feb- Source: the Standard- 436 words

A Kenyan man is among three foreign fighters who were killed in an air raid in KM-60 location of Lower Shabelle region, Somalia.

His identity was yet to be made public but Somalia and Kenyan intelligence officials confirmed he was a Kenyan and among the three who were killed on Friday as they were travelling towards Merca, the capital of Lower region when their car was hit.

Somali PM hopes to see al Shabaab fighters gone soon

27 Feb- Source: Daily Nation- 297 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said Monday he hoped his country would be free of Al-Qaeda allied Al-Shabaab fighters in the next few months, following advances by pro-government and foreign troops.

“Over the next few months, hopefully there will be no more Al-Shabaab in Somalia,” Ali told reporters during a visit to Oslo.

EU extends naval operation off Somalia until 2014

27 Feb – Source: KUNA, Wall Street Journal, AFP – 106 words
The EU Foreign Affairs Council Monday agreed to extend the mandate of the EU naval operation, Atalanta, off the coast of Somalia until December 2014. Since its launch in December 2008, Atalanta has been successfully escorting the World Food Program (WFP) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) shipments to Somalia, protecting the most vulnerable shipping and deterring and preventing repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast, said the Council in a statement.

Turkey’s growing Somalia interests

27 Feb – Source: Al Jazeera – 2:37 min

Turkey has been showing unparalleled interest in Somalia, starting with a visit from Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, in August last year.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenyan troops make inroads in Somalia

27 Feb – Source: Washington Post – 465 words

After months of delay often bogged down in muddy fields, Kenyan troops are finding their footing to become a valuable asset in the fight against al-Shabab terrorists in Somalia.

About 1,500 Kenyan soldiers crossed Somalia’s eastern border in October without approval from African Union peacekeepers, who were there to support a shaky transitional government in a lawless nation gripped in turmoil for more than 20 years.

The world’s options for aid in Somalia

27 Feb – Source: NPR News – 2,874 words

The Somali Civil War that began in 1991 destroyed the country’s agriculture; that led to widespread starvation and poverty, thousands of people died, warlords took over clans. The United States and other countries tried to help, but all efforts have failed. Now 20 years have gone by. And with piracy and the threat of terrorism from the group al-Shabab becoming a global problem, the British government held a summit last week in London with 55 delegations from Somalia and the international community.

Indicted Muslim extremist Krekar ‘will die in Somalia’, says PM

27 Feb- Source: The Foreigner News – 303 words

Speaking on his first-ever visit to Norway this week, Prime Minister Ali said, “We have enough problems in Somalia already, we don’t need people like him. He will meet his death in Somalia.”

The Mullah, who recently intimated he wished to relocate to Somalia to teach Arabic, is currently on trial for making death threats against Conservative Party (H) leader Erna Solberg, amongst others, and several Kurds. He claimed he has nothing against Mrs Solberg and denied he is guilty.

Shipping industry has mixed reaction over the outcome of the UK Somalia conference

27 Feb- Source: shipmanagementinternational- 694 words

The principal international trade association for ship owners representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world merchant fleet – has responded to the outcome of the intergovernmental conference on Somalia hosted by the UK on 23 February.

The shipping industry welcomes the commitments made to try to restore government and civil society in Somalia – the absence of a functioning state being one of the underlying causes of violent Somali pirate attacks against international shipping, which have so far led to more than 60 seafarers losing their lives and 4,000 seafarers being taken hostage. However, addressing these issues will take years if not decades.

SA Navy to challenge Somali piracy

27 Feb – Source: Biz Community -170 words

According to Business Live reports, international shipping lines are seriously thinking about the safety of their vessels transiting East African waters as the threat of Somali piracy grows. Speaking at a Parliamentary press briefing, Defence and Military Veterans Affairs Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said the threat was growing with 17 incidents reported in Tanzanian waters during the past year.
“As the international patrols off the Somali coast hamper the pirates’ ability to operate there, then they move further down and away from the coast,” she said.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“The whole episode looked like a Scramble for Africa all over again. Even the Group Photo shows Cameron’s arrogance standing as a colonial governor in the front and apart from the rest. No wonder my mind raced back to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and flashes of the Mad Mullah’s resistance to the British colonization. You see, history is hard to forget, especially its painful episodes and oppression is never far from the African heart. And in the 21st century when all are educated and aware about the real intentions it is painful to see someone exploiting you because of your circumstances.”

David Cameron’s Welcome Colonial Arrogance

27 Feb – Source: Hiiraan Online – 973 Words

It was arrogance, sheer arrogance of colonial times; another British PM in the 21st century dictating his terms to a beleaguered African nation.

David Ca meron buoyed by his victory in Libya wanted an international endorsement to air bomb Somalia under the pretext of fighting Al Shabab and Piracy but in real truth he wanted to address domestic concerns: read Olympics, economic hardships, British tourism in Kenya, future oil & mineral prospects and home security, genuine interests indeed against genuine threats coming from a poor Horn of African nation. It was unacceptable, genuinely unacceptable.

But genuine causes are not enough. No politician and especially a British for that matter flaunt naked objectives. They have to be sugar coated with diplomacy and altruism. And this is why decisions were already made, the daggers were out and the victim was brought to the altar to submit to his fate or sign his verdict.

“Of course there is much more work to be done. The London Conference was part of a process that will involve much more hard effort and political will before Somalia is transformed into a modern nation and the terrorists threatening the people of Somalia are defeated. But the signs are good and there is a great deal more optimism than there was just a few months ago.”

Somalia: a Major Step Forward

27 Feb- Source: FCO Blog- 298 Words
After 20 years of civil war, there are signs of hope for Somalia. The timing of a Conference of 55 delegations at Lancaster House in London last week to discuss the way ahead seemed to embody the growing international consensus – not just among the countries of the region but much more widely – that “something must be done” to resolve the problem of Somalia. And quickly.
From the perspective of an involved spectator – which is what I was – the Conference itself went as well as it could have done. This reflected a great deal of hard work done in advance by many people from many governments and organisations – it helped tremendously, for instance, that the members of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development in Eastern Africa (IGAD) came to the Conference with an agreed position on many of the issues at stake.