Febuary 1, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Suicide bomber kills two in central Somalia: official

31 Jan – Source: AFP/Washington Post – 368 words

At least two people were killed Tuesday when a suicide bomber attacked the home of a senior militia commander in the central Somali town of Galkayo, a security official said. “A man wearing an explosive vest blew himself up after he was stopped by security guards” as he tried to enter the main gate at the house of Abdi Hasan Qeybdid, a former police chief and warlord, said local security official Abdisalan Mohamed.

Key Headlines

Ministry of Health to establish National Health Standards Institution ( Source: TFG)
President Sharif asks for arms embargo to be lifted (Source: Garowe Online)
Italian FM Somali PM discuss political process in Somalia (Source: SONNA)
Defence minister calls for more troops in Somalia (Source: Daily Nation)
Up to 100000 displaced Somalis assisted by IOM to reach camps in KenyaEthiopia since influx (Source: KUNA)

PRESS RELEASE

Ministry of Health to establish National Health Standards Institution

31 Jan – Source: TFG – 148 words

The Ministry of Heath Human service announced that it intends to raise the standard of health and medicine
in the country by enforcing all the existing health and safety regulations and issuing new ones as required.

The Minister of Health Human service, H.E. Abdiaziz Sheikh Yusuf said, “There is an acute problem of sub-standard or out-of-date medicine being sold to our citizens, who are unaware of the danger to their health and life that this dangerous medicine can cause.

“We are determined that this should no longer continue and are in the process of taking all the necessary steps to put an end to it in the shortest possible time” the Minister continued .

“Among the measures that will be implemented is the establishment of a National Health Standards Institution whose task will be to ensure the quality control of all the medicine imported into the country” the
Minister concluded.

SOMALI MEDIA

President Sharif asks for arms embargo to be lifted

31 Jan – Source: Garowe Online – 136 words

TFG President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has asked the UN to lift the arms embargo so the TFG could strengthen their forces, Radio Garowe reports. President Sharif, speaking at the 17th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa said, “I’m asking the UN and the AU to remove the arms embargo so we can strengthen our TFG forces.” The President also asked for the UN and AU to help the TFG implement the signed Mogadishu Roadmap.

Abdi Qaybdid survived an assassination attempt in Central Somalia

31 Jan – Source: Hiiraan Online, Bar-kulan, Somaliweyn – 102 words

A Somali police officer has survived an assassination attempt by a suicide bomber in a central Somali town. Col. Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid was unscathed after a suicide bomber opened fire on guards at the gate of his house in the town of Galkayo. The attacker’s explosives detonated but only killed the bomber. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt.

Italian FM, Somali PM discuss political process in Somalia

31 Jan- Source: SONNA, Radio Mogadishu- 163 words

Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi held talks with Somali PM H.E Abdiweli Mohammad Ali on the progress of the transitional phase, the security situation in the African country and how to rebuild Somalia. Terzi and Ali discussed the situation in general Somalia and the provinces in specific, as well as political developments over the past six months.

Somaliland: dead body of Ethiopian found inside Tog-Wajale, Gabiley region

31 Jan- Source: Hadhwanaag Times- 113 words

The dead body of an Ethiopian has been found inside the town of Tog-Wajale, eyewitnesses said on Tuesday. The police forces of Somaliland took the corpse to investigate the case.

Source close to police forces said that there are wounds on his body as he was from the Oromo tribe of Ethiopia.

Alcoholic drink burnt down in Garowe

31 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 168 words

The security personnel of Garowe in Puntland administration have today burnt down 65 bottles of an illicit brew in an open area. Security personnel had been informed by some travellers that the alcoholic drink was buried outside of Dangoroyo. The police commissioner of Puntland Mohamed Said Jaqanaf said the Nugaal high court ruled that the alcoholic drink be burnt down. The Nugaal regional administrator Abdi Hirsi Ali said the lethal brew was being transported to and destined for pirates.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenyan Defence minister calls for more troops in Somalia

31 Jan- Source: Daily Nation, Xinhua- 412 words

Kenyan Defence Minister Yusuf Haji has urged the AU to deploy more military personnel and hardware to Somalia so that al Shabaab militants are attacked on all fronts. Mr Haji told Xinhua, in an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing 18th AU summit in Addis Ababa, that whereas the Kenyan troops have aerial power and the necessary equipment, the troops in Mogadishu need helicopters, body amours, ammunition because they have to move from place to place while hunting down the militants.

Up to 100,000 displaced Somalis assisted by IOM to reach camps in Kenya, Ethiopia since influx

31 Jan- Source: KUNA- 465 words

The International Organisation of Migration announced on Tuesday that it has provided transport assistance to 100,000 Somalis fleeing into Kenya and Ethiopia because of war and famine over the last eight months. “From its reception centre at Dollo Ado, on the border between Somalia and Ethiopia, IOM used buses and trucks to assist arriving refugees and their possessions reach the main Ethiopian camps of Bokolomanyo, Melkedida and Halweyn, which are located some 35 kilometers away from Dollo Ado,” said the IOM spokesperson Jumbe Omare Jumbe in a press briefing.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Suicide bomber kills two in central Somalia: official

31 Jan – Source: AFP/Washington Post – 368 words

Murder of the Head of Radio Shabelle in Mogadishu

31 Jan – Source: France Diplomatie – 178 words

France condemns the murder of Mr. Hassan Osman Abdi, Head of Radio Shabelle, one of the main radio stations in Mogadishu, the Somali capital. After his colleagues, Bashir Nur Gedi and Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe, Hassan Osman Abdi is the third head of this media station to be shot dead. France pays tribute to thecourage of the team working for this independent radio station, which continues, in spite of the threats, to fulfill its mission to provide information.

UNESCO chief condemns latest murder of journalist in Somalia

31 Jan- Source: UN News Centre- 302 words

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with promoting and defending the freedom of the press today condemned the murder of a journalist in Somalia and called for measures to improve the safety of mediaprofessionals in the Horn of Africa country. Hassan Osman Abdi, 29, a journalist and director of the ShabelleMedia Network, a private radio and television network, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Saturday at his home in the capital, Mogadishu.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Action has to be taken to combat the pirates. Shipping companies should place heavily armed professional guards on ships with shoot to kill orders. All countries with commercial ships traversing the African shipping lanes should provide naval warships to protect shipping, and if necessary, provide convoy escort duty just like they did during World War II.”

Letter: Time to smack down Somali pirates

31 Jan- Source: Eagle Tribute-Letter to Editor-310
The recent rescue of hostages in Somalia by a Navy SEAL team brings into focus the ongoing problem we have with the Somali pirates. These pirates continue to wreak havoc on commercial shipping off the coast of Africa, and there are numerous ships and hostages currently being held by the pirates for ransom.

In February 2011 four Americans were taken hostage aboard their yacht off Africa, and were subsequently killed by their captors. During the same time frame, the pirates commandeered the Italian tanker Savina Caylyn, which can carry $63 million of crude oil; and captured the U.S.-bound tanker Irene SL 220 miles off Oman. The Irene SL was carrying 2 million barrels of oil worth $200 million.
Maritime industry officials believe over 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil supply could be at risk of pirate attacks and this could have an adverse impact on oil prices and the economies of countries dependent on oil imports.

“The London Conference in February 2012 is not reconciliation but it is for the international community to explore means of strengthening the existing TFG institutions and to coordinate their efforts. Only heads of states and other agencies are invited to the meeting. For this reason, no UK Diaspora is invited to the conference.”

“I propose that London conference should minimize the military option and maximize the political solution and social aspects of the conflict. It should find means of bringing the TFG and its opposition at the negotiation table whatever it takes. It should urge participating countries and agencies to consider non-military option as a matter of urgency. Insurgency is the major obstacle to lasting in Somalia. Let’s end it.”

London Conference: February 2012

31 Jan- Source: Hiiraan Online Opinion- 1044 Words

Somalia is a failed stated mismanaged by its own people and others. The country is entering its 21-year of instability. The beleaguered population had lived under enduring anarchy and violence for 7300 days (20 years). So many reconciliation conferences missed the opportunities to address the root cause of the conflict in the Horn of Africa. The conflict in Somalia has passed through different stages. There was a time when the clans fought bitterly for hegemony under powerful warlords. During which time Somalia had witnessed the greatest social turmoil in its history: secession of the ex-British Somaliland, loss of sovereignty, widespread clan hostility, appalling atrocities and forced displacement. Then in 2006 the warlord epoch ended abruptly. The Union of Islamic Courts rose to power and replaced the notorious warmongers. For the first time since 1991, Somalia tasted 6 months of unprecedented peace and tranquillity. To date, the country is still in turmoil.