January 17, 2012 | Morning Headlines.


	Mahiga inspects UN designate offices in Mogadishu 17 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Bar-kulan – 136 words A UN delegation headed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Ambassador Augustine Mahiga on Tuesday arrived in Mogadishu to inspect the UN designate offices in Somalia. Mahiga is expected to hold talks with the Somali president, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali over the issue.
Key Headlines SNSA display 18 al Shabaab defectors in Mogadishu (Source: Radio Mogadishu) Mahiga inspects UN designate offices in Mogadishu (Source: Radio Mogadishu) Scholars speak out against Kenyan air strikes that killed 5 children (Source: Garowe Online) Somalia oil exploration: drilling begins in Puntland (BBC News) Doctors on terror charges oppose bid to have them freed (Source: Daily Nation) AU expresses concern over Somalia’s TFP crisis (Source: Xinhua News)

SOMALI MEDIA SNSA display 18 al Shabaab defectors in Mogadishu 17 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu – 249 words Somalia’s National Security Agency on Tuesday displayed more than 18 extremists fighters, mainly youths who surrendered to Somali government forces in Mogadishu. The Somali security agency confirmed the young men surrendered to the government within the last three days and that they will be taken to a rehabilitation center run by the Somali government where the youths will also have an opportunity to undertake quality training to better their lives. Fighting reported in Somaliland 17 Jan – Source: Mareeg Online – 202 words Heavy fighting with shells has once again erupted in Buhodle town of northern war and drought-stricken Horn of Africa nation, Somalia, killing at least 12 people, an official said Tuesday. The battle, which is between the self-proclaimed Somaliland military and SSC rebels broke out in early hours on Tuesday morning after the rebels launched an assault on Somaliland forces stationed on the outskirts of Buhodle in Togdher region in northern Somalia, according to a spokesman for SSC rebels. Mahiga inspects UN designate offices in Mogadishu 17 Jan – Source: Radio Mogadishu, Bar-kulan – 136 words A UN delegation headed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Ambassador Augustine Mahiga on Tuesday arrived in Mogadishu to inspect the UN designate offices in Somalia. Mahiga is expected to hold talks with the Somali president, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali over the issue. Scholars speak out against Kenyan air strikes that killed 5 children 17 Jan – Source: Garowe Online – 206 words The Somali Islamic Scholars organization released a statement on Monday in which they expressed their anger towards the Kenyan air strikes that killed 5 children and 2 adults on Sunday, Radio Garowe reports. The Director for the organization Sheikh Bashir Ahmed read a statement from the Islamic Scholars after the organization met in Mogadishu on Monday. Somalia seeks clarifications from Kenya over Jilib raid 17 Jan – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 279 words Somalia has asked Kenya to explain its actions during the recent air attack on Jilib which allegedly killed civilians, reports say. Kenyan fighter jets bombed the rebel-held town, killing civilians including four children of the same family last Sunday. Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Noor said he met with Kenyan officials to discuss the issue, adding that Kenya promised to form a committee to investigate the incident. REGIONAL MEDIA Poll: 82% of Kenyans back Shabaab fight 17 Jan – Source: Daily Nation, The Star – 218 words Kenya’s war against the al Shabaab has received a major boost after an overwhelming majority of Kenyans supported the ongoing military operation in Somalia. A recent survey conducted by the University of Nairobi’s Institute of Development Studies established that 82 per cent of Kenyans approve of the Operation Linda Nchi to defeat the militants. Doctors on terror charges oppose bid to have them freed 17 Jan – Source: Daily Nation, The Star – 200 words Two doctors suspected to be members of al Shabaab have opposed a move by the Kenyan state to release them. Dr Ali Omar Salim and Dr Adan Hassan Hillow shocked the court when they opposed a bid by the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw terrorism-related charges facing them. “We want our names to be cleared by this court not through a shortcut” the suspects said. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Somalia oil exploration: drilling begins in Puntland 17 Jan – Source: BBC News – 451 words Oil exploration has begun in the arid north-east of Somalia, which has been wracked by civil war for two decades. The Canadian firm Africa Oil behind the project said its two wells are the first to be drilled there in 21 years. Haiti, Somalia and global jobs 17 Jan – Source: The Guardian – 852 words Where the aid has gone in Haiti, why the international community dragged its feet on Somalia famine, and a request for questions on the global jobs crisis. Six months since famine was declared in Somalia, we look at trends in funding to the region, asking what difference mention of the word “famine” made to donors, and looking at whether aid flows have changed more recently. AU expresses concern over Somalia’s TFP crisis 17 Jan – Source: Xinhua News – 450 words Chairperson of the African Union Commission Jean Ping expressed concern over the lingering dispute in the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia, the AU said. According to a statement AU sent to media on Tuesday, the Chairperson regretted the inability of some members of the TFP to demonstrate the required maturity and rise to the challenges facing their country. Seychelles refuse to take Somali pirates held by Danes 17 Jan – Source: Reuters – 402 words Denmark said on Tuesday the Seychelles had refused to take 25 suspected Somali pirates detained by one of its warships earlier this month, highlighting the difficulty of putting pirates on trial. The pirates remain aboard the Danish warship Absalon which captured them and their fishing vessel on Jan. 7. SOCIAL MEDIA CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS London Conference on Somalia: building momentum 17 Jan- Source: UK FCO Blog- 568 Words So far, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the British Prime Minister’s announcement to host a Conference on Somalia in London next month. After 20 years of sliding backwards, it’s clear – and welcomed by many – that Somalia needs a step-change in effort, both from the international community, but also Somalia’s political leaders. This is what the London Conference is about – bringing together in London senior representatives from over 40 governments, multilateral organisations and Somali authorities to agree how the international community can step-up its efforts to help tackle the root causes and effects of the problems in Somalia. Twenty years of civil war in Somalia have had a dramatic effect on Somalis. Somalia is the most affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa – the UK estimates that 50,000 to 100,000 people may have died in Somalia, half of them children, since famine was declared almost six months ago. The UN estimates that 250,000 Somalis remain at risk and almost 2.5 million Somalis are displaced in the country and across the region. And if that wasn’t reason enough to act, an entire generation of children – Somalia’s future – has grown up with guns, not school books. Somalia is one of the worst countries in the world to be a woman. And while some Somalis are thriving financially, not enough is being invested in Somalia’s future. And it’s clear from my meetings with many Somalis, that the people of Somalia want change. So the London Conference is about making the most of the opportunities in front of us: A complete review of today’s articles will appear in the Afternoon Report